《Shift! The Side-Character Heroine Novel》 Chapter 1 Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation Zhao Youyue was feeling particularly good today. After all, she is now a shifter girl, and nowadays, where would you find a shifter girl who isnt beautiful? Now that she has shifted into a young girl, everything would turn out for the best! Well, what is the purpose of shifting, if you dont turn into a great beauty? Just like any other guy who crossdresses to win the affection of others, becoming a big-c*cked cutie in life, having a cute outer appearance is imperative. Likewise, if the shifting does not turn one into be a great beauty, the shifter would rather end his or her life at once! Zhao Youyue knew all too well that she has not been equipped with the superhuman perseverance of her female senior, Wu Di. That girl was able to slim herself down into the proportions of a goddess [2] even after once shifting into a plump girl. Without any doubt, there is nothing better than achieving ones goal in a single bound. Zhao Youyue has never been an advocate of the unproductive path of bitterness first, sweetness later [1]. She then took her little mirror out and stared into it with confidence, this. is this how a pretty girl looks like? She was a girl with beautiful facial features, delicate, fair skin, silky hair shaped into a bob cut that ended in a casual fringe that lay over her forehead. Such appearances reminded her of Katou Megumi, the heroine of the manga Saekano: How to Raise a Boring Girlfriend. She was now as good as the three dimensional Katou Megumi. Surely enough, the all-too-common setting where all shifter girls are pretty girls, would never fail to live up to that stereotype! At the same time, she had assimilated the memory of this body, coming to know that the body of its original owner had lived a dull and pathetic life. Her personality had deprived her of any sense of presence. Wait, isnt this what a three dimensional Katou Megumi started off as? As she continued diving into the memories, she came across the revelation that she has never received a single love letter, and not a single person has ever confessed their love for her. Well, even her fellow classmates did not know that she existed! At that moment, Zhao Youyue had to admit, that regarding herself as a great beauty was a misconception. Was it even possible for a true beauty to not gain any notice, at all? With such beauty, she could have conquered everything. Just like An Yi, the beautiful mangaka who had ticked off her numerous fans, only to quell their rage by the simple action of posting a cute picture of herself. Objectively speaking, Zhao Youyue was nothing more than an adorable girl. Due to her undistinguished personality, she had never before, expressed herself prominently and had remained completely unremarkable. As one takes a trip down memory lane of their high school days, many would easily remember the elite scholars who achieved outstanding results, as easily as they would remember the schools beauty kings and queens. Many could also remember the students who constantly flunked their exams and rebelled against the teachers in class. Apart from those two extremes, students who were neither, born with ordinary appearances, average exam results, and boring personalities, would be fortunate if anyone ever remembers them. During a class gathering, people might only recall knowing such students when their names are mentioned. In fact, Zhao Youyue belonged to such a category. She possessed no outstanding traits of her own. Well, despite taking up several hobby classes since young, she still remained a jack of all trades and a master of none, because she was never ambitious or bold enough to announce her presence, here I am, pay heed to me! At this point, Zhao Youyue saw a silver lining. She was allegedly the precious daughter of a rich family, albeit not filthy rich. Nevertheless, her father was the director of a private hospital, which was also her familys private property. Moreover, her mother was a university professor. Under such conditions, there would be no need for her to work for the rest of her life. She might not be able to afford a private aircraft, a luxury yacht or high-end villas, but driving a million-dollar limo, living in a luxury condominium were within the realm of possibilities. The thought gave her some momentary relief. A side-character does not have any protagonists halo hovering over their heads, none at all! The main character should either derive from the lowest class of the society, one who has to walk through a path full of thorns to achieve greatness, or be born in an aristocratic family, probably as a b*stard or a useless dandy, who would still end up as the heir of the aristocratic family in the end With a family background like hers, did not grant her any room to prove herself as the main character! As things stand now, she was not the main character, so who exactly was she? Just a random, side character? No way! She was no longer the previous Zhao Youyue. She wanted to change herself and enhance her presence. She wanted the whole world to know of her existence! She decided to examine if she had possessed any golden fingers[3], believing that she should at least be gifted with an eidetic memory, or a brain as powerful as a computer, that could store all the iconic works of literature. If so, she could happily be a plagiarist, selling all her transcribed works in this parallel world, earning herself countless fans. Everyone would remember her this way, wouldnt they? Much to her dismay, she failed to recollect the contents of even the iconic novels, such as Jin Yongs works, which by then, had already been adopted in one form or another by a whole multitude of plagiarists. She thought of The Return of Condor Heroes, but could vaguely remember the storyline and its iconic characters. As such, reproducing stories based on her memory was impossible, as she had never built up her writing skill. She is not able to able to transcribe novels, let alone mangas. Ah, and dont forget how she was lacking in any form of talent. The road to being a plagiarist was thus, cut off! System setting, please come out already. Without you, I would really be just a side character in this world! Zhao Youyue muttered to herself, hoping to hear sounds like Ding Dong, Bounded, Host, but still, there was no response. To her utmost disappointment, Zhao Youyue acknowledged her absolute lack of the golden finger [3]. Prior to shifting, she was already an ordinary side character that possessed a similar personality. How would she possibly turn herself from a side character into the heroine? Would she really need to study hard to become an elite scholar? Zhao Youyue opened up the high school textbook that she had just obtained, and took a glance at it, why is this so complicated isnt this too much to become an elite scholar? She might as well become a pornstar! This must be a way to bring up her fame. Well, she did have an identity as the precious daughter of a hospital director, that could be quite a selling point, couldnt it? Anyway, she would never do such a thing, besides, the competition in that field was pretty intense. Among the myriad pornstars filming in Japan, how many of them would actually be remembered by the masses? Zhao Youyue used to be a fan of Katou Megumi from the manga Saekano, but she did not have that saint mentality of hers. She would not resign solely to being a side character. In fact, in the latter part of the story, Katou Megumi, under the guidance of the male protagonist, grew much more attractive and conspicuous. She thus lived up to the title of a main character. Zhao Youyue decided to improve her sense of presence. She now had the desire to change herself from a side character into main character, and now, her brain was completely occupied by two words C Make Trouble. The student behind Wang Yang, its your turn to introduce yourself, Mr. Qiu the class teacher called out. Zhao Youyue got to her feet, yearning to say I have no interest in ordinary humans. If there are any aliens, time travelers, sliders, or espers herecome join me. That is all! This is apparently an old joke, but it has always been effective at drawing peoples attention. What she eventually let leak was, Im Zhao Youyue, glad to be classmates with everyone. Just like Katou Megumi, she spoke with a mild tone and a sweet voice, but her self-introduction was too unremarkable. Everyone just darted a glance at her without putting her in mind. Zhao Youyue sat down in disappointment. She had the will, but not the courage to become a troublemaker. Anyway, she would not come up with Haruhi Suzumiyas disgusting way of self-introduction! Uh uh, she was not going to build up her sense of presence by such methods. After all, what were the odds of such a side character becoming a main character? If any novel had such a main character, the author might as well drop the novel right away. It would fail sooner or later, wouldnt it? Hence, this is the end of the novel, let us celebrate! Nevertheless, Zhao Youyue soon found herself an outlet to become a troublemaker. Of course, this involved the discovery of her special ability! Translation Note: 1. Bitterness first, sweetness later C ȿ is a Chinese idiom. It means that one has to work hard (bitterness) before enjoying life or reaping the harvest of ones hard work (sweetness). 2. Chinese always refer to a very beautiful girl as Goddess C Ů. 3. Golden finger C ָ refers to the extraordinary advantage granted to a character in the story, usually the main character, which allows him/her to achieve something much more easily than the other characters. Hi guys. Editor Tonicquill here. Ill be joining the novel, from Chapter 115 onwards. Chapters prior to that were produced by an almost entirely different team within Endless Fantasy. Doubled back here to add some of my touches to prevent the disparity of terms and tone of this novel, until the point where I start editing for it full-time. Firstly, a TL-related note: Due to the raw slightly differing from the source material of the authors reference, we decided to adopt the actual subtitled line uttered by Suzumiya Haruhi herself. Secondly, some of my understanding of the story so far. (Read chapter 2 to answer some Chapter 1 questions while giving rise to many new ones. Admittedly, Chapter 1 by itself is hella confusing as it is.) Our main girl is Zhao Youyue. The author used a roundabout method to explain this, but apparently, some unknown entity had taken over this Zhao Youyue and assimilated her memories. Shifted (meaning still unclear as of now C whether it means to possess a body, or to transform her appearance, or to reincarnate). I know its confusing, but this line -female senior, Wu Di. That girl was able to slim herself down into the proportions of a goddess [2] even after once shifting into a plump girl. might have been deliberately misleading on the authors part C Im assuming that would be Female senior as in senior student, not female shifter, as the narration seemed to imply that shifters are some sort of profession or a different species altogether. Wu Di is probably an ordinary, thickset girl who lost a lot of weight C OR she is someone who has been possessed like Zhao Youyue C and was thickset at that point in time. One thing we do know, these Shifters came from another world, as Zhao Youyue has considered plagiarizing novels from another world and selling them in this world as her own. These shifters appear to want nothing more than to get noticed in this world, otherwise living rather peacefully. Im getting a Host vibe by Stephenie Meyer here, lol Chapter 2 Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation This had to be a dream! Zhao Youyue believed. Such an event would not happen unless she has fallen asleep. However, upon closing her eyes, a huge mysterious gate appeared right before her. Just like a wave of inspiration which usually comes out of the blue, her brain was suddenly filled with every piece of information pertaining to this gate. This gate called itself Two Dimensional Gate. Apparently, through it, one could transmigrate into the story of a manga, a novel, a game or any other literary work. She would then be allowed to pick one female character and play out her role, whether it be the main character, a supporting character, or even a side character, as long as the character has been given a name and place in the story. Bear in mind that if one is to play the role of a main character or a supporting character, their personalities and abilities would already have been firmly established by the author. Therefore, she must carefully retain the guise of the characters traits, she would have no control of modifying the character settings in any way. However, if she opts to take over a female side character, she could then tweak with the characters settings like her own backyard. It was very unlikely for an author to pay close attention to the details of a side character. Meanwhile, if the character she plays becomes well-known in reality, allowing her to transform into a memorable iconic character, she would inherit the said characters abilities in the real world! The higher the character popularity, the more powerful her inheritance would be, and the longer the inheritance effects could last. If this character is not well recognized, she would never inherit that characters abilities. Zhao Youyue had been vexed by her absence of a golden finger during her waking hours. Now, she simply could not resist envisioning a bright future of her own. Yes, this is more like it. How could she possibly remain as a side character! She pushed the Two Dimensional Gate open. Soon after she walked in, the full understanding of this world came into her mind, and she instantly understood that this is the world of The King of Superpowers, a webnovel that depicted the journey of an Otaku student after acquiring his superpowers. He had then traveled freely to all the cities of the world, and soon nestled in the midst of a female harem. Besides, he had even stepped into the novels underworld, battling superhumans of all sorts. Of course, this novel was still under serialization. With an average popularity and almost 2,000 subscribers, it had generated a monthly income of 5,000-6,000 Renminbi (RMB) for the novelist. Zhao Youyue had never come across this novel before in her life. She immediately selected a female side character named Zhang Jiajia. It was such a pity, this girl had once been humiliated by the main protagonist during her days as the promoter of a high-class apparel store, solely for staring at an Otaku with disdain. Previously, the male protagonist had won a big sum of money from gambling with his superpowers. He had then embarrassed Zhang Jiajia by flinging money into her face. Ever since being humiliated for her arrogance, Zhang Jiajia has never again appeared in the novel Zhao Youyue modified the character settings of Zhang Jiajia in such a way: Max intelligence, Max perseverance, along with Eidetic Memory. In the real world, Zhao Youyue was unremarkable in all aspects. Imagine, if she inherits the intelligence, perseverance, and eidetic memory of the new Zhang Jiajia, she would rip her Side-Character role into shreds! At the same time, Zhao Youyue had even equipped Zhang Jiajia with the signature move of Mikoto Misaka. If she could fire her Railgun attack in real life, how cool would that be! In fact, in the story of King of Superpower, the male protagonist had not grown too much in terms of his superpower. The novel was still at its metaphase, where the male protagonist had intended to use his superpowers only to show off before ordinary folk, or to humiliate the children of tycoons, politicians Without any doubt, these unruly character settings, no thanks to Zhao Youyue C had severely upset the balance of this novels storyline. As she roamed about in the novels story, she happened to bump into a man who looked like a little gangster. This man seemed to be harassing a fair lady who drove a nice little sports car. Zhao Youyue lifted her hand upBang! Unbelievable. That little gangster has just been obliterated by her Railgun. In the world of novels, she had the power to kill someone in such a decisive way! Later on, she discovered that the person she has killed was actually the male protagonist! Terrible! This is terrible! To think that a dress promoter who once suffered the humiliation of the male protagonist, had literally fought back and even murdered him! The next day Zhao Youyue woke up. She quickly took out a coin and tossed it in the air. She shouted, Railgun! Alas the coin fell smack on her forehead, nothing else happened. At the same time, she rummaged around her brain, only to find that she had no form of eidetic memory. Ah, that was just a ridiculous dream. She sighed, How could there be such a golden finger that could access a Two Dimensional Gate During the morning reading class, she suddenly heard Wang Yang who sat in front of her, speaking to his neighbor Jiang Chao, Holy sh*t, I cant believe that theres such a goddamn novelist! Is he trying to fool his readers? To think that I even tipped his novel Even if he himself doesnt feel like continuing the novel, he shouldnt end it so stupidly. Wang Yang had been a fan of webnovels since junior high. He had carried his interest over into high school. He would always read novels on his phone whenever he gets back to his dorm, in secret. Jiang Chao was more of a webcomic guy. Anyway, both Chinese webnovels and mangas were indeed flourishing. After all, in this world [1], Japan was the vassal of China, so their mangas were pretty much alike. Whats wrong? Jiang Chao was intrigued. Im following this book, The King of Superpowers, not that its popular, or the novelists writing is excellent, he just isnt too shabby when it comes to sex scenes. So, I was reading up to this part, where the male protagonist was picking up a fair lady. Just as I was ready to see him accept another harem member, this girl with electric superpower came out of nowhere. I mean, her description was so stupidly long and elaborate. We get it, shes powerful! The novelist had even hit on the point that she was spectacular in all aspects and possessed an eidetic memory. Right after that, she fired her Railgun at the main protagonist, and killed him! Such a f*cking plot! Isnt it? I had assumed this superpower girl was just another member of his harem Jiang Chao burst into laughter upon hearing the story, Who is this novelist? He is way too talented! Perhaps this is how he takes his revenge on society, since his novel is not selling well? Anyway, I will never read anything that is written by this trashy web novelist anymore. Who does he think he is? Coming up with such a ludicrous ending Was he trying to make the readers remember him and his novel in such a brazen way? Nah, theyll be forgotten in a day or two. Wang Yang scoffed. These years, web novelists would come up with all sort of tactics. Well, isnt there this one who ended with the entire world getting destroyed by a single meteor. So, this tactic is nothing much, its just a side character coming back around to kill the male protagonist. Hahaha Jiang Chao continued laughing. After hearing the conversation of the two, Zhao Youyue was dumbfounded. She was the true culprit of all this! Believing that it was merely a dream, and wanting to have a little fun, she had stirred up trouble in the novel without much deliberation. It had never come to her mind that the male protagonist would be killed by that! She took out her phone and opened up the Qidian website. She found the comments section of that novel on the verge of blowing up, as it was overwhelmed with streams of invectives from the readers. Oh no, many of them were railing against this novelist who named himself C Im the Best. Translation Note: 1. Novels world, as in Zhao Youyues world, not the world she shifted into, and not according to our history. Its their Japan, and their China, and their history. Chapter 3 Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation In the comments section of King of Superpower, there were all comments such as: This book has always been a good read, until this sudden outburst. Was the novelist drunk? I deliberately flipped through the previous chapters, and discovered that this Zhang Jiajia was merely a side character, who was once humiliated by the male protagonist. Surprisingly, her real identity is the final boss of the story! At that one critical moment, she even shot the male protagonist dead. Should we call this novel Super Side Character instead? Bullsh*t, absolutely bullsh*t! Anyway, this book is off the shelves now. Ive blacklisted the novelist too. The terrible ending is exceptional! A side character could even obtain superpowers and emerge as the final boss. The novelist is very creative Looking at the erupting comments section, Zhao Youyue was laden with guilt. Never would she have thought that being a one-time troublemaker would wreak havoc on the novel. Now, she genuinely recalled the criteria that are in order to inherit the character abilities. Obvious enough, she was not allowed to take over those abilities that she simply introduces to the character. Instead, her mission would be to mold an iconic character, who will be remembered by all readers. But now, not only is this character was not an icon, it had turned out to be a complete joke! Meanwhile, she discovered that, in the Online Writers board of Lkong forum, some nosy people were actively making posts about this embarrassing incident. Much of the noise was hollow and short-lived. This novel was not really popular in the first place. Nowadays, too many web novelists would come up with outrageous plot twists, throwing them abruptly in the middle of their writing. More often than not, this would lead to a terrible ending Zhao Youyue finally came to a realization. Modifying the character as she pleased would not bring about a memorable, iconic character. Hence, she must first understand the background of the story. If she could approach the author for some discussions and take control of the character only after ample preparation, that would benefit both parties! In other words, she shall not disturb the balancing of the story, as it would destroy the novel itself. But if her participation in the story helps to boost the popularity of the novel, that would be a double victory! For the novel and herself After all, characters of the popular novels are most likely to be engraved in ones mind. Zhao Youyue was not the kind of girl who would run away from her own mistakes. She then signed up for a Qidian account, and with the nickname Youyue, easily topped up 5,000 RMB into her account. To her, this was just a small amount, as her monthly allowance was already up to 20,000 RMB. Remember, she is the precious daughter of a hospital director. It was the conviction of her parents, that pampering their daughter would prevent her from hooking up with bad guys who have little money Another interesting belief they held was that a pampered daughter of the rich will always end up having her heart won over by a poor man. That poor man would have nothing more to offer other than genuine love for her. Well, that would be quite embarrassing. Zhao Youyue applied for a full subscription to this book and tipped the novelist 1,000 RMB. With that, she was immediately promoted to the Sect Master [1] of the novel. She had even topped the fans ranking list, becoming the number one fan! Indeed, this book has never gained a Sect Master before. Ah, it could not be helped, the novelist was a fresh blood, who had just released a couple of novels up to now. By this alone, Zhao Youyue was able to atone for her guilt. She had never thought that the Two Dimensional Gate was more than just a dream. Come to think of it, that dream was now actually kind of vivid. Subsequently, her Flashing Red [2] popped up above the comments section A Rain of petals is falling from the sky. Tears of joy are rolling down the cheeks. I dont deserve such an honor! Youyue has tipped me the greatest 1,000,000 Qidian coins. In a split second, this Flashing Red had startled the readers who were railing against the novelist. Wow, a tycoon came into sight! Wait, has this tycoon read the latest chapter? Is this tycoon encouraging the novelist to write on a whim? I cant believe that such an awful novel would gain a Sect Master, this is ridiculous! The novelist should show up immediately to apologize. For what you have written, dont you feel sorry to this tycoon who has tipped you a Sect Master? Zhao Youyue realized that, by just tipping the novelist, she had attracted a lot of comments. Most of them came from the readers who could not apprehend her actions. Who would tip a novelist for a terrible ending, let alone become the Sect Master of the novel? Nevertheless, this was her very first time experiencing the power of such presence, despite the fact that it should have come rather easily, being a fair, rich and beautiful girl. In the past, Zhao Youyue has never spent a token to relish the attention and admiration of people. Zhao Youyue was at once filled with immense satisfaction. An idea had then flashed across her mind. As a side character who has experienced total neglection in reality, she could always pretend to be someone cool on internet with the help of todays modern networking era! Meanwhile, in a certain college, four students shared a rather untidy dorm room. The novelist, Im the Best had just waken up with a slight hangover. The previous night, he had gone through some heavy drinking with his buddies. Despite being a heavy drinker, he had unexpectedly turned dizzy right after having two or three boozes of beer. In such a condition, he managed to finish writing several chapters of the novel after returning to his dorm, and he had even admired himself for doing so! He recalled that a decent mood had flung itself upon him at that moment, which motivated him to keep on writing, as his inspiration was pouring in non-stop. With that, he had resurrected a side character named Zhang Jiajia in the novel The heck! Whats with this inspiration? I must be super drunk last night! Im the Best had now remembered clearly about those chapters he had written. He abruptly rolled down from his bed and switched on his laptop in a hasty mood. He then opened the webpage of King of Superpower, and to his utter surprise, the comments section of his novel had acquired a Flashing Red! A Flashing Red denotes that someone had tipped 50,000 Qidian coins! This is equivalent to 500 RMB! Later on, Im the Best was overwhelmed with excitement, to find out that someone had actually tipped him 100,000. He had started writing novels upon entering university, and ever since then, he had never succeeded. Not until his final year, he finally gained minimal fame from writing this book. While the other students were bewildered by job selections, at least, he did not have to worry about this problem anymore. For a student graduating from this third-class university, 3,000 RMB was a healthy figure. He had now earned himself more than 5,000 RMB from this novel, not to mention he was a lazy writer too. 4,000 words per day, was enough to grant him such satisfaction, as if he had saved the whole world. Hence, being able to complete six chapters which consisted of 12,000 words in one night, gave rise to bewilderment! Was this tycoon impressed by his immediate release of six chapters, tipping him a Sect Master? Indeed, this was his first time obtaining a Sect Master ever since he began novel writing. This was why he got so excited! At last, his eyes were caught by the tycoons nickname. Surprisingly, it was Youyue! Not only was the gender stated as female, the tycoon had also applied for a full subscription to his book. Now, he has completely carried away. Was the tycoon a true female fan? For such a harem-heavy novel, written by a lackadaisical man like him in a brazen way, would there even be a female reader? His happiness lasted only for a moment. He soon noticed the scoldings throughout the comments section. He then checked his QQ account and to his realization, that his reader group was in chaos too. Out of just around 200 subscribers, tens of them leaving the group now. Ouch, thats kind of heart wrenching! Translation Note: [1] The word Sect Master C is used in ancient China to refer to the leader of a Sect alliance. At Qidian Chinese website, Sect Master is adopted to address the novel reader who has obtained 100,000 loyalty points of a particular novel, which is done by spending 100,000 Qidian coins (equivalent to 1,000 RMB) on that novel. There are several options which are considered as spending, tipping the author (done by the main character) is one of the options. Sect Master is also used to represent 1,000 RMB in the case of tipping, for instance, tip the author a Sect Master simply means tip the author 1,000 RMB. [2] At Qidian Chinese website, the word Flashing Red C Ʈ족 refers to the system-generated post which appears on top of the comments section of a novel whenever there is a reader tipping the novelist more than 50,000 Qidian coins. The title of the post is of this standard template: Rain of petals is falling from the sky. Tears of joy are rolling down the cheek. I dont deserve such an honor! XXX has tipped me the greatest 1,000,000 Qidian coins., while XXX is the name of the reader. Chapter 4 Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation Noticing a bunch of his fans leaving the reader group, Im The Best instantly felt terrible. Among the members who left, a couple of them happened to be loyal fans who had tipped him more than 100 RMB. He then switched his attention to the group conversation history: At first, I was so excited to know that Master Best had published six chapters at one go. I bet Ill have a great time reading all of them! Well, that was my previous thought, but the moment I looked into the new chapters is he writing jokes? Even the main character was dead, what else should I look forward to? Exactly! Perhaps Master Best couldnt figure out the upcoming plot, and that he just wrote it on a whim, and presented this book with such a horrible ending Sigh, Im tired. I feel I was fooled by this trashy novelist. To protect my brain from further damage, I must leave the group now! Ahh, me too. I wont read his book anymore. Let us all leave the group now! Plus, there isnt any girl in this group at all. I cant believe what had kept us staying for so long. Leave group! Leave group! Leave group! Leave group! At this moment, Im the Best felt like weeping, but he failed to shed a tear. Despite the rants, there was one thing which warmed his heart. The members who had clamoured to leave the group, were the ones who stayed along with him eventually, whereas the quiet members had left without a word. In fact, only a few members would discuss about the novel in the reader group. Apparently, they would talk everyday about anything else, as most of them had become good friends through the group. Well, if those chatterboxes left the group by now, they would probably feel something missing. Oh well, not all the readers were that petty. They were not giving up the author completely just because he had spoiled one of his books. Bombarding him with bad names like Drug Lord might be possible, but their bodies remained truthful in all cases. If the readers were once again amused by the authors new book, here comes another reading binge. Im the Best promptly explained himself in the group My dear readers, I was awfully drunk last night. Im terribly sorry for what Ive written, even I myself could not tolerate that. Ill delete all these chapters right away, and rewrite all of them! @AllMembers Very soon after his appearance in the group, the remaining active members jeered at him, Master Best, you are indeed talented! Ive always made good guesses of the upcoming plots of any other novelists. But this time, it totally went beyond my prediction! Why should you rewrite the whole thing? Isnt there a tycoon who had tipped you a Sect Master after reading your masterpiece? Just carry on with your invincible tale of Super Side Character conquering the world. There is no need to rewrite at all, wasnt there a tycoon who has tipped you a Sect Master after reading such a plot? Just proceed with your invincible tale of a super Side Character conquering the whole world. Oh, Master Best must have drunk some fake beer After apologizing to the readers, Im the best jumped back to his workspace. Before beginning his rework, a private mail was sent to Youyue, his very first Sect Master. He invited her to join his reader group, and wished that he was directly added to her QQ contacts. As for the final touch, he had not forgotten to ask for her sincere opinions regarding his works in future. Later on, Im the Best took a glance at the number of subscriptions for this book. Sure enough, the subscribers had decreased along with the release of his latest chapters. That made him sunk into depression. Indeed, it is pleasantful for a novelist to obtain a Sect Master, but only with the power of subscriptions, the novelist could achieve a continued success! Anyways, Sect Masters are mostly known for one-time businesses Im the Best then started his worked frantically. Astonished to himself, he reckoned that his reworks were pretty dull and soulless. In contrast, those stories he made up the previous night seemed rather vivid, and that gave him a great sense of satisfaction. Unfortunately, that was merely a misconception. He had woken up to be amazed by the ridiculous writings of his own. Im the Best did not realize that he was able to produce such contents, which were entirely about a minor side character stirring up troubles in the story Very soon, Zhao Youyue saw the private mail sent by Im the Best. Though she had tipped him a Sect Master, a piercing guilt had aroused her, as such she proceeded to add his QQ and subscribed to his reader group too. Im the Best was preoccupied with his rework, and so, he did not accept her friend request on QQ immediately. Anyway, her request to join the reader group was instantly accepted, as the reader group administrators, were none other than those superactive chatterboxes at the comments section. Zhao Youyues QQ nickname was Youyue as well. Based on her information, she is a fifteen-year-old girl, if we are to follow the nominal age, she should be sixteen by now. Her QQ account was set as the system-default coffee avatar, and since she was a new user, her QQ account level was very low. Such an account, is fairly similar to ones second account on QQ, of which the information is unreliable. Zhao Youyue was showered by these messages upon her entry to the group: Welcome Newbie. Welcome_to_enter_the_dress[1].jpg (Picture of a cute girl pulling up her dress) Come, new member! Let us see your face and hear your voices! What? The new member is girl? Impossible! By registering yourself a second account with the gender set as female, do you think that will make you a girl? Is it even possible for a girl to read a book like this? New member, stop pretending. You must be just another man who loves scratching his legs. Youre furiously here to kill Master Best right after reading his latest chapters, arent ya! This is highly possible! (Sniggering) Wait, the new members account ID looks familiar Gosh, could this newbie be the new Sect Master of Master Best? Probably, there wont be such coincidence where both of them are named Youyue, right? Say something, new member! Experiencing such dynamics within the group, she was extremely surprised. She had never joined any reader group like this. Instead, she had only joined those inactive classmates groups, in which people would rarely chat. At times some members would even post the hyperlinks to some random inexplicable websites. Guess what? Just because their QQ accounts were hacked. People in this group typed with the speed of light. Before she managed to end her typings on the phone, a couple of messages had popped up on the screen. At this very moment where she was forced to speak something, she felt as a teacher was calling her name, thus, she responded in a subconscious manner, Im here! Her response had brought more pleasure towards the group members. The newbies response is amusing. Shes so cute! Hey newbie, come into papas arms! Alright, now Im pretty sure the newbie is a girl. No matter whats her identity in real life, for those who would act cute on internet, arent they all girls? Indeed, a big-c*ck cutie is awesome! You bunch of fellars, stop harassing our new member. Dont underestimate him because he is new. Look at this! (An animation showing a husky which looks cute at first, but shows a sly smile in the end) Anyway, isnt this new member the tycoon Sect Master? Overlooking the responses from everyone, she giggled and her face blushed. Should anyone see her right now, he would be astounded by her cuteness! Then, she affirmatively answered the question which had intrigued everyone. Was she really the Sect Master? Her answer sounded positive. In a split second, the group appeared to be livelier than ever. After confessing their admiration towards her for being a tycoon, everyone threw her another question at the same time. Why did she tip the novelist a Sect Master? Was it because he introduced a significant death scene in his latest chapters? Translation Note: 1. In Chinese, the words Dress ȹ and Group Ⱥ share the same pronunciation. Chapter 5 Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation Why did she tip the novelist a Sect Master? For sure, Zhao Youyue would not answer this question in an honest way. Could she claim that she did it out of guilt and had no actual interest towards this novel? Zhao Youyue decided to cook up some reasons. She first praised the book for its smooth storyline, and then admitted that she was having a lot of fun reading it. In addition, she was impressed by the novelist for releasing such a big update for the book in just one night. All of these notions had strengthened her reasons to tip the novelist as a form of encouragement. Some of the group members could not help but to ask her, whether she had read the latest chapters. Denying with conviction, she explained that she had just enabled the auto-subscription feature, and was yet to read them. That was pretty much an expected answer. Several group members who used to crow over the misfortune of others, were about to tell Zhao Youyue the latest chapters. At this very moment, Im the Best showed up. Despite the frantic rework of his novel, it seemed that he was peeking over the comment sections from time to time. He was quite aware of what was going on between his virgin Sect Master and the other group members. He was genuinely touched by this reader who appreciated his work. Perhaps the reader was a guy, as Im the Best knew his reader group members well, plus, the reader might be using a second account. He presumed that the main QQ account of such a tycoon must be a super VIP account which owns a lot of diamonds. It was rather common for a tycoon to own a second female-gendered account. Without any chance, he would allow his latest chapters, written in a baffling way to reach the tycoons eyes. He thus popped out on time, asking Zhao Youyue to read only after he had finished his rework Zhao Youyue at once was stricken with guilt through the appearance of the novelist himself. However, learning that the novelist could still revise the contents, she sighed with relief. Well, at least she had opportunities left to make up for her mistakes. After a moment, Master Best had gotten his book, King of Superpower back on track. Some readers who had left previously, were coming back one after another. The book had even gained some new Sect Masters. Something was way beyond his belief. After acquiring the title of Little God of Writing, however, he was still yearning for what he wrote in a drunken mood. At that instant, the excitement of becoming the true Creator had risen upon him, as he was able to create words that were brimming with souls. Zhao Youyue had come to a realization from this incident. The next time she stepped into the world of literary works, if she does make troubles without scruple again, she would be pulled further away from her goals. Not to mention that the authors might not be as careless as Im the Best, who would publish his works when he was drunk. The meticulous authors used to check their works a couple of times beforehand, so most likely they would have removed any peculiar scenes from the story. With that, all her efforts would go flow down the drain. Not until now did she discern the limitation of this golden finger, and realize that it would not bring her any meteoric rise to success! However, Zhao Youyue was not depressed by that. She had always been living as a side character. Even if she shifted into another side character in the novel, how bad could it be? Having calmed herself down, a fresh new strategy flashed across her mind. Anyway, she would have to wait for the time she gets permitted to enter the Two Dimensional Gate again. As for now, Zhao Youyue, together with all the freshmen, were listening to the speech given by the headmaster. It was the schools opening ceremony speech. In this early autumn September, the new semester begins today, I hope all the new students will cherish the excitement of first entering the school, and I hope this excitement will bring you a happy school life In the first year of senior high, set yourself a long-term goal and a big dream, this is very important, and after three years, it will be the college entrance exam, which will also be your future battlefield During the headmasters speech, among the senior high students standing below, a number of them were good friends since junior high, and they were chitchatting. It could not be help, nowadays the schools opening ceremony was way too boring. Anyway, none of them daringly took out their phones, which were prohibited by the school authorities, apparently. There were also class teachers watching the students from aside. As such, everyone was well-behaved. Nobody was talking to Zhao Youyue, but this was normal. Her side-characters nature had almost render her invisible. Should anyone start off a conversation with her, it would most likely turn out to be an awkward one. Zhao Youyue was pretty much used to this kind of situation, in fact, she perceived it as a peace of mind and a sudden thought flickered her mind. To her, Katou Megumi was able to turn into a Saint just because she had remained as a bystander for a very long time. As the saying goes, the bystander is a sanest. This had justified the extraordinary eyesight of Saint Megumi, who might conceivably gain insights of everything. Besides, Zhao Youyue admitted that she had been emulating Katou Megumi. It had actually helped her to retain peace of mind and suppresses her will of troublemaking. With that, she was able to preserve her strength to accomplish something bigger in future. The next speaker right after the headmaster, was none other than the exceptional student representative, Huang Zongchao. Having achieved first place in the college entrance exam within the entire city, he was allegedly a superstar in school since his junior high. Zongchao had always carried an amazing sense of presence. Not only did everyone in his school recognized him, but people from other schools heard of his name too. This is incredible! It was Zhao Youyues first time to get to know this guy who was sitting at the chairmans seat. Albeit not very handsome, his character was emitting an aura of positivity and confidence. Zhao Youyue was startled as she had assumed that he was a none other than bookworm. Meanwhile, Zongchao was giving a delightful speech. Without sticking to those mundane sentences, he had delivered some impromptu stories filled with wits and humors. The headmaster who sat aside, was smiling in satisfaction. It was undeniable that the world is interesting. There are side characters without outstanding traits like Zhao Youyue, but at the same time, there are also charismatic elite scholars like Huang Zongchao. A superior man like him, would always be remembered by all his schoolmates even after many years. Surprisingly, not long after the new semester commenced, pre-test was just around the corner. Zhao Youyue had a difficult time dealing with it. She could easily complete the simple questions but was helpless when facing the difficult ones. She then put the blame on her IQ Alright, persistence was another challenge of hers. Zhao Youyue came from a decent family background that she could hardly endure any hardships. Besides, her parents were never strict on her. They were pretty much happy if their daughter could score an average result, after all, she was placed in a superior high school. With her current results, she could grudgingly be selected as the First Batch of Undergraduates, perhaps by any means of relationship, or money. Well, entering a prestigious university would not be a problem for Zhao Youyue. As such, she was not trained to be an aspirant girl and was living blissfully throughout her life Enough said. Why would I even shift into such an ordinary template girl? Our souls were now perfectly mused, and I could feel that my aspiration is gradually fading. Zhao Youyue grumbled on her own. Her only request was to excel in studies. At least, she would not need to undergo the pain and sufferings brought out by the exams. Never did she want to stare solemnly at those questions anymore. That feeling was terrible! Finally, the Two Dimensional Gate which she had been longing for, once again, showed up in her dream. So, Zhao Youyue walked in, determinedly. This time, what kind of world will it be? Chapter 6 Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation Zhao Youyue entered the Dimensional Gate this time after having learnt her earlier lessons. She was in no rush to define her character, nor was she eager to make herself unrivalled or anything like that. Instead, she was prepared to gain a clear understanding of the overall circumstances first. Walking pass the Dimensional Gate, Zhao Youyue was able to obtain only several pieces of information, mainly the name of the manga, a brief synopsis of the manga as well as the names and settings of the female characters. From the number of settings, she was able to deduce which female characters are the main characters or important supporting characters; and which characters happen to be the side characters. The name of the manga is Pure Romance. The name sounded innocent enough, but in reality it is known as a school harem manga. The story is basically about the hero, Yang Mings beginning of his high school life. He lived in his household with only a beautiful younger sister with whom he shared no blood ties. His sister looked after his day-to-day living and was also pretty good with all kinds of house chores. Yang Mings parents have gone traveling around the world. As a matter of course, his sister had developed some kind of brother complex for him. Besides his sister, the hero was also surrounded by numerous beautiful girls of different personalities during high school. These girls will eventually be involved to open rivalry and veiled strife among each other, which leads to a never-ending death match. In brief, this was just a typical school harem manga. The hero could predictably attribute characteristics like being gentle, kind, obtuse and soft. From beginning till the end, his identity will remain as a cherry boy. However he will often encounter accidental incidents such as tripping over and having his face planted between girls breasts or roaming into female showers or changing rooms by accident and ended up seeing girls naked bodies. All in all, the mangakas of this kind of manga-s are familiar with the ways to skillfully deploy these tropes in order to provide fan service. Once Zhao Youyue gained a rough understanding of this mangas information, she eliminated the options to shift directly into the harem character such as Yang Mings sister or the other girls. She did not come to that decision as she could not accept herself becoming somebodys harem C to her it is just a two dimensional world from the manga and the bodies she will occupy belonged to the female characters anyway. If the plot called for it, she is even willing to forcefully have sex with the hero as long as it could propel her character to become an icon. If by doing so she could consequently gain the power of such character in the real world, there is nothing she dared not perform. If only she was able to enter the worlds of Fate, A Certain Magical Index or even Fight Break Spheres, she could have a choice to shift into characters like Saber, Misaka Mikoto or Xiao Xuner and that would be an effortless victory. In the case of these memorable heroines, there was not a need for her own intervention. She could follow the original plot and still emerge triumphant. Unfortunately the odds of striking such a lottery is abysmal. Zhao Youyue felt that the designs of the harem characters in Pure Romance are completely lacking of distinctive strengths and they are purely there for an aesthetic purpose. Similar to the plain Jane-s that are depicted in iconic harem novels, it is impossible for the readers to remember them, and so she would not embrace herself to shift into their characters. As a matter of fact, in such a manga that seemed completely lacking in merits, Zhao Youyue felt that it would be too difficult to mold an iconic heroine where all readers will remember. Thus, she decided to try out her new perspective. She chose to become a side-character C a girl who has made her appearance two to three times in this manga, named Xu Jing. She is the best friend of hero Yang Mings sister, Yang Xixi. She had a simple pony-tail and pretty features as her appearance. It was at this very moment that Zhao Youyue suddenly realized the merit of this manga C that the artistic style and drawing skills of the mangaka were rather commendable. Each of the plain Jane-s in the harem looked extremely beautiful, even a side-character like Xu Jing who has appeared merely two to three times was a beauty. No wonder it was being said that ninety-nine percent of the girls in the two dimensional space are beautiful. So many otaku-s are addicted to this two dimensional space up to the point that they became totally indifferent to the real world Zhao Youyue added only one setting to Xu Jing C that is to be obsessed with learning. She was given the character as a very hardworking girl, but definitely not one of those super-intelligent, multi-skilled, multi-talented characters. Otherwise, back in the real world, it will surely raise the suspicion of the mangaka C Hmm, if such strong and special attributes have been assigned to Xu Jing, why is she still a side-character? It must have been a mistake. The mangaka will then rectify the abnormal setting which was placed by Zhao Youyue, rendering her effort pointless and causing her to waste this opportunity to enter the Dimensional Gate once again. Without any doubt, the Dimensional Gate is not meant for anyone to enter and exit freely without limitations. The repercussions of the havoc wreaked by Zhao Youyue were still very much apparent. She initially began from a fantasy world where low level superpowers existed. In contrast, this current world was obviously just a mundane dimension without anyone who possessed superpowers. This was a drop in the energy level. If Zhao Youyue wished to enter a world of higher energy level, she would have to mold an iconic character without doubt. Well, this is the only way for her to receive the pledge of loyalty from her fellow readers. This will certainly enable her to pass through the Dimensional Gate to enter realms of higher energy level and allowing her to obtain stronger powers. Upon making such a simple tweak to the characters setting, Zhao Youyue figured that the mangaka will not notice anything extraordinary for sure. This type of side character who indulges herself in learning and striving for their best are way too common in manga-s. Once Zhao Youyue became her preset version of Xu Jing, she suddenly had a strong urge and eagerness to learn. Meanwhile, countless stickers from the sticker pack were loaded onto her body C I love learning, learning makes me happy.jpg There is only one thing in my heart, learning.jpg I feel uneasy even if one second goes by without learning!.jpg If I am not allowed to learn, I might as well die.jpg Its pointless even if you liked me, because I like learning instead.jpg Addicted to learning, getting thinner day by day.jpg In the meantime, she could sense that the quality of hard work was seemingly strong. Although she was not considered lazy in real life, she definitely was not the kind of girl that seemed extra hardworking and motivated. Well, she cannot be blamed though, as she was born with a silver spoon. There was a saying that poor people have weak wills. In reality, many people believed in the saying of poverty gives rise to the desire for change and successfully turn their fate around. On the contrary, those who are born in rich families are lackadaisical about self-improvements. As a result, the familys wealth and fortune are usually depleted within three generations. In everyones opinion, hard work is an element which portrays excellence. Thereupon, Zhao Youyue completely forgot everything that she thought she knew and began to use Xu Jings body to learn rigorously in this realm. Coincidentally Xu Jing has entered ninth grade and was preparing for her junior high school examination. Through Xu Jing, Zhao Youyue began to relearn and remaster the knowledge gained in junior high, for she did not have a solid grasp of these knowledge to begin with. Zhao Youyue developed a new perspective. Since she was not confident of her ability in molding an iconic character that will be remembered by every reader in order to inherit the characters strengths, could she utilize the character to acquire knowledge within the Dimensional Gate instead? Can she retain the gained knowledge? After waking up the next day, Zhao Youyue took out her pre-test mathematics examination paper with a strong sense of anticipation. Soon however, she helplessly found out: how come she still could not solve the tough questions? Was it possible that the knowledge gained from her learnings could not be inherited? Nope, she was sure that she had remembered all the knowledge in her head! In a blink of an eye, she quickly understood Even if she carried the qualities of eagerness to learn and motivation for self-improvement, how much could she achieve overnight? Learning is a long-term process and only with determination, the outcome will gradually be noticeable through time. Sure enough, knowledge which is gained through her own efforts can certainly be retained. However, if she had preset Xu Jing as a gifted genius or an elite scholar, these shallow settings could only allow her to rejoice in the manga world for a short period of time. As such, this will not develop any significant changes when she returned to the real world. Zhao Youyue felt that she has earned her rights to convey such wise saying C There is no such thing as a genius in this world. When others chose to sleep, Id rather utilize these hours to gain knowledge. Chapter 7 Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation Having reassured that she could indeed obtain knowledge through learning within the Dimensional Gate and carry up the knowledge to the real world, Zhao Youyue had her breakfast in a self-satisfied manner, then off to school she went. She sat in a luxurious sedan owned by her father Zhao Jiayi. Though she was not very knowledgeable regarding the various brands of car manufacturers in this world, Zhao Youyue knew for a fact that the vehicle she sat in was a luxurious sedan. The comfort level of this particular car is obviously on a different level compared to other ordinary sedans. Of course, a great deal of attention was also placed on the interior of the vehicle. Zhao Youyue really liked pairing her phone to the cars Bluetooth function so that she could choose her favorite music to play. Along the journey to school, she felt at ease and relaxed. At times she will even stream videos from B station at the backseat of the car. Not to mention, the full name of B station is not Bilibili from the other world, instead it is just another danmu[1] video website that starts with the letter B. The car interior itself was already equipped with a smart device similar to a tablet and she only needed to connect it to her phones WiFi hotspot to access the site. Never once did she worry about her mobile data quota nor have she ever paid the phone bill as these were sent to her fathers private hospital instead. Clearly, Zhao Jiayis private hospital was not catered to the commoners as the patients who were admitted here are all rich and prosperous. This has brought him financial benefits and interpersonal connections that are on a level unimaginable by other hospital directors. The luxurious sedan stopped at a spot some distance away from the school gate as usual. This happened to be Zhao Youyues habit all along. Obviously, she has no intention of allowing others to know that she was the little missy from a very well-to-do household. Somehow she felt that it will affect her in a negative way. Probably, this was caused by some inexplicable struggles within her own ego. If the others knew of her current status, she would become the center of attention regardless of how mediocre she was. The silver lining was that, most of the high school students were still rather innocent and would not place too much emphasis on wealth. Perhaps this is the best time for boys make a go at chasing girls based on their appearance and talents. Although nowadays Zhao Youyue had the tendency to mess around while craving for attention, she was not ready to utilize her family background to achieve her objectives. She felt that this was not a classy act, as if she was too ordinary and could only forcefully impress others in such a way. Of course, Zhao Youyues personality has not changed much as compared to her previous self. Her souls were being merged together, which allowed her past memories to be accepted in a perfect way. Otherwise she would realize that even being a girl could be extra challenging. Her entire mannerism will surely be very awkward and not as natural as she is currently. After the luxurious sedan had come to a stop, the driver, Liu Zhongcheng got off the car and opened the door for Zhao Youyue. He placed one hand slightly below the top of the back door to prevent Zhao Youyue from knocking her head accidentally. Thank you, Uncle Liu. Zhao Youyue got down from the luxurious sedan. Carrying her school bag, she walked towards the school. To be frank, Liu Zhongcheng very much wanted to carry the missys bag, but Zhao Youyue thought that this will draw too much unnecessary attention. Thus, he had no choice but to forgo his intention. It was fortunate for him to become the chauffeur for the missy. Well, Zhao Youyue was quite an easy-going and polite person and also respected him greatly. As such, it was pretty relaxing and comfortable getting along with missy. To put it another way, Zhao Youyue did not portray the aura of a pampered rich girl. As Zhao Youyue walked within the school compound, she observed the surroundings in detail as she will experience another three years of senior high in this particular school. She could no longer recall her memories clearly from her previous schooling days. Anyhow, she knew that the other half of herself will never qualify for this kind of senior high school, nevertheless she treasured this golden opportunity very much. The school had a decent green landscape with fully equipped facilities and it also had a natatorium. Along the way, Zhao Youyue saw numerous photographs and stories honoring the schools outstanding alumni erected like guideposts. They were all elite academicians or prominent business person. Besides, honors for the recent batches of outstanding alumni were seen as well. All of these alumni were students who successfully enrolled into top metropolitan universities or even students who obtained first place in various competitions. Once she entered the academic building, pictures of prominent figures were hung along the walkway. Seeing most of these figures, Zhao Youyue got a sense of familiarity but it felt strange to her at the same time C familiar in the sense that her previous self had once knew very well of these figures or had at least heard of them; and strange because the merging of her other self with the different sets of memories, has led her to a thought that the achievements of this group of people supposingly belonged to another group of prominent figures. Zhao Youyue did not bother dwelling too much on these muddling matters. She entered the classroom from the front door. Unexpectedly, the ranking for the placement test during the start of this semester was displayed on the right. Zhao Youyue ranked twenty-seventh among fifty over students in her class. This truly is perfecting the art of mediocrity. Towards the right edge of the chalkboard, a spreadsheet was seen. Every day, the learning committee will jot down the days learning schedule, in order for everyone to keep track in advance of the days programs. By doing so, it also allows them to prepare their learning materials before the start of each program. To save trouble however, many students ingeniously placed the textbooks of all the major lessons directly on their desks. The textbooks were piled up as if they were trying to build a bunker. Well, this gave the students a sense of security in case they dozed off in the middle of a lesson. Nevertheless, these students were still caught by their teachers. It has been proven countless times that these bunkers only served as a psychological relief and had no actual practicality in them. Regardless of that, everyone seemed to be doing it tirelessly. At the top portion of the chalkboard were eight big letters written in red C Study hard, improve everyday, while a red flag bearing a gear was in the middle of these letters. If not mistaken, a great man comparable to the countrys founder also appeared in this world and had an identical famous saying [2], but with a different name. At the same time he has led China to become a great oriental power, whereby Korea and Japan were both vassal states of China. Apart from that, a vast land of the far-east also belonged to China. This eventually formed worlds of two extremes with Europe and the United States of America. A vertical line was drawn on the left edge of the chalkboard. Each day, every student was required to write down an apothegm by their language teacher. During the lesson, their language teacher would lead the class to read the apothegm aloud. The projectors screen was also placed at this corner as some teachers were used to conducting the lesson with the help of computing multimedia. However, as for now several teachers that are fond of teaching through the old-school style chose to use chalks when writing on the chalkboard. After each lesson, the chalkboard will be filled with tidy handwritings which brought about a sense of accomplishment. Well, this has pretty much troubled the students who made notes along the lessons though, as sometimes the teacher might write in a hasty pace which turns out to be illegible handwritings. Zhao Youyue kept moving forward. At the innermost part of the classroom, next to the windows was the water dispenser on the side of the wall. Each time after every PE lesson, the students will form a small crowd in front of the water dispenser. Therefore the smarter ones among the students would fill up their water bottles one lesson earlier. Ah, the entire classroom was full of nostalgic memories from the youth. Most of the students had arrived in the classroom as most of them were basically boarding students. Their homes may not be around the cities of Jiangnan province. As such, they were only able to return home during month-long holidays. Yup, quite pathetic indeed. Well, one thing to know is that boarding students were required to wake up early in the morning for running exercises. In comparison to these students, Zhao Youyue was much happier as a commuting student. The fact that she was a commuting student indicates that she also had a tough time fitting herself into small groups. Usually, the female students would have formed groups beforehand. Most of these students had lived together as dorm mates in the same dormitories and because of that they quickly became good friends. After all, they do live upon each other and eat together for most of the times. In fact, the school canteen assigned dining tables based on students dormitories and the meals were not individually served. Supposingly, this was said to prevent comparison between the students Zhao Youyues desk-mate Zhou Fang already has a bestie of her own. Zhou Fang will call out for her dorm mate Zheng Wen each time she wanted to head for the restroom after a lesson ended. Both she and Zhao Youyue were not very chatty between themselves though, and still preferred to keep a polite distance. Probably because they have not come to a stage where both of them are really warmed up together. Zhou Fang smiled to Zhao Youyue as she saw her approaching and made room for Zhao Youyue to enter. The moment she sat down, one of the subject representatives approached Zhao Youyue to collect her homework. Translation Note: [1] Danmu C original text Ļ literally means bullet curtain. It is named such a way because viewers of the videos are allowed to leave their comments as they are watching and these comments will be plastered all over the screen C resembling scenes from bullet hell genre games. [2] The saying Study hard, improve everyday or úѧϰ,ϡ originated from Mao Zedong. Chapter 8 Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation Although still in tenth grade, the school had already begun their nighttime self-revision session for the students. No wonder they managed to produce so many top scholars in the provincial college entrance examinations. Evidently, the school maintained a tight grasp over every aspect of the students lives. Parents also felt more at ease to have sent their children to this senior high school. Zhao Youyues father, Zhao Jiayi was one of these parents. He did not believe in the myth that elite private high schools are better off than regular schools, whereas he had thought the ethos in those private schools was undesirable. In comparison, this kind of provincial key high school which emphasized strongly on learning culture and exercised strict school rules seemed more preferable. Normally, the homework is to be collected ten minutes before the end of class during night-revisions. The subject representatives will hand in the collected homework to the respective teachers of each subject during the following morning reading session. Zhao Youyue did not attend the nighttime self-revision sessions. This was one of her privileges as a commuting student. It would have already been close to ten oclock at night after the three night-revision lessons ended. As such, it would be unsafe for commuting students to go home at this hour. Based on this matter, the school merely encouraged voluntary participation upon commuting students. Hmm, most of them had no choice but to volunteer anyway In truth, however, Zhao Youyue will not have any safety concerns of such nature. Though she did not go as far as to have bodyguards around, she did enjoy the benefits of being chauffeur-driven. How could there possibly be any safety threat? Zhao Youyue still chose not to attend the night classes. She felt that completing her homework at home was basically the same thing Okay, truth is she merely wanted to slack off. Completing her homework at home meant she can play with her cellphone at the same time. If she heard her mothers footstep approaching from outside the door, she will immediately hide her cellphone away and pretend to be intensely focused on her homework. Furthermore, when she encountered questions that she was unable to solve, she would not even bother to come up with the solutions. Instead, she will just give in to the temptation and look for the answers on the internet straight away. Yes, this is Zhao Youyue in real life. Obviously she was satisfied to muddle along when it comes to learning. There were a few other commuting students in the class, yet she was the only one to use safety concern as a reason for not attending night-revision classes Ironically this gave her a fair amount of sense of presence. Everyone had an additional recognition of her character C slick. As a result, representatives of each subject can only collect her homework during the morning reading session. After all she was not present during the nighttime self-revision classes. The representative who came to collect Zhao Youyues homework at this moment was the representative for the subject of Mathematics named Chen Haoran. It would appear that he had scored full marks in Mathematics during the entrance examination for senior high and for the latest round of pre-test as well. He also managed to get first prize for Mathematics competition when he was still in junior high. He was then rightfully selected as the subject representative by the Mathematics teacher, Gu Yaoyan. He was the teachers pet. If the other students were unable to answer questions in the Q&A session during Mathematics lesson, Gu Yaoyan will have Chen Haoran step up to finalize the session because he will never let the teacher down. Zhao Youyue handed in her Mathematics lesson materials to the slightly chubby Chen Haoran who was wearing a pair of black-framed spectacles. He felt impressed when he looked through her materials with graceful handwriting and neat pages. He cannot help but commented, You are actually pretty good. The last question here has in fact stumped the students in class for a long time. It was only solved after much discussion. I did not expect you to be able to solve it on your own. Surrounding classmates overheard the conversation as Chen Haoran spoke rather loudly. Somebody then whispered, Good my ass. If I had a cellphone with me, I couldve easily solved the question as well. In fact, most students already owned cellphones nowadays. However, most of them only dared to keep their phones within the dormitories. None of them dared to bring their cellphone to class, fearing that their phones might ring midway during lessons. Even if it only vibrates, there was still a risk of being caught. It would be such a shame if it was confiscated by the teacher. One would expect that the parents will be summoned to school in such cases. The sadistic thing about this school was that the wall sockets in the dormitories were only decorations and there was no electricity supplied. Thus, most boarding students could only charge their phones once a week or have the commuting students bring their phones back home to charge. After hearing the others comments, Chen Haoran had a sudden realization. He scratched his head and awkwardly muttered, Sorry. He genuinely did not think of cellphones as being able to help with homework. He also had his own cellphone but his parents barred him from bringing it to school. They feared that it might lead to early romance and his studies might be affected negatively. He had to use the public phones to call home each time. Chen Haoran actually intended to ingratiate himself with Zhao Youyue just now. One might find it hard to believe, but he thought the prettiest girl in this class was Zhao Youyue. She had a very nice complexion, her skin was fair and tender and there was not a sign of acne. As she spoke, her voice was especially gentle and soothing. Her bobbed hair was also very adorable. For some seemingly unknown reasons, she was always being neglected and was not accorded any sense of presence. Chen Haoran was a boarding student. His home was located in a farming village to the south of the provincial city. Since young, he had learnt to be assiduous. He was especially weak in arts subjects, but still, his level of mastery was more than sufficient to enter this school. Well, for Zhao Yaoyue to be granted entry on the other hand, tens of thousands had to be donated to the school for school construction. Not to mention, the higher-ups in the school had to be treated meals. After lights-out at the male dormitory, there will always be all sorts of empty chatter. School has just reopened and the teacher in charge of the class rarely conducted dorm room spot checks. This was the reason why everyone was unusually happily chatting the night away. Because of this, the following morning reading session will usually be used to catch up on sleep. The subject of the boys chatter will inevitably shift towards the female classmates. Terms that appear a lot in novels like prettiest girl in the class or prettiest girl in the school were in fact seldom mentioned in real life. It was as if these terms were indescribably associated with being pretentious or delusional [1]. However if a girls name came up a lot in boys discussions, she could already be considered the de facto prettiest girl in the class. Obviously, Zhao Youyue was never mentioned. As members of Chen Haorans dormitory discussed about the pretty girls in class, Jiang Qing, the arts and literature committee member was mentioned the most. She had a cheerful and easy-going personality and a face that always carried a smile. Once during military training, she even performed solo in a song that was the most popular hit at that time. That left a very strong impression among the boys. But of course, the most important factor may have been that she had really big breasts Nevertheless, Chen Haoran felt that Jiang Qing was not as beautiful as Zhao Youyue. The military training was held a week before the school started. It was also on a voluntary basis. Zhao Youyue did not participate as she was on vacation abroad. In truth, even if she had not gone on a vacation, she would not participate. She could not handle the agony of having to perform military training on such a hot day. Its alright. Zhao Youyue said nonchalantly while smiling. Carrying Zhao Youyues homework, Chen Haoran returned to his seat. He felt that Zhao Youyue was very attractive when she smiled earlier on. After passing up her homework, Zhao Youyue was overcome with boredom. Classmates around her had mostly started their morning reading. Her desk mate Zhou Fang, for example, was already deeply engrossed in reading even though Qiu Yingchun, the class teacher cum language teacher has yet to arrive. Since the teacher was not yet here, why start morning reading already? Isnt that such a waste? That is right, Zhao Youyue is the kind of student that will only put up an appearance of being hardworking in front of the teacher. It had to be said, this was very much in line with the majority. As in the schooling days, there will be quite a number of students who has exactly the same characteristics as her. Zhao Youyue took out her cellphone sneakily, ready to surf Qidian manga website to enjoy the web-based manga Pure Romance. While she was at it, she planned to tip the mangaka another Sect Master so that she can establish a relationship with the mangaka. Well, she had plenty of money anyway. However, after only a little while of browsing the manga website, the class teacher Qiu Yingchun unexpectedly entered the classroom from the back door stealthily. The sound of the students reading also concealed his footsteps. He caught Zhao Youyue who was reading manga on her cellphone red-handed. Her cellphone was then confiscated on the spot. For once, Zhao Youyue received the one thing that she had yearned desperately C the entire class attention. Her sense of presence surged, but she felt extremely embarrassed Meanwhile, she remembered that the Fruit Phone seemed to have launched its eighth generation. This will be the perfect time for her to change to a new phone. Yes, this is exactly the characteristic of a stereotypical fair, rich and beautiful girl. Translation note: [1] Original text ж߳ܡ. Literally translated to eighth grader shame. This is a popular internet slang/insult originating from Japan (the abbreviated form ж is more widely used). It is used to describe the delusional, childish, pretentious and know-it-all attitude of teenagers in their adolescent age. Chapter 9 Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation Zhao Youyue was called out to the front of class immediately by the class teacher, Mr Qiu. She was then reprimanded by him as a matter of course. Her punishment, was to write a remorse letter of 3,000 words in order to retrieve her phone, otherwise, the confiscation would last until the end of semester. What? A remorse letter of 3,000 words? Zhao Youyue immediately sunk into depression. How could that be possible for her? She might as well give up that phone and get a new one Looking at the miserable look of Zhao Youyue, Qiu Yingchun still did not regard her punishment as a harsh one. At least, she did not have to give a remorse speech in front of everyone. To him, he was already quite lenient with her for demanding a mere remorse letter rather than summoning her parents. At first, Qiu Yingchun was livid at catching Zhao Youyue reading manga in class, yet on the phone. The moment she came up front, he ceased from anger right after gazing upon her fair and lovely face. This, is undeniably the privilege of a good-looking person in these days! Besides, Zhao Youyue had displayed a commendable attitude by apologizing on the spot when she was caught by the teacher. Not to mention, she had remained calm towards the confiscation matter of her phone. Well, for the other students, at sight of their Fruit Phones that worth 7,000 RMB being taken away, they should have bursted into tears by now. There are times when the teachers would rather return the Fruit Phones to them right away. Qiu Yingchun had assumed that this courteous girl could easily come up with her remorse letter within three days. After that, she should have learned her lesson and would no longer repeat the same mistake Zhao Youyue returned to her desk in low spirit. Her deskmate, Zhou Fang secretly crowed over her misfortune. Having seen this girl scrolling her phone recklessly for numerous times during the absence of teachers, she was finally caught today! To her, the bad karma had in fact come to Zhao Youyue quite lately. That being said, she still uttered some comforting words, Its alright Youyue, Mr. Qiu is indeed cunning. To think that he would enter the class stealthily from the backdoor For no reason, some funny pictures which were once viral floated into Zhao Youyues mind. In one of the pictures, a student sitting in the last row and next to the window, was so engrossed in his mobile game, at last, a teacher appeared right outside the window, giving him a Deathgaze. In another picture, a group of students were playing Arena of Valor, a multiplayer game in class, in the end, the class teacher placed their phones at the front of class, making them watch how their team was crushed by the opponent. Ah, thats nail-biting! Zhao Youyue cracked a smile, and then responded gently, Im fine, thanks for your concern. On hearing Zhao Youyues answer, Zhou Fang blushed with embarrassment, as she had just gloated over her incident. As for now, she realized Zhao Youyue was exceptionally tender and charming, especially when she smiled, and whats more, she was a good-tempered girl. If she was Zhao Youyue, she believed that she must be leaning over the table now, crying hard. Zhao Youyue, who had lost her phone, reluctantly took out her language textbook. But, she was just reading it in silence, instead of reading it aloud, let alone reciting it. She abruptly flipped to the chapters behind, just like how she read a storybook. She could even perceive a sense of novelty in it, on account of taking the content as a new world crafted by another author. If Qiu Yingchun, the language cum class teacher, happened to know that Zhao Youyue did not bear a single shred of remorse, for sure, he would have hopped madly into the air. Ah, the morning reading class was finally over. The drowsy-headed students immediately leaned over the table, looking to catch up on their sleep within this ten minutes break just before the next class. Well, most of those students were guys, so the entire classroom went into a deep silence at once. Moving softly and quietly, Zhao Youyue carried her cup to the water dispenser to fill up some water. It was an expensive porcelain cup among the Western Horse series of a popular luxury brand. A full set comprising of six pairing of cups and plates costed up to 15,900 RMB, whereas a single pairing of cup and plate had costed up to 2,650 RMB. That, was inconceivable for any other students. Zhao Youyue mixed the cold water with some hot water. Right after taking a sip, she poured the water out from the window with a frown on her face, as she had tasted bleach and disinfectants in it. It occurred to her that this water dispenser was filled with tap water instead. The water was manufactured by the school factory itself, never had she thought that it would taste so badly. Since then, she was adamant to just bring her own thermo flask in future, and would never drink the purified water in school again. She intended to make some tea or coffee earlier, but had forgone that idea, thinking it would be better to just let Uncle Liu prepare them for her. She would still get to drink after class anyways. Zhao Youyue felt as if she was a fish out of water without her phone. She could hardly bear for a second or two. Hence, she made up her mind to directly purchase a new phone during that late noon. She had no concern about the remorse letter. She believed, such geniuses who are incredibly talented in writing do exist in class, that they even helped others to write love letters. So, they could help out with the remorse letter, couldnt they? Zhao Youyue would not mistreat the person who helped her, she would offer that person 100 RMB for 1,000 words. By spending 300 RMB, there should be someone who was willing to write a remorse letter of 3,000 words for her. If this plan did not work out eventually, she would just find a template on the internet, and simply cooked up with either of it. Ideally, Zhao Youyue hoped that Mr. Qiu has a bad memory. If so, he would easily forget about this incident, whereas for the confiscated phone, she would just assume that it had dropped into the river while she was dabbling in the water Very soon, the first class began. It was the Mathematics class of Gu Yaoyan, a young and handsome teacher with a cool and unrestrained manner. Zhao Youyue had always been fond of good-looking men, thus, she was all ears in the first twenty minutes of his class, in which the pre-test paper was discussed. But after twenty minutes, she started to blank out, as if her soul had flew above the sky. Zhao Youyue, please explain to everyone on how to solve this question. Gu Yaoyans attention was caught by this girl who had been in trance for five minutes. Little did he know about her, so he called her name by glancing through the seating name list. Well, he did not really put any hope in her to be able to answer the question. His sole purpose, was to stop her from blanking out in class. However, Zhao Youyue was not awake until her name was called again by Zhou Fang, and thus, she had brought laughters upon the entire class. After that, she brought her pre-test paper to the front. That was pretty much beyond the expectation of Gu Yaoyan. He had assumed that she would just remain seated in embarrassment, and as always, he would explain the answer to everyone. Sorry Mr. Gu, may I know which question? Her voice was gentle and pleasing as always. The whole class laughed even louder than before. They assumed that this girl who was just reprimanded by the class teacher this morning, was about to suffer another disgrace. Gu Yaoyan chuckled. He had always been a good-tempered man, and now, he genuinely found that Zhao Youyue was really cute, he thus pointed out the question for her on the pre-test paper AB=AC, AD is perpendicular to BC, AM:MD=2:3, MN///AC, look for AN:NB. This question was not too difficult, but Zhao Youyue failed to solve it during pre-test. Later on, she did not attempt to complete the corrections after she returned home. Gu Yaoyan sighed within his heart, thinking that this girl was indeed cute but kind of slacky in her studies. The students in the classroom were looking forward to how Zhao Youyue would react to this matter. In the contrary, only the mathematics representative student, Chen Haoran was filled with bewilderment. In fact, he was desperate to stand out and rescue her, in hope to win her affection by playing the plot of the Hero saves the Beauty[1]. After pondering for a moment, Zhao Youyue had astonished everyone as she recollected what she had learned in the two dimensional world. In the past, she would not be able to solve this question, but now, she was able to have a grasp of it at the first sight. Nevertheless, she had given others a feeling that she randomly guessed the answer. Ah, it could not be helped, she does not have the aura of an elite scholar. Taking up a chalk, she drew a few diagrams according to the question, and began to answer DE//AC intersects AB at point E, as it is an isosceles triangle, BD:DC=1:1, with similar theory: AE:EB=1:1. After that, AN:NE=AM:MD=2:3, Hence, if AE=EB=5a, then AN=2a, NE=3a, NB=NE+EB=8a. Hence, AN:NB=2A:8A=1:4. She explained the answer in her tender voice while writing, with a clear mind apparently, and finally acquired the answer. She looked at Mr. Gu with a joyful smile after placing the chalk down. Everyone in class had lapsed into silence. Translation Note: [1] the Hero saves the Beauty C Ӣ۾ is a Chinese saying which means the Hero will always be the one who saves the Beauty and finally wins her heart. Chapter 10 Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation All the students in class had pictured a scene, that this adorkable girl, who was caught by the teacher on spot for being in a gaze, was standing dumbfounded in front of the class But even so, they would not snigger at her, instead, they would only sympathize this lovely girl with bobbed hair. Well, her phone had been confiscated during the morning class, and now in Mathematics class, she was picked on by Mr. Gu. If others were inflicted with such misfortunes, perhaps they would have blown to pieces! Ah, it was undeniable that bad luck always comes after one another. Never had anyone thought that, this girl was able to breeze through this question, which was rather tough. Moreover, her explanations was spectacularly clear and understandable for everyone. Sure enough, many classmates were impressed by Zhao Youyue. They inexplicably felt that she was indeed a steady girl. Well, she seemed pretty calm and reliable in everything she did. Meanwhile, her voice and her smile were quite endearing too. Gu Yaoyan was also startled for a while. It had never came to mind that Zhao Youyue could easily solve this question, despite being absent-minded in class. Not to mention, she had not done any corrections for her mistakes in the pre-test paper. Hmm, there is only one truth to think of, either this girl had put a lot of effort in her studies at home, or she must be equipped with a dashing wit. Anyway, Zhao Youyue had solved the question, so she deserved a compliment. Gu Yaoyan praised her, Very well explained, Zhao Youyue. But in future, please pay full attention in class. Nodding her head vigorously, Zhao Youyue looked very sincere, and thus, Gu Yaoyan was satisfied, and allowed her to return to her seat. Just when Zhao Youyue was undergoing her regular schooling days, within a manga studio situated in Jiangnan Province, there were two painters working hard at their own desks. They were Su Li, the mangaka of school harem manga Pure Romance, and her assistant, Zhang Ziqiang. Little did the readers of Pure Romance know that, this school harem manga which gained its fame via its erotic scenes, was actually the artwork of a female mangaka. Su Li had an average appearance. But, if she dressed herself up, she was actually a beautiful mangaka. Back in her university days with no manga writings, she had gained a number of admirers. Perhaps it was entirely unbelievable to many that, during those days, Su Li had started indulging herself in drawing Ero Doujinshi books. Her pen name, Wang Li was well known in the Doujinshi circle. By drawing those books, she had made quite a lot of money. Human are always in pursuance of self improvement. Upon graduating from varsity, Su Li had made up her mind to be a true mangaka. That being said, she did not forgo her passion in drawing Doujinshi. Of course, she would still participate in Sacred War, a world class manga exhibitions held annually in summer and winter, as she could continue selling her Doujinshi mangas there to earn more income. Her reputation in the Doujinshi circle, had prompted her to gain the invitation of Wind Manga, a manga magazine. She first released several short mangas as trials, which had received quite a good feedback from the readers. As a consequence, she had earned the opportunity to collaborate with Qidian, while attaining full rights to the serialization. She would have the freedom to serialize her mangas on both the internet and in magazines. In this way, not only she was able to earn royalties from the magazine, but she could instantly obtain subscriptions and tips from the readers, albeit only a quarter of the whole amount. Anyway, Su Li was always glad to interact with her readers on internet, and had built a fans groups of her own. At times, she noticed some readers in the group pointing out that her drawing style was close to the ones of Master Wang Li. At that moment, her heart would be infused with apprehension, fearing that her carefully-concealed identity in Doujinshi circle would be unfolded. She might have been acting as a new and innocent mangaka, but the mellowed erotic scenes in Pure Romance had always aroused ridicules from the readers How could Master Su Li be so expert in this! The online readers were able to give immediate feedbacks on mangakas work, and then, the mangaka could figure out the upcoming plot based on their opinions. As for her school harem manga, she would first observe which female characters were more popular among the readers. Then, Zhao Youyue would present them with more plots, as well as some preferential treatments. Su Li had a personal editor, who instead of giving her opinions on plots, preferred to contribute ideas of various erotic scenes In fact, Su Li was not really satisfied with her Pure Romance. To her, there was little difference between this manga and her past Doujinshi works, except that Doujinshi contains more erotic scenes. Well.. that even included the scenes of making love. In comparison, this manga did not feature any erotic scenes, not to mention any scenes showing the womens nipples. Besides, all the critical moments were censored. That being said, the underlying sexual hints were still obvious enough, that the male readers could have a sustained erection while reading them! Su Li was weak in her plot description and character molding. The characters that she had created were lack of distinctive facial features. Earlier on, she aimed to overcome her weaknesses by writing an ordinary manga, but obviously, Pure Romance did not help her to accomplish such a goal. However, Su Li had no choice but to keep on writing. This manga was quite popular, especially among the male readers. Additionally her royalties were also pretty good, at least for now, she could confidently address herself as a mangaka. At the same time, she was aware that the popularity of a school harem manga like this, would not go any further, let alone being elevated to an anime. Perhaps, it was already a miracle if it could be rearranged into a broadcasting play. Such a manga would usually be forgotten after it was finished. Well, it was lacking of its own uniqueness, and of course, it could easily be replaced by the other works. Unless, a female character made her appearance in the manga, who could mesmerize all the male readers and top the chart of the most adorable manga characters. But, how could this be possible? Su Li had prepared to conquer the world with her very first manga, but all of a sudden, her assistant Zhang Ziqiang who was editing the background images spoke out, Master Su Li, the main characters sister who happens to also be his bestie, this character is simply interesting. Will she become another member of the harem? The sisters bestie? Su Li responded subconsciously, That character was nothing more than a side character, whats so special about her? Zhang Ziqiang was a 30-year-old uncle who is bald and fat. He was still single and dreamed to become a mangaka. Due to his lack of talent, he could solely be an assistant of a young and talented mangaka like Su Li for now. Despite her weakness in writing plots and molding characters, she had become one prominent mangaka of the Harem genre, owing to her fresh and juicy drawing style, coupled with her superior techniques in giving fan services. Zhang Ziqiang hesitated for a moment. He then shared his personal views about this side character, Xu Jing. Chapter 11 Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation Zhang Ziqiang said, First of all, Ive to commend Master Su Li for your exceptional drawing skill, that even the side characters drawn by you are gorgeous and flawless. Besides, you specially presented Xu Jing with a ponytail hairstyle. Perhaps you have considered this hairstyle to be quite common and unattractive, but out of your expectation, it had made her stand out from all the other characters. She seemed to be the only girl with a ponytail since the manga release. Upon hearing this compliment from her assistant, she humbled herself, Honestly, I feel my drawing skill is still unrefined. Its just that drawing this kind of female characters has always been my specialty and style. Well, I was about to draw merely a side character, without knowing it, I had drawn another pretty girl. Ah, there is one thing that has to be mentioned. The manga characters are facing severe homogeneity in term of their appearances. At times, they are only distinguishable by their hairstyles and hair colors. These situations happen among male protagonists of Harem mangas especially, since all of them have always looked like the same person, or you might say the other guy with Kiritos face [1]. As the name implies, it is not surprising that many male characters look like Kirito! Su Li then continued, Ive to agree with your viewpoint on the matter of hairstyle. I personally prefer black, long and silky hair, double ponytails, side ponytail, bobbed hair and so on Even if its the iconic ponytail, the length must be the same as the hips. This characters hairstyle, is the most common one you can find in reality. In any way, I dont think its attractive at all, so Ive simply opted for it. This is unbelievable, it actually rendered her outstanding! There must be some other factors which have intrigued you. What are they? Su Li inquired. Zhang Ziqiang had pulled no punches. As Su Lis assistant, he reckoned that not only should he support her on the artworks, but he shall contribute on the creative ideas as well. Oh Of course its the personality and behaviour of this character. Zhang Ziqiang spoke in a leisure manner. Su Li then showed an expression of the Are you kidding me?. Zhang Ziqiang was indeed a slow speaker, while Su Li herself was a pepperbox. Just before Ziqiang managed to finish his sentence, she could not resist countering, What kind of personality does she have? Not to mention her behaviour Ive never spent any meticulous effort in depicting her, have I? She barely have a few lines in the story, and is nothing more than a background character! Zhang Ziqiang was not in a hurry to retort her, and again, he spoke firmly, For the personality of this character perhaps you didnt keep your own character setting in mind, but I did notice it This girl might not show a great aptitude, but she is quite diligent, aspirant and so passionate in her studies Am I wrong? Su Li nodded her head without qualms, Thats right, shes just a side character, and shall not possess any aptitude, or else it must be my mistake! You know, within the main characters harem, theres such princess character with an IQ as high as 250, blonde hair, flat chest, and a Tsundere[2] personality. Its impossible that I would create another character with such superior IQ, that will just be repetitive. Aptitude is not a big thing. Whats most admirable about her is her diligence and passion for studies! Ahh, I dont understand what you are saying. A regular character setting like this, yet being placed upon an unappealing side character, how interesting could that be? I think youre delusional! Xu Jing was given this character setting solely to serve as the icing on a cake for Yang Xixi, the most important little-sister character in my manga. As an old saying goes, One who touches rouge will be stained with red, one who touches ink will be stained with black [3]. Ive thus presented Yang Xixi with this bestie, who is mundane but full of positive energy, and this will be a plus for Yang Xixi! Su Li had set forth her intentions behind the character setting of Xu Jing, but little did she know, that it had already been altered. She was positive that all of this stemmed from her sole ideas. From that, one could easily discern the brilliance of Zhao Youyue who had secretly sabotaged things. If she was to act like it is the first time she entered the Two Dimensional Gate, granting an invincible superpower to the character she played, still, her changes to the manga would take effect in the reality. However, once the author felt peculiar about it, they would think that either they were drunk or a head cramp came bumping in. If not, how could they possibly cook up those plots which are obviously not in sync with the previous story! Soon after that, they shall fix the story altogether! But now, Su Li had faith that the entire thing was her initial setting! Su Li had put up a lot of effort and attention in depicting the little-sister character, Yang Xixi. Besides having two cute little sisters of her own in real life, she is essentially a fan of little girls. What is more, this little sister is incredibly popular as for now, especially among the male readers. Of course, she would be partial to the little sister, whereas for the other harem characters, she did not even bother to mention whether they have any bestie. In a sense, Su Li was right. A side character such as Xu Jing, relies heavily on the little sister for her existence. Well, if it was not for the high popularity of the little sister, there would not be anything much of her. At this moment, Zhang Ziqiang heaved a sigh. He was not going to debate any further with Su Li. Sure enough, she was a lady who knows her own thoughts, not to mention, her previous achievements had built up the pride within her bone. For the sake of Xu Jing however, he could not help but to retort, Maybe this is not a plus, but a minus instead. What?! Su Li was running out of patience. She had even concluded that, Zhang Ziqiang is destined to not getting anywhere in the manga field, as he failed to even acknowledge the key points. To think that he would be fascinated by just a side character hmm Instead of speaking leisurely like always, Zhang Ziqiang reeled off, Indeed, this Xu Jing had always been a background character in the manga, but she was always studying! When Yang Xixi was getting in heat while fantasizing her beloved boy, Xu Jing was studying. Remember the times when Yang Xixi was involved in a catfight with the other harem girls, in front the male protagonist, and eventually caught in a deathmatch? Xu Jing was still studying, quietly at one corner! Even though she was only a background character, I had always believed, that such a setting by Master Su Li must have its underlying meaning, but it seems that I had over-thought myself way too much. How disappointing! This. Su Li was puzzled at the rapid speech of Zhang Ziqiang, but he was not finished yet. This is a school Harem manga, in which most of the characters are students. They are either the male protagonists, or the bunch of girls surrounding him, which of course includes Yang Xixi, the little sister whose character design has satisfied you the most. As students, however, these people had never been well-behaved, they knew nothing more than bickering, hopping around, and scratching each other. In contrast, Xu Jing is constantly studying in silence at the corner, yet she carries an innocent and genuine character. Xu Jing, is definitely different from those bitches within the main characters harem! Thats how this character captivated my interest Its still okay if the readers havent noticed her, and if they do, for sure they will diminish all the plain Jane-s of no distinctive traits. Moreover, they are so enthused in looking out for guys, well, thats pretty cheap by the way! After listening all of this, Su Li was deeply shocked, and her mind went into a turmoil Translation Note: [1] Kirito is a fictional character in Sword Art Online, a Japanese light novel series. In Chinese language, Kiritos face C ͩ is pronounced exactly like the phrase ͬ, which means face of the same person. It is used here as a language humor to satirize Kiritos kind of face which is too common among the male characters in mangas. [2] Tsundere (ĥǥ, pronounced [ts?nde?e]) is a Japanese term describing a person who is initially cold and even hostile towards another person before gradually showing a warmer side over time. [3] One who touches rouge will be stained with red, one who touches ink will be stained with black C ߳,īߺڡ, is an ancient Chinese proverb, which means that that one is easily influenced by his/her close associates. Chapter 12 Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation After Su Li regained focus, she said, Ill admit, the things you said make sense. This side character is indeed different from other female characters. But she is, after all, a side character. I will not mix up the main and side characters. Besides, you almost tricked me into buying your ideas. My manga Pure Romance is inherently a school harem manga C what the readers want to see are the interactions between male and female characters and the scenes where the female characters flaunt their flesh. Its not about theyre learning or anything like that! Speaking of which, these days men seem to prefer aggressive and self-initiating foxy ladies, dont they? Upon hearing such a feedback, Zhang Ziqiang appeared slightly disappointed. He felt that the interactions between male and female characters and the flesh flaunting scenes seemed rather pointless. He hoped that Xu Jing could be promoted and then, more interesting plot developments will come into sight. Too bad Su Li insisted upon her own opinions. Feeling disappointed, he was also impressed at the same time because this is the kind of attitude that a career mangaka is supposed to have. Currently the most popular female character in Pure Romance is still the heros sister Yang Xixi. Everyone had gotten used to the style of this manga, to abruptly make changes would be akin to messing about. This is comparable to a web novel where the authors have always followed a fixed pattern when carrying out their writings and the feedbacks obtained were pretty much decent. But then one day he decided to break away from this routine and try something new, in order to write something that is beyond the readers expectations. As a result, he went overboard and ended up achieving the opposite There was once a saying Since ancient time, true love has never kept anyone around; only tried and tested routines could win hearts means exactly this. Sometimes the author might self-perceive themselves to have written a very sincere plot. However, if the readers do not fancy the plot, it will be a waste of efforts. In that case shall we cut down the number of appearances for Xu Jing so that she will be slowly fade away? Zhang Ziqiang asked. Unexpectedly, Su Li smiled gently and said, Not necessary. On the contrary I will gradually increase her parts, turning her from a side-character to a supporting character first. Why? Zhang Ziqiang is pleasantly surprised. Well, I was persuaded by you and realized that this character is rather interesting now. Lets give her a higher visibility and then gauge the readers reaction. The fact that we find her interesting doesnt necessarily mean that the readers will feel the same. Our emphasis should always be placed on the female characters most favored by the readers. Su Li answered with great confidence. You are truly Master Su Li. Ive really learnt something from you this time as your apprentice. It is no wonder your first serial manga is already able to accomplish such a strong following. Zhang Ziqiang exclaimed. Su Li did not continue with her humblebrag. She smiled briefly and then resumed focus on her creative works. It is uncertain whether this is purely her misperception, but she felt that when she was drawing the character of Xu Jing, she was able to draw with godly power. It was as if this character has her own soul and will, that Su Li was completely unable to dictate the characters actions. However, she did not feel surprised. In fact, this reminded her of many authors when they were discussing the fate of one of the characters in their works, especially the tragical ones. The readers strongly requested to change the endings so that the characters can be less tragic in a way. Nevertheless, those authors will pretentiously tell the readers that changes cannot possibly be done, as this character in my work has gone out of my control, she has her own will and soul and is fated to be a tragedy! Su Li had always felt that this is merely the act of shifting, blamed by some authors who inclined to induce depression among readers. In a sense, an author is the creator of a certain world in which every character is his marionette. So, how could it be possible that the endings are unchangeable? Anyway, in the process of her own creative works, Su Li suddenly understood that she does not wish to bend the original wills of a certain character. Instead she intended to let the character self-animate, perhaps like in those manga-s where the characters are drawn exceptionally well. Well, those are the typical examples of how the author includes characters to drive the plot forward, arent they? Unfortunately, Su Li only felt this sensation when drawing the character of Xu Jing. It still felt pretty dry and dull when drawing other characters. Comparing between the two, she thought that spending more ink and effort on Xu Jing was actually the right thing to do. However in the end she still suppressed this desire, for she did not know whether the readers will like it or not. As a person who messed about stealthily, Zhao Youyue was unaware that she has received the authors admiration. Err.. well.. This is not much of a good news as for now Zhao Youyue felt that it is still pretty cool to be able to learn peacefully within the Dimensional Gate. This could compensate her laziness in real life. If she was really favored by the author, she will surely have to cross path and interact frequently with the other main characters in the story. Isnt this a waste of her precious learning hours? At the same time, Zhao Youyue was also seeking for more information about the Dimensional Gate. She learnt that it was not a coincidence that her cell phone was being confiscated and that she was called out during class C it was all part of the negative consequences that she carelessly misdemeanor earlier on. Well, this is a mystical way of saying that she had actually exhausted her lucks This lesson has made her more cautious when using the Dimensional Gate. She would never ruin an authors painstaking labor in a reckless way again. Anyhow, Zhao Youyue also figured out a way to exit the world of a manga-s, games or novels. Obviously, the first method is to perform what she did in the past, which is to recklessly define a side-character and morph into a terrifying super villain. Then, wipe out the main characters and completely spoil the balance of the entire work, crashing it in the process. However, this will result in a reduction of her luck in real life as she will be plagued by unfortunate events. The higher the popularity of the work she wrecked, the higher the criticality of the consequences she would get. The second way to exit, had meant that the character she shifted into has to die. It is still fine if a side character died privately as this will not bring about any negative effects to the overall work. Correspondingly, she will not suffer any bad luck in real life. Well, of course, apart from wasting another precious opportunity to enter the Dimensional Gate. On the other hand, if she shifted into a main female character and then die by implying some inexplicable ways, the effect will take place like method one. Thus, even for a female main character to die like this, it definitely has to be a death by plot, and not some nonsensical ways like tripping over and falling into water to drown, or choked on water to death while drinking. If this death by plot had garnered the readers unwillingness and exclaimed impressions, it will definitely be a plus point. The third method, is when the character that Zhao Youyue shifted into already possessed superb popularity she will then have the option to leave the world of the character she played. Well, this is the ability that she will gain after receiving the willpower of her fellow readers. In other words, once she has become an iconic character in the eyes of the readers, she will be able to bow out. However, the author might eliminate this iconic character when subsequent renditions occur in this character. One example is Wu Di, the female main character of Shift! The Female Elite Scholar. During the earlier periods, she enjoyed great popularity and was regarded an icon. However, the character was completely wrecked by the author later on and then, the abilities that Wu Di retained were correspondingly lost. Nevertheless, the most perfect method is to allow a character to die during her most glorious moment and of course at the pinnacle of her popularity! At the same time this will guarantee that the author will not suddenly revive the character in real life and mess up the characters image The fourth method is for the work to end normally (For effects of a bizarre ending, do refer to method one). Yeah, she will now be able to bow out. With this condition, a character could avert the tragedy that falls upon themselves. Well, ending the storyline at her tip-top popularity moments means that she does not need to meticulously plan for her own death. Chapter 13 Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation Once Zhao Youyue gained a clear understanding of the ways to bow out from the manga, she felt more at ease in the world of the Dimensional Gate. If worse comes to the worst that she might have gotten bored of staying in the literary world, she can simply bow out by silently committing suicide. Alternatively she could spend money in the real world and have the author abruptly end the work. Some unscrupulous authors will surely be willing to do so. Come to think of it, Zhao Youyue felt that her current life in the Pure Romance world seemed rather satisfying, allowing her to live the life of an elite scholar to her hearts content. While she was busy learning, she was still able to watch the drama unfold. Using a caring for the retarded [1] kind of gaze to observe the interactions between the hero and the girls. This seemed kind of awkward and hilarious in both ways. As everyone knows, the characters within the manga world tend to perform in an awfully exaggerated style. Occasionally the characters will be shrunk into Chibi versions of themselves. Of course, one will find it very entertaining when they read mangas from the real world. However, immersing ones self into the manga world, could lead to awkwardness through the exaggerated behaviours and the tone of the characters speech content. This situation could usually be seen among the interactions between various characters. Strangely, every side character did not seem to find it out of place. Instead, they fit into the theme perfectly Well, it seems like Zhao Youyue was the only sober person around where everybody else is drunk. Nevertheless, it did not matter. She was quite happy being the background board anyway. Her pressure of studying in the real world was remedied. It was her hard work in the world of Dimensional Gate that helped her in solving the junior high mathematics question during the previous pre-test when school reopened. Otherwise, she would have been embarrassed for sure. Due to the fact that Zhao Youyues cell phone was confiscated, she did not manage to tip this manga. Although later on the same day she spent 8,000 RMB to purchase the newly launched eighth-generation Fruit Phone, she started feeling heartache afterwards. There are still more than twenty days to go for this month. If she kept on wasting money like this, she might end up screwing up and becoming a dirt poor young lady. This is not good. Zhao Youyue initially thought she was very loaded. But as she spent her money, she discovered that there is never such a thing as having too much money. It would be nice if she could have the ability to earn money on her own. Otherwise she felt somehow uneasy spending her parents money like that. So she only went to the manga bookstore and purchased four issues of Pure Romance standalone books. This can be considered a form of support to the mangas creator. Patiently, she finished reading the series page by page. It felt rather fascinating when she saw the character which she played, Xu Jing appeared in the manga, silently acting as the background board. She sometimes cannot help but wonder, if indeed she became the main character in the manga, how will it appear in the actual manga in real life? Truth be told, if it was not because she has entered the world of this manga, she would not bother to read this manga at all even though she admired its artistic style very much. It is just how she is C someone who has appearance complex. As for the plot and characters, she found it all rather dull. Firstly, it was because she did not really like harem manga-s, instead she preferred those with single character-pair or even those without character-pairing. Secondly, the useless hero characters in harem manga-s are sickening. Well, how could anyone be sure that this kind of hero, who had softness as his biggest strength gain the likings of so many beautiful young girls? Could they act in a promiscuous manner and flirt around without scruple? The last reason was the heros indecisiveness. Even towards the very end of the manga, he will still be unable to decide on who his true love really is, let alone having sex. He simply is an utterly impotent and herbivorous [2] boy. Zhao Youyue would rather spend her time reading harem mangas with typical scumbag heroes just like Itou Makoto, who slept with everyone and eventually getting caught cheated, chopped up and murdered. The violent and gory conclusion at the end was really gratifying She conceived a sudden daring idea C could she initiate herself to make trouble, and turn the hero of Pure Romance, Yang Ming into a scumbag hero who slept with everyone else? Causing him to be murdered by one of the harem members at the end, wouldnt that be great? As the thought of this daring idea arisen, her heart that yearned to mess about became eager for action. Oh no, she lost the mood to complete her homework and put down her black gel pen right at that moment. She then took out her newly bought eighth-generation Fruit Phone and searched over the internet whether a manga called School Days existed online. In other words, she was checking if there has already been an appearance of such an iconic plot in this world where the hero of the harem was chopped up and murdered. If there was already one, then she felt that there is no need to cause anymore disturbance since the readers have already been shocked once by the plot. There is not much point in creating another similar storyline. Although this was a parallel universe, of course, certain creations still existed. For example, familiar old songs were being heard as well. By chance, she even saw a mangaka from the vassal state of Japan named Masashi Kishimoto while browsing Qidian manga website in the recent days. He appeared in Qidian manga websites Sanjiang [3] Interview to announce that his new work will be based on a ninja theme. It will be premiered on Qidian manga website and Shonen Jump magazine. This manga magazine is extraordinary as it was said to be the best-selling manga magazine in the entire East Asia. Regardless of whether it is from China, or vassal states like Japan and Korea, mangkas will beam with pride when they are able to serialize their manga on a certain magazine. Upon publishing every new issue, the magazine will be translated into different languages and sold all over the world. If Zhao Youyue was to live as a main character whose primary task was to copy, she might run into troubles. Who knows whether the work that she has conceived to copy will suddenly appear However, Zhao Youyue did not have to worry about these things. On the contrary, she was full of anticipation for Masashi Kishimotos Naruto. Perhaps when the manga started serializing, she can enter the manga world through the Dimensional Gate and start messing around. Will she play the role of Hinata Hyuga, or Narutos mother Kushina Uzumaki? Or she could pay off Masashi Kishimoto in real life straight away and have him create a female side character with only a name. She will then shift into that side character and place the settings for an overpowered bloodline limit or something like The Mystic Eyes of Death Perception. Hmm, how about messing around after that? Unfortunately, Naruto happens to be a higher energy level work. For her to enter and mess around, she needed to amass more willpower. This is way too off-topic. What she wanted to figure out right now was whether any literary work with the plot of scumbag hero sleeping around and getting chopped ever appeared. After she learnt that the plot has indeed never appeared, her face lit up with a joyful grin. Perhaps, she can turn the regular school harem manga Pure Romance into iconic manga unforgettable by many readers. She was in no hurry, however. She is more concerned that her abnormal behaviors in the manga would be discovered by the mangaka. As such, everything has to happen in a natural way. Even if she did not succeed in causing Pure Romance to turn into School days, she will not suffer any loss, for her original intention was only to be a side-character that is obsessed with learning anyway. If one day the mangaka suddenly has any strange ideas to assigned the hero to go after her and affect her learning progress, then she will have no choice but to have a big go at it Urgh, that will definitely turn out to be a tragedy caused by learning! Translation note: [1]Caring for the retarded is a popular messenger sticker among Chinese netizens. [2]Herbivorous C original text ʳ. [Insult] In Chinese language context, to describe a man/boy as herbivorous is to denote that he is soft and shy and does not have the guts to go after the opposite sex. [3]Sanjiang C original text C The name of an editor group in Qidian. They are in charge of discovering and recommending new books that exhibit smooth writing flow, creativity and promising future. Sanjiang Interview is a program that features elite authors as guests and is also a platform for these authors to interact with their readers. Chapter 14 Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation After Zhao Youyue recovered from her thoughts, she helplessly realized that she still have a lot of homework to do. Well, she was just a tenth grader, how can there be so much homework, she pondered while feeling depressed. Subconsciously, Zhao Youyue wished to use her phone to check for the solutions straight away, saving herself some mental effort. However, she suddenly remembered the version of herself who studied extremely hard in the Dimensional Gate. How can she let herself be outshined by Xu Jing? She silently left her phone beside her bed to charge and conscientiously started to complete her homework. This made her feel more at peace. Otherwise, if she was no longer able to enter the Dimensional Gate one day, wouldnt she become a completely useless person? Therefore, Zhao Youyue decided that she still needed to work harder in real life, even though these efforts seemed sporadic, as if they were sudden inspirations. For example, today she may have painstakingly completed her homework without the help of her cellphone; but if she had overindulged herself during the holidays and had not even written a single word on her homework up till the very last day, she would surely leave her conscience behind Zhao Youyue is indeed this kind of girl. If one was to comment that she is a lazy person, Zhao Youyue would somewhat show that she can be hardworking at times. To comment that she is the sort of person that is super diligent and has the motivation to improve will be a bigger baloney. Even she herself gets terrified when she is slacking off. Currently though, she has a heart that longed to mess around and seek sense of presence. But what she needed was a positive image, not the kind of clown-like image where she will do something silly and embarrass herself. Even if she gained a sense of presence that way, there will only be jeering laughters when people thought of her. Urm, not to mention, she will still be easily forgotten Zhao Youyue did not solely want to become iconic characters in those novels, manga-s and games. In fact, she wanted to be the ideal heroine even in real life and will be paid great attention wherever she goes and receive heartfelt respects from everyone. As Zhao Youyue gathered up a burning passion, she suddenly remembered something and her face sunk C she still needed to write the 3,000 words remorse letter, what a pity! Although few days have passed, Mr. Qiu has yet to ask her for the remorse letter. Perhaps he has really forgotten about this matter. However, the possibility of this is quite low because the seventh-generation Fruit Phone that was confiscated from her was rather expensive. If it were some random books that were confiscated, it will not be a big deal even if they were not returned. But still, it is impossible that an expensive item like a cellphone is not being returned. Therefore, Zhao Youyue must produce the 3,000 words remorse letter as soon as possible, just in case. Meanwhile, she has decided that as long as Mr. Qiu does not proactively request for the remorse letter, she will treat it as if nothing has happened and try to slip by the unpunished She has just completed her homework. For some of the questions which she was really unable to solve, she had no other way but to check for the correct solutions using her phone. This troubled her and in fact made her even more appreciative of the time spent learning in the Dimensional Gate. She also decided that whoever got in the way of her learnings in the manga, be it the hero or one of the plain Jane-s, she will make them suffer the consequences. As for now, she hoped to spend a longer time learning within the Dimensional Gate so that she can boost up her wobbly foundation from her previous days. She had no idea how long the manga Pure Romance could go on as a series but in any case, the longer the better. Zhao Youyue was not so ambitious as to create an iconic character instantaneously and to also inherit a powerful ability. She found out that it was not really bad to become a side-characters background board, silently learning and gathering knowledge. Well, this way seemed pretty reliable though. Since working on her homework has drained most of her positivity, she certainly did not want to write the remorse letter on her own. She pondered in her mind, which candidate could she approach for help, hmm Nowadays in school, she has actually gotten closer to her classmates. Her relationship with her deskmate, Zhou Fang can be considered the closest. Sometimes they will casually chat about some girls topics. But one thing for sure was that Zhou Fang will surely be unwilling to help her with the remorse letter, let alone her bestie and dorm mate, Zheng Wen. In terms of her personality, Zhou Fang was not the type of person that is eager to lend a helping hand. What is more that this is a rather risky matter to do. If they were found out by Mr. Qiu, the consequences will be dire. It could completely wreck the relationship between Zhou Fang and herself as deskmates. Undeniably, some girls can be quite petty. At times they will keep the smallest matters into their hearts. It is feared that this will gradually develop into unmanageable bigger issues. On the other hand, boys are comparatively much better in that aspect. Even if they physically fought, they will still have a chance to become best buddies again as long as they do not take it by heart. Apart from Zhou Fang, Zhao Youyue has also gotten closed with the two boys seated in front of her, Wang Yang and Jiang Chao. The first person enjoyed web novels and the other one liked manga-s. Both of them have a common language after all and often hard-sell their respective favored works to one another. Coincidentally, Pure Romance was also one of Jiang Chaos top favorites. While he was vigorously recommending this sexually themed manga to Wang Yang, he noticed that Zhao Youyue was also intently listening. Immediately, he restrained his perverseness, changed the topic in the speed of light and started talking about another battle manga. To discuss a particularly sexual manga in front of a girl was indeed quite an embarrassing affair. Little did they know, that the very experienced Zhao Youyue has already finished reading the latest issue of Pure Romance. She even played a side-characters background board in the manga. Well, probably because they noticed that Zhao Youyue seemed to be interested in the topics of their discussion. They had the feeling that Zhao Youyue was not the uptight kind of girl who seemed concerned about her studies. Come to think of it, she had gotten her cellphone confiscated just as the semester started. Indeed she is one of us At the same time, she did not seem to patronize the two of them. As usual, they often turned around and chatted with Zhao Youyue after classes ended. The two of them also enjoyed mocking each other in front of Zhao Youyue and telling corny jokes with deadpan expressions to make her laugh. Well, it is because she looked really nice when she laughed. Appearance was a consequential fact. In reality, they thought Zhao Youyue seemed rather compatible with them. She had an easy-going personality and it did not wasted much efforts in getting along with her. As for Zhao Youyues deskmate Zhou Fang, they felt that she was the epitome of boring girls. Correspondingly, Zhou Fang also would not think twice to plaster the word Dislike on her face. She was totally disinterested in web novels, manga-s or anything like that. Oh well, she perceived these as a huge scourge towards her study. However, Zhou Fangs results was actually not that bad, she ranked eighth in the entire class for the pre-test. This meant that she had a very firm grasp over her junior high knowledge, unlike dabblers like Zhao Youyue who messed about throughout her days in junior high. It was still alright to chat casually with these two boys, but to ask them for help with the remorse letter will be akin to forcing them to do something beyond their abilities. The other students she was closer with, were none other than the respective subjects representatives who came to her every morning to collect her homework. Among these people, the mathematics subject representative, Chen Hao always seemed chattier with her. But he was very inclined with Sciences, less so with arts or languages. She suddenly thought of one candidate, a boy named Han Leng who was also her classmate. He was very good at writing essays. In fact, when the language test paper was being explained this time, Mr. Qiu even asked him to read aloud his essay as the model answer. Most importantly, Zhao Youyue remembered that he was actually her classmate since junior high. Even at that time, he already had the title gifted scholar as he was adept at writing. It was rumored that he even started a business on Love Letter Ghostwriting. Hmm.. She thought perhaps she could ask him for help. After all, they are former classmates Chapter 15 Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation Actually, Zhao Youyues first objective at moment was to become the top student in reality. China has always been a country which prioritizes education since ancient times, well, the elite scholars had always caught the eyes of everyone. If she had become one of them, could she still live on without a mere sense of presence? By coincidence, the school she had entered was very particular about the examination results, not to mention, she pretty much hated the times she faced tough questions in exercises or exams but failed to answer them. Hence, she made up her mind to become the top student who is passionate for studies in the world of Pure Romance. Due to her lack of perseverance in reality, she could easily lose her momentum in studies. However, things were different when she was in Xu Jings form, as she would feel anxious from head to toe whenever she stopped studying. Xu Jing was not a popular character, let alone an iconic one, and thus, Zhao Youyue was not allowed to inherit her ability of Indulge in Studies. Anyway, the knowledge she had obtained in the process of playing the character Xu Jing, actually remained in her mind. As such, she willingly became a mere side character in Pure Romance and did not mess around. Ugh, Zhao Youyue was now facing a little trouble, which was none other than the 3,000-words remorse letter. Could this remorse letter be a problem if she happened to be a top student? Wait, in the first place, does it even matter for top students to play their mobile phones in class? The current situation of her school was pretty much like this. The teachers were exceptionally generous to the top students. Should you score well in exams, you could wander around without qualms, as long as you do not disturb the studies of others. This was a reason that Zhao Youyue could not wait to become a top student, as that would grant her exceptional privileges. At the same time, her parents would be so happy and proud, and probably increased the limit of her allowance. This is the status of becoming top students in China. Well, they possess overwhelming sense of presence. The countrymen have always assumed that all children of others were having good results. Hmm, it seems that anyone with good results will be treated as a reputable person, no matter how ugly and nasty they are, still, they will earn peoples respect It was late in the evening. The second-last lesson was about to end, and the last lesson was presumably the most popular class ever, the activity class. The guys would play basketball and football to shake off their sweats; while the girls could also play basketball if they wanted to, otherwise, they could take a stroll and chitchat with their friends in the school compound, or quietly read books in the library. Some students would even sneak back to the dorms for mobile games. It is now obvious why the activity class is very much welcomed by the students. Of course, the earnest students would continue to study in the classroom, solely to attain better score in exams, and in hope of being admitted to their dream college three years later. Zhao Youyue planned to take this opportunity of the activity class to seek help from her old classmate in junior high, Han Leng, and to see whether he was willing to offer his Love Letter Ghostwriting service at a reasonable price. As his name had spoken, Han Leng [1] appeared to be a cold person, who emits an unwelcoming aura. He always carried a sullen face, with his eyebrows frowning, as if he was pondering over an abstruse philosophy. Besides, he had thick eyebrows and his seemingly handsome face was filled with divine aura. Perhaps he had always stayed up late, and so his face was full of pimples. Well, if it was not for that, he will probably look even better. Almost every time when the class was over, he would be leaning over the table alone to catch up on his sleep. Only a few minutes after the school bell rang, he would wake up slowly. By right, a poker-faced cold man like Han Leng, should have no friends and was ostracized by the others. But, he was considered quite a sociable guy. Not to mention, there were girls who had crushes on him during junior high, perhaps this is the glamour of a talented man. Anyway, his chilly appearance seemed pretty cool. Han Leng was now looking at his digital watch, and yawned in an unscrupulous manner. He couldnt wait for the activity class I should be able to sleep happily, if anyone dares to disturb me Nah, this is unlikely, as those who are close to me, shall know that I hate people disturbing my slumber time, whereas those who are not, dare not take a step closer upon seeing my stinky face. He was of such confidence, that he felt as if he was an omniscience! Some people might find him lonely, but indeed, he did not mind to be left alone. To Han Leng himself, that feels better than loving a girl. The school bell finally rang. Seizing every minute and every second, he immediately bent over his table, as if he was dashing to his warm bed. Closing his eyes, his tightened face had finally loosened. Ah! That feeling was truly awesome! Anyway, he reckoned that it would be even more exciting to sleep stealthily whilst the teacher was giving lectures. The lecturing voices, are simply perfect for lullabies, but still, he was not that audacious. By the way, things will not be exciting if there is no restriction at all. The wife, is no match for the concubine; the concubine, is no match for someones wife; and someones wife, is no match for an unattainable woman. He felt that the floundering of to sleep or not during the class, is akin to the moment of confessing to a ones first crush, as he will feel cherished but anxious at the same time about her answer. Is it a Yes or a No? After the class ended, Zhao Youyue withdrew her own thermos flask and sipped slowly. Her gestures were so ladylike, and it kind of displayed that she was a well-educated person. Suddenly, she turned her head slightly, and observed Han Leng with her split version. On catching sight of Han Leng sleeping on the table, she stealthily gave a sigh of relief. If he went out to play basketball with the other guys, she would have a tough time approaching him. After all, this seemed like a crooked deal, perhaps people would even mistaken their relationship. Well, I guess all of us do know that rumors spread like a wildfire in schools. If he was in class, things will be easier, as there were only a handful of students staying in class for revision. How about joining me in badminton, Little Yue? her deskmate Zhou Fang invited her with a smile. Maybe next time, you know, I havent written that remorse letter. Mr. Qiu will probably collect it tomorrow, Ive to speed up Zhao Youyue declined. Zhou Fang gave an expression of sympathy, upon thinking of Zhao Youyues misfortune. Anyway, she was absolutely impressed by Zhao Youyue. This girl had actually bought a new phone! Whenever the class was over and the teacher was absent, again, she would be playing with her phone. Sure enough, she was severely addicted to her phone, but she was too bold to be true, eh? Was she not afraid that her phone will be confiscated again? Students who remained in class were leaving one after another, the classroom was gradually becoming more spacious. The sunsets light was pouring into the classroom, and shining onto the blackboard, like it had sputtered a charming halo, in which the dust could be seen floating. Such a scene is as beautiful as the ones in a picture! Zhao Youyue slowly walked up to Han Leng, and then patted his shoulder. Apparently, he had not fallen asleep, and looked up to her. His poker face, seemed to be infused with anger. It is not because he was just about to sleep, but he had been so confident that nobody would dare to disturb him. To him, this is absolutely an embarrassing accident. So, he got steamed up. Looking at Zhao Youyues fair and lovely face, not to mention her innocent eyes which had shown her guiltiness for disturbing others, however, Han Leng was not moved even a slight bit but responded apathetically, Hey you, which class are you from? Did you enter the wrong class? I was in the same class with you during junior high, my name is Zhao Youyue! Zhao Youyue identified herself hastily. Zhao Youyue? Non-existent. Ive never heard of this person, you must have looked for the wrong person. Han Leng seemed to recall something, and then responded in a serious manner. That is why Zhao Youyue was very dissatisfied with her side-character nature! She had been classmates with Han Leng for three years during junior high, to think that this brat would say that he had never heard of her! Grrr, this is exasperating! Translation Note: [1] In the name Han Leng C 䡱 , Han is the last name while Leng is the first name. Leng () means cold. Chapter 16 Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation Zhao Youyue? Non-existent. Zhao Youyue was pretty much aware of her faint presence, still, when she heard such words babbling out from this feller, she was indeed eager to ask him if he had lost his mind. Anyway, she took a deep breath and responded calmly, Alright, if you dont know me, so be it. Let us reintroduce ourselves. Im Zhao Youyue, one within this class. My dear classmate Han Leng, do you remember me now? Han Leng squinted his eyes. The side face of this bobbed-hair girl was bathed right in the middle of the sunset light. She was so beautiful! The way she spoke was in such a placid tone which was unexpectedly calm, not to mention, her voice was fairly tender. This girls temper was as decent as the usual Meanwhile, Han Leng had even caught a whiff of her fragrance, which smelled light and distant, just like the scent that was once in his memory. Obviously, Han Leng did not completely forget Zhao Youyue, and deliberately spoken out such words. As for now, he was wondering why a gorgeous and serene like Zhao Youyue, could be so unremarkable in her life. Perhaps if she was a little more irritable and willful, would her sense of presence come by? Im sorry, but I usually will not remember the names of ordinary people, as its meaningless. Well, ordinary people have no life goals nor individual traits, and so, their adulthood will usually be dull and colorless. They live their whole life as if they are not living. Whats the meaning of life? Its to wander around the world in exile, and seek all sorts of excitements. Han Leng sneered after yawning again. Thats just glossing over the fact that you havent found a place youre willing to stay. Whats with those talks about wandering is the true meaning of life Zhao Youyue explained. Her voice was as peaceful as always, as if nothing on earth could agitate her. Upon hearing Zhao Youyues response, Han Leng gazed at her in amazement, and an instinctive feeling rose upon him, that this girl was not that as simple he thought she was. Zhao Youyue then continued, Its okay if you dont remember my name, Im used to that. Im here to ask you, can you help me write a remorse letter of 3,000 words? Its to reflect the wrongdoings of scrolling my phone in the morning reading class. Han Lengs face became sullen that before, as he had taken Zhao Youyues request as a humiliation. Does he look like a person who helps to write remorse letter on behalf of others? He did help out to write love letters previously, but that was a romantic matter. It could also be used as a chance to demonstrate his talent in writing anyways. Well. It would be better if he could conquer girls via his love letters, should that happen, he would have laid down with all his favorite girls. Thus, Han Leng declined resolutely, Ill rather jump down from the window and die, than write remorse letter for anyone. Thats wasting my life. On perceiving Han Lengs firm refusal, Zhao Youyues heart was full of anxiety. Does she really need to write that on her own? Still, she flew his kite, 300 bucks, what if I offer 300 bucks Han Lengs cold attitude changed drastically, he even conceded on the dot and said, Ill write! When do you need it? Looking at Zhao Youyues startled face, he coughed once and turned his head slightly. He then explained, In future, I will be a novelist whose words are worth thousands. But now, Im still lacking of maturity. For my webnovel in serialization, it has worth up to 50 bucks per 1,000 words. But, the theme of remorse letter is quite different, and youve offered me 100 bucks per 1000 words, I consider the price quite reasonable. Anyway, Im quite confident in writing a remorse letter too. Zhao Youyue had a sudden urge to ask, Hmm Who was the one that said he would rather die than writing a remorse letter? In the end, she responded gently with a tranquil smile, As soon as possible, should you finish it by today, I will pay you 500 bucks. Its a great deal! Zhao Youyue, I think if youve looked up to me since junior high, Ill definitely remember your name. Han Lengs face was no longer cold, and a devious smile was seen instead. He even wanted to pat Zhao Youyue on her shoulder, but looking at her blue-and-white school sports attire which was spotlessly clean, he pulled back his hand. Not until now, he discovered that Zhao Youyue is different from all the other girls. Her skin is fair and tender; her eyes, big and innocent; and her black bobbed hair is smooth and silky too. He suddenly felt pity for her. Well, to him, if Zhao Youyue has kept a long hair, she will not go through lower visibilities like now, and could even attract men easily whenever she goes. Some girls are pretty much suitable for long hair, and sometimes, a sole change in their hairstyle will level up their appearance in the eyes of others. You took this as a respect? Shouldnt scholars like you have no worries about money issues? Zhao Youyue chuckled. She looked even cuter right now. Well, not about that, but you respect my dreams. What dream? Ive always forgotten about the secular world, and the brevity of life, and all the beautiful emotions. Because, Im thinking.. that I want to live a despicable and shameless life. This is my dream. Bonjour Tristesse by Francoise Sagan? The liberty to think, even to think wrongly or not at all, the freedom to choose my own life, to choose myself; for I was only soft clay, but still I could refuse to be moulded.[1] Ahh, its tiring to speak to a scholar like you. At this moment, Han Leng was utterly dumbfounded, you can actually read the how-could-one-like-you-have-read-her-book sentence expressed on his face. Undeniably, he would never forget this girl named Zhao Youyue again, he had even regretted that he had not known her earlier. Such a girl with depth! How had her entire person not display a single trace of literary temperament? Whats with the old saying One who reads more books will naturally emits a brilliance aura [2]? Paying no heed to Han Lengs astonishment, she took out her phone and asked in a casual manner, Did you bring your phone? Let me pay you 300 bucks first, Wechat or Alipay [3]? My gosh, can you dont act like youre buying vegetables on the street, keep it low, keep it low please! Anyway, wasnt your phone confiscated? Yeah, well Ive purchased a new one at noon that day. What? Tycooncan I be your friend? Sure, add my Wechat, or QQ. My phone is left in the dorm From your cold and arrogant look, I had taken you as a brave man, to think that youre such a coward Ouch, thats heart aching Tycoon. Believe it or not, Im not going to help you on the remorse letter anymore. Oh really? Then Ive no choice but to save some money. Dont mind it Tycoon! Not only my every word is worth a thousand, but my promises too . Nah, stop calling me Tycoon, Im not eating any sand[4]. Remember my name, its Zhao Youyue. For the rest of my life! Looking at Han Leng who turned clumsy from grim, Zhao Youyue continue to giggle, right now, one could feel a sensation of a graceful missy coming from her. Wait, she was already a graceful missy at the first place! She took a pen from Han Lengs table and wrote her Wechat ID on his notebook, and then walked away without hesitation. Han Leng took a deep breath and muttered, Such fragrance. Looking at the exquisite handwritings on his notebook, he slapped his own blushed face. All his drowsiness was pretty much gone! Translation Note: [1] A famous quote in the novel Bonjour Tristesse written by Francoise Sagan. [2] ʫԻ C One who reads more books will naturally emits a brilliance aura, is a Chinese old saying. [3] In todays China, the people makes most payment and fund transfer via Wechat (a social application) or Alipay (an online wallet). [4] Tycoon C the first word of the original chinese letter, means sand or land. The origin of the word is a rich man who owns a lot of lands. Chapter 17 Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation At least, Zhao Youyue had taken a load off her mind. The question now is whether Han Lengs works could meet her expectations. Anyway in Zhao Youyues impression, Han Leng was pretty much gifted in writing, and was also not the type who will load his writings with fancy phrases. Perhaps he had done a lot of readings, therefore, his thoughts had developed a certain depth, and was far beyond the other senior high students. On second thought however, does it require some sort of writing talent to write something like a remorse letter? Essentially, its purpose was none other than conveying ones sincere apology. She was then afraid Han Leng will swank about his genius and come up with a baffling remorse letter that will darken the face of class teacher, Mr Qiu. In any case, Zhao Youyue still find Han Leng more trustworthy, as this guy was famous for his writings since junior high. Han Leng had even composed a full-length novel, comprised of 10,000 words based on some online games he played. At that time, quite a number of his readers were his classmates, including his deskmate, and these people would often urge him to update the novel. Thus, she was deeply impressed by Han Leng in such a way. This fellow was indeed smart, despite spending so much time on literary writings, his results were not bad at all, albeit inconsistent. Sometimes, he could make it to the top three in his class; but sometimes, he was not even amongst the top thirty, and that made him worse than Zhao Youyue who had always remained steadily in the middle ranks. It had never come to Zhao Youyues mind that, a guy as arrogant as Han Leng, who was extremely unfriendly would turn out to be a miser. It was told that he had a webnovel under serialization at the Qidian novel website, which gave him a royalty of 50 RMB per 1000 words. Well, if that was true, he will definitely be considered as quite a man. The guy who sat in front of Zhao Youyue, Wang Yang, was a veteran webnovels reader, as well as a fans group member of a Platinum-rank author in historical writing, Unripe Apple. In the Qidian history section, if Unripe Apple was not the big brother [1], he was somewhat one of the best authors out there. At least, he owns a prominent fans group with the stated name Green Alliance, yet his nickname was daringly a member of the Vegetables and Fruits. Of course, one could easily tell that he was not a small potato. Zhao Youyue was the kind of person who hardly ever reads webnovels, but she still recognised these expert web novelists, such as Silkworm Potato, I Eat Tomatoes, and Angry Banana. To think there is something called Silkworm Potato in this world Hmm, it seems that he had not started writing Fight Break Spheres, his novel that is supposed to bring him fame and intimidate the entire world, or else, Zhao Youyue might have a chance for some troublemaking in the novel Fight Break Spheres. Meanwhile, all the Green Alliance fans group members had unanimously set their QQ avatar to a plain green picture. Well, they seemed pretty much disciplined. Whenever Green Alliance appeared in the book comments section, a sea of greens would come into sight. As a member of the Green Alliance fans group, Wang Yang definitely knew about all the tittle-tattles within the webnovel circle, unlike the rest who knew nothing about the concept of an average subscription[3]. By earning royalty as much as 50 bucks per thousand words, and of writing in the webnovel field, Han Leng is considered an iconic author on Qidian, who is supposed to have an average subscription of 3,000. That is slightly more than that of Im the Best, the author of King of Superpower. But his total income was no match for Im the Best, as Han Leng was still in senior high and did not have sufficient time for updates. As such, he was one of the most despicable author in the eyes of readers, so-called theOne update gang[4], of which each update has only 2,000 words and produces a royalty of 100 RMB, but now, writing a remorse letter of 3,000 words for Zhao Youyue had earned him 500 RMB instead. Indeed, this is a great deal, and had thus promised Zhao Youyue with no hesitation. At this moment, Zhao Youyue was pretty much intrigued by Han Lengs novel. Perhaps could there be a chance for her to stir up some troubles in this novel written by her old classmate? After all, the Two Dimensional Gate was pretty random and unpredictable. That sounds amusing! Before the end of the activity class, Zhao Youyue had decided to leave early [2]. As to her, some of her classmates were back in their dorms to take a bath or to play mobile games, it is thus quite palatable for her to go home, isnt it? Well, knowing in a sense that her own house is her dorm anyway. She then phoned up Mr. Liu and requested him to pick her up. For sure the school gate security, Grandpa Qin, who had always hindered students from leaving early, would not let her pass through that easily. Nevertheless, Zhao Youyues very own driver, Liu Zhongcheng had stuffed some money in Grandpa Qins pocket. Whenever Uncle Qin saw the limousine outside the school gate, he then turned a blind eye and let her go off. Thank you, Grandpa Qin. Zhao Youyue thanked him politely, with a sweet smile and a mild tone. As for now, Grandpa Qin was looking upon this missy with a pair of new eyes. Having been the gate security for so many years, he, without doubt, had come across many students from richer families. Most of them were rather high and mighty and did not bother to look upon the eyes of others, unlike this missy, who does not carry a shred of haughtiness, and is fairly amiable. Zhao Youyue succeeded in leaving early. Soon after entering the car, she started drinking her favorite red bean milk tea. Mmm, so delicious! Meanwhile, she did not forget to express her gratitude to her driver Uncle Liu. She had been carrying out these manners in a rather instinctive way, not deliberately without any doubts. Besides, not a slight bit of unpretentiousness was seen in her at all. Well, who does not love to be respected? Not to mention, to be respected by a missy with a decent family background like Zhao Youyue, that is indeed hard to come by. After Zhao Youyue left the school, Han Leng was also back to his dorm. As he was too used to typing on the phone, his typing speed was much faster than writing on paper. He had always been abided by a perspective that the value of written words, not only depend on whether they could enlighten the readers, but more importantly, they must be able to earn him some income. Should they generate more money for him, he would eventually put more effort in his writings! Nevertheless, his most devout words would still appear in his private diary, or in some his proses and poetry. To him, besides bustling around from day to day, one should not forget about the pursuance of literature and ones future in life. During his rebellion period, he once dreamed of becoming a wandering poet, who is to seek the true meaning of life and will never betray his writings for money. After leaving home and starving for a day, he came to a realization, that money is such a wonderful thing in life! Whoever gives him money, he will write anything that person wants! Oh, so webnovels are popular now? Then Ill write that! Damn it, Im so talented in writing, to think that the Qidian editors didnt sign me up, are they all rubbish or what? The mighty I was even once the champion of a creative writing competition! What? The opening has to follow the rules of the three golden chapters on Qidian? The main character cannot be beaten in the plot? No cuckold story is allowed as that is too malignant? Any story involving phase shifting has to specify the gender clearly else it is considered a failure? Well well, as long as the readers like it! Step by step like this, Han Leng gained a little fame on the Qidian novel website, and gathered a group of loyal fans, and yet, he felt that his principles and integrities had been buried. As for now, all he could do was to hang a sullen face; frowning, acting as if he seemed to be a cool scholar. Anyway, he suddenly regretted for spilling the beans that he had been writing webnovels, and hoped that Zhao Youyue would not put that in mind. In the meantime, he felt that even his impressions was shattered in front of Zhao Youyue its not a total loss this time! During their defeat in the team battles of League of Legends, he always comforted his teammates in such a way, Dont fret guys. It is not a total loss this time!. But still, their base would be destroyed in an explosion right after that, and thus Teammate 1, Not loss? Should I call you son of the b*tch? Teammate 2, I really want to see you suffer a big loss before I die! Teammate 3, ? Teammate 4, Translation Note: [1] Chinese calls the leader in a team, or most skillful and prominent person in a particular field as Big brother C һ硱, which literally means No.1 person. [2] In Chinese, Leave early C ˡ means that one leaves earlier a place or event than the time that he/she is supposed to. [3] Average subscription C is a contemporary word used on novel websites such as Qidian to describe the average number of subscriptions obtained by a novel per month. The higher the average subscription, the higher the royalty (calculated in RMB per 1000 words) for a novel. [4] One update gang C һ literally means the gang of people who only update once, at here, it refers to the authors who only update their novel once in a long while. Chapter 18 Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation Han Leng retrieved his cellphone from his drawer. Obviously, the cost of his cellphone was not as much as Zhao Youyues eighth-generation Fruit Phone. However, Han Leng found this phone model most suitable for him as its battery capacity was substantially ample. Even if he used it continuously without charging, it would last more than thirty hours. But he was merely a student, and was definitely the type that daringly uses his cellphone in the dormitory. Apparently, it seems like he will not be able to use his phone continuously. Apart from needing to spend two hours daily on his phone writing a chapter, he tended not to utilize his phone excessively. Well, he made sure his phone was utilized in a very conservative way, just to make sure he only needed to charge the phone once a week. In fact, the school has perversely left the wall sockets in the students dormitory without electricity, so as to ensure that students do not over-utilize their phones. It was also served as a purpose to minimize the time-spent on their phones. But, it was completely useless for those students with quick wits. In this world, there is a device called the battery charger, where one only needed to insert batteries into the device in order to charge a phone. Alternatively, one could carry a few power banks as backups, and rotate its usage when the battery has fully drained. During weekends when the students return home, power banks and cellphones can be fully charged once again. Han Leng merely wanted to save the hassle and at the same time to restrain his phone usage, so he did not bother much about the use of battery charger, power banks or whatnots. Although he was obsessed with writing, he still placed great emphasis on his academic achievements under this schools environment. Besides, if he were to score bad grades, his teachers will definitely fix their eyes on him, and his parents will also cease to give him so much freedom. That will be very troublesome indeed. Han Leng tapped on the Wechat app, followed by Contacts to arrive at the Add Contacts section. He wanted to add Zhao Youyue as a friend. But for some unknown reasons, though he has memorized Zhao Youyues Wechat ID clearly in his head, his fingers seemed to freeze and was having a hard time keying in the row of numbers. His face had heated up slightly. Then he remembered C she seemed to be the first girl to give him her Wechat ID on her own initiative, yet she was absolutely stunning Though many people may have realized that they are in a state of wishful thinkings, still there are times that an indescribable feeling would pop up in mind C perhaps was this not a wishful thinking after all? Han Leng knew for sure that Zhao Youyue and himself was just an ordinary deal which did not involve any other activities. But why did Zhao Youyue approach him in the first place? He can indeed write well, but he believed that for a payment of RMB 300, there will surely be others who were willing to write the remorse letter for her, as to high school students, this is already quite a significant sum of money. Is she having a crush on me? Do I seem unique to her? Did my arrogant and artsy demeanor impress her? Han Leng clearly knew he was overthinking, like how he always had the I-can-comeback thoughts while playing League of Legends. Right now he seemed to have the she-likes-me illusion. Well, he could not help but fantasize about it even though he knew it was just a delusion. Bloody youth, bloody hormones, I will not let my soul be tainted by the foul smell of love! This is clearly the fault of my weak-willed body! Hmm, Ah Leng[1], playing Wechat I see, with your girlfriend? Dorm mate Zhang Xin casually commented while laughing cheekily. He had just returned from his exercises and was extremely sweaty. He then peered at Han Lengs cellphone screen while sipping through his cold cola. Han Leng denied outright, Youre being funny. How will I ever have a girlfriend? No girls can understand me. Hmph, women are all shallow-minded creatures! As he was saying this, he inadvertently thought about Zhao Youyue again, but well, she was not shallow-minded at all. In fact, she seemed very subtle even though it was not really obvious from her appearance. Tsk, at this rate Ah leng, youre destined to remain single forever. These three years of senior high serves as your golden hour to chase after girls, not to mention that youre a gifted scholar and an artsy teenager. Itll be such a waste if you dont utilize these advantages you have. Zhang Xin sincerely suggested. Zhang Xin came from a well-to-do family, as apparent from the way he dressed. Well, too bad this damned school required them to put on school uniforms every single day, such that he only wore his branded goods from head to toe during the weekends. Luckily there was no standard requirement for shoes, otherwise he would not be able to wear his basketball sneakers worth more than 2,000 RMB. No matter what, Zhang Xin has decided that he must find a girlfriend during these three years of senior high, or else his youth days would probably be filled with regrets. Han Leng curled his lips, seemingly showing disdain for using his talents to go after girls. Deep down, he was probably quite narcissistic. He always had this thought that the only girls worthy of his attention should be those that were able to discover his characters and depth. Too bad most girls in the world are rather foolish. After being interrupted by his dorm mate, he lost track of the little inner struggle that came across just now. Strangely though, he felt that his spirit had dampened. Well, he has to admit that the sensation he felt earlier on was pretty intriguing. He sent a friend request to Zhao Youyue, with a remark saying Well-to-do girl, can we be friends? This should be enough to confirm his identity. After sending out the friend request, he could not help but started thinking about how girls tended to be very modest of themselves. He predicted that even after seeing the friend request, she will delay the approval for a bit I have approved your friend verification request, we can start chatting now. To Han Lengs surprise, Zhao Youyue actually approved his friend request within seconds, following which he immediately saw two Wechat red packets with the writing Wish you prosperity and luck. He opened up the red packets C one contained 200 RMB, another one contained 100 RMB. Just like that, a total sum of RMB 300 was credited into his Wechat Wallet. Big author, this is your remuneration. Good luck! (*RQ) As a serious cellphone addict, she has an astounding APM [2]. Now Han Leng had this strong feeling that Zhao Youyue is different from the other girls. Based on her straightforwardness in sending out the red packets, he has decided to finish writing the remorse letter as soon as possible. This is an act of returning a favor with a favor while showing mutual respect. Very generous indeed! I will complete the task as quickly as possible. As for now, you can be at ease for the time being. Oh yeah, big author, what is the name of your web novel on Qidian novel website? (????)? Han Leng did not reply right away. He felt that if he gave her the name of the book, it would threaten his position on the high horse. Though his image was already utterly crushed in front of Zhao Youyue, he did not wish for a recurrence of that. Moreover, Zhao Youyue is indeed a girl who left him a very special impression. He pondered for a while, and replied, I dont think theres a need to know about that. The novel Im writing is generally for male readers. You girls wont fancy reading it anyway. Seeing this reply, Zhao Youyue gave a sly smile. She proceeded to open up her Qidian novel website account page where her ID was displayed as Youyue. She then took a screenshot showing her account balance of three hundred-plus thousand Qidian coins and sent the screenshot to Han Leng. The screenshot was followed immediately by a message, Come on, hesitate no more, just give me the name of your book. Ill immediately tip you a sect master _(:١)_ Han Leng rolled his eyes after seeing Zhao Youyues Qidian coin balance. It is really dirt cheap to read a novel on Qidian C with only five cents per thousand words. He puts up two thousand words daily, which means that readers only need to spend ten cents per day, and 3 RMB per month to fully subscribe to his book. In spite of that, there will still be readers who chose to read pirated copies instead. Thats right, the China of this world is also plagued by serious piracy issues, especially internet content piracy. Therefore, ordinary readers only needed to reload tens of RMB at one time. Well, that would surely be enough to allow them to read genuine copies of the web novels for a very long time. Nonetheless, Zhao Youyue seemed to have reload her coins in multiple thousands of RMB. One really has to hand it to her for that. This time, however, Han Leng was determined to not be swayed by the monetary temptation. He eventually refused to tell her the books name. Zhao Youyue shook her head in frustration. She could not comprehend why Han Leng had a change in his demeanor. But, she did not take it to heart anyway. Translation note: [1] Ah Leng is just a more informal, intimate way of addressing Han Leng. Among Chinese speakers, especially when addressing someone you know well, it is common to couple Ah () with the identifying portion of that persons name. E.g. Ah Leng, Ah Yue, Ah Chen, etc. [2] APM = actions per minute, a common term in gaming scene used to measure a players reflex and efficiency in either mouse clicks or keyboard presses. Chapter 19 Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation Most of Zhao Youyues attention was placed solely on the Dimensional Gate. Well, this Dimensional Gate of hers is quite distinct from the other mission-based or endless survival type of dimension-traveling novels. As long as the author continues working on the literature, she will be able to slip into the Dimensional Gate every night while she is asleep. Zhao Youyues Dimensional Gate currently directs her into the world of Pure Romance. When her physical body rests during her sleep, her spirit will naturally be able to enter the body of Xu Jing. She could use Xu Jings studybug attribute to learn vigorously and gain knowledge. Once she awakens in real life, her spirit will again automatically exit the world of manga. Her actions in the manga world tend to mysteriously affect the mangaka, placing the mangaka in a state of an inspiration outburst. The mangaka will then express the plots relating to her character through different writings and drawings. If the plot made perfect sense, the author will naturally feel that it is their inspiration that came up with such a powerful storyline and was able to draw the characters in a rather vivid way Conversely, if the plot is exceptionally ridiculous, the author will merely think she has completely lost her senses and was in the midst of confusion. That must be how she haphazardly created such an absurd storyline. In the past, the contents related to Pure Romance and Xu Jing were basically just her acting as the side and background character at the same time throughout the storyline. She will always be buried in her studies, therefore there was no urgency to narrate her character in detail. Now however, as Xu Jing gained the favor of the mangaka Su Li, her appearances have substantially increased. There was also an increase of interactions among her and the other main characters. Not to mention, she was effectively promoted to a supporting character role. As such, there is now a need to narrate Xu Jings recent encounters in Pure Romance. Xu Jings initial character settings were very straightforward C apart from being obsessed with studying, she showed little interest towards everything else. In between her studies, she might occasionally lift up her head and gaze at the interactions between the hero and the girls with the caring-for-the-retarded expression. There were several close-ups of her in the manga previously, but it was rather unnoticed among the readers. Instead, it was the mangakas assistant Zhang Ziqiang who noticed her and subsequently mentioned that Xu Jings character was rather interesting. Besides, he also managed to persuade Su Li to create more positive appearances for Xu Jing. Ever since Su Li has made Xu Jing a supporting character, she naturally began to explore this character in a more in-depth way. First off, why is she extremely passionate about her studies? Well, all because Xu Jing came from a poor family and she hopes to change her destiny through her passion in learning. Why is her family poor? It turned out that her father got terribly sick. He no longer could work and was bedbound with illness. Her mother was an undeployed employee. She could only set up stalls outside the school compound to sell novelty items. To make matters worse, she would be chased away by local government officers from time to time. One thing worth mentioning that it is best not to deliberate on the sensibility of illnesses in any novels or manga-s C like that Ukyo C One foot in the grave for three hundred years and still undefeated C Tachibana [1] for example. Some of these so-called incurable diseases are purely the authors plot device. As long as the author does not allow the character to die, that particular character will still cling on to life even after an incurable disease befell him. He could even be in the state of cheat mode [2], as if the incurable disease was actually some kind of strengthening buff. On the other hand, when the author felt that the character has outlived his usefulness and can finally die, the character will be eliminated immediately. The illness that Xu Jings father had in Pure Romance was the kind that is very cost-intensive. Frankly speaking, even the mangaka has no idea what illness it was. What was certain is that he did not die from the illness, but at the same time he could probably be dead the very next moment. As such, the mangaka made sure Xu Jings family remained poor and debt-ridden in such a way. Thus, Xu Jing had to make up her mind to be super diligent in her studies. As for now, her ambition is to become a doctor in order to cure her fathers sickness on her own. As Zhao Youyue entered Xu Jings body this time around, she discovered that she did not possess the usual tendency to study. Instead, she was back in her nothing-but-her-bare-walls home. A strong scent of medicine permeated the surroundings of the house. She quickly came to the realization that the mangaka has added additional settings to her character. Anyway, she was not fascinated about this setting. After all she only wanted to secretly stay as a studybug side character. But all of a sudden, she had become a girl from a poor family. What the hell is this? Truth be told, Zhao Youyue was pretty much used to enjoying a luxurious life as the little missy in reality. She felt rather let down to be abruptly thrust into such a life in the manga world. Meanwhile, she instantly realized that she may have lesser opportunities to learn in peace from this point on. There will surely be many inconveniences and obstacles ahead! As for this, she could not help but had a grudge against the mangaka. Well, she did learn a valuable lesson, which is the need to communicate with the mangaka the next time she enters the world of other works through the Dimensional Gate. Otherwise, it would be such a shame if situations like this happens again where a side character is turned into a supporting role. Fortunately, the mangaka can only alter her characters background settings but not Xu Jings personality. She has no control over Xu Jings behavior at all, as all of these powers definitely belonged to Zhao Youyue. As of now, Xu Jing who was at home, saw her bedridden father coughing painfully. Xu Jing could ignore her father in total coldness. Deep inside, she held grudges towards him C as the entire family was dragged down because of his illness. Alternately, she could take care of her father meticulously as she has a kind heart and is filially pious to her parents. Anyway, all of these are up to Zhao Youyue to decide. Something made Zhao Youyue sensed that the upcoming actions she makes will fully appear in the manga. She had a similar hunch when she showed the caring-for-the-retarded facial expression previously. Xu Jing who remained expressionless, walked to her fathers side and adeptly took care of him and fed him medicines. It felt as if she has been doing these for countless years and is already well-accustomed to the routine. Immediately after that, she began doing house chores hastily. She helped to prepare meals for her mother who sold novelty items in an outdoor stall. Not to mention, she could even study classical Chinese texts while preparing meals simultaneously There was a slight fluctuation in Zhao Youyues mental state. As the mangaka altered her characters background, she could also fine tune her abilities accordingly based on the background settings. Since she was already the girl from a poor family, it is reasonable that she has to manage her household affairs at an earlier age. Doesnt this make sense for her to be taking care of her critically ill father and be proficient at house chores? Zhao Youyue could not help but to marvel at this. In reality, she was a missy who does not need to fend for herself and never had to do house chores. But now, she was somewhat able to carry out house chores efficiently and even cook dishes beyond her expectations, all without affecting her studies. She was taking the opportunity to memorize the ancient Chinese text An Exhortation to Learning [3] which needs to be recited during tomorrows morning reading session. If Mr. Qiu is absent during the reading session, she will be able to scroll her phone again. Isnt that just perfect? Xu Jing was having her dinner with her mother. At that moment, her mother glanced at Xu Jings hands which seemed sophisticated and full of calluses, she failed to hold back her tears, Xiao Jing [4], Im terribly sorry for making you go through all these pains since young Xu Jing held her mothers hand instead. Her constant expressionless face finally showing a faint glimpse of a smile. Though she did not speak a single word, it all goes without saying C she never feared hardships and was very contented just having her mother around. This was the first time in which Xu Jing smiled in this manga. Without hesitating, the mangaka Su Li gave a close-up. Drawing the manga up to this point, Su Li felt sorry for Xu Jing. She believed that she had depicted quite an emotionally-contagious scene. However, while feeling sorry, Su Li was contemplating to kill off Xu Jings mother to see if she was still able to smile Translation note: [1] Ukyo Tachibana (Ҿ) is a swordsman in Samurai Shodown who had tuberculosis and always said he wont live long but lived very long anyway until he found a cure for his disease. ,δһҾ literally translates as One foot in the grave for three hundred years, the undefeated Ukyo Tachibana. [2] Cheat mode (gaming reference). Raw ҡ means to cheat or hack in a game so as to gain an unfair edge. [3] An Exhortation to Learning (Ȱѧ) is an essay by a prominent Chinese Confusion philosopher, Xun Zi (). It was written in classical Chinese and is often the required reading in many Chinese educational institutes. [4] Xiao Jing (С) is an affectionate way to address Xu Jing. С means little. Chapter 20 Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation The scenes in the manga world in which Zhao Youyue appeared were rather jumpy. For example, Xu Jing might be having dinner with her mother moments ago, but for the next moment she might be sitting in the classroom silently studying. Days may have passed in between the manga scenes, but the actual time in real life is still linear. For Zhao Youyue, the jumping of the scenes did not greatly affect her. After all, her learning content is pretty much continuous. The mangaka only bothered to draw her studying and would never go into details with what she actually learned. These are all decided by Zhao Youyue herself. She could even be memorizing vocabularies while performing house chores. Would she stoop low to compensated dating some day, perhaps she could even bring along her reference books and complete the practice questions while making love Or perhaps she got involved in an accident and broke her leg. Well, she could still complete her homework while waiting for the traffic police to mediate the incidence. All in all, not even the apocalypse shall hinder Xu Jings passion for learning. However, Xu Jing was not the main character after all. She was merely a supporting role. The good-hearted Su Li has delved deep enough to uncover the character backgrounds for Xu Jing in order to develop a new branch of plot line for her roles. Some may not comprehend the making behind Xu Jings misery as this is actually an attempt to pave a way for the mangas hero, Yang Ming to pursue Xu Jing. The hero of Pure Romance, Yang Ming is quite a gentle Yesman. It is impossible for him to turn down the requests coming from beautiful girls. Besides, there are three of them who have the closest relationships with him, the first being his sister with whom he shared no blood ties. She is very dependent on this brother of hers and has the typical brother complex. The second one is Li Xiaotong, his vigorous but cunningly scheming childhood friend. Perhaps she is not really in love with the hero, but she is used to dominating him and treating him as her own possession. The third girl is the missy Liu Sha whom he met only after the story has begun. She has an IQ of 250, an arrogant disposition, many talents, but zero ability to take care of herself in daily life. After escaping from home she was somehow taken in by the hero. In the process of being taken cared of, her affections gradually grew towards him. Despite this, her difficult personality prevented her from speaking of her likings for the hero. Her actions, though, betrayed the fa?ade she had put up with. She decisively transferred from an elite private school to the school where the hero pursue his studies, and gained an additional attribute of being a transfer student. Apart from these three female leads who enjoyed a great amount of scenes, there were a few other girls in the supporting roles who also have their own subplots. One of them is the heros senior who is a young artistic female scholar. As the hero is a loyal fan of her writings, he discovered the hidden loneliness within herself from reading her books. He went on to console her and treated her with gentle care. Ever since then, the female senior had fallen head over heels for the hero As a summary, all pretty girls who appeared in the manga are either fond of the hero or still in the process of mellowing affections towards him. The hero even had a gay friend who is a super hot hunk. Of course, this character was put in place to please the Fujoshi-s. There is in fact one female character in the manga who has the Fujoshi attribute and had always enjoyed teasing the hero and his gay friend. She even used the two boys as source materials for drawing several Boys Love books. The main storyline of the manga was put on the jolly school routines of the hero and the girls. The girls often have awful encounters such as having their breasts touched or face-planted into, or being kissed by the hero who accidentally tripped. Sometimes the girls will accidentally sit on the heros face while wearing short skirts, with only a thin layer of panties separating their butts from his face. At this point, the hero would be slapped as their hearts rushed and their faces would blush with embarrassment. The hero was seemingly helpless as incidents like this happened to be the wills of the great macrocosm, but truth is he could not be happier than ever. As the number of female characters increase, same goes to the story of the girls fighting fiercely over the hero. However, as the hero was rather slow, he treated all girls equally in status and remained a cherry boy. Hence, there was never a conclusion or a clear winner to the girls fights. In accordance to the typical harem manga storylines, this kind of messy relationships between the boy and the girls will often persist until the very end. Alternatively, the hero will choose to be with one of the harem girls in order to rid himself off his useless boy characteristic and of course to show how sincere he was towards love. The mangaka, however, will soon have to embrace criticisms in all kinds of manners by the readers. After all, there were so many female characters, surely there will be readers rooting for these characters too. How can the hero reject the rest of the girls just to be with the one he has chosen? Some readers might even complain and ask why the hero could not just accept everyone. There seemed never to be a harem manga that dared to feature an actual harem and promote all of the girls. Indeed, the mangaka is quite lousy. The reason why mangaka Su Li made Xu Jing undergo such a tragic background, is because she felt that with the kind of personality that Xu Jing had, it will be impossible to expect her to pro-actively pursue the hero. After all, the one thing that Xu Jing treasured the most is none other than studying! Furthermore she was the best friend of Yang Xixi. She will surely not develop affection for the hero since she knew that Yang Xixi harbored more than just familial love towards him. But if her misery was found out by the hero himself, the excessively-kind hero will certainly be unable to ignore her plight. She will then be indebted to the hero for his kindness and will slowly accept the heros gentle pursue. Isnt this to be logically expected? In the recent issues of the manga, Su Li has featured many direct appearances for Xu Jing. Indeed it was like what her apprentice Zhang Ziqiang had mentioned, more and more readers were finding the character of Xu Jing interesting. Perhaps many of them were advocators for the hero to accept everyone. After seeing Xu Jings beauty, the readers insisted that the mangaka should allow the hero to take her in. There were also some readers who genuinely thought Xu Jing was interesting, like the following scene C Once again the hero bowed to the will of the great macrocosm and was about to use his godly tripping technique to assault Xu Jings breasts. Unexpectedly, Xu Jing just leisurely got out of the way. As a result, the hero fell down painfully. He then happened to be in position to sneek up Xu Jings skirt. What he initially thought was going to be either blue-white stripes, little strawberry panty, teddy bear panty or even the very seductive cameltoe. But, it turned out to be the very conservative safety pants. Yes, the safety pants that every man hated with a burning passion! Upon seeing this, many readers felt a sense of misfortune. This Xu Jing character is really toxic, not only did she avoided his Ritos[1] fall, she even wore safety pants! How can a girl like her ever appear in a harem manga? Even though the readers complained about this, they realized moments later that she is indeed the most conservative girl in the manga who showed the greatest passion towards studying and has the highest resemblance to a good student. Her appearance in the manga has thoroughly broken each and every harem manga stereotypes. Zhang Ziqiang the assistant was full of praises with the ways Su Li handled the storyline. He felt that the mangaka has managed to transform Xu Jing into a very interesting status from her initial meh status. The more conservative a girl acted, the more the male readers wanted to see the other side of her personality. Hearing Zhang Ziqiangs praises, Su Li crossed her arms in front of her chest and said softly, You might not believe me when I tell you this, but she actually avoided the godly tripping technique and wore the safety pants herself. I initially wanted to draw the blue white stripes instead Master Su Li, are you kidding me? Zhang Ziqiang looked a little confused. Perhaps it was in a moment of sudden inspiration that I felt such counter-routine would be more interesting, and I drew it as such. Su Li was only able to say this while forcing a smile. She only decided to set Xu Jings background as it is now right after the character started receiving more and more attention. She will start drawing the storyline of her being pursued when there are enough readers pledging their loyalties to Xu Jing For some unknown reasons, the mangaka had a bad hunch when she made these decisions. She felt as though there is still going to be an unexpected turn of events. Translation note: [1] Ritos fall (涷ˤ) is a reference to the character of Yuuki Rito in To Love-Ru Darkness. It is a fanservice trope in manga where the male character trips and falls accidentally only to end up buried in a female characters breasts. Chapter 21 Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation In the later phase of Pure Romance, a new force had emerged. They were the fans of this Xu Jing, simply because she was yet to show any nudity or eye candy. That pretty much defied the convention of Harem manga, and was a brand new experience for all the readers. Not to mention, she was the most unfortunate and impecunious female character in the manga. The whoopees and jubilations of the main character and the other beauties, had further brought home her misfortune to the readers. As such, would there be anyone who was not attracted by her character? Never had any pain or sorrow been perceivable from the face of this character, instead, she was always wallowing in her studies. Yet Yang Xixis bestie, sometimes Xu Jing had to open her ears to her grumbles, then cooked up all sorts of tardy comforting lines to calm her. Xu Jing had been a rather inarticulate character, as Zhao Youyue wished to become a side-character elite scholar. Being talkative does not conform to the settings of a side character, and also, shouldnt that be a hindrance to ones studies? In fact, Zhao Youyue considered herself as one who enjoys talking and getting along with others, and thought that her social skills were not too bad. Hadnt she just talked Han Leng into writing a remorse letter for her? To her, proactiveness and sociability are the essentials which could prevent misunderstandings. Anyway, she preferred not to do so much talkings in the body of Xu Jing. The characters in the manga are all virtual characters! Whats the point of communicating with them? She just wanted to continue her studies, quietly. Due to her dead-pan expression and inarticulate character, she might already be classified as an adorable Moe[1] character. Besides, a number of readers had even shouted out her name in all of the big forums, exclaiming that she was the new generation of Tri-no Goddess[2] ! In the manga comments section of Pure Romance on the internet, the love block [3] had been created for the new Tri-no Goddess, Xu Jing as well. Her love block was visited by more and more readers day in and day out. Hmm, it is hard to believe that Xu Jing had been retained as a mere side character for the entire novel before this. Still, that was yet to create a great sensation. After all, the original plot of Pure Romance was already at its soft patch, as the novelty of the heroines had almost wear off in the eyes of readers. Besides, the novel itself had not been animated, and so, its popularity had been gradually decreasing. In fact, Su Li was almost drawn towards ending this novel. But now, she discovered the character of Xu Jing had given her an opportunity to bring her works back to life. She had abandoned the subtle feelings upon drawing Xu Jing and started introducing a lot of her plots. Even the amount of her plots was already close to that of the three heroines that she opted for. Imperceptibly, Xu Jing had evolved from a female side character to a heroine Prior to this, Su Li has thought of drawing Xu Jings mother dead. That was not a random thought, instead, she was pondering over this plot. At first, she wanted to banish this Xu Jing into hell, and appointed the male protagonist to rescue her out of it. Such a plot would definitely bring a lot of pleasures to the reader, and also give the hero a reason to go after Xu Jing. She reckoned that the life of Xu Jing could be more miserable, and her character should be granted with more details. Thus, she buried herself in her works, and started drawing with the miraculous feeling that flowed within her. Hmm, it is as if she had dived into the world of her works and witnessed the sufferings of Xu Jing. She could then translate what she had perceived into manga drawings. In the world of Pure Romance, Xu Jing had just stepped out from school. She still held a notebook in her hand, and was reading it while walking. At this moment, Xu Jing, or you may say Zhao Youyue, was having a premonition of imminent disaster. In this journey of hers across the Two Dimensional Gate, not only she was granted additional character setting and interactions with her parents, plots involving her were gradually increasing! Yet, all of them were terrible bullied scenes. She could not help but to bear a bitter grudge against the mangaka. She was desperate to become just a side character who had her studies focused! A sudden thought came to Zhao Youyues mind, that if she was Xu Jing herself, should she have a chance to break this two dimensional barrier and appear in the real world, she would get her revenge against the mangaka, Did I dig your ancestral grave? Why did you do this to an honest person like me? In any case, during the process of possessing the body of Xu Jing, Zhao Youyue had derived numerous benefits. Essentially, she had strengthened her foundation knowledge, and if she was given a chance to retake her senior high school entrance examination, scoring first place might be possible! Thus, it was not a big deal for her to be admitted to the key senior high school in her current province. Zhao Youyue had always felt that there was a special bond between the mangaka and her. Both of them had to assist each other for their own interests. Unfortunately, she never had a chance to talk to the mangaka of Pure Romance. Anyway, the next thing encountered by Xu Jing, had blown her mind! In Xu Jing s sight, her mother was selling goods in front of the school gate. In her shabby attire, she was still selling hard. To think that some of Xu Jings classmates were staring at her with contempt now, and also bad-mouthing her. An outrageous and dramatic scene as such could only be seen in novels and mangas. Would anyone disdain a hawker under a broad daylight? At this moment, again, Zhao Youyue had to make a choice. Should she run away from her mom to prevent humiliation? Or should she greet her mom and help her out? Obviously, she would go for the latter. She knew she was in the world of manga, and thus, everything was fake, whats the matter to be despised by a virtual character anyway? Xu Jing still carried a poker face. Very soon, she stepped forward and worked together with her mom, without putting the contempts of her classmates in mind. A plot like this, was utterly a plus to the attitude of Xu Jing. In a split second, a local government officer who carried a big club as his weapon, charged down from the sky, as if he had transcended from the Void. Zhao Youyue would no longer be astonished by these people anyway. It was quite common for them to make their appearance out of nowhere, solely as plot devices. But soon she would realize, that she was in a deep sh*t! The city governor kicked over her mothers stall. All sort of goods had fallen all over the place. Without a single shred of mercy, the city enforcer stepped over those goods. He then wielded his big club, literally slamming on the thin, frail body of her mother! Bang! The sound of big club hitting on the body was so solid! Her mother did a double take, screaming in pain! Her body was known to be frail, how could she possibly endure such a heavy slam? What the heck! Zhao Youyue was dumbfounded. Was the mangaka insane or what? Could she not do this to her? Bastard, do you really want to ruin your own works? Having no time for more thoughts, Zhao Youyue controlled the body of Xu Jing to rush forward and protect her mother. In the end, the club that was supposed to fall on the body of her mother, smashed heavily on her body instead! Xu Jing was beaten up until she got bruises all over body, not to mention, her shirt was inexplicably torn apart. This, is the first fan service that she gave to her readers. She was completely blacked out, until the main character, Yang Ming appeared along with his sister, Yang Xixi In reality, Zhao Youyue had woken up from her sleep with a sudden. Her body was not afflicted with any scars. She felt that was a mere nightmare, and looked at the time. Hmm, it was just 4:20 AM, but she had casted away all her drowsiness Translation Note: [1] Moe () is a Japanese slang loanword that refers to feelings of affection, adoration, devotion, and excitement towards characters in manga, anime, or video games. Generally used for female characters, though it can refer to effeminate males in some instances. There are several kinds of Moe personalities, which include cold but lovely personality C Tsundere (), matured and capable personality C Queen (Ů), innocent and energetic personality C Genki (Ԫ), etc [2] Tri-no () is a kind of Moe personality. It refers to the characters with no feelings (), no words (޿), and no expressions (ޱ). However, it does not mean the characters literally have no feelings, instead, they are not good at / do not see the need for expressing the feelings. Chinese likes to refer to a beautiful girl as goddess (Ů), thus a beautiful girl of Tri-no personality is called Tri-no goddess (Ů). [3] Love block (氮¥) is created in Chinese forums for popular characters in mangas or novels. The readers would visit their love blocks to discuss about them or share any files related to the characters, such as their pictures. Chapter 22 Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation Sure enough, Zhao Youyue had not suffered any injuries on her own. After all, she was not Xu Jing herself, but just shifting into her body. Her five senses shall never be affected by any peculiar circumstances, akin to the mangaka, she was an upstream person in the real world. Thus, she would not be hurt by the ridiculous big club as well. Anyway, never had she thought that Xu Jings shirt was actually torn in that single blow She got really hot under the collar. Had the character she played, Xu Jing offended the mangaka in any way? She hoped for nothing other than relying on Xu Jings passion and determination to engross in her studies. What was so difficult about that? Having calmed herself down after a while, a new perspective occurred to her. Indeed, she was quite impressed by this mangaka whose face was still obscure. The character of Xu Jing might be plagued with all sort of miseries, but that had actually made her image to be engraved on Zhao Youyues mind, not to mention any other regular readers. Speaking of which, a new volume of Wing Manga magazine was published this week. What Youyue had undergone in the Two Dimensional World would most likely be published in that. For sure she would grab one to read. Meanwhile, she had also decided to approach this mangaka named Su Li via internet. If she could gather information of the mangaka in reality, that would be really pleasant. Did the mangaka really think that one would not be punished by karma for their ill-treating acts in the manga? Youyue would avenge her agony by locating the mangaka through the internet! She believed that the mangaka of a school Harem manga like this, must be drawn by a nasty wretched guy, who will remain single for his entire life. Indeed, this was her prejudice! She really despised such Harem plot where a guy is matched up with N[1] girls. Besides, the mangaka had provided fan services to the readers outrageously. She had dodged the Ritos fall, with safety pants put on, but eventually, she failed to dodge the shirt-tearing big club of the local government officer A deplorable male mangaka like this could already have a bone in his leg upon meeting girls. If he was lucky enough to be dated by a pretty-girl reader, would he turn down her invitation? Not likely. Wait till then, she would hire a professional to rendezvous with the mangaka. You dare to fool with me in the manga? Dont blame me if I set you up in reality! A Harem mangaka was arrested for involving in compensated dating[2] with a high school girl, his manga will be suspended for two weeks Come forth, lets hurt each other! Nevertheless, Zhao Youyue would never stay as the losing party. In a sense, she was invincible in the world of literary works, as nobody could do her any harm. It was just that the mangaka would interfere with her acts, such as studying, and that was quite troublesome. At this moment, Zhao Youyue who had lost her drowsiness, unconsciously reached her hand towards her on-charge phone. As a cellphone complex, without holding her phone in her palms felt as if she had lost an essential part of her body. Once she has leisure time, she would definitely scroll her phone. There were a couple of Wechat notifications on her phone. She clicked on that just to realized they were all messages from Han Leng. At 12.00 AM, he sent a message of 1,000 words, and of course, it was not of love letter, but a remorse letter. At 1:30 AM, he sent another 1,000 words. His third message arrived at 2:30 AM, which carried the last 1,000 words. Never did it come to Zhao Youyues mind that Han Leng had stayed up all night just to complete her 3,000-word remorse letter. How badly did he crave for the 200 bucks reward? After transferring the remorse letter, Han Leng had sent her a few more messages, Tycoon, Im lucky to fulfill your request. Ive viewed your Moments stories too. Wow, youre a true missy from Zhao family. Youve been to so many countries; youve owned many luxury bags; youve also shared a lot of gourmet foods. At late midnight like this, that really made my stomach cry. Oh my itchy finger, shouldnt have click that. Lady Zhao, you must be sleeping now. Goodnight. Looking through his messages, Zhao Youyue smiled. It seems that her mood that had been ruined by the mangaka, was recovering. Without any talkings, she immediately sent Han Leng a 200-RMB Wechat red packet. She then carefully copied down the remorse letter onto a paper, and thus, there was no need for her to worry about her class teacher, Mr. Qiu anymore. Anyway, her red packet was at once accepted by Han Leng, who replied, Wow, Lady Zhao, youre still awake? It seems that we are the same kind of people! Han Leng did not feel a shred of sleepiness upon completing the remorse letter. He then grab a webnovel and began his training to be an immortal [3]. He had trained until this hour. After that, he sent Zhao Youuyue an emoji sticker. It was a guy with black rim of eyes and is wearing a pair of panda ears. On top of the sticker, it was written, Viva immortal training! Han Leng had measured the rest after himself, assuming Zhao Youyue was one immortal practitioner like him. In fact, this could not be possible. Zhao Youyue had lived a disciplined lifestyle, and was particular about keeping fit and maintaining her skin care. Never had she put on any cosmetics that are harmful to the skin, instead, she had been using tip-top skin care products. If not, how could she have such a delicate skin? Ones beauty is destined ever since she was born, but to preserve that beauty, continuous efforts are not to be missed. In terms of this, a girl with rich family background like Zhao Youyue has a huge advantage. Zhao Youyue might look average now, but wait until she entered university; if she kept a long hair, and changed her sports attire into something fashionable while carrying designer bags that is unaffordable by the ordinary people, she would immediately turn into a goddess who is adored by all men. Zhao Youyue replied, Nope, but I was having a nightmare. o(ini)o She was in a luxury silk pajamas. After opening the room light, she walked towards the writing desk and opened the desk lamp. Taking out some white papers, she started copying down the remorse letter sent by Han Leng. Though Youyue had not been through any proper training for chinese calligraphy, her writings were elegant. With that, her exam papers were always clean and neat. Her essays had always been of the same old template, which is a sole major argument coupled with three supportive arguments, and the provided examples are none other than those mundane histories of famous people like Sun Bin, Sima Qian, Han Xin, Newton, Edison, Zhang Haidi, Shi Tiesheng, etc. Well, obviously her essay level was nowhere near Han Lengs. But at times, she could actually attain a great score through her neat exam papers that gave a decent impression to the exam markers. While bending over her desk and copying the remorse letter, Zhao Youyue felt as if she was possessed by Xu Jing. She could be that patient, and attentive. Knowing that Zhao Youyue was awakened by her nightmare, Han Leng was eager to reply with comforting words. But he was too bashful for that, and also, they were of nothing more than an exchange relationship. Still, wasnt that apathetic if he said nothing at all? Nah, he was always known to be such a cool guy! Han Leng was hesitating for over ten minutes, and had typed a lot of words. But he failed to press the Send button and deleted his message instead. He had repeated this routine of typing and deleting a couple of times He was not aware that Zhao Youyue had been concentrating on copying the remorse letter. At last, he could only utter a few words, Are you okay? Zhao Youyue clicked into the message. Little did she know that it had taken so much of Han Lengs time just to type these few messages. She replied in a natural manner, Im fine. You should sleep by now. Ive to copy this remorse letter. Thank you very much (ަأ) After reading her message, Han Leng did not reply further, as he did not want to disturb Zhao Youyue. He then got to his feet and walked to the bathroom. While washing his face, he looked at the dark circles around his eyes in the mirror, as well as his face filled of divine aura. He then cracked a smile. After that, he abruptly opened the balcony door and stepped out, and gazed upon the entire school compound. The teaching building was solemnly standing in the darkness. Street lamps in the school compound were yellow. The dense fog was enveloping the whole place. The basketball field and sports field were empty. At that moment, he felt as if he was the sole person in this world. Ah, what a lonely feeling. As for now, he had this feeling that he wanted to do some handwritings. Nothing much, just to record something in a book filled with his poet and proser dreams. That book, was his secret diary. Translation Note: [1] N is contemporarily used by Chinese to refer to a great number. For example, N years ago is equivalent to many years ago [2] Compensated dating is derived from the Japanese term Enjo-ksai (ԮH). It is a practice of older men giving money and/or luxury gifts to attractive women for their companionship or possibly for sexual favors. [3] Training to be an immortal () is a contemporary term among Chinese, which means stay up late. One stays up late until one grows black rim of eyes and wisdom, as if one is training to be an immortal. Chapter 23 Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation It was nearly six in the morning when Zhao Youyue was done with the remorse letter. In the process of copying the letter, she realized that the standard of Han Lengs writing was spectacular. Not only he did not insert any ostentatious elements, but the entire remorse letter was full of sincerity. With that, Mr Qiu could easily believe that she would no longer scroll her phone during the morning reading class. To validate its novelty, Zhao Youyue randomly picked a sentence and searched for it online. Sure enough, Han Leng was not that indolent to copy something from the internet. In other words, these 3,000 words were all composed by Han Leng himself. He had stayed up late and typed the whole thing word by word on his phone Zhao Youyue was pretty much impressed by Han Leng. If it was for her, she would not think on her own about what was available on the internet; in fact, copying online could already be bothersome for her. Simply because one could not copy exactly from a single source, instead, the contents had to be copied from a variety of other sources. Such annoyance! She had assumed that Han Leng could have copied it from somewhere. Unbelievably, he wrote it all on his own. It was no wonder for him to become a web novelist, as he had such a remarkable talent. Well, remember when Mr. Qiu requested a 3,000-word remorse letter from Youyue, she would rather give up her phone than writing it. An unusual happiness rose upon her in todays morning reading class, as expected, Mr. Qiu recalled that he had confiscated Youyues phone. Ever since Zhao Youyue lost her phone, her vigilance had been rather high. She was like a humanoid radar. Anytime would Mr.Qiu cunningly enter the class from the backdoor, despite not making any sound, Youyue had already kept her new phone in a split second. She would then pretend to be reciting An Exhortation to Learning by Xun Zi, a Chinese philosopher. Sitting square with a solemn expression and in a laudable demeanour, she turned over her book against the table, and began reciting. The gentleman says, Learning must never stop. Blue dye is gotten from the indigo plant, and yet it is bluer than the plant. Ice comes from water, and yet it is colder than water. Through steaming and bending, you can make wood straight as a plumb line into a wheel. And after its curve conforms to the compass, even when parched under the sun it will not become straight again, because the steaming and bending have made it a certain way. Likewise, when wood comes under the ink-line, it becomes straight Her deskmate, Zhou Fang gazed at her in amazement, and thought, this girl had always played with her phone whenever she was free. Be it language class or English morning reading class, as long as the teacher was not around; and today, Youyue, who had never taken any initiative to flip a book, was adopting a new style. It was incredulous to Zhou Fang that she was able to recite An Exhortation to Learning so fluently. Zhou Fang could yet to even read it smoothly, not to mention, it was not taught in class before! This is so unscientific! Of course, Zhou Fang would not know that Zhao Youyue was a hardcore scholar inside her dreams. With that, she had been drifting around lately without paying much attention to her studies during daytime. Appearing to be a rather quack student, it was rather worrisome to the rest that during examination, she might plunge from her chronicle middle ranking to the very bottom. Just as Zhou Fang could not bear her curiosity further and was about to consult Youyue, a familiar figure had stood aside, it was the class teacher Mr Qiu! Growing anxious all of a sudden, Zhou Fang stumbled over An Exhortation to Learning. What an embarrassment, she could not believe that Youyue continued to recite it beside her, articulately. She seemed to know more than a stanza. Wait, she had literally memorized the whole poem! That was preposterous! The striking contrast between the both of them, plus the class teacher Mr Qiu who watched from aside; Zhou Fangs face turned so red that she felt like burying her head in the sand pit. Moved by her charming personality, Zhou Fang had considered Zhao Youyue as her very own friend. Unlike most of the girls who are fussy about the trifles, Youyue was amiable, adorable, yet equipped with an elegant manner. Whenever she smiled, her mouth was always covered with her beautiful hand. Seeing that delightful smile of hers could actually enlighten the mood of someone. However, she definitely frowned upon Youyues attitude in her studies. It is not that Youyue did not study at all, but she seemed to happy-go-lucky and paid no heed to her studies. That was a bit thick for Zhou Fang. Besides, she was rather irritated by the two guys sitting at their front, who would talk nothing other than magazines and games. Whenever the class was over, they would turn around and chat with Zhao Youyue, showing her all kinds of tricks, and telling their lame jokes, as she had been giving a pleasantful response. Well, that was actually how she treated everyone, she was pretty much a tender and friendly girl. If it was Zhou Fang herself, she would care less about such guys who were not handsome and had scored bad results. Never would she understand how Zhao Youyue was able to remain calm and cheerful at all times! Anyway, she had to consent, that deep inside her heart, she was jealous of the saint personality of Zhao Youyue, and her sociability of course. Those qualities were quite out of her league. She was even afraid to speak too much to guys, fearing that she would get into rumors In fact, this is her mere delusion. She was not pretty in the first place. Too bad, no one had mentioned this saddening truth to her. Zhou Fang was a diligent girl, and her results was quite satisfying. Aware of her average appearance, lack of specialty, as well as her ordinary family background, she had casted all her lots towards studying, hoping that her excellence in studies could retain her sense of superiority over Zhao Youyue But now, she could hardly take it that she was surpassed by Zhao Youyue in studies. Perhaps that was just an accident, or an exceptional case. Qiu Yingchun was waiting for Zhao Youyue to finish reciting An Exhortation to Learning. He then pounded on her table contentedly and called her out to the front of the class. He commended, Zhao Youyues performance during the morning reading class was impressive. She must have paid a lot of effort, or else she could not have recited An Exhortation to Learning so fluently. I knew it Youyue, you are a good girl! Zhao Youyue smiled gently as a gesture of accepting his compliment. Indeed, she was hardworking in the Two Dimensional Gate. Finally, Qiu Yingchun mentioned about the remorse letter, not in a stern tone this time. He was pretty much satisfied with her performance just now. Zhao Youyue acted as if she had just recalled the issue, and responded embarrassingly, Mr Qiu, I was done with the remorse letter actually. Sorry, I forgot to hand in to you. After that, she dashed to her seat, then took the remorse letter and handed in to Qiu Yingchun. Amid the process, she instinctively peeked at Han Leng, just to discover that he was alternately forcing his eyes opened for reading, and falling back asleep. Thus, his head was shaking up and down, how peculiar! In fact, he was in the stage between sleeping and awaking, that could avoid the suspicion of teacher. It was indeed the signature move of the God of Sleep. Upon seeing Zhao Youyues neat writing and clean remorse letter, without looking through the letter contents, Qiu Yingchun had come to confirmation that Youyue had utterly introspected on her own misbehaviour. He thus took a glance. Wow, such remarkable writing talent and sincere words, not bad at all! Having commended her a little more, he returned Youyues phone back to her at ease, and allowed her to return to her seat. He then walked back to the office, and planned to ambush the students again when the morning reading class was about to end Zhao Youyue cracked a sly smile, and went back to her desk joyfully. She casually put her old phone into her 6,000 RMB Chloe bag, and took out her new phone. Activating her humanoid radar again, she realized Mr. Qiu had been faraway from the class. So, she began playing her phone recklessly. Based on her recent analysis, he would most likely come back in seven minutes before the end of morning class. If she could keep her phone in nine minutes earlier than that, and pretended to be reciting some literatures again, she would definitely be safe! Chapter 24 Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation Zhao Youyue had assumed that her strategy would work out for sure. However, the schemes of humans are inferior to those made by Heaven. She daringly remained optimistic and continued to please herself Mr. Qiu suddenly had a slight stomach discomfort when he was walking back to his office. Both office and toilets were at opposite directions, separated by several classrooms in the middle. So he had to turn back. On his way to the toilet, he was going to display his Mrs Qius ultimate spying skills once again. Zhao Youyues humanoid radar was completely invalid this time. How could have she thought that Mr. Qiu would turn back after leaving not so long ago? Zhao Youyue was scrolling through her Weibo on her phone. She had just subscribed to the Weibo of Mangaka Su Li. She discovered a recent rapid increase in Su Lis followers on Weibo. Each time Su Li released a new chapter, she would make a post on her Weibo. The readers who had read the latest chapter, would leave their comments below that. They would either raise their own opinions or praise the contents of the latest chapter. Starting from the last four chapters of the latest serialization, the number of replies for each Weibo post gradually increased. That was the moment Su Li began to increase the positive appearances of Xu Jings character in the novel. One of the Weibo posts having the highest number of replies was regarding how Xu Jing dodged the heros godly tripping technique by wearing safety pants underneath. Quite a number of readers replied like this: Master Su Li, please continue to add more Xu Jings plots. Aint she interesting?! It is so genius of her to be wearing safety pants! Anyway, I would really like to see the hero face-planted himself into Xu Jings skirt! Ever since Xu Jing this cutie female character gradually revealed her charm, Im now full of anticipation towards this novel. Though I had regarded it as a boring one at first. I always feel that the appearance of Xu Jing is the presage for the birth of a spectacular character. All the mangas previous contents seemed to be prominently unveiling this extraordinary Xu Jing character. She had even seized on the heros gloriousness. To think that her character was so successful that she had stood out from the whole manga! If this manga could have an impressive ending, this Xu Jing must be an iconic manga character! Did anyone notice that Master Su Lis incredible drawing skills was boosted to an even higher level while drawing Xu Jings story? Master Su Li seemed to have completely brought a character alive. That was why Xu Jing had become so outstanding. Hope to know more about Xu Jing the Tri-no goddess. For instance, why is she so deeply in love with studies? Can we thoroughly understand the background setting of her character too? Why arent there any fan services of my goddess, Xu Jing? I feel like floating in the sky whenever I imagine her nude scenes. Would Master Su Li release the fan services or erotic scenes of Xu Jing for just once, I gonna tip you a Platinum Sect Master in Qidian manga website. Any readers here who agree with me, please help to click like and make this reply appear at the top of all comments! Zhao Youyues face was immediately darkened upon seeing those replies that clamoured for Xu Jings fan services. That reply was tremendously liked and had emerged as the topmost comment. It could easily be seen by the Weibo blogger now. So, this is the roots of all tragic dramas during the times she shifted into Xu Jing. If the culprit was this mangaka, Su Li, then the accomplices would be this bunch of male readers who cried madly for fan services! Just wait, she would make them pay for it someday! Besides the reply urging for Xu Jings fan service, there was another reply which requested more details about the background setting of Xu Jings character. It had also received a huge number of likes. At last, Zhao Youyue had completely understood why she had to suffer such tragic events while shifting into Xu Jing in the literary world. It was all because of this mangaka, Su Li, who had compromised with her readers without limitation. She would draw whatever they liked, even if she sacrificed part of her rationality, otherwise, how could that preposterous big club of the local government officer possibly exist? It literally torn Xu Jings shirt apart upon smashing her body. Ah, it seems that Su Li could only provide fan services to the readers in such a drastic way. At the same time, Su Li could also set up Xu Jings character in a miserable way to make her readers take pity on Xu Jing. That was indeed one way to trick most male readers into tipping her. Basically, to be promoted as the Platinum Sect Master in Qidian manga website, the reader has to spend 10,000 RMB as tips. Obviously, Su Li could not hold back for such a seductive offer. Moreover, Su Li originally started off as drawing Doujinshi books, especially those hard-core or weird Doujinshi books. She tried not to be too expert and even suppressed her capability when drawing the mistreated female character. To Su Li, it was just a very mild mistreat for how she had drawn Xu Jings story this time. After all, Xu Jing was just a female character. The male readers would usually immerse themselves into Yang Mings character. As long as Su Li did not mistreat the hero, everything should be fine. The female character could be mistreated as her please. In fact, Su Li had been benevolent. There was another mangaka, Okamoto Lynn in Japan with the nickname Girl-character dementor (Okamoto Lynn also wanted to draw a neutral manga, but it never became famous. In the end, he had indulged in mistreating his girl characters, as even he could not resist himself). Su Li felt that she was way behind Okamoto Lynn, thus she still had to keep up. Just as Zhao Youyue was exhilarated by scrolling Weibo, suddenly, she heard Mr. Qius roar coming from her back, Stand up! Zhao Youyues darkened face immediately turned pale. Didnt Mr. Qiu just leave for the office? How could he again show up in the classroom from the back door? Shouldnt he be coming back only in seven minutes time before the end of morning class? And why wasnt her humanoid radar effective? Oh no! This time she was really doomed! The eighth-generation Fruit Phone she had just bought was about to be confiscated, again? This time, would she be asked to criticize herself by writing another remorse letter of 5,000 words? Or to give a remorse speech in front of everyone this? No She was not going to build up her sense of presence in such a way! Last but not least, would Mr. Qiu summon her parents to school? The situation sounded like she was just fooling Mr. Qiu earlier on, and that was awful! Zhao Youyue was never afraid of her father who pampered her. But in front of her university-professor mother, she acted just like a running mouse which has just met a cat. She revered her mother who had been very strict on her since she was a child. After thousands of thoughts had flashed across Zhao Youyues mind, she was about to stand up hopelessly. Just as Zhao Youyue felt like she would be imprisoned again, she heard the sounds of moving chairs coming from the back of the classroom. A person stood up immediately . At this very moment, Zhao Youyue had seized a chance to stuff her phone into her desk with her astounding APM. The person who stood up was Han Leng. It seemed that he was caught off guard by Mr. Qiu while slumbering in the morning reading class! Zhao Youyue breathed a sigh of relief. Damn, she had assumed things were getting crappy just now! Anyway, she truly felt that she had been blessed with good luck. Had someone not coincidentally taken the bullet for her, she would definitely be exhorted by Mr. Qiu! Being caught asleep during the morning class was less severe than the case of scrolling phones in class. Therefore, Han Leng was merely roared by Mr. Qiu to stand up and carry out his readings. In addition, he excelled in writing essays and obtained the best results in language papers. He was deemed Mr Qius trusted wingman. Obviously, Mr. Qius bark was way louder than his bite towards Han Leng. He would easily let off Han Leng for sure. Only after making two more turns in the classroom, Mr. Qiu rushed to toilet in a haste. He was so responsible to the point where he was not afraid that his poop would excrete in his crotch. After Mr. Qiu left, Han Lengs neighbour cum representative for Mathematics subject, Chen Haoran could not help but to ask, Xiao Leng, are you stupid? Ive warned you when Mr. Qiu was coming. Cant you just persist a little longer and sleep again after Mr. Qiu has left? Han Leng yawned with a deadpan expression, Just take me for a fool. Have you become an idiot after the training to be an immortal? Chen Haoran asked with full of concern. He genuinely treated Han Leng as a buddy, and he was a man who would go any lengths to protect his friends. Chen Haoran never slept during the morning class. So he took on the responsibility to keep watch for Han Leng. He was willing to serve as Han Lengs eyes. Han Leng was still carrying a sullen face, along with his black-rimmed eyes and chilly appearances. But his tone softened, and his lips slightly quirked up, Dont worry, Im fine. Chapter 25 Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation Zhao Youyue was an attentive girl with high awareness of her surroundings. Though her IQ was at average point, her EQ was exceptionally high. Anyway, she tended to neglect particular details sometimes. After all, she was just in a panicked state moments ago. She considered herself lucky this time for having dodged the bullet. As for Han Leng, she could only sigh in her mind that he was really unlucky. Supposedly, he had seen Mr. Qiu was about to walk away and decided to lay down and sleep to his hearts content. Unfortunately, he was caught in the act. What to do? Mr. Qiu was indeed too damn treacherous, out of expectations he swung around and caught them off guard. Many of the students did not see that coming. In fact everyone should thank Han Leng for getting himself into trouble. At least during the moment that Han Leng stood up, many students who were about to fall asleep were awakened in that very instance. The sound of recital in the class suddenly spiked. Zhao Youyue no longer dared to take out her phone, but nonetheless she stopped reciting the text. She had completely memorized the text in the Dimensional Gate anyway. Out of whim, she retrieved a language reference book entitled Wang Houxiongs Complete Interpretation of Teaching Materials. She started looking for articles in the book to be read as stories in order to pass time. Even if Mr. Qiu came back again, he would not have anything to comment upon seeing her reading a reference book. Zhao Youyue had a staggering number of reference books which were all purchased by her mother. As long as the reference book was slightly well-known in the market, her mother would buy her a set of those. The collection would of course included the very famous Five Years College Entrance Exam and Three Years Mock Papers. Her mother had already done this since Zhao Youyue was still in junior high school. However, the books basically remained in the same condition from the date of purchase until present day. They were at least eighty-percent brand new. Zhao Youyues mother was named Wang Hua. She was a beautiful studybug since young and a woman of many talents and artistic flair. Her father was also a famous calligrapher in town, therefore she could be said to be born into a family of scholars and had a privileged family background. However, Zhao Youyues maternal grandfather passed away when she was only eight years old. Wang Hua wished to educate Zhao Youyue on a strict routine since young and to mold her into a talented lady just like herself. She enrolled Zhao Youyue in many skill development classes but unfortunately she did not manage to persevere. This was because Zhao Youyues father, Zhao Jiayi tended to spoil his daughter. As soon as his daughter threw a tantrum, he would surely say, It is okay if she doesnt want to go, our daughter should be the priority. It is important for her to have a happy childhood. Indeed, Zhao Youyue was quite wild and playful during her childhood. To this day, she still missed the days she spent at her grannys house in the farming village catching crabs, lobsters and fishing, not to mention the playmates she had alongside her Wang Hua would then get into an argument with Zhao Jiayi, saying that the child had been spoiled rotten by him and was becoming just like him when he was young C basically just getting by in his studies but managed to become a hospital director in the end based on his favorable family background. God knows what blinded Wang Hua and made her decided to be with him. Zhao Jiayi, on the other hand, would just let out a smile and responded that she had the best taste as his medical prowess was rather exceptional. Wang Hua sneered and replied that he had only gone to the hospital to tease and flirt with other nurses, and was not actually doing any works. Zhao Jiayi quickly explained that he only had his wife and daughter inside his heart and there were never such things as what she had mentioned. The cold war between the duo would only last a few days, and they would eventually reconciled their relationship. Their public display of affections had left Zhao Youyue with a strong phobia for intimate relationships. She unknowingly became a senior member of the FFF Inquisition [1]. She felt fine on her own. Remaining single allowed her to do whatever she liked and not to worry about others. No matter what, Zhao Youyue was the only daughter Zhao Jiayi and Wang Hua ever had. Eventually Wang Hua decided to let things be. It was fine if her daughter turned out to be ordinary person. At least she was healthy, had cute looks and seemingly obedient as well. Zhao Youyue would quiver like a quail whenever Wang Hua raised her voice. Oh how adorable she looked! She began to enjoy teasing her daughter this way. Erm no that is not the right way to put it. She was actually educating her daughter to study diligently and improve herself every day. During her daughters yearly birthday, she would wrap up a dozen reference books in a beautiful gift box and hand it to her as birthday gifts. She would then put on a smiley expression as she watched Zhao Youyue opening the gift box. Zhao Youyue, God damn it! Just as Zhao Youyue was going through her daily school routine, she decided to mess around in Pure Romance to let the mangaka, Su Li and the readers feel her wrath. Meanwhile, Su Li was submitting the manuscript of the latest manga issue to her editor, Wei Suo. Wei Suo had a short figure and a bald head. It was quite obvious when he stood alongside a pretty mangaka like Su Li. At the moment, he was meticulously browsing through Su Lis manuscript. As he read towards the end, a sinister smile showed on his face. Without holding back, he praised, This is a very interesting issue indeed, Miss Su Li. Youre very creative in using such a method at the end to provide fan service for the character Xu Jing. What an excellent plot development to torment Xu Jing into that state. The readers will surely look forward to seeing the hero saving the damsel in distress and finally winning over her heart. Wei Suo was one of the senior editors at Wind Manga who specialized in the harem manga category. Under his tutelage, Su Lis achievement in harem manga-s had increased by leaps and bounds. However the improvement was not in terms of character design or storyline arrangement, but providing fan service instead. This was because Wei Suo generally did not give out any sort of recommendations on the plot. His only expectation for Su Li was that she must assure herself to credit fan services in every single issue of the manga series. In this way, the mangas popularity would never go into much decline. Su Li only gave out a slight smile upon hearing Wei Suos praise. After all, she was an expert in the area of Doujinshi manga-s so she tended to have exceptional imagination when it came to abusing the female characters. Wei Suo continued, With the kind of character designing prowess you exhibited on the character of Xu Jing, perhaps you no longer need to draw this sort of typical harem manga-s for your next project. You can try drawing some fresh and beautiful romance manga-s, action manga-s or anything like that. Maybe those are easier to be turned into anime-s. At that time, youll be working alongside other outstanding editors. Listening up to this point, Su Li interrupted, Editor Wei, thank you for your help all these while. Wei Suo waved his hands and left Su Lis studio while carrying her submission pack. Su Li almost jumped out of joy after hearing the words he said before leaving. It turned out that this manga of hers was already known by several anime production companies and remarked her recent storyline regarding Xu Jing was rather interesting. They intended to adapt Pure Romance into an anime. They even planned to further increase Xu Jings appearances in storyline as this character was the topmost favorite of the readers now. This weekend, the latest issue of Wind Manga would finally be published. Translation note: [1] FFF Inquisition is a group in Fumizuki Academy featured in light novel series Baka to Test to Shoukanjuu. The defining characteristic of the group is that they are very much similar to the KKK but instead of basing their actions on racial motivations, they seek to punish those with attention from girls. Their motive could be to make things fair as they find it wrong for others to enjoy female attention while they themselves are cursed with having no one. Chapter 26 Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation Apart from the month-ends and festive holidays, everyone in Zhao Youyues school most looked forward to the afternoon half-day off in weekends. They could head out to enjoy sumptuous meals that were different from their canteen food, and could purchase junk foods that were unavailable in the school convenience store. Also, they were able to go online and form teams to play League of Legends. Some couples would even go on dates (the forever aloners were exempt). Too bad the holiday lasted for just a short time, and they were expected to return to respective classrooms at half past three in the afternoon and continue their self-revision till dinner time. After that, it would be time for night-revisions Basically, the entire weekend was just a long period of self-revision as the teachers would dole out plenty of homework. In this sort of senior high which practised strict learning culture, most of the students would not go easy on their studies. As a result, the school had boosted a college admission rate of 95% and an undergraduate enrolment rate of 99%. Many of the school alumnis would become successful individuals, and this has proven to be a valuable head-start connection for the students. At the same time, there would also be well-endowed ladies like Zhao Youyue studying here. Perhaps some blokes who knew their way around ladies might be able to catch up with these fair, rich and beautiful ladies, would they? Or maybe there could be a real-life version of Cinderella searching for her Prince Charming There were quite a variety of 2G-s [1] in this school. Just that such 2G-s who were so arrogant and rowdy, as if they were afraid that no one could recognize them, could still rarely be seen. If they were too outrageous and broke the school rules, they would be penalized without any favor or leniency. The school, as a matter of course, should be an institution where students gain knowledge instead of messing around. The four lessons in the morning were unbearable for many students as they would have to hold back their anticipation of dashing out the school compound. Naturally, Zhao Youyue was the outlier. Though teachers were present for all four lessons, all of them except Mr. Qiu would usually sit behind their podium and be engrossed with their laptops. Some of them could even put on headphones and watch movies. Who cares about the students in front of the podium! As long as they remained quiet. Even the young and handsome Mathematics teacher, Gu Yaoyan failed to hold back and ended up playing League of Legends. In contrast to Mr. Qiu, Gu Yaoyan hated the fact that he was still required to sit in during weekends. Since the school had fixed the arrangement this way, he might as well play some games whilst sitting in for the class. After all, he was popular among students and nobody would actually report him to the school authority. Had he not finished the game in the end of lesson, some of the daring boys would flock up front to watch the game. Gu Yaoyan was more than willing to show off his skills as a Diamond I category player. He would say something cheeky like C Everybody pay attention, Teacher Gu is gonna pull a Pentakill this time! Those noobs on the other side are just like giveaway questions. Look closely my students, here comes another giveaway question! Naturally he would receive loud cheers if he succeeded in his showoff attempt. That was absolutely a fantastic sensation. But if he got killed right after uttering his famous last words, he would close his laptop without batting an eye or looking back, and head straight back to the teachers office. Indeed, death is like the wind C always by my side[2]. The Truth was, Gu Yaoyan was worried that he might be caught on spot for playing computer games by the next teacher in charge. If that happened, it would be embarrassing. Of course, Zhao Youyue started playing her phone happily during the self-revision classes. If the teachers could play with their computers behind the podium, why cant I play with my phone? Furthermore, how could she complete her homework without the phone? Zhao Youyue in reality was not a patient and diligent studybug like Xu Jing. Sometimes she would choose to complete the questions on her own when she found her conscience or when she needed some mental self-consolation. More often than not, she would fail to hold back the urge to take shortcuts. Looking at a question, she thought to herself, Tsk, this is troublesome. It hurts my brain to figure it out. Hmm, lets just look up for the solution online The class that Zhao Youyue found most unbearable was Mr. Qius self-revision class. He had never brought along his laptop but only his teaching materials and lecture preparation notes. While the students were studying, he would do likewise on the podium. Not to mention, he would often patrol the classroom as if he was an invigilator. It was true that Zhao Youyue feared the class teacher, Qiu Yingchun quite a lot. As a matter of fact, he did not look fierce at all, instead he looked just like a simple and kind man. Still, Zhao Youyue felt that Mr. Qiu was like the dog that never barks C when it bites, it is usually a lethal one. To be honest, people like Zhao Youyue who was getting by her studies could really use some disciplining by Mr. Qiu. At least, she would be able to restrain her habitual tendencies and complete her homework based on her actual proficiency level during Mr. Qius self-revision class. Though her current proficiency level was not yet on par with the elite students, but she could already handle her usual homework with ease. Of course, she would still face some troubles solving the more difficult questions towards the end. As for the rest of the questions, as long as she put serious thoughts into it, or maybe spend a longer time, she would surely be able to complete them. At last, the clock hit eleven thirty in the morning. The bell rang. Some of the students who have already packed up their bags earlier on sprinted out of their classroom like wild stallions. It was obvious how precious this temporary prison release was to them. Zhao Youyue, on the other hand, was just leisurely packing up her stuffs. She was in no rush as she did not plan on coming to school anymore for the afternoon and night self-revision. As the reigning slacker among the commuting students, she was able to enjoy half a day and a nights rest. She had also decided to catch an afternoon movie after lunch, followed by another hearty meal. After that she would buy herself a copy of Wind Manga to enjoy back home. Zhao Youyue was also in no rush to read her manga, but the same could not be said of others like Jiang Chao, the deskmate of Wang Yang who sat in front of her. He was rather obsessed with Pure Romance lately. He could even skip going to the canteen for meals after class and run straight to the bookstore opposite the school. Without hesitation, he would buy the latest issue of Wind Manga, then ran back to his dormitory. He only remembered that he was yet to have lunch upon reaching the entrance of the dormitory but he did not bother to head back to the canteen. Instead, he went to the convenience store and bought himself a cup of Master Kong Beef Tenderloin Noodle and also his favorite Shineway Corn Sausage Snack as lunch. Compared to canteen food, he felt that these are much more delicious. Jiang Chao merrily read through the newly-acquired Wind Manga while eating his noodles. At this very moment, his life was in complete bliss. It was like he had endured the entire week of tormenting study just to enjoy this blissful weekend afternoon. Oh yeah, he could finally indulge himself in the world of manga without a care in this world Initially, he only used his phone to read the manga online, not to mention he was reading the pirated version. It was not because he looked down on the original manga, he just thought it was unworthy as Pure Romance was a regular harem manga after all. However, the storyline of Pure Romance got really interesting lately as if it was breaking away from the chains of the harem manga genre. All the previous contents had even been used to pave a way for a single character. This character was none other than Jiang Chaos newfound goddess C Xu Jing! In order to follow closely upon the development of the newly crowned Tri-No Goddess, he would always purchase the magazine to read the latest stories. By doing this, he was also supporting the original manga at the same time, wasnt he? Translation note: [1] C 2G. Literally means second generation. A somewhat derogatory term used to address the offspring of someone prominent/rich. For example, (Fu Er Dai) = Rich 2G or rich second generation, used to refer to the daughter/son of a rich man/woman/family. [2] Death is like the wind C always by my side is a famous quote of the character Yasuo, from League of Legends. Chapter 27 Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation Jiang Chao noticed that Xu Jing had even appeared on the cover page of Wind Manga. She had an expressionless face and was wearing a plain uniform with a ponytail just like any other girl in reality. Who would have thought that a side character from the start would now capture his soul? This chapter of Pure Romance did not let Jiang Chao down. This was because he noticed that the mangaka had reduced the main characters scenes as well as plain jane-s, and carried on with the story through Xu Jings first person view instead. It seemed like the mangaka had noticed that the most interesting and eye-catching character in this manga was none other than Xu Jing. Very soon, Jiang Chao saw Xu Jings house which appeared in the manga for the first time. He dropped his jaw, and stopped munching on his plate of noodles. He had never thought that Xu Jings family would be that poor! At the same time, he also discovered that the mangaka named Su Li seemed to have great improvement in her drawing skills. After all, she managed to draw such a catchy background. With a single glance, the readers would understand that Xu Jings family was in a bad shape. It was like the mangaka had seen this miserable family with her own eyes in the manga world Jiang Chao knew the reason Xu Jing was so obsessed with studying at once. It seemed to be arise from her strong will to change her own fate. Her dream was to become a doctor to treat her fathers sickness. What was the sickness? The mangaka had never mentioned that, it was merely known to be a continuous chronic disease, the type that urges for continual expenses for recuperation. Seeing how Xu Jing took care of her father in a swift and neat manner without showing any detest on her face, at that moment, he felt as if his heart was melted by goddess Xu Jing. After all, filial piety is a Chinese traditional virtue from ancient times. It was said that a person with a loving heart will surely leave a favorable impression towards the others. On the contrary, for someone who is unfilial to their parents, would anyone want to be friends with them? Most importantly, Jiang Chao genuinely thought that the drawing skills and techniques of the mangaka were splendid. In fact, what Su Li had drawn were merely the moments Xu Jing took care of her bedridden father and her commendable act of feeding her father with medicine. But it was so exquisite that it had amplified the character Xu Jing, leaving affection to the readers and getting people to remember this scene deep in their hearts! Readings Pure Romance up to now, Jiang Chao had never felt a touch from his heart when the mangaka drew the interactions between the male protagonist and the plain-jane-s. Sometimes, these characters were so awkward that they were like some marionettes controlled by the mangaka, which forcefully acted to give the readers what they wanted. However, Xu Jing was drawn to life by the mangaka and seemed to have gotten her own soul. Her every acts and moves were out of her own will, while the mangaka was simply just a recorder. She did not force this character to perform any awkward acts. Thus the story was a smooth read for the readers. Yeah, it feels good this way. Jiang Chao finally finished his plate of noodles and sausage. He held the magazine and climbed up the upper deck of his bunk bed. Then he laid down comfortably. At this moment, he felt that was the happiest thing in his life, for being able to read a manga that could reach the bottom of his heart, yet on a carefree weekend afternoon. The following plots caused him to adore Xu Jing further. Due to poverty from youth, she was excellent at houseworks and had helped her mom in countless things. She also knew how to cook, albeit some simple dishes. For someone as poor as her, forget about the exotic food, having adequate foods and clothes was good enough. What impressed Jiang Chao the most was that Xu Jing did not abandon her studies even at moments she had to cook for her family. With Su Lis outbursting drawing skills, this scene had channelled positive energy to the readers, drawing more impressions and affections towards Xu Jing. Anyway, Jiang Chaos brain was overloaded with the beautiful images of Xu Jing for now. He could not help reckoning that the girls in reality were crap in comparison to Xu Jing. They were all three dimensional garbage! No, wait. Jiang Chao suddenly remembered Zhao Youyue who sat behind his desk-mate. To him, this girl was not bad at all, though she might not be a beauty at ones first glance. Come to think of it, she was actually pretty cute, and had a pleasant voice as well. Most importantly, she had shown no bias against Two Dimensional World and were willing to listen to his various sermon and preach. Hmm.. indeed worthy to be taught. Unlike Zhou Fang who was behind him, she knew nothing more than studying everyday. That was simply boring and ignorant. Anyway, Zhao Youyue was not his type even though she was cute. Because he thought that Zhao Youyue did not possess any protagonist halo. She did not have those iconic Moe characteristics from anime, for example Tri-no, Tsundere nor Tennen-boke[1]. He thought that if Zhao Youyue would become a side character without specialty nor a sense of presence if she was to be placed into an anime. After all, the character he was really into now was Xu Jing who had the Moe characteristics of Tri-no, hardworking, and elite scholar. Then, when he saw Xu Jing smiled for the first time in the manga, he was so excited that he nearly jumped off the upper bunk. Anyone who saw that would be puzzled. Wasnt that just a manga character, why would somebody hold such a reaction? Maybe this was the love of Jiang Chao towards the Two Dimensional World.. Yet when Jiang Chao read the scene of Xu Jing being publicly punished near the ending of this chapter, it made him burst into anger. How he wished he could rush into the manga and put that son-of-the-b*tch local government officer to death! Needless to say, the scenes of abusing Xu Jing were more influential than ever. Readers whose souls had entered the manga would not discern the illogical parts of the plots. In reality, where on earth would a nasty local government officer carry such a big club that could so easily tore clothes into shreds? While reading this, Jiang Chao would care less about what was illogical behind it. Instead, he felt prickled in his heart. Why must his goddess Xu Jing suffered such a cruel fate? She had worked so hard, just to bump into such misfortune? On the contrary, the main character and the plain jane-s were all surrounded by laughters. He took more pity for Xu Jing now Therefore, he spent 10 minutes enjoying the fanservice of Xu Jing where she got hit till her clothes were torn apart. Though there were not any body-revealing scenes, it was however more eye-catching than nudity. After that, he went into the toilet. Tsk, although Im not sure whether he is a guy or girl, but good old Su Li really got me through the erotic scenes. Jiang Chao muttered, Argh, after finishing this I will need to wait for another week to see the latest chapter. This is killing me, I want to read the upcoming story Although it would probably go the same old way where the main character saved the beauty with his invisible strategy, but I still want to see it so badly! The contents in this chapter also ignited the upsurge of the supporters for this character online! Translation note: [1] ȻC Tennen-boke. A Japanese word Ȼܥ. A tennen-boke person is pure and innocent and cant understand situations; does/says funny/silly things unintentionally. Chapter 28 Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation Around nine at night, Zhao Youyue closed the Wind Manga which she was holding. She must admit, that it felt really weird for seeing the character Xu Jing into whom she shifted across the Dimensional Gate, along with the things she had undergone to appear in the real-world manga. There was this feeling of hers being particularly in rage and desired to cause chaos due to the abuse from the mangaka in the manga world. But now, after reading the manga itself in the real world, surprisingly she had this feeling to crow over the things that one is not involved. After all, she was now Zhao Youyue and not Xu Jing. No matter what Xu Jing had suffered in the manga world, she would be untouched in the real world. That was why Zhao Youyue did not felt shaken upon seeing the fan service of Xu jing in the manga. This was her body anyway. Objectively speaking, this mangaka named Su Li had portrayed Xu Jing perfectly well. It felt like when Su Li was drawing Xu Jing, she was in a total state of outbursting innovation and drawing skills. Zhao Youyue had a hunch that this was related to her shifting into Xu Jing. She gave Xu Jing an actual soul, and the characters words and deeds were rather sensible too. This had given a third dimension to Xu Jing. It was not merely the life-like level, but she had actually obtained a soul. Compared to the other lifeless stereotype, the difference was pretty obvious. That was why many readers thought that all the stories and characters in Pure Romance were just to serve as a foil to Xu Jing, causing her to stand out of the crowd. From a different perspective, this explained the creativity level of Su Li, specifically her characterisation was too normal. If Zhao Youyue was entering a world of a title created by a high level author, or a world of a group work where every character is vivid, naturally she would not stand out of the crowd and outshine the others. To Zhao Youyue, this kind of situation had its pros and cons. Naturally, the pros were that Xu Jing could easily stand out and leave a deep impression towards countless readers. As for the cons, Pure Romance would not break through the bottleneck and would still be known as an ordinary artwork which would not last long. After all, a title could not be supported solely by a character. In this situation, if Zhao Youyue did not do anything, Xu Jing might be a hit for a short period but would slowly be forgotten. Never would she become an iconic character. Hence, she would not allow Su Li who was flat on all aspects other than erotic scenes to follow her original idea during production. After her long stay while observing the world of Pure Romance, she had already gotten a clear picture of her drawing routing of Su Li. Wasnt it obvious? The reason Xu Jing was abused so ruthlessly, following by the appearance of the hero and his sister in the critical moment, was only to let him played the plot of Hero saves Beauty again. Then he could reasonably add Xu Jing into his harem, couldnt he? Wait, how could Zhao Youyue allow Su Li to continue with a story like that? If Xu Jing could be turned into an iconic character after joining the harem, she would not mind doing so. It was not her body anyway. Under special circumstances, she could also separate the sensory organs directly, and could shift into Xu Jing again after the story. Once Xu Jing became an icon, she would be able to inherit the ability of Xu Jing and become the type that could turn on and off. This way, she would not need to worry about her studies anymore. She could switch on the ability everyday during the class and for another two more hours after she went home. Then it would be peculiar if she failed to be an elite scholar. Also, by switching on the Xu Jings ability during the exam would eliminate all careless mistakes. Losing marks due to carelessness shall not be belittled. If that was not taken seriously enough, then after every exam when the test papers were returned back, she could not help but to sigh. As to think of what would have happened and how much ranking would go up if the careless mistakes were not made. But the truth is, there are several people who can never cure their carelessness. Attentiveness is actually a talent. Just like diligence, especially one in a persevered way. Anyway, Xu Jing did possess all of these talents and abilities. Sadly, Zhao Youyue did not believe that joining the harem would make Xu Jing an icon. On the contrary, it would only destroy Xu Jing and make her one of the plain-jane-s. She would never possess her strong and independent attractiveness anymore and would only end up becoming an accessory of the male protagonist. Not to mention of becoming an icon. Most of the men loves needy girls who stick around them. But the ones they actually admire were those who stood on their own and possessed a strong personality. The perseverance, endeavor, independence, tenacity, cool, demure and attentiveness of Xu Jing impressed countless male readers. But if Xu Jing ended up becoming one of the harem of the male protagonist, would she still bring up these qualities? Su Li had never thought of this. She cared nothing more than the high popularity of Xu Jing at the moment. Besides, for a girl as popular as her to join the harem of the male protagonist was what every male readers would love to see. Only this would allow her work to gain popularity and finally be elevated to an anime successfully. What a foolish thought. After all, Su Li was just a fresh blood from the Doujin manga world. Actually, Zhao Youyue already went online and saw the great dispute among Pure Romance readers who read the latest chapter. They almost broke into two factions and fell into chaos. Weibo, bulletin board, forums and other social networks were their battlefields. This completely heated up Pure Romance, a harem manga which merely made a small fame. Of course, a lot of rubberneck chose to try out this manga, as they wanted to see what sorcery did this character Xu Jing wield to let so many readers fought over her. This dispute was about Xu Jing, that whether she should be added into the harem of the male protagonist. Around sixty percent of readers thought that such amazing character like Xu Jing must be added into the harem rather than to present her upon somebody else. In harem stories, giving away the girl is deadly! Although there were still forty percent of readers who thought that a loser like the male protagonist did not qualify to add Goddess Xu Jing into his harem. It was as if he sullied their goddess! How could someone allow her to become a mistress when she already had such a pitiful fate? With so many girls lining in front, what queue number would she get if she became a mistress? Was she such a cheapskate to start fighting with those pretty-faced girls? Couldnt she find a faithful man? Anyway if the male protagonist got Xu Jing into his harem, it would completely destroy such a character! They strongly requested the mangaka to draw a side story featuring Xu Jing as the main character. No matter the story was just about her indulging in her studies, the various studying posture of hers, her hard works at doing housework, helping her mother to cook or her routine of taking care of her severely sick father, it would never be boresome for them! They even thought of a name for the mangaka by calling it To-aru Super Learning Tyrant of Pure Romance[1]. Perhaps it would turn out to be more famous than the original. Translation note: [1] ijijŮѧԨC To-aru Super Learning Tyrant of Pure Romance (A certain Super Learning Tyrant of Pure Romance). Originated from a Japanese manga Ȥѧγ늴ųhorijѧijڡor To-aru Kagaku no Railgun. Chapter 29 Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation Meanwhile, Zhao Youyue sneaked into the QQ fangroup, this time, she did not tip a Sect Master. After joining the group, she posted a photo of her manga booklets receipt to prove herself as a genuine reader. This could prevent her from being expelled from the group. Pirated readers should hide themselves in a secretive way as they would never have the chance to interact with the author. However, with only the status of a normal genuine reader, it was as if she was invisible in the group. If she had joined the fan group with a Sect Master status, it would totally be a different story. There would be comments such as I want to hug the tycoons thigh or please let me become the tycoons pendant, although most of these will merely be jokes. Zhao Youyue was in luck, just when she joined the group, she found the mangaka Su Li trash talking with the others. Wait, it should be referred as collecting opinions from the readers in an extensive way She went through the QQ info of Su Li, and as expected the gender was male, aged 28. Then, she went through the Qzone of Su Li and took a glance at the log and found that most of them were written in a male style of speaking. Furthermore, his photo album was filled with Moe anime photos. Thus, all of these pointed Su Li to the direction as a male mangaka, the type that she thought of as a filthy Otaku mangaka. One thing that Zhao Youyue did not know was that Su Li was a very tricky person. The QQ account she was using was actually an abandoned account of her elder brother which she conveniently took over. The ID she used in signing contract for the magazines actually belonged to her brother too. Besides, her actual age was not even 28, and she was merely 23. After all, it had only been a few months since she graduated from varsity. Why would she do that? Of course, for such a harem manga, she felt easier to blend into the male readers by using the identity of a male mangaka. This also enabled them to raise their comments more daringly. After all, there would be erotic scenes in a harem manga and it needed to be a little naughty. Hence, nothing good would come if the male readers were to scruple the fact of her being a female mangaka and were too constrained to let out more constructive suggestions. Sometimes the QQ personal information or even Qzone information can be pretty deceiving. Well, at least Zhao Youyue took the bait and came up with a decision to make news out of it. She hated anyone who treated women as goods. The fans in the group were discussing about the contents of the latest chapter C Master Sus drawing techniques had improved a lot, Xu Jing was totally brought to life now! After this chapter, Xu Jing is gonna heat up! More readers will pay attention on her along with Pure Romance. As a loyal fan of Pure Romance, I am really proud of it! I think Master Su abused Xu Jing too heavily. After reading the last few pages, my heart felt really sore. How I wished to enter the world of manga and save her from that. Is it only me who doesnt want Xu Jing to be taken by the male protagonist? It somehow feels like he does not deserve the goddess Xu Jing at all You are not alone! I too admit that the male protagonist does not deserve Xu Jing, but I still cant imagine her falling into other guys hands. If so, I will surely give up this manga. Duh, when did this group started discussing the storyline so seriously? I was just looking for information, arent there any doujin manga on Xu Jing online? No, Scram.jpg There was a group member who even sent all the Debating War Post links into the group, allowing everyone to have a look. At the same time, they could show their stand, whether to support the adding of Xu Jing into the male protagonists harem or not. As a conclusion, for now no matter on the net or in the QQ group, everyone was discussing on Pure Romance with high enthusiasm. This caused Su Li who was originally reading the posts in secret to be pleased. Finally, she appeared into the group and had quite a bit of chat with the fans and successfully walked away with a bunch of tips. Noticing the appearance of Su Li, Zhao Youyue took the courage to question Su Li directly on the following plot development. However, Su Li totally ignored her, who was just a cute newbie. Perhaps, after the appearance of Su Li in the group, more high valued fans appeared followingly. Without doubt, she focused entirely on the readers who tipped her more. If Zhao Youyue was a Sect Master, Su Li would have paid very close attention to the questions she asked. The manga Su Li produced was always going for the results and money. She would listen to anyones advice if they tipped her more. If there were any million-point Sect-masters who needed a side character, she would gladly add it to her work, and would even upgrade it to become a supporting character automatically. However, Zhao Youyue was not even a Sect Master, so Su Li ignored her naturally. This made Zhao Youyue more sickening. It was not that she did not have enough money but she did not like this type of manga from the beginning. Furthermore, she did not mess up Pure Romance as what she did in King of Superpower, so she did not owe Su Li anything. Instead, she thought that it was thanks to her shifting onto Xu Jing which brought up the heat on Pure Romance, but unexpectedly the mangaka Su Li ignored her. At that moment, Zhao Youyue saw an eye-catching comment of Su Li in the group saying C I dont think there is any point for everyone to debate on whether Xu Jing should be added into the harem of the male protagonist. Please continue to read at ease. I will not disappoint everyone. Since I created this character Xu Jing whom everyone loved, I will respect this character and will not twist her wills! When Su Li posted this comment in the group, Zhao Youyue somehow felt a message was sent from the Dimensional Gate C From now onwards, her every act and every move in the world of Pure Romance shall not be removed by the mangaka. Clearly, if the mangaka received such huge benefits from Zhao Youyue shifting onto Xu Jing, she would also need to pay the price. This is as if Zhao Youyue had to pay a price when she caused a collapse in a work, it was all very fair. Immediately Zhao Youyue smiled as her final hesitation wore off. Her next step would be taking over the plot development of Pure Romance. As for Su Li, she would purely be a recorder but no more of a creator. The fans in the group had certainly praised the comments of Su Li. They too hoped that Xu Jing could follow her will, if only she really had her own will, then A Sect Master fan 2701630399 questioned Su Li on the following, Su Li, what will the ending of this manga be like? It wouldnt be a tragedy, will it? After Su Li saw this question, she smiled confidently and replied determinedly, Dear Sect Master, dont you worry, do I look like the type of mangaka who will fiddle with the readers and give them crappy stories? If I do that, I will eat crap myself! For the developing plot, I will keep you guessing, but for the ending of this title, I can guarantee all of you now that it will definitely be a happy ending. After all, nothing is as promising as an old veteran writer like me! Chapter 30 Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation Zhao Youyue quietly screenshotted the replies from Su Li when she saw the decisive reply of Su Li who self-described herself as an old veteran towards the Sect Master. Furthermore, it was being done in front of approximately 1,600 fans and promised everyone that Pure Romance would have a great and prosper happy ending. Actually, not only did Su Li make a promise in the group, she had also posted that on her Weibo with more than 500,000 followers. She claimed herself as a mangaka who would always put the readers before her because they were the ones supporting her livelihood. Her work would only bring joy to the readers ever but not some messed up stuffs. This was probably because a lot of readers saw her merciless abusement on Xu Jing and were afraid that she would extend even further to the point of killing Xu Jing. Su Li certainly would not allow the readers she cared so much to have such worries, and therefore she used an extraordinarily speaking manner to express C I am not the Okamoto Lynn who was a female torture devil, nor am I Urobuchi Gen who loves to mistreat the popular characters, creating an ending where everyone is dead. Pure Romance is still my maiden work and it is a relaxing, joyful, warm and comforting type of manga. After a slight abuse on Xu Jing, I can think of a phrase from a poem, The rainbow only comes after the rain''[1]. I too like this character Xu Jing, or should say that I favor her quite a little, and this is why she will have a happy ending. Similarly, the ending of this manga will be a great one as well. Everyone will get their felicity. Tragedy? This doesnt exists! Please dont worry about this! After Su Li posted her Weibo post, certainly more and more Pure Romance readers liked the post and shared it everywhere. After all, most of the readers in this world were not masochists who loved those depressed series. Although the ending of comedies often does not show enough potent, and unable to leave strong impressions, but still most of the readers would certainly be glad to see this. Furthermore, Su Li did not have much awareness to create an icon, she only wanted to produce a manga with high popularity, the ones that were able to bring her unmeasurable income. But actually, besides the top selling hot blooded kingcraft manga, for example Dragon Ball by Toriyama Akira, otherwise what kind of harem manga will be remembered by everyone? Indeed, such routine manga like Pure Romance was completely smacked down by the hot blooded kingcraft manga from the aspects of the theme. Fans who followed Su Li on Weibo started to increase rapidly, they commented C I support you Su Li! Now I could fall for your manga without worries. Wish you get better and better at drawing this! Su Li really has a great conscience. Its so different from those son of a b*tches who legitimately take the readers by surprise! For Master Sus promise, I decided to tip a Sect Master! Sorry, I used to be a pirated reader. But now, due to the honesty and integrity of Master Su, I decided to go for the genuine. Firstly I will subscribe all Pure Romance online, and then purchase a whole set of manga booklet for collection! Of course, I will also purchase the figurines of Xu Jing! Seeing the rapid increase of the cohesion between the fans due to her promises, she showed a more dazzling smile on her face. Actually she did not understand why in the world would there be authors who could not even control their own plot and ended the story in tragedy. Urobuchi Gen, which she mentioned earlier who was also known by the name Uro the old warrior of love, was said to suffer from illness incapable of creating a Happy Ending. His representative works were Kikokugai: The Cyber Slayer, Song of Saya, Puella Magi Madoka Magica. Although in this world, Fate/Zero was still not created, but his heart healing style had already been engraved deeply in the mind of readers. Somehow he likes to add ketchup and jelly plot into a seemingly beautiful love story (for details please refer to Song of Saya, where eating human flesh is as easy as eating jelly.) Most importantly, some commented that this illness would be suffered by any author if they faced the story cordially. Some overcame it and produced something with hope, while some confronted it and produced a story of their ideal. Both of this would lead to a different path, but there is no right or wrong no matter which side is chosen, as it only leads to a different result. Actually, Su Li kind of despised that. Although she showed respect to the renowned scriptwriter from Japan, but she felt this illness was purely a delusion and there was no need to exaggerate. Anyway she would never give the readers a crappy storyline. As she mentioned before, she would rather eat crap if she actually did that! Just as Su Li was determined with her creation ideas, Zhao Youyue quietly screenshotted all of her firm commitments on Weibo and were looking forward to the ending of Pure Romance to come. In the world of Pure Romance, Xu Jing who was shifted on by Zhao Youyue finally woke up. She noticed herself lying on the hospital bed, and beside her was her best friend C Yang Xixi. Yang Xixi knew about the family background of Xu Jing from the beginning but she never looked down on her. Instead, she always helped Xu Jing. In the dull and lonely life of Xu Jing, the existence of Yang Xixi was as if she was her mother, adding a small touch of colour within her. Although Yang Xixi would always act overly dependent in front of her brother Yang Ming, and loved to snuggle up against him, but in front of Xu Jing, she was like a gentle elder sister. She would bring Xu Jing out for a meal whenever she had the opportunity, in hope to improve her diet. At the same time, Yang Xixi also treated Xu Jing as someone who was able to pour out her feelings. Thus, she had shared all the troubles of her love life to Xu Jing. Xu Jing was rather the right person to confide to. She was not a talker but would always listen to Yang Xixis confession with a straight face. Seeing Xu Jings expression, Yang Xixi often ended up laughing when she saw Xu Jing trying her best to comfort her with some clumsy sentences. Although she was unable to bring any useful advice to Yang Xixi, this still helped Yang Xixi to move along her doubts and worries. At the same time, Yang Xixi also relied on Xu Jing a lot in her studies. If there were any questions that she could not solve, she would turn to Xu Jing. The thing about Xu Jing was that when she explained about the test questions, she would speak in an enthusiastic way. As such, Yang Xixi would certainly understand her teachings. Both of them had already made a promise that they will attend the same senior high together and continue to be the best buddies. At that moment, Yang Xixi noticed that Xu Jing finally woke up. She held her best friend and wept with tears of joy. This showed how deep her feelings for Xu Jing was. Xu Jing felt the soft touch of Yang Xixis body and a pleasant smell from her. Suddenly, she felt an irresistible jealousy and anger. Why did Yang Xixi loved her faithless brother this much? Couldnt it be her? She will actually do anything for Yang Xixi Quickly, Xu Jing dismissed her strange notion. Until one day, her mother left the world for good. Translation note: [1] ,ܼʺC The rainbow only comes after the rain. A portion of a poem, bringing the meaning of a beautiful thing only comes after great challenge. Chapter 31 Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation Xu Jings mother had sustained internal injuries after being beaten up by the local government officer. This so-called internal injury was very much dire. If proper treatment is given in a timely manner, Xu Jings mother would not need to face the music. However, her mother did not want to burden her again due to this injury, and decided to hide the truth. Eventually, the internal injury deteriorated and took her mothers last breath. Indeed, Su Li did not know anything at all, not realizing the extent of the internal injury. The last thing that crossed her mind was death. It was obvious that she wanted Xu Jings mother to die at all costs. Moreover, this move was to set Xu Jing free in order to get involved in a couple relationship. The mangaka personally felt that Xu Jing deserved no mercy. After the death of Xu Jings mother, her father was diagnosed with a chronic disease. He had a sudden relapse which cost his life, leaving her in great debt. Xu Jing suddenly experienced a huge transition in her life and became an orphan. Consequently, she had to work after coming back from school to clear off the debts. If all goes to Su Lis grand plan, Xu Jing would be forced by the moneylender to prostitute herself, where Yang Ming, the male protagonist would appear and save her from misery. From then onwards, Xu Jing would fall in love with him and put herself at risk in numerous situations to compete for Yang Ming, even going so far as to defeat her best friend, Yang Xixi. This kind of story which involved fights between two best friends to win over a guys heart would pretty much disgust numerous female readers, as it always occurred in real life. As the saying goes, to prevent fire, theft and also best friend, but the male readers would usually find this interesting to read. They wanted all the nice girls to fall deeply in love with the main character. Because they had imagined themselves as the male protagonist. The reader population of this book was mostly male readers. Undeniably, the mangaka attempted to portray the strong rapport between Xu Jing and Yang Xixi. When it was the time that Xu Jing had to end the rapport to show her true love for the male protagonist, the male readers would definitely be thrilled over this scene. The fight scene between two girls over one guy is well worth to watch, isnt it? As for the final ending, it was pretty obvious that all the girls would be deeply in love with the male protagonist and agreed to meet each other halfway. All of them agreed with the male protagonist that no matter how many girlfriends he had, it would not be that horrible as long as they remained in his heart. In the end, the male protagonist had a happy life living with his girls. Naturally this was the ideal ending of the story that the readers wanted. Besides, many of the Harem novels and manga were mainly like that, just because love could always be granted forgiveness. However, due to high prevalence of such mainstream ending, the novel Pure Romance might be forgotten as time ticked away. Any different Harem stories produced by other mangakas could easily replace the novel. Once Xu Jing became one of the plain jane-s, she would lose her unique charisma, or hatred would even fall upon her. This was mostly due to the demeaning action of hers which seemed mistress-like. Anyway, the dispute actions between her and her best friend for the sake of a guy was definitely not suitable for Xu Jings character setting. If she had done this, it would ruin everything about herself and it seemed impossible to become the epic character in the novel. Hence, Zhao Youyue acted decisively by taking over the latter storyline. The death of Xu Jings parents had given her a chance to change. The moneylender she met was not really devilish as you could think of, instead the moneylender was a good friend of her parents. When the moneylender knew about the predicament faced by Xu Jing, the feeling of sympathy lured in, telling Xu Jing to return the money slowly without pushing hard on her. This setting seemed a lot like something which flashed through the minds of readers. It was believed that when the readers came across this scene, they would feel a relax sensation for Xu Jing since she was not tortured anymore. Moreover, Xu Jing would be clearing off the debts by continuing on her study and work life. This image was certainly more impressive than her becoming the Harem of the male protagonist and one of the plain jane-s. The person who recommended her a job would be none other than her best friend, Yang Xixi. She would go to Yang Xixis house every weekend, helping Yang Xixi to clean her house without asking for any rewards. Most of the readers would think that in the process, Xu Jing might fell in love with the male protagonist Yang Ming, but they were absolutely wrong this time! Yang Ming was pretty shy than what you could have imagined. He would tackle the female characters unconsciously, as he was a man who was passive and not responsive in terms of couple relationships. What did he have up his sleeves as a male protagonist to tackle Xu Jing? Xu Jing was a tough and determined person who did not need any form of sympathy and empathy from any other person. She would walk out from the strong waves with her both hands. After her parents left her alone, as a single lady deep inside her heart, she would only recognize Yang Xixi as her best friend. Xu Jing could really do anything for Yang Xixi to be happy! But she had never agreed that it could bring happiness to Yang Xixi by loving her own brother was something, instead it would only cause Yang Xixi to be in dismay. The truth was that Xu Jing had turned into a darkened self right after her parents passed away. This resulted in her huge possessiveness towards Yang Xixi, up till the level where she could not live without her for a single second. Xu Jing placed all of her faith and love into Yang Xixi and was deeply in love with her. This was certainly a distorted kind of love. If it was not due to the obstacles that hurled her life, she would not become the person she was now. Thus, when Yang Xixi talked to her about love issues, she twisted her lips, lowered her head, and soon her eyes lost focus Why would Yang Xixi always talk about Yang Ming? Was he any good? Such useless brother who could not even understand his own sisters thoughts could have just died for good sake! But I could not lay a finger on him, if Yang Xixi found out about this, she would hate me the most Indeed, there was no need for me to act. Werent there so many idiotic girls surrounding him? Those girls should die as well! If it was not because of them, how would Xixi be so troubled? It was all because of Yang Mings fault, and the bunch of girls. As long as they did not live, Xixi would be happy and as long as I stayed, I shall make Xixi a happy person! With an elite scholar being darkened, that would usually give rise to a powerful destruction! The disturbance of Xu Jing, or rather Zhao Youyue, shall now begin! Xu Jing first took the initiative to befriend Yang Mings childhood friend, Li Xiaotong through the help of Yang Xixi. Li Xiaotong was a cunning and thoughtful girl. Although she appeared to be energetic with her bright smile, she liked to support the male protagonist, making him become her own property, and would not let anyone snatch him away. Then, Xu Jing met Li Xiaotong secretly. On her first line, Li Xiao Tongs smile diminished in a glimpse of time. She told XiaoTong, I thought you should have perceived that the love of Yang Xixi to her own brother was more than just siblings. Li Xiaotong snorted and said, So what if it was true? As always, Ah Ming will only see her as his sister. They are not even from the same bloodlines. Is there something bothers you? You are merely a loyal follower of Yang Xixi. Did she send you here to provoke me? As expressionless as ever, Xu Jing only uttered, I came to help you. Chapter 32 Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation The darkened Xu Jing had a strong charisma. With her expressionless face and a reserved look, it somehow projected a feeling whereby everything was fully under her control. Too bad she did not put on a pair of glasses, or else whenever she had finished discussing some important stuff, she could adjust her glasses and muttered words such as Wisdoms of the mortals[1]. Then, her glasses would shine coldly, and that kind of super sage aura would now appear more vividly around her. Of course, in front of Yang Xixi, Xu Jing would be in a different state. Despite having the same expressionless face, in some of the tiny subtle points, it could be seen that she really cared about Yang Xixi. She did not speak out much, however action-wise, she was just like the most loyal and reliable maid who took care of Yang Xixi meticulously. Xu Jing wanted Yang Xixi to not leave her forever, she even wanted to replace the position of Yang Ming, the male protagonist in Yang Xixis heart. At this time, Li Xiaotong was stunned by Xu Jings charisma, and asked her in an unconscious manner, Helping me out? What did you want to help me? Without fluctuating, Xu Jing said, Of course I wanted to help you to gain Yang Ming, so that he would not be snatched by other girls. Didnt you want to own Yang Ming all by yourself? No matter liking him or not, you already took him up as your own property, am I right? Li Xiaotong replied while holding her breath, Youre right, Ah Ming and I were childhood friends who played alongside each other and tried to be nice to me. He did what I asked him to do. I could not withstand any other girls taking him away, even if it was his sister Yang Xixi. Anyway, what I wanted to know is that, as a follower of Yang Xixi, why would you want to help me? I dont really trust you in this. You dont have to trust me. Based on your intelligence, you should have seen that Yang Ming was such a passive person. For a guy to form a strong bond with a girl, having sex with him is the best way you could have. Wasnt that your dream to become his first woman? You, you, you, you how could you utter such words? Arent you ashamed of yourself? I only tried to analyze this for you rationally. Besides, if you do not want to push him from your side, what do you have in hand to possess him? Ermm I wouldnt believe if you were unaware of the fact that deep inside Yang Mings heart, there is this pampered girl named Liu Sha. If the situation was not taken care of, he might have chosen her at last. What nonsense are you talking about! I was Ah Mings childhood friend since then, how could Liu Sha that whore be on the same par as the relationship between Ah Ming and me, both of our relationship lasted longer than ten years! Li Xiaotong truly did not recognize Liu Sha to be the biggest obstacle, instead, what she worried the most was still Yang Mings sister, Yang Xixi, as the bond between theirs in comparison to Yang Ming and hers was much stronger. You were as stupid as a sow. In this world, at least 90 percent of childhood friends would be defeated by those girls fated to get closer relationship with the male protagonist. As his childhood friend, youd always taken it for granted and seen it as a valuable asset. Who knows if this identity would actually lock you up in despair? If you are not fighting for it, someday you will be eliminated. Xu Jings wise words always sounded very convincing. At that moment, Li Xiaotong had felt the latent threats. She had always thought that she could keep this up by time. She could definitely have more initiatives than Yang Xixi and Liu Sha to win over Yang Mings heart. Having been brought back by Xu Jing to reality, she finally realized she did not possess the upper hand every single time. First you could choose to stay with Yang Ming alone in school and kiss him. He would definitely resist that. By then, you could say that you wanted to teach him how to make a good kiss, as every girl loves guys who are good kissers. If he did not want to let down his future girlfriend, then he should learn this, and you are willing to help him to gain experiences. Of course, he would still resist but eventually he would just let it be that way. Worry not about any disturbance from other people. Ill help you to get rid of any accidental factors. Once this step succeeds, it would mean that half of the work has been achieved. Guys brains are full of sexual worms, as long as he is addicted to your lips, he would ask for more and through this way, hell be fully addicted to you in no time. Obviously, the final battleground was definitely Yang Mings house. I will continue to stop Yang Xixi from intruding while you grab your chance to obtain what you have dreamed of. In short, it is still up to you whether to believe all these words. I am someone who marks my own words, and now it is time for you to work on your own self-realization. From the beginning of the conversation till now, Xu Jing never changed her tone or alternated her way of expressing, and once she finished her sentences, she left while continued studying. Right, even when she was settling her personal issues, Xu Jing still brought along her book to study. Li Xiaotongs eyes glittered, and she finally made her decision. However, in her darkened state now, Xu Jing could not calm herself down. She had listed out those whores who had a close relationship with Yang Ming, then contacted them one by one. By adapting different ways of elaborating, she told them to fight for Yang Ming or to stay in a secured place, as the only shortcut was to have a great sex with him. She even came out with a nice plan and helped Yang Ming to schedule his time. In her primary stage, she arranged girls to be introduced to Yang Ming, which truly showed off her powerful skills as a darkened elite scholar. The funniest among them was the pampered girl Liu Sha. Liu Sha wanted to know how exactly could she overcome her foxy actions towards Yang Ming whenever she was with him. Despite loving Yang Ming to the max, her mouth would not stop berating him. Sometimes she could even give a slap on his face. But Yang Ming just felt like it was something delightful. Apparently, he was suspected of favoring masochism deep down in his bone. Xu Jing told Liu Sha in a calm and rational way that to overcome those cunning actions of hers was very easy C sex. Sex was the masterclass of all potions. Having sex silently was the best way, and the more postures she used, the more sincere she would seem to be. Liu Sha, the pampered girl used her brain of 250 IQ level to think over that. It sounded reasonable to her, but she could not contemplate a way to imminently push herself towards that. Xu Jing actually told her that this was not a big problem. She would prepare a computer device for the both of them so that they would be fully seduced and later on, they would be having sex for real. I was Sister Xu in this caste with few words uttered but violent in actions. Everything was progressing in accordance with what Xu Jing had scripted. She felt that she should receive some gratitude from Yang Ming who was originally an impotent male protagonist. It was all because of her who cured his impotence. Sooner or later Yang Ming would become the most satisfied male protagonist in the world of Harem manga-s, in which he could release his entire frustrations from all impotent male protagonists in the Harem genre novels. However, his ending would be very dejected, and a new idiom would be created and passed down to the following generations in the world of single persons. You laughed at the early death of Brother Ming and Brother Ming would laugh in return to wish you lesser days ahead of life. Both Xu Jing or rather Zhao Youyue could help out the mangaka Su Li as Su Li always tried to suppress her full powers and draw only the scenes that brought false hopes to people in order to create tiny chances to some people. These scenes were never her real bullets. But from that onwards, Pure Romance will become a novel which was written in depths of sex scenes. Of course, with the existence of the holy light, there was no need to worry about whether there would be any scenes which would show private parts. In this way, it would be released to the market as a normal product. Translation Note: [1] Wisdom of the mortals C ˵ǻۡ is Chu Xuans tagline. Chu Xuan is a fictional character who has an IQ of 220, also known as Tri-no man in a Qidian novel named Endless Horror (޿ֲ). Chapter 33 Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation In the real world, even if Xu Jing was known as a super elite scholar who had an excellent mind and structured planning ability, accidental mistakes could happen from time to time. After all, uncertain possibilities were rather vague in real life. But in the manga world, there was never such a thing known as accidents, or you could say it in a way that even if accidents do happen, those were merely the creators arrangements. As for now, Zhao Youyue had taken control of the mangas flow and everything would proceed perfectly according to Xu Jings script, after all the mangaka had to inherit Xu Jings will. Besides, Su Li was not able to change the mangas direction anymore and these were indeed the consequences of using Xu Jing to make Pure Romance popular. The worst part was that Su Li had never thought of anything wrong for her to portray the story. Instead, she felt that she was in her top form in terms of drawing skills. In fact, she had a creative mind to create different stories that were totally unpredictable. Without doubt, readers would be in a dumbfounded situation while reading Pure Romance. Where was the herbivorous boy protagonist who was supposed to be a soft and polite guy? Where was the harmonious Harem? Where was the unity as per promised? Why did the herbivorous boy have sex with all the female heroines except his sister without taking any responsibilities? Why did the harmonious Harem turn into such a chaos up to the point where several delicate female heroines quietly left the male protagonist? All of these sufferings have inflicted the characters stakeholders to be in despair. Why did it turn into this kind of situation? How could you be so mundane at this? It shouldve been me Hmm Regarding the happy ending, he he he he he he he Indeed, Pure Romance had yet to enter its final ending. Meanwhile, Xu Jing was not an expectation of the readers by falling in love with the male protagonist, instead, she gave all her love to Yang Xixi. Surprisingly, it had brought out the cute nature in them which was totally out of the readers expectations. Still, readers did express their thoughts that this storyline was not bad at all, in which it had no clich elements, and could still retain Xu Jings independence. Her unconditional love and caring towards Yang Xixi successfully attracted tons of female readers to indulge themselves within the story. They even agreed that it would be wonderful to have such a bestie as they were more than willing to have a best friend in accordance to their goddess, Xu Jing. Many of the manga experts were amazed by Su Li who crowned herself with her very own manga. She created Xu Jing at the latter part of the manga in which this character was gratified with high popularity. As a matter of fact, Su Li was highly dependent on this female character which attracted tons of female readers and thus Pure Romance rapidly became the most favourite Harem manga among female readers. Master Su Li was truly on her right move! Anyway, Pure Romance was confirmed to be produced into an animation and as such, Su Li was being put into a demonized state, thinking that she would soon be greater than God. She had always maintained in this condition (which was actually dominated by the darkened Xu Jings) in order to create new works! The story continued, where the soft and passive Yang Ming was seduced by his childhood friend Li Xiaotong. Apart from kissing to caressing her whole body, Li Xiaotong also took the initiative to give Yang Ming a blowjob with her hand and mouth. The temptation and orgasm experienced by Yang Ming made him fired up and released his seal, allowing his brain to command the rest of his body. When other girls were beside him, he was no longer the herbivorous boy he used to be and would make a move towards the girls. As for those girls, they seemed pretty happy with Yang Ming and found him irresistible. They thought that Yang Ming finally opened up his mind and made his right choice. Who knew that the previous Yang Ming had treated every girl in the same way. He was the type of guy who was rather serious at all times and would not be easily triggered by sexual desire. But now, as long as the girls did not refuse his request, he would ask for more all because he found high gratification and the pleasure in it Doesnt he sound like a scum? In fact, he was just showing his true desire. In this process, as a mangaka herself, Su Li demonstrated her drawing skills on the book by utilizing and inserting all her skills into Pure Romance. As a result, Pure Romance would never show any of a womens private parts, in other words you would not come across any private parts being described in the novel. However, it could be pretty intriguing for the readers up to the point where guys penises would definitely erect while girls would feel so shy yet getting themselves addicted to the story. No other reasons stated but simply because it was well illustrated! However, you might not believe that the sex scenes between Yang Ming and the plain jane-s were not the best part yet. Of course, the best part still belonged to the character Xu Jing! On this day, Yang Ming finally brought his childhood friend Li Xiaotong home and realized that Yang Xixi, his sister was nowhere to be seen. She seemed to have gone out with her bestie Xu Jing and felt that lady luck was right by his side. Without wasting any time, he pushed Li Xiaotong down and started their war in the living room. How splendid could this be? On the opposite side, it was the worst day for Yang Xixi. Initially Xu Jing was craving for some snacks, hence she was so ecstatic to bring the Xu Jing in her to head out and buy some. They actually bought a lot. Through Yang Xixis perspective, her best friend Xu Jing finally learnt her lesson and started enjoying life instead of having a daily routine similar to the life of a reading robot. However, when both of them returned to Xixis house, upon opening the door, they witnessed a scene that could never be accepted. Yang Xixis beloved brother was pumping hard on a girl who had always took great care of Yang Xixi and meanwhile both of them were lying on the dining table performing indescribable acts. This savaged couple who were so engrossed in their sexual activity, happened to be in the midst of heaven up to the point that both of them were unaware of the opened door. If this shocking scene ever appeared in any anime version, the pop-up screen would naturally turn green in color. However, the awkward scene was still fresh. Yang Xixi who loved her brother so much suddenly lost the courage to step into her own house to reprimand the couple who were still in the process, instead she ran out in tears. Xu Jing immediately chased after her. She was pretty happy about it in her heart, as Yang Xixi should be entirely disappointed by Yang Ming right? But how could this be? Of course, she would choose to forgive him! But at night, Yang Xixi did not want to return home. Instead, both of them went to a motel because that was the only place they could afford a stay with their money and without doubt, the room provided had only a single bed. When the both of them had finish their bath, they wanted to get in bed together. Xu Jing who was usually expressionless and calm, had a blushed face and a surge of heart rate. How obvious and impactful she showed the difference in her! Yang Xixi rolled her body over, with her reddened eyes, gazing into the eyes of Xu Jing and asked her a question with an extremely low volume, Xu Jing, what kind of person do you like? Im kind of interested to know Tell me. Xu Jing only looked at the lips of Yang Xixi, where her brain started to flash countless scenes of her staying together with Yang Xixi. With a blushed face, she gently held on Yang Xixis cheek and kissed it. When Su Li was drawing such a beautiful content, the office was playing a Japanese song named NightCore Heikousen - ̫ϵi,ƽߤǽ뤦.[Together we escape from the Solar System, and will reunite on its parallel lines] ˽ȾӰΤ褦ӤƤ.[Just like the shadows of me and you extending under the sun] ,ƽ.[Ah ah, the parallel lines] Chapter 34 Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation Right before Xu Jing kissed Yang Xixi in the manga, an alluring close-up of Yang Xixis lips was depicted. Su Li was literally gasping while drawing this pair of seductive lips. She felt a prickle of excitement, as if her real self was within the manga world, witnessing this first intimate contact between Xu Jing and Yang Xixi in proximity. Of course, the dark and serene eyes of Xu Jing was granted a close-up as well. She was gazing at Yang Xixi affectionately. When Yang Xixi questioned about her type of guy, she did not speak of a word but kissed her immediately and their bodies were then huddled together. After a short kiss, Xu Jing pulled back her lips from Yang Xixis. She then turned over and lay right above Yang Xixis body. So soft and delicate. Her two hands were resting on Yang Xixis shoulders. This posture akin to a Kabe-don[1] was also helping to support her upper body. She continued to look into the eyes of the dumbfounded Yang Xixi At this moment, the entire room was bathed in dazzling moonlight and it was quite a breathtaking view. The rapid breathing of Xu Jing could be heard clearly in this peaceful night. The body-touching scenes depicted by Su Li had always been provocative, and had very much aroused the readers. In contrast, Yuris scene between Xu Jing and Yang Xixi was considered quite impeccable. It was a piece of art that elated all the readers and was indeed a visual splendour! Xu Jings face was rather blushed right now. She was no longer the Tri-no girl without words, heart, and expressions. Her world was so full of Yang Xixi and could not take in anyone else. It was still the manga scenes with the close-ups of Xu Jings dark and serene eyes. It seemed that the exquisite face of Yang Xixi had utterly captivated Xu Jings pair of eyes. Astonished, Yang Xixi asked in confusion, Xiao Xiao Jing? Youre nervous? Xu Jing responded. Yes. For sure I am. Because Im a girl? Covering her reddened face, Yang Xixi answered, Because Xiao Jing, is my friend Upon hearing such words, an ambivalent feeling flickered within her eyes. But it was instantly substituted by an adamance. Xu Jing pushed away Yang Xixis hand right before her face. Leaning down, once again she kissed her vigorously. This time when their lips were separated, she questioned, Though youre doing this with me, you still cant forget about your brother right? As the word brother rang in her ears, Yang Xixis eyes were brimming with tears. After all, the person she loved the most was still her brother! (This is the setting of Pure Romance. In the manga, Yang Xixi was the girl who loved Yang Ming the most. But the world of manga is different from reality, in which people could change themselves by giving up their loved ones, and continuing to look for their right ones. The characters in the world of manga have to adhere to settings) Looking at Yang Xixi who was about to cry, she grieved inside her heart, Xixi, she is crying, Ive made her cry. I cant bear the sight of Xixi being so sad The deadpan face of Xu Jing was permeated with sorrow. She said, Just tell me if you dont want it, okay? Its alright. What? Because I like Xiao Jing. Yang Xixi spoke softly. Xu Jing was back to her deadpan face again. Her eyes were becoming more and more sombre now. She knew that Yang Xixi merely liked her as a friend. Its just that she was still someone special inside Yang Xixis heart. Besides, Yang Xixi could not afford to lose her and thus she did not turn her down. If I cant win your heart, let me have the warmth of your body at least. Xu Jing thought to herself with a broken heart. Satisfy me, can you? Xu Jing whispered in Yang Xixis ears, and then bit her earlobe. While Xu Jing was doing such inexplicable things to her, Yang Xixi was still thinking about her brother. In any way, she failed to let go of her love towards him. Xixi, how do you want it? Say it yourself. No Dont Uhm Or lets drop it? Since youre not saying a thing. Dont Oh, it seems like you cannot resist this sensation. No, Im not! Its just the way Xiao Jing touches me I feel comfortable, and so Uhm. Its because I love Xixi. Im touching someone I love. So you will feel comfortable. Because this is love. Xu Jing stopped her baffling motions for a moment. Instead, she hugged Yang Xixi gently yet tightly, and buried her head into Xixis breasts, just as she was protecting the most precious treasure in her life. In a sense, the duo were quite alike. Even if her brother had become a scumbag, Yang Xixi would not stop loving him. She would continue to love him, believing that her brother was just temporarily mesmerized by this filthy girl and she would always be the most perfect sister of her brother! Similarly, Xu Jing would never let go of Yang Xixi. Though she might be treated by Yang Xixi as a substitute for her brother, and someday Yang Xixi would walk away from Xu Jing. The warmth and kindness given by a man are limited. Im aware of this theory, but still, Ive derived so much pleasure from Xiao Jings body. In the end, I would probably arrive at a frigid island. All alone. Yang Xixi imagined. In fact, the manga scenes in which her nude body intertwined with Xu Jings, had demonstrated a pinnacle of beauty. After all, they were both first-class beauties. In her illusion, she was holding an umbrella alone in a cold rain, while walking along an empty street. She seemed to hear someone whispering in her ears, Sigh, you can never be friends with Xiao Jing anymore. Its your fault, you knew that. Today, its your first time making use of someones affection for yourself. Theres no difference between you and the girl who snatched your brother, youre both b*tches. Congrats! Hahaha Why? Why would you like someone like me? Xiao Jing, I dont understand. Forgive me, I have no words Its alright, Xixi. I dont expect you to, and you dont have to understand. I can do everything for you. How could that be alright? But, I just cant stop myself. Im so clingy to your tenderness, and had treat it as a substitute for my brothers. Ah, sure enough, Im also a scumbag. You pity me? A grudging smile flickered within that sombre eyes of Xu Jing. Yang Xixi, Huh? Just kidding. I ask for nothing more. Once again, Xu Jing cuddled her. Whenever the mangaka Su Li was drawing the Yuri plots of Xu Jing and Yang Xixi, she would be overwhelmed with a miraculous feeling. Heat would be flowing throughout her body. She could not help thinking that, if there is such a girl like Xu Jing in reality, no matter what happens, she would go any lengths to protect her. Never would she become like Yang Xixi, who only took her as her temporary brother. Wait, if this continues, how am I supposed to portray a happy ending for Pure Romance?! Su Li relished watching her best-loved artworks in tremendous satisfaction. Meanwhile, she had gotten goosebumps Ah whatever, should the readers have a taste of my goosebumps too. Behold my zeal for arts! Up to this point, would she still care about the readers feelings? Her paintbrush was already outta control! No matter what, she was determined to carry on this drawing path, solely for her beloved Xu Jing. Translation Note: [1] Kabe-don is a buzzword in Japanese Shoujo manga. Kabe means wall; Don is the thud of someone hitting it. It is a flirtatious posture in which a guy slams his hand against the wall, pinning a girl against it. The Kabe-don moment is one of the most Moe moments for girl readers. The proximity between the girl and guy is so short that it can get her heart to go doki doki. The guy is usually doing it out of an intense emotion such as jealousy or anger, but sometimes it is merely flirtatious. Chapter 35 Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation Gamers will get intoxicated if they were too engrossed in gamings. Similarly, mangakas will lose themselves if they went too far in their artworks. In most cases, conditions like this would either give rise to some everlasting classics, or lead to some rotten opuses. Thus, editors play an important role to monitor the quality of works from aside. Anyway Su Lis editor, Wei Suo did not plan to interfere with her written plots. Instead, he was impressed with Su Lis touching scenes, and fully supported the plots. To think that a hero from Harem manga would turn from a herbivorous man to a bulldozer[1]. Incredible! That defied the perpetual convention of Harem manga! To him, the Yuri plots between Yang Xixi and Xu Jing were the biggest highlight of the entire novel. Not only they had enriched the erotic scenes, but they had achieved a whole new level of arts that could render the audience restlessly. Besides, the character of Xu Jing was much more colorful now. She had outwardly obtained Yang Xixi. But in fact, she was still a tragedy of love, how pathetic. In Yang Xixis heart, there was no one besides her brother. As for now, judging from the plot development, it might be difficult to conclude the story later. But Wei Suo paid no heed to this. In his eyes, with the darkening of Xu Jings character, and the moral degeneration of Yang Ming, not only the interest level of Pure Romance had skyrocketed, but the mangas popularity was exploding! From the readers feedback in a survey, Pure Romance had deservedly become the No.1 manga on Wind Manga. Meanwhile on Qidian manga website, the rankings of Pure Romance in all Top Clicks Chart, Recommendation Tickets Ranking, and Monthly Tickets Ranking were gradually rising too. The momentum was as good as that of Slay the Gods, Seek the Truth[2]. It had enticed more and more readers, and all of them were always waiting anxiously for the manga updates! A grand occasion like this had again blown the minds of numerous veterans in the manga industry! It could not be helped. By rights, a Harem manga like Pure Romance that depends solely on body-touching scenes, did not stand a chance to go onstage. Never had anyone thought that, owing to the character of Xu Jing, the later plot was becoming more and more amusing. Hmm, it seems that the manga had broken free from its own shackle and emerged as a godly artwork, hadnt it? There is actually a comparable example amongst the webnovels. It is none other than the Road to the Buddha written by Dream of God Tactics, a prominent Qidian platinum author. In any way, the beginning of its story sounds exactly like a second-class novel of spiritual-cultivation theme. Besides the main characters unfaltering way of killing people, the plots and the character moldings were unremarkable. Such a novel would most likely end up to be an ordinary piece of hollow literature[3]. As time goes by, it would be replaced by another hollow literature. Unbelievably, just as the hero in this book stepped into the divine realm, the story settings and plots turned godly at once. The popularity shot up as well. At last, the book had even achieved an ultimate state where once the Buddhas book is out, the rest in this world are no longer books. It had also founded the Antiquity fashion[4], prompting Dream of God Tactics to become a God of Novel with only a single book release! Perhaps there are other underlying reasons too. Dont forget, there is a regrettable character in Road to the Buddha. She is Dragon Lady Aoluan, who had been devoted to the hero Zhou Qing all the way. But in the end, she still perished before the eyes of Zhou Qing by stabbing herself with a sword. The final sentence in the novel Zhou Qing knew very well, that he could no longer see the heroic and valiant girl who wielded a sword in his memories. If he could, that would be five billion and six hundred million years later. Sigh, the ending of Dragon Lady Aoluan was heartbreaking! She was no doubt the female character that was most engraved within the readers mind in this popular Antiquity-fashion webnovel. Not to mention, no other characters had suffered such a misfortune like hers. When the book Road to the Buddha was mentioned, one could easily remember this sentimental female character. You can say that the superior fame of this book did not really come from the character moldings, instead, it was out of the magnificent story settings and plots. Akin to Road to the Buddha having all sorts of indispensable foreshadowings prior to the appearance of divine realm, the preceding chapters of Pure Romance were full of mundane Harem plots too. If not, how will the coming chapters strike those readers like a thunderbolt? At first, the main character of Pure Romance, Yang Ming had been undergoing a typical storyline like any other Harem heroes. But now, he suddenly conceded to his lust, regaining his mens nature to think with their penis. Sure enough, the readers had enjoyed those scenes to their hearts content. Looking back to the other Harem novels, they would feel their main characters were all hypocrites! So boring How could the grazing romance be comparable to shooting the real bullets[5], Ahh After the later plot of Pure Romance unfolded, a catastrophe had befallen the other bland Harem mangas. In a sense, it had become an overt sabotage of the other businesses! Humph, blame no one. Why couldnt the other Harem mangas just come up with a character like Xu Jing too? Due to the ceasing increase in the popularity of Pure Romance, for sure the magazines and websites would not interfere with Su lis composition. After all, their priority was none other than the sales volume. As long as the abusive contents, such as ladies nipples were not shown, it would be considered a normal manga! At this moment, no one could stop Su Li who was carried away by her success! Readers? What is that? Im your daddy! Just wait for my updates, how dare you hold an opinion against your father? Wanna change my storyline? In your dreams! Exactly. Su Li had been so carried away. Just like the hero in her manga who did everything as he pleased, she was now following her feelings utterly. As for those promises she had made to her readers, go fly a cat! To her, these are all meaningless shackles now. What she wanted was to become a superior mangaka who composed a superior iconic novel! Thus to trap even more readers, she was brainwashing them in her reader group and Weibo blog Worry not everyone, youll all be happy with the ending of my masterpiece. Its gonna be a pleasant one. Of course, for a benevolent mangaka like me, would I even cheat my readers? My children? Im your daddy! Like always, there are only children who cheat their fathers, but no fathers who cheat their children! Not only that. Since Pure Romance earned her fame and reputation, she was invited to appear on several television shows. At long last, she revealed her identity of a female mangaka. During the shows, she naturally put her hand on her chest, rashly pledging that she would give everyone a satisfying ending. All of these occasions had pushed the popularity of Pure Romance to a level beyond imagination! In this situation, Su Li had finally written up to the most crucial part of the entire novel. The evil deeds of the hero was finally revealed! His car was about to overturn[6]! Translation note: [1] Bulldozer () refers to a promiscuous guy who pushes all the girls, as in having sex with them. [2] Slay the God, Seek the Truth (֤) is a popular Chinese webnovel. [3] Hollow literature (С) refers to a written work with trivial contents and unrefined storyline. [4] Antiquity fashion () is a style of Chinese novels that is based on the ancient Chinese background settings and terminologies of iconic novels such as Investiture of the Gods () and Journey to the West (μ). This genre was made popular by a famed webnovel,Road to the Buddha(ǵ). [5] ǹʵ (shooting the real bullets) means having sex for real. The bullets here refers to the mens sperms. [6] (ones car overturns) means that one finally encounter failure after a long undisturbed period, in which one has performed well in his work routines, or has successfully covered ones secrets and lies. Chapter 36 Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation Indeed, Zhao Youyue had received a message from Two Dimensional Gate that she had obtained enough willpower to leave the world of Pure Romance during her peak period of shifting into Xu Jing. But, how could she leave just like that? If she left without a hitch, Su Li who was in the midst of confusion would suddenly become normal. As such, she would stop acting like the readers father and once again compromised with her readers. Perhaps the ending that she would draw was none other than the hero Yang Ming subduing the yuri couple, Yang Xixi and Xu Jing to his harem through the protagonists halo. He might even make Xu Jing the queen who managed his harem. The male readers would certainly love such an ending, as subdue-ing both the yuri girls to the heros harem was a wonderful plot for them. If this is the case, Xu Jing would be forgotten. Note that Zhao Youyue was on mission to transform Xu Jing into a memorable iconic character! Anyway, Zhao Youyue had to move on with it, though she had found out that the mangaka Su Li was actually a beautiful mangaka with fake account info. However, Zhao Youyue decided to stop taking pity on women. Realizing Su Li had spreaded her words on different fan groups and Weibo to assure everyone a satisfying ending, Youyue instantly admired her, feeling that she had Mr Urobuchis ways of doing things. Back in those days, Mr Urobuchi also repeatedly stated that Puella Magi Madoka Magica was a heart-warming anime. Nevertheless, a character of Puella Magi Madoka Magica, Mami Tomoe died within 3 episodes, not to mention that the final ending was more indignant than all the previous stories. Without a doubt, the readers railed against Mr Urobuchi in fury as they had been fooled by Mr Urobuchi who claimed that his anime was heart-warming. Zhao Youyue reckoned that she should assist Su Li to come up with a satisfying ending. But what kind of ending should it be? Of course, it could not be a happy ending for everyone! Yang Ming who had moral degeneration must be dismembered, while the darkened Xu Jing was destined to not having a happy ending. Why? Because she was the root of all evils. Out of her own desire, she had indirectly brought misfortunes upon so many girls, and so it mattered no more although she was the most tragic character in the manga. Did you think you could stir up troubles just because you had a tragic life? With a darkened character, Xu Jing was no longer the pretty girl who was innocently obsessed with learning in the first place. She was even engrossed with yuri relationship, right now. If it was not for Yang Xixi whom she loved obsessively, she would not lead the plot up to this stage. Similarly, Yang Xixi was a very kind little-sister character at first glance. In fact, she was not that of a good person. Obviously, she did not really like Xu Jing, but still she always gave Xu Jing a ray of hope. If she completely rejected Xu Jing from the very beginning, perhaps Xu Jing would not take on such an extreme trick to get her. Anyway, no one is innocent. Though he might become a bulldozer who will push many girls to his bed, still he was not a man of dominant nature in the first place. Had those girls rejected him cruelly, it would be impossible for the hero to elevate his sexual desire upon them. Sadly, all of the girls accepted his request while pretending to refuse, thus, they had brought up the troubles on themselves. Out came the snowy season again, whether it be in Pure Romance world, or reality. Yang Ming and missy Liu Sha were holding hands while walking on the high street at night. The flakes of falling snow were fluttering, and that created a remarkably romantic atmosphere. The background of this scene was perfectly beautiful with Su Lis superb drawing skills. It is so cold! Yang Ming pulled out his hand and breathed on Liu Shas cold hands to keep her warm. Having sex with Yang Ming and even unlocking all sex postures, Liu Sha had overcome her arrogant disposition. She softly held Yang Mings hand and put it on her chest to keep him warm. The flat chest of this missy Liu Sha with a princess-like character had enlarged after the continuous fondling of Yang Ming. They gazed at each other like a perfect couple. The scene of a girl keeping a boy warm with her boobs on street looked so sweet and touching. At the same time, they inadvertently dealt 100,000 critical damages to the forever-alones who passed by In another scene, Yang Mings childhood friend cum his very first woman, Li Xiaotong was facing a table full of dishes alone at home. Pretty much depressed, she took out her phone. Glancing through the photos of hers and Yang Ming, she softly whispered his name and touched her tummy slowly. After that, she gave Yang Ming a call. Didnt I just mentioned that I cant go home right now?! Yang Ming answered the phone impatiently. He was at a high-class French diner with Liu Sha, thus he had to answer Li Xiaotongs phone call outside. Why? Ive already prepared dinner for you. The dishes are scrumptious. If you arent coming back now, the dishes need to be reheated later! Li Xiaotong answered with a fretful tone. So? Just stop bothering me. Go on and eat by yourself first! Yang Ming retorted as he was happily dating missy Liu Sha. Ah Ming, you dont even understand the meaning of this dinner! Li Xiaotong said as she put her hand on her tummy, Just because I wanted to have my meals with you, I tried so hard to prepare this You Ah! Are you that unwilling to eat the dishes I have prepared for you? Of course not. Then why? Why you are so unwilling to come back? Didnt I just tell you that I have something else to do and is inconvenient to leave? You are lying! Ah? Ah Ming, whom you are with right now? I am with no one By listening to your tone, are you going to cheat on me? Am I going to end up with the same fate like those girls you have cheated on previously? We are already staying together! No, I really cannot leave now! Then you shall give me an explanation! This Erm. Look at you, you start humming and hawing again! Can you please be mindful? Do you still want to be a philanderer? You should know that I am pregnant and this is your baby! Obviously, I havent told Sha Sha about this Yang Ming whispered to himself but Li Xiaotong heard it. Wait a minute, why are you mentioning that fellars name? Ah Ming? Is it because youre with Liu Sha now? Ah Ming? Why are you pregnant?! Why are you telling me this in front of everyone? You suddenly came to me and tell me that you are pregnant, and I really dont know what to do! Enough, I dont want to hear any more words from you. Roll back to your own home and stop thinking about the pregnancy, if you still want to stick around with me. Stop taking this for granted and claiming yourself as my girlfriend! You are just my childhood friend! Yang Ming yelled at his phone and hung up ruthlessly. Now, Li Xiaotongs depression was getting worse, and a gloomy expression had shown in her eyes. Putting her hand on her tummy again, she was infuriated and knocked over all the sumptuous dishes which she specially prepared for Yang Ming. Chapter 37 Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation After hanging up the phone, Yang Ming scratched his head in bewilderment. He then saw a Wechat message notification popped up on his phone, Im going back today Meanwhile, Liu Sha who had appeared beside him was gazing at his face. At last, Yang Ming still brought Liu Sha back to his home. That place called home, was no longer that in which he lived together with his sister. Ever since he opted for staying with Li Xiaodan, he had been separated with her. Thus, Yang Xixi was now living together with Xu Jing. Before wrapping up the story, Su Li had perfectly portrayed the yuri relationship between Yang Xixi and Xu Jing. It was so beautiful and harmonious. Some readers had even visioned that, Yang Mings betrayal was completely acceptable, as long as Yang Xixi and Xu Jing could be together forever. Tons of female readers who had penchant for yuri had joined the party as well, but not for the scumbag hero of course. They were here for the innocent and delightful yuri plots. When Yang Ming reached home, he discovered the kitchen was in a huge mess all over the floor. A disgusted look instantly showed on his face. He could do nothing but to clean up the entire mess. Just as he was done with cleaning, the doorbell rang. He rushed out from the kitchen just to hear a crisp sound of face-slapping. Ah, it seemed that Li Xiaotong who possessed an ultimate six sense had returned to Yang Mings house. After noticing the door was opened by Liu Sha, out of fury, she slapped Liu Shas face viciously! Upon seeing Yang Ming, with an agitated face, she bawled, Why is this shameless b*tch here! Yang Ming was flurried, Xiao Tong, why did you What why? Im asking why would you rather be with her! Li Xiaotong yelled at Yang Ming while pointing at Liu Sha. This This is Yang Ming faltered. Go away Liu Sha! Stop pestering Ah Ming! Li Xiaotong almost pushed the silent Liu Sha out of the door. Oh come on, Xiaotong! Yang Ming hurriedly pushed Li Xiaotong away, and stood in front of Liu Sha. What did I do wrong? What kind of relationship is this? Im pregnant with your baby! How could you do this to me? This Ah Ming, you dont love Liu Sha anymore, do you? Ah This Tell me you didnt ask her to come. She did all of this on her own. Am I right? Sha Shasha she did nothing. Bullsh*t! Liu Sha, youre the one who asked him to bring you home, arent you? Li Xiaotong turned to question Liu Sha, Go away! You go away! Liu Sha who had remained silent finally countered, Arent you the one who seduced brother Ming? Li Xiao Tong! You thought of taking my brother Ming away just by doing that to him? No! Ah Ming and I love each other for real. We are soulmates since we were kids! Li Xiaotong said aloud. Thats just your wishful thinking! Shut up! Stop your nonsense! Im unlike you, Im generous. To me, its common for a guy to have several girlfriends at once. How bad could it be? My dad has gotten three mistresses for himself too For brother Ming, Ill be considerate Missy Liusha taunted her in a sarcastic and gentle tone. At the same time, she grabbed Yang Mings hand and leaned on his chest, then looked into his eyes affectionately. Yang Ming was deeply moved by Liu Sha. He recalled the previous Liu Sha. She was a tsundere girl and often bit his head off. But now, she had changed so much for him. What was this if it wasnt love? Gazing at each other, their faces were getting closer and closer. Then they started kissing right in front of Li Xiaotong! At the sight of this unscrupulous duo, Li Xiaotong was crumbling. Little did she know that, this was exactly the feeling of Yang Xixi while catching her making out with Xixis beloved brother. Sigh, another girl had fallen into the trap to this unfaithful hero It was just that, this time the loser who ran away from Yang Mings house was Li Xiaotong instead. She kept mumbling to herself, How could this be? He said Im his whole world when we made love! Im the first girl he kissed. Im the first girl he slept with. I should be his first until the end! But why? How could it turn out to be like this? Li Xiaotong could not stop recollecting the memories during her days with Yang Ming. Eerily, the last to appear in her mind was the apathetic face of Xu Jing! That night, Li Xiaotong was almost sleepless. She was woken up by her phones vibration. It was a Wechat message. Realizing the message sender was Yang Ming was akin to seeing a silver lining for her. She kept her hopes high while opening the message, but just to see such contents Shasha will introduce you a good hospital which she knows well. The earlier you abort the baby, the lesser pain your body will suffer. Li Xiaotong looked at this Wechat message incredulously. Holding her tummy, she went down in the dumps. Quite the contrary, Yang Ming continued to attend school normally, as if nothing had happened. He actually felt that he had taken a load off his mind. Just as he stepped into the classroom, a Wechat message was sent by Li Xiaotong Ive something to tell you face to face. Lets go to your house, just the two of us. Finally, Yang Ming cracked a relieved smile. It occurred to him that Li Xiaotong would willingly abort the baby. He even shared this happy news with Liu Sha. He rejoiced, Today onwards, I would always be together with my dearest Shasha. In my eyes, there would only be Shasha, forever The couple again kissed on a whim. From a nearby lonely corner, Yang Xixi was staring wistfully at her brother who was amid kissing. After that, She hugged Xu Jing who was beside her, and kissed her lips aggressively. Xu Jing naturally responded to her kiss with an intense enthusiasm. In fact, she was reconciled to be the substitute for Yang Ming as everything was happening accordingly to her script. Once Yang Ming was gone, Yang Xixi would belong to her forever, wouldnt she? Not until the twilight, Yang Ming met Li Xiaotong in his house. He was sitting there, and questioned with expectations, So how? Made up your mind? You gotta believe Shasha Li Xiaotong looked down, smiling. Her eyes looked incredibly sombre now. After remaining speechless for a long while, Yang Ming started to be on pins and needles. He broke the silence, Let me make you some tea I will do that. Li Xiaotong croaked. Then she leisurely walked to the kitchen. Yang Ming frowned and lamented. He could feel that Li Xiaotong still was not into the idea of child abortion. What a headache! It seemed that he had to contemplate a way to convince her with his signature tenderness and kindness. Li Xiaotong was standing in the kitchen. Her eyes were suddenly caught by a rubbish bag filled with food waste. These were all the dishes she had purposely cooked for Yang Ming. Covering her mouth, her eyes seemed to be overflowed with sadness. She took out her phone and sent Yang Ming such a message, Im sorry Goodbye. Just as Yang Ming was puzzled at reading the peculiar message, Li Xiaotong popped up behind him with a kitchen knife in her hand. Argh! Yang Ming was stabbed viciously on the back! Yang Ming fell backwards laying on the ground. Li Xiaotong sat on his body and held the knife tightly between her two hands. Then, she continued to stab him, again and again. Each and every attack brought back to her a piece of sweet memories she once had with Yang Ming. She cried aloud, Youre so cruel! Dont you ever think of living happily with Liu Sha! The body was horribly wounded! The blood splattered in all directions! The scene greatly satisfied the audience! A grimace of extreme pain had contorted Yang Mings face. He goggled at Li Xiaotong in total disbelief. Never could he have thought that, she would do something like this! Li Xiaotong stabbed Yang Ming continuously, until he was utterly dead, in a pool of blood Back to reality, Su Li was smiling arrogantly and breathing heavily; her paintbrush was flying across the draft papers in madness. Meanwhile, her manga work office was playing a japanese song named Kanashimi no Mukou e. This is pretty much a niche song. At first, it was supposed to be the interlude song of a game, but the game was cut off in the middle. Some corporate executives had arbitrarily reckoned that this game would induce losses to the company, yet arouse uproars among the gamers. Kanashimi no Mukou e ߤ򤳤ؤ,{Ťʤ (If I can make my way to the other side of sorrow) ͤϤ⤦Ҫʤ,̤դ (Then I dont need warmth or tomorrow anymore) Ťΰ,褤ꤿΤ (The dream that landed in the darkness of silence) Chapter 38 Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation Of course, the story of Pure Romance was not over yet with the assassination of hero Yang Ming by his lifetime companion, Li Xiaotong. There were still a couple of unpredictable plot twists awaiting the readers. First off, the missy Liusha was the first person to discover the heros death. She should have been the final winner of the deathmatch between all the harem girls. Wait, perhaps just the winner of the current stage, as the unfaithful hero might abandon her for the next target later. Just like what happened to Li Xiaotong, who was once his most beloved. He had assured Xiaotong that his world would be complete with her. But looking towards her ending Sigh, she was treated as nothing more than a companion, and was never considered his girlfriend. After murdering Yang Ming, Li Xiaotong hid herself at her house. Cuddling her legs on the bed, she almost reached the state of mental breakdown, until she received a Wechat message. It was from Yang Ming, saying to meet her in the park. Li Xiaotong came to realization at once. This message was sent by Liu Sha, Fearless, she followed the location shared by Liu Sha to rendezvous with her. One of her hands, was tucked beneath her coat. It was late at night, and the moon was glimmering brightly. When she reached the destination, a traveling bag was seen on the park bench. She then walked towards it and a cold voice was heard coming from her back, it was Liu Sha, Did you go to the hospital? They have the best doctors there. Liu Shas eyes were concealed under her fringe. Grinning with her head lowered, her whole person had emanated an inexplicable spooky aura. I didnt. Li Xiaodan answered calmly. Why didnt you? Ill never go to any hospital that you recommend! Li Xiaodan raised her voice. You lied In order to win back brother Mings heart, you made up all of this claiming that youre carrying his baby. No! Its nothing like that! Oh really? Im really having Well, then you should have visited the hospital for a check-up Anyway, theres no reason for you to deliver his baby. Because brother Mings girlfriend is me. What? Isnt that right? Im the only girl he acknowledged. I also I also wanted to be Ah Mings girlfriend! Just for this reason, I had endured everything and let him do whatever he pleased. But for what in the end? Why? Li Xiaotong wept bitterly. If its for brother Ming, hes actually here. Why dont you say it to him? the dark and sombre eyes of Liu Sha were looking at the traveling bag above the bench. Li Xiaotong walked over and unzipped the traveling bag. She looked into the bag it was the head of Yang Ming! Perhaps none of the readers had imagined this. To think that a normal Harem manga would develop into such a horrifying ending. Not to mention, with her spectacular drawing skills, Su Li had meticulously depicted Yang Mings head. Not only had that terrified the unprepared readers to gnash their teeth, but Su Li had also satisfied her own distorted mind! As for Li Xiaotong in the manga, she covered her mouth while shivering. After that, she could not help but started vomiting. For what you have said, let us examine if its true. Liusha pulled out the cleaver with which she had chopped off Yang Mings head. It was still covered with blood. Never underestimate this missy for her knifemanship was quite impressive. After all, she was a multi-talented girl, yet gifted with an IQ of 250. Liu Sha dashed forward. On the other hand, Li Xiaotong who had hidden one hand beneath her cloth, also pulled out the kitchen knife with which she killed Yang Ming. It seemed that both of the girls were well prepared! However, Li Xiaotong was one step behind Liu Sha. Her hand that held the kitchen knife, was blocked by Liu Sha, and the knife fell on the ground Liu Shas face turned downright creepy now. Her former innocent character and adorable appearance could no longer be seen! As her eyes were becoming even darker and more solemn, she wielded the cleaver. The dazzling gleam of moonlight was reflected from its sharp blade. At this moment, the battle scene portrayed by Su Li could parallel those appeared in the top Shonen mangas! Liu Sha slashed Li Xiaotongs tummy with the cleaver. In a split second, blood spurted out madly. This was even more bloody and ferocious than the time Li Xiaotong stabbed Yang Ming. After all, missy Liusha was the more skillful heroine. Perhaps it was inconceivable to everyone that, such a plot could be a school Harem manga! Thinking back, the mangaka had even proclaimed this would be a happy, warm, and relaxing manga! Under the moonlight, a petrified look took over Li Xiaotongs face. Her eyeballs were rolling for a while, and then, she fell and perished. Liu Sha looked apathetically at Li Xiaotong who rested in a pool of blood. Bending down, she cut opened her abdomen with the cleaver. After all, she saw nothing in her stomach, thus she muttered, Sure enough, it was a lie, there is nothing inside At this very moment, Yang Xixi came into sight. She snatched the traveling bag and ran away frantically! Liu Shas expression became even more ghastly and distorted at once. She bawled, Dont you take away my brother Ming! Raising the cleaver again, she charged towards this thief, Yang Xixi. She would make her rue the day by killing her. Tip Tap! Someone stood in her way. It was Xu Jing. Cut it out. Xu Jing spoke in a cold tone. Stand aside! The police are here. How is that possible? Ive estimated the time you would finish all of this, and also taken into account the arrival time of policemen after making a report. I wouldnt be wrong. Just as Xu Jings sentence was over, the police siren hooted. While resisting her arrest and wanting to chop the policemen, she was shot dead on the spot. On the boundless sea, sunset spreaded across right above the entire sea level. What a breathtaking scenery. On a Nice Boat [1], Yang Xixi was hugging the head of her beloved brother in a side-lying position. The sunsets ray shined upon the whole boat. That picture was so warm and beautiful. No more blood, no more horror. Yang Xixi was finally at peace, with a contented smile on her face. That was completely different from the grudging smile when she was together with Xu Jing. She murmured, Great. Its only two of us, brother. Finally She was truly happy, as no one could ever take away her brother again, and she would no longer need a substitute as well. The Nice Boat sailed towards the sunset. The scene changed. On the beach, Xu Jing was looking at the sunset on the horizon. She wore a lily white long dress, and her hair was still the ordinary single ponytail. With her chronically impassive expression, her hands were still holding a book. At this moment, Xu Jing was the most beautiful girl in the entire manga. The other girls could not hold a candle to her. Step by step, she walked towards the sea. Tears of love were rolling down her cheeks, but her lips curved in a smile, Xixi she is but my second beloved, as what I love the most in this world is studies, of course it is! She was crying, yet smiling. In the end, this all-time lonely figure gradually submerged into the endless sea. The sunset was still so beautiful, and heart-wrenching. The final silhouette of Xu Jing, would forever be engraved in the minds of all readers. Having foreshadowed the whole deal, still, Xu Jing did not obtain anything eventually. The End, of Pure Romance. It was a perfect ending. Hmm, wasnt it? Back to reality, the mangaka Su Li who had finished drawing all of this, was remaining in a delirious state. Beside her, the song Kanashimi no Mukou e was replaying again and again Translation Note: [1] Nice boat (ô) originated from the censorship of the final episode of anime School Days during its broadcast in Japan, due to containing similar violent scenes to a national murder case that happened on the day before. Random scenery photos and classical music were played instead. When a boat was pictured, a netizen commented Nice boat, and this term immediately became a viral meme. Later, it was seen that the final episode actually ended with a boat sailing peacefully towards the sunset. Since then, Nice boat was used in the sentences for a number of meanings: C (noun) a delightful floating vessel Lets take this nice boat. C (noun) something unwelcome or unpleasant What a nice boat! C (verb) carry out violent act on a philanderer, especially in Harem manga. The promiscuous guy shall be nice boat-ed. C (verb) censor violent contents. The show is nice boat-ed. Chapter 39 Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation The end of semester one was around the corner, yet Zhao Youyue was still playing with her phone. Wait, who is Zhao Youyue? Had this character appeared in this book before? She really had the traits of a side character, after all; even the lolita author had almost forgotten this character who had no sense of presence Recently, Zhao Youyues state of mind was quite unpleasant. She had known that Pure Romance was just a fictional Two Dimensional World, in which the characters were unreal, especially their ridiculous personalities and exaggerated actions. Still, she devoted all her feelings and emotions, if not, she would not be able to make Xu Jing leave such a lasting impression on the readers. However, there was a difference in nature between the time Zhao Youyue possessed Xu Jing versus the time an actor performed in real life. Once she had set the abilities and personality for that character, she was capable to act freely according to the character setting. She was not acting at all, but eventually became Xu Jing as a whole. It was just that her character would respond in a more logical, realistic way. Among works with normal character settings, the character she possessed would turn out to be just like a firefly, glowing in the dark while captivating the others. Zhao Youyue, using her own power, was able to nourish life upon the other characters in Pure Romance. Not only did Xu Jing stand out in the crowd, but had also degraded Yang Mings fame, where people would definitely remember him forever along with that unforgettable nice boat ending. On top of that, there were also Liu Sha who could handle hatchet like it was nothing, and Li Xiaotong who always had kitchen knives hidden in her pocket. They were both equally memorable, mainly because they had been too excited playing with knives towards the ending of the story, and were responsible for almost all the violent and bloody scenes in the manga Without any doubt, the mastermind behind the curtain was the elite scholar Xu Jing, who had planned and calculated everything. The next character would naturally be Yang Xixi, who was always deeply in love with her own brother no matter what. This character was destined to be loathed by the readers, especially those readers who were having high expectations on the Yang Xixi and Xu Jing yuri couple. At the end of the story, Yang Xixi chose her brothers head over Xu Jing who was willing to do anything for her, which then led to the irreversible, sad ending for Xu Jing. This was because Xu Jing did not have any reasons to live in this world anymore. Her parents passed away, her best friend and the girl she loved had left her as well. How could she possibly still be addicted to study? She had no purpose to continue studying, even though she still admitted that she had strong passion for studies in the end The darkened Xu Jing, Liu Sha, and Li Xiaotong did not enjoy a good ending at the end of the story. In short, the main characters that were created later in the manga Pure Romance definitely left a strong impression to the readers. In another world, there was Itou Makoto this memorable character to be an exemplary model on how to become a scum. Meanwhile, there was Yang Ming in this world who could now be compared to Itou Makoto, and this was all thanks to the Zhao Youyue. However, our precious daughter from the Zhao family had been lying low, even though she just made a huge ruckus in the world of Pure Romance. She did not go overboard and caused the work to crumble, in fact, she might have just transformed it into an icon. But of course she would not go around making a scene to claim that she was the one behind the source of evil and the mastermind, as she had already left everything behind while keeping her fame and reputation under the radar. Looking at the screenshots inside the photo album of her hand phone, Zhao Youyue smiled cheerfully, her melancholy and depressed feeling was finally relieved by a little. Now, all she had to do was to wait for the ending of Pure Romance to be uploaded, she would then send the screenshots to Su Lis fan group What could she do? The society was indeed very cruel and sinister after all! To be honest, Pure Romance was at the stage where it still attracted a lot of fans, as it really did stood out from the rest. Since it was the first harem manga to ever degrade the male protagonist, it allowed the readers to feel surprised, not to mention the superb drawing skills from Su Li. Since she was a professional drawer back then, even if she drew scenes that did not show any sensitive body parts, her readers would still find them irresistible, and would tried to mimic them by using other materials after finished reading the story. Of course, this had brought a lot of accusation from many moral critics. They claimed that Su Li had messed up the style for a proper harem manga, where she corrupted the trend and popularised the scum male protagonist from this kind of manga. All business related work was aimed ultimately for popularity, and people tend to follow trends that were more popular. Actually the concern from these moral critics were absolutely unnecessary, because in another world, Itoko Makoto also used to be famous for a certain a period. However, this type of harem male protagonist was extremely rare, after Itoko Makoto, there was no other character that could even come close to him. All hail Itoko Makoto! As a matter of fact, the early death of Itoko Makoto did not actually come from a single book, but was derived from the work called School Days, where Itoko Makoto cheated and was given a nice boat, thus he was even beheaded by Ma Mei. However, several romantic Harem novels were published after that. The male protagonists had more than one lover as well, but nothing happened to them, yet their lovers got along with each other peacefully. Hence, the readers started to yell things like You died too early, Itoko Makoto you died with injustice, Xiao Ge in heaven please voice out for Itoko Makoto, Why does this guy live with with so many women comfortably and yet Itoko Makoto has to be given a nice boat, Why isnt that guy being me instead, you son of a b*tch should be given a nice boat, actually these were the jealousy cried from the single men who had no girlfriend or unable to carry out their dream of living together with multiple women. There was a saying, Itoko Makoto laughs at your cowardice? You laugh at his early demise. You laugh at Itoko Mokotos early demise? He mocks you for being f*ck less. Itoko Makoto mocks your for being f*ck less? You jeer at him that he could f*ck no more. How should I put it, the story development of Pure Romance is indeed sinister. It is similar to a lost magic in dark arts called The Dissection of the Great Sky Demon, thus able to attract the eyeballs of countless people and gain immense popularity in this short period. After all, it is the worlds first manga to darken the male protagonist. If any other mangas want to follow the trend by doing likewise, those readers who had already experienced disappointments and depressions, may not choose the works of this genre anymore. Because majority of them are unable to accept the ending where almost everyone are dead! Who would like to torture themselves How should I put it, the story development in Pure Romance was actually very sinister. It was pretty much similar to a lost magic in the dark arts called The Dissection of the Great Sky Demon, which allows the manga to attract the eyeballs of countless people and thus gaining popularity in the process. Simply because it is the worlds first manga to darken the male protagonist. If any other manga wants to follow the trend by doing the same, those readers who have already experienced the disappointment and the depression, may not choose works from this kind of genre anymore, just because majority of the readers were unable to accept the ending where practically everyone was about to die! Who would want to torture themselves like this Therefore, Zhao Youyue was sure that the mangaka Su Li would become very famous because of Pure Romance. However, after the ending was published, when the readers were checking out her new works in future, they would definitely feel a surge of anxiety. Because they were afraid of any darkened characters which would twist the plots to the level where everyone was terrified, not to mention the ending that was always shrouded in mystery. As for the promise that Su Li made, nobody would believe it, not even the punctuation mark! Chapter 40 Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation Although the first semester for senior high was coming to an end, Zhao Youyue remained somewhat invisible in her school or even in class. This was probably because of her grades which was steadily floating in the 20s or thereabouts. It was considered as above average, but still as she was not a top student, nobody would remember her name. In some group activities, for example Autumn Sports Day or New Years Party, Zhao Youyue would end up as a spectator as before. What she did was to stand at the edge shouting Good job! to the highly skilled Gods of Sports. Then, for the competitions of different study subjects, obviously Zhao Youyue never gave a thought of joining any of them. She felt that she was not even in the same dimension with those godly contestants. She did peeked on the questions from her ex-deskmate Zhou Fang previously and they were insane! Zhou Fang took the Chemistry competition, it was said that she would join the group training for every first lesson during the late self study. That was why a top scholar like Zhou Fang would spend every second in her spare time for homework, or else she would not finish them on time. She did not had the luxury just like Zhao Youyue who loafed around. Actually, in Zhao Youyues original plans, she wanted to improve her results by studying through Xu Jing in the manga world. At least by spending a semester, she could have fought her way up to the top five in class, but unfortunately It was all Su Lis fault, forcefully abusing Xu Jing on Pure Romance. Although she remained studious, but after all, Xu Jing herself was not a genius and having her multitasking greatly reduced the efficiency of her studies. Moreover, Zhao Youyue ended up screwing every single thing, which brought Xu Jing to the darkside and fall deeply in love with Yang Xixi. Love, happens to be the worst enemy of studies at all times. It is true that there are some who could do puppy love and maintain their results at the same time. However, the truth is that most puppy love causes the results to go down the slope. That was why the school prohibits puppy love. Zhao Youyue was considered to have tasted unrequited love in the manga world. That was truly heart aching and this also influenced her in reality. Now, she thought that love was nothing good, and she should stay as far as possible away from it. If you expect nothing, then you can never be disappointed. Zhao Youyue did not achieved her initial goal through Xu Jing, but either way her results did improve a little. Moreover, she always made it appear as if she was putting effort in her studies in front of the teachers. This was why the teachers had good impression on her. They had never knew that, when they were away, she could not hold back and would start playing with her phone. She was a total phone addict, it was as if the phone was her soul. Without holding her phone, Zhao Youyue would feel extremely anxious, as if this would take her life away. Basically, Zhao Youyue completed the difficult questions in her homework by looking up for answers through the web. To her, pondering all by herself was painful and time wasting. Actually, if it were not for her results which was steadily on the line, the fact that she never attended the late self study would have gotten her summoned by Mr. Qiu to have some heart-to-heart-talk. Of course, getting her to voluntarily join the late self study. Then, her weekends would not be unrestrained anymore. For others, it was just a four-hour break, but she could return home straight away and only reappear next Monday for class. Zhao Youyue was considered a playful person. She felt like school was a place that would torture students by shortening both of their weekends into only a few hours. For her, examination-oriented education was really tiresome, it was basically destroying the specialty and creativity of students! Although she never had any specialty nor creativity. Perhaps the Lack of sense of presence was considered as her specialty. As for creativity, Zhao Youyue did possess that, her creativity in messing up with things were pretty good. Youyue, the Qidian account belonged to Zhao Youyue slowly gained some fame in Qidian novel and manga website. This was mainly because she would tip a Sect Master whenever she was happy reading the novel or manga. Even Pure Romance got tipped a Sect Master, this was because she was happy with the fact that everything was going smoothly based on her script for Su Lis work. Well, 1,000 RMB was just a small amount to a missy like her. Besides, under the name of Sect Master, when she revolt against Su Li later on, it would seem more convincing and influential. Now, she could not wait to see how Su Li would face her fans reaction when they finished reading the finale. Sadly, it was still Monday and the finale for Pure Romance will only be published in Wind Manga during this weekend, while the semester final exams will be held next Tuesday. After reading the finale of Pure Romance, what kind of feeling would the students be in during the final exam next week? As far as Zhao Youyue knew, Jiang Chao seemed to be a Pure Romance loyal fan. But sadly for now, he was not the deskmate of Wang Yang anymore. This was due to the fact that both of them talked too much and finally got separated by Mr. Qiu without mercy. Zhao Youyue had a moment of silence for Jiang Chao, she wondered if Jiang Chao would hunt about for Su Li to settle score for this. Perhaps he should be worrying for himself. After knowing that Su Li was a beautiful mangaka, he decided that Su Li was his sole prioritized mangaka. Since then, he started AMWAYing[1] Pure Romance insanely to the guys in the classroom. The effect was pretty good, after all they were in their puberty. Even if they do not care much about the storyline, it was still very attractive with just the fan services provided in the manga. Jiang Chao also frequently re-quote the various promises from Su Li to the guys. Promising the ending will definitely be a satisfaction, everyone will end up having their felicity, I, Su Li, is someone with integrity, a mangaka who respects the readers, how would I ever lie to you guys?. Under Jiang Chaos influence, a lot of guys started to think that the beautiful mangaka was too kind to her readers, it was rare to find such mangaka with integrity! Every single time when Zhao Youyue saw Jiang Chao mentioning Su Li with his eyes shining brightly, she had a feeling that Jiang Chao was doomed. A fan who turned to the darkside is always worse than pure critics. Jiang Chao was no more the deskmate of Wang Yang, and the new deskmate of Wang Yang was now named Qiu Pengcheng. He was a top scholar with good results as well as a class representative of a decent personality. However, someone like him seemed rather boring. After class, he would only sit in his place and do his homework quietly, as he needed to attend the physics and mathematics competition training at the first two periods at night. Naturally, Wang Yang who was a novel fan certainly suffered from this, as his new deskmate had zero interest in novels and did not even have time to read any novels. The only thing good about him was that Wang Yang did not have to worry about difficult questions which he could not solve. He could refer from his deskmate right away. Although Qiu Pengcheng was decent, but he was not stingy at all. It was wrong to let Wang Yang refer as he liked but he would rather be unselfish enough to prohibit his deskmate from getting some references. Furthermore, he did not have time to explain till Wang Yang understood, not to mention that the willingness to listen was also a prime concern. That was why he let it slip through his mind and directly provided his homework as reference, indirectly carrying out some good deeds at the same time. Actually, Zhao Youyues deskmate had changed too. Translation note: [1] C AMWAY (a multi-level marketing company focusing on healthcare, beauty and home care) A substitute word for hard selling. In China, some people aggressively hard sell the products of AMWAY or recruit members which created a bad impression on the brand. Chapter 41 Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation The new deskmate of Zhao Youyue was Jiang Qing, an arts and literature committee member, a name which appeared the most times during every midnight chattering in the male dormitory. If the guys were to vote for the prettiest girl in class, Jiang Qing would most likely be chosen. Her visibility was far better than Zhao Youyues. Jiang Qings test results were considered slightly below average, and even worse than Zhao Youyue. But she had a pleasant voice when it comes to singing. Wearing a traditional costume in New Year Night Festival, she could enchant the entire crowd with the song Ban Hu Sha. Immediately, this elevated her to become her class symbol. It was then known to everyone that in Class 3 of the freshman year, there was this great beauty who sang beautifully. Not to mention, she was quite a buxom! Some busybodies had created a Love Block thread in the school bulletin. A lot of guys would come by to bump up the post of their own goddess to show support for them. After that, a few rumors about Jiang Qing started to spread among the class. Rumors had it that some handsome seniors from the second year were quite fond of her and seemed to be going after her. Besides, there would always be either love letters or presents appearing in her store rooms locker behind the classroom. To put it in a simple way, there were no girls in class who were not envious of her, simply because she was too popular among the guys. Of course, Zhao Youyue was not one of them. Her personality was as if she was a saint, treating everyone fair and equal. On top of that, she was used to be a side character. With or without Jiang Qing who was like someone in You Are the Apple of My Eye[1], she would still be invisible. Who wouldve ever noticed her? Occasionally, Zhao Youyue kind of loved the feeling of not being noticed. She could do her stuffs quietly (mainly playing her phone), and also. self entertaining brings joy too, doesnt it? Without a doubt, Jiang Qing and Zhao Youyue became deskmates as she fell out with her ex-deskmate Tang Yan. Needless to say, for a commuting student such as Zhao Youyue who was not interested in gossips and only cared about playing with her phone, would definitely not know about the contradiction within. In fact, Jiang Qing and Tang Yan were in the same dorm. In the beginning, their relationship was fine. However, as Jiang Qing gained more and more attention, they started to drift apart. The little conflicts started to accumulate. For instance, Tang Yan loved to take advantage of Jiang Qing on petty little things. She would use Jiang Qings shampoo and body wash, this really pissed Jiang Qing off and finally their friendship reached its end. Jiang Qing was not popular amongst the girls. Well, nobody wanted to be a sidekick afterall. Moreover, the slight arrogance in her caused her personal relationship to worsen. By right, someone with an outgoing personality like her was supposed to be excellent in bonding with others. Sadly, a lot of girls felt she was like a sham, and the smile which appeared frequently on her face was nothing more than just a mask. On the contrary, as time goes by, plenty of girls who got to know Zhao Youyue had a good impression on her, although she was one of the very few commuting students and did not fit into the groups of the girls in the beginning. Being around her felt easy and comforting, also worry not she would steal the limelight away. Before Jiang Qing became deskmates with Zhao Youyue, she knew nothing about her. Zhao Youyue was supposed to be a girl with a low profile in Jiang Qings impression. She gave an impression of someone who goes by the book. Always plain and simple regardless of the hairstyle or sense of fashion. The school did allowed students to wear something other than the dowdy white and blue sports uniform on Sundays. Therefore, plenty of girls who cared about the outlook would dress up on this day, letting out their grudge against the school uniform. Obviously, there was no difference for Jiang Qing who cared about her appearance. On the contrary, Zhao Youyue was not even tempted, she continued to wear her cleanly washed uniform to school. This caused Jiang Qing to think that Zhao Youyue was a strait-laced and obedient girl. Thinking that becoming deskmates with her would end up having no common topic. Still, she was afraid that Zhao Youyue world be envious of her and world bring her trouble. After all, Jiang Qing did not laugh much after her incident with Tang Yan. She started to be aware of the difference between both senior high and junior high. After Jiang Qing became deskmates with Zhao Youyue, she was amazed that Zhao Youyue was actually pretty adorable. If only she could maintain a long hair, she would surely be a goddess. Besides, her skin was so smooth, as white as snow. The truth is, with the appearance of Zhao Youyue, it was weird that she had a lack of visibility. Why didnt she notice this person before? On the first day she became deskmates with Zhao Youyue, she was greeted with a warm smile, My friend Jiang Qing, you really do have a voice of an angel, I truly admire you! If it were as before, Jiang Qing would have accepted Zhao Youyues compliment. It was the truth anyway. However, Jiang Qing had now learned to watch her steps. Only after she was certain that Zhao Youyue was not teasing her, she replied with a faint smile, Good day to you, and thank you for the praise. Initially, Jiang Qing kept herself in a cool manner whenever she was around Zhao Youyue. Afterall, she had realized that she did not mingle well with the girls. There were always some masqueraders backstabbing her. That was also why she fell out with her former close friend, Tang Yan. Taking advantage from her was just the trigger point, most of all, Tang Yans face-to-face acts were indeed disgusting in comparison to how she behaved behind her. Despite the cold attitude of Jiang Qing, Zhao Youyue did not mind at all. She was like a saint, calmly sitting above the clouds. No matter who she faced, she would treat them the same. Soon, the coldness of Jiang Qing was melted by the hidden saint Zhao Youyue. This deskmate of hers was unbelievably wealthy, though she had never attempted to show off her wealth, but unknowingly, she showed her sleeves. This totally awed Jiang Qing who had some acquaintance in branded goods. She also tried to discuss about skin care products by praising on Zhao Youyues skin. As a result, there was nothing that Zhao Youyue did not know. She spoke with confidence and composure, and immediately Jiang Qing was put down. How did she manage to keep such a low profile? Jiang Qing could not understand why. Then, without much thoughts, Lady Zhao rolled off her tongue, creating a new nickname for Zhao Youyue. Following Lady Zhao around certainly brought about tons of benefits. Occasionally, she could get a taste of some top grade snacks from Lady Zhao which she was not willing to spend on normal days. The only thing was that she was not bold enough to had snacks in class, where Lady Zhao took it as a matter of course. Due to her lack of sense of presence, the teachers rarely asked Zhao Youyue to answer questions. In addition, the problems of charging her phone was completely solved for Jiang Qing, as long as Zhao Youyue brought it home and charged it for her. This easy going Lady Zhao would never refuse such simple request. At the same time, Jiang Qing also acquired quite a number of knowledges which she could show off. She could borrow various kinds of books including fashion magazines from Zhao Youyue at anytime. Then, she could own the girls in the dorm, feeling good about herself from pretending to know it all. Anyway, as long as she continued tagging along with Lady Zhao, Jiang Qing felt that her school life was really a great joy After all, there was still time to come. Soon, Jiang Qing noticed that her deskmate Lady Zhao looked obedient on the surface, but did not actually put her heart into her studies. She was stuck with the addiction towards her phone. Still, Jiang Qing willingly watched out for her, monitoring the movements of the teacher all the time. So how did Zhao Youyue feel about her new deskmate? Simply marvelous! Mr. Qiu was a responsible class teacher indeed, for sending her the little angel Jiang Qing just when she needed one. At the same time, in the manga studio of the highly famous mangaka Su Li, a huge fight between the artist and the editor started. The topic turned out to be none other than the grand finale of Pure Romance! Translation note: [1] Щ,һ׷Ů C You Are the Apple of My Eye A famous Taiwanese romance film, featuring school life and love live in high school. It is used as a substitute word for someone unforgettable from high school, just like the heroine in the love story. Chapter 42 Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation Previously, the editor Wei Suo had given Su Li total freedom to work based on her own feelings, as the contents of her creation were interesting and picturesque. Even the chief editor of the magazine was chasing after Pure Romance. He wanted Su Li to keep up the momentum and continue working with a peaceful mind, while assuring her that the editing department would always be her strongest shield. At the same time, the main point would turn out to be the excellency of Pure Romance. With the increasing popularity gained, it granted Su Li a bigger autonomy to work. As long as Su Li could maintain her outstanding results, she could draw anything as she pleased! A manga at first needs an interesting storyline, followed by its popularity. Frankly speaking, though the readers would despise this scumbag hero, but he truly had a perfect sense to be the main character. Once having an argument with a girl, he would just make out with her. Kissing would be the appetizer, while the real bullet would be the alluring entrees. He was nothing like the main characters in other Harem novels, who could even turn down the girls who were hitting on him. Some indigenous readers had dreamed of being the scumbag hero who was always f*cking around. Well, everyone would end up in a stable relationship, but at least they could first revel in having multiple sex partners through the manga episodes. Regardless of the world of manga or webnovels, as long as the manga or novel was popular enough, the creator would definitely want their creation to be published continuously, until its popularity diminished, only then they will end the storyline. In fact, the creation which had a longer publishing period would become more popular, unless the creation became lousy and caused a tremendous decrease in its popularity. Not only in manga-s or novels, even if the television drama gained its popularity, there would always be a second season, third season and so on. Even for movies, there would also be a sequel to it, and these were the similarities of commercialized products. Therefore, when Wei Suo heard that Su Li wanted to end Pure Romance, he was totally dumbfounded. How could such a hot creation end just like that? The scumbag hero Yang Ming had yet to push down Xu Jing and Xixi this lovely couple! When Wei Suo thought about it, even if the male protagonist was allowed to choose one female heroine at the end, in order to amend his image and change back for the good, that female heroine would be no one else but Xu Jing who had the highest fame. Indeed, a lot of people could already foresee that the person who secretly made the male protagonist pleasurable was none other than Xu Jing herself, or else the male protagonist could still be a soft and gentle guy without any sense of enjoyment. Readers even felt that Yang Ming and Xu Jing could form a good couple together, simply because an outstanding person like Xu Jing could actually counter the male protagonist until a single chance was not given for him to find another girl. Anyway, Wei Suo felt that Pure Romance could still last for another ten years, to continue drawing for two to three years would not be a problem. The appearance of a character like Xu Jing had miraculously saved the day. From what Wei Suo knew about Su Li, she would be more than happy to prolong it, even if she had to extend the storyline of the manga. Sometimes flashback of the crucial memories could be illustrated between chapters as well, as it would generate more revenues But what happened out of the blues was that Su Li wanted him to take the original draft of the final episode from her. Whats wrong with Su Li? Wei Suo kind of regretted that he did not set any boundaries for Su Li. According to the rules in the real manga business, before Su Li began drawing her original draft, he really should discuss with Su Li on the storyboard drafting. When both of them achieved a mutual agreement, Su Li would draw the original draft based on the storyboard drafting. But then, simply because the recent performance of Su Li was extremely good, besides from becoming a super popular mangaka who authored Pure Romance. Know that Pure Romance was her virgin manga, and she was still very young. Giving privilege for such a talented mangaka should not be any problem, even the chief editor of Wind Manga implied that they should allow Su Li to draw freely. At the same time, the higher committee of the Wing Manga magazine was discussing the new contract. They really hoped to bind with this genius mangaka who appeared out of a sudden. The natural talent shown by Su Li in the later part of Pure Romance allowed the beholders that were involved in this field to capture their attention on Su Li, thus they concluded that she could become the finest among the best all because of this manga alone! When Wei Suo received the original draft, he did not immediately read it, instead he did his best to convince Su Li, Master Su Li, Pure Romance recently became so popular now, if it ends like this in the near future, wont you feel wasted? Su Li shook her head, To have me continue drawing this is meaningless, as I knew I wont be able to retrieve the same feeling anymore. For me, I think that this ending would be the greatest essence of this creation. Thats it. Wei Suo could feel the determination of Su Li, he knew that based on what Su Li had achieved, if she was trying to be capricious, the magazine would not do anything to her either. Simply because the other magazines were willing to talk to her and ask for her authoring. She could even directly enter Qidian webcomic website to continue publishing, as there were lots of fans supporting Su Li on the Internet. Without any choice, Wei Suo could only flip through the pages and read the original draft for the final ending. He did not understand why Su Lis personal assistant, Zhang Ziqiang diffidently lowered his head after giving him a weird look. When he finished reading the ending of Pure Romance, he realized what was happening. If Wei Suo was not editor but an ordinary reader, he would have been cursing with words! The hell was this ending about! It was totally out of sense! From a normal story of a school-based harem manga, it has now turned into a bloody, thrilling manga! Remember how the darkened Li Xiaotong and Liu Sha cut people? Their downright creepy and scary facial expressions. But compared to the very last girl wearing a lily white dress while crying with a bright smile, Xu Jing, they were absolutely nothing other than emphasis on the unparalleled beauty of Xu Jing Anyhow, the main point was, regardless of the male protagonist Yang Ming or other main female characters, they were all ruined. It did not matter if it was Yang Xixi as well. Despite that she may seem to be alive, but if you thought about it, you would understand that someone who got to hug her brothers skull, and took a nice boat sailing towards the sunset, Yang Xixi would never return again. This devastating ending was causing a complete depression! Wei Suo even thought that Su Li might have been possessed by the Japanese Gen Urobuchi spiritually, after all she tried to come out with an epic ending that would etch in the readers mind badly! Wind Manga will never publish this kind of ending, Master Su Li, you are just simply messing around!. For the first time ever Wei Suo stood firmly as an editor. He put the original draft into his bag and smashed it against Su Lis work desk with a horrendous huge force. I must have all the readers to witness this ending, if Wind Manga insists on not publishing it, I shall make it public on my Wechat profile! Moreover, I will choose to terminate my contract with Wind Manga! Su Li crossed her hands on her chest and spoke with conviction. You Have you lost your mind? This is insane! Wind Manga will not publish it for your good sake. Have you ever thought about what will happen next if this ending is read by the readers? Wei Suo yelled loudly. Of course I know. But one thing was sure that I am creating a legend, and no one can ever stop me from that! Su Li was under an influence which was rather mysterious and fateful, to the extent that she was fully intent on her actions. Chapter 43 Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation If Su Li was still the freshman mangaka when Pure Romance was yet to gain any fame, her acts of confronting or threatening the editor would totally be in the path of seeking troubles. That could forfeit her future prospect of becoming a prominent mangaka. But it was the high time now, as Pure Romance was gaining all the spotlight. Ever since her personal identity was revealed to the public, the number of her fans had been increasing. Any readers who had a sheer knowledge of the manga world, would definitely know of the sudden entrance of this one beautiful-girl mangaka. There was a great solidarity between Su Lis fans on internet. Pure Romance had an individual page on Qidian website, in which any new acquirement of silver Sect Master is globally announced, although she could earn only a quarter of the reward. This had given her a notion of publishing her works straight on Qidian main page Even in Zhao Youyues class, a student named Jiang Chao had clinched his teeth merely to save up 100 RMB to tip Su Li. This was a huge amount for a student from an average. Anyway, Jiang Chao did it out of his own will, as he liked Su Li and her manga from the bottom of his heart. If Su Li have any new serialization of manga, he would continue supporting her. All in all, now Su Li was highly emboldened. Even if she picked up a fight with Wind Manga, she would not be worried about losing her job. This is what known as a talented and capricious person. Moving one step backwards, you would notice that even if she solely continued drawing some books, she could also earn a huge sum. If she announced to the people that Su Li and Wang Li were both the same people, her total book sales would exceed the number you could have imagined. Anyway, Wei Suo was simply out of ideas to change Su Lis perspective. He always thought that Su Li was the kind of mangaka that was bounded by reality. Everything would be revolving around money and popularity, in which she had to treat every reader wholeheartedly, ensuring they could read her creation happily. Since it was a commercialized manga, it had to be delectable and an enjoyable one after reading it. Moreover, he could still remember the way Su Li criticized those hipster mangakas who inflicted bad feelings to the readers a couple of times. How could she possibly become likewise? Having said that to create a legend through manga, we had never seen any top enthusiastic manga creating the so-called legend through this method Without any choice, Wei Suo had to bring the bag having the original draft to the chief editor, and also convey Su Lis determination. Since he could do nothing with Su Li, the chief editor would be the decision maker. Actually, he had not looked into the ending thoroughly, he was just flipping through without pay attention to the tiny details. But he could feel that the ending would be an absolute disappointment to the readers. After Wei Suo left, her personal assistant Zhang Ziqiang was looking at Su Li with full respect, and said, Master Su Li, you are a genius! But arent going a bit too far? Of course, Im standing by your side about the ending. Itd really make Pure Romance remembered eternally by the readers. The characters in the story will become the legendary characters as well Su Li heaved a sigh. She had felt that she was not in her usual mood. Perhaps she had not recovered from the time when her ideas were bursting in, as well as the feeling of entering the manga world to witness everything by herself. But options were limited and she desperately wanted all her readers to know the real ending of this manga by hook or by crook, instead of simply making up a harmonious ending. Another thing, you had promised the readers on your Weibo that you will come out with a cheerful ending Isnt this ending cheerful enough? Darkened forms will ruin ones life and the scumbag guy must die, arent these full of positive energy? Hehe you are right. Great, our collaboration will end here. Let us settle the assistants payment. Alright, Master Su Li. Zhang Ziqiang had schemed through the truth. Su Li decided to give her readers positive energy. He felt that if he had the chance to become a serial mangaka, hed also wanted to learn from someone like Su Li with a positive mind. In the Wind Manga editing department, Yin Lang the chief editor was deliberately going through the final ending of Pure Romance. Sitting beside him was the restless Wei Suo. He was afraid when Yin Lang read up to the part of plot twist, he would get outraged and tore up the original draft. In that case, they would have to end their partnership with Su Li Albeit not paying full attention to the original draft, Wei Suo was aware that the ending was any scribblings of Su Li. Instead, she had demonstrated the best of her drawing skills in portraying this final ending. The scenes were so doughty, which was not a good thing, as it could have a tremendous impact on the mind of the readers! Great! This is amusing! Yin Lang suddenly hit against his working desk and gasped in admiration, This kind of badass male protagonist should be tortured to death, this is truly remarkable! Wei Suo was feeling dumbfounded while looking at his very own chief editor. He spoke gently, But the main character just died like that, wouldnt this be fooling the readers? Its terrible and totally doesnt match the readers expectation. Dont forget Master Su Lis promise to the readers on Weibo. She had specified that the ending of Pure Romance would be a harmonious one and every character would live happily. Yin Lang frowned a bit while thinking about this matter. But he had no words but continued reading it. Until the last part of ending where the extremely pretty Xu Jing in lily white dress was holding her book and strolling towards the sea, he again hit on his working desk and hollered, Su Li this fellar was out looking for trouble! Surprisingly, a good girl like Xu Jing didnt have the chance to live a happy life with Yang Xixi, this is so frustrating! After seeing Yin Lang stamping his foot, Wei Suo could not help rolling his eyes. Unexpectedly, the chief editor with bushy eyebrows and big eyes had also abandoned the revolution and went astray. No wonder when he saw the male protagonist, Yang Ming was set to death, he was grinning from ear to ear, just like a kid who weighs 100kg After a while, Yin Lang calmed himself down and sat on his chair, restoring his pride as a chief editor. He adjusted his eyeglasses, then stuck both of his hands to the desk and placed his lower jaw on his hands. With his eyeglasses emitting bare coldness, he slowly said, I was reading the final ending of Pure Romance using the normal readers perspective just now. In all fairness, the male protagonists death was really delightful, but the tragedy faced by Xu Jing was too much. However, considering what Xu Jing had done previously, if Xu Jing was let to stay alive, this would show the deviation of moral values, as if we were encouraging the readers to win someones heart by fair means or foul. To possess someone by hurting others, this twisted action was totally wrong. The darkened Xu Jing was still pitiful yet detestable Yin Lang gave his comments about the ending with a steady pace, but Wei Suo was not calm enough. Impatiently, he asked, Chief Editor Yin, should we Wind Manga publish this ending? Chapter 44 Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation At last, Wind Manga decided to publish the final ending of Pure Romance, simply because if they did not publish it, the adamant Su Li would be posting it on the Internet. They would rather use the final ending of Pure Romance to boost up the magazines sales once again. Besides, when facing a genius and pretty mangaka like Su Li, who got famous with only her first publication, a compromise should be made anyway. As long as her next manga continued to receive high popularity, Wind Manga had nothing to lose. About the matter of whether Su Lis manga would be a success, it had nothing to be worried about. She had gained so many fans now! After discussion with the other editors, the chief editor Yin Lang believed that the final ending might trigger a vigorous response from the readers, but for sure it was able to leave an everlasting impression upon them. Also, Pure Romance had turned out to be the most unique manga among all Harem mangas. Once the readers mentioned about Harem manga, Pure Romance would not be left out. This was a good thing, wasnt it? Better than those Harem mangas which fade into oblivion as time ticks away. Whats more, the final ending was depicted with innate artistry. The miserable ending where almost everyone were dead was like a tribute to Urobuchi Gen. It was a gimmick that might lead the eccentric readers to praise the nice boat ending, making it an eternal punchline in the world of otaku. This manga would eventually be recognized as one legendary manga. In short, this ending of Pure Romance was certain be published in the next volume of Wind Manga magazine. Knowing that the next chapter would already be the final one, many readers of Pure Romance expressed their incredulous feelings on the internet C Why does Pure Romance end so soon? It is gaining so much popularity now, supposedly it should continue its works I hope Master Su Li could continue publishing for another ten years at least! Pure Romance should at least wait until the anime version has ended its screening and then only release its ending, or else wouldnt the probability of elevated sales after the release of anime be wasted? I wanted to say that I would still want to see the scumbag guy Yang Ming to own more pretty girls, Im terribly reluctant to see its ending! The greatest relationship between Xu Jing and Yang Xixi has not been illustrated enough, it should not be ending like this. I am waiting for Yang Xixis body and true heart to be tackled by the goddess Xu Jing! In any case, the final ending of Pure Romance should be a perfect one, since the big boss Su Li had a modest personality and high moral principles, she wouldnt bare to screw us up, right? Not bad, though the ending seemed kinda out of the blue, but I still believe she will bring us a satisfying ending. If she opens a new serial publication, I will definitely continue supporting her! Master Su Li had said that if shed give us a bad ending, she will eat sh*t in return. Do you think anyone on earth loves eating sh*t? It was a Saturday. After the end of night revision class, Jiang Chao who had returned to the dorm was reading the fans comments of Pure Romance on the Internet. Of course, he shared the same feeling with them. Although he was incredulous that the last chapter of Pure Romance would be released next week, but due to his full confidence in the great mangaka Su Li, he felt that Su Li would not bring about disappointment in any case. The big boss Su Li was that beautiful and kind-hearted lady, for sure she would not screw her readers up, showing the loyal readers a bad ending. At the same time, Jiang Chao decided that he would continue to support Su Li if she were to start up a new series of publication. Besides, he would join Su Lis fans club as well. How nice would it be if he could grab a close interaction with Su Li! Brother Chao, what are you looking at? Laughing in such an agitated way. One of his roommates named Xu Haitao walked to him and placed his hands upon his shoulders while speaking. Jiang Chao answered in an honest manner, Pure Romance will be ending soon, and Im reading the comments regarding this news on the internet. What? Pure Romance is ending soon? Thanks to your recommendation, Ive been chasing after every chapter with full enjoyment. I really wanna be like the main character Yang Ming. It was so fun for him to be having affairs with multiple girls! Why is there such a huge gap between him and me? I mean we are both high school kids! But Im still a virgin, dude! Xu Haitaos face was filled with hatred, jealousy and admiration upon mentioning Yang Ming. Xu Haitao genuinely felt that it was nothing wrong to become a scumbag like Yang Ming. To him, if any girl would ingratiate herself with him, letting him do anything as he pleased, how could he possibly withstand this? After following Pure Romance, he felt as if nothing was left inside his body due to a severe loss of semen. Jiang Chao looked at Xu Haitao in disdain and scoffed, Fatty Xu, why are you acting like a male dog? The best part of Pure Romance is definitely the perfect match between my goddess Xu Jing and Yang Xixi. Do you even know why this manga is entitled Pure Romance? It is exactly to depict the purest love in homosexuality, while the heterosexuality parts were nothing more than all the dirty works of sex plays! Not concerned with Jiang Chaos sarcastic words, Xu Haitao bent his arms around Jiang Chaos shoulder. He laughed, No matter what, I still wanted to thank you for your recommendation. Ive never thought this manga could be such an interesting piece of artwork. The rest to whom you had recommended this manga have also acknowledged your good taste for discovering this legendary manga! Jiang Chaos eyes were brimming with satisfaction and arrogance. He murmured to himself, This manga was the one which prompted her beloved mangaka Su Li to be graced as a goddess, how can it be not good? Haha The next day came and it was a Sunday, Jiang Chao was not all ears during the morning revision class. His brain was occupied with the ending of Pure Romance. He was anticipating how Su Li would bring him a surprising ending, and would he really feel happy about it? As usual, when evening fell, Jiang Chao immediately rushed to buy the Wind Manga magazine, without having lunch in the canteen. He would rather return to his dorm and cook himself an instant noodle just to read Pure Romance the soonest he could. He admitted that he was nothing different from those die-hard fangirls of male celebrities, except that he admired Su Li and her manga Pure Romance. He even went all lengths saving his pocket money to tip Su Li Jiang Chao looked at the full-colored cover page of Wind Manga. It was his goddess Xu Jing in a lily white dress, with beautiful eyebrows. He instantly felt that his maiden heart was going to explode. He desperately wanted to enter the two dimensional world, solely to gaze at her elegance from a close distance. In the three dimensional world, a goddess like Xu Jing would not exist, absolutely not! Holding a strong anticipation, he opened the magazine and naturally flipped to Su Lis special column like what he usually did Chapter 45 Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation Jiang Chao knew from the beginning that Yang Ming was a scumbag in Pure Romance. He just did not expect Yang Ming to be worst off. Just not so long ago, he was sticking like glue with his childhood friend Li XiaoTong, yet his heart had changed completely all of a sudden. Well, he realized that Liu Sha was more to his liking, and was deeply touched by the changes in her as well However, Yang Ming kept wandering between the two, until Li Xiaotong decided to stomp into his house based on her females intuition. She made quite a scene, stating that she could not stand Liu Sha anymore. But, Liu Sha stated that she was able to tolerate anything and this led Yang Ming to make his decision. Actually Yang Ming felt awesome during his times with Liu Sha, as he could spend all the money he wanted. He was even willing to have a high-class dinner with Liu Sha, instead of going home for Li Xiaotongs home-cook dishes. Up to this point, Jiang Chao hated the male protagonist even more. He just hoped that Su Li would not believe in the crappy concept of take all virgins and made Xu Jing and Yang Xixi his lovers. That was the only thing he could never accept. Besides, his only wish was that Xu Jing and Yang Xixi could live happily together. However, the subsequent development of the story was completely out of Jiang Chaos expectation! Never had he thought that Li Xiaotong would stab Yang Ming to death with a kitchen knife, all because she could not accept that Yang Ming would choose Liu Sha over her. She even sat on Yang Mings body and continued stabbing his dead body; the scene had suddenly become a gory and violent one! Jiang Chao had not even gotten the chance to finish his instant noodle, and lost all his appetite at once. He even wanted to throw up the everything he just ate Why did the drawing style changed to this in a twinkling? With Su Lis drawing skill at its peak, the continuous stabbing scene was very realistic and convincing! Had anyone been standing in the shoes of the childhood friend, Li Xiaotong, they would be extremely satisfied. Because a scumbag like Yang Ming definitely deserved to be stabbed to death! Jiang Chao was relieved. If he had been standing in the male protagonists shoes, he would be in a painful euphoria as he had dreamed that all his women could live together peacefully. To think that he would be killed by his childhood friend who used to love him, by stabbing him to death while riding on his body! In any case, Jiang Chao felt a weird satisfaction over the stabbing, though he still considered his three views to be normal. Ever since becoming a scumbag, Yang Ming had despised the male protagonist completely. Even though he always read it with excitement, especially every single time when the male character had a disagreement, he would have sex with the females. Of course, this was all thanks to the contribution of the artist Su Li. In order to respect her hard-work, he had to give all of himself to examine the work thoroughly, anyway that was his initial intention. However, he failed to get rid of the dirty thoughts which were burning inside of his body after reading it. He could only say that Su Lis drawing skill was out of this world Since Yang Ming was dead, Jiang Chao had a higher expectation from the story. If he had not mistaken, Yang Ming became a scumbag because of the mastermind, Xu Jing. She did not do anything to Yang Ming directly, but she manipulated the good impression of the girls who laid out for Yang Ming, and made them fought over him using methods. This led Li Xiaotong to be dumped, darkened and eventually killed the male protagonist in the end. Obviously, Xu Jing had achieved her objective C to make Yang Xixi give up on Yang Ming completely. This could not be wrong. Yang Ming was already dead. If so, why would Yang Xixi still hold her love for her brother? Hmm, the ending should be something like Xu Jing and Yang Xixi living happily together ever after? A satisfying smile took over Jiang Chaos face, but continuing reading the story, his eyes were widely opened as the story developed. He had no idea that Liu Sha possessed such an impressive knifemanship. Not only did Liu Sha end Li Xiaotongs life with a cleaver, she had even cut open Li Xiaotongs belly, just to make sure the latter was not bearing a child. Oh, that felt so good! Obviously, Liu Sha was darkened due to Yang Mings death. They had promised to be each others guardian angel, but Yang Ming was sent to heaven unexpectedly by Li Xiaotong. She could only use such an extreme way to take revenge on Li Xiaotong. Jiang Chao felt that the ending was really a twist of plot, both intense and exciting. The scene where Liu Sha was cutting Li Xiaotong with the cleaver was also shockingly gruesome, which corrupted his mind. He questioned himself if he had read a fake Pure Romance. Later when Liu Sha was shot to death due to her resisting the arrest and assaulting the police officer, he felt that the development was getting really cheap! Why is the ending getting more and more out of line? However, Jiang Chao still had his high hopes on one last thing. This was also his biggest motivation for reading Pure Romance. He thought naturally, would Xu Jing and Yang Xixi be able to live together happily or not? As long the ending stayed that way, all the previous corruption would be purified at once. If the ending was the other way round hahaha, how would an accident like that possibly occur? The gorgeous and kind-hearted Su Li had stated affirmatively, that the ending would be a happy reunion. The previous part of the ending must be just an accident; the real happy ending must be referring to the beautiful yuri love between Xu Jing and Yang Xixi, right? There could not go wrong; it had to be that way! Jiang Chao was smiling radiantly, until he saw the nice boat ending which sent him to the verge of collapsing! Yang Xixi brought her brothers head and sailed to sea, leaving Xu Jing behind! How could she have such a level of brother complex as a sister? Why was she so hell-bent on her brother? This was completely f*ucked up! That bright smile freezed on his face, as if he was in a meltdown. Especially when it came down to that graceful scene where Xu Jing walked towards the sea under the sunset, and was completely swallowed up by the sea, Jiang Chao had an outburst of emotion. At that moment, Xu Jing became the most ravishing female character in Pure Romance. She was crying and smiling at the same time, and said that studying was her most beloved thing. Her passion for learning had been implanted deeply into the readers minds and hearts. Whenever readers thought of Xu Jing, their first impression would be an elite scholar, and then her tragic background, a loving daughter to her parents, someone who excelled in house chores, and stayed true to her heart Having an outburst, Jiang Chao tore his Wind Manga into a million pieces. His eyes were turning red, just like a crazy person. He kept mumbling to himself, Why had it turned out to be this way For the first time I have a favorite mangaka, and also this Pure Romance which really touched my heart. When these two happy things came together, a strong feeling of happiness came forth. I was supposed to get the time of my life, living in my dreams but, why, why had it turned out to be this way? Chapter 46 Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation Meanwhile, it was the same old Sunday, Zhao Youyue was crazy enough to attend the night selfCstudy session, after all she was having her final term exam in two days time. Even though she performed averagely in studies. But when it came to exams, she knew it was time to be serious and would seize every minute and every second, thus bringing the idiom burning the midnight oil to a whole new level. In terms of exams, Zhao Youyue was not skilled in answering difficult questions, but she could handle the others like a piece of cake. At the very least, she would not lose marks on simple questions. She was not particularly weak in any subject, and so her results did not have a lot of ups and downs. It was previously mentioned that she was not able to compose an essay that could astound the markers like Han Leng. However, with her neat handwriting, clean pages, along with the template of one main point, three sub-points and numerous historical figures with examples in her argumentative essay, she was able to nail the paper. For this seventy-mark paper, Han Leng could normally score around 60 and 65 if he performed well. As for Zhao Youyue, her essays were never below the 58 mark tier, but also, she had never achieved anything higher than that. Even if there was a difference, it would be negligible. Perhaps her actual writing skills should earn only around 55 marks, but owing to her neat and tidy handwriting that gave a good impression for the marker, her actual score increased. Mr. Qiu never asked Zhao Youyue to read her essay aloud, as there was nothing special about it and her writing skills were way too normal. Still, he would project her paper onto the screen as a good example for reference, encouraging the other students to look up to her neat and tidy works. This was the rare opportunity she could reflect her sense of presence to others. Mr. Qiu also mentioned if Han Leng could improve his messy handwriting, and made his work neater and tidier in all ways, his essay actually had a sporting chance to achieve full marks. Mr. Qiu could not help to grumble about Zhao Youyues essay. He complained to her not to use the same instances such as Han Xing, Si Maqian, Newton, Edison etc. over and over again, why couldnt she have placed in some new names as her examples? Zhao Youyue would pretend to accept Mr. Qius advise, but when the exams came, she would still stick to her old writing style without changing a single thing. Anyhow, she was able to get a relatively high score with this style of writing, and it was not by some dumb luck. So what for wasting her brain capacity to learn new names just for examples? Zhao Youyue was really looking forward to obtain the power of the Xu Jings possession. Once Xu Jing became an iconic character, she would be able to allow Xu Jing to possess herself in real life. Moreover, she also wanted to gain the ability of Xu Jings addiction towards studying. This was mainly because she could only concentrate for a maximum of 20 minutes during class hours. Then, she would be staring blankly into thin air. She actually felt terrible for wasting time, at least playing with her phone was better than doing nothing. Unfortunately, she was not brave enough to use her phone in the open, as that was too difficult for her to handle Once she had the ability of the Xu Jings possession, such incidents would never happen again. When Zhao Youyue was in the manga world, she had experienced the seriousness Xu Jing could get when being involved in studying. She felt that Xu Jings obsession with studies paralleled the obsession with her phone. Without them, they would both feel very anxious and uncomfortable, just like a fish without its water. If Zhao Youyue could remember precisely, the ending for Pure Romance would be released somewhat today. It all came down to the influence of Pure Romance whether Xu Jing could become an iconic character for the readers or not. Before the night self-study session began, there were some extra time where students had finished their dinners and returned to their respective classrooms. Of course, some students would take this opportunity to freshen up themselves at their dormitory, so that they would feel energetic enough for the session later. It was during this hour, a sudden bustling noise came from the classrooms corridor had caught many students attention. Currently, Zhao Youyues seating had been changed closer to the window, which was seated by the corridor of the classroom. She was not exactly seated by the window as Jiang Qing was in between. Her seating was originally at the inner side of the classroom, by the window. However, everyones seating would change by groups every two weeks. Actually, her current sitting position was pretty dangerous as Mr. Qiu was a cunning person. He liked to observe the class from behind while passing by quietly. If Zhao Youyue took her phone out in the open, she was very likely to be caught red-handed by Mr. Qiu. Therefore, whenever her seat was the first group near the corridors window, she would be in great pain. She must pretend to be concentrating in the morning classes without playing her phone for two weeks. Even when she was in the second group, she would be highly vigilant about her surroundings. Only in the third or fourth group, she could use her phone freely as her humanoid radar could work perfectly, not to mention she had aid from her little angel, Jiang Qing. Zhao Youyue had no interest in the ruckus happenings outside the classroom. She was taking the self-study session seriously, as she intended to revise everything from the last semester and redo all the questions she had answered wrongly. Those difficult questions would still be unanswerable, but at the very least she could answer those easy and moderate questions accurately. She only hoped she could achieve top 20 with this final exam results. Therefore, she played with her phone till she was satisfied with her leisure time before settling down for her night self-study session. She came to study with her classmates in school mainly because of the learning atmosphere. She was also afraid that she could not control herself near mobile phones and ended up using them till she was asleep. When she woke up, she would feel regretful and worried that she would flunk her final term exam. If she was studying together with her classmates in the classroom, with a cunning teacher like Mr. Qiu, he would definitely be observing everyone from the shadow. Out of fear and respect to Mr. Qiu, she could then force herself to concentrate on her revision. Therefore, study was as if a mission impossible for Zhao Youyue. It was also why she yearned for the ability to be addicted to study after getting the power of Xu Jings possession. The D-day, was finally near. Just when Zhao Youyue was too lazy to care about the fuss outside her classroom, her desk mate Jiang Qing tapped on her shoulder gently when she was playing with her phone. She sounded surprised when she said, Jiang Chao is surrounded by a few boys from our class, and their leader is Xu Haitao, arent they supposed to be good friends? Only then Zhao Youyue put away her phone, and saw approximately four or five guys had surrounded Jiang Chao at the edge of the corridor. Their expressions were a mixture of anger and sorrow, and Xu Haitao looked as if he wanted to f*ck Jiang Chaos ass. Jiang Chao kept grumbling, Im so stupid, how would I know that Su Li Just like Lady Xiang Lin [1], he had the face of a man who had nothing to live for. Translation Note: [1] Lady Xiang Lin (ɩ) is a character in Lu Xuns novel The New Years Sacrifice. She was a querulous woman who always looked depressed, and her name is used by Chinese to refer to someone who behaves like her. Chapter 47 Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation Most of the students in class could not understand how Jiang Chao could make that bunch of boys who had always surrounded him become so sorrowful and angry, as if Jiang Chao had killed their fathers. You gotta know, Jiang Chao was a veteran manga fan. Every word he uttered regarding the tittle-tattles within the world of manga experts was well-grounded and reasoned. In this semester, he recommended several high-quality manga-s to his classmates. Therefore, he had some prestige in class. Those classmates who were interested in the world of manga was mainly because of Jiang Chao. Naturally they looked up to Jiang Chao as their leader and gradually created a small bunch in a united way. Unfortunately, this was a high school which was very particular about the examination results, as a consequence, there were no curricular activities in school. Otherwise, Jiang Chao would definitely organize a Manga Study Club. However, Jiang Chaos current Manga Study Club was on the verge of falling apart. For students who were not interested in manga, of course they were gloating over what had happened. The person who always disdained Jiang Chao was none other than Zhao Youyues ex-deskmate, Zhou Fang. Crowing over the happenings, she had stretched her neck even higher to show her complacent expression. As a top student, Zhou Fang could never understand those fellars who wasted their time on meaningless manga-s and novels. She even felt that they were wasting their youth. Zhao Youyues current deskmate, Jiang Qing did not crow over Jiang Chaos misfortune. But she was very curious and concerned about the situation outside the classroom. She even asked Zhao Youyue to join the crowd. She subconsciously asked Zhao Youyue, Lady Zhao, what do you think had happened between them? Zhao Youyue did not answer but quickly came to a realization. Perhaps the destructive Pure Romances ending had made that bunch of boys who were happily chasing after Pure Romance felt rather entrapped. After flashback of some memories, they recalled that it was Jiang Chao, this dumb-ass who had hard-sold Pure Romance to them, leading them to be entrapped, and trusted the evil Drug Lord mangaka, Su Li! Zhao Youyue was kind of guilty internally, in a sense that she was the mastermind behind the curtain who was manipulating Pure Romances storyline. She had no choice but wanted to use Xu Jings ability in the manga to improve her examination results. However, she did not expect Su Li to have changed her from being a passer-by to a supporting character. At last, Su Li even decided to make her as the female protagonist. She could not be humble either since the creator had decided to make her a female protagonist. As a last resort, she could only use an extreme way to set up Xu Jings character. This was because Pure Romance was a Harem manga which had something to do with the characters IQ and most of the storyline relied on its erotic scenes. So how could Xu Jing become a memorable iconic character that would be remembered by every reader in such Harem manga?! This is known as fighting fire with fire! Initially, Zhao Youyue resented Su Li, who tried hard to find fault within her. But she accidentally caused countless of readers ot be entrapped ruthlessly However, Zhao Youyue was not the one to have taken the blame but these were all Su Lis fault. Outside the classroom, Xu Haitao patted his chest and spoke to Jiang Chao with a pitiful expression, Brother Chao! I have really treated you as my own brother! I trusted you so much but why were you recommending Pure Romance to me? That mangaka named Su Li, she is simply evil and of course a Drug Lord! Jiang Chao felt shameful to answer Xu Haitaos complains as he had also held a strong grudge towards Su Li, the malevolent female mangaka. Jiang Chao was currently becoming a fan who completely turned to the dark side! Xu Jing was his goddess and eventually she was left behind with such an ending. Besides, that nice boat ending was simply a sinkhole for readers! This was a typical way of showing the readers some crappy stories and deliberately packaged the storyline into a chocolate with tempting looks! Do you know how much Ive sacrificed for Pure Romance? In order to call on this bunch of fellars who were used to reading pirated manga online to support Drug Lord Su Li, to read her original version, and even to tip Pure Romance, I had allowed this bunch of fellars to touch my B-cup chest to vent their sexual desire after reading Pure Romance. After all of this, youre telling me that Pure Romance has come to such an ending?! Now, I really want to end my life! The fats on Xu Haitaos face were trembling, he almost cried his heart out and felt wronged! Meanwhile, the surrounding Manga Study Clubs members were all silently lowering their heads, inexplicably wanted to laugh after listening to Xu Haitaos words. Jiang Chaos former expression of a man who had nothing to live for immediately changed. He shouted, Oh f*ck! There is such a trick? After that, Jiang Chao reached out to Xu Haitaos chest. So this was the feeling of touching the legendary B-cup chest?! Jiang Chao immediately ran away after touching Xu Haitaos chest, and then Xu Haitao chased after Jiang Chao crazily. He wanted to catch Jiang Chao, so that he could hang him up and beat him as much as he could. As a result, both of them were caught and reprimanded by Mr. Qiu relentlessly. Mr. Qiu even warned them if both of them failed their final exams, they were going to be punished! Both of them showed an expression of feeling wronged. The ending of Pure Romance made them even more depressed which they simply could not do well in their exams! Argh, they would definitely fail in the final exams! However, it was alright to fail the final exams as when they began their second semester, teachers would always forget about the warnings they gave in the previous semester. Zhao Youyue found herself very fulfilling in the three night-revision lessons. With the threatening of final exams, she forced herself to study and found a slight sensation just like how Xu Jing was obsessed with studying. When she thought she could directly use Xu Jings ability in the future, her mood became joyful. When she was on her way home, she finally took out her phone in the car. At this moment, she felt really great playing with her hand phone. The first reason was that she actually endured for a long time. Secondly, she did her revision in a serious way and made her felt at peace of mind, therefore, when she was playing her phone, she came out to be convincing and faithful self. She started scrolling Weibo and found out the ending of Pure Romance had become Weibos hot topic! Darkened, Cleaver and Nice boat these words became so common all of a sudden. Besides, the character name that everyone mentioned the most was none other than Xu Jing! This was definitely due to Xu Jings character who turned out to be the most controversial ever. Her experiences in the manga as well as her character itself were the most overflowing thing in Pure Romance. It could even be said that she was the only one who had IQ, while the one with the IQ of 250, missy Liu Sha, she was actually rather silly, not really sensible and stubborn. Before Xu Jing plotted against the male protagonist just because of Yang Xixi, with her own ability, Xu Jing revenged in replace for her parents. This led to a lot of discussions at once and almost no one dared to question Xu Jings retaliated behaviour, as her vengeance really did work off ones anger and seemed rather enjoyable. However, just when Xu Jing plotted against the male protagonist due to her distorted love towards Yang Xixi, Xu Jing had turned into a darkened self and this gradually triggered the debates. Since the ending of Pure Romance had been released, the debates about this character and the dissatisfaction with the ending had also reached its peak! Lastly, Su Lis promise was totally a joke! Chapter 48 Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation Subsequent to the release of Pure Romance ending, the number of followers for Su Lis Weibo had skyrocketed. It was not that her ending was alluring, instead, it had ticked off numerous readers. Having followed her Weibo, they could then lash out on her whenever they wanted. Below her latest Weibo post, there were vigorous responses from the readers as such The ending of Pure Romance is like feeding us sh*ts! I wont read the works written by this bastard mangaka anymore! But Ill still be in your Weibo to troll you everyday! Just let that scumbag hero Yang Ming die I detest scumbags anyway. But why not giving Xu Jing a good ending? Come on mangaka, she had been suffering so much, cant you just sympathize with her? I think this Su Li must be a hardcore fan of Urobuchi Gen. Thats why she had deliberately come out with such an ending where almost everyone are dead. Is she trying to play with the innocent readers like us? Still Ive to admit, she had successfully created a big news, Im afraid I wont forget this Pure Romance for the rest of my live! Full support for my Goddess Xu Jing! Im so pissed off! This dramatic change of drawing style is totally unpredictable! Its almost poisonous! The ending scene of Xu Jing in a lily white dress, standing by the sea was perfectly beautiful! I had cried a river upon seeing it. Sob, I really want to give her a hug The character of Yang Xixi was deplorable. To forcefully give Xu Jing a wistful ending, you have specified that Yang Xixi would only love her brother deadly till the end of time. Im speechless. If this could happen in reality, for sure there wont be a ridiculous ending like nice boat. Hugging someones chopped-off head while sailing towards the sunset? Ugh, that is gut-churning! You must have done it on purpose! I will just laugh, and share out the promises youd made to the readers on Weibo. Haha, everyone lets see how sketchy is this hateful mangaka. For all the times she promised a happy and complete ending for Pure Romance, it was just to trap more and more readers, then rip them all apart abruptly! I have seen through your scheme, mangaka. Well, well, this society is dangerous indeed! Wait, why dont you just go and eat sh*ts? Broadcast it live to everyone! Looking at the widespread criticisms of Su Li on Weibo, Zhao Youyues mouth curved in a smile. Ultimately, all of this was Su Lis fault. Why would she suddenly pay attention to the character of Xu Jing? Why would she decide to abuse Xu Jing? This had deprived her of the opportunities to study. Thus as Xu Jings master, Zhao Youyue had to launch a fierce counter attack! Besides railing against Su Li on Weibo, everyone also discussed about Xu Jing, and it seemed that the discussion would only get more intense by time. Almost seventy percent of the readers were on Su Lis side. They were so sympathetic towards Xu Jing, and reckoned that Su Li was flying in the face of the readers by drawing her dead. Some readers commented that they would be down in the dumps for at least half a month upon this ending Meanwhile, there were some eccentric readers who liked to do gimmicks. They had condemned Xu Jing with these unorthodox viewpoints Within the entire Pure Romance, the biggest troublemaker was actually Xu Jing. Yeah, this female character was the culprit who led the manga down the path of a miserable ending! It was just that some people were blinded by their emotions. Deeply moved by Xu Jings poor background and so-called passion in studies, they had inadvertently fallen heads over heels for her. In fact, this girl was subtle and full of schemes, not to mention that her morals were twisted, thus she always resorted to extreme approaches to achieve her aims. Had she not stirred up so much troubles, the hero would not go rogue, then all the characters would be able to live happily, right? Hence, Xu Jings wistful ending was of her own making. She deserved to die, and she had brought death upon herself. Every pathetic person must have something despicable about them. A girl like Xu Jing was too scary, and akin to the natural enemy of guys. As a straight guy, Im bothered by her yuri character which competes with the guys for pretty girls. Also, I couldnt bear the sight of her plotting against the hero Yang Ming. Im not sure what Su Li was thinking, how could she come up with such a troublemaking character at the first place? She was not even a member of the heros harem, this had completely deviated from the conventional route of a Harem manga. Luckily my heart was strong enough to endure this, otherwise I must have given up this manga long ago. Anyway, whats so bad about Xu Jings death in the end? Wasnt it delightful? Now, our eyes no longer need to suffer from seeing her pathetic face in this world. Following the appearance of these comments, without a doubt, the loyal guardians of Goddess Xu Jing had become restless. They surged out to support Xu Jing Xu Jing did everything out of true love. Whats wrong with plotting against the hero? Could the hero Yang Ming be more responsible and more impervious to seductions, he would not be thinking with his penis. Then Xu Jings scheme would be futile. Dont make it sounds like everything was Xu Jings fault, some people really have incredible logics! Yang Ming was a natural scumbag, so he had to die, but Xu Jing was innocent! Unfortunately, Xu Jing was blinded by her love towards another scumbag Yang Xixi. Sure enough, these two were brother and sister, as the same type of persons live under the same roof. Yang Xixi had been making use of Xu Jing as a substitute all the way, yet kicked her away in the end. To think that there would be some who had complimented her faithfulness in love. If she loved her brother that much, why didnt she reject Xu Jing since the beginning? Just let Xu Jing go dating with her studies. I had strongly believed in Xu Jings adamance, but eventually, she was sinking deeper and deeper. At last, I could do nothing except heaving a long sigh over the miserable ending. In any case, I want to emphasize, that the soul character of Pure Romance is Xu Jing, and only Xu Jings name could match the title Pure Romance! Support my Goddess Xu Jing forever! Putting it bluntly, if it was not because of Xu Jing, could such a second-class Harem manga possibly set the world on fire? I cant believe there are people who could say that Xu Jing deserved death. She reaped what she sowed! The hell is that? Do you guys have no conscience? Without Goddess Xu Jing, there wouldnt be you bunch of clowns who had cooked up all sorts of exaggerated remarks solely to seek attention! I suspect that you guys had lost your mind after reading the horrific ending, thus you intentionally made those remarks to look for rebukes. The war of comments between the readers over Xu Jings ending was unstoppable, that it might even last forever. Seeing that, Zhao Youyue realized that she had successfully crafted an iconic female character. Subsequently, she saw one picture of a two dimensional character with a basic ponytail, appearing above the miraculous Two Dimensional Gate in her mind. It was the character card of Xu Jing. She was still holding a book, expressionless. Touching this character card with her spiritual sense, Zhao Youyue discovered three uses of the card for now, as more uses would probably be unlocked in future. For the present options, the first was the normal usage to inherit all character abilities of Xu Jing; the second was one-time sacrifice of the character card to select a literature world of equivalent energy level; the third was also one-time sacrifice of the character card, but to enter a literature world of higher energy level! Of course, this world of higher energy level would be random, not selectable Chapter 49 Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation Upon visualization of these three uses, Zhao Youyue very soon came to a realization. The first option was within her expectation, which allowed her to wield the abilities of Xu Jing in reality. This way of use could actually be perpetual, because Xu Jing was already an iconic character. As long as the readers remembered Xu Jing, they would grant her unlimited willpower which could then be absorbed by Zhao Youyue. Now, the second option, was to allow Xu Jing to trade the abilities of this iconic character for the abilities of another iconic character. Having sacrificed Xu Jings character card, she could then select to enter another literary world. Not to forget, her previous literary world was but another slice-of-life world of the lowest energy level. Thus the next literary world she was going would also be a slice-of-life world without any superpower. If one was allowed to select a literary world, any reasonably intelligent person would certainly opt to enter the world of iconic works, as well as shifting into an iconic female character who was destined to be popular. With that, one could even achieve a sleeping victory [1], and probably obtain the character card in the end, unlike Zhao Youyue who had spent tremendous efforts and thoughts. In a sense, the second option was considered by Zhao Youyue as a fair trade, as the character card of Xu Jing was basically traded for the character card of another slice-of-life iconic female character. Here came the problem. The real world in which Zhao Youyue had existed was a parallel world. Though she had remembered a couple of prominent authors and iconic works like Silkworm Potato, Urobuchi Gen, but there were more literary works unknown to her, such as King of Superpower and Pure Romance. She had never heard their names in her life, and sometimes she could not even distinguish if they were truly iconic, as a popular work is not necessarily an iconic work. Some works were not well known during their serialization, but someday after the end of their serialization, they were discovered, yet emerging as iconic works. There were actually quite a number of such works Hence, if she rashly sacrificed Xu Jings character card and accidentally jumped into a slice-of-life world of a non-iconic novel, that would be a big loss! Not only would that squander the Xu Jings character card, yet she was unable to assure a sleeping victory. Every literary work takes time to compose. Zhao Youyue had spent a semester long to obtain Xu Jings character card. Not until the end of Pure Romance, her efforts were proven fruitful. She had pretty much developed feelings towards this character card, which was all crafted with her sole effort. Therefore, this second option was seemingly attractive but it actually required deliberate consideration before use. Unless she had obtained a lot of character cards, otherwise it was not recommended to simply sacrifice one, as it would disappear forever after use. As for the third option, never would Zhao Youyue cast her lot with such an approach. Her luck was not that terrible to consume her life inexplicably, but she was neither someone under Lady Lucks wing. Thus her possibility of achieving sleeping victory in a higher-energy-level literary world was still next to none. If she again shifted into a second-class literary world like King of Superpower, she would be at loss for how to mold an iconic female character. Once sacrificing Xu Jings character card, Zhao Youyue could no longer make use of Xu Jings abilities. This was absolutely unacceptable for Zhao Youyue who was desperate to improve her exam results. It was not that Zhao Youyue did not desire superpower, but she was able to suppress her recklessness and weight the pros and cons carefully. Her utmost priority was the ability to be engrossed in studies for now. A regular superpower like telekinesis might grant her invincibility in this world, but wouldnt that make her too conspicuous to be hunted down by the great forces? Hmm perhaps Zhao Youyue had been afflicted with paranoia due to reading too many webnovels and mangas. She was afraid that the government would capture her for research purpose. She was even worried that the possession of superpower would cause her scientific world to become unscientific To her, that kind of world was frightening. At the same time, she believed that Two Dimensional Gate would place restrictions on the usage of superpower. Imagine someone in reality could obtain the power to bring destruction upon the whole world. Had the real world been destroyed, the novel itself would also vanish for sure. Wasnt that ridiculous? Not to mention that all human was exterminated, who would be around to contribute willpower to her character card? Zhao Youyue was lazy to think further. Anyway, she preferred to explore this Two Dimensional Gate step by step. For now, she could not wait to try out the effects after activating the character card of Xu Jing. She instinctively activated Xu Jings character card and then, the familiar feeling came back to her. In the past, this feeling would only appear in the world of Pure Romance, but now, it had taken come about in the reality. Wow! Overwhelmed with excitement, Zhao Youyue felt like jumping up in the air. This must be the fruits of her endeavour! Two Dimension Gate is awesome! That being said, no matter how happy she was for now, her face would remain expressionless. In a sense, she had been possessed by Xu Jing. She could smile only if Yang Xixi showed up before her, but that was impossible. Thinking of this, she actually had a tingle of heartache, unbelievable Ultimately, Zhao Youyue was not Xu Jing, thus she quickly casted aside this negative emotion, and buried herself in studies. Ahh, she began feeling intoxicated with studies! Fun! Hurray! Fantastic! How could studying be such a happy thing? How could she never realize that studying was so attractive? Zhao You had even considered studying in reality was way more fun and comfortable than studying in the world of Pure Romance! Ultimately, she was in reality and using her own body, while in the world of Pure Romance, it was but an abstract body. Separated by a wall of dimension, it felt merely like dreaming as all human five senses were undermined. This was a good thing indeed. Zhao Youyue would have died out of pain when Su Li was being abused, yet in unpredictable ways at all times When indulging in her studies, Zhao Youyue had forgotten a task she wanted to do. Translate Note: [1] Sleeping victory Ӯ is victory achieved by one without paying much effort. Chapter 50 Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation Zhao Youyue wanted to post her dark secret into Su Lis fanpage group. She would use her status as Sect Master, to instill Su Li with a guilty conscience. Unlike other readers, she did this just because she want to stand up for Xu Jing. She felt wonderful for having Xu Jing, the iconic character card, which she totally fallen into. No matter what situation, Zhao Youyue felt like she would not sacrifice Xu Jings character card easily. Unlike Xu Jings character setting, Zhao Youyue was a precious daughter in the family, her parents were healthy too. Xu Jing however, faced great limitation in learning, as she had to help her mother with chores, and taking care of her father who was very ill. Zhao Youyue had plenty of time to learn, but she lacked the perseverance to do so. Even though she knew she had to change, she always could not resist her urge to play with her mobile phone, thus making her wasted precious time on meaningless entertainment. After she had Xu Jing, she used Xu Jings ability to learn more while she had time in her disposal. She used to admire those who can play music instruments, those who can sing and dance at school festivals, something she could not do. Jiang Qing, The little angel who sat beside her in class, was one of those people she admired. Zhao Youyue was always a kind person, she never felt any jealousy toward others. She thought of herself as someone who had zero talent, and yet refuse to have the resolve to learn any skill, so she was just another face in the crowd who cheered for others. Things are different now after the appearance of Xu Jing. The character herself, yearns for knowledge, not just limited to those that can be acquired from books but to her surroundings as well. Due to her characters settings, she did not have the chance to do so. In reality, Zhao Youyue can utilize this ability of hers, to accomplish what she wanted to learn. For instance, she can always let Xu Jing to possess her into learning a musical instrument that she wished to. She remembered that she used to learn violin, piano and GuZheng C an ancient Chinese music instrument, when she was at young age. She learned violin for three months, while the others did not even last for a month before she gave up on them. She was always full of confidence at the beginning of a lesson, determined to master it. Even if it meant having to sacrifice her weekends to do so. This had her thrown her mind off balance, while other kids used to enjoy their weekends while she was stuck learning musical instruments. When she had this thought in her mind, all those resolve to learn music instrument, dreaming of becoming one of the best musicians out there, would vanish instantly. After that, she would only think of how to enjoy her leisure time activity. As time passed on, Zhao Youyue knew she was just an average person who do stuffs at the heat of the moment. She did not had the perseverance nor consistency, she knew that herself too well. Plus, her familys condition were pretty great, living her life stress-free, she never appreciated the value of money because it came to her easily. An average familys kid would understand that chances of learning a musical instrument was not easy, and those lessons are certainly not cheap so they had to appreciate every single opportunity. Zhao Youyue even had her own kick-starter website, she created it earlier in this semester. She had a decent amount of money in there, a few ten thousands, yet she did not felt anything great about it, she just thought of it as her own personal savings. Zhao Youyue never encountered any financial problems before, she was never obsessed with limited edition branded items, or custom-made clothes that can cost up to hundreds thousand. She felt content with those few thousands clothes, ten thousand at most. Zhao Youyue was usually seen with her uniform, even during weekend where everyone else would change into their fancy outfit except for her. Who would have thought that Zhao Youyue was a fair, rich and beautiful person if they never really knew her in person? Winter holidays were approaching, as well as New Year. Zhao Youyue could easily receive RMB up to few ten thousands from her parents. Even though her mother, Wang Hua acknowledged that daughter needs to be well taken care of, she would not give her pocket money directly like other parents would do. There is absolutely no chance that a rich daughter ran out of money, like situation in novel or manga, was about to do some questionable acts in order to earn a living, get saved by a miraculously well-timed protagonist, followed by falling in love with him and joined in the harem of protagonist. Zhao Youyue treats materialistic stuffs lightly as she did not appreciate the value of money, or whatever stuffs that can be bought with it, of course she did not brag about how rich she was either. Jiang Qing was struck by awe that how easily Zhao Youyue can tip 1,000 RMB of Sect Master in Qidian manga website without hesitation, fans often asked, Do you need someone to be friends with?, referring her a tycoon. She did not think of herself as a tycoon because 1,000 RMB really does not seem that much to her. If she was in a good mood, she would definitely tip a few 10,000 RMB of Silver Sect Master in a day. Since Qidian manga website had global notice, she most felt her sense of presence. Zhao Youyou sometimes thought to herself that it would be even better if she was spending her own well-earned money, not having to rely on her fathers pocket money, it would have made her proud and felt awesome about it. Now that she acquired the ability to learn passionately, she would like to have the ability to make her own money as well. It depends on how she worked her way through it though, whether creating another iconic character, as an artist or author, she would accept it gladly. She even hoped that she could enter the realm of entertainment with superstars, where she could acquire the ability to sing so she could use it to make money in reality, but then things are not easy as it sounds, if she can enter into any realm at will, what was the point to sacrifice a characters card? Zhao Youyue was in a good condition, with her mind set to no disappointment without expectation, she sleeps soundly at night. She was not eager to explore the new world in another dimension, not until final exams are over at least. She wanted to commit herself to learning for the upcoming days, transforming into the Goddess herself, Xu Jing. Chapter 51 Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation Zhao Youyue could finally sleep soundly after receiving the iconic character card Xu Jing. But elsewhere, a poor mangaka had to stay up the whole night. Definitely, it was Su Li. The moment the grand finale of Pure Romance was successfully published onto Wind Manga, it was as if Su Li woke up from the demonised state. Suddenly, she recalled herself picking a fight with her editor Wei Suo for the grand finale. She couldnt help but to put her hand on her forehead, feeling that she had lost her senses at that moment. According to her style, she should have go along with the editor, after all she was still a newbie mangaka What in the world was I thinking? Threatening to terminate the agreement with the magazines upon disagreement? Thats not something coming out from a newbie mangaka, thats something wilder than God! Slapping her own face, Su Li felt great remorse of her actions. She did not know why she would have that impulse at that moment. She actually had a degree of respect for her editor Wei Suo. Su Li decided to take a good look at the Pure Romance grand finale published on Wind Manga. As she had recalled, the finale was quite satisfying. It was the crystallisation of her highest level of creation in the manga world. That was why she strongly demanded the magazine to publish this finale. A question suddenly popped into her mind as she was about to open the magazine sample. Why would she decide to end Pure Romance this early? It was high on demand previously and even already had a confirmation plan for animation. She should have ended this at least after the anime have been aired. As a matter of fact, the greatest benefit animation brings to the mangaka is the increased of sales in the manga booklet. This happens when the anime gains a significant name for itself. At the same time, leading to a boost in fame for the serialized manga. Hence, there is rarely any artist who will end the manga before the anime was even produced and aired. They would rather wait for a month or even as far as 3 months to publish new chapters, rather than ending it. Waiting for a step up in the popularity of their work after the animation The kind of animes re-animated from completed mangas were mostly old iconic manga remakes. For instance, Parasyte, which probably at that period of time, was unable to be perfectly replicated for certain special effects due to the lack of animation technology. Only after upon advanced technology, the animation could only then be remade. For someone such as Su Li who seek for sales, popularity and treats the readers as Gods, had she not lost her senses, she would continue adding nonsense to drag on the story. At least it will last till the airing of anime, only then she would need to think about whether to end the manga based on its popularity. That is why regardless of which universe, there will always be some long-life manga which serialized for more than 10 years. The reason was that after realizing the popularity of their manga maintained at a steady pace or increase in demand, they will definitely choose to continue. This will either last till the story collapsed or there were no more nonsense to add. Even the great mangas like Dragon Ball and Bleach are suspected to have a story collapse, but even if they are collapsed, there will still be a bunch of loyal fans. From these, it can be concluded that an old manga filled with continuing nonsense will be a lot stable than creating a new manga. What if the new manga drop dead? Su Li increasingly felt unnatural about her initial self. It was as if she was not herself anymore. She shook her head and opened Wind Manga, starting to read on the finale part. For the first few pages, she couldnt hold herself but to praise Wow, I was truly awesome back then. Look at this drawing skill and this storyboard. This is really something I could have only drawn during my peak condition. That was why I wanted the finale to be published so badly. Seems like I too understand well that drawing under peak condition is something hard to come by. I wouldnt be able to replicate with that initial feeling even if I had copied from the current masterpiece now. After praising herself, she could not restrain herself but to burst into laughter. It felt like there was this great satisfaction. After all, she was truly awed by herself for being able to draw something this good. Nevertheless, she could smile no more when she read through the finale. With a serious mode, she held her head with both hands, scratching vigorously on her messy head, as if she was already broken. What crap is this! How could I have drawn such a thing! Im really not the type of mangaka who gives crappy storylines to readers! Su Li felt that she was so innocent. All she wanted was just to create a great happy ending, but in the end nobody survived. Even the most popular girl Xu Jing was also a goner. Although she was yet to login to her Weibo and QQ fan group to spy around, she could already foresee the reactions of the readers. What she drew and what she promised was on opposite poles! Immediately, Su Li logged into her Weibo account with her phone. As expected, she found that topics of her Pure Romance grand finale was on the hot topic section. And then, her Weibo account was flooded with angry readers. Plenty of readers swore to send her cutter knives, and a lot of them turned to the darkside because she broke her promise Quickly, she scrolled through and saw comments from some reader who turned to the darkside. According to the reader he was nearly being hit to death because of AMWAYing his friends Pure Romance. After that, he scolded Su Li as a heartless person, tricking everyone by promising them a great happy ending. Only to depress everyone deeply when the popularity reaches its peak. That was just too much! The final conclusion certainly was C Not even a single punctuations can be trusted from the words of Su Li the liar. Seeing the dense compilation of feedbacks, Su Li felt as her scalps were tingling. She also knew that she is now infamous in the whole manga sector. Everyone now knew that Su Li was someone who was tricky and without mercy. Probably she had spiritually be friends with good old Uro for some time. That was why she added this unexpectedly depressing ending in a harem manga. This elevated Pure Romance into a legendary masterpiece, leaving everyone an unforgettable impression on it. Of course, this legendary masterpiece was still full of crap in it. No matter how impressive the finale was, the lack of characterization and the conventional story in the early stages could not be ignored. However, the story did have some icons like Ming the Scumbag, Cleaver, Darkened and Nice Boat. And most importantly, it had this iconic character C Xu Jing, this was far more than enough. Su Li hid for nearly an entire day like an ostrich hiding its head in the sand. Only at the night of the second day, she went into her QQ fan group and noticed that the notifications were already 999+. Without even reading the posts, she was already sure that most of the fans were criticizing her disgusting act. That was why she appeared in the group and the first thing she posted was C Im sorry for being late, everyone But Im innocent, this was all Xu jings fault! Chapter 52 Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation Actually, Zhao Youyue had set Special Notification on Su Li. As long as Su Li, the bastard group manager appeared, she would receive a notification. When she saw that post of Su Li, she could not help covering her mouth, giggling. In her mind, she applauded, Wow, this Su Li really know how to ditch her responsibilities. Although what Su Li spoke was the truth, but who would believe it? In any case, Zhao Youyue would not bear the responsibility. It was Monday night. Zhao Youyue had to sit for semester final exam tomorrow, but she was still playing with her phone at ease, simply because during daytime at school, she had pretty much indulged herself into studies. No matter it was the morning reading session, or the afternoon classes, she was studying quietly. Not even once had she taken out her phone. In fact, students were usually more relaxed before the semester-end final exam, for instance this whole day was merely self study classes. Based on the usual habit of Zhao Youyue, she was considered doing a great job if she could carry out her revision for one whole period. Now, she had studied earnestly during the last three self-study classes, thus she could act boldly, feeling as if she had made comprehensive preparations C Semester finals? A piece of cake! It should not be a problem to enter the top 10 in class. Therefore, she had been playing with her phone at ease for the whole day. However, under Xu Jings possession, Zhao Youyue could not help feeling that the revision time was not enough. There were still tons of flaws that needed to be amended as soon as possible. This was to prevent the situation where her test papers were circled due to her carelessness, although the teacher had already explained the questions before. She wanted to avoid all these incidents and bring out her full potential. Xu Jing was not a genius, her IQ was also at average. However, she was a lot more diligent and attentive compared to others. If Zhao Youyue used Xu Jings possession mode to enter the exam, she could get rid of any worries about careless mistakes. At the same time, she would be patient and able to ponder on questions that would have confused her or those which takes away her will to take a challenge. Even for questions which she could not solve, at least for the simpler questions within the difficult ones could be solved. After all, normally those core mathematical questions will have some smaller questions within them. The first few questions will not be insanely difficult to solve. Under normal circumstances, before solving such complicated questions, Zhao Youyue would already be trembling in fear and lost her will. To her, why spend time on difficult questions instead of double checking on some simple questions? After all, she was good at picking on easy targets That was why, after receiving the iconic character card Xu Jing, she needed not worry about her studies and exam questions anymore. As a result, when she was not using Xu Jings abilities, she appeared to be more playful, enjoying to the max and full of vigour. In her studies, she would put more efforts than others, and in entertaining, she would also enjoy it more than others. Anyway, everyone who knew Zhao Youyue raised their eyebrows when they noticed her behavior this entire day. Her deskmate Jiang Qing expected that Zhao Youyue would ask her to keep watch while she was playing with her phone, but surprisingly she did not take out her phone all day. Then, during the end of the class, Wang Yang sitting in front of her wanted to talk to her about some webnovels that he recently discovered. However, upon seeing Zhao Youyue immersing herself in the lecture notes, yet emanating an elite scholar aura, Wang Yang felt awkward to even interrupt her for a second. Most importantly, this earnestness of hers lasted not just a short-term, but the entire day. This is scary. Could she be possessed by someone?, Wang Yang who read a little too much of webnovels murmured to himself. This notion had flashed across Wang Yangs mind, but for sure he would not believe in it. Instead, he would take it as Zhao Youyue was making a last-minute effort insanely because tomorrow is the semester finals. Obviously, Jiang Qing thought so too. Under the influence of Zhao Youyue, she too got the chance to study seriously. Otherwise, she would have slacked for the entire day. She was actually very playful, with a poor self-discipline. Besides that, there was this Zhao Youyues ex-deskmate Zhou Fang, who noticed that Zhao Youyue was studying very hard. She felt pity for her, thinking that Zhao Youyue was struggling for nothing. It was too late to get serious now, hard work should be poured in at normal times! Zhou Fang had a favorable impression on Zhao Youyues temperament because Zhao Youyue was easy to get along with. Unfortunately, she still looked down on Zhao Youyue in her studies. Even though she never expressed this in front of Zhao Youyue before, she somehow had strong a sense of superiority in her heart. In every monthly test or mid-semester exam for the first semester, she had better results than Zhao Youyue, mostly in the top 10s. The only time her results slid to the 16th was due the difficult mathematical papers which made her too nervous and lost her grip in the subject. That day, she secretly cried under her quilt, feeling that this was a huge embarrassment. Well, for the best exam results for Zhao Youyue was only 19th in class, basically she was hovering between the 20s to 30s. Zhou Fang felt pity for Zhao Youyue. Projecting her thoughts towards Zhao Youyue, she thought that Zhao Youyue was living in shame all along There should not be any accidents for this semester finals too. Zhou Fang decided to fight her way to the top 5 and continue to fortify her status of top scholar. Then, she could continue to pay attention to Zhao Youyue with a sense of superiority and felt pity towards Zhao Youyue who was in the pit of shame. Anyway, Zhou Fang still wanted to become deskmates with Zhao Youyue. This was because her new deskmate Tang Yan was a lot worse in personality compared to Zhao Youyue. She was too narrow-minded, and feeling good about herself although she was ugly. She was always noisy, had a big mouth, totally a b*tch and her results were terrible, around 40s to 50s in class. Besides, Tang Yan always secretly copies Zhou Fangs homework when Zhou Fang joined the chemistry competition training. After Zhou Fang found out about this, she decided to bring her finished homework together to the chemistry laboratory. She would only allow Zhao Youyue to refer to her homework. But most of the time, Zhao Youyue preferred to do her homework at home and searched directly for the answers online instead. Ah, there was a bit sad, as there would be fewer chances for Zhou Fang to provide her withreferences. If Zhou Fang was considered pitying Zhao Youyue, then she was totally looking down on Tang Yan, her new deskmate. At the same time, she did not like much of Zhao Youyues new deskmate Jiang Qing, who were always chatting and laughing together with Zhao Youyue. Not to misunderstand, she was not jealous of Jiang Qing, but just felt like Jiang Qing was nothing good, yet her breasts were humongous. Despite Jiang Qing being a committee member in arts and literature, which was considered a cadre in class, with a result at the 30s to 40s, she still looked down on her, totally. She was also worried that Jiang Qing would influence Zhao Youyues results. Wouldnt she be more pitiful if this happened? Sure enough, she was supposed to be the best candidate for Zhao Youyues deskmate! After studying for the entire day, Zhao Youyue turned off Xu Jings possession mode when she went home. Then, she immediately became a lazybone missy, turning from a learning addict into a smartphone addict Then, she saw Su Lis apology to the readers along with her responsibility-ditching remark, and of course the fans in Su Lis group were on fire C Ive never met such a shameless person! Chapter 53 Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation After Zhao Youyue saw the reply from Su Li, tons of comments from her fans suddenly appeared in the group C Master Su, your methods of ditching responsibilities are just awesome! Yeah right, look how innocent you are, your promises sounded sweeter than any other melodies! Change the finale, or we will leave the group. Ming the Scumbag can die, but Xu Jing must live on Leave group! Leave group! Leave group! Scr*w you, Master Su! This finale gave me nightmares, and thanks to you, Im totally depressed! Now, pay for my loss! How could you be so cruel? Ever since my goddess turned from a side character to a supporting character and have gotten her background settings, everything became terribly dreadful and miserable. From the beginning, I really thought that she and Yang Xixi would be together with full happiness. I had never thought that Yang Xixi would be same like her brother, taking my goddess as a friend of benefits. In the end, she brought along her brothers head and disappeared along with a nice boat, taking away the will of living from my beloved goddess Xu Jing. It seems true that only studying would never betray Xu Jing. The group was filled with condemnation. At this moment, to make her entrance more appealing, Zhao Youyue distributed 1,000 RMB worth of slogan red packets[1] in the group straight away. The slogan inscribed was C Ive never met such a shameless person! There were 50 packets in total, averagely 20 RMB per person. This was like a meal worth of money. This time, the slogan immediately flooded the entire screen of the group! When Su Li discovered it was her Number One Sect Masters red packets, she did not even bother whether the slogan was against her. She too shamelessly shared the slogan and successfully grabbed 50 bucks, as if she was proving the slogan right. Her red packet was far above average, and this instantly cheered her up. What was a Number One Sect Master? Of course it was a Sect Master who was placed first in the fan ranking. Her fan points were over 500,000 points, equivalent to tipping over 5,000 RMB. Su Li surely would have opted to compromise such a true tyrant reader. Besides, the red packets distributed by Youyue in the group were at least 100 RMB per distribution. That was why when Su Li noticed the red packet of this tycoon, she grabbed it without any hesitation. Surprisingly, this time it was a 1,000 RMB gigantic red packet! The group was filled with the voices of worshipping C Thank you, Youyue the God of Tycoons, now I have money for my supper! It was a blessing to be in the same group with Tycoon Youyue. I was planning to leave the group, but for Tycoon Youyue, I decided to stay here shamelessly. Thank you, God of Tycoons. Damn! This is the first time I grabbed such a huge red packet Im thrilled! Are you lacking of leg accessories, Tycoon Youyue? Guess what I saw just now? How dare you grab the red packet of Tycoon Youyue, Su Li the liar! You are totally shameless! Thank you, God of Tycoons! Also, did I remember that someone promised not to trick the Sect Masters in the beginning? And now? Lol Tycoon Youyue, its best not to read Su Li, the King of Toxics new work. You will end up getting tricked again! Missed it! Missed it +10086! After seeing the fans persuading Youyue not to read her new works, Su Li had the urge to kick the troublemakers out of the group. Anyway, she needed to hold Youyue tight as she was not just a plain tycoon. By just looking at her Qidian account, she had at least tipped seven titles or thereabouts. Not only Sect Master, but of course she had a lot of titles such as Court master[2] or Coxswain[3]. To her, 100 RMB was just like 1 RMB, she could simply tip them away. It was truly the style of a tycoon. Although she could not be comparable to those super tycoons who could tip millions to some broadcasters, but in the Qidian novel and manga section, Youyue was already considered godly. Nowadays, it was pretty hard to find such tycoons who loved novels and manga-s. Thankfully, for Su Li, the highest tip from Youyue was for Pure Romance. In other words, she was the favourite amongst them. Now that she had created such a finale, she was really worried that Youyue would leave the group in a fit of anger and would never read any of her works again. Regarding Youyues gender, the God of Tycoons, it was actually a mystery to everyone. Simply because both her Qidian accounts and QQ info were set as female, and her nicknames seemed pretty feminine. Including Su Li, plenty believed that Youyue should be a male. After all, why would a girl read such a manga like Pure Romance? Not to mention tipping a buttload of money. But.Who would ever imagine that Zhao Youyue actually did not favor Pure Romance that much. Anyhow, Pure Romance did help her a lot. Besides, she successfully grabbed hold of the iconic character card Xu Jing in the end. Although she frequently said that the finale of Pure Romance had nothing to do with her, but for someone as warm-hearted as her, she would still have the thought of compensating Su Li. Fortunately, what she had the most was money. A few thousand RMB was like a couple of bucks to her, she could just tip them to Su Li. After all, Su Li was considered a beauty. As for Zhao Youyue, people with outlooks and talents were admirable, regardless of their gender. That was why if Su Li was actually a wretched ugly middle-aged guy, she would not have treated him with kindness, not to mention that the early stage of Pure Romance had brought up so much bad impressions. If possible, Zhao Youyue did not want to enter such illogical harem-based title. She could only skate on thin ice to make this kind of title into a legendary masterpiece. Contents like cleaver or nice boat could not be used twice. At that moment, Su Li was really afraid that Youyue would leave the group. Unhesitantly, she promoted Youyue to the group admin and also added Youyue as her friend. She believed if Youyue was a male reader, he should already be attracted to a pretty mangaka like her now. She decided to send some of her portrait photos to Youyue as the additional benefits. Know that she was quite confident in her face and figure Thats right, this was Su Li. She had nearly no resistance to the tycoon readers. She would never accept bloody words like What reader? Im your dad. All along, she treated the readers as her lifeline. Readers are Gods! Just as Su Li grabbed a 50 RMB red packet and thanked Youyue the God of Tycoons shamelessly, she saw Youyues reply. Originally, this 1,000 RMB was to be the tip for Pure Romance to commemorate its ending. But after reading the finale, I decided to distribute them in the group, giving it to everyone. After her words was spreaded, fans in the group bursted with joy. They either replied Good job or posted some stickers with big smiles. It was obvious that this Tycoon Youyue was teasing Su Li and clearly they loved to see that. Now, there was this trend of throwing muds at Su Li in the group. However, this act of throwing muds was out of good intentions. The fans who truly could not accept the finale of Pure Romance had left the group a long time ago. Seeing the reply from Youyue, although knowing that she was just making a joke, it still prickled Su Lis heart. Sigh, why is this society so cruel? Just as this thought bloomed in Su Lis mind, Zhao Youyue smirked demonically and tossed all the screenshots of the dark histories from her phone to the group Translation note: [1] C Slogan red packet C QQ Slogan red packet is a function opened for QQ friends and QQ groups. When QQ users distribute a red packet (online currency), they can add the slogan function. The distributing user can set a slogan for the slogan red packet, and the QQ friend or QQ group users need to key in the respective slogan to be able to grab the red packet. Additional note: C Red packet An in-app online currency transfer method. Red packet is a traditionally used term for pocket money in China, received by children during the Chinese New Year. But is now widely used in some social media apps like Wechat and QQ or other apps to represent online money transfer for certain apps. [2] C Court master Similar to Sect Master, Court Master refers to a novel reader who has obtained 20,000 loyalty points of a particular novel(equivalent to 200 RMB) on that novel. [3] C Coxswain Similar to Sect Master, Coxswain refers to a novel reader who has obtained 10,000 loyalty points of a particular novel(equivalent to 100 RMB) on that novel. Chapter 54 Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation Among the black histories, there was one chatting record that stood out the most Dear Sect Master, dont you worry, do I look like the type of mangaka who will fiddle with the readers and give them crappy stories? If I do that, I will eat crap myself! For the developing plot, I will keep you guessing, but for the ending of this title, I can guarantee all of you now that it will definitely be a happy ending. After all, nothing is as promising as an old veteran writer like me! Since Su Li had sworn that she would eat sh*t if the readers were being fed sh*t, hasnt she been feeding sh*t to her readers with the ending where almost everyone was dead? It would be better if she was not so full of herself at that moment, but she had never thought that she would end up drawing such an ending. Even when she was reading it herself, she felt this mangaka was completely insane and out of her mind! Su Li never thought that she would be drawing an ending, being misunderstood by some readers as a tribute and respect to Urobuchi Gen. Besides, there was one screenshot from her Weibo that was very conspicuous Im not Okamoto Lynn, a psychopathic artist who loves to torture the girls in the story. Im also not Urobuchi Gen, who always loves to give popular characters their death flags and creating an all-dead ending. Pure Romance is my maiden work, and the style will be absolutely healing and relaxing. Now I am tormenting Xu Jing a little, but theres a saying that the rainbow comes after the rain and storm. I also love Xu Jings character; In fact I am in favour of her. Therefore, she will have a good ending. At the same time, the ending for this story is going to be a big reunion as well. Everyone will obtain their own happiness. Tragedy? It doesnt exist! Theres no need to worry! In the end, after what Xu Jing had gone through, she did not get to see the rainbow after the storm. Instead, she walked right into the sea Moreover, there were several short videos of Su Li appearing on television shows. She was giving her guarantee to the readers that the ending would be a good one. However, when the ending came out, the readers realized all the main characters were having their reunion in the afterlife. Everyone died in the end. Such a reunion ending, she did keep her promise after all, in a way. Zhao Youyue even uploaded the pictures to the group photo album, as a valuable resource for the black history. Meanwhile, the fans in the group were over the moon. What a relief! Youyue you are so awesome! This is a wonderful screenshot! Can it be that Youyue has already seen through Su Lis trick from back then? Has Su Li been planning to toy with us from the very start? This is indeed terrifying This is so hilarious! I just want to know Su Lis expression right now! Will she be embarrassed after seeing these photos? Su Li, are you surprised? Are you shocked? Are you happy? You cannot simply stand your flag after all. Su Li you a**hole, you keep milking yourself and till death. Su Li, Su Li, I have sh*t that is freshly made, do you want to have a taste of it? Hurry and come out now @artist Su Li. Please tell us what is in your mind right now! Come out now and do a live show of yourself eating sh*t! Open a group video call and start performing! If you eat it well, I will double click the button 666 and give you a huge rocket! All Su Li wanted was to dig a hole and crawled into it right now, or just leave the group. Unfortunately, she was the group master, and all her loyal fans and Sect Masters were in the group, so it was impossible for her to leave everything behind. After all, her new work still needed the continuous support from her fans! Actually she was more inclined to publish her new work through Qidian manga site, as she was a hit sensation on the internet right now. Some of her characters from the comics were even changed into emojis, and became very popular on the internet. Her instinct was telling her that webcomic was the path of success in future. What was more, Qidian manga site had Tencent as its backbone, thus providing a lot of pathways to choose from and the manga could be easily animated. The most important part was that the tip would be split in half, instead of a quarter. That was also why she never renewed her contract with Wind Manga. In any case, she had contributed to Wind manga. Pure romance had increased the sales of Wind Manga by a few percent at the very least. The ending which brought up an overwhelming response from the readers had also caused the sale of Wind manga for this quarter to increase drastically. Thus, she felt that she had done more than enough to repay the gratitude. If the person who uploaded the black history of Su Li was not Youyue but other unfamiliar member from the group, then she would definitely hold a grudge against that person. She would record it in a small notebook, and removed that person from the group if she ever had a chance. But since it was Youyue, then of course she would have to forgive him! She actually felt very honoured as this person was actually a huge fan of her. If not, why would he save all the flags she made, even videos of her attending shows? He could not have known that the ending for this story was going to be a pit hole right? Of course it was impossible! This was because, even Su Li herself could not have predicted that she would draw such an ending and lost herself in the process! At this moment, Su Li suddenly recalled an explanation she used to ridicule at. Some authors explained that it was never their intention to create such a sad ending, but they just could not control the plots development. The characters from their work had their own will, and they chose to face their own stories, which inevitably led to a tragic end This explanation can never be wrong! Those authors were not blaming others after all, such situation was indeed possible! Therefore, she decided to reply all her fans in the group and stated that she did not draw such an ending out of her own will. The truth was that she respected her characters will from her manga, and let Xu Jing acted on her own, which eventually led to that tragic ending. Thus, this was all Xu Jings fault! She even found a few similar examples and had successfully joined with the authors who claimed that they had no control over the ending. She supported their explanation greatly that they were helpless against the tragic ending. It was all because of the characters in the story. The free wills of theirs were the root of all problems! After explaining in the group and Weibo, she continued to put the blame on others shoulder. This in turn triggered a new round of criticism from the readers. Most of the readers could not accept her explanation since it was too mystical. There were some authors who retweeted Su Lis Weibo and supported her theory. There were times when the ideas just flooded in and you just lost yourself in the process. All you wanted to draw was a happy reunion ending, but you realised it did not fit into a characters personality. Hence, you could only deduce how it should be based on the characters personality. Consequently, all you had was a tragic ending Time will heal all wounds. In any case, the ending of Pure Romance had earned Su Li a great reputation. No matter good or bad, it was still a reflection of how popular she was. Deep down in Su Lis heart, she was truly satisfied with the twisted ending. Practising the words Readers, I am your dad was awesome! As for Su Li, she kept blaming Xu Jing for everything. She even made the line It was all Xu Jings fault! to become a famous punchline in the world of Otaku. Surprisingly, this had even made Xu Jing more iconic than ever. Lastly, Su Li private messaged Youyue who was already a friend, and found out both of them lived in the same city. She decided to ask him out and thanked him face-to-face, while trying to improve their relationship. It was Zhao Youyue who manipulated the others and they had to thank her in return. She really was one of a kind. Chapter 55 Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation It did not worry Su Li that Youyue would be a bad person; after all he was a God of Tycoon. From her opinion as a gold digger, those rich men out there, especially those who liked her work were definitely the good sort of people. Actually she wanted to ask his opinions on her new book, and also to find out his preference on manga styles. Perhaps she would be lucky enough and received a huge tip from him Therefore, the two made an appointment to meet five days before Chinese New Year. It was winter break for Zhao Youyue, during which she would return to her old house with her parents to celebrate this festive season. They usually went back a day before Chinese New Years Eve. The old house was built in a rich town by the mountains, and they had to offer sacrifices to their ancestors in the mountains as well. Every Chinese New year, they had a complete set of procedures for the ancestral ceremony. To be honest, Zhao Youyue disliked the traditional ceremony. She thought of it as a mere feudal superstition. But for sure, she would not mind that as long as she was allowed to play with her phone. The internet signal was still good in town so she could use it to her hearts content. To Zhao Youyue, was there a difference of where she could play with her phone? Traveling was just to play with her phone in another place! Her old house was very comfortable, equipped with air conditioners, heaters, computers and internet etc. The breeze here was even cleaner and fresher than the city. Besides of not having the busy shopping districts and 3D cinemas, her old house was a place to live comfortably. The whole town was practically a mah-jong town; almost the whole street was full of mahjong schools. They would organize a mahjong league at any time. Her grandfather Zhao Rongchun was a mahjong lover, but he was terrible at it. The more rotten he was in playing mahjong, he loved the game even more. Her grandfather had two sons and a daughter. Her father Zhao Jiayi as the younger son, was not doing so well since he was only a director of a private hospital. On the other hand, the eldest son Zhao Jiaren was the CEO of a famous listing technology company while holding shares of other popular web-based companies. Moreover, he was also a shareholder in Tencent and one of the directors in Douyu live platform. You could say that he was a business tycoon. As for the daughter, she was married to the mayor of a prefecture-level city where the economy was booming. As a wife to the mayor, she was immersed in glory and fame, not to mention, she was also the Vice President of a bank in that city. Judging from Zhao Youyues family background, for sure they were no match to those superfamilies who had incredible influences, billions of assets or had governors as their errand boys. However, it was questionable whether such family ever existed in the first place. In any case, when being compared to civilians, the superiority of her wealthy background was more than enough, after all her surname was Zhao. Every year, Zhao Youyue received tons of red packets from her uncles and aunties, allowing her to gain the highest amount of pocket money. Thus, she had a favourable impression towards her fathers biological siblings. The semester finals on Tuesday had finally arrived. The moment Zhao Youyue entered the school, she had activated Xu Jings possession mode. However, she was not contented with the growth of her shoulder-length hair. She felt that she could only be at her best with the ponytail hairstyle, after all Xu Jings character had that hairstyle. Thats right. Zhao Youyue had decided to keep her hair long. Short hair was indeed pretty, but it could not be compared to when she had long hair. The most suitable hairstyle for her would always be black and straight. That was her instinct, or her remaining male aesthetic that resided within her. Black and straight hair was the best and the most perfect hair for her! Still, it took time to grow your hair. Of course, extra care was needed upon growing your hair. If you were not confidence in your hairs quality, then it would be better to just leave it as it was. Zhao Youyue took good care of both her skin and hair since her childhood. As her mother was one who so loved to play with her daughter, of course she would make sure Youyue grow up to be fair, tender and beautiful. As time passed, Zhao Youyue had learned to take care of her own body. She would never apply harmful products, and would definitely look for care products that were reliable and beneficial, regardless of how expensive they could be. Then she would use them continuously since she was filthy rich. In this day and age, the men has terrible taste. All they love to see is women on the internet or those who only look beautiful with makeup. As for the same-age peers, they set their gaze upon the girls with better academic results, bigger breasts, and multi talents, or even their Onee [1] teachers. Girls like Zhao Youyue who wore loose sport pajamas all year round and kept a short hair would become a side character, though she truly was a rich and gorgeous girl. Only a few had perceived her as the most beautiful girl in the class, or even the whole school. Her understated beauty was actually a feast for the eyes, but only those with sharp eyes could discover this true beauty of hers. In any case, starting from the next semester, Zhao Youyue should be able to change her hairstyle from bob to single ponytail if everything went well. Maybe the number of people who could see her beauty would increase, as her long hair suited her better, even if it was just a ponytail braid. In reality, she was also gradually becoming the supporting character with a little sense of existence who used to be a side character who had no sense of presence at all. At this moment, Zhao Youyue was slightly nervous before the language exam even though she was in Xu Jings possession mode. This was because she was cramming for her exam. If she had gotten the character card of Xu Jing half a semester earlier, she would not have to worry about examinations. She kept thinking that there were some contents that she had not revised. Those ancient poems that needed to be memorised was not sticking in her head either. She was afraid her mind would just go blank in the middle of the exam. Zhao Youyue was so worried up to the extent that after taking her stationery, she was still flipping through the language textbooks a few more times during her walk to class 7, which was the exam hall. She wanted to glance through those contents a few more times, thinking they might be questioned in the exam. She regretted that she did not work harder beforehand. Besides, she had possessed these kind of thoughts was mainly because she was in Xu Jings possession mode. If it was the normal Zhao Youyue, she definitely would not have this kind of reflection on her studies and herself When Zhao Youyue was walking to class 7, she realized most of the students from class 7 had not left and all she could do was to wait outside the classroom. To her surprise, she found out that her old classmate Han Leng, was in the same exam hall as her. The latter was leaning against the railing of the second floor. With his eyes having thick dark circles underneath closed, he seemed to be filled with divined aura like always. After seeing him, Zhao Youyue took the initiative and walked towards him. She greeted him with an expressionless face, Han Leng, were you training to be an immortal again last night? She wanted to smile in the first place, but dont forget that she was in Xu Jings possession mode. Therefore, her facial paralysis was giving off a strong aura. Translation Note: [1] Onee () is a kind of Moe personality in manga and anime. It refers to matured female characters with the appearance and character of an elder sister. Chapter 56 Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation Zhao Youyue spoke in a monotone. There were neither ups and downs nor any gentleness in her voice, akin to the typical voice of a supporting character. It was somewhat special to hear such a voice in reality as no one would speak in such a monotone. Han Leng was relaxing his spirit by closing his eyes until he heard a familiar voice. Opening his eyes instinctively, he saw an emotionless Zhao Youyue, who was emitting a peculiar aura. He was astounded was this person really Zhao Youyue? In his memories, she was a gentle and elegant missy who kept smiling. Of course, sometimes this missy would still reveal her playful and capricious disposition by accident. For instance, she loved to play with her phone secretly in the morning classes. Even during general cleaning, she was always slacking, which displayed her lack of responsibility as well as team spirit. Not to mention, she was not the kind of person who likes to brag or show off, and had always worn that same old blue and white coloured sportswear. Hence, she was definitely not an eye-catching person in the class. Had Han Leng not involved in a pleasant trade with her, he would not have noticed Zhao Youyue. Even though both of them were junior high classmates, but little did he have any of impression of hers. Since what moment he started noticing Zhao Youyue and feeling this little missy was so adorable? Perhaps since the dawn he started writing his teenage problem in his secret diary, which was about some boring yet sweet moments. Perhaps since the time he pretended to be sleeping and was caught by Mr Qiu. He stood up willingly, feeling that it was a sacred and solemn moment, akin to a knight protecting a princess. It did not matter if she knew the things he had done for her in silence. Anyhow, he would be moved by his own actions. Scholars are like this. Regardless of writings or relationship, once they have entered a self-satisfaction mode, there would be no end to it. They would pay no heed to how others look upon them, and would not care whether others know about him. I love you, but it does not concern you. It does not matter if you do not know, as long as I am happy. Hope is kind of half awake and crazily burning at the same time. It allows your anxious soul to hallucinate about you life in future. This was Han Leng. He was a gifted teenage boy but had a deviant way of thinking. He was destined to be alone. He even had Zhao Youyues WeChat ID after the trade; but had never sent any messages to her. Of course, he did type out the words at first, but he deleted all of them without clicking the send button. After some time, he never did this kind of thing anymore. He still loved to stalk Zhao Youyues moments, following her colourful lifestyle during the holidays. Unlike her, all he did was to stay at home playing League of Legends, or typing and submitting his chapters. In the classroom, Han Leng also solicitous of Zhao Youyue, stealthily. Whenever he saw her front desk mate Wang Yang was talking to her, he felt extremely annoyed. He felt even worse while overhearing their conversation about a webnovel. After all, he was a signed novelist who had a contract with Qidian. He wrote novels and his average subscription was over 3,000. As such, whenever he appeared in the group of contracted authors, people would address him as Big Brother. Han Leng was also very up to date with the gossip and he did talk and joke about it with a few legendary authors. As for Wang Yang, he was nothing but a green member of that Platinum level Immature Apple. He was also not a tycoon reader, yet he liked to boast in the dorm all the time, letting those who were not familiar with webnovels thought of him as a cool person. Besides that, he even had the nerve to comment and criticize in front of Zhao Youyue in class? In any case, Han Leng had already looked down upon him countless times in his own heart, still he did not take any significant action. He only hated himself for not sitting in front of Zhao Youyue. Of course, even if he sat in front of Zhao Youyue, he would be embarrassed to even talk to her. He would only drown himself in his own world of self-satisfaction. Hence, even if he felt that Zhao Youyue was acting strange, he did not show it out and nodded his head coldly instead. He was a little happy that missy Zhao actually greeted him on her own, and that felt incredibly great! After thinking for a while, he replied, Life can be puzzling at all times, so I chose to train myself to be an immortal. Instead of sleeping so much while youre alive, why not sleeping eternally only in afterlife? Han Leng thought his words might bring a smile to Zhao Youyues cute face, and she would respond him gently. However, Zhao Youyue remained emotionless with a cold face. She kept looking at her text book from time to time, as though he could not stop her desire to study Oh. Zhao Youyue replied briefly, as if she was keeping golds in her mouth. Han Leng felt depressed instantly but he still had his cold expression on his face. He felt that there was a huge gap between Zhao Youyue and himself. Obviously, this was all just his own imagination as both of them were never close, so how could there be a gap between them in the first place? The two of them stood quietly outside classroom 7, waiting for the students inside to leave for their respective examination venue. When both of them stood side by side, Han Leng had a new thought. He had decided to write down a sentence in the following exam Grass produces the seeds. Wind blows the leaves. We stand together without speaking. This is already a true bliss. Then, Han Leng felt that the gap between them was gone all of a sudden. After all, they were in sync by standing together without speaking a word, how could there possibly be a gap between them? All of this must be his hallucination just now. Just when Han Leng was self-satisfied in his own heart while putting on a cold face, Zhao Youyue had entered the exam hall on her own. She quickly found her own seat, sat down and continued her revision. She would wait until the invigilator entered the exam hall before handing over her revision materials on the table. She could not miss any minute for her revision. Later, Han Leng discovered that Youyue who was standing beside him had entered the exam hall. He scratched his head in embarrassment and walked into the exam hall as well. Language test was just a piece of cake for him, but sometimes, he still felt some of the comprehensive questions were really stupid. As a novelist, he certainly knew that one does not think that much while writing. Yet, the teacher who set the papers would ask the students to analyze a sentence to figure out the emotional message that the novelist was trying to convey. Even if the novelists were to answer this kind of questions, they would be in bewilderment How am I supposed to know what emotional message I was trying to convey? I have never thought of it Chapter 57 Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation Actually for most students, the Chinese language examination was way easier. No matter good or bad results, they would not be too obsessed with it. After all, objective questions and other questions that needed to be memorized by students, rarely appeared in the language exam. Comprehensive questions contribute to a majority of the exam marks, and their answers are highly subjective, which depends if your frequency could match that of the teachers who set the question topics. Matching the frequency of the authors will be all in vain. Perhaps, they would also be stunned while facing the comprehensive questions of their own works. Classical Chinese turned out to be the easier section to gain marks. For students who have established a solid foundation of Classical Chinese through its classes, most probably they were able to answer the exam questions, which may seem pretty foreign at first sight, but in fact akin to what was being taught in the Classical Chinese class. After all, Classical Chinese rarely had those brain-storming questions in their comprehensive readings. In any case, the students were literally Chinese. No matter how terrible their daily studies would turn out, they would not score too badly in their Chinese language exam. If only they put enough efforts on their hard work, they would never score anything like those Mathematics exams where 20 or 30 marks appeared. Breezing through the entire language exam paper, Zhao Youyue not only had completed the memory-demanding questions, but was equally confident in her objective questions too. With her answer paper as neat as always, she had attempted the comprehensive questions by applying the strategies imparted by Mr. Qiu. The idea was to maintain smooth transitions between paragraphs, and to start off with a main point then elaborate on it into a full answer. Even the appreciation of poetry part could not take her down this time. Overall, she was pretty much satisfied with her performance. In Xu Jings possession mode, she was naturally granted an elite scholars confidence. After the language exam, she did not break free from Xu Jings possession mode. Instead, she seized every minute and second to revise Mathematics, of which the exam will take place in the evening. Due to the lack of basics, Mathematics had always been her weakness. Whenever difficult questions were encountered, she would look up for answers online with her phone, but a phone was not allowed during examinations. At this moment, Zhao Youyue deeply regretted for not spending additional efforts in her usual days. Anyway, she was deeply in love with studies, wasnt she? Of course, it was solely because she had activated Xu Jings possession mode. Had she deactivated it, she might not feel this regretful and would not develop her passion towards studying. Time passed by in the blink of an eye especially during exam periods. The evening Mathematics exam was on the horizon, yet this time the questions were by no means easy. To a student like Zhao Youyue, who could easily tackle simple questions but became powerless when facing difficult ones, it was a downright nightmare. Having activated Xu Jings possession mode, however, it was still impossible for Youyue to escalate her Mathematics skills in a split second. Without this special mode, she must had already fallen apart in the exam hall, and would fail this exam badly. Fortunately, being one with Xu Jing, she had remained calm throughout the exam. She first resolved the simple questions, then moved on to the more difficult questions after validating her answers. Step by step, Youyue was finally done with the whole paper except the final question due to running out of time. She was fully aware that, Xu Jing had helped her to unleash her full potential. Nothing could be blamed other than herself, for playing too much. Suffering disappointment once again, Zhao Youyue could not wait to do several Mathematics exercises every day after the winter holiday Wow, it was because she still remained in Xu Jings possession mode, thus she could turn out to be so passionate and aspirant. Just as the Mathematics exam was over, mournful wails could be heard from every corner. Some students had even hurled a stream of invective F*ck! There was a rumor telling that the Mathematics exam paper this semester end was set by our headmaster, Ge Jun. But I didnt believe. Its too late now, what a sickening truth! Well play headmaster Mr. Ge. In the previous years, youve been notorious for screwing countless students in their college entrance examination, to think that you would do the same to us freshmen in senior high! Have you lost your mind? And yet I had just finished Pure Romance before the exam, with all the bloody knife scenes in my mind, how was I supposed to calm down and confront such horrific questions It couldnt be helped. Ge Jun had declared that he wouldnt participate in setting anymore questions of the college entrance examination. That being said, he must be so craving to boast about his talent afterwards, fearing that it would be forgotten, thus he had return to curse the students of our school. Darn it, son of the b*tch, Im gonna have a bad time at home! After the Mathematics exam, Zhao Youyue turned off Xu Jings possession mode right away. She felt that it was not essentially good to keep utilizing the iconic character card of Xu Jing. After all, she was Zhao Youyue, not Xu Jing. She must be faithful to herself sometimes, or else she would be completely subjugated by Xu Jing. In fact, Zhao Youyue preferred to remain calm and relaxed, instead of overloading herself with stress. That kind of life was too tiring, wasnt it? However, just as she let go of Xu Jings possession mode, her mood instantly went down in the dumps. Gosh! She did not finish the final big question of her Mathematics paper. She was supposed to finally prove her might this time. How could the Mathematics exam be so difficult? At this moment, she pretty much regretted turning off Xu Jings possession mode. As for a rich missy like her, how would she possess the unwavering spirit of a poor-family girl like Xu Jing? Nevertheless, Zhao Youyue did not run away from her real self and cowardly give in to Xu Jings possession mode again. She was resolved to being herself now. With her head lowered, Zhao Youyue walked down from the second floor. She then bumped into her Mathematics class representative Chen Haoran who just came out from the next examination hall. He seemed to be at ease, as if the Mathematics exam was not difficult at all. Indeed, he was a student prodigy of science stream who had participated in the Physics competition. Upon seeing Zhao Youyue, Chen Haorans eyes were blazing. He dashed towards her and started flirting with her like he usually did. He had always seized the opportunity to talk to Zhao Youyue while collecting her homeworks every morning. That could make him feel energetic for the rest of the day. Zhao Youyue, how was your exam? Chen Haoran was concerned. I didnt manage to do the last big question. Zhao Youyue responded in sorrow. Chen Haoran felt that he must comfort Zhao Youyue in a nicer way, thus he said, Its alright. For a simple question like this, itll be an insult to your wisdom even if you have completed it! Raising her head, Zhao Youyue looked at the earnest face of Chen Haoran. Her innocent and lovely eyes were brimming with tears. Covering her mouth, she ran into the restroom. Chen Haoran was left giggling on the spot. Han Leng came to him, What did you say to Youyue? Obviously, I was comforting her! She said she didnt complete the last question, so I told her even completing that will be an insult to ones IQ, as it could be easily done with this formula What the heck! Such a baffling way to comfort someone, are you an animal or what? Han Leng roared at him, I didnt finish the last question as well! Chen Haoran explained himself with an innocent look, I thought Ive done a good job in consoling her, she was so touched by my words, and cried She was such an innocent girl. Sigh, how good if love could be as simple as the last question. On hearing such an explanation from him, Han Leng was dumbfounded. He stared at Chen Haoran with contempt, feeling that this nerdy guy could no longer be rescued. Chapter 58 Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation The mathematics test certainly had Zhao Youyue traumatized, what she had least expected was acing the math and science subject, Chen Haoran to add salt on wounded area, this made her good impression towards Chen Haoran went downhill. But overall, Zhao Youyue was quite satisfied with her performance in this final exam. She felt that she could unleash her full potential and minimize careless mistake on other subjects, not while having Xu Jing by her side. The mathematics test was far too difficult to be handled by most students, not even Zhou Fang herself. Zhou Fang felt terrible as she knew she messed up real bad, she was almost certain that she could not make it to the top five and most likely drop out of ten, that would be her worst humiliation in her life, she could not help herself but to cry as soon as she reached her dorm. The school had the tradition of sending the students result to their home at the midst of winter holidays, thus making most of the students felt very uncomfortable and could not celebrate New Year with a ease of mind. Just as Zhou Fang predicted, she ranked 18 among her classmates and she only got 111 out of 160 for her mathematics test. This result made her plan of becoming a bachelor or even professor seemed like a joke. She could not imagine herself being in a relationship with someone, not with these kind of grades. At the beginning of second semester, Zhou Fang found out that Zhao Youyue ranked 7 in class on the last final exam. The same Zhao Youyue on whom she had taken pity achieved a whooping score of 138 on mathematics, one of the best in class! Zhao Youyue had the advantage because the test was too hard for everyone. There must be some kind of mistake! It could not be! Zhou Fang felt that Zhao Youyue must be lucky to be able to score this high, after all she thought Zhao Youyue would always study at the very last minute, and she got lucky big time. As time goes on, she soon to realized that reality can be cruel sometimes. After she reached home, Zhao Youyue disabled Xu Jings possession mode and entered sloth mode. All that determination of learning earlier were nowhere to be found, she did not even bother to look at the huge piles of holiday homework. Why did it ended up like this? When did it all started? Zhao Youyue was one of those good students during her primary school days, she would finish up her whole holiday homework before she started to enjoy her holidays. She lost her initiative upon entering secondary school, on her first year she would divide her homework into portions and started to finish it up on a daily basis. During the end of her second year, she rushed all of her homework during her last three days of holiday. She knew that her teacher would not bother to mark them, so she just wrote whatever answer that came into her mind without even reading the questions. While on her third year, she would borrow from her friends for reference purposes. She realized that the teacher would not collect their work at the start of each semester, a perfect chance for her to refer others for their work, so that she would not waste any of her holidays. Why does holiday homework exist? What was the purpose of it? Holidays were meant for students to relax, and play to their hearts content, Zhao Youyue thought to herself that homework are meant to be done in school. She was way too smart to spend her holidays on homework. Upon entering high school, with the help of technology and internet, Zhao Youyue can easily get her work done without having to refer from other students. Zhao Youyue can access the internet with her smartphone or tablet, with much accurate answers or information. Lately, Zhao Youyue stumbled across a game called Kings of Glory[1], nicknamed Kings Pesticide[2], which she got addicted to. According to its fanbase, this game had a lot of primary school students playing it. Thanks to its publisher, Tencent Games, its popularity went skyrocket. There were a lot of players from League of Legends, a PC platform game, switched into the mobile version of it, Kings of Glory. Zhao Youyue was not good in gaming, with her gaming skill equivalent to a primary school student, she often get roasted for being a noob in game. Unfortunately for Zhao Youyue, KoG was a skill based game, which made her most powerful asset, cash became useless. As she watched her base getting destroyed helplessly, with the chat box full of negative comments scolding her, this ultimately caused her to delete the game furiously. Zhao Youyue thought that skill-based games were boring, not only that she could not beat other players, she could not win in an argument either. Due to her kind personality and side character traits, she rarely got herself into a fight with others and nobody ever bullied her. Not sure it was a sad thing or not. After deleting KoG, Zhao Youyue decided to regain her pride in LoL. She booted up her lag-free, top notch gaming PC, with every setting on maximum output, even though she had zero knowledge about it. She then proceeded to log-in her max leveled ID in game. Reaching maximum level was just the beginning, she never got passed the bronze level in ranking tournaments, totally suited her gaming skill level. She did possess a lot of costumes for her heroes, especially cute ones where she bought with impulse, but that did not increase her skill level as a gamer. Shortly after login LoL, a QQ message popped out, it was from Han Leng. He invited Zhao Youyue to play with him so he could carry her up to a higher ranking in game because they were on the same server, Mountain of God. Another reason was this server had a lot of noobs, where it got the nickname, Giant Gods Pit. Han Leng was already at diamond level, he thought it should be not much of a problem to carry a bronze level Zhao Youyue. Thirty minutes later, Zhao Youyue stared at the word DEFEAT on her screen, making her had the urge to delete the game, again. On the other side, Han Leng stared at his screen awkwardly. He did not expect Zhao Youyue to be that bad in game, and the other teammate were not exactly helpful either. While his team managed to kill one or two enemies, their team ended up with a total wipe-out, he could not think of any excuses to cheer his teammates. So it is this difficult to carry a girl to a higher ranking? Han Leng had come to realize this harsh truth. He was dumbfounded by Zhao Youyues amateurish gaming skills. But he still found her cute even so. Zhao Youyue got tired of playing games, she decided to enter the mysterious Dimensional Gate once again for the third time. What literary world awaited her this time? she wondered as she fell asleep at night. Translation Note: [1] Glory (ҫ) [2] Pesticide (ũҩ) In Chinese, [1] and [2] have similar pronunciation. Some Chinese refer to Kings Glory as Kings Pesticide just for fun. Chapter 59 Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation Each time Zhao Youyue gazed upon the mysterious Two Dimensional Gate, she could not help feeling that she was somehow related to it. Obviously, this Dimensional Gate was part of her possession, planted itself deep into her soul. Inside the Dimensional Gate, was the one and only character card Xu Jing, her emotionless expression with her undivided attention while reading a book, made Zhao Youyue felt at ease. After all Xu Jing was her strongest back-up. After going through several days, Zhao Youyue opened the Two Dimensional Gate once again. Fully aware that she was in a soul-state, she could possess any fictional female character at will. Accidents happen. She realized that this novel named The Strongest King, had no female characters at all! Those female characters who appeared on scene, were all nameless females, of the cheering squad! Could it be that she entered a realm where all the male characters engaged in a romantic relationship? If that was the case, it would be troublesome for her. In a Boys Love romantic novel, a female character can be replaced with a male character completely. While the audience is made up from Fujoshis, there was no way that Zhao Youyue can ever create an iconic female character card. Zhao Youyue could not possess any male characters, she had a genuine female soul. If only she could have a mixture of a male characteristic in a female soul, that would be perfect. She should felt lucky because she did not end up in a realm where humans had never existed, only mutant creatures to make it even worse. She recalled reading a novel that described a man who travels back in time to the Cretaceous Period and got into a crocodiles body, it was not bad in her opinion and she even tipped the author. What made her frustrated was the author gave up on it halfway. If she happened to enter such realm one day, it would be ridiculous! Where to find a female character in Cretaceous Period, or she could possess it as long as the creature was female? Can she even create a card of it let alone obtain the ability of that female creature? Well, she would find out if she ever entered such a realm. The randomness of this Two Dimensional Gate was getting on Zhao Youyues nerves, she could not pick a realm that she wanted to enter at will. She wished she could have entered the world of entertainment with superstars, where she could cosplay as Hatsune Miku or Inori Yuzuriha. In reality, she entered the realm of The Strongest King without any female characters at all! Zhao Youyue came to her senses after awhile, she took her time to understand The Strongest King a little more, since she could not search the internet with Baidu in her soul-state. She would have to get back to reality to fully understand about this particular work. Zhao Youyue felt relieved when she found out this novel was not about romance, but E-sports. The plot was about a professional gamer named Lin Feng, who experienced the problem of could not keep up with the latest gaming trend due to aging, which made him unable to perform like how he used to be during his prime. He had no choice but to retire from professional and became a live-broadcast player in Eternal War, but he still had not given up hope on becoming The Strongest King ever. In order to obtain the Strongest title, it required the players to went through a series of tournament while being the MVP of the team and a champion in solo matches. Of course he was able to become a champion in solo competition, but his team had only achieved first runner-up, thus he was yet to obtain the Strongest title. After a faithful incident, he was granted with a golden finger which enhanced his ability as a gamer to a whole new level. His body conditions were reverted back to his prime, allowing him to compete once more, and finally became the Strongest. After Zhao Youyue had a rough summary of this novel, she could not help complaining a little about it. What the heck is Eternal War? The author should have written about LoL instead of a game that had never reached her ears. She reckoned that the author wanted to create an original game in his novel. Perhaps after it got famous, he would be able to gain profit through the copyright and thus attain the peak moment in his life? Whats more at stake, why was there no female character in this novel at all? Was it because that Esports players need no girlfriend? Since Zhao Youyue could not do anything in this dimension, she decided to return to reality for a rest. Although her physical body would be able to rest like normal, but not her mind and soul. She would not abuse this ability unless she had a valid reason like when she caused a scene in Pure Romance. Zhao Youyue treated her body and mind were equally important to have sufficient rest. The first thing in Zhao Youyues mind was to search for the The Strongest King novel after she woke up. The authors pen name Rosemary, was one of the few best authors who wrote in the E-sports genre. The author had three novels, included this title that was on-going. These three novels had pretty good reviews based on its fan base, the only flaw was, whenever the author started to add in female characters, the fans would go crazy and started to complain about it, Please stop writing about any girls or romantic stories, then we can still be good friends So, the latest book The Strongest King did not have any female characters in it. The author made the characters in this book looked alive, as if they have their own will and emotions, even side characters had their own traits as well. Every competition was intense, their opponents would appear to be stronger every time as the protagonist progress through the story. The reason why this novel was not a big hit because the author created an original game instead of using the one that were popular such as LoL. If not for the current fan base, this novel would have definitely sunk halfway. Zhao Youyue had never read an E-sports genre novel before, she thought that it would be better if she could play the game itself instead. Despite that she had no interest in E-sports, she decided to give it a try, The Strongest King. Chapter 60 Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation Zhao Youyue did not have much expectation in this novel. Interest-wise, she had little almost to none in this genre. However, as she read on, she could not stop herself from continuing reading this piece. She caught up to the latest update in just a day, how she wished the author could update the latest chapter quicker, this novel had no less than 400,000 words! Without any delay, Zhao Youyue tipped the author and realized there were already seven Sect Masters who tipped the author earlier on. Even though the current novel was not as popular as the previous titles that featuring LoL, it was more than enough to maintain a steady flow of income to the author, at least a few 10,000 RMB. Obviously, Rosemary wanted to forge a new path with this latest novel, The Strongest King. In order to produce a quality intellectual property, the author had to give up on LoL and created an original game, so that he could have a chance to work with the big shots. Of course, there were some downsides too. The author had a low profile, and the novel did not have a great start. The author never had any social interaction with the fans, not asking for votes and not even rigging the ballot. This had caused The Strongest King to be in its current state, not too bad nor popular either. The ballot rigging phenomenon are common on internet these days. The weekly and monthly top ten novels were there not because of their potential, but through countless of ballot riggers online. Those who made it up there without help would get pushed down after a day, or even in hours. Experienced readers would known that the real deal would rank in between 11 to 30. Unless the top rank had an obvious gap compared to other novels, otherwise it would most likely to be a fake. Even famous authors would cheat their way to the top with money, when their latest works were not even as good as the previous title. It would be more than enough for fresh new readers to take the bait and start reading those top-ranked books. Due to the high numbers of ballot riggers, Rosemarys latest novel The Strongest King could not make it to the top ten, this affected the author greatly as new readers would not be able to see his work at the main page. The author had a great mental stability though, despite all of this that happened. He constantly maintain to upload 6,000 words everyday at 5:00 PM sharp, no more or less. This low profile and mysterious author often got mistaken as a female author, due to his pen name Rosemary of course. His sentences were beautiful and the way he described a male character were scrupulous, the fans always thought of him as a female, some fans had even perceived him as their imaginary goddess. It was not easy to write about gaming novel which is a minority genre, to make it harder when there were mostly male readers. Luckily, his fans were generous enough to tip him, If he decided to create a green alliance to ask for votes like what the other famous author were doing, that would surely be an impetus. After all, some fans would not vote for the novel they liked if the authors themselves never asked for it At long last, Rosemary came to realization that in the comment section, there were a lot of fans mistaking him as a female author. He then quickly clarified that he was indeed a male author, not any literary young girl. He even mocked himself in a joking way that if he was a female author, he would not be this bad in creating female characters and describing romantic scenes. This was why Rosemary decided not to include any female characters in this novel, except for those who cheered for the protagonist from the sideline. After catching up to the latest issue of The Strongest King, Zhao Youyue felt that the novel was indeed interesting. Even though the main protagonist Lin Feng had a common name, but his characteristics were spectacular. Not only that he was smart, and had great leadership in game. Due to his age, he often used his knowledge to make up for his gradually declining skills. Eventually, he felt that he was too old to compete in this field and decided to retire, and that was when he got his golden finger, which allowed him to compete with youngsters, once again! Whats best, this novel had no complicated relationships between characters, which totally fit the appetite of Zhao Youyue. After all, being a female reader, she would not like the myriad of Harem manga-s. No wonder that was a saying about Rosemary on Qidian, There are three thousand Harem kings on Qidian, but there is only one Rosemary. By right, it should be a great thing for Zhao Youyue to shift into Rosemarys The Strongest King. After going through the first three titles, Rosemary had grown tremendously in terms of characters describing and story pacing, and his depiction of male characters was even more astounding. The Strongest King might be suppressed by the ballot riggers at first, but following the increase in the total words, it would eventually become a popular works. But whether it could emerge as an icon, that was another story, as luck would be deciding factor. The probability was quite high anyway, and Zhao Youyue could absolutely have a sleeping victory. However, without a female character, she could do nothing at all! How could such a wonderful novel have not a single female characters, at least the author could put in some side female characters for Zhao Youyue to possess So, Zhao Youyue decided to find out the reason behind all of these, she began to read the previous novels of Rosemary. After eight days, Zhao Youyue finally understood why. All the female characters in his previous novels were at sixes and sevens! They either had very little sense of presence, or were terrible at romantic scenes, some of them were just dumbs. Zhao Youyue actually felt sorry for all those female characters. It seemed like Rosemary had no talents in creating a female character, as if he did not understand women at all. The romantic scenes that he wrote about, it just felt out of sync! Chapter 61 Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation Apart from the girls and romantic scenes, all aspects of Rosemarys writings were exceptional. The bond between the male characters and the way they worked together to fight stronger opponents were touching, not to mention that the tournaments were exciting as well! Many fans had believed that Rosemary was once a Grand Master in LoL, or else he would not be able to write such in-game details, his descriptions were way beyond those of the third-rate authors who had probably just watched some LoL battles. Rosemary would be bombarded with tons of complaints once he started to include female characters or describe a romantic scene in his novel. It was almost like The Bloodline of Knights, of which the other aspects were great except the erotic scenes. Thus the fans had prompted the author to remove any erotic scenes from The Bloodline of Knights, as it would still be a great book without them. Same happened for Rosemary, who was asked to remove all romantic scenes between men and women His first novel was trying to go with the mainstream, thus having female characters like teachers, nurses, stewardess, and even rich girls appearing out of nowhere, obviously heading towards a harem route. He ended up with so many complaints and had to scrap that idea. Some readers had even commented sarcastically that the hero should just be together with his teammates. After learning a lesson from his first novel, he meticulously designed three female characters in second, looking to pay tribute to his favorite Esports novel of Starcraft, Rogue Master, but it ended up suffering another stream of invective from the readers. In the end of story, the hero was again together with this best friend (male), while all the female characters had disappeared. While writing his third novel, Rosemary had come to realization that he was destined to write a novel with only one main female character. He thus modelled the character after his first love since high school, it was none other than his beloved wife. Before the fans could bash his works, this lady who had been his loyal reader, as well as his all-time gaming partner who shared the same passion with him for LoL, abruptly stood against this very idea, Do you want me to be criticized by all your readers? Just stop writing any female characters, if you still wanna be my husband. Rosemary and his wife were deeply in love, they started dating each other since high school, they had even skipped class together to play in a cyber cafe. After graduating from university, they started to live under the same roof and got married. The pen name Rosemary was his wifes idea too. As even his lover opposed his idea, he had no choice but to cut down major scenes of this heroine. Her appearance was next to nothing now, like the novel had suddenly lost its heroine. His third novel ended up being the best among the three, acquiring more than 10,000 average subscriptions. This made him one of the successful authors within this genre. Besides, He was lucky enough to be invited as a VIP guest to the TGC event. In his fourth novel, The Strongest King that he had prepared the most, he totally ditched the idea of inserting anymore female character. He even went out of his way to write about a whole new original game, Eternal War. He would rather spend tremendous effort in describing the iconic game setting than wasting another drop of his ink in depicting a female character. He finally acknowledged that he had to stop adding female characters into his novel in order to be successful. Probably because he and his wife had been a perfect couple since high school, who had shared the same hobbies and could settle their dispute merely via a solo battle in game. Lately, those female characters who appeared to be cute and moe, were mostly written by virgin authors. Due to their inexperience, they had fantasized the erotic scenes to be so impeccable, thus striking a responsive chord among the readers. The situation was indeed embarrassing. At first, Zhao Youyue had rejoiced that she was lucky enough to be able to shift into such a wonderful dimension by one godly author. She also liked the way this author portrayed his characters, as if they were alive, with blood and flesh. She had even become a fan of Rosemary. But, this novel The Strongest King had no female character at all. This made Zhao Youyue speechless. Why could she only possess a female character? Zhao Youyue thought that she would be perfectly fine even within a male body, she just had to adjust herself accordingly. Too bad, she could never shift into a male character. Zhao Youyue had no other choice but to meet the author in real life, she would ask for a side character, or even a cameo would do, it must be a female though! It did not matter even if she was of a tomboyish personality! This was as good as drawing a bishoujo in manga but setting him as a male character. Here comes the real problem. Zhao Youyue was not sure whether she could meet up with the author himself. He was clearly different than the previous two authors, Im the Best and Su Li who had little to no fame at all, he was just one step from becoming famous, one of the big shots. She knew that as time passed on, the novel would surely got its own popularity although there were mostly male readers. Anyway, Zhao Youyue predicted that those Fujoshis would be even more excited when they discovered this novel. Their imagination would run wild upon seeing the muscular and passionate male characters in this novel. This reminded Zhao Youyue of a similar novel in the real world, which was The Kings Avatar written by Butterfly Blue. Though The Strongest King had a different writing style and was not as funny as Kings Avatar, yet the hero Lin Feng was not attractive as Ye Xiu, still it had its own charm! The way Rosemary described competition was way more intense and excited, full of emotion too! These two creations certainly had their own selling points. In the real world, not only that The Kings Avatar could win so much loves from the Fujoshis, its doujin works and merchandise had attained a huge success too. The Strongest King must also had such a potential! If only she could be granted a female character in it, she would leave no stone unturned to make The Strongest King a great hit as well! Why couldnt Rosemary create a female character like what was done by Butterfly Blue? Butterfly Blue could draw both male and female characters. If any female character from The Kings Avatar, like Su Mucheng, Tang Rou, Chu Yunxiu or Chen Guo existed in The Strongest King, Zhao Youyue would possess her at once, then enjoying a sleeping victory However, reality does not always accord with ones wishes. Chapter 62 Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation Zhao Youyue did not contact Rosemary immediately. She was analyzing if she could make use of this novel to create an iconic female character worthy of her time and effort. What other abilities could she inherit from this world? Every time she entered the Two Dimensional Gate, it was certainly a precious opportunity. Now that she entered this world of The Strongest King without a female character, she would not be able quit that easily. Unless she could possess a female character to stir up trouble and cause the novel to end miserably, she would not be allowed to bow out of the novel. Without taking further action, she could only wait the author to end the novel in real life. She did not have such patience! At first, she wanted to gain the abilities like dancing or singing, writing or drawing through the Two Dimensional Gate. She could even settle down with cooking, these abilities would surely allow her to make money in real life. To be able to achieve financial independence from her parents would surely make them proud and increase her sense of presence. She could even show off these abilities in school. She was in favor of this idea to obtain visibility via her own talents, after all she was not doing something bad. Zhao Youyue had certainly not expected that she would enter the world of an Esports novel. In recent years, gaming is considered as a talent. Many streamers who perform live-broadcast gaming are earning more than millions yearly. Among her classmates, there were surely some who ganged up in games, but she felt embarrassed to join them as she was terrible at gaming. Zhao Youyue terrible gaming skill level was one of a kind too, but she would not want to get famous through a terrible gaming. If possible, she wished to a pro gamer who carries the team towards victory. Now that she had entered the world of gaming The Strongest King, she could naturally create an expert female gamer in accordance with the novel theme. It could not be some superstars or writers who won the favors of readers, rights? That is going off tangent. Come on, they are here to watch the heroes and side characters playing games. Who would want to read a doujinshi of Naruto or One Piece without shinobies or pirates and sailors? After some analysis, Zhao Youyue reckoned that The Strongest King was certainly worthy of her time and effort. Put aside any other character settings for now. Zhao Youyues priority was to mold an expert female gamer. She would use its character card in reality so that she could become an expert gamer too. That was quite a talent, wasnt it? Wait, it would be best if this expert gamer was also good at scolding others. People would call her a Braggart King. Due to Zhao Youyues decent personality and background, she definitely did not know how to mock others, not to mention letting out some vulgar words. She had known after whom she should model her iconic character Unpleasant Rain. Feel the wrath of my sword! Oh yeah, she would be a female Huang Shaotian[2]. How interesting! Although Zhao Youyue could activate the ability of Xu Jing to learn gaming. Still, she felt it was quite a waste as her parents despised gaming, yet she had zero talent in gaming. Perhaps she could only increase her LoL rank from bronze to silver in one year, and she would not be treated as a small student anymore, but what was the meaning of that? Silver rank was nothing better, at least she must be a diamond-rank player before she could broadcast her gaming live. Enthuthiasm and hardworking are indeed powerful talents, but one must exercise them in the right direction to maximize their potential, otherwise it would be just a waste of time and effort. Even with the ability of Xu Jing, Zhao Youyue could never be the best student because of her average talent on learning, but it was already enough for her to be one of the top students. Her fellow student, Huang Zongchao was the very best student in school, he would always excel in midterms or final exams, he participated in mathematics and physics exams, even Chen Haoran were impressed by this amazing feats. Not only that his mathematics and physics were great, so do his language subjects, especially English. He could always scored more than 110 points out of 120 even with increased difficulty in high school, a freak indeed. Even though there were a lot of remarkable students in this semester, Huang Zongchao was still one of a kind. Everyone in high school would know his name. There were indeed a lot of geniuses, Zhao Youyue could not keep up with them, not even with the help of a golden finger. Zhao Youyue was not in pursuance of a perfect result. She wanted nothing more than the identity of an elite scholar, as that could increase her sense of presence and bring happiness upon her parents, she might then obtain some privileges. The result of semester finals had been sent to their home. Her father, Zhao Jiayi rejoiced when knowing that she was ranked 7th in class, he then gave her 50,000 RMB as a reward without hesitation. After all, that high school was one of the famous schools around the area, certainly it would make her father proud. Even her mother, Wang Hua who usually teased her was praising her as well. She might not be giving Zhao Youyue a reference book as her birthday present next time. These were the obvious benefits of getting a good result for Zhao Youyue. She did not study to gain more knowledge to become a scientist or what, but solely for the sake of her freedom. She just wanted a carefree life with lots of attention. Besides improving her result by utilizing Xu Jing character card, Zhao Youyue had decided to pick up a musical instrument again. She remembered her teacher once said that she was blessed with musical talent, but lack of perseverance. Now with the help of Xu Jing, she felt that she could actually exert her music talent to its full potential Translation Note: [1] Streamers: Those guys (and girls) who stream their gameplay live, either by hobby or profession or make a living out of it. [2] Huang Shaotian() C a braggart character as well as a skilled gamer in the novel The Kings Avatar. Chapter 63 Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation Zhao Youyue picked up her old violin, the instrument she was most familiar with. After all she was able to play a couple of simple songs after only three months of learning. During her winter holiday, besides reading Rosemarys novel, she immersed herself in violin practice. After a few days, she was able to restore her standard to where she left off. She was thinking that she should take lessons from a well-known teacher, as she confirmed that she would not drop it halfway like how she used to. As such, she decided to discuss this with her parents. Of course, Zhao Youyue had put more attention on the Two Dimensional Gate. After tipping Rosemary, she immediately joined all her fan groups. Being a Sect Master, naturally she was looked up by the other fans. Surprisingly, Rosemary was only an admin in those groups instead of a group manager. She even added Rosemary to her favorite list, waiting for the moment he appeared to chat with his fans. She was certain that her status as a Sect Master could easily draw his attention. After eight full days, Rosemary had not appeared even once to greet his fans. Zhao Youyue was not sure whether he was too busy, or not interested in any chit-chat groups. He did not even try to be closer with his fans to get some tips. This had rendered Zhao Youyue helpless. In the end, she had known all the fan group managers and even become one group admin, after all she was a tycoon reader of a little fame, Youyue. At first Zhao Youyue curled her lip at the gold-digging attitude of thePure Romance mangaka Su Li. But now, comparing her with Rosemary, she realized that Su Li was actually approachable. If only all authors could treasure the Sect Master readers like Su Li After chatting with the other fans in the group, Zhao Youyue found out that Rosemary always behaved like this. He treated all his fans equally, even the pirated readers, and would not get angry with them. According to a rumor from fans, Master Rosemary did not have to bother about money. His wife was fair, rich and beautiful, and he even owned a villa in the capital city! If this rumor is true, why did he even write web novels? Yet he wrote so perfectly! If possible, Zhao Youyue would have added Rosemary as a friend to ask for a cameo. What made Zhao Youyue helpless was that the author refused to accept any friend invitations or talk to strangers, just how autistic could this author be? Zhao Youyue was having a terrible headache. She felt as if her soul was trapped in the world of The Strongest King. Zhao Youyue requested the group manager Winds Whisper to send a message to Rosemary, as she was a friend of Rosemary. The message was that she wanted to know more about Rosemary and have a little chat with him, and if she was happy, she might even tip him a Silver Sect Master. The group manager Winds Whisper was a cutie who had managed the fan groups very well. Not to mention, she was one of the few female fans in the group. When the fans could not get in touch with Rosemary, they would always tease Winds Whisper, and nicknamed her, Cute Windy or Sister Wind. Zhao Youyue got to know Winds Whisper due to her gender advantage. A lot of fans did not believe that Zhao Youyue was a girl, just because she had never revealed any of her photos or voices. Winds Whisper believed her anyway, which gave Zhao Youyue a very good impression of her. Winds Whisper had successfully delivered Zhao Youyues message to Rosemary, she even showed Zhao Youyue a screenshot of the chat history. She was excited at first because Rosemary replied that he would add Youyue to his friend list later. Sadly after a few days, she had yet to receive any friend request from Rosemary For the first time, Zhao Youyue reckoned that asking for a female cameo from an author in real life could be this difficult! As if the author was isolated from the world! Rosemary was well known for his low-profile character. He had never made an appearance in public, except the time that he was invited as VIP guest to the TGC event. It was said that he had put all his effort in his novel. Meanwhile in a luxury condo in the capital city, Ye Hai whose pen name was Rosemary, was sitting in front of his PC with full attention. If his fans were to see this, they would have thought that he was busy updating his novel. In fact, he was playing LoL instead. He felt nothing wrong about this, because he was just seeking inspirations through the game! Eternal War, his self-created original game in his popular novel The Strongest King, is actually a kind of MOBA game. Besides one-on-one solo battle, it will be five-versus-five team battle. The map of team battle is similar to LoL, with destroying the enemy base as the victory goal. The only difference is, Eternal War requires players to train their own heroes. Almost every professional player has owned an exclusive hero character equipped with max level divine equipments before entering Eternal War Arena, as that is the basic requirement. After that, they have to participate in team battle, and purchase the unique equipments and buffs in Eternal War through farming in game. Ye Hai carefully designed the game Eternal War. The concept was inspired by a couple of popular RPG games. He created around ten classes in game and designed the battle framework by referring to LoL. If someone was to create a game from his Eternal War, there would be a lot of bugs, and it would not be able to conquer the world like its novel. Anyway, it served perfectly as a game for the main characters novel to show off their talents. After retiring from the game, the main character would lose his unique hero as it was the club property. So he had to train another hero who possessed special abilities with the help of his golden finger. Naturally, the main character was able to show off in the early game. In fact, the earlier chapters of The Strongest King describing its online battle was rather racy. However all the loyal fans of Rosemary were but the readers of LoL Esports novels, which had caused earlier chapters to be less impactful. If not, how could the ballot riggers strangle a mighty author like him? He assured himself that this works would gain an immense popularity once the novel got into the tournament arc. He was this confident in his writings. Zhao Youyue had also discerned this. Perceiving this book as the lower configuration version of The Kings Avatar, she could not wait to participate in this novel to create an iconic female character. Why didnt Ye Hai send Zhao Youyue a friend request? Simply because he was busy gathering materials for his game. After he finished talking with Winds Whisper, another match had begun. As his QQ friend list was full, he felt troublesome to delete a friend and add her, and simply did not have the time to add a little Sect Master on QQ. Putting aside the Silver Sect Master rewards and whether he was lying, just look at the place he lived, thought it was not the villa as mentioned by the rumor, but it must be a high-priced luxury condominium. Would he be in need of a tip that was below 5,000 RMB after tax? With his writing skills, he was positive that he would eventually acquire a Golden Sect Master. This is his confidence in his works! The 30-year-old author, Ye Hai had always kept a low profile, yet he was mysteriously calm and confident. Chapter 64 Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation Ye Hais confidence in his works and absence of money worries made Zhao Youyue ran out of ideas. There was a high chance that the world she had entered would become an iconic novel, yet there were only nameless female characters. Zhao Youyue could do nothing but staring at it with frustration. Would there be this kind of problems whenever she entered the literary work of a greater author? She let go of her worries after giving it a good thought. She was lucky enough to enter a low configuration version of The Kings Avatar, The Strongest King. At the same time, she also felt unlucky as not only that Rosemary was unapproachable, but he had written a novel without any female character names! It was almost time for Zhao Youyue to meet up with the mangaka of Pure Romance. Miraculously, she had a great impression of Su Li whom she had never met. Comparing her with Rosemary, Su Li who had been conferred a God title with just a single manga, was simply an angel to Zhao Youyue. Zhao Youyue was almost guilty of overly teasing Su Li in the fans group, after all she was the culprit who posted all those unpleasant histories in the group. She could have sent them to Su Li as private messages, then it would not end up being a public humiliation for her. Anyway, Su Li was always generous to the tycoon readers, especially one like Zhao Youyue who carried a little fame. She would treat her with exquisite care and chat with Zhao Youyue once she had free time to improve their relationship. Zhao Youyue remembered that although she was the first Sect Master of the novelist Im the Best, he did not take the initiative to talk to Zhao Youyue, not to mention asking her opinions of the novel. Quite the contrary, Su Li had been humoring Zhao Youyue up the point of losing her pride as a mangaka. No wonder that the earlier chapters of Pure Romance would be of such a mess, no novelty at all! Every author has their standards and temper. Even though the way of marketing were similar, they would always add in their own stuffs to spice things up. However, besides her drawing style and technique, she had nothing else unique to her. Instead of a mangaka, she might just be called a painter. Of course, Zhao Youyue did not know that Su Li was originally an ero mangaka. While doujinshi ero mangas barely require any plots, could they stimulate the readers lust, inducing them to masturbate, they had been considered as good works. Anyway, this had caused Su Li to subconsciously neglect the plot and follow her usual style even while drawing a regular manga. Recently, a group of people had started a Su Li fashion on the internet. They claimed that Su Li deliberately messed up the earlier chapters of Pure Romance in order to set up for the grand finale. The hero Yang Ming represented not only himself, but all the typical Harem heroes, but his was presented with such a miserable ending. It was Su Lis rebellion against the convention of Harem manga. She was the first and ever to write an anti-Harem manga. After Zhao Youyue saw this statement, she grinned. As the culprit behind the grand finale of Pure Romance, she perfectly knew how it turned from a Harem manga into an anti-Harem manga. If she allowed Su Li to continue drawing with her own will, hmm.. definitely a typical harem ending whereby the hero is together will all the girls happily, that would not be much of an impact to the readers. Also, Su Li would not have her popularity right now, as Su Li fashion would not even exist in the first place. After the end of Pure Romance, Su Li got criticized by a lot of her fans, some even straight out called her a liar, or a low standard mangaka. But as time passed by, the people would always remember her as the mangaka of Pure Romance. Thus, she would have no trouble going anywhere after this incident. Su Li was smart enough to take advantage from the readers ridicule mentalities since most of them were looking for something to read or expected characters to die when they cheated in their relationship. She went along with those Su Li fashion statement, saying that she decided to hide the true ending as she was afraid that a lot of readers would not be able to accept it if they knew beforehand. As a result, Su Lis statement got her a lot of attention, proving that she was able to deal with these kind of situations. Compared to that low profile Rosemary, it was totally different styles. Finally it was the day for Zhao Youyue to meet up with Su Li. Zhao Youyue was certainly not wearing her uniform during winter holidays. Instead, she was wearing a blue button-up coat with black rivets adorned with laces around her neck, along with one dark-grey slim fit jeans showing her shape of leg perfectly. Of course, these clothes were not some mash-up brands, but fancy brands. Normally those lady-like temperaments were hidden under her blue white uniform. After some attire makeover, these temperaments flowed out of her naturally. If she ever goes to school with these outfits, she would definitely not be treated as a side character and would eventually draw lots of attention towards her. Zhao Youyue had been keeping a shoulder-length hair for a whole semester. After contemplating her face in the mirror, she decided to make herself look like Xu Jing. She thus referred to a manga with her image, and started tying her hair into a ponytail like the other ordinary girls. She kept a tiny, curly bang before her forehead, with her eyebrows slightly visible through it. Right after wearing a ponytail, her vibe was totally different. If she activated Xu Jings card, she would definitely be mistaken as the goddess Xu Jing who emerged from the manga. Unfortunately, her outfit did not match Xu Jings appearance, after all Xu Jing was just a normal person. Zhao Youyue brought a branded bag that perfectly fitted with her attire after she was done preparing, while her driver Uncle Liu was already waiting for her. Chapter 65 Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation While heading towards the coffee shop where she was supposed to meet up with Su Li, Zhao Youyue suddenly realized what she could become in the near future. Zhao Youyue did not dream of becoming any significant person since childhood. She just wanted to live her life care-free, not worrying about anything. Since everything she wanted could just be bought with money, it had shattered her will to strive for a better life. Having experienced such difficulty with Rosemary, she contemplated becoming a famous editor in future, so that she was able reach out for the authors easily. It should be fairly easy to ask for a female cameo in their creations. Zhao Youyue thought that it would be a win-win situation if she could ever collaborate with the authors. She could get hold of an iconic character card, where the authors could enjoy great sales. Moreover, their novels would not have an unforgettable iconic character, wasnt that a great sense of achievement? Su Li arrived at the meeting spot before Zhao Youyue. She was wearing a two-year-old white puffer jacket adorned with a red scarf. She was obviously not so particular about clothing like Zhao Youyue. While waiting at the entrance of the coffee shop, she looked through her QQ chat history with tycoon Youyue. Even though Zhao Youyue claimed that she was a female, she had never revealed any of her photos or voices, which put Su Li in doubt. Would there be a female reader who truly favored her Pure Romance? She had even tipped her more than 5,000 RMB. Su Li could only think that she had a unique taste and lots of cash at her disposal. Su Li did not wait long before a limo coming slowly to her sight. It stopped at the entrance of the coffee shop. Su Li goggled in disbelief. Wasnt this the familiar scene of a rich daughters arrival? She had thought this could only happen in novels or mangas. She had never expected that she could witness it in real life! She had always assumed that authors were exaggerating, because such an entrance would be ostentatious in reality. As Su Li was staring at the limo, the driver jogged to the rear and opened the door for the VIP. This scene looked even more familiar to Su Li. The person who gracefully came out from the limo was definitely Lady Zhao. She thanked Uncle Liu with gratitude, and went straight to the coffee shop. This mistress with ponytail certainly caught the eyes of many. Su Li was just one of the spectators, but she saw this lady was smiling and walking towards her. Could someone from lower-class like her know such a rich mistress? Her brain was freezing Nice meeting you, Master Su Li, Im your fan! My name is Zhao Youyue, Im in your care. She introduced herself as she stood elegantly in front of Su L. Her social skills were not bad at all. O, ooh Nice meeting you too, my name is Su Li. She responded nervously and shook Zhao Youyues smooth and fair hands right away. It almost felt like a commoner meeting up with the president of the state. Zhao Youyue felt a rough sensation on Su Lis hand, she was impressed as she knew Master Su Li was a hardworking person towards her art creations. Zhao Youyue guessed it right. While creating Pure Romance, Su Li did not even stop working on her doujin releases. Born into a lower class, she would not slip any money earned from either normal works or doujin released. Her parents were farmers and she had two little sisters. She would always give 80 percent of her money earned from her artworks to her mother. Of course, she did not wish her sisters to experience a tough life like hers. Back then, Su Li was despised by anyone in school, but her family condition made her insecure. She felt unqualified for love and was afraid to be abandoned by someone she loved, despite having a pretty face. Later, she found her true love, which was drawing mangas! Her works were loved by thousands of fans, that was comparable to love, wasnt it? Plus, she could finally announce it to her family that she was a mangaka. Earlier on she had to make up that the money given to family came from her part-time jobs. Well, could she tell her family that she earned those money through drawing erotic mangas? After a brief greeting at the entrance, they entered the coffee shop. With Zhao Youyue by her side, Su Li felt like her shoulder and waist was straightened up as ever. Never would she have thought that she could have a rich fan like Zhao Youyue! Even though Su Li was not familiar with cars, but she knew that a limo costed approximately two to three million RMB at least. Looking at her entire outfit, Su Li guessed that even her boots could have worthed hundreds of the white puffer jacket she was wearing. Well, the white puffer jacket costed her only 200 RMB. However, Su Li had her mindset to make an acquaintance with Lazy Zhao, she must get on her good side. They both sat down facing each other, Su Li was no longer feeling nervous. Even though Lady Zhao was rich, she was still a fan after all. If only Su Li was a male, she would never have to bother about money for the rest of her life. Of course, if she managed to get into a relationship with Zhao Youyue. Obviously this was here mere daydream. If she really was a male, Zhao Youyue might not even want to meet up with Su Li. Warming herself with a cup of hot latte, she said, Ive never expected my first Sect Master, Youyue-chan[1] will be coming out of a limo. It certainly surprised me. Who doesnt enjoy compliments and pleasing of others? Zhao Youyue grinned. Still, she humbled herself, You flatter me, Master Su. Actually, I have also never thought Master Su would look even prettier in real life than in photos. You can totally become a superstar. Su Li quickly waved her hand in disagreement, Im not as beautiful as Youyue-chan, you have that elegant temperament, youre just like like Suddenly Zhao Youyues facial expression turned impassive, mimicking Xu Jings iconic deadpan look. Even though she did not activate Xu Jings possession mode, she could perfectly imitate Xu Jing after her frequent usage of the card. Just like Xu Jing!, Su Li uttered suddenly as she looked at Zhao Youyue, then her face revealed a shocking expression. Translation Note: [1] Chan C . Japanese honorific, When addressing or referring to someone by name in Japanese, an honorific suffix is usually used with the name. Chapter 66 Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation For a moment, Su Li thought that the character created, Xu Jing had come out from the Two Dimensional World to execute her vengeance. Zhao Youyues facial expression as well as the aura she was emitting, was akin to none other than the Tri-no girl elite scholar herself! As a mangaka herself, Su Li always had the feeling that Xu Jing was actually someone with life and soul. But she ended up walking towards the ocean, drowning herself in the grand finale, and Su Li was responsible for this misery. Had Xu Jing broken the Fourth Wall and made her way into the real world, her creator, Su Li would definitely be on pins and needles. Remember the power of this darkened elite scholar, she could really wreak havoc in reality. After drawing the finale, Su Li had a nightmare in which Xu Jing emerged from the ocean, with a cleaver on her hand, proceeding to stab Su Li. Whenever she thought of it, she always felt a chill down her spine. Of course this was Su Lis mere imagination. In the manga, Xu Jing had neither displayed any form of form of martial arts, nor wielded a cleaver. She only made everyone her pawns in accordance with her script. But beyond her expectation, Yang Xixi would rather choose her brothers head than herself. No. Did she really not expect that to happen? Perhaps she was just pretending to fall in love with Yang Xixi, her real motive was to take her revenge on society! She had a solid reason to do so. These guys and the creator outside the Fourth Wall had disrupted her, her studies and her time to be alone. So, she would revenge on them one after another, and finally the creator, Su Li herself! Su Li felt that this was the truth behind all of this, but she was afraid to tell everyone this frightening truth. Anyway, she was almost terrified by the fact that she could depict a character like Xu Jing. Su Li herself had no schemes nor the silent but terrifying power of Xu Jing, but miraculously, she was able to create this most iconic character in Pure Romance. Looking back, she felt as if she was possessed by a ghost! Anyway, who would believe that the mangaka, Su Li herself was terrified of her own creation, Xu Jing. After looking at the astonished Su Li, Zhao Youyue put her usual kind and gentle, yet elegant smile back on, Thanks for your compliment. Indeed, I like the character of Xu Jing. No, I think Im deeply in love with her. Whenever I see Xu Jing studying quietly, it gave me a limitless motivation to focus on my own studies as well, not to mention that my results had improved greatly. I had actually tipped you this much because of this character. Su Li rubbed her eyes and looked at Zhao Youyue once more. She let out a sigh of relief. She felt uneasy after hearing her words, Well, I still have to thank you for the tips. I have a new project coming soon, and I will post it on Qidian manga website, I hope that you will have a look. Dont worry about it, I will definitely tip you a Silver Sect Master. She smiled as she took a sip of her coffee. She frowned a little, and refused to drink again. Lazy Zhao would rather waste that cup of coffee than spoil her taste buds. After hearing Zhao Youyues words, she replied gratefully, Wow, I must thank you for your generosity! So Youyue-chan, do you have any suggestions for my upcoming new project? At first, Zhao Youyue merely wanted to dissuade her from writing anymore Harem manga, as she might not read her mangas after tipping her a Silver Sect Master out of their friendship. Both the plots and character settings of her novel were boring, yet it became famous not because of Su Li at all. However, a brilliant idea suddenly flashed across her mind, she said, Are you interested to collaborate with others? You will be fully in charge of drawing though. Su Li did not turn down Zhao Youyues suggestion immediately. She did not bear the arrogance of some authors, nor did she became cocky after the godly success of Pure Romance. She actually realized that her creativity ability had not developed much, instead, she had fully mastered the use of holy light[1] and was able to portray sex scenes without showing the nipples. The male readers could have a sustain erection upon reading them she had successfully grabbed the male readers by their nuts. How Su Li wished she could hone her creative ability, as she wanted to draw some interesting and enticing plots, not to infer from those erotic kinds of stuff again to attract more attention. She honestly knew that she had space for improvement, I will gladly collaborate with others and become a painter. But, under two conditions. First, the original work of the author must be a good one that allows me to learn something in the progress. Second, it must have a constant income. Considering if there arent 3,000 average subscriptions every month, it wont be qualified to be released as a book. So, it depends on the author and his work. I dont mind being a painter at all, itll save me the burden of devising a new plot anyway, Im happy with that. Zhao Youyue perceived Su Lis sincerity on hearing those words, so she told her about the author Rosemary and his novel The Strongest King, even though now there were more male fans. This novel would certainly have more female fans after it got popular, if only Su Li could turn it into a manga. Zhao Youyue did not force Su Li to follow her suggestions, instead she recommended her to have a look at the novel first. It would be better if she liked it too. But if she had no interest in this particular novel, then she could just forget about it. Su Li tapped her chest and stated that she would definitely give it a shot, I saw Rosemary appearing in the same authors group in QQ. I got invited by the admin, Mr. Sea into the group after my Pure Romance got really famous. His connection with people is definitely wide, as he can chat with other famous Qidian authors too. As a newcomer, I didnt talk much with the others but I can tell that Rosemary is seriously a dedicated player, he often invites others to play games with him. After Zhao Youyue heard the name Rosemary, she twitched her mouth a little. Did he block all the other fan groups just so he had time to chat in this authors group? He didnt update his new chapters but he had time to play games? Zhao Youyue suddenly thought of a meme- a viral picture of a shiba inu sprawling on a sofa, along with the caption of I feel relaxed though Ive not written a single word. Translation Note: [1] Holy light (ʥ) C a way of censorship in anime, which uses various shapes of light to cover inappropriate contents in the picture. Chapter 67 Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation What irritated Zhao Youyue the most was that Rosemary did not send her a friend request at all. Did the author had an instinct that Zhao Youyue had the ability to enter the realm of novels, worrying that she could ravage his creation? Zhao Youyue regarded this as an unnecessary worry. She would not sabotage the works within her favorite list, in fact she would use her ability to make it even more iconic! In reality, she would hard sell Rosemarys creations to others and even convince Su Li to draw a manga of it, solely to multiply the influence of the works. Zhao Youyue complained to Su Li that she could not reach Rosemary for the past few days, she even tipped the author, is asking for a cameo too much? Of course not! Its reasonable for a Sect Masters to demand a came or become a group admin, I would have responded to their requests without qualms. Not to mention that Im drawing mangas, adding a cameo is definitely easier for a novelist. How dared Rosemary to ignore such a little request, its unforgivable! Su Li went along with Zhao Youyue after hearing her complain. She thought to herself, Oh Rosemary, you never know what golden opportunity you have missed, Im gonna get on the good side of this rich lady, and ensure she is always my number one fan. Why not I ask for you instead? Were in the same group, he will at least listen to what I say, tell me your request, Su Li said. Really?, Zhao Youyue suddenly saw a silver living, she liked Su Li even more now. Just tell me, you are my number one Sect Master, I must at least be able to fulfill such a small request!, Su Li emphasized on Zhao Youyues status as her number one Sect Master, hoping that she would keep it that way. Not really expecting it to work, Zhao Youyue answered, Just name this female cameo Yu Shengfan, the rest is not really important. Oh wait, its best if she uses a Swordmistress in game, and her IGN will be Unpleasant Rain. While she was talking, she took a notepad from her bag, and wrote down the cameos name and game ID. She then tore that page and handed it over to Su Li. After seeing the paper, Su Li questioned out of concern, What about her identity and character settings? Or any special abilities. No thanks, Im already satisfied if she can make an appearance in the book, Im not asking for a side character anyway. She shook her head. Zhao Youyue thought to herself, that she could easily add her character settings and ability once she possessed Yu Shengfan in the literary world. Leave it to me, a cameo with a mere name is a piece of cake Su Li promised confidently Looking at the confident look of Su Li, Zhao Youyue could not help teasing her, Master Su, you had also promised the fans that Pure Romance would have a happy ending too. IN the end, all characters met each other happily in hell. Dont you end up not getting my cameo, yet making others dislike you Su Li blushed, Probably not. Though I rarely chatted in the Lone Elderly Club group, but I was always peeking. I noticed that Rosemary has a good temper. The Gods of Mangas and Novels who are single always like tease Rosemary, but Ive never seen him enraged even once. He would still invite those people for gaming. Besides, I heard that he is pretty skillful at games. He is usually the MVP of the team, and a lot of players who want to raise their game rankings would like to follow him. After hearing Su Lis words, Zhao Youyue was rest assured. She was indeed satisfied with her first meet up with Su Li. Both of them appeared to be quite congenial with each other, and parted their own way after having dinner together. Zhao Youyue wanted to pay for the bill but Su Li insisted that she would pay it instead, after all it was her idea to invite Zhao Youyue for a dinner. Even though Su Li was a gold digger, and a person who likes money, but she also knew the basic manners. Her poor family condition had polished her edges and corners. What amused Zhao Youyue was that Su Li took a picture of them both, in front of the limo, and made sure the car number plate 58888 was visible in it. Su Li did not own a car, she came here with a cab, so Zhao Youyue suggested that she could send her back to her work office. She declined the offer politely even though she wanted to sit in one of these cars. Zhao Youyue was smart enough to look through her gesture. She then smiled at Su Li and dragged her onboard the car. Su Li felt like as if she was one of the rich ladies as well, to be able to befriend such fair, rich and beautiful Lady Zhao. It almost felt like a dream comes true, she was not wrong to choose the path of a mangaka. She wanted to repay Zhao Youyue in future with mangas of better quality! When Su Li got back to her place, she began to read The Strongest King suggested by Zhao Youyue. It almost had 400,000 words in it but to someone like Su Li who finds inspiration from webnovels, it would be a piece of cake to finish it in a day, if it was really interesting just like what Zhao Youyue mentioned. Su Li did not forget to take selfies with Zhao Youyue while she was in the limo, she even took pictures of the interior of the car. Both of them looked just like best friends, nobody would have guessed that one is the mangaka while one is the mangakas manga female protagonist. Oh! I still havent known how old are you after all the time weve spent together, youre university student? Su Li asked. Nope, Im only 16, Ive just finished my first semester in high school. She replied with a gentle smile on her face. Su Lis eyes goggled, with her jaw opened widely. She would never expect Zhao Youyue to be only 16! Her gestures and way of talking were just too mature and decent, even her outfit did not look like a high schooler! Anyway, the moment together with Zhao Youyue was very comfortable for Su Li. It was like enjoying a breeze under the sun Chapter 68 Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation If Zhao Youyue was just an ordinary secondary school girl, there would not be such a pleasant chat between Su Li and her. Meeting up with Su Li was quite a delightful moment for Zhao Youyue. It was probably because her very soul had assimilated the memories from another world, inspiring a precocious girl like her to be even more matured now. To Youyue, communicating with same-age people was just as getting along with children, whilst a conversation with someone in the society like Su Li was way more meaningful. Zhao Youyue had always remained calm and collected in the face of everything. Failing to get in touch with Rosemary depressed her for but a short while. Without dwelling further on it, she decided to let nature took its course. Never had she thought that Su Li would offer help to request a cameo character for her. That was a little surprise, wasnt it? Anyhow, she did not really matter if Su Li could help her to obtain a cameo now. She had come to realization instead of immersing oneself in meaningless anxiety which is a waste of time, why not spending the time to learn more things in this world? As such, without the character card, she could also rely on her will of learning to master more knowledge and skills. People should learn to be content. To Zhao Youyue, it was already an everlasting fortune to acquire the iconic character card of Xu Jing. She would not allow herself to lose her peace of mind and thirst for more character cards. At worst, just wait until the end of The Strongest King and then shift into another literary world. She could do that, couldnt she? Previously, Zhao Youyue was on pins and needles. She believed that opportunity knocks only once, and she would be sorry for herself if she did not accomplish something. Looking back, she felt that she had been drunk and lost her mind. After deliberating over everything, and assuming she had no Dimensional Gate, she continued to indulge in her violin practice while utilizing Xu Jing iconic character card. Perhaps she had put on a ponytail like Xu Jing, thus her actions were even more in sync with Xu Jing now. In any case, her learning efficiency had increased, and she could be more focus in studying, not to mention that she could easily remain peaceful while activating Xu Jings possession mode. Tomorrow was their day of returning to hometown, the Mahjong Town. It was also the time in which the three of them could enjoy a family dinner. On regular days, Zhao Youyues father was always caught in dinner engagement thus he rarely ate at home, meanwhile her mother was used to take her dinner in university. Hence, Zhao Youyue would often take care of her own dinner too, after all she had abundant pocket money. Almost all the famous cafes, Chinese restaurants and Western restaurants in town had been visited by her. She absolutely deserved the title of chowhound! Some restaurants had fallen into her blacklist, while some had become her favorites. She even got to know the bosses and had her own VIP seats, as she was a true VIP. That being said, Zhao Youyue had been buying and cooking her own dishes through the power of Xu Jing iconic character card. Very much surprised, Xu Jings culinary skills were spectacular, and her dishes miraculously had a sweet taste of home Sometimes she liked to contemplate shifting into gourmet works like Chka Ichiban!, Food Wars: Shokugeki no Soma, and The Supplier of Culinary Delicacy. As such, would she acquire even greater culinary skills? But then, things gonna be peculiar, as she would be preparing some extravagant cuisine which looked colorful and shiny, yet was able to cause the tasters to be so addicted, as if they were aroused, beaten until their shirts being torn, or taking drugs. Hmm, was it even possible for such effects to take place in reality? If so, that would be amusing and make her stand out from everyone. Compared herself to Xu Jing, Zhao Youyue acknowledged that she could not hold a candle to her. Not only Xu Jing was diligent and passionate, she was a filial daughter too, unlike Youyue who had never thought of cooking a meal for parents. With her family background, she needed not express her love by this way. Anyway, she could feel that her parents still loved her more than she loved them. She was pampered by them and used to their mollycoddle since her childhood. Because she was the one and only daughter! Rarely would she have the notion to repay her parents love, as she thought that her parents were already living a happy and blissful life, and so they could not be anymore happier regardless of what she did. After undergoing Xu Jings life however, she started to introspect her past behaviours. Perhaps she should try doing something for them to the best of her abilities. Therefore, Zhao Youyue volunteered to prepare a home-cooked dinner for her parents tonight. At that time, Zhao Jiayi was about to call for food delivery. For sure, the food ordered by Mr. Zhao, the hospital director was not those random fast food purchased via Meituan.com or Ele.me[1]. Instead, he would directly call the owner of some legacy private dining restaurant, demanding some dishes that were specially cooked by the chef to be delivered to their house. A private dining restaurant generally does not provide food delivery service. But the mighty hospital director could make it happened solely by one of his phone calls. Professor Wang definitely had no objection. She could not cook, even she could, she would be lazy. What? Ive to do dishwashing after the meal? Thats troublesome! This family was one of a kind indeed. None of them was able to cook, but they have been living well for so many years, without feeling anything wrong. How great it is to be rich! Therefore, when Zhao Youyue offered to cook for her parents, Zhao Jiayi and Wang Hua were so astonished! Zhao Jiayi put down his phone right away. An incredulous look had shown on the face of this handsome middle-aged man, who then chuckled, Are you kidding Youyue? Do you cook? Wang Hua also put down the redology literature about Dream of the Red Chamber in her hand. She sniggered and teased her like always, Oh our little sloth, if you can cook, Ill eat this book! Being arrogant since her childhood, Wang Hua was a beautiful and versatile elite scholar. She had barely done any housework in her life, would she believe her own daughter could make dishes? If she had no culinary skills, could her daughter possibly have them? This little sloth, is she trying to show off? How could she possess the skill that is not even found in her most perfect mother in the world? Impossible! Zhao Youyue was expressionless. Not sure whether when she started holding a music sheet. She responded coldly while memorizing the music sheet, But Ive bought the ingredients. Zhao Jiayi was stealthily laughing at the side. He pretty much enjoyed seeing the daily bickering of this pair of mother and daughter. Prior to this, Zhao Youyue was always defeated by Wang Hua but this time, he perceived a different Zhao Youyue. The situation was almost a battle between two elite scholars. Was it a mere illusion? To her disbelief, Wang Hua rose to her feet and walked towards the kitchen, just to discover that her daughter Zhao Youyue had prepared the ingredients. As for the vegetables, there were already capsicums, brinjals, carrots, tomatoes, potatoes, etc. All sort of hearty food materials! Not to mention that the rice was already being cooked in the rice cooker What kind of situation is this? Translation Note: [1] Meituan.com () and Ele.me (ô) are two Chinese websites that provide food order and delivery online services. Chapter 69 f speaking was still so conceited, and her temper was terrible as ever, I would rather eat this book in my hand than taking a bite of this little sloths cooking. Im not risking my life! Anyone who wants to eat it, go ahead, but I will never! Never would Wang Hua believe that her maiden daughter could come up with anything delicious. Not only that the food would have a nasty appearance, but she would stir up a big mess in the kitchen. She was lying! It was impossible! Is tangent 90 degree possible in Mathematics? That being said, she was peeking at her daughter. Based on her previous understanding of her own little sloth, if she was able to cook, she would jump out of astonishment. Because her daughter was a cute little sloth who would be boasting around of what she had learned albeit just half good at it, just to prove her existence in this world. Fortunately, this daughter was unremarkable in all aspects in comparison to her genius mother, otherwise she should have been flying in the sky! Dont think Wang Huo was just provoking her daughter unreasonably, she was actually trying to probe into her daughter. To her utter surprise, this little sloth who had fallen for her taunts more often than not, did not even bat an eye now. She looked very calm and serene. Oh, if you think it tastes bad, feel free to call for food delivery, mom. Zhao Youyue responded meekly. A shred of gentleness showed on her deadpan face. This must be her typical response with Xu Jings possession mode. Dont forget, in manga, Xu Jing always gave her most beautiful smile to her mother. Hence, instead of getting restless like always, Zhao Youyue would not be enraged by all sorts of her mothers ridicules. Out of her maximum devotion to her mother, she could even be Wang Huas full-time servant now, willingly. Hua Er, Hua Er [1], dont treat Youyou so. Anyhow, this is Youyou first time volunteering to cook for us, and Im very touched by her intention! You should really taste her dishes, let us wait patiently! Zhao Jiayi comforted his wife naturally while putting her hands on his wifes curvy waist. As a rightful member of Zhao family, Zhao Jiayi was also born rich but his temper was way better than the rich daughter of Wang family who was full of herself. He was chronically the peacemaker of this family, and probably the most humble head of family ever. Without him, it was uncertain that how long the cold war between Wang Hua and Zhao Youyue would last after they falling out. This mother and daughter would be so attached to each other as if they were glued together when they got on well, but when they did not, the situation would turn insane, as if they wanted to end their mother-daughter relationship on the spot In Zhao Jiayis eyes, his wife was but a little princess who had never grown up. The boldness and petulance in her bone still existed, and so he had to tolerate with her. But he got along easily with his daughter who inherited his decent temper, and of course he would pamper this daughter of his. Never had he asked her to achieve any greatness in life, as long as she lived happily and healthily forever. Very much the contrary, Wang Hua desired the best out of her daughter, hoping the daughter would surpass herself and become a spectacular woman, a phoenix [2] who amazed everyone. Unfortunately, as she grew bigger and bigger, this mother had pretty much resigned to her fate. She could do nothing except playing her, picking on her, and teasing her. Blame herself to be so incompetent On hearing Zhao Jiayis comfort, her tone remained harsh, Touching? Thats you, I will not be touched so easily! I will rather eat this book in my hand than being touched by her! Mark my words, if she cooks some awful dishes, we will just eat outside and let her finish her own mess. I still dont believe her! Remaining in the state of cool man has no words, Zhao Youyue paid no heed to her mother who had claimed that she would rather eat her book thrice! Whatever, a book girl who loves to eat her book, that was cute, wasnt it? Her mothers attitude was despicable as always She walked straight to the kitchen and started cooking in an adept way. It could be told that she was not a novice at first glance. Meanwhile, Zhao Jiayi and Wang Hua who were observing her from outside, were dumbfounded. Zhao Jiayi especially, though he was touched and eager to have a taste of her daughters culinary skills, still he did not believe her genuinely. Her daughter might be easier to please than his wife, still she grew up being pampered all the way, all the clothes and food were always prepared for her. How could she learn to cook? Besides, the school had no cooking class, this was not a Japanese vassal anyway. Looking at his daughters tidy and organized manoeuvres, just like a general who had fought a thousand battles, he could not help contemplating all possibilities. Perhaps my daughter is in love with a man thus learning to cook for him? Thinking of which, an irksome feeling rose upon Zhao Jiayi. Which guy dares approach my cute daughter? Im gonna break his legs! Mom, can you help me for a while? So Im able to finish sooner. Zhao Youyue subconsciously called for her mom, as only her mother could help her when she was Xu Jing, while her father was bedridden. Wang Hua stepped into the kitchen without qualms, but she again grumbled, Hmph, I dont want to help actually. But I know my little sloth, shes pretty cunning and has a lot of little tricks, despite having no great wisdom. Maybe you wanna blame me for not helping you when the food is not good later, dont you? Haha, your intelligent mother had seen through your petty trick! Anyway, Wang Hua was unable to follow Zhao Youyues tempo, like a knucklehead, she was helping just to make matter worse At last, not only Zhao Youyue did not jeer at her, but she had guided her patiently instead. Zhao Jiayi had volunteered his assistance too, and so the efficiency increased significantly. Unlike Wang Hua, Zhao Jiayi was not that useless. Perhaps Wang Hua had spent all her life efforts in other talents, dont forget she was the professor of Chinese Literature in Jiangnan University of the province, which was the most prestigious university after Capital University and Chung Hua University. In addition, she was a literary writer with the pen name of Ink stains the world, the vice chairman of the Jiangnan Provincial Writers Association and the member of the Chinese Writers Association, many of the two or three streams of literature prize winners, but were all won via relationship. Therefore, did not be afraid of these reputations of hers, she was inherently a failed writer. In recent years, the people who were involved in traditional literature, other than the famous writers such as Mo Yan, Jia Pingwa, Wang Meng, had all failed tremendously. As for Wang Hua, she had produced a book of which the sales volume was embarrassing. Basically, hundreds of copies had been printed but were all given to people as gifts in the end. They could only accept it while smirking politely, but did not know what to do with it later on, as even the paper quality was too rough to be toilet papers, sigh. Her books ended up being sold on pounds along with the abandoned materials of the children. But whenever she published a book, she could report it to the Writers Association to claim subsidies. Well, she was a traditional writer, a reputable status indeed, wasnt it? With the joint effort of the three family members, a hearty and complete dinner was finally ready. Zhao Youyue then deactivated Xu Jings possession mode, and her face started regaining expressions. Mischievously, she gazed at her mother of stunning beauty and temperament, akin to a devil having his eyes on a beauty. Translation Note: [1] Chinese likes to call someone close by their first name appended with Er(), which means little. Wang Huas husband calls her Hua Er, which means Little Hua for instance. [2] Chinese describes a successful man as dragon (), a successful woman as phoenix (). Chapter 70 Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation Without activating Xu Jings possession mode, Zhao Youyue would be nothing like a filial, dutiful daughter. She remembered her lofty and bossy mother shouting, I would rather eat this book in my hand than take a bite of this little sloths cooking. Soon after, the table had been served with Sauteed Shredded Pork with Green Pepper, Fried Egg with Tomato, Sauteed Chinese Greens with Mushrooms, Braised Eggplant Slices, Kung Pao Chicken, Braised Pork, Borsch, and Etc They smelled great, and looked wonderful. One wouldnt need to taste to know that they were wonderful dishes. For someone like Zhao Jiayi and Wang Hua who have gotten used to deluxe meals, these simple, sentimental homemade dishes appealed to them more than usual. Everyone had been engaged in rather strenuous physical activities a while ago, and it was already time for dinner. The hunger caused a sudden surge in their appetite Wang Huas face blushed, appearing more beautiful and adorable. Besides the frequent twin ponytails that she had during her school days, she now maintained straight and soft long black hair, resembling the style of a goddess. In the entire Jiangnan University, she was actually a very well-known professor, thanks to that beauty. It was a pity that she was already a wifey now, that is truly disappointing. Of course, to some people, having the wife attribute might actually be more alluring. The truth was that Wang Hua really felt like filling a bowl of rice and start eating straight away. However, she felt uncomfortable under her daughters thorough gaze. With a deep breath, she showed her majesty of a mother, using the bossy tone of a missy as before, Little sloth, what are you staring at? Dont you know how to show some respect to daddy and mommy by serving us some rice? Zhao Youyue pursed her lips and smiled mildly, and filled two bowls of rice with seeming obedience. The bowl with more rice was handed over to her father. For the one with less rice, just as she placed it in front of her mother, she pulled it back the next moment. Then, while her mother stared with her jaw dropped, she brought the thick famous work of Redology and placed it in front of her mothers face. With a tender voice, I think that a literature maiden who swallows books is pretty Moe, old mama. The taste of the books should be a lot tastier than my cooking. Please enjoy. If Wang Hua had better insight, she would have noticed. Compared to the Zhao Youyue who was cooking, the current Zhao Youyue had changed the way of addressing her mother. In future, there might even be more different forms of Zhao Youyue. Then, she could have gotten an inspiration to write an interesting novel named My Frequently Possessed Daughter or I Might Have Given Birth to A Fake Daughter However, Wang Hua was left speechless by this naughty little sloth. Her blushing red face blushed even further, given her history of teasing Zhao Youyue without holding back. What surprised her was that her daughter really cooked a tableful of a feast. The appearance and fragrant was all good, and most probably it should taste good too. But now, this little sloth wanted her to swallow the book! Wang Hua stroked the table and stood up angrily, I dont have such a daughter like you. Thats right, how would a diligent genius such as myself give birth to such a plain little sloth! From now on, there will only be either you or me in this house! And dont call me old mama! Zhao Youyue felt her scalp tingling from her mothers words and stuck out her tongue innocently. Although her mother had already used similar words countless of times, she still had a hint of fear from it every time her mother shouts out. Zhao Youyue did not dare to challenge her mother further and quickly looked over to her father, showing the crying for help look. Zhao Jiayi showed a bitter smile, and then he took the initiative to fill a bowl of rice for Wang Hua. He could always fill the perfect amount that could be finished by Wang Hua. This seemed like he had already gotten used to serving his wife, the missy with the worst temper in the house. But then, he was willing to make this sacrifice, perhaps this was called love. Unfortunately, in the eyes of Zhao Youyue, this was a sickening pair of spoilt parents. It was so disgusting that she hoped that she did not have to see. She did not know what other families were like, but she felt that the family she was born in was a weird one. Her father was still normal, but her mother was Zhao Youyue always criticized her mother in her heart as a retard in daily life. Her narcissism was far beyond help, and the missy temper was more like a child. She looked less than 30 years old, very pretty, had a mature charm and her visibility and glamour was far higher than Zhao Youyue. The truth was that she was actually already an obasan[1], but still continued to pretend. Also, she always carried some unfathomable literature books to show off, wanting Zhao Youyue to learn from her. Not to know that Zhao Youyue actually knew her mother secretly watched the romantic drama from Korea and Japan with high interest. Besides, she laughed like a fool when she watched Bilibili Kichiku All-Stars[2]. Recently, she was also addicted to the Cant leave you by Brother Bo Lan the junk man. Certainly, Zhao Youyue would never dare to speak her thoughts out, fearing that old mama would tie her up and beat her like a pinata. But wasnt this the truth? Seeing that old mama looked down on her earlier, if she was not under Xu Jings possession mode that moment, she would have quarreled with her mom. How frustrating it was, she was trying to show some filial to this spoilt couple, just to receive the old mamas cynicism. Under Zhao Jiayis meaningful gaze, Wang Hua who was almost a feral cat about to lash out, finally simmered down. She got more hungry and could not wait to start eating. First, she used a spoon to take a sip of the Borsch. Her face revealed a captivated expression, how could this Borsch taste so good! Was it because the Borsch was filled with her daughters sincerity? Wang Hua took a few more sips, feeling an unspeakable warmth. She closed her eyes, as if she had risen to the heavens! What a touch to the heart. It was as if she was in the midst of despair but still had her daughter accompanying by her, protecting her quietly, and sharing the familial burdens with her What a good girl! Wait, where did her family pressure come from? After all, Wang Hua was a litterateur, filled with perceptual. Surprisingly, she could feel Xu Jings love to her mother from the soup. It was indeed quite fantasized, but when she opened her eyes and saw a ponytailed little sloth puffing her cheeks gazed at her intriguingly, immediately she dismissed that illusion. Nevertheless, she showed an arrogant missy attitude, evaluated with a weak voice, Not bad for this soup! Zhao Youyue covered her mouth, trying hard to gulp back the laughter, while Zhao Jiayi started to gulp on the food. His table manners were not rude at all, instead, there was a kind of elegance of nobility. Still, his speed in eating was quite swift Seeing her daughters reaction, Wang Huas face turned blushing red again, lying brazenly, Mmmhmm, isnt this thanks to my participation in the dinner preparation? Sure enough, Im much more talented than this little sloth, even in culinary skills. There is still a long way for you to catch up to me! Old mama, if you dont eat faster, daddy is already going to finish everything off. Zhao Youyue rolled her eyes, moved her chopsticks swiftly while reminding her mother. Wow! You scoundrel from the Zhao family! Slow down, dont snatch all my dinner made with love from my little sloth! And, dont call me old mama! Yelled Wang Hua to the two of them. It is just too yummy! I cant stop myself! Zhao Jiayi replied with a satisfactory smile. At the same time, he did not forget to serve his wife and daughter with some dishes. Aww aww Smells so good! Wang Huas face was full of happiness too. This was probably the most unforgettable and delicious dinner in their entire life. Translation Note: [1]ŷɣ C Obasan Derived from a Japanese word Ф, means aunty or old lady, commonly used in Chinese nowadays to describe an old lady. [2] Bվ C Bilibili Kichiku. C Bվ C վ C Bilibili [website] (www.bilibili.com) A video sharing website. Main video-sharing sector is bilibili live, anime, drama, music, kichiku and Etc. C C Kichiku A video-sharing sector in Bilibili, mainly for sharing some memes created from anime, drama, movie, music and voice clips. ȫ C All-Stars The mass of characters that frequently appeared in Bilibili Kichiku. Chapter 71 Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation For once in her life, Wang Hua had two bowls of rice. Normally she would opt for one bowl of rice, but tonight she asked for extra. Only when she had finished her meal, she stopped teasing her daughter, altogether lost in her own thoughts. Staring at the empty plates on the table, Zhao Jiayi became silent. At first, he wanted to light up a cigarette, but his wife and daughter were there, he held back that gesture. The scrumptious meal ended with Zhao Jiayi and his wife pondering over the same question. When did their daughter master such amazing culinary skills? They truly did not expect this coming from Zhao Youyue. At the same time, they also felt a slight pang of guilty conscience. One of which was if they had not spend enough time with their daughter, by simply giving her pocket money but not attention nor affectionate care. Nowadays, there are cases where some rich kids are broken inside due to the lack of care. Some have even suffered mental disease and caused problems for the society, bringing trouble to their families. For Zhao Jiayi, his daughter was not one that would bring shame and worry to the family. Zhao Youyoue was just an ordinary girl who had never done anything extremely rebellious or out of the box. To him, describing his daughter with the word fine and gentle was just right. Others might not believe that Zhao Jiayi trusted his daughter more than his wife. But now, Zhao Jiayi seemed to be a little worried when Zhao Youyue showed off her seemingly well-polished culinary skills. Let me tidy up and wash the plates. Zhao Youyue stood up and offered voluntarily. At that moment, Zhao Youyue did not activate Xu Jings possession mode. Because she was a girl who is aware of the present atmosphere and also has a very high EQ. She fathomed the unusual behaviour of her parents after giving some thoughts. This time she had really caught their attention, greatly boosting her sense of presence. Her culinary skills was indeed amazing, which astounded everyone. When Youyue was flaunting her talent, the whole family was so happy that their intelligence had dropped off. But after the dinner, they started to think like usual and the largest suspicion came to sight. Youyou, take a sit, there is no need to rush. Leave the dishwashing to daddy and mommy. You shouldve been exhausted from all the cookings, better take some rest. Explained Zhao Jiayi while stretched out his hand pressing down the dishes. Zhao Youyue had no choice but to sit down. Now, she must not induce any suspicion but act normally. At this moment, Wang Hua did not interrupt and just waited for her answer. Zhao Jiayi continued with a very gentle tone, Youyou, when did your culinary skills become this good? Ive never seemed you practicing them at home before. Zhao Youyue naturally replied in a calm tone, Im just tired of eating the foods outside. Thats why I try to make some food for myself and found that cooking is actually quite interesting. When you two are not at home at noon, I will start practicing. Then, I will clean the kitchen until no cooking signs can be found. I only decided to give you a surprise after I mastered the culinary skills. This explanation was truly flawless, as Zhao Jiayi and Wang Hua were basically not at home on afternoons. Nobody would notice if Zhao Youyue actually did that. After all, they did not hire any maids. This was because Wang Hua was quite exclusive. As for the house works, they would hire hourly waged cleaners for the cleanings, while the clothes were basically dry cleaned and delivered directly. In fact, Zhao Youyue actually cooked her own food during the recent holidays. She hand-picked various types of seasonings and even the kitchen tools. She even self studied and created a few interesting dishes. Zhao Jiayi sighed and told her in relieve, Youyou, I never thought that you finally found some specialty in yourself. From now on, you are the best cook in our house! Originally, Wang Hua wanted to retort subconsciously, but she only managed to hiccup in the end, considered as admitting the fact. In Zhao Youyues heart, she was thinking Sorry for being so invisible all along! At that moment, she remembered something and said, Daddy, Ive decided to pick up the violin lessons again. Please help me to find a good teacher, the stricter the better. I am sure that I can persist this time. Zhao Jiayi discerned his daughters determination and certainly agreed with her. Picking up an artistic skill was great. In the future, by getting some violin tests, it would be an additional merit when seeking for relations during university applications. However, could his daughter really persist? Was it too late to pick up violin again? It might also end up affecting her results which just improved recently. After all, the semester final exam of his daughter was the seventh in the class. This made him overjoyed. Which parent in the world does not hope their children get good results? Those who say that only the non-obedient ones can succeed when they grew up were because anybody can run a tick down that do not belong to them. Before Zhao Jiayi spoke, Wang Hua could not hold herself back anymore. This time, she did not use a cynical tone, but explained calmly, It is too late for you to learn now. Previously, if you have persisted, you would have made some achievements, as you had a good fundamental. I was hoping that someday you can play your violin together with my piano. But you chose to quit, and now, even if you want to learn, you surely cant keep up with my piano skills. So its now pointless for you to pick up violin, it will be but a waste of time and money. Probably you cant last even more than three months. Towards the end, Wang Hua started to show her disappointment on Zhao Youyue. At least she really did recognise her daughter at the aspects of musical talents, just a weeny bit less than her. Alright, maybe it was actually a bit better than her. However, to speak of determination, she wouldnt even comment on it. Little sloth is always a little sloth! She is hopeless! Old mama, I want to learn violin. Again, Zhao Youyue said persistently. Then, Zhao Youyue stood up and went into her room, bringing out the newly bought violin. After all, the previously used violin was not standard issued, as she was still very young by then. Without any doubt, she activated Xu Jings possession mode and prepared her stance. Her left hand pressed onto the chord, balanced the violin against the horizon, and her right hand drew the bow. Setting the tip of violin at eye level, she played the song she prepared for a long time, Mother is The Best in the World. Based on Zhao Youyues understanding of her mother, when she mentioned about re-picking up violin towards her father, her mother would surely retort. Well, she did disappoint her mother too many times since young. It was more likely that her credibility was negative. That was why she needed to bring out the big gun, then she could subdue Wang Hua. Told you not to call me old Wang Huas sound stopped there when the familiar melody rhymed. Wang Huas proud and cold expression finally started to change. With her musical attainment, she could surely know how poorly skilled her daughter was. She was only playing the melody of the song following the book. Yet, just as how she felt the love from the dishes, she also received her daughters profound love towards her from this familiar melody! She was immersed in it, overpowered. In her eyes, sparkling crystals of tears could be seen. Mother is the best in the world, children with a mother are like a treasure, fall into the arms of mother, endless happiness could be found Mother is the best in the world, children without a mother is like a weed, leaving the arms of mother, where could happiness be found? Chapter 72 Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation After bring out her big gun, it was no doubt that she had conquered her mother. Finally Wang Hua joined her husband, as they both agreed to let Zhao Youyue continue her violin lessons. Wang Hua rubbed her eyes while saying this, If you cannot persist this time, there will never be another chance for you. I will contact the best violin teacher in this district. Luckily, your mum still has quite the influence since I am a famous writer Hey, little sloth, why are you looking at my eyes. Dont misunderstand, its only sand in my eyes. Theres no sand in the house. Zhao Youyue could not help but to say it out. Youre so noisy! Arent you annoying! When I say there is, there is. Come come! Get over here! Ah? Zhao Youyue walked towards her mum like an idiot. As a result, she was hugged by her mother. Het mum was pinching her face and touching all over her body Old mama, you I tell you not to call me old mama! Tonight Im sleeping with you! What? What about dad? I dont care about that man with the surname Zhao. After all, he has so many beautiful nurses in his hospital, he can just sleep with anyone. Zhao Jiayi who was smiling bitterly at the side, could not sit still anymore. He quickly explained to his own daughter, Youyou, dont you listen to your mums crap. You know your mum has a missys temper. If I ever do anything that will bring shame to our family, do you think I can still sleep on her bed? Zhao Youyue had absolute trust over this her parents relationship. Whenever there was a rest day, they would definitely enjoy their own lovers world. Zhao Youyue would become the extra person in the house. Nevertheless, she was used to it because she felt it was more comfortable and happy to live freely. Mr Zhao, what missys temper? I have such a good temper! I even tolerate you for finding those little nurses. Do you really want your beautiful teacher wife and those little nurses to serve you together Stop, stop, stop, Youyou is still here, dont teach the child bad things! Zhao Jiayi was so embarrassed while coughing awkwardly. He was impressed with his wifes ability of blathering. Zhao Youyue pretended to hear nothing. However, she put a remark in her heart about her mother. Her mother must be a naughty girl when she was alone with her father, the type that would drive people to bed every time there was an argument. Thinking of which, her father must be a very happy man. Zhao Youyue went to sleep with Wang Hua that night. Weirdly though, Wang Hua was the one who acted like a child and cuddled on her chest. Before she slept, she even taught Zhao Youyue a few ways to tie a ponytail, including her own specialty which was the cute twin ponytail style. Little sloth, do you know how many ways are there to tie a ponytail? Hahaha, I feel like Kong Yiji, like how many ways are there to write fennels in fennel beans? Do you know that this sentence from Kong Yiji actually represents an extreme form of loneliness? I bet you do not know at all Little sloth, you have to remember to loosen your ponytail at home. This is because there will be some negative effect if you tie it too long Little sloth, you should have keep your hair long. You finally open up your mind. Even I envy your hair texture. Unfortunately your hair is only reaching down to your shoulder. It will look horrible with the twin ponytail style Little sloth, when your hair gets longer, follows me for hair treatment. I know a salon that is very good on treatment Little sloth, is there any boys in school are chasing you? Definitely nobody since you have zero sense of presence at all. It is very difficult to let boys notice you. Your mum was not like that back in the days Wang Hua kept talking and talking Zhao Youyue kept holding back until she was not able to. She laughed and said, Old mama, with your kind of personality, you must be a blonde loser[1] who always let others snatch away her own lover. The twin ponytailed blonde tsundere is this type of person in the anime! Wang Hua was jumping on her feet. She was an elite scholar, excelled in piano, drawing, philosophy. She was even a winner in the relationship, how could she be a blonde loser! This little girl was really trying to fight against the God! I told you not to call me old mama! The mother and daughter were fooling around happily. Zhao Jiayi could finally have some peace. He was sitting alone in front of the computer, playing a game called All-stars to his content. He loved to play Civilisation, All-stars these kinds of strategy-based games. These games were very playable as he could play for a few days for just one round. If an author was addicted to this kind of game, he must never be given a chance to play at. That would mean the break of chapters. At that moment, the author would definitely quibble. He would say that he was looking for a job, working overtime, blackout at home, had a fever, wife was giving birth etc. Actually he had no job, no wife and no sickness; he was playing the game too much. For a majority of men, if they had to choose between computer and girls, computer definitely would be their first choice! On the second day, Zhao Youyue and her parents started their journey back to their hometown. Meanwhile, Su Li had spent one day finished reading Rosemarys novel The strongest King in one shot. She was losing her mind for it. She thought she would not be able to finish an E-game genre of novel since she had never read one. Moreover, she was not really good at playing games. However, this did not affect her reading. Since Zhao Youyue suggested her to turn The strongest King into manga, she had a lot of inspirations and ideas while reading. Not to mention that Rosemarys words allowed one to imagine the scene vividly. This let her felt that it was possible to change this work into a manga. It could become very popular! At this moment, Su Li opened the group chat named Lone Elderly Club where a majority of the Godly writers were in it. Rosemary who had no Godly contract was considered bad in the group, even Su Li had a better reputation than him. After all her Pure Romance made her become famous with only one manga. Qidian manga website was getting along with her and signed her to a Godly contract. Apparently they want to make Su Li as a signature artist for Qidian manga website. Since webcomic was on the rise, Qidian manga website was also trying to keep up with the flow. For Su Li who had stirred up such a fuss with only one manga, the result was even on par to those genius mangakas titled King of Novice, of course they would sign her. Coincidently, Su Li saw Rosemary who was talking nonsense in the group. This group had a special trait, where those failed authors would talk a lot of nonsense in the group. As for those influential writers, they were always diving in the group. Of course, Rosemary could not be counted as a failed author. With his income and position in webnovel, he had already surpassed at least eighty percent of other authors. However, he was nothing in this group which were full of Godly writers. During that time, the Godly writers were discussing issues regarding copyrights. Actually there was a supernatural fiction Godly writer with the pen name Five hundred Zhong Yuan had just sold out the gaming rights for six million. This had caused the other writers to admire him, and thought that his work would become another legend! Not to mention that his contract could be upgraded to a platinum contract! Rosemary then reflected, Actually I just wanted my new book to be converted into manga. I will give it away for free, the copyright to change into manga Just then, Su Li started to talk in the group. Translation Note: [1] Blonde loser (ëȮ) is normally used to describe a blonde character that loses to others in a love competition for the main protagonist but never learn to give up. Chapter 73 Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation Just as Rosemary uttered such words, he instantly got ridiculed by a few of his bad friends in the group Please wake up, you life winner. In comparison to those old books, the results from your new one isnt that good at all, how is it possible to take this chance for an adaptation of your manga? The adaptation for manga isnt worth a lot of money in the first place. Even if you give it out for free, I wonder if anyone is willing to take it, as nobody will want to read it once you finish the comic. Isnt he going to starve to death, that poor artist? Thats correct, what kind of idiotic artist is willing to adapt your crappy novel into mangas? In my opinion, it is very irresponsible of Qidian novel website to take only the electronic copyrights of the work. Why dont they just take the whole copyright and act as a dealer for us? It saves our time and less trouble for us as writers Are you stupid? If Qidian has the dealership for the whole copyright, they can sell it for 5 million. Then, they will inform you that they sold it for 500 thousand, and pay you 250 thousand with tax excluded. I can assure you that you will still be over the moon even though you have been deceived! It seemed that the main topic had strayed too far away, until Su Li began chatting in the group. Su Li sent a message, Are you sure you want to give it away for free? I really want to adapt The Strongest King into a manga. It is indeed a wonderful novel. Ive read it up to the latest chapter in one shot. When the mangaka Su Li appeared in the group, all went quiet at once. After all, there were some Godly writers just mentioned that it was impossible for Rosemarys The Strongest King to be adapted into manga. Of course, they had never read the book The Strongest King before. They merely judged the novel based on the results and they would never understand the true potential of this book. From their perspective, a book with an approximate 4,000 average subscriptions was just normal, if compared to other books that have over 10,000 average subscriptions. After the awkward silence, they started regaining their senses. Everyone in the group was filled with enthusiasm after realising Su Lis identity Oh my god! Isnt this Su Li who had obtained her Godlike status with her sole manga Pure Romance! Lets kneel and pray the God. Cant believe Im actually seeing a living Master Su Li. Your Pure Romance was fantastic! But the ending was a little The ending was the best, alright. What do you even understand? This is an ending befitting a God-like novel. Always supporting goddess Su Li! I know that Su Li is a mangaka who just graduated from her university. Can I ask for a picture? I just want to lick my screen. Hey, can you guys be more gentlemen? I cannot stand this level of lousiness, just look at you guys. Anyways, Master Su Li, may I ask you out for a meal? Praise Master Su Li, I really want to know what your new work will be Without a doubt, in this Lone Elderly Club, most of the male writers were single. As for Su Li, she was pulled into this club just because she was the creator of Pure Romance where the novel was directed to the male readers. It seemed pretty natural for her to become the main attraction in the club. After all, who doesnt like a gorgeous female artist? There is a Japanese artist named Yoshihiro Togashi whom people call Togashi the old sly. He got the nickname for marrying a beautiful artist named Naoko Takeuchi. Because she was the mangaka of an infamous manga Sailor Moon, a fair, rich and beautiful woman whose family is running a jewellery business. Su Lis family background might not be able to compete with Naoko Takeuchi. Furthermore, the influence of Pure Romance could also not parallel that of Sailor Moon, but still, she is way prettier than Naoko Takeuchi. There were some of them who shared Su Lis photos and videos online in the group. Whenever Su Li was in her makeup, she looked exactly like a goddess where her beauty was on the top. Besides, Naoko Takeuchi has gained her age whereas Su Li is still in her youth. On top of that, she even mentioned that she did not have a boyfriend nor have any experience in love during an interview With only these two facts, those otaku fans of Su Li had already regarded her as their goddess. Among the Su Li Fashion, they were mostly these kinds of fans. Obviously, the single ones from the Lone Elderly Club found that Su Lis charm was irresistible. As for some Godly authors who liked to toy with the readers, they were deeply impressed with this genius mangaka who was able to sell the point that her ending was going to be a happy reunion. Yet she killed all her characters and allowed them to reunite in their afterlife. They would not have the guts to do so if they were the writers. What if it went overboard, ruining the whole book and in turn destroying their reputation. The loss would outweigh the gain. However, Su Lis Pure Romance ending was detested by a lot of male readers, but due to the popularity of her Nice boat ending, more and more readers knew about Pure Romance. Then, they fell into the same pit and consequently made the book more famous, even after the story had finished! It was imaginable that many companies were headed over heels to get the copyrights of the book. A well-known gaming company in Japan had stated that they would like to make a galge based on Pure Romance. The Japanese name for the male protagonist would be Itou Makoto. In any case, Su Lis reputation far exceeded her income nowadays. What could she do? It was very difficult to develop sideline products for genre like Pure Romance. If not, she would be able to live the rest of her life with only Pure Romance. Su Li did not care about the rest and sent the message once again, emphasizing that she was truly considering to adapt The Strongest King into a manga. She could not help bragging, This is actually the suggestion of my number one Sect Master Youyue. She really likes the book The Strongest King. Besides, she had already promised to tip my new work a Silver Sect Master. When the name Youyue came up in the group, there was a commotion Youyue is quite a popular tycoon reader in Qidian website. I cannot believe she actually likes the book The Strongest King from Rosemary? I just checked the web page interface of The Strongest King. She just tipped a Sect Master. I envy him Hahaha, Youyue is also a Sect Master for my book, too bad she is not in my fans group. Wow? Silver Sect Master costs about 10,000 coins. I envy that Su Li has such a super tycoon as her fan, but did he not do that just to chase you? Wait a minute, Su Li. Did you just mention Lady Youyue? Isnt he a man? Should be a man, but the account information says that its a she When Su Li saw this group of people assuming that the cute Lady Youyue was a man, she could not stand it anymore. She sent a selfie of her together with Zhao Youyue in the group. Actually, she took these pictures with the purpose of showing off at the perfect time. After all, she had a perfect female reader, Zhao Youyue which allowed her to brag for the rest of her life! When all the photos of Su Li and Zhao Youyue were shared in the group, including the picture of the luxurious car with the plate number 58888, everyone was astounded! Upon seeing the pictures in the group, Rosemary suddenly recollected his memory of not taking Sect Master Youyue seriously. As of this moment, his heart was filled with many regrets! Chapter 74 Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation Ye Hai, whose pen name was Rosemary, had no idea that his Sect Master Youyue would have such a powerful background! Looking at the photos in the group, he had his share of knowledge about car brands. The luxurious car might not have a flashy appearance, but the price was not less than three million. Even though it could not be compared to those top-tier sports cars, but not many people could afford to own this car, not to mention that the car plate was 58888. It allowed someone to look wealthy and rich with this kind of plate number! Even though Ye Hai lived in a high-class condominium in the capital, but he bought it when the house price was not so terrifying. He only had this house as his asset. As for Zhao Youyue, it was not just the house in Jiang Nan district, her family had a sea-view house for vacation, and they also bought several properties overseas. In any case, they were never short of places to live Ye Hais car was considered a good-to-go as it worthed an approximately four hundred thousand. However, when it was compared to Youyue Tycoons car, there was no room for competition. If he was really rich to the point of not caring the income of writing webnovels, he would not have to update his 6,000 words per chapter constantly. He had high hopes that The Strongest King would bring him to the path of becoming a God. Apart from the car, the way Youyue Tycoon dressed up, her face and aura showed that she really was an extremely fair, rich and beautiful person. Who would have thought that such a tycoon was a loyal reader of his book, and he actually ignored her carelessly! What to do, Rosemarys previous three League of Legend novels had only twenty over Sect Masters altogether. However, those Sect Masters who had previously communicated with him were only student readers. They really loved Rosemarys novel, so they saved 1,000 RMB and tipped him. He did not have the heart to accept it and even asked them not to tip. It was enough for them to spend six dollars per month to subscribe the original novel and supported him. Even though there were some Sect Masters whom he had never communicated, his impression of Sect Master had remained as someone who was not rich but had tipped him because they liked his book way too much. Ye Hai was nothing like Su Li who shamelessly asked for tips from readers with all sort of hints and signs. He just hoped that the readers could subscribe to the original novel. He could even discuss his works peacefully with readers who read his pirated novels, and was able to reform some of them. Ye Hai even turned them into readers who would read his original works. After all, you only need a few bucks per month, and then grabbed some red packets in the group, then you would be able to read the original novel for one month. You could say that those who cannot afford to read webnovels are not short of small cash, but they are just too lazy to read the original ones. Besides, they have the mindset of taking advantages of others. Since there are so many others who have subscribed to the original novel, it would make no difference with or without them. When all the pirated readers have these kinds of thoughts, it would usually destroy a novels subscription. Consequently, the author would choose to give up due to disappointment. In this world, only a minority of authors continued writing even with their horrible subscriptions and results. Some readers would always question the writers regarding their updates on the novels as the readers thought that their books were wonderful! Actually the reason behind the non-updated books was all because of the low subscriptions and less royalties. The authors could not even pay the electricity bills with one months royalties. There was no point in writing anymore. The authors would have a better future with just moving bricks than writing. Ye Hai even had a one-way mindset, that there was no actual tycoon if all of them were reading webnovels. Those people who tipped the top-ranked Godly writers 100,000 or 1,000,000 coins must be a one-man show, where they paid people to tip themselves. If not, it was impossible for others to tip a person 100,000 or 1,000,000 coins over a book. He was not even the hostess of those live shows, where they would hang out privately with those tycoons Ye Hai had much confidence that if he could write the story properly, he would not be short of tips once the word counts started to stack. He never imagined that his book was actually liked by an actual tycoon, yet he assumed the tycoon was just like any other normal Sect Master, such a miscalculation! Was it possible that the tycoon had the characteristics of a side character, where people tend to ignore her? At that moment, the Lone Elderly Club group was filled with praise towards Tycoon Youyue Cant imagine that Tycoon Youyue is actually a fair, rich and beautiful person. I envy Su Li for sitting and taking pictures together with Tycoon Youyue! Asking for Tycoon Youyues QQ ID. I want to recommend my own book! I think its better for you to recommend your own pillow. Dont make such a silly dream This is not right. Tycoon Youyue is also my Sect Master, but shes not in my fans group. I must add her into mine! Maybe we should add Tycoon Youyue into this group? This is such a wonderful suggestion! Next time if we write about the life of a rich person, we just need to ask Tycoon Youyue to prevent embarrassing plot in which the Emperor carries a gold or silver pole[2]. As for the image of a precious daughter, we just need to follow the image of Tycoon Youyue. It will not go wrong. Su Li, What do you think? After all you two look really close to each other. Su Li had no idea how the conversation was sidetracked in such a way. She was actually quite selfish as she was not willing to share a tycoon like Zhao Youyue. However, she also did not want to cause an unpleasant scene with these Godly writers. If she was able to maintain a good relationship, then she would be able to ask them to recommend the chapters from her new book in the future. Normally, Godly writers would only recommend chapters for their close writing friends, if not it would be a hassle. The most embarrassing moment would be that some rookie authors kept on pushing for chapters recommendation even though they were not getting along. At the very least, these rookie authors should reach a certain level or be friends with some Godly writers, and then only ask for a chapter recommendation. Su Li replied, I will ask her. If she wants to join, then I will add her in. At this moment, the group manager Emperor of water who was viewing the chat, made Su Li a group admin. He rarely spoke in the group. It was like he was hinting Su Li to decide herself whether to add or not. This lead to a new round of bombardment Ye Hai cleared his QQ friends list by deleting a dozen friends who had never spoken to him after adding his QQ. He then took the initiative to add Su Li as a friend. At the same time, he recalled the conversation with the group manager of his fans group Winds Whisper, without any hesitation, he sent a friend request to Youyue. The identity verification message was, Tycoon Youyue, Im terribly sorry. I was busy perfecting the settings for The Strongest King, and was too concentrated on gathering materials. It was careless of me for not adding you as a friend. Tycoon, please let me hug your leg [1]! Let me be your friend! Translation note: [1] Hug your leg (󱧴) C to use others advantage or influence to gain self-interest or benefits. [2] The Emperor carries a golden pole (ʵýⵣ) C the ordinary peoples misconception of how the rich people do something. The peasants thought that the Emperor would carry a golden pole, in fact, the Emperor needs not carry one. Chapter 75 Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation Ye Hai was interested in Su Lis suggestion, so he added Su Li as a friend to discuss about it. He was afraid that Su Li was actually messing with him, after all she was the mangaka of Pure Romance who got so famous with only her first creation. If her upcoming project was to adapt The Strongest King into a manga, the original author, Ye Hai would definitely get more popularity through her manga as well. The point was, Su Li had a lot of female supporters. They were not against the idea of the anti-harem route, in fact hey hated those scumbag heroes. To think there would be such an anti Harem manga of which the scumbag hero was killed. With the famous memes like cleaver and nice boat, not to mention the iconic character, Goddess Xu Jing, the manga had won the hearts of many female fans. Of course female readers were already familiar with yaoi. Having become fujoshi,s if they were to discover The Strongest King, they would certainly be thrilled, running wild on their fantasies. The author Ye Hai was unaware of his female supporters, he thought that his shounen Esports genre would only attract male readers at most. He never guessed that there were a lot of generous fujoshis around the internet too, and they would hold a great impact on his career. Comparing Rosemary with Butterfly Blue, Rosemary did not perform that well. Before Butterfly Blue wrote The Kings Avatar, his Kung Fu Mage in Online Game had already gained a number of female supporters. Mao Ni and Butterfly Blue were the two successful authors who had a lot of female fans. Rosemarys novel was mostly about LoL, and most of the people would tend to play the game instead of reading the novel. Some of them would even watch the in-game live-broadcast, even though the novel was much more interesting. Plus Rosemarys lack of female character content in his novel had made his influences even smaller. Even though most male readers would not admit that they adored the harem genre, but their bodies would still be honest, that they would not like to see their favorite female characters ended up being together with the main protagonist. After having a chat with Ye Hai, Su Li told him that Zhao Youyue wanted a female cameo in his novel, and Su Li gave him the details about her IGN and hero in game. He would agree without hesitation if he was still in his old self. Besides, it was just a female cameo! Even if this was requested by a normal reader, he would definitely add in when he felt that time was right. But he was afraid of adding in a female character into his novel now due to his traumatized experience from his past creations. He wanted to apologize to Zhao Youyue and most importantly, he wanted to win Su Li over so that she would turn his novel into a manga. He thought that this was only a female cameo, and that she would not appear too much in the novel, then it should not be a problem! If it did bring up any negative impacts, he would just remove her just like how he did in his previous novels. Ye Hai hesitated for a moment, but he agreed to it anyway. After some discussion about turning a novel into a manga, both of them agreed on their collaboration. Ye Hai was very excited as he had read about Pure Romance before. Su Lis drawing skills were absolutely gorgeous, in a form of art! With her amazing drawing skills, there was no way she could mess up his proud creation. He was confident that both of them would definitely benefit from her turning his work into a manga! Even though he had more than ten thousands of average subscriptions, he definitely hoped his work could bring more influence into the world, not only novel, but manga as well. Now he had gotten the chance from this master grade mangaka Su Li to make this a reality, he certainly thrilled! Of course, the collaboration between Su Li and Ye Hai would be their concern, as the both of them believed they could achieve the same goal. Besides, they were also thankful for Zhao Youyue, not to mention that she was their Sect Master as well. When Ye Hai was planning to update his novel, he thought of the cameo requested by Zhao Youyue. So he wanted to create a perfect female character, Yu Shengfan to please Zhao Youyue. After all this was requested by a tycoon, she must have hoped that she made an appearance in the novel similar to herself in reality. So he had to describe her with all the positive impression, without making the audience hating her. But when Ye Hai tried to make Yu Shengfan perfect, that was meant to be likable among the readers, it became backfired. What he wrote was as followed- Yu Shengfan came down from an extended version of a limo, with branded limited edition items blablabla(describing the worlds most exotic brands, do refer to Small Generation or Dragons race for more information), she came into the cyber cafe, with her alluring voice and elegant temperaments that was indescribable by words. With such graceful gesture, the crowd wasblablabla Even Lin Feng was staring at Yu Shengfan, he used every mentality strength to keep him cool. While his best pal Tang Yongkai was already drooling over her like a pig Yu Shengfan booted up the Eternal War game, and her IGN was Unpleasant Night Rain Rhythm a.k.a. Unpleasant Rain Ye Hai was satisfied with the debut appearance of his female side character Yu Shengfan after reading it again. He thought that he had perfectly described the beauty and family backgrounds of Yu Shengfan and that Tycoon Youyue would certainly be satisfied with this awesome side character appearance instead of a cameo! Ye Hai usually never saved his draft, he would upload it after checking for errors. Right after double checking his drafts, without any hesitation, he would set his daily updates to auto upload at 5:00 PM. Chapter 76 Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation Zhao Youyue and her family were the first to reach their old home, earlier than her uncle Zhao Jiarens family. Her aunt Zhao Jiajia was usually the last to arrive, just because her husband Zhang Zhiyuan and their daughter Zhang Wanjun would always stop by the memorial park to visit his late parents before going to their old home. Zhang Zhiyuan came from a poor family, and he had no close relatives to depend on. He had a passion for his career. Sadly, he did not inherit his success from the Zhaos family even though he was very close to them. But, he did have a stable husband and wife relationship with Zhao Jiajia, and was indeed a great son in law. Of course, they were nothing compared with Zhao Youyues spoiled parents, as both of them were supposed to only exist in the Two Dimensional World, especially her mom, but Zhao Youyue was already gotten used to this since young. Zhao Youyue had her own room too in this ancestral home. Her antique boudoir had a bed with redwood frame. Indeed she felt like as if she had gone back to the old times whenever she entered the room. They had several modern Hans costumes and a traditional costume from the past, and would usually wear it when they were worshipping their ancestors. Not everyone would wear the traditional Han costume during New Years, as others might be thought of it as some sort of cosplay in public. Some items that laid around had certainly ruined the antique atmosphere in the house though. For example, the air-conditioner in the living room, a computer and a modern television, along with some other advanced electronics. Grandpa Zhao Rongchun was very fond of Zhao Youyue, but he loved her cousin Zhao Hao even more. He was the grandson of Zhao Rongchun and the only son of Zhao Jiaren, an extremely rich 2G. He was studying abroad and had returned home after graduation, obviously going to inherit his fathers business. Zhao Haos relationship with the richest mans son, Ding Yuncong was not too bad as well. At first Ding Yuncong said that he did not mind whether his friends were poor or rich, simply because none of them was richer than him. He never actually replied Zhao Hao when he asked, How about me?. Ding Yuncong had his own Esports team named IG, and they had a pretty good reputation. So Zhao Hao, whom people often called him Boss Hao, made his own Esports team as well, named King, but no one has ever heard of it in game. He also had a King basketball team, because he liked to play basketball. Besides that, he also loved to play games, and would spend almost millions on it. Compared with Zhao Youyue who only tipped authors on the Qidian website, others might think of her as a tycoon, but in reality she was only a fraction of her cousins wealthiness. Zhao Haos father, Zhao Jiaren was a genuine capitalist. His corporation had shared on Internet companies like Tencent and NetEase. So indirectly, Zhao Hao was actually helping his father to earn more income, as he spent more money on the net company. Zhao Youyue was not sure how rich her uncle was, but he definitely owned a private plane and even a fancy yacht. Money was just a figure to him. Her uncle could spend it however he wished as he could earn it back in no time. Of course, this could influence the economic growth too. Zhao Youyue did not have much interaction with her cousin Zhao Hao, but Zhao Hao was very close to her other cousin Zhang Wanjun. While Wanjun was studying in Shanghai, her cousin Zhao Hao was the CEO of YangTian investment company in Shanghai Changning District. Zhao Youyue just woke up from her long tiring journey, she took up her phone and started to read her QQ message. It did not matter where she was, as long as she could use her phone, she would be able to enjoy herself. She noticed that Qidian had a notification on the latest update of The Strongest King at 5.00 pm, and she opened up Qidian immediately to read the updates of the latest two chapters. Even though Zhao Youyue was a little depressed about Rosemary when he did not send her a request, however, she would still read his books because it was interesting. Zhao Youyue would not hesitate to give up on a book which she found it boring, even though if it was written by an author with a good reputation. She would probably tip the author for one last time, but not post any comments about how boring that book was, after all Zhao Youyue was not that kind of person who liked to hurt others. She had finished the first chapter with satisfaction, but when she continued to read the second chapter, she held her forehead, just when she saw the appearance of a female characterYu Shengfan! She was supposed to be happy because Su Li had successfully fulfilled her request for a female cameo from Rosemary. The Strongest King finally had one female character, and could now shift herself into Yu Shengfan and create a female version of Huang Shaotian. The character might not be able to become a memorable iconic character, but making her a popular side character should not be a problem. The appearance of Yu Shengfan was downright awkward to read, even though she knew that it was probably Rosemarys good intent, but his description of this female character was just unbearable. His description for Yu Shengfan was just like Mary Sue, only without rainbow colored hair and pupils, as well as that stupid long name from another parody novel Besides that, people were short of breaths and protagonist Lin Feng had to keep himself cool. Not only that, Tang Yongkai was already drooling like a pig, as if she was a pornstar character! There were too many flaws that she could not even know where to begin. Why did Yu Shengfan went to a cyber cafe with a limo, even though she was filthy rich. In reality, even a gorgeous girl could not even attract so many attention in a cyber cafe, as they would get yelled at for sure if they ever disturbed a gamer! The appearance of Yu Shengfan would surely make her impression a negative 20, even though she had yet to do anything in the novel. This had increased the difficulty for Zhao Youyue to clean up the mess as she had no choice but to possess Yu Shengfan. Rosemary could have just written that Yu Shengfan had appeared in the novel, and this would have saved her from a lot of troubles. Zhao Youyue was annoyed. After she was done reading in Qidian, Zhao Youyue opened up her QQ again. There were a lot of new mails piling up here and there, including a friend request from Rosemary. Chapter 77 Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation When Zhao Youyue saw the message from Rosemary friends request, she could not help herself but to laugh at it. Finding inspiration for authors were like a remedy for all problems. They could use that excuse to play games, play mahjong, daydreaming or even slacking, as if they were very serious towards their work. Zhuge[1] Yue, Saint Yue was already aware of everything. Zhao Youyue knew Rosemary through Su Li, so his inspiration definitely would be playing games, but then he wrote about games in his novel, guessed that would not be a major problem after all. Zhao Youyue had a big heart, she would not mind the little things that Rosemary annoyed her in the past, and she accepted the friend request of Rosemary. After the approval of the friendship request, Rosemary approached Youyue with enthusiastic greetings. Lady Youyue, I have added a female cameo in my latest chapter as you requested. Ive put a lot of efforts and ideas into creating this lady, what are your thoughts? Rosemary asked. After Zhao Youyue saw his message, she let out a helpless sigh. No wonder his fans were strongly against adding female characters. His efforts and ideas was hopeless, and he did not realize that himself and felt confident about it. He had no idea that the female characters that he wrote felt exaggerated, she would already get hated by the readers before she even does anything. Zhao Youyue could even predict that tonight, the comment sections would be full of hatred and complains. History would repeat itself as Rosemary saw these heated comments on the comment section, he would let the female character disappear as if she never appeared in the book in the first place. Zhao Youyue could never allow that to happen under her watch, it would totally ruin her previous efforts of trying to get in contact with Rosemary. Mr. Rosemary, thank you for adding the cameo that I requested. But I have to tell you that the way you wrote about her, was a bit exaggerated. I can suggest a way to write about her without receiving complaints from your fans. Zhao Youyue replied. When Rosemary saw her reply, he got offended. He felt that he failed to humor Zhao Youyue even though he clearly had put all his effort in his creation. He was haughtier than Su Li, he had his own perseverance in his creation, he would not tolerate mindlessly with his readers, not even if theyre a tycoon. Of course if it was a suggestion from a tycoon reader, he would pay more attention to the issue. This Lady Youyue was not even an author, what makes her think that she could guide him in his writing? When he was just about to reply her, Zhao Youyue tipped him 100,000 Qidian coins, for all his efforts on writing this novel. Hoped that he could produce even more interesting plots and stories. If only Rosemary added Zhao Youyue sooner, she probably would have given one million Qidian coins with a Silver Sect Master reward when her mood was good while reading his books. He missed that opportunity plus he made the appearance of Yu Shengfan so awful, he only got tipped with 10 RMB. In reality it was 1,000 RMB, but to Lady Zhao, 1,000 RMB was no different than 10 RMB. After Rosemary saw her tip records, even though he already knew that she was a fair, rich and beautiful person, he was still devastated by her actions. She tipped him 100,000 Qidian coins without hesitation, and she did not even say a word This was the first time Rosemary had ever encountered such tycoon level reader like Zhao Youyue, she would be the goddess of wealth to all authors! Rosemary was stunned by Zhao Youyues actions, allowing her continued to reply a message, I was thinking that Mr. Rosemary can easily make a female character look awesome. Just proceed to write about a male character like you always do, then pretend that he was a female character instead. Relationship with other males would be like brothers, so that the fans will not hate her. Because everyone likes how you portray your male characters. After reading this message, he suddenly felt that there was a light in front of him, as if he realized something. Because he used to portray female characters just for shows without in depth explanation of their backgrounds, and they would fall in love with the main protagonist without reasons As Yu Shengfan was a rich lady, he would write that everyone else was attracted by her beauty except for the protagonist, so she would be curious why he was not interested in her? The protagonist would always admire her beauty, as for others, that would be always sexual desires. That got him thinking, what if he actually turned Tang Yongkai into a female character? A female character that is fond of the bonds of friendships, will she ever get popular? This idea certainly had its own charm! Indeed, this was the charm of genderbent! Zhao Youyues suggestion had opened his mind, ready to explore a new world. He even thought that if he was to turned Lin Feng into a female, would it be more interesting? To make this a reality, he would have to depend on Yu Shengfan, he had to guarantee and safeguard her scenes in the novel. This was all under the prediction of Zhuge Yue, Saint Yue. I am grateful for your rewards! Your suggestion means a lot to me too, I will try to use that method to describe a female character, there will be no romance in between female characters and protagonist, only pure rivalry. Rosemary replied happily. Zhao Youyue was rest assured after hearing it from Rosemary, but she warned him that he better got prepared to get bash in the comment sections, considered it as to increase his psychological ability to bear with it. She would not want the first female character to go invisible after her first appearance. Even though she had a very rough start, Zhao Youyue was determined to possess Yu Shengfan. Translation Note: [1]Zhuge C A surname of a brilliant strategist, Zhuge Liang from the Shu faction during the three kingdom era. In this novel it was referred to Zhao Youyue being a wise person. Chapter 78 Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation There are a lot of network writers that started off writing simply because they loved to read network novels as well, but the original author wrote something they disliked, so they wrote another version of that novel according to the way they liked it, and it became a doujin instead. Han Leng was not this type of network writers, he liked literature more than anybody. He hoped that he could be a poet, or even an essayist, but he realized that poem or prose were already dead in todays entertainment scene. Poetry had become something useless, unable to get a proper job with it. It only could be used to show off ones talent or teasing literary young women Han Leng discovered network literature, and he dived into the circle of commercialize network literature. He hoped he could earn some draft money to realize his dream to become a poet. He planned to write something for him to earn infinite amount of money through web texts, so he continued to pursue his dream of becoming a poet or essayist. Every web text he wrote, was just to test his skill as a writer. His goal in life was probably to write something big enough for people to remember it forever. Since he dived into the network of web writing, he would read other web novels as well. There were a minority of writers actually refer to another novel to produce more quality novels. Those who shut themselves in, they were destined to fail forever. Most readers would know from Fight Break Spheres the iconic breaking off an engagement at the prologue, and the golden finger of grandpas ring. But these scenes first appeared at Sacred Grave and Coiling Dragon, a very good example of finding inspiration from another novel and make it more interesting yourself. Han Lengs own web novel, Dominating the World with Online Game, the novel title itself already giving a Long Aotian[1] vibe. He wrote all that himself, with an average subscription of 3,000, not bad for a high schooler. He was different than those authors who get 3,000 average subscriptions after failing for 7, 8 years He was able to write his novel because he loved to play online games too, the way he wrote made readers felt like as if they were sucked into the gaming world. His sentences were great, his female characters were lifelike, and all of them were dependant on the main protagonist, leaving lots of space for imagination, that was how he got all his subscriptions from. Online games and Esports were in the same genre, Han Leng would spend his free time to read these popular novels in the same genre. He did not expect that he would get addicted to reading someones Esports novel. This author was none other than Rosemary, the leading author in this genre. Han Leng was reading the The Strongest King as well, he was one of the loyal fans of Rosemary, because he liked LoL very much. Rosemarys novel that described LoL was actually fascinating, except for a fact that he was bad at writing about female characters. Han Leng thought that his ability to describe a female character, or a romantic scene could easily overtake Rosemary, not because he was full of self-confidence. After he finished the latest update of The Strongest King, he felt like that as if his eyes were being rubbed with poison, what the heck was this Yu Shengfan? Is she the heroine of this novel? He would abandon this book immediately if this turns out to be true! Even Han Leng did not know how to describe a rich lady, but ever since he befriended Zhao Youyue, he had a rough idea about it. There were a lot of women who liked to show off their wealth, whether it was from another man or sugar daddy. Once they were rich, they would not hesitate to let the whole world know about their wealth. While the real rich ladies were not that low standards, they did not have to show off their wealth purposely. Even though small minor details, it could show that they really simply did not bother about money. To describe a perfect image of a rich lady, it should start from details, not her appearance with all the branded items! Han Leng could not take it anymore, he logged into his account as a reader, and complain at the comment section of The Strongest King. Usually network writers would not log into their own account to complain about another author, it would make them look like as if they were picking a fight, especially those who wrote in the same genre. I strongly recommend that Mr.Rosemary should not add in female character! Honestly, I was offended by this character Yu Shengfan! I knew a rich lady in real life, and shes nothing like her. Which rich lady would go a dirty cyber cafe full of smokers with an extended version of a limo? I will definitely stop supporting this book if this continues, even though I never tip before, but Im still a full-time subscriber with a lot of fan points! Han Leng emphasized his fan points because he was afraid that the author would ignore his suggestion, because he ignored all those pirated readers too. Pirated readers were not worthy of his attention, they should keep their suggestion to themselves. After he posted his complaints on the comment section, he felt a little bit better. He hoped that Yu Shengfan did not appear anymore, he only wanted to see how the main protagonist would play his game, what were his newly gained abilities through the golden finger, and how he would go to the top. At this point in the novel, Lin Feng was still a live-broadcast gamer, together with his best pal, Tang Yongkai, who was nicknamed Hoodlum Tang, due to his frequent usage of Hoodlum in game. He looked kind and gentle, but in game, he would be very serious and able to execute Lin Fengs command perfectly. Even though Lin Feng had retired, but he had not given up on creating his old team, he recognized Tang Yongkai as one of his teammates. He had the reputation and funds, the owner of this cyber cafe. Why did Lin Feng fail to get the title as the The Strongest King? That was because his old team boss was not willing to invest more in their team, so they hired a so-called genius from the Korea vessel state into their team. This genius was usually seen flirting with girls, and would be useless at crucial moments. Lin Fengs only chance to get the Strongest title was ruined by this genius from Korea. What made it interesting was, the title of the Strongest was taken by the player named Demon King, obviously he was a fake in reality. No matter in reality or novel, in ancient China or in LoL, Demon King from Korea was in his peak form, suppressing Lin Feng in every other way. Rosemary obviously wanted to write about Lin Feng to create his own team, to pursue his dream of being on the top, with the game changed into Eternal War. Han Leng realized that the comment section of The Strongest King was already full of heated and hatred comments Yu Shengfan, get out of The Strongest King! We dont need a female gamer for Esports! Translation Note: [1]Long Aotian C usually used to refer an overpowered main protagonist. Chapter 79 Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation Not only Han Leng, Zhao Youyue too had noticed the comments section of The Strongest King was very heated up that night. Most probably that was the time where most readers came online, if they were satisfied with the update, they would probably tip the author; if they were unhappy or not satisfied, they would throw complaints at the author. The newest chapter of the novel already had more than hundreds of negative comments, awkward, venomous, vomit blood, unbearable to watch The appearance of Yu Shengfan surely made an impact Who the heck is this Yu Shengfan? Is she the heroine? Im gonna abandon this book if thats the case, its killing me! Is like reading an ancient description of a decorative character towards a rich lady, I hope Rosemary can just give up on adding female character. I think I will adopt cancer upon reading it Scram! Yu Shengfan, or else Im gonna abandon this book! Professional Esports player doesnt need a girlfriend, sincerely hope that Lin Feng was a lone wolf! As an old fan of Rosemary, this gives me deja vu, just give up on writing female character already! Seeing that everyone have the same reaction, I rest assured. Rosemary is indeed good at writing plots and gaming experience, but the female characters are really poisonous After reading those heated comments in the comment section, Zhao Youyue held her forehead again and hoped Rosemary could withstand these unforgiving comments. She would rescue Yu Shengfan tonight when she entered the world of The Strongest King. Meanwhile, Rosemarys wife, Li Mengyao also joined the bandwagon of complaining at her husband with this latest update of his novel, she was his fan as well, she loved to read her husbands novel. Li Mengyao usually read the novels via her tablet, an eBook so to speak. But today, upon reading the newfound character of Yu Shengfan in her husbands book, she said, Why did you add a female character out of the blue? Cant you just admit that you cant describe a female character Actually this is not my fault, theres a tycoon reader that requested a cameo. Look, she even tipped me 2,000 RMB for this book alone, the first Sect Master. Ye Hai said it awkwardly. Li Mengyao looked through the fans ranking, the first Sect Master was indeed a fan named Youyue. She not only tipped the book, she even registered a full subscription for it. Do you seriously think that you had successfully got on her good side? I dont think she will ever reward you again after youve ruined her cameo! She mocked her husband. She could not help but to get reminded of the past when her husband created a female character model after her, even though it was not exaggerated like Yu Shengfan, it was enough to make her feel like kicking her husband in the face. It was absolutely humiliating, that idiotic, innocent sweet, saint-like character did not exist in the real world! She knew that her husband wanted to portrait a girls gentleness and kindness, but the vibe of the heroine gave readers the creep, it felt like something fake, it was best not to be seen. Li Mengyao had always stopped her husband from writing more romantic scenes or interactions between male protagonists and heroines, she even had to threaten him with death threats in order to stop Ye Hai from writing those. Well, that was a bit too far-fetched Anyways, what made Li Mengyao helpless was, even though her husband was bad at it, he would still always show it to her about how he wrote as if he never noticed it himself. Honey, come and take a look at your portrait that I wrote, do you think the readers will like it? Like? How can I even like it? You should be grateful that people dont hate it! Keep dreaming! Wake up! My great author Ye! Finally, under her strong intervention, the female character model after her, had disappeared from the book. She could then enjoy the novel without worries. Li Mengyao was satisfied with her husband latest work The Strongest King because there was no female characters in it. The plots were intense, characters full of emotions. Eternal War had its own originality, allowing Ye Hai to add in more elements, to make it more interesting and attractive. Li Mengyao was looking forward to see the epilogue of the competition between the main protagonists team against Demon King team head to head, but he had added in a female character to ruined her mood! Looking at her husband awkward expression, Gotcha, am I right? She smiled. Ye Hai took out his phone, opened up his chat history with Zhao Youyue and showed to his wife, My tycoon fan had a very good temper, much better than yours last time. After Li Mengyao read through the log, she sighed and said, This Lady Youyue was certainly rich, she just tipped you 100,000 Qidian coins without saying anything, and yet you ruin her cameo just like that, is this how you treat your Sect Master? What do you mean by much better than me last time, she doesnt know that you model this Yu Shengfan after her. Furthermore, I am your wife, of course I can complain straight to your face! She even gave you suggestions after you added her as QQ friends, probably she cant take it anymore as well. Ye Hai smiled awkwardly, and looked at the heated comment section, and asked, What should I do? Shall I make her disappear? Do you have any suggestions? Even though he said it that way, but he had already decided to try the method Youyue suggested, considered it as his final struggle. If that still could not satisfy the readers, he would never ever add female characters into his novels again. Give it a shot! As your wife, I will always support your decision. Even though I can accompany you with games, doing house chores and taking care our kid, but I cant write any books. I feel that her suggestion might actually work, this may be your stepping stone to greater success! Li Mengyao smiled at her husband, she already knew her husband determination, all she could do was to support him. Ye Hai let out a sigh of relief and held his wifes hands, feeling grateful to her. After Zhao Youyue fell asleep, she once again entered the Two Dimensional Gate tonight. Chapter 80 Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation This was the third realm Zhao Youyue entered so far, as she discovered more on the dimensional realm, she became more aware of the differences in the created realms between the novels. In the realm of King of Superpowers, she simply set up her abilities and killed the main protagonist with her magnetic electric rail gun with a single shot, thus making the creation to end miserably. She remembered how it felt like when she was in that realm, it felt illusory, not realistic, and it gave the wrong impression as she thought she was dreaming. The setting of King of Superpowers was messy, full of plot holes, and it was not very popular either. Zhao Youyue mustered her patience and give this book a read, mainly to get to know about its setting. She found out that the main protagonist powers were not consistent, he could always unleash unbelievable powers in a pinch. Without a doubt, a book that has non-serious settings would definitely make the realm felt fake. It would make dreaming felt like less dreamy with more realistic feel. Those creations that made people thought they were dreaming was most probably those conscious-minded novels. A place where time, space and logic were not affected. Due to the changing of venues, jumping between spaces, it usually would not be affected by time. Yet time was constantly changing in the form of past, present, or intervene with each other. These realms of conscious-minded creation had something that could be described with words. In the second realm aka Pure Romance, Zhao Youyue could obviously tell that there was a huge difference. It definitely felt more realistic than the first realm, because of the plots were not conflicted with each other, it did not make the world felt illusionary. Due to Pure Romance setting, most of the action had taken place at school. As Pure Romance got more popularity, Zhao Youyue realized that the realm would become more realistic, and she would have more freedom to roam around, even take over the plots. After Zhao Youyue had caused a scene in Pure Romance, it helped her to understand better of her influence towards the author. The author was not in control of the story progression, they might be able to control at the beginning of the story. As its popularity rise, more readers would suggest ideas to the author. And of course, the author had already affected in their subconsciousness. During that time, with the influence of readers, Zhao Youyue would be able to cause more scene, even the mangaka would become her puppet. This was a price to pay for more popularity, a price for Zhao Youyue to possess one of his character creations. When Zhao Youyue entered the realm of The Strongest King, she strongly felt that this realm was even more realistic. Obviously it was because of Rosemarys standard, his settings in the novel were carefully designed. Of course the popularity of this novel had a direct impact on the level of relativity in this realm. In the novel The Strongest King, besides that the original game Eternal War, the other elements were taken from the real world. Besides from LoL, some inspirations were taken from DoTA2 as well. Real life competition from all over the world inspired the battle scenes in the book. All these settings were familiar to the readers, and realistic too. They were looking forward to see the main protagonist Lin Feng, leading his team to return to the tournament, fighting off his opponents. Of course Zhao Youyue thought that the more realistic the better, she could not bear to see those awkward interactions in Pure Romance, it burned her eyes badly. Zhao Youyue had successfully possess Yu Shengfan, she finally could set up her desired characteristics and abilities, with her background almost done by Rosemary. Yu Shengfan was not considered as a cameo, she was more like a side character instead. If Zhao Youyue did not suggest Rosemary to use another method to describe Yu Shengfan, she probably would have disappeared in the next chapter update. A real cameo would be like Xu Jing, she did not even have a proper background or appearance in the story. Unlike Yu Shengfan, in order for Rosemary to coax Zhao Youyue, he made her appearance official. A character with a strong sense of presence, too bad with her blinding character description, she got bashed by the readers upon her debut. Cameo like Xu Jing, when the mangaka wanted to add in her background setting, Zhao Youyue would be given another chance to set up her characteristics. But she had only one chance of setting up Yu Shengfan, she must consider it thoroughly. The benefits of setting up a side character, as long as Zhao Youyue did not set her abilities and characteristics too far-fetched, the author would not censor it out because it was too weird. She suggested Yu Shengfan as an esper yet, even though esper Misaka Mikoto was good in gaming as well. If Yu Shengfan really had this kind of ridiculous powers, the readers would abandon this book immediately! Who would have read a book about Esports and had espers in it? What was the point of reading it? Zhao Youyue was not constricted like last time, as she only gave Xu Jing the ability to learn passionately. The first ability she set up for Yu Shengfan would be Proficient in multiple languages! Master of languages, Yu Shengfan! Chapter 81 Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation In reality, it was not easy to be proficient in multiple languages, unless one is born with language talents. To be able to master two languages was already a good accomplishment, such as English and Chinese. Both English and Chinese are extremely important in this world, since these two are the most communicated languages worldwide. As a matter of fact, English is a compulsory subject in China and Chinese subject for European countries. Of course there are many other languages other than English and Chinese, such as French, German, Russian, Arabic Korean, Japanese and many more. Even though they are not widely used in Chinese or English, but those languages are indeed some tools for showing off, especially when only a minority of people knows how them. Anyway, it would be quite impressive if one could spend tremendous effort to master a couple of languages solely to show off. In order to be proficient in multiple languages in the novel, it only required a setting. Even foreigners could speak fluent Mandarin in a Chinese novel. In fact, foreigners were actually speaking in their mother tongue, but readers would literally interpret it as Chinese. Zhao Youyue gave Yu Shengfan the ability to be proficient in multiple languages with a purpose. It mainly allowed her to mock her opponents elegantly without any means of vulgar words and also to crush her opponents morale in competition. Eternal War was a worldwide game in The Strongest King setting, so how could Yu Shengfan cause a scene during the world championship if she only knew Chinese? Granted with a wealthy family background by Rosemary, it was not awkward if Yu Shengfan she had learned multiple languages since young. Yu Shengfan was an internet addict too, and of course she wanted to test out every game regardless of its country. Some games were not translated into Chinese, so she had to pick up that particular language so that she could enjoy the game more. Know that she was a genius in both games and languages. The exaggerated description of Yu Shengfan had given Zhao Youyue more options to modify her character settings, she could even give her a golden finger. Thus, she never urged Rosemary to change her description, as this granted her more freedom to mess around in the novel world. Henceforth, having allowed Rosemary to exercise his new way of depicting a girl via the character of Yu Shengfan, Zhao Youyue had indirectly hinted him to add more, add more, add more scenes of Yu Shengfen! Other than proficient in multiple languages, her other character settings were based on the template of Huang Shaotian. But instead of spitting out vulgar words, she was set to be a little different. In The Kings Avatar, Huang Shaotian loved to talk c*ck. He could always be seen talking, of course, with vulgar words. He could even talk to himself when there was no one to talk to. While playing games, not only that his hands were moving the controls, his lips would be moving non-stop as well. The competition ended up setting a special rule just for him, that the players are banned from talking while their heroes are dead. Huang Shaotian looked like as if he was naive, but he was actually a very fine and careful person. He was also the kind of person who had very accurate judgements and would seize any opportunity in reaching distance. Some people thought that the trash words spitted by Huang Shaotian were rather Moe than vulgar, as it was not harsh nor venomous enough. It was just enough to make him turn from swordsman to a filthy man[2]. What happens if both talkative and venomous tongues were put together as a single trait, would it generate a huge impact on it? To mock someone without any usage of vulgar words is not easy at all, unless one has a talent for languages. Words like f*** ur m**, ur m**s c***, f*** ur m**s c*** are too common, everybody knows it. To be able to scold someone without any vulgar words in a short time is rarely seen too, as if their mouths are moving turret gun, breaking opponents morale just with words alone. These two traits were added into Yu Shengfan language talent, just to give the readers a very deep impression on her. When Yu Shengfan appeared in the novel with this foul mouth state, it was interesting enough to imagine the expressions on the readers faces. Her character seemed to be more amusing right now. In order for Yu Shengfan to become more Moe and popular, she even set her voice to be Rie Kugimiyas lolita voice. This would cause some masochist fans to go uneasy whenever Yu Shengfans scoldings were unheard Theres no meaning in life without the voice of Fanfan[1]! I can hear Fanfans voice in my head. I wished to get scolded by Fanfan Finally, this is what we called the Fanfans disease, full name Yus virus allergic brain fever. If Huang Shaotian was annoying, his female version Yu Shengfan would be adorable. Rosemary had given her the beauty and wealth, and she would definitely become one of the players with the most poisonous mouth in the professional arena. Could The Strongest King be adapted into an animation, there would be more Yu Shengfans fans being tainted by this Fanfans disease! Since she had the lolita voice of Rie Kugimiya, might as well add in the tsundere trait. Even though she had a foul mouth, but she would be honest towards the main protagonist Lin Feng, becoming his most trusted pal and teammate. Her wealth would guarantee his teams performance, plus, her role will become more important, and her popularity will rise. In the novel of The Kings Avatar, Huang Shaotian was the opponent of the protagonist Ye Xiu. He only appeared to help the protagonist Ye Xiu with dungeon stages during the prologue, and disappeared throughout the series. However, he did appear once again during the epilogue, only to lose in the tournaments during the final. No comment. That was the final words of Huang Shaotian on stage. That was the words that rendered everyone remembered him. Who could imagine or understand his feelings at that time? For a talkative person like him to become speechless at once. At last, Zhao Youyue was done setting up everything for Yu Shengfan. She had her main abilities maxed out, and they were obviously gaming skills and language talent. As for characteristics, it was tsundere and foul mouth with the voice of Rie Kugimiya. In conclusion, this was almost the female version of Huang Shaotian, a gaming expert plus tsundere rich lady with Nagi Sanzenins personality. After finalizing the abilities and characteristics of Yu Shengfan, Zhao Youyue suddenly felt a strong urge to talk, as if she would fall sick if she did not speak. Luckily she could type it out to sooth her desire. As for now, Zhao Youyue had to solve a problem for Rosemary. Why would a filthy rich lady like Yu Shengfan visited the cyber cafe for internet? Translation Note : [1] Fanfan C Nickname of Yu Shengfan. [2] From swordman to filthy man (ӽ˱) C sword and filthy have the same pronunciation in Chinese. Chapter 82 Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation Actually, it was not too difficult to make up some reasoning for that. Zhao Youyue thought to herself. She was rather confident in doing so. Well, as one wealthy lady from a filthy rich family, she was afraid of being alone. But her parents were always busy with work, she had thus found herself a place in the world of games. She usually played her games alone, leading her to adopt this weird habit of mumbling to herself even though there was nobody around. So, she went cyber cafe solely for the lively atmosphere. Most players that came to Lin Fengs Glorious Cyber Cafe, would be playing Eternal War . People gathered their friends to form parties for raiding quest, or even boss quest in the opening of a new server in game. Lady Yu Shengfan was a fan of this game as well, so she would come here to enjoy the lively and passionate atmosphere. This Internet addict lady, Yu Shengfan pursued nothing more than happiness in game. Besides, she could pick up another language to further improve her joyful gaming experience. These reasonings make her visits to the cyber cafe in a fancy more sensible, albeit grudgingly. Ah, one more reason! Yu Shengfan was curious about the life of commoners and she wanted to experience it as well When Zhao Youyue was making up all of this, Rosemary would describe more about the inner character of Yu Shengfan, an attempt to give grounds for the event of riding a limo to the cyber cafe and to path a way for her to meet up with Lin Feng in the later story. After possessing Yu Shengfan, Zhao Youyue started manifesting her character setting. Since she was a rich lady, she would buy all of her game equipment, unlike the other players who had to farm their own equipment through dungeons and raid missions. She thought the best part of this game was the PvP feature. She loved PvP! How does it feel to play a game inside a novel? Eternal War was just like any other PC games, controlled with a mouse and keyboard. But once she started playing, she felt as if it was a 4D game, as if herself had become the swordmistress whom she was playing Unpleasant Rain. Hmmm, to enter a game of the novel that she had entered, wasnt this feeling of double-shifting something like Inception? After some thoughts, this setting did not sound weird at all. Just think about those online-game animes or dramas, the camera would not stay behind the players, recording everything they were playing on the screen right? Instead, the player themselves would enter the world of games, putting on their dazzling character outfits Of course, the character outfit of Yu Shengfan would be awesome because she was rich. She would buy any equipment and item at auction once she got her eyes on them. Since Yu Shengfan cared more about the looks over the uses, never would she hesitate to buy any fancy types of equipment. Zhao Youyue felt awesome to roleplay as a rich lady in the novel, as she would not have to worry about money at all. Of course, she also would not need to care about where the money came from! Indeed, the author had given her such a background, she would need to show off her traits in every way. If Rosemary first described Yu Shengfan as a rich lady with lots of fancy items, she would actually become a rich lady in reality with styles and temperaments after Zhao Youyue possessed her. After all, Zhao Youyue could make the readers believe that the character she possessed was genuine. Only a mighty author could ever create characters that were lifelike, as if they had their own souls, able to roam freely in their own books. Yu Shengfan went into the arena after she logged into the game, and went for a one on one battle. Even though there was an option for five versus five, she had no trustworthy teammates or ally. To her, that was like one versus nine instead! As Yu Shengfan walked towards the arena, she overheard the gossips about Unpleasant Rain. She ranked first in level, wealth and equipment in this new server, yet she was the champion in the solo PvP ranking arena! That was simply amazing. The rankings of first few categories might be bought with money, but it was definitely not the case for the solo PvP. In Eternal War, winning the first place of solo PvP greatly demanded real player skills, while the five versus five battles demanded both player skills and the ability to see an overall picture of the game. Why would Unpleasant Rain have so many gossips about her? This was because, many opponents were humiliated by her! Not only she beat her opponents badly, yet she chronically had a chat bubble on top of her head, mocking others Wheres your little pride when youre facing me? Dare not look me in the face? Your skills are way too awful, just die already and stop wasting my time. Youre polluting the river if you jump into it. Youre wasting the time if you die naturally. Youre wasting the country money if you eat sleeping pills. And youre wasting the gas if you die of gas poisoning! Ugh, your character is hideous! And youre a mouthful, do you think youre me? Seeing your not serious way of gaming, I have known that your parents were not serious too when they were making you Among a myriad of weapons in game, but you decided to practice sword[1]. You practiced lower[2] sword instead of upper sword, and you practiced drunken[3] sword out of so many lower swords, yet you practiced silver[4] sword instead of steel sword. Finally, you became one with your sword and turned into a swordsman[5]! Still, I killed you with a single strike. If your noob skills could ever generate electricity, nuclear generators from all over the world would stop supplying any. No A.I. could ever surpass the level of your natural stupidity. Bro, your character is so ugly that even a censored mosaic is better looking than it. Who was still able to enjoy the game while getting humiliated with such abusive words? No one but Lady Yu Shengfan, she could always enjoy herself in a one on one battle! Besides, there were gossips about the gender of Unpleasant Rain too though she had been revealing her moe lolita voice in game. Who would have believed that it was actually a girl with such gaming talent? Most people thought that she was actually a ladyboy with the use of voice altering gadget! Some gossip lovers even used a video to frame Unpleasant Rain. It was a video about a fat and ugly man, using his lolita voice to talk with another person. Ugh, what an eyesore Translation Note: 1. Sword C In Chinese, sword() and filthy/cheap() carry the same pronunciation as jian. 2. Lower sword(½) xia jian C (¼) refers to degrading. 3. Drunken sword() zui jian C () refers to the most filthy/cheap. 4. Silver sword() yin jian C () refers to lewd cheap. 5. Swordsman() jian ren C () refers as filthy/cheap person. All these words are pronounced similarly to variations of the Chinese word of sword(), which also mean filthy/cheap(). The speaker repetitively uses sword to ridicule someone for being filthy/cheap. Chapter 83 Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation The Lolita voice in the video must not be the real voice of Unpleasant Rain! Anyway, many players had never heard her actual voice, plus she was always mocking people with her chat bubbles, people would rather play along in framing Unpleasant Rain. Dont forget her extreme wealthiness, nowadays many would hold jealousy against the rich. Hence, many players would be envious of the fancy, cool equipment of this Great swordmistress as she walked towards the Arena. Just because they were all in the safe zone in which the system did not allow any PK-s, many of them who had been beaten up and humiliated by Unpleasant Rain would happily tag along to cuss and badmouth her whenever they saw any crowd booing her. Sitting in front of the screen reading all these chat bubbles, Yu Shengfan smirked, These weaklings are amusing, I wanna play games even more now!, she said to herself with her cute lolita voice. Speaking of that, she began to type without showing signs of her slowing down. Who cares if the crowd was talking crap about her, she would mock them in return one by one! I really couldnt think of any languages to reply to an alienate species, but since everyone greeted me with such sincerity, I had to reply everyone, I wouldnt want to be rude, you see? Be thankful for your princess, it would be your honors to receive my reply! You said Im thick skinned? I think yours is thicker, that even mosquitoes will have trouble sucking your blood, as they have to struggle a whole night just to get into your veins. Pity the mosquitoes which bite you Shameless? Oh, I get it! You are so heartless and shameless, your body weight would be lighter right? Im really jealous of you. I know, youre a cute, fascinating, hardworking mongrel, a new type of mongrel who is always serving the people! My equipment look ugly? Lemme take a look at yours, oh a bear suit huh? Animals would turn into humans with this equipment, while you become an animal when you wear it, huhu Even with numbers, none could actually be an opponent to Unpleasant Rain, the cuss words were mostly f***, c***, p****, as if they were running out of words. Until they could think of a fancy way to retort her, Unpleasant Rain was already in the arena. In contrast, Unpleasant Rain could mock them instantly without any vulgar or repetitive words, and even her chat bubble was longer than theirs. Not to mention the glamorous effects framing her chat bubble, she had spent almost thousands customizing her unique chat bubble frame to make it an eye-catching one. A rich player indeed. Since the others were not able to mock her alone, they felt like tearing Unpleasant Rain into pieces, but they were restricted in the safe zone, which rendered them angry and helpless. Unpleasant Rain was indeed a master of languages. Whenever this scene was read by readers in reality, they would immediately forget about her debut appearance of Mary Sue, a decorative female character. Instead, they would be impressed by this language master who could make all the haters speechless. How awesome! In the same cyber cafe, Lin Fengs best pal, Tang Yongkai, was preparing to go into the arena for a solo battle. As his character Hoodlum Master, was walking towards the arena, he saw the crowds were booing against Unpleasant Rain, just to be countered and silenced by her in no time. Of course he had heard of Unpleasant Rain, but he was unaware of the rumors about Unpleasant Rain. All he knew was that Unpleasant Rain was a liar, a ladyboy. It should be a truth as it was impossible for everyone to hate Unpleasant Rain right? Little did Tang Yongkai know that this was a true truth. It could not be helped though. Unpleasant Rains chat bubbles were really despicable, and she had been looking down on people when she was simultaneously typing and fighting, yet no one had won her over! If one could win Unpleasant Rain in a fight, they could actually ignore whatever she said. That would just make her look like a child who just lost in a battle, and start spitting out those poisonous words. In reality, not only she had a gaming skill that surpassed almost everyone, yet with that unforgiving mouth of hers, she had made everyone who battled her felt really helpless Tang Yongkai was quite confident with his player skills in solo battle, as he was placed number 7 on the ranking board since he seldom played solo. What made him curious was that his leader Lin Feng, was not interested in PvP ranking at all. He would just light up a cigarette and smile, with nothing said. Tang Yongkai was unaware of Lin Fengs past in the professional arena, and the glorious results had Lin Feng had obtained in the one on one battle. Lin Feng had already lost the interest in solo battles long ago, simply because no one had ever won over him, especially during his prime Now he even had the golden finger, which made him even stronger, so who could possibly win him on a one on one battle? Lin Feng only sought to return to the professional arena, at the head of his own team, yielding no result lesser than victory in the finals, obtaining the title of The Strongest King. As for one-on-one battles, he only thought of it as childrens play. Tang Yongkai had followed Yu Shengfan into the arena, and began his match in the one on one battle. Fate, was always amazing beyond words. Tang Yongkais Hoodlum Master was matched up against Yu Shengfans Unpleasant Rain, which had made Tang Yongkais blood boiling, Boss! Boss! Look who I got matched up with! Unpleasant Rain! I heard that he was a ladyboy liar, a fat otaku in reality! Tang Yongkai told Lin Feng Chapter 84 Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation Lin Feng had a character named Shadow Rogue in the new server, and his occupation would be an assassin. He had an almighty weapon that could make up for the flaws of an assassin, during several crucial moments, he could even fight like a warrior. Upgrading this weapon required some pretty rare ingredients, so he could always be seen farming in dungeons along with some large guilds in the new server This was why The Strongest King was the low configuration version of The Kings Avatar. Besides, the protagonist Ye Xiu had an almighty weapon too, called Myriad Manifestation Umbrella which needed to be upgraded constantly, and it was not just a coincidence. No matter Lin Feng or Ye Xiu, they were the protagonists as well as the unbeatable characters in game. In order for the plot to progress, their weapon would substitute their characters growth since they were already at max level. They had to search high and low for it in order to retrieve the upgrade ingredients of their main weapons. Overcoming any challenges during the progress was one of the peaks in the novel. Funds were required by Lin Feng to create his own Esports team. Despite gaining little fame as a live broadcasting gamer and a lot of money through his professional career, he had spent all his money on his weapons, and time to find rare ingredients, unlike Lady Yu Shengfan who could spend millions just for a weapon. Anyway, Lin Feng had seized the moment of farming ingredients as an opportunity to recruit some decent teammates, the one who could be his true gaming brothers When he heard his pal Tang Yongkai was calling out for him, he turned his head towards his screen without further delay. Who would not know the name of a tycoon, Unpleasant Rain in the new server? Not only that she was rich, she was also placed top in the PvP rankings! At first people thought that she hired a lot of professional players to play for her when she went offline, or perhaps she just spent some money to make her opponents lose on purpose. Soon they realized that Unpleasant Rain was not friendly at all! There would not be anyone else who played like her. She was one of a kind who could fight her opponents while mocking them to break their morale. What a unique style of playing. Some players had regarded it as a trend, called Chat Flow. Only the word wtf could actually describe a person who could duel while typing words that could break the morale and be affecting ones psychological mind. Some players actually wanted to learn the Chat Flow of Unpleasant Rain, but they ended up being beaten badly by their opponents. Usually players were matched up against other players that were among the same level, the result was expected when one was playing seriously while the other was distracted by typing. When Lin Feng saw the beautifully crafted swordmistress character Unpleasant Rain with fancy equipment at the loading screen, he doubted it, Ladyboy liar? Fat otaku?. Yeah, most of the high ranking PvP players have doubted the lolita voice of Unpleasant Rain. Theres no way that a girl could play this game that well right? Hes definitely a big fat liar, I think there was a video about it too, said Tang Yongkai. This was the power of rumors, it was probably just a single video frame Unpleasant Rain, but after it went viral, most people would believe it. Yu Shengfan was not bothered though, she only wanted to enjoy herself in game, even though she built her happiness on top of other players suffering. If she really cared about her reputation, she would not be humiliating anyone during a battle. Lin Feng calmly replied, Certainly there arent many female players who excel in one on one battle, but there are few other female gaming experts in the professional arena. For example, Zhou Zelin the Snipe King, even though shes normally shy and not talkative, but she is the most important member in her team who has always led her team to the victory with their four-protect-one-tactic. Another one will be Wen Zhouzhou, even though she cant play well in the game, but she is a great tactician and the brain in charge of leading her team So, dont look down on female players, there may be a chance that this Unpleasant Rain is a female player as well. Obviously, when Lin Feng mentioned it, the author in reality, Rosemary had thought of setting another two female characters, Zhou Zelin and Wen Zhouzhou. Initially, he wanted to insert two other male characters, but he got drawn towards the idea of genderbent. Thus, there would be these male characters who behaved like a male but were forcibly claimed as female characters. For sure, they would not have any romantic relationship with the main protagonist, only rivalries. Both of them would be friends with Lin Feng outside the tournament, since Lin Feng was their senior. Furthermore, other male characters in his novel were referencing some players in reality. He had prepared to use his new method to depict female characters, to sharpen up his skills. Tang Yongkai was not familiar with the professional arena, still he knew Zhou Zelin. Zhou Zelin is the most popular professional player in Eternal War right? She had endorsed a lot of advertisement too, I remember one of them is McDonald I thought she is only good looking, so she is good at gaming as well? Lin Feng spoke in a cold tone, If she wasnt giving face to the male players, and if she could overcome her minor flaws in solo battle, she could have become the best player in the current Eternal War Hey, put your mind in the game, its done loading. O, ooh! Tang Yongkai switched his attention towards his monitor, his honest face suddenly turned evil. He decided to provoke his opponent first Unpleasant Rain! Its really disgusting for a big fat otaku like you to play such a beautiful female character! Its totally degrading her! Lin Feng rolled his eyes upon seeing Tang Yongkai provoking his opponent. He was the first recruit in Lin Fengs team. Lin Feng was sure of his talents, and he was obedient too. One major flaw though, Tang Yongkai really liked to provoke others. Now that his opponent was Unpleasant Rain, the person who was notorious for her foul mouth, but Tang Yongkai had decided to mock her beforehand. By any means, this meant the beginning of a tragic battle! Chapter 85 Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation Whenever there was any PK[1] match involving Unpleasant Rain, there would be a great number of audience. Forget about her annoying chat bubbles, just by looking at her spectacular gaming skills, it could be described in one word C Art. Everyone was absorbed in the ultimate reflexes and all sort of extreme techniques that she had displayed. Once she performed a technique successfully, the audience would give a standing ovation and compliments as such: Wow, there is such a technique? This technique is breathtaking! Plus, Eternal War was inherently noted for its magnificent battle scenes, thus watching the PK match of Unpleasant Rain was comparable to watching a match of Kungfu. It was a visual splendor indeed! The opponents of Unpleasant Rain surely felt aggrieved and irritated when PK-ing her. Having been strangled by her in term of gaming skills, yet they had to suffer seeing all sort of her chat bubbles filled with sarcasm. Unfortunately, there was yet to have such option to mute the opponent in Eternal War. Never had the game official anticipated someone who was able to PK and type insulting messages at the same time. Note that the operation of Eternal War was quite complicated and meticulous. In the eyes of pro gamers, if a minor mistake in the game was caught by the enemy, one might suffer a devastating combo attack, then falling to pieces However, neither had caught any mistake of Unpleasant Rain. Many players in new server could do nothing but to cry in jealousy, The real experts had never visited this new server, so this Unpleasant Rain is able to act as a king here. If she tries fighting in the Arena of all servers in Eternal War, she gonna be taught a lesson for sure! At this moment, Hoodlum Master was taunting Unpleasant Rain via chat bubble. At the sight of this, the audience was overwhelmed with excitement at once and delivered their supports to Hoodlum Master in public chat one after another: All the best Hoodlum Master! Beat the ladyboy lying fatty! Thats right, a beautiful swordmistress character being played by a fat otaku, what a waste! Has the betting started? Ill bet on Hoodlum Master! Yup, Im supporting Hoodlum Master too. Then why did you put your bet on Unpleasant Rain? Oops probably my hand had slipped Hehe. Of course, some players had retorted that Hoodlum Master was nothing better. If Unpleasant Rain was considered as an Arena overlord who paid no heed to dungeons and boss fights, this Hoodlum Master could be seen as a devious and deplorable gamer who intruded into every single boss fight, and pursued his goal by fair means or foul. Hoodlum Master had even bragged that despite his rouge character in game, he was an honest man in reality, an extremely helpful citizen who would help an old granny to cross the road, yet a husband who would forgive his wife though he is cuckolded. Hence, to counterbalance this reality, he had no choice but to display the other side of him in game, which was the only place he could make troubles. He snatched the others monsters not for experience or items, but solely to relish the hoodlum moment. Tang YongKai happened to know Lin Feng when he was messing around, and eventually bowed to the skills and magnanimity of Lin Feng. After all, he was such a dirty-mouth in game, and rarely could anyone tolerate his words or behaviours, as every human has their level of tolerance, even in-game. Nevertheless, he managed to find this game, a lawless world in which he could act as a hoodlum without scruples. Ahh, what an eccentric man That being said, Lin Feng could put up with him. Perhaps he had to look up to his talents, and thus overlooked all sort of his insolences and provocations. To him, no matter what a person has done in game, if it is not something harmful to reality like money or sex swindle, it is all acceptable. Do whatever as you please, that is the meaning of game! Just like those sandbox games, in which the controlled character could even put forth a massacre just to rob equipment, is that considered morally wrong? Having accepted Tang Yongkai, Lin Feng naturally was able to accept Unpleasant Rain too. Though she liked to spam chat bubbles during PK, she might be a true ladyboy otaku, but does that matter? As long as she excelled in gaming! When Yu Shengfan saw the chat bubble sent by her opponent, a chirpy smile with cute canine teeth had shown on her elegant face. She really liked someone talking to her, whether it be good words or bad words. Perhaps this is the maximum level of loneliness. With her typing speed that was beyond a regular human, she countered, Im always good-tempered, as Ive never scolded a human. But Im gonna do it now as I still consider you as one. After all, even the Amoeba protozoa on any keyboard touched by you would die on the spot. So I know, you definitely dont have a girlfriend, as you might only find one in the zoo, or even other planets. Upon seeing the chat bubble above Yu Shengfan, Tang Yongkais hand which was holding a mouse had gotten some bulging veins. That was a cold hard truth, he had no girlfriend! Perhaps this is the fate of an honest man? Anyway, it was now obvious why he dared claim himself as a husband who would forgive his wife though he is cuckolded. Because he got to have a wife in the first place Nowadays, the cuckold society was quite a trend on Weibo, not that the members liked to be cuckolded, in fact they had no chance to be, and so they could crow over the cuckold stories online. Should it happen on them someday, lets see whether they could laugh so happily. Lin Feng who had remained tranquil at the side chuckled. He felt this Unpleasant Rain was indeed a heart-piercer. The exhilaration of public chat continued to increase, until one comment appeared What are you guys laughing at? Its alright for those who have a girlfriend, but for those who dont, arent you just laughing at yourself? Once this comment came to sight, the public chat went into a dead silence, as if a gloomy atmosphere had permeated the air. After a while, it was spammed with the comments Esports player doesnt need a girlfriend! The smile had disappeared from Lin Fengs face, as he had no girlfriend as well. Nevermind, he still had his brothers. Infuriated, Hoodlum Master utterly lost his mind and charged forward. A high quality PK match began. In the earlier story of The Strongest King, Tang Yongkai was depicted as a prodigy gamer who had impressed even Lin Fang. However, in the face of Unpleasant Rain, Hoodlum Master failed to cut the mustard! Lin Feng who was standing aside finally regained some expressions on his face. The skills possessed by this Unpleasant Rain was way too astonishing! What a decent reflex! Hoodlum Master had not even triggered Unpleasant Rain to manifest her true power! The reason was simple! The chat bubbles of Unpleasant Rain continued to appear rhythmically above her head. The sarcastic words were even more heart-piercing now. Tang Yongkai who was beside Lin Feng had lost his nerve, sweating Translation Note: [1] In Chinese, PK means: C A solo battle between two players. a PK expert C Challenge. He is going to PK his rival Chapter 86 Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation Never would Tang Yongkai have thought that Unpleasant Rain was so powerful. It was like fighting his boss Lin Feng, yet those endless heart-piercing chat bubbles did not allow him to calm down. He had actually stopped thinking about any sarcasm in those chat bubbles. Now, he could not help feeling that his opponent was indeed a crackerjack, who surpassed him in all aspects, that was why the opponent could PK him and type simultaneously This sole reason had utterly disheartened Tang Yongkai. He made a minor mistake, and Lin Feng heaved a sigh. Sure enough, this minor mistake of Hoodlum Master was seized by Unpleasant Rain, who then launched a smooth and magnificent combo attack upon him. He literally had no chance to fight back! Her sword moved like the wind. One could barely see the blade itself, but only the dazzling reflection from it. Just as the HP of Hoodlum Master was low enough to be killed with a single blow, Unpleasant Rain stopped her movement. Her exquisite sword had returned to its scabbard too. Whats the meaning of this? the traumatized Tang Yongkai responded. Perhaps Unpleasant Rain did not have the heart to torture him further? Perhaps she was taking a pity on him? Many audience players were bewildered as well, and started speculating all kind of reasons. Some thought that Unpleasant Rain carried the love for talents, after all this Hoodlum Master had indeed put up a longer defence and not yet exploded with rage. If it was any others, they might have gone up the wall and started yelling. It was like torturing an animal, so cruel! At the sight of the public chat, Yu Shengfan instinctively sneered, What? Love for talents? Hahaha, his existence is merely to satisfy a variety of things, dont care about him, everyone. Im just too bored, and feel like torturing him 1 HP by 1 HP until he was dead without using a weapon. How do you guys feel? Interesting? Amusing? Amazing? Surprising? Happy? Just as this sentence appeared above Unpleasant Rain, who had kept her devastating famed sword in inventory and was ready to PK barehanded. All the audience players were reduced to silence, as a word flashed through their mind C Demon. This fellow was a downright demon. What bitter grudge did she hold against Hoodlum Master? Why was she doing all of this to him? Suddenly, everyone recalled that Hoodlum Master was the one who started teasing Unpleasant Rain, mocking people as a ladyboy fat otaku. So, Hoodlum Master was bullied like this due to his own impudence. Did any otaku steal the rice in your family? Realizing the current situation, Tang Yongkai conceded defeat right away. He would have pulled off the internet cable but this was his boss internet cafe, in which all the equipment were new yet the CPUs were locked, hence that was not possible On seeing the surrender of Hoodlum Master, Yu Shengfan immediately let out a Tsk sound. Fortunate enough, she was playing in a private deluxe room. She was used to the most expensive items, including internet services. If she was playing in the regular hall and was recognized as Unpleasant Rain, everyone would have beaten the daylights out of her no matter what sort of great beauty she was! In facts, some players had been watching the match behind Tang Yongkai all this while. Imagine a remarkable player in the new server was matched against Unpleasant Rain, that would certainly be a spectacular PK. Not only that they must witness it, but they were looking to learn a thing or two from them. In the end, Hoodlum Master was overpowered, beyond everyones expectation. It had occurred to everyone that Tang Yongkai could at least stop the chat bubbles of Unpleasant Rain and force her to fight with him to all of her abilities. But the truth was sickening! Hoodlum Tang? Are you okay? Dont worry, you were tortured only once. Theres a big discrepancy between your equipment. Though the arena is already more balanced, but it cant be completely balanced so dont give a hoot about it, Hoodlum Tang. Dont forget Hoodlum Tang, even Unpleasant Rain had defeated you, but it could not change the reality that he is a ladyboy fat otaku, while you are the most handsome internet cafe manager! Such a dishonorable player like Unpleasant Rain should be tracked down and beaten to death someday. That fellow is way too arrogant! As everyone was actively comforting Tang Yongkai, he who had sunk into depression for just thirty seconds, again giggled optimistically. It was uncertain how many times he had been tortured by his boss Lin Feng, he had thus cultivated a sturdy heart, another trait of him that was appreciated by Lin Feng. Without a sturdy heart in a 5v5 team battle, one would not be able to perform in a downbeat battle [1]. Know that the team battle in Eternal War is not as simple as PK, the character required growth during the early game to farm the unique items in Eternal War, such as equipment, auras, etc. Even for the God of Tycoon players[2] who own superior equipment at the start, if they do not obtain a good amount of last hits for character growth in the early game, their total equipment would be surpassed in the late game. Hence, the rich Esports clubs always like to play with early-game strategy to rely on the advantages of superior equipment, while the small Esports clubs like to play with late-game strategy, their favorite quote C Play safe like a turtle and grow, dont rush. The most powerful Esports teams would be those which are initially strong in early game, yet able to grow rapidly, thus become inconceivably powerful in late game. The rifle king Zhou Zhelin was famous for her swift farming and strong laning. If she could be protected by the team from any sudden attackers like assassin, ninja or swordmistress until the late battle, basically the victory of team battle had been secured. Seeing the smile on Tang Yongkais face, Lin Feng heaved a sigh of relief. He was afraid that Tang Yongkai would suffer a mental breakdown due to being tortured by Unpleasant Rain. Without a doubt, the PK prowess of Unpleasant Rain was already considered as professional level, while Tang Yongkais solo-battle skills were actually below his team-battle skills, so it was common for him to be crushed to pulp by Unpleasant Rain. Anyway, who is this Unpleasant Rain? Lin Feng was pretty sure that she was not a professional player, and definitely not a celebrity professional player. But her gaming skills were celebrity-level. He could not help searching for the name Unpleasant Rain in team battle scoreboard. To his utter surprise, this Unpleasant Rain had never played a team battle! At this moment, Lin Fengs love for talents prickled. He could not wait to pull Unpleasant Rain, this seemingly new person to his team. In reality, Ye Hai was typing frantically. It was obvious that he had been writing in an intoxicated state. The words he wrote were more beautiful than what Zhao Youyue had experienced in the world of novel, especially the PK part in which Unpleasant Rain brought Hoodlum Master to his knees. It was as if he had entered The Strongest King and witnessed all of this on his own, not to mention that writing the game contents was his specialty. Imagine how surprised his wife Li Mengyao would be when he showed her this part of the story! Translation Note: [1] Downbeat battle(ս) refers to the battle phase that is close to losing; upbeat battle (˳ս) refers the battle phase that is close to winning [2] Play cowardly and grow, dont rush (,) C a quote from the game King of Glory (ҫ) in China, means play safe in early-game, focus in farming and avoid any big team battles until the team has grown into a powerful shape. Chapter 87 Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation Li Mengyao supported her husband Ye Hai in his attempt to portray female characters through a new method, which was portraying male characters as before but claiming them as females. If the male character was originally a handsome man, simply just insist that was a beauty. As for the personalities, not much difference is needed between them. She might have shown her support towards her husband, but still, she requested to go through the contents beforehand. This was to avoid any awkward description of the female characters. Recently Im in great condition while writing, especially during portraying this character Unpleasant Rain aka Yu Shengfan. It felt as if my writings are alive, as if she appears before me playing this game named Eternal War! Ill never make her someone flamboyant and unreal anymore. Because she really does exists! She is a very interesting girl. She has fallen in love with playing games due to her loneliness. She had even mastered different languages for that. Also, she loves to talk while playing games Ye Hai was full of excitement as he passed the draft to her. Seeing Ye Hai who seemed yet to return from the authors world, she couldnt help but start to believe a little. For Ye Hai frequently being in an inspiration outbursting state previously. Every time he went into that state, his typing speed and efficiency seemed to be boosted. There was even a boost in the quality of the words. The characters portrayed were brought to life by Ye Hai who already was good at portraying male characters and game scenes. The readers could feel as if they were actually there to experience the scenes! If the writings of Rosemary under normal circumstances was at High God[1] level, then under inspiration outbursting state, his writings would be at Supreme God[1] level. It could easily affect the emotions of the readers, causing them to submerge themselves into the world outlined by him! Ye Hai handed over the responsibility to publish the draft to his wife Li Mengyao and continued to throw himself into writing. He tried to write as much as possible when he was in this great condition. Li Mengyao surged with huge expectations. She actually finished all the drafts right away. Then, she told her husband who was busy typing on the keyboard, Anything more? Anything more? This is not enough! I want to see the part where Lin Feng and Tang Yongkai found out that Unpleasant Rain was actually the great beauty who previously caught their eyes. I am really looking forward to their reactions However, the reply she got was only Ye Hais rhythmic typing sound. Seeing her husband working hard, a glimmer of tenderness appeared on her face. She started to look through the draft once more and prepare to correct her husbands misspellings. Surprised to her, there was not even a single misspelling within this 10,000 words draft! Incredible! Its truly a smooth and remarkable passage! Then, what pleased her more was that her husbands subsequent portrayal of this female character Yu Shengfan. She originally thought that a character like Mary Sue who was flamboyant to the max was hopeless. It was impossible to regain the readers love anymore. Surprisingly, after she finished reading the drafts, she found that this character was very interesting! Yu Shengfan was originally an extremely pale and empty character. She seemed perfect from the outside, but this was actually unreal. Readers who were slightly particular about reasonability would have declared open season on this particular plot. Especially about taking a limo to the cyber cafe. Besides, the subsequent forcible explanations could barely fool the readers. Yet, when the characteristics of Yu Shengfan were revealed, this game-loving and PK indulged Internet Addicted Lady seemed to be more acceptable. What a vivid character The Moe part of her was undoubtedly her non-stop talking mouth. Of course, when this appeared in game, it was merely some chat bubbles on top of her head which would never disappear. If someone who never stops talking and taunting exists in the reality, and appeared as a gaming opponent, surely this person would be hated to death. But in the books, talkative and venomous tongue would become Moe characteristics. Especially after the readers saw the subsequent storyline and discovered that this person has a high chance of becoming the main characters teammate. The readers supporting the main character Lin Feng would naturally have their good impression +20 towards his team formation. Besides, the character Yu Shengfan did not look like a feeder teammate. How powerful would the Glory Squad become if she whose formidable techniques were yet to be revealed could join hands with Lin Feng? In a few words, the contents of the draft portraying Yu Shengfan subsequently gave a boost in the expectations in this novel. Because the subsequent contents were truly fantastic. The readers even subconsciously forgot about the awkward description in the beginning and only remembered her as a rich lady, with the settings of her mastering languages from various countries. This was simply to allow her to criticize, taunt and create troubles freely against opponent gaming teams from other countries in future! Yu Shengfan was a total troublemaker, she would constantly create hatreds. This way, the story would be more interesting. Yu Shengfan could be in charge of drawing hatreds, while Lin Feng who cared little about wealth and had a calm and modest personality, would be in charge of the onslaught. Imagine the moments he teaches others a lesson, and sometimes reveals his skills to show off. Isnt that very cool? The chatterbox king and the strongest king. Teaming up both of them was just a perfect scene to be seen! Actually, the setting of Yu Shengfan as a lonely, friendless girl is a hint to the readers. She was willing to go any length to protect someone whom she regarded as her friend. If Yu Shengfan was to be a guy, it did not feel weird at all. Such lone wolf characteristics would become a loyal dog to whoever that is capable of becoming the lone wolfs best friend. This type of character was frequently seen in novels, and the readers just could not stop loving them. Clearly, Ye Hai had already applied the method of portraying male characters onto Yu Shengfan. He did not treat Yu Shengfan as a disposable side character, but as a core supporting character. He did not even notice that the settings of this character was actually not from him, but thought that it was a product of his outbursting inspiration. Anyway, he was very satisfied with this character. This is the first female character he created with such a sense, and he just loved her. He reckoned that he had finally portrayed a female character with a soul with success! No matter what the readers thought, he would continue this! Nobody could stop an author who has lost his senses! Translation Note: [1] Qidian author level is in such an ascending order: Middle God(), High God(), Ancient High God(ԶŴ), Supreme God(). Chapter 88 Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation Anyway, nobody would actually stop Ye Hai this time. Compared to traditional manga and novel, webcomic and webnovel do not have an intimate relationship between the editor and the author. Unless the author takes the initiative to discuss their own work with the editor, else the editor rarely visits the author. After all, they have hundreds of authors under them, hence too much to handle on their plate. The authors are just in an extensive state. For this reason, webnovel and webcomic have more freedom and a higher chance of failure at the same time. The editor will not be able to watch over every single work on hand after all. Who knows if the chapter uploaded today would cause any big problems? Li Mengyao would not hold Ye Hai back. This was because when she had gone through the drafts in advance. She felt that her husband had portrayed the female character very well. It was as if he suddenly had an epiphany. If it was not for Li Mengyao knowing that her husband was using the specify a male character into female method, she would have even doubted her husband had an affair. Else, how could he have drawn a female character to life, with such a vivid image? The truth was that now, Ye Hai had acquired more understanding from portraying Yu Shengfan. He noticed that it was actually easy to portray a good female character. It was to avoid the melodramatic parts, as writing any emotional conflicts would twist the will of the female character. It was as if forcing the female characters to fall in love with the male character. Whereas, if there were no melodramatic parts involved, that the male and female characters were to be treated equally, there would not be any sort of awkwardness, and they would be able to get along naturally. He finally understood that in reality there is gender difference, perhaps there is no pure friendship between guys and girls. However, in the novel, there was no need to differentiate them, simply treat them as asexual would do. Everyone was a sole individual and no one needed to depend on others. By this way, the characters would become distinctive naturally. Some of the female characters had a pale and empty figure, and were considered for a sole aesthetic purpose. Having lost their independence, they became only something adorning the guys, like an accessory or even a blow-up doll. How would the readers fall in love with such female characters? Same thing, the more the readers read, the more they would think that harem-based stories were just dull. Besides, the readers would suddenly lose expectations towards the female characters who were portrayed nicely when they have been conquested by the male protagonist. Anyway, under the inspiration outbursting state, Ye Hai had come to an utter realization. He could actually create some female characters, as long as they did not have any emotional dramas with the hero, which also applied on Yu Shengfan. Only by this way, he could maintain the charm and the independence of his female characters. Thus, Im sorry Lin Feng, you are meant to be alone for your entire life. After all, Esports players do not need a girlfriend! This might lead to the disappointment of some readers, especially when they found out that Master Rosemary who suddenly had an epiphany was already able to portray a female character to such an outstanding extent! Once there was an outstanding female character appeared, there would surely be a bunch of male readers appearing from nowhere hoping that they would become part of the male protagonists harem. Sadly, they could never change the mind of Rosemary. Li Mengyao uploaded all Ye Hais drafts to Qidian novel website in one shot. In fact, she held a small motive behind this act of hers. She would not leave any drafts pending, otherwise if her husband noticed that there were already quite some drafts piling up, why would he continue to write? Come on, time to gang up for some gaming! Play games? You wish! I want to read more of the novel! This was the immediate thought of Li Mengyao when she finished reading the contents written by Ye Hai under inspiration outbursting state. This was also the first time she looked forward this much to read the subsequent contents After sending all the drafts, Li Mengyao also helped Ye Hai to add a chapter that was solely to request for recommendation tickets and monthly tickets. As an experienced web reader, she knew that creating a chapter to request for subscriptions and tickets was a very powerful method. As long as the fans were loyal enough, they would show their support for the author. Know that Rosemarys fans were exceptionally loyal. Although he had never asked for any, but his ranking remained 40-50 in Top Recommendation Tickets Ranking and Monthly Tickets Ranking. Without those ballot riggers who were also known as background operators, Rosemarys novel could attain top 30. That was pretty good. Qidian website was a place where Godly authors gathered. Getting such a result showed that Rosemary already had the capability and charisma of a Godly writer though he was yet to be offered a Godly contract. When all the drafts were finished being uploaded by Li Mengyao, the activity of comments section of The Strongest King intensified in no time. Huh! Did I see flying pigs? Master Rosemary suddenly published more chapters! Not only he added more chapters, he even added a single chapter specifically to request for subscriptions and tickets! Why still keeping my recommendation tickets? Take them all! Darn, I have already given away my recommendation tickets. With Rosemarys rare 10,000 words outbreak, please take my offerings of 10,000 Qidian coins + monthly ticket! Eeek! Is this a compensation for the toxic he gave us previously? Hope that no more female character will appear in these extra chapters Vote before you read. Anyway, nothing is better than additional chapters! Zhao Youyue who was already back to the reality received a novel update notification. She was a little nervous, worrying that Ye Hai would remove her parts as Yu Shengfan had too much of the limelight, yet inducing drastic changes to the story and facing opposition from the readers. Anyway, having created a sensation successfully within the Two Dimensional Gate, she was confident that the new character development of Yu Shengfan balance out the readers former negative impression of her. This tempted Zhao Youyue to start reading the latest chapters immediately. Upon seeing her actions in the literary world being recorded perfectly in the novel, she had a subtle feeling of satisfaction. Rosemary had portrayed Yu Shengfan to the best of his writing abilities. Although Zhao Youyue had already experienced the storyline, she noticed that reading the novel of Rosemary afterwards was even more satisfying. This might be the power of writing of a godly author After reading, she immediately felt relieved. Instead of deleting the story, Rosemary actually brought out the Moe characteristics in Yu Shengfan to its full potential. With Rosemarys enhancements and assimilation of some most viral puns, the words coming out of her venomous tongue had appeared to be even more fascinating now. He had perfectly combined the characteristics of talkative and venomous tongue in her. Imagine, someone who is talkative by nature goes bitching at the critical moment. That would be exciting and heart-piercing! This update was just awesome! Zhao Youyue who was excited made a flick and sent another 100,000 points of flashing red. She only hoped that after Rosemary would continue to love Yu Shengfan upon seeing this reward. Please dont delete any of her stories! This moment, with Rosemarys newest update, the comments section of The Strongest King totally exploded! The center of discussion was no doubt about Yu Shengfan possessed by Zhao Youyue, the first female character with soul created by Rosemary! Most readers were impressed! Chapter 89 Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation Arrogance and prejudice have always caused people to make the wrong judgement. Some of the readers had not read the latest chapter, but they saw the others praising that the female character Yu Shengfan was very interesting in the book comments section. Consequently, this led the readers who had not read the latest chapter to a bad mood. What kind of international joke is this? How could the character of Yu Shengfan be interesting when she is similar to the ancient Mary Sue character that afflicted one with cancer of embarrassment? What kind of aesthetic standard is this? Could it be that the book comments section has been controlled by some netizens hired by the author? Han Leng was one of the readers who despised the female character Yu Shengfan. This time, he did not jump in head first and read the latest chapter because he was afraid that he would be mentally poisoned again. He was scared that Rosemary would be dead set on his own path and continued to write on the female character Yu Shengfan. If that was the case, then he would abandon the book without saying another word, because it was too venomous! Therefore, he decided to read the book comments section of The Strongest King first. If the book comments section kept mentioning the character Yu Shengfan, that would mean Rosemary was too obstinate to be awakened, as he had chosen to continue drawing Yu Shengfan, a character that was beyond saving! You could imagine how poisonous the latest chapter would be! Without a doubt, a release of multiple chapters could satisfy the readers more. However, if the author were spreading poison in the story, the poison would be more powerful as more chapters are released! As a web novelist, Han Leng was very familiar with some of the writing tactics. He was guessing that if Rosemary insisted on drawing the character Yu Shengfan, he might write about Unpleasant Rhythm, Yu Shengfans in-game character, which would have interaction with the hero Lin Fengs in-game character. Whether they clash and turn into a love-hate couple, or they play the plot of Hero saves Princess, or the girl falls head heels for the guy, the author just wanted to bind both of them together by force. His words would be infused by an awkwardness for coordinating the loves stories. Han Leng was one of the veteran readers of Rosemary. After all, he also loved to play the game League of Legends. He knew it very well that once Rosemary started to write about any female character or love story, the quality of work would be an unbearable sight. If you could not manage a story of such genre, do not write it! Why would you force yourself to write things that you arent familiar with? Do you know it hurts our eyes Seeing that the book comments section was full of discussion regarding the character Yu Shengfan, he reckoned that the book was going to be rubbish. Does the main plot change from gaming to a love story, where the retired Esports player is dating a beautiful girl from a rich family? How could you fulfill those promises such as returning to the peak or becoming professional when you are falling in love? This continued until Han Leng saw a Flashing Red[1] popping up above the book comments section. It was Youyue again, the flamboyant tycoon reader on Qidian! Han Leng was actually a little envy of her. He checked the personal space of Youyue and realized that all the books tipped by her had a more logical and rational story. Judging from the name and synopsis of his book, Conquer the world of Online Gaming Sigh, no wonder she did not check it out. It could not be helped. Seeing that the tycoon had rewarded this book with a Flashing Red, Han Leng did not give up on the book. Instead, he braced himself and subscribed to the latest chapter. It was a form of blind trust on the tycoon reader. Besides, he was curious why the tycoon would give a flashing red. However, if he was poisoned once more, he would not continue reading the novel. Han Leng read the strained explanation that Rosemary wrote in order to cover up the illogical scene of taking a luxurious car to a cyber caf. He curled his lips and accepted the explanation reluctantly, then he continued the reading As the words describing Yu Shengfan were getting more and more, Han Leng realized that there was not any awkwardness or inappropriateness in the story. Instead, the character Yu Shengfan was becoming livelier with Rosemarys writings! He had turned rotten into a wonder! The most crucial part was that Han Lengs prediction did not come true. Yu Shengfan had no interaction with the main character Lin Feng for now. Instead, she used an extreme method to leave a profound impression on others by torturing Lin Fengs buddy Tang Yongkai. Just when everyone assumed that Yu Shengfan was a fat otaku, little did they know that she was actually a gorgeous lady! Han Leng had to admit that he was looking forward to read more now. Initially, he only wanted to see Lin Feng showing off his skills and how he played the enemy guilds within his palms. In the long term, he also hoped to see how Lin Feng would return to Esports and claimed the title The Strongest King. However, all he wanted to see right now was the reaction of the newbie players who were eager to kill Unpleasant Rhythm once they discovered the truth. The truth about the real player controlling Unpleasant Rhythm was actually not a fat otaku, but a beautiful girl coming from a filthy rich family. This character Yu Shengfan was indeed fun and interesting. She looked like a perfect girl, but in reality she had a big flaw in her personality. Just look at her big mouth, who in the world could withstand her? When there was a flaw in a perfect character, it did not mean the creation of the character had failed, instead it made her more realistic. After all, no one in this world is perfect. Some readers had imagined if they are this Yu Shengfan who derives pleasure from cursing others, the gaming must be a lot more fun. Not only you could abuse the others with techniques and skills, others could not even win a verbal fight against you. Despite their dissatisfaction, they ended up being forced to shut up. Oh yeah, isnt this a double pleasure! One has to understand that in any games, there would be a lot of foul-mouthed players. Of course, you could simply choose to block them but that is just unsatisfying. It is like telling others that you are scared of those players who loves to condemn people. However, if you have Yu Shengfans skills of cursing others, it would be marvellous, worry not about any foul-mouthed players. Should you bump into them, you might even be overjoyed like a hunter who sees his prey, or getting to know new friends by cursing each other As for the flaw in Yu Shengfans personality, it strongly suggested to the readers that the main character Lin Feng would tolerate him. Just like Lin Feng as able to subdue the wild and Tang Yongkai, he would also be able to pull Yu Shengfan into the Glorious squad. Han Leng was completely convinced! An author of High-God ranking indeed! Not only had the release of multiple chapters twisted the negative image of Yu Shengfan completely, but it also created a strong sense of expectation for this newly introduced female character! Now, Han Leng finally understood the reason of Tycoon Youyues Flashing Red. The story was indeed very satisfying. If he was also a tycoon who pays no heed to the amount of tipping money, he would be giving a Flashing Red as well! Still, he did tip five coins as a token of appreciation and this situation was rare. After all, he was always a reader and a subscriber of original novels. In this era full of pirated novels, he could be considered as a good reader. Whenever he talked about Youyue Tycoon, he could not help to think about his classmate. However, the possibility of two people being the same person was quite slim. After all, Lady Zhao came from the upper-class society, would she be even reading webnovels? It is clear that Han Leng did not remember the ID of Zhao Youyue when she showed him her Qidian account. He only remembered the hundreds of thousands of Qidian coin in her account Translation Note: [1] Flashing Red(Ʈ) C At Qidian Chinese website, Flashing Red C Ʈ족 refers to the system-generated post which appears on top of the comments section of a novel whenever there is a reader tipping the novelist more than 50,000 Qidian coins. Title of the post of this standard template: Rain of petals XXX has tipped me the greatest 1,000,000 Qidian coins. while XXX = Name of the novel reade Chapter 90 Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation Perhaps due to Han Lengs moral righteousness, and his literature dream to write a real masterpiece in the world of literature, he was prejudice towards webnovels. He always thought that such business-related works were for the lower-class. The funny thing was that he had to write low class webnovels to please his readers and to earn some money. What a paradox! Of course, Han Leng regarded this as a temporary compromise. In the future, he would definitely create a masterpiece that could be passed down through time On top of that, due to the unique status of Zhao Youyue, Han Leng had glorified her subconsciously. Even if she reads novels, it would be some iconic works rather than mere webnovels. Remember that she knew about Bonjour Tristesse by Francoise Sagan, which had astounded Han Leng. For a moment, Han Leng forgot that Zhao Youyues classmate Wang Yang always turned around to have a chat with Zhao Youyue. The topics they discussed the most were mainly webnovels. Besides, Zhao Youyue had also shown him her Qidian account before, but he did not remember her nickname. It was rare for someone to have an exact nickname after their own names After reading the latest chapter of The Strongest King, Han Leng had become Yu Shengfans number one fan. He changed his own tune and even wrote a long comment about Yu Shengfan to express his excitement for the latest chapters. At the same time, he even requested to upload the chapters faster as he could not wait longer to read the upcoming chapters. The book comments section of The Strongest King was flooded with arguments since the beginning. Not long after that, everyone had the same opinion, especially those readers who did not believe Rosemary could write a female character well. They were reading the latest chapters with the mindset of prepare to die, however, the feeling later emerged as upload more chapters!. Who would have thought that Rosemary is able to describe a female character which triggers more expectations after reading her plot. He really has made a great improvement in his writing. I want to give all the tickets to him! Upload more chapters, please. Also, one question, will this adorable rich lady fall in love with the main character? Rosemary finally opened up his mind. He can actually describe such a cute female character. I even want her to curse me, am I a psycho? Wow, finally a female character which is portrayed properly. Apparently we can hope for Rosemarys love story in the novel! This time the character Yu Shengfan was described wonderfully. However, I still reject the idea of this love story, simply because Esports players do not need a girlfriend! The female character is good, but she should just be a decoration. After all, I still prefer the storyline where the male protagonist gets serious about gaming. In addition, there should be more scenes of Yu Shengfan playing the game. I really love her incessant mouth. May I interrupt? The book comments section was full of praises. The statistics of The Strongest King had increased sharply, which included both Top Recommendation Tickets Ranking and Monthly Tickets Ranking, kicking off the rankings of several High-God authors books. The author Ye Hai finally recovered from inspiration outbursting. The reason was that he created another side story where Yu Shengfan had no involvement. He also realized that only when he was writing about Yu Shengfan, he would develop this feeling of writing like God. To be honest, any author would be addicted to this state of mind which allows their ideas to flow like a fountain. Their inspirations were bursting out like diabetes insipidus, that they could totally write to their hearts content! This was just like taking drugs, you just could not stop this addiction! While creating a work, the author is actually building a world. It is exactly like bringing a camera and getting yourself into the world that you create, witnessing the scenes right before your very eyes. The scenarios would then pop out naturally from your mind. It was as if their pens or keyboards are moving on their own. Ones creativity ability would be fully unleashed, and he or she would most likely be satisfied by the final product Unless, the novel is too ridiculous. For example, in a supposedly daily-life story, yet it suddenly comes a superpower that could destroy the whole world. Otherwise, the author would assume that it was their outburst of inspiration which had created such a perfect novel. Never could the readers think that it is all because of a troublesome teenage girl, who had entered their work and possessed one of the female characters to lead the story development. Besides, if the female character possessed by this troublesome teenage girl became popular which in turn increased the popularity of the work, she would have gained more freedom. In the end, not even the authors could control themselves. They would have to give their all to coordinate with her problematic actions. As such, nobody could ever stop them from presenting their best self-acclaimed work to the world. The mangaka Su Li had already demonstrated once before. In reality, she was just a writer who would please the readers without limit. At the same time, she had also paid a whole lot of attention to her editor as she was not the kind of author who had her own opinions. However, she was firm in her attitude for once during the published ending for Pure Romance. She even dared to break up with Wind manga. Without a doubt, this must be the topmost level of losing ones senses, where one had reached the stage of ignoring everything else. Currently, Ye Hai was still in control. He did not lose his senses until they were beyond his restrictions. Still able to restrain himself, he remembered that the main character was Lin Feng, not Yu Shengfan. The story development should revolve around Lin Feng, and he must not change the character Yu Shengfan into the main plot. Moreover, he also knew how to maximize the sense of expectation for the character Yu Shengfan. Therefore, Yu Shengfan would not meet Lin Feng in reality, even though they had already met once. The next development would be Lin Feng deceiving Yu Shengfan cleverly into joining his team, and also to help him break the dungeons record. Actually, this was also to nurture his sense of teamwork. The reason Yu Shengfan would join Lin Fengs team was mainly because Shadow Rogue also had a good reputation in the same zone as he was known as the number one scorer. In a team battle of five versus five, if you had Shadow Rogue as your teammate, then you are sure to score! If Unpleasant Rain was considered as an expert in single matches, Shadow Rogue would be an expert in team matches. He would not be disadvantaged even if he fought against two or three people at one go. His several videos also made it to the weekly best team match shots, in which he performed some impossible comebacks in battles. There was once where he was able to kill another Godly-leveled-assassin with very little HP left. He was considered to have God-like manipulation that was beyond professional level. A godly player like Shadow Rogue would definitely ignite the fighting spirit of Unpleasant Rain. She wanted to challenge Shadow Rogue in the first place, but for some reasons, she was being deceived to break the dungeons record Chapter 91 Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation As a girl addict who was always fond of the game Eternal War, it was obvious that Yu Shengfan would notice the infamous Shadow Rogue in the same zone. Surprisingly, this character was also kind of eccentric. He only played in team matches of five versus five, and had never played in one versus one PK match. However, during the team match, Shadow Rogue had displayed exceptional skills during his one versus one challenge. Even Yu Shengfan was impressed; thus wanted to battle Shadow Rogue. Without any doubt, from the author Ye Hais point of view, this kind of commercial boasting was of a huge selling point in the story. After all, Yu Shengfan was really strong in one versus one challenge and nobody could make her reveal her full strength. Yet, he acknowledged the power of the main character Lin Feng, which showed that Lin Feng was actually stronger. Anyhow, readers who imagined themselves as Lin Feng would feel awesome for acquiring such a recognition. The main character Lin Feng implied this fact of his and cleverly deceived Unpleasant Rain into the team. What surprised him was that his opponent had never attempted to curse him, however, Tang Yongkai was the unlucky one. He was given the cold shoulder by Unpleasant Rain with her creative cursing skill. But, Tang Yongkai was not affected due to his thick skin and positive mindset. Instead, he was addicted to the nickname Fat Otaku. The interaction between the both of them had portrayed the ability of Rosemary to write a relaxing comedy scene. The bond between Lin Feng, Tang Yongkai and Yu Shengfan was getting stronger, but a same old situation would happen nearly every day Unpleasant Rain urged, PK, PK, PK! Come quickly to the arena, Shadow Rogue! You promised if Id help you break the dungeons record, you will accept my challenge. Shadow Rogue declined, Oops, Ive something else on my plate. Unpleasant Rain then said, How can you be so shameless. Please keep your promise and come to the arena immediately for PK! Shadow Rogue replied, I also need to take my meals. Goodbye. Obviously, although the rich, dumb and adorable girl, Yu Shengfan was skillful in her talking, she had a rather innocent personality. She was taken advantaged by the devious and shameless veteran Lin Feng. However, Lin Feng was doing her no harm. Without her realization, Unpleasant Rain who used to master only solo match had undergone a significant improvement in collaborations and team matches. Lin Feng was guiding her subtly on how to play five versus five team matches. He even inspired her about the satisfaction that a person could get from a one versus nine in comparison to a one versus one challenge. Moreover, he also stated that he enjoyed playing come back matches as it felt awesome to do everything you could to turn the tides. Even if you lose at the end, you would still fall with pride. Lin Feng then told Yu Shengfan to give rise to the ranking score by herself. By the time she was able to reach the rank of a king, he would then accept her PK. Hence, the rich, yet dumb and adorable lady started playing her five versus five match happily. This also implied that the side story of this female character Yu Shengfan had come to a temporary stop. However, the sense of expectation for this character would be preserved. After all, she had not met the main character Lin Feng in real life. After Ye Hai stopped writing the story for the character Yu Shengfan momentarily, he finally had the energy and spirit to check on his own books comments section. He was genuinely astounded. Since when had his book comments section become so popular? Besides, he also found out that his books ranking had gone up on several charts, and came to a realization that this way of describing a female character was a huge success! The book comments section had even created a love block for the character Yu Shengfan. Readers were signing in every day while several psychotic readers wished they could be condemned by Yu Shengfan. They were also hoping that The Strongest King could be adapted into manga, and they shall witness the rich ladys cursing skill for real. Ye Hai looked back and admired the plot he wrote for the character Yu Shengfan. He realized it was really awkward when he first started writing about this character. However, the more he wrote, the better it became. Especially those words uttered from Yu Shengfans mouth, he could not believe he was the one who thought of such cruel and hurtful words. After all, he was not the kind of person who loved to curse anyone in real life, as he felt that his written words were improved by a mysterious force. The more Ye Hai compared the before and after of his contents, the more he could not put up with the way Yu Shengfan was being introduced. Even worst, it might become the poisonous facet where readers will fall into the pit. Therefore, he secretly changed the introduction. He harmonized the exaggerated scenes to the point where crowds were gasping, Lin Feng was dumb-stroked and Tang Yongkais drools were all over the place. He even changed the extra-long limo into a low-key luxurious car. When Yu Shengfan entered the cyber caf, only boss Lin Feng and the manager Tang Yongkai noticed her. Then, they would sigh in their hearts while their eyes were being fed. They had no idea such beautiful girl would come by a cyber caf. In real life, you would come across as many gorgeous girls, but not many boys were brave enough to flirt. As for those gameCaddicted otaku, how could they have the courage to flirt with girls? Therefore, the most logical reaction from the otaku Lin Feng and the simple-minded boy Tang Yongkai would be just admiration. After the both of them sighed secretly to themselves, they would continue their addiction towards games. The main point was that Ye Hai had no intention of writing any love story in the novel. Thus, he deprived every character in the story of any sexual desire. Naturally, they would stay calm when coming across beautiful girls, and the main character Lin Feng would not fall in love with anyone. His only love was nothing more than games. Why do you need a girl when you have games? Yu Shengfan was also not interested in a love relationship. The only thing that could relieve her loneliness was only games, and games. Perhaps she would form a close bond with Lin Feng and Tang Yongkai, but only as partners, nothing beyond that. In any case, this was what Ye Hai had in mind all along. As for the couple scenes, he would just leave it to his readers imagination. Ye Hai did not realize that his insistence on not having any couple had given opportunities to Doujinshi artists or writers to explore. In their writings, they might put Lin Feng and Yu Shengfan together, Lin Feng with Tang Yongkai, Tang Yongkai with Yu Shengfan or probably those interesting and independent characters in the end. For instance, Zhou Zeli and Wen Zhouzhou did not have any love scenes in the story. However, the spinoff works about them would come like a crashing wave! Su Li, the artist who became High God via only one manga, Pure Romance, was another reason that brought The Strongest King into vogue. She announced on her few-million-followers Weibo account that her new work would be the adaptation manga of the webnovel The Strongest King. She had already finished the terms with Ye Hai and it was a contract which could satisfy and benefit both parties. Having completed her drawings, Su Li showed them to Ye Hai. Both of them were contented with the drawing. Therefore, the manga for The Strongest King would be released on the Qidian manga website soon! Chapter 92 Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation Su Li had posted the design of her latest manga characters on her personal Weibo, of course most of them were male characters. But recently there was a newly added female character Lady Yu Shengfan who possessed a skyrocketing popularity. Since Su Li had no idea about their appearances, she decided to discuss it with Ye Hai before sketching them. Ye Hais wife Li Mengyao was afraid that her husband would create a tasteless and weird looking character so she decided to join the discussion as well. From Li Mengyaos perspective, the manga of The Strongest King deserves good looking main characters although handsome lads are rare in real-life Esports career, but the manga world should always be better than reality. Even though Lin Feng had average looks with a slightly plump otaku body in the novel, still his appearance should be extraordinary in the manga! Su Li agreed with Li Mengyaos suggestion as she prioritized appearances as well, thus she would not allow herself to draw any average looking main characters. So, Su Li had turned all the main characters in The Strongest King into ideally handsome looking men with her amazing drawing style. Even though Su Li was unfamiliar with creating storylines nor becoming a great mangaka, but her skill of drawing handsome men and beautiful women was exceptionally good. Not to mention, she was one of the best painters out there! If her readers ever saw this aesthetic drawing style manga, they would have thought this manga was somewhat related to Boys Love, simply because all male characters were so handsome! Master Su Li was of course capable of drawing aesthetic manga, as well as harem genre After Su Li posted her latest upcoming project on Weibo, a collaboration with Rosemarys The Strongest King, the comments section was filled with comments from fans Looking forward to Miss Su Lis new project, hopefully with a better ending! Can anyone tell me about The Strongest King? I seldom read web novels I cant believe its actually the manga version of The Strongest King, the novel was awesome! I always stayed up late to read the latest chapter updates! I strongly recommend The Strongest King, the characters are lively and the plot is splendid! Especially the new rich female character, she is absolutely adorable! But most of the players thought that she is a fat ugly otaku, I cant wait for Unpleasant Rain to expose her true identity! I had always thought that Pure Romance was an average manga because of its ordinary plot, but it got so famous due to its unexpected ending, and Miss Su Lis drawing style is undoubtedly amazing! Of course, her collaboration with Rosemary is definitely a wise choice! Rosemary is the goddess in my heart, her creations are great! Eh? Rosemary is a female author as well? Of course! The beautiful and literary female author Rosemary in Qidian, dont you know? Oh! A collaboration between two beautiful female authors Su Lis Weibo post had led to an increase in Rosemarys popularity, his nicknames in Qidian, Goddess and Literary Young Girl were given by his fans to tease him. After it went viral, people had regarded it as a fact instead! Rosemary barely made an appearance in the public, thus a lot of readers were unsure of his true gender, not to mention, there was very little proof of him being a male author. Naturally, there were pictures of himself that circulated the internet in which people did not believe, and perhaps, this could only to be blamed on his low profile personality. This had prompted The Strongest King to draw even more attention, since beautiful ladies have better chances in comparison to men in this modern era of gender equality. If any beautiful lady is able to do something special in the male territory, writing a mens book for instance, she would definitely acquire more resources for advertisement as well as a higher popularity. As for men who write womens books, no matter how handsome he is, for sure he would be seen differently. A fine example would be that females are often praised in mens outfit, but males are branded as perverts for wearing womens outfit. As time passes by, more and more youngsters are becoming open-minded, as they would name the guys with female outfits as lady boss. There is a tradition where the readers demand that a male author wears a womens dress, had he not updated his novel frequently and owed the reader too many chapters; but no one has ever requested a female author to dress up as a guy Without a doubt, this is the gender advantage of a female author, thus The Strongest King had created a sensation before she even began sketching! Ever since she posted the updates on Weibo, Rosemarys novel had attracted the eyes of thousand. Even fujoshis who had never discovered the charm of The Strongest King was giving this creation a shot, then they were absorbed in it! This novel was great because there was no complicated relationship among the characters, only the passion of the main protagonist towards gaming. The main protagonist was eager to return to the prime of his career. Besides, the characters were intelligent and vivid, and there were no complicated plots and storylines. Not to mention, there was no such plot where the resentments in the game were brought back to reality in the novel, like the hero is killed by a rich man whom he has offended in game. Come on, it is just a game! Apart from that, the main protagonist was admired by lots of players in the game as he had the styles and skills of a master, unlike some gaming expert who made enemies wherever she went Yu Shengfan was she? In order words, Esports novels deserve more popularity! It had the potential of becoming an iconic creation! Fans of the original novel were quite happy with the news that The Strongest King was about to be adapt it into a manga, but worried that Su Li would make a bad influence and cause the manga to end miserably Of course, that possibility was diminutive, know that a novel of Esports genre contains no couple relationship. The previous novels of Rosemary have ended nicely due to the absence of female character. Unless someone named Zhao Youyue wanted to cause a scene, perhaps exiting the novel before it ends, then she would contemplate a way to kill the character she controlled, Yu Shengfan. Chapter 93 Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation Could Zhao Youyue possibly do something that ruined this novel? As mentioned earlier, there were three ways to exit a literary world. First, she could simply assign a character with superpowers to end the main protagonists life, causing that authors work to crumble into pieces. She would then bear a consequence of bad luck in reality, and the consequences would be greater if she destroyed a literary work of higher popularity. Zhao Youyue was done with the character setting of Yu Shengfan and would not modify it again to introduce any devastating superpower. Still, it would not be a hitch to kill the main protagonist. First off, she had become unable to differentiate between reality and game due to being intoxicated by excessive gaming. Then, she would stab Lin Feng in the back solely because he had refused to PK her for too long, thus she would just PK him in real life. Eventually The Strongest King became a novel which encourages people to appreciate life and stay away from game addiction. Not to mention, Professor Yang would strongly be recommended it on Weibo! Everyone praised this Esports novel as it was full of positivity and emphasized the Core Socialist Values of Chinese! This idea previously flashed across the mind of Zhao Youyue who had been restraining her own will to make troubles. She believed that it would be interesting if she made it to the news, but unfortunately, she would harm herself as well as the author. Yu Shengfan would forever remain in the hall of shame, and it would absolutely crush Rosemarys reputation. As for the bad consequences that would befall her, it would not be as simple as the time she messed up King of Superpower It was actually the punishment of karma that arose from the resentment of readers. The readers love towards a character would transform to the willpower for Zhao Youyue to continue inheriting the character abilities, while their resentment would put a curse on her. Despite her intention to cause a scene, Zhao Youyue was not that of an idiot. Thus, she had decided not to kill the main character, but instead allowed Yu Shengfan to follow him, so that she could grab more chances of appearing in the novel, hence increasing her popularity! It was Zhao Youyues idea that Yu Shengfan had never bad mouthed Lin Feng. She wanted the readers to fantasize. Would it be that the rich lady Yu Shengfan was impressed by Lin Fengs amazing skill and eventually fell in love with him? Zhao Youyue answered that question with confidenceNo. But why would she do that? She wanted the readers to be confused on purpose! What is more, she wanted the readers to have a false impression of Yu Shengfan liking the main protagonist, but they were only in a relationship as loyal teammates. By shipping both of them together, wouldnt the readers harbor a sense of commiseration for them in the end? Would they be more sympathetic with Yu Shengfan this cute and innocent girl? According to Yu Shengfans character setting, most people would take a pity on her, thus increasing her good impression toward readers. It would even encourage people to draw doujin-s of shipping Lin Feng and Yu Shengfan together, since one of the functions of doujin was to relieve some regrets from the main series. This was the real purpose of Lady Zhao. To display Yu Shengfans special treatment towards Lin Feng, other characters like Tang Yongkai were not so lucky. No matter men or women, she would always try her best to mock and humiliate them! Since Tang Yongkai was always cheerful, she definitely would bully him more Zhao Youyue actually wanted Lin Feng to be with another girl in the end so that Yu Shengfan would end up as a lonely girl character. Sigh, such disappointment, was it too much to bear? Unfortunately, Rosemary had already decided that couples would not exist in this novel, even Zhao Youyue could sense the determination of creator while she was still in this world. Zhao Youyue had the thought of suiciding too, since the second way to exit a novel was the death of the character she possessed. But Yu Shengfan was no longer a side character, undoubtedly she could not die in a silent way. Her death would cause an uproar in every possible way as she had just become one of the main characters, she could not just die like that without a valid reason! What if she got depressed after being deceived several times by Lin Feng, and she ended up killing herself by jumping off a building just because she could no longer trust anyone in this world? Besides jumping off a building, she could die as an internet addict after playing non-stop for three days. All of a sudden, a random news from Bilibili popped up in front of her PC. It was the broadcast about a female gamer who was found dead If Rosemary would ever dare to write these kinds of ridiculous plot, he surely would get tons of complaints from his readers. Even though these scenarios could be seen in reality, but who gives a crap about logic in the novel? He had just created a popular female character successfully. Imagine after a short while, the female character ridiculously ended her own life in the novel! Could she just die from a car accident? Drown in a river? Or choke herself dead while drinking water? It makes no difference! All of these reasons are absolutely absurd! Obviously, any characters death could never exist in The Strongest King. Zhao Youyue could not simply make Yu Shengfan die even if she wanted to, it would be unacceptable for the readers. Had Zhao Youyue shifted into a higher energy level world where the villain possessed some lethal abilities, Zhao Youyue could then reenact Uesugi Erii[2] s death scene from Dragon Raja. Such a popular character could instantly turn into iconic character upon her demise. For anyone who had read Dragon Raja, would they even forget Uesugi Erii? Committing suicide was not an ideal way to exit The Strongest King, but the last option would be Exiting the novel when Yu Shengfan was at the peak of her popularity. Zhao Youyue was rest assured with Rosemarys writing skill, so she would not stay till the final moment like what she did in Pure Romance. In order to get what she wanted, she had to stay on until she had confirmed Xu Jings death. If Zhao Youyue exited the novel when Xu Jing was on top of her popularity, Su Li would have changed the whole ending and let Xu Jing become one of the heros girlfriends, of course, all Zhao Youyues efforts would be futile! Rosemary was different from Su Li. Here comes the real question When will Yu Shengfan be at the peak of her popularity? Translation Note: [1] The Core Socialist Values (ļֵ) C a set of new official interpretations of Chinese socialism promoted at the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China in 2012. The 12 values, written in 24 Chinese characters, are the national values of prosperity, democracy, civility and harmony; the social values of freedom, equality, justice and the rule of law; and the individual values of patriotism, dedication, integrity and friendship. [2] Uesugi Erii (ɼ) C a female character in Raja Uda () who loves the hero and bears a miserable fate. She was dead due to all her blood being extracted by the villain. Chapter 94 Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation Zhao Youyue believed that Yu Shengfans peak popularity should come about during the long-awaited battle between her and Lin Feng. She still loved solo battle the most even though Lin Feng had shown her the glamour of five versus five battle. She remained desperate for a fair and square match with Lin Feng. However, if Zhao Youyues prediction was correct, Rosemary would never give the chance to this duo. Blame himself for having designed an overpowered Yu Shengfan. If her setting of maximum gaming talents was applied in reality, it simply means that she could adapt to any games within one or two rounds, yet she would grow stronger as she played the game more. Others might be stuck on a certain rank, like Diamond ranking in LoL, unless somebody talented carried them. But not for Yu Shengfan, she had unlimited potential in gaming. If Lin Feng was level 100, then she would be on level 101 with her talents Since Lin Feng was the hero of The Strongest King, there was no way that Rosemary would let him lose right? So the best way for them was to stay as friends, and they would become teammates, an important member in Lin Fengs team, helping him to win in the final tournament and acquire the title! Zhao Youyue was right! Having acknowledged Yu Shengfans character setting, Ye Hai would never let her fight against Lin Feng, he had even envisioned the best possible ending Yu Shengfan, PK PK PK! Come on old Lin! Didnt you promise to fight me after I helped you to win the world cup and The Strongest King title? Lin Feng, Bring it on! Loser calls daddy! Yu Shengfan was stunned by this reply as she did not expect Lin Feng to agree right away. Lin Feng, Daddys gonna go for a meal if you dont hurry. Yu Shengfan, Just you wait my son, Im gonna blablabla (the one and only time where Yu Shengfan had hurled her abusive words at Lin Feng). (The End) Ye Hai still had not figured out how to write those abusive words, but he was not worried at all. When he was writing about those insulting words from Yu Shengfan, he was merely recording what she said in the novel, and of course he would moderate those words before writing them into the novel. Ye Hai had been in high spirits. Little did he know that Zhao Youyue was not willing to wait until the grand finale, considering the writing capability of this gifted author, The Strongest King of 500,000 words now could probably grow to even 5,000,000 words. He might take at least two years to complete all of this. Would Zhao Youyue waste so much time in The Strongest King? Zhao Youyue did not expect Yu Shengfan to become a memorable icon, because The Strongest King would be a novel with a perfect ending instead of sorrowful ending. Readers these days would only remember those characters who suffered a tragic end, Xu Jing for instance. Memes like cleaver, nice boat, and darken would always be circulating in the world of otakus. Take the School Days for example, the game came out in 2005 and was adapted into anime in 2007, but in 2017, everyone still remembered the scumbag hero. He had successfully become a memorable character. Novels with a plot twist would certainly have more impact compared to those delightful novels though everyone enjoyed reading them. Those stories were usually forgotten by the readers in a short time, luckily The Strongest King was not one of them, it could at least keep its popularity high for some time owing to its passionate characters and intense battle scenes. Even though Yu Shengfan could not become an iconic character, but she would still be popular for a few years. According to the settings of the Two Dimensional Gate, Zhao Youyue was still allowed to use that character card, just that it would have a timer which could be increased by the rise of character popularity, as it helped to recharge the card. Unlike Xu Jing iconic character card, this card was not of infinite use as it could not be recharged endlessly. Thus, Zhao Youyue could sacrifice that card when its timer almost expired, so that she could enter a selected literary world of equivalent energy level, or a random world of higher energy level. This is the major difference between iconic character card and high popularity character card, she would not feel any heartache or regret when sacrificing an almost-expired high popularity card. But never would she sacrifice any iconic character card of unlimited usage. Of course, creating a high popularity character card was much easier than creating an iconic character card. An iconic character must be one that emerges from a unique work. Just like Pure Romance, people might recreate something similar but the popularity would never parallel the previous, it could even be neglected. The Strongest King was certainly one of a kind too, Rosemary might still be able to create a new novel with higher standards in the Esports genre. Only time will tell. To mold a high popularity character, it only required Zhao Youyue to enter a literary world of decent popularity. She would then create a genuine character according to the works background and settings. That character would appear to be more lively to the readers in reality. Without any accident, such a character would easily gain a high popularity. Zhao Youyue would not wait until the final battle between Lin Feng and Yu Shengfan. She decided to bow out at the moment Yu Shengfan revealed herself in reality. Of course, this scene would happen earlier and thrill most of the readers, bringing a new level of excitement to the novel. Chapter 95 Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation Zhao Youyue did not expect that Ye Hai and Su Li would ask for her suggestions about the character design of Yu Shengfan, Su Li even wanted to take the reference from her appearance. Of course, she rejected that idea without any hesitation, her personality was not even close to Yu Shengfan, and her appearance was not suitable too. These characters in anime were designed accordingly to their personality, except for unique iconic characters. Might as well just follow the tradition and strengthen the image in the readers impressions. Blonde twintail, lolita body, with cute canine teeth, thats what I thought about Yu Shengfan. Zhao Youyue replied in the four-person QQ group chat, one of them was Ye Hais wife, Li Mengyao. Rosemary had never described the characters appearance in details. He had only mentioned that Yu Shengfan is very beautiful, but never described her hairstyle or body. Because he had never expected that Yu Shengfan would become one of the main characters, an important and irreplaceable member of Lin Fengs team. Hmm, blonde twintail characters in anime would most likely be a tsundere ojousama[1], basically people would already know her personality from her appearance Since everyone liked the moe, twintail, and tsundere traits, I think we can go with this idea. Su Li was obviously humoring Lady Zhao, but she had pretended to be subjective towards the matter. Lolita design would be great! A little girl with incredible hand movement speed and decent gaming skills, these traits are moe indeed! The audience will not be able to hate her insulting words too! Rosemary happily agreed. At first, Rosemary had imagined that Yu Shengfan would have the same appearance with Lady Zhao in Su Lis photos. As he gradually expanded the setting of Yu Shengfan in the novel, he realized her character was going further apart from Lady Zhao. The readers never realized it because he had been describing her with words instead of portraits. After hearing Zhao Youyues suggestion, he could easily be visualized a 3D Yu Shengfan since he too had watched a lot of animes. To him, the blonde-twintail image fit Lady Yu Shengfan perfectly. Since she was mistaken as a fat otaku in the novel, this rumor about her was the total opposite of her actual appearance, this would make the scene where she first met Lin Feng and Tang Yongkai one of the peaks in the novel. Yu Shengfan was already showing her tsundere trait in the novel, like she would do everything just as Lin Feng told her though she claimed that she followed his orders solely to PK him. She did this for something. She could not wait to PK Lin Feng. Even though it appeared that Yu Shengfan despised her beaten foe, Tang Yongkai, she would insult him whenever she could, but she agreed to fight alongside him in a five versus five battle, she had actually treated him as a partner deep inside her heart. Yu Shengfans tsundere trait was not the typical exaggerated type under Rosemarys description. She did not say Im not doing this for but her non-stop insults and disgusting words. She liked to hang out with Lin Feng and Tang Yongkai, and altogether they were called The three musketeers, wreaking havoc as they went around, and this would not make her feel lonely. In the comments section of The Strongest King, fans from the love block had concluded Yu Shengfans moe points, these were talkative, abusive words and tsundere. Lin Feng is lucky because he was able to be acknowledged by this rich lady, who yearned for having true friends. This might seemed lucky to an outsider but Lin Feng was in fact strong in game, even stronger than Yu Shengfan that had not fully reached her potential. He thought that games would not need any moral values from reality, as long as he was strong enough, he can do anything as long as it was not banned. Lin Feng could overlook Yu Shengfans attitude problem, he had no problem with her insulting others for being a noob or having an ugly character Even though Lin Feng never said it out loud like Yu Shengfan does, but he despised them even more in his mind. Lin Feng was able to suppress Hoodlum Master and Unpleasant Rain with his skills and charisma, Shadow Rogue was also crowned as the Terrifying Final Boss or The Super Villain because of his unscrupulous actions, such as killing without mercy and abusing his intelligence for his own benefits. To Lin Feng, power is everything in game! This kind of character would be the typical villain in Shonen manga, who will make his appearance as a max level character, invincible and emanating a villain aura! Quite the contrary, the righteous main character has to fight creeps for levelling up, then farm equipment from the mini bosses. Along the journey, he will get to know several righteous partners as well, together they will challenge the final boss in the end. Which novel will have a main character that is maxed level since the beginning? How could he prove that the weak is able to defeat the strong? How is he supposed to unleash his full power in a pinch, or blather on all sort of his life principles When someone opts for reasoning instead of fighting, it is just because his fist is not big enough, have you seen human reasoning with an ant? Having finalized the character design of Yu Shengfan, the collaboration between Su Li and Rosemary had gone even smoother, especially for Rosemary. He was almost prepared to release the mind-blowing plot whereby Yu Shengfan revealed her real identity. Previously, he had no idea how to portray her character details, but now, he would not have to describe her with merely two words C extremely beautiful, right? Translation note : [1] Ojousama C often refers to a rich lady in anime. Chapter 96 Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation With the ticking of time, the Chinese New Year was over. Zhao Youyue thought that Chinese New Year was meaningful, but she rather be on her phone instead of watching New Year TV programs. Many people who seemed to have great power were coming to visit the esteemed Grandpa Zhao. Albeit retired, Grandpa Zhao appeared to be influential as ever. This is the situation in China since the ancient times, though there is a saying, The intimacy between people will fade away as they separate for long. Anyway, there must be someone who had inherited the political heritage before he retired. The only thing to be feared was that the new leader might exercise an opposite political ideology, then the people would lash out at Grandpa Zhao as the people always adapt to the style of the current leader. Anyway, the Zhao family was quite a handful. Know that their ancestors were the founding members of the Republic of China. It was like owning The Gold Medallion[1] during ancient times, as long as they were well-behaved, their wealth was able to last for several generations. In terms of power, Zhao Youyues generation was obviously not on par with the elder generations. Zhao Hao, Zhao Youyues cousin was the most valued member of her generation. Grandpa Zhao would always have this beloved grandson, Zhao Hao at his side to welcome the guests of honor. He wanted Zhao Hao to interact more with these people as Zhao Hao was already the CEO of an investment company founded by his own. However, those people who got to know Zhao Hao would consider him as a prodigal son. Well, he was indeed talented in spending money, but an entrepreneur? Forget about it. Luckily he was not in the officialdom, as he would not last a second with that attitude. The successors of Grandpa Zhao had no special talents of their own. The magnificent Zhao family would definitely sink once Grandpa Zhao was no longer around. None of them was actually wise enough to support the familys current stage and wealth, especially the third-generation Zhao Hao. He was good for nothing, but to ones surprise, he had never committed any crime, neither did he smoke or drink alcohol. Fortunately! Zhao Hao liked to collect luxury sports cars, but he crashed two of his rides that cost more than ten millions before. He came home this year with his black domineering SUV, which looked exactly like an armored car with its rectangular shape, he even organized his own racing team to participate in a super series race. This had helped Zhao Youyue to gain some knowledge about cars, although she had no interest in cars and only thought of them as a mode of transportation. Zhao Hao was fond of beautiful girls too, as he mingle around with ladies when he was still a student. Now he was in a relationship with a female actress, while keeping contact with his ex-girlfriends, obviously a scumbag. To a guy that did not have to worry about money, it was not too bad Basketball and games were Zhao Haos favorite too, he would go to America to support his favorite NBA team every year. Besides that, he liked to watch Esports tournaments on site, he even would be invited as a special guest too. In comparison with Zhao Hao, his cousin Zhang Wanjun was way better than him. She gave a good impression to Zhao Youyue, with ladylike temperaments and good looking facial features. She was studying in a famous university in Shanghai, about the same level with Jiangnan University, and she was one of the student council members too. Zhang Wanjun was already on her third year, but she did not take care of herself nor putting on make-up, her skin was not as good as Zhao Youyue, even though most of the girls were already looked different when they entered university level. No doubt, there was something else more important than appearance to Zhang Wanjun. Was it studying? The possibility was quite big, since she was giving off a brilliance aura. She was wearing frameless spectacles, with the lens reflecting her coolness. Her hair was even shorter than Zhao Youyue, and her voice was of neutral tone, which sounded tomboyish. This rendered a beautiful girl like her to gain an even higher sense of presence. Too bad Grandpa Zhao was not fond of her, probably because her surname was not Zhao. She was destined to become someone elses child, otherwise she could be the role model of Zhao Youyue and Zhao Hao. Zhao Youyue thought that Zhang Wanjun and Zhao Hao were close, but she realized that these two did not belong to the same group. One was obviously showing off his wealth while another looked like a normal person, nobody would have guessed that she was the daughter of a mayor. Zhao Youyue activated her side character halo as usual, watching everyone else in the Zhaos family quietly, no one had noticed her, and she already gotten used to being ignored. Hao Hao, these two sisters are in your care today, bring them out and have fun before we part ways. Take good care of Xiao Youyue especially, Ive never seen you taking care of her or giving her red packet. Do you become the eldest brother for nothing? Zhao Jiaren rebuked his son. Zhao Jiaren was the pillar of the Zhaos family currently, and he treasured family bonds. He took great care of his youngest brother Zhao Jiayi, and he treated Zhao Youyue like his own daughter. He was one of few people who did not ignore Zhao Youyue. Zhao Youyue was fond of her uncle too, she was delighted whenever she received a red packet from him. On hearing his father request, Zhao Haos face turned sour. Ugh Zhang Wanjun is hard to get along with, how are we going to have fun? Wait a minute, whos Xiao Youyue? Did he have a sister? He did, but why had he never noticed her? Such a mysterious sister! Her name was Zhao Youyue, she just entered high school and was pretty much pampered by her daddy After being reminded, Zhao Hao remembered a little bit about Zhao Youyue, he then turned his head towards his little cousin Zhao Youyue. She was standing at the corner as if she was isolated from the world, watching everyone like a bystander. What the!? He had such a cute little sister with a ponytail? He had thought that every little sister in the world was unamiable as Zhang Wanjun! Despite being very close to her, above any ordinary brother and sister, and having sent her a lot of gifts, he was still unable to resonate with Zhang Wanjun Alright! I will bring them out to have fun, and eat lots of great food too! Zhao Hao tapped his chest with confidence. Zhao Hao agreed to babysit them because he was interested in his cousin Zhao Youyue. Of course, it was not any love interest. He already had a girlfriend, and considered her much prettier than Zhao Youyue. As he was not interested in anime or manga, he did not have any sister complex. One reason he could not communicate with his cousin Zhang Wanjun was that she would use anime terms that he could not understand at all. Translation note: [1] The Gold Medallion C A medallion that could protect ones family during the ancient Chinese era, not even an emperor could harm the holder. Chapter 97 Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation Zhao Hao watched only the mainstream animes like One Piece, he had even given Zhang Wanjun a complete set of One Piece merchandise. When Naruto just started airing, One Piece was already ongoing for ten or more years. It was so famous that it took over the whole Asia, followed by European countries. Zhao Hao would enjoy watching a few latest episodes of One Piece when he had free time. Even though his cousin Zhang Wanjun had opened up to him a little after receiving the One Piece merchandise, but he still could not understand the memes that Zhang Wanjun spoke of. He also did not get the humor in Zhang Wanjuns video, which she uploaded to Bilibili Kichiku. Perhaps he was the only one who realized that Zhang Wanjun was a famous Bilibili uploader who called herself Black & White Z Mold Anyway, most of the people had thought that Z Mold was a male Zhao Hao was way more interested in Zhang Wanjuns gaming channel than those videos about Kichiku. Zhang Wanjun was more interested in horror and puzzle genre games instead of games like LoL. Fascinated by her gameplay, however, he himself would not play it because he lacked the IQ. Realizing that he had a closer cousin now, Zhao Hao hoped that Zhao Youyue was not like his other cousin Zhang Wanjun. A normal cousin would be best. He wanted to be like his father who protected their family bonds, to make his dad feel proud of him. Zhao Hao let his two sisters entered the super SUV first. Zhang Wanjun was rather hesitant because she felt it would be boring and had nothing in common with her cousin. Eh? I do have a little cousin named Zhao Youyue who just entered high school, right? Zhang Wanjun thought. Zhao Youyue hopped into the car with enthusiasm, and Zhao Hao was happy about it. It seemed that she was interested in cars, how about giving her a sports car for fun? Nope, she was just a high school student Zhao Hao had to put that idea on hold first. After Zhang Wanjun saw that Zhao Youyue had entered the car, she followed. She did not want to embarrass Zhao Hao in front of everyone. Zhao Haos mother warned him that he should drive safely because he had two little sisters onboard. She would punish him severely if he was caught in an accident again. Zhao Hao felt awkward, he could not argue that this super SUV was durable as a tank and not afraid of any collision. Besides, he would never speed in this kind of car. When they arrived at the city center, a prosperous city in which Zhang Wanjuns father was the mayor, it was only one oclock, there was still much time left before dinner, Where should I bring them to? Zhao Hao was lost in thoughts. What were they doing in the backseat? Lately, Brother Bo Lan was really famous in Bilibili, the whole website was about him! They have made tons of parodies, theres really no song he couldnt sing! The singer Xu Ruoxuan had become a shoulder massager in these videos and she was shaking her head nonstop! It looks so funny too, so I did one err ahem. Hahaha, not only Bo Lan Bro, there is another one frustrating to ears, whats it called again? Something about three days three nights, three days jungling[1] Oh, you mentioned you did something too right? Oh nothing, do you have any favorite uploader in Bilibili? Uploader? I only surf Bilibili for anime, since it is the only video platform website without advertisement. I will watch some funny videos too, but I rarely pay any attention to the uploader. Well Its true that most people are like you when surfing Bilibili, just like those who watch anime or novels without knowing the authors. Why did you sound disappointed? I do pay close attention to the authors of novels and anime! Oh? Why? Zhao Youyue was a bit tongue-tied. She could not say that the Two Dimensional Gate C had prompted her to pay attention to the authors. Finally, Zhao Hao let out a sound of grudge, because he found out that his little sisters were ignoring him and having a wonderful time chit-chatting Do you guys have any place in mind? Any suggestions? Zhao Hao asked. Nope, Im not interested in coming out in the first place, Id rather play my PC. Zhang Wanjun replied without much consideration. Zhao Youyue almost said, Im fine with my phone but seeing the awkward expression on Zhao Haos face, she suggested, Lets go to the cinema, theres a comedy movie about Chinese New Year, the box office had already more than one billion tickets sold, it should be fun to watch! Zhang Wanjun twitched her mouth a little, because she could just watch it on her PC and thought that the more mainstream a movie was, the more boring it would be, but she had a good impression of Zhao Youyue, so she was not against the idea. After Zhao Hao heard that suggestion, he was touched because his little cousin Zhao Youyue was indeed very normal, so he agreed to that idea and drove to Hongda Square. While driving there, he bragged about his relationship with Ding Yuncong, the richest mans son. So, big bro. Who is richer between you and Ding Yuncong? Zhao Youyue smiled at him while asking. Zhao Hao saw Zhao Youyues smiling face in the mirror, he felt that this little cousin was cuter now! She was asking questions that allowed him to show off, unlike Zhang Wanjun who had never looked him in the face or calling him big bro. Of course Im richer! But I keep a low profile, I only posted some of my daily life photos on Weibo. Ive never posted anything to gain favoritism from my fans, or become some manager in the entertainment field. Oh, Youyue Meimei, you could follow me on Weibo, search Zhao Hao King will do. Zhao Hao said it with pride and confidence. Wow, you sure are amazing, big bro, richer than Ding Yuncong. Alright, lemme follow you on Weibo. Zhao Youyue said it naturally while reaching for her phone. Eh? Wow, big bro, you have nearly 3.5 million followers on your Weibo, Ive never expected that big bro is a famous internet idol. Obviously, Zhao Hao was already drowned in his own vanity as Zhao Youyue kept calling him Big Bro. He had developed a very good impression of his little cousin. No wonder his father was fond of her, she was good with her words, if only she could utter them with more emotions Big sis, do you have Weibo as well? I want to follow yours too. She turned to Zhang Wanjun. Her EQ was indeed high, she made two of her cousins had a good impression of her in such a short period. Zhang Wanjun did not tell her immediately but Zhao Hao could not hold the urge to speak as he wanted to show off in front of Zhang Wanjun, Wanjuns Weibo is Black & White Z Mold, one of the famous uploaders in Bilibili, she has only more than a million followers, not even one third of mine! Translation Note: [1] Three days three nights, three days jungling (ҹ,Ұ) C a popular Chinese song. Chapter 98 Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation How much money did you spent on your zombie fans? For every post on my Weibo, the comments, shares and likes are at least ten times more than yours! What do you think, Zhao Ritian? Zhang Wanjun twitched her mouth, saying that in her neutral tone, which was hard to tell whether it was a male or female voice while adjusting her frameless spectacles in style. Zhao Hao let out a hollow laugh, Hey! Why did you call me Zhao Ritian? Dont call me Wanjun either, disgusting! Ahem Technically Im still your cousin by blood, I can give anything you want. Im one of the famous uploaders in Bilibili, do you seriously think that I would lack of anything? Besides, Im not interested in sports cars or luxury watches either, I can buy my own PC, games and limited edition merchandise by myself. Alright, alright, you win! But youve never played LoL! That game is too mainstream, yet its a rip-off of another game, it will ruin my reputation. But still it is the most played game in the world! And yet your lousy team had never been qualified for the LPL, Ive only seen them took part once. Oh ho? Youve been paying attention to my lousy team? I only wanted to see how you failed miserably, and hows the feeling of wasting money on nothing? It seems to have no impact on you, since you got plenty of money. Of course not! Going after girls with money is the best, those girls are unlike you who doesnt have any ladylike features. A scumbag like you is destined to get butchered with nice boat ending. Here we go again, what the heck are you talking about? Both of them were insulting each other with sarcasm, like they always did, they appeared to be arguing. Zhao Youyue decided not to stop them after listening to the duo carefully, it sounded merely like a normal conversation between them. Thus, she ignored them and started playing with her phone. They had been quarrelling until they reached their destination, then they only realized that there was still a person onboard. Both of them apologized to Zhao Youyue embarrassingly. Big bro and big sis are amazing, Im fine with just playing my phone alone. Im gonna watch big siss video when I go back, it should be exciting since big sis has so many fans! Zhang Wanjun clung to Zhao Youyues arm, feeling that her little sister was really great. She also warned Zhao Youyue about scumbag Zhao Hao, wanting her to stay away from this terrible rich 2G. Zhao Hao decided to overlook this matter to avoid arguing with Zhang Wanjun. He realized that there was still one hour left before the movie when he bought the tickets by his phone. He could not just spend that one hour with them in front of a UFO catcher, right? Zhang Wanjun suggested them to go cyber cafe for killing time, Zhao Hao agreed with it. He then realized that Zhao Youyue was still a minor, but she assured them that she would be alright by just sitting beside them while playing with her phone. This had made Zhao Hao liked his little cousin even more. After that they went to the cyber cafe. Before reaching the cafe, Zhao Youyue suddenly remembered the scene of riding in a limo to the cyber caf in The Strongest King. It did not seem ridiculous after all, she chuckled. Zhang Wanjun revealed her internet addict lady self when she sat down in front of a computer, ignoring everything around her. Where did her disciplined attitude go to? Zhao Hao was not impatient like Zhang Wanjun. He bought three bottles of drinks, then he placed one bottle at Zhang Wanjuns desk and gave another bottle to Zhao Youyue to show that he cared for her. Do you know how to play LoL, Youyue Meimei? Zhao Hao asked. A little bit. Zhao Youyue answered honestly. A little bit is all it takes, when you wish to climb up the ranking, your big bro can ask for some professional player to carry you! You know that player named Guang Chang? The best jungling player in the whole server, one of the three big shots, I can summon him to assist you! Zhao Hao was showing off as usual, little did he know that the actual Guang Chang had become neither a dreamer nor a loser. Wow, big bro surely is amazing! Zhao Youyue was simply going along with it, in fact she did not have a single clue who this Guang Chang was. Hahaha, I love hearing it! Youyue Meimei, youre much easier to get along compared to Wanjun. Where do you wanna go during this years summer holidays, Ill take you there with my dads private jet! Zhao Hao proceeded to boot up his PC and launched LoL. While waiting for a matchup in ranking match, he opened up Baidu and search for The Strongest King. He then started reading the pirated version of the novel. This was actually the first time Zhao Hao got addicted to reading a web novel. This novel was recommended by one of his teammates, he could not stop himself from reading such a masterpiece! He did not read the novel recently, so he was a few chapters behind. The readers response was exceptional because the storyline was about Lin Feng meeting up with Yu Shengfan in real life, one of the long-awaited upsurge plots! As he could no longer wait to satisfy his urge of reading. You own a private jet yet youre reading pirated novel! Zhao Youyue complained with a disgusted face. Is there any difference? I always search on Baidu and clicked on the first result. Zhao Hao was confused. He was extremely embarrassed when he saw Zhao Youyue showing her face of despising someone for the first time. All the original web novels are at Qidian! You have to subscribe before you can read the latest chapter, it only costs ten cents per chapter! Big bro, are you that poor to read pirated novel instead of original? Err I really dont know. Zhao Hao was trying to find an excuse. In fact, he was aware of it, but he felt troublesome because he thought that there was no difference between them, same contents. To avoid being despised by Zhao Youyue, he created an account in Qidian following her instructions, with his ID named ImYouyueHerBrother. He started to read the original novel, The Strongest King for the first time. Zhao Youyue rolled her eyes upon seeing his ID, but she never uttered a word. She proceeded to brag to her cousin Zhao Hao, saying that she had rewarded a Silver Sect Master to the manga The Strongest King, which costs around 10,000 RMB and she was the first in the fan ranking for the novel too, with almost 500,000 fan points. After seeing Youyue at the first place in the fan ranking, he felt uneasy. This little cousin of his Was she showing off her wealth in front of him? She had even mocked him for being poor, he was not going to tolerate this insult. Zhao Hao could not stand to witness anyone showing off their wealth in front of him, not even Ding Yuncong, he would definitely counter them! What is Silver Sect Master when there is a Golden Sect Master which costs 100,000 RMB? Just you wait, your big bros gonna reward a Golden Sect Master, its just 100,000 RMB! Zhao Hao was smiling confidently while topping up 200,000 RMB in his newly registered account. He saw the titles of Silver and Golden Sect Master were untaken in The Strongest King novel, so he wanted to take them for himself. To Zhao Hao, the tip function was meant for him to show off. The money he tipped those female streamers on Douyu were more than millions, of course he had tasted the great relish of those female streamers as well. For only 100,000 RMB, he could secure his first fan ranking in these web novels, it was definitely cheap! Zhao Youyue was surprised when Zhao Hao gave a tip of Silver Sect Master at first. With emotions surging, feeling regrets for not showing up earlier, even though a million was a large sum, it was still not enough to express my genuine feelings! ImYouyueHerBrother has tipped Rosemary 1,000,000 Qidian coins! The story was absolutely amazing! My friends and I were stunned! This is my one-million reward, keep striving dear author! When Zhao Hao saw his little cousin Zhao Youyue had not recovered from the shock, he was extremely excited, with his vanity going way over the chart. He then gave another Golden Sect Master without delay. Exciting contents infused with mixed feelings, hopefully this golden pen award would help master in his writing career! ImYouyueHerBrother had tipped Rosemary 10,000,000 Qidian coins! I am deeply moved at this moment! This book was so amusing that it made me speechless! Dude, it was absolutely marvellous! At this moment, both Qidian website and Qidian mobile app, had displayed a notice, ImYouyueHerBrother huge amount of award, had caused a scene in Qidian today! Silver Sect Master was still pretty common in this prosperous era, 10,000 RMB no longer had its previous value in these days, but a Golden Sect Master was still very rare, because its value was 100,000! Despite of value inflation, it was still 100,000 RMB! Only a rich 2G like Zhao Hao could do it without any hesitation. He did not even care about the money value, as even his gaming equipment had cost him a few millions. As The Strongest King was fighting against ballot riggers in the Monthly Tickets Ranking, with the award of Golden Sect Master, it became the first on the Monthly Tickets Ranking! Suddenly, Zhao Youyue was reminded by the Two Dimensional Gate that Yu Shengfan was already a high popularity character card with a duration of three years if she decided to exit now! She would acquire that character card charged up to ten years because the novel might turn into animation or even a live play! What choices would she make? Chapter 99 New Character Card, Gotcha! Popularity itself was a thing that Zhao Youyue could never fathom, not to mention high popularity. How to judge whether a literary work was popular? And which character in it would be the high-popularity character? After watching the acts of Zhao Hao, Zhao Youyue sort of understood that popularity could be measured with money. By watching aside if there were more people willing to pay for a literary creation or character, she could then evaluate their popularity. Of course, this must be a good-quality novel in the first place! Take streamers for example. Some female streamers popularity will skyrocket through the support of godly tycoons. Having stabilized her popularity with some loyal fans later, she will remain as a famous streamer even if the tycoons are gone someday. Of course, there are also some streamers failing to grasp the popularity no matter how much the godly tycoons supported them. In the end, they lost it all because the godly tycoons were no longer interested in them. The same logic applies when it comes to literary creation. The Strongest King itself was a high-quality work, not to mention that it was having a climax plot recently. Formerly, its popularity had been almost explosive, now with the appearance of Silver Sect Master and Golden Sect Master, the novel had broken through its mischance as if it had acquired a divine elixir[1] in the spiritual-cultivation novel. The Strongest King would become a famous literary work in the future! It could actually compete for the first place in Monthly Tickets Ranking! Zhao Youyue was still deciding whether to exit the novel earlier Zhao Youyue had come to a conclusion now. The characters she had molded could be classified into three stages. The first stage would be Popular Character, which had been attained by the Yu Shengfan molded by Zhao Youyue few days ago. In this stage, Zhao Youyue could exit the literary world without bearing any negative consequence. Naturally, she could neither obtain the character card nor inherit the character abilities. The second stage would be like now, as in Yu Shengfan had turned into a High Popularity Character. In this way, if she bowed out earlier, she could obtain the character card which had a time limit. In that limited time, she could inherit the character abilities. The higher the character popularity, the longer the usage period would be. On the other hand, if the author did anything that adversely affected her popularity, the usage period would decrease as well. The most terrible outcome would be that the character was totally ruined. Imagine if an elite female scholar went for spiritual cultivation out of the blue, emerging as a fantasy character, was she still who she was? Such an outcome would lead to an immediate shattering of the High Popularity Character Card, and Zhao Youyue would never be able to the character abilities. The most ideal situation would be that the authors writings continuously bettered, and eventually made her an iconic character! Therefore, if Zhao Youyue considered an earlier exit, she would have to bet on the authors personality. She would not take any chances on the amateur authors. They might be affected by their readers once Zhao Youyue exited the literary world, and would start doing ridiculous acts which caused the whole literary creation to crumble. Then all her efforts would be to no avail. Should the novel be suitable for any doujinshi works, that would be awesome. Most doujinshis would naturally give rise to popularity of the original work! Obviously, The Strongest King perfectly satisfied these conditions. Rosemary was an author with his own pace, moving forward steadily. He had never given up halfway in his previous works or given them some crappy endings. Treating his literary creations seriously, he had also discerned that The Strongest King would let him acquire the moniker of God of Authors. Of course, he would not destroy this novel of his! Zhao Youyue did have the heart to stir up any more troubles in The Strongest King, because if she wanted to convert Yu Shengfan from a high popularity character to an iconic character, she might have to lead Yu Shengfan to death. Rosemary would certainly be troubled by this as his livid readers would haul him over the coals. Therefore, she was unwilling to allow such low profile and steady author to suffer because of her actions. Plus, nobody could guarantee that Yu Shengfan would become an iconic character after her demise. Besides, she could not prevaricate by taking reference from Huang Shaotian or Negi Sanzenin, as both of them were not dead in their respective literary works. If she encountered such authors without their own pacing, who made their readers suffer, gave up the work halfway or scribbled a meaningless ending, she would not hesitate to kill high popularity female character, just to see whether she could become an icon The first two stages of the character had been introduced clearly. The third and final stage would be iconic character, also called super popularity character. People would always remember them, and so their character cards would constantly be charging and become a permanent tool. But somehow creating an iconic card was extremely difficult because she had to be unique. A unique character in a unique literary work could always be remembered, and that was the definition of an iconic character. (Characters who die in the novel have better chances of becoming iconiccharacters, because deaths will cause an impact on the readers, making them unforgettable.) Hmm, how do we classify whether a literary work was a unique piece? Of course that particular literary creation would need to achieve a national standard and carry its own originality. This also requires a unique difference from any other novels and mangas, something that other creations does not possess. (National-standard work with startling popularity is considered unique too). As such, plagiarism literary works will never surpass the original. After discovering these three stages, Zhao Youyue assessing the cost performance index [2]. She thought that she would not need to go after the perfect Iconic Character Card, unless that ability was useful in real life. Xu Jings card was the perfect example of an almighty card, as it could be utilized in every possible way, Hence, Zhao Youyue would make sure Xu Jing become an iconic character by hook or by crook. What abilities could she obtain from Yu Shengfans character card? Two abilities, which were maximum gaming talents and proficient in multiple languages. These two abilities were not really important to Zhao Youyue, so there was no need for Yu Shengfan to develop into an iconic character. Three years were more than enough for her, and it might even increase as The Strongest King was just about to conquer the world! After going through the pros and cons in a short period, Zhao Youyue made up her mind to exit the novel! She then perceived the miraculous Two Dimensional Gate in her mind, along with a new character card this time! A blonde twintail lolita who sat in front of a PC, wearing headphones with her mouth opened exposing her cute canine teeth, looked like she was talking nonstop. This character card had a time counter on it, representing its usage period. As the counter was ticking backwards, sometimes it would move forwards suddenly, interesting huh. At this moment, Zhao Youyue could possess Yu Shengfans abilities whenever she activated Yu Shengfans mode! Translation Note: [1] Divine Elixir() grants one an eternal life. It appears as pill form in Chinese ancient novels. [2] Cost performance index() C A measure of the efficiency of expenses spent on a project. The formula that a business normally uses to assess the cost performance index (CPI) is the ratio of earned value (EV) over actual costs (AC). Chapter 100 Failed Authors Promoting Themselves Having acquired the abilities of Yu Shengfan, however, Zhao Youyue had to refrain herself from activating Yu Shengfans mode. She was afraid of turning into a braggart, then she would insult her cousin Zhao Hao during his upcoming ranking match[1]. Whats with numb fingers, a second-degree handicap? Youre better off raising pigs at home with this hand movement speed Anyway, she did not want to offend her simple-minded and easy-to-coax rich cousin. This would bring her no benefits at all. Besides, Zhao Youyue still wanted to get her red packet from him. He must give her at least 80,000 to 100,000 RMB, otherwise how could he claim that he was richer than Ding Yuncong, right? After showing off successfully before his little cousin Youyue Meimei, Zhao Hao proceeded to look at the Overall Tipping Ranking on Qidian. He found out that the top three spots were WistfulFallenSoot, Fning, and HollowValleyStar,who had tipped 1,800,000 RMB, 1,700,000 RMB, and 1,200,000 RMB respectively. Zhao Hao sniggered, What? The highest tip is just 1,800,000 RMB, I can surpass them someday. Oh yeah, let me give this account to you. If there are any books that caught your interest, you could just grab the seat of Silver or Golden Sect Master. Not only did Zhao Hao like to show off, he enjoyed bringing people beside him to swagger around. Since he liked his little cousin Zhao Youyue, thus he gave her such opportunity too. Zhao Youyue gladly accepted it with a smile. She now owned two Qidian accounts, one was Youyue while the other was ImYouyueHerBrother. Youyue did not rank even the top 100 of the ranking, she probably had to spend more than 50,000 RMB to be there. Until now, she had tipped Su Li a Silver Sect Master. Plus the Sect Masters she tipped other authors, still she had spent approximately 50,000 RMB. Compared to her cousin Zhao Hao who never paid a hoot to money, she was absolutely nothing. After spending more than 110,000 RMB, ImYouyueHerBrother was already 48th in Overall Tipping Ranking. Big bro, you have reached 48th place in Overall Tipping Ranking at once, Zhao Youyue reminded him while pointing to Overall Tipping Ranking. To appear in the rankings was quite impressive. Do not forget that there were a lot of manipulation accounts created by the High God level authors to tip their own works, making them looked more popular. They would probably tip themselves a Silver Sect Master, just 10,000 RMB anyway! To them who always manipulated their works popularity, this was a small amount of money. To maintain their works on the ranking board, they could spend a lot more than that. Looking at the ranking board, Zhao Hao got bored as he thought that such a small amount of money had made him in the 48th place. It seemed that this Qidian website did not really have godly tycoons. Sigh, showing off on this small website would only ruin his reputation. Anyway, he had spent this big money solely to see the smile on his Youyue Meimei. Thinking of which, Zhao Hao closed the Qidian main page which bothered him, and continued to read the novel on the pirated website. He had no intention of reading the original novel, but he was afraid of being despised by Zhao Youyue, Thus, he still asked her to activate automatic subscription to the original novel for him. Zhao Youyue could never understand. This guy has tipped such a big amount, why is he not reading the original novel, what is he thinking? However, Zhao Youyue could not give him a cold shoulder anymore for not reading the original. The amount that Zhao Hao tipped this time, the money he had spent on the webnovel, had exceeded what one was not able to earn for their entire life. Assuming that 1,000 words cost five cents, the Qidian coins he had tipped could actually purchase billions of words Zhao Youyue assured her cousin Zhao Hao, Brother, youve tipped so much, later you could enjoy the authors worship before them. Zhao Hao jokingly asked, Is the author a beautiful girl? Zhao Youyue told him that the author was already a married uncle. Zhao Hao naturally lost his interests and shook his head, he said, Ahh, I dont need a married uncles worship. Is there no beautiful girl among the authors? Zhao Youyue then showed him the picture of Su Li, but he was not interested in her at all and he bragged that all the women with whom he slept were ten times more beautiful than this lady. Zhao Hao felt a little bit awkward after bragging about that. After all, the listener was her little sister, not his spoiled friend Ding Yuncong. He had always looked down on Ding Yuncong who was a fan of Internet beauties. Nothing much, its just that the girls with whom he played were all of the low standards, yet he brazenly mentioned that he was an advocate of non-marriage. Just be honest that he wanted to play with more girls! Of course he would claim directly that he despised the Internet beauties. While abroad, he had dominated the women from all countries. Now, he would only play with the actresses in the entertainment circle, and they must not be too famous or have undergone plastic surgeries. He felt that he had played women like how Wanjun Meimei played her games, they both had standards. Of course Zhao Youyue had no comment on Zhao Haos dissolute past, because it was none of her business. Even when Zhao Hao was bragging about it, Zhao Youyue was on her phone, relishing the fired up the comment section. The ten million Qidian coins post was already flooded with thousands of comments Oh my its really a Golden Sect Master! Such a tycoon, how scary! After all these years in Qidian, this is my first time seeing one Golden Sect Master alive! This Golden Sect Master is indeed mighty. Will this super tycoon ImYouyueHerBrother really be the brother of Youyue who had a little fame? Theres a big chance! Since Youyue is already this rich, having a richer brother is not something unusual Am I the only one who noticed the word Her? Youyue should be a girl! A super fair, rich and beautiful girl! What the Definitely a family of wealth beyond three generations! So filthy rich! As an amateur author myself, Im jealous of the author of The Strongest King, Rosemary. Im here to advertise my new book, a celestial-martial-arts genre of Truth. Everyone, please give it a try, dont berate it in case you dont like it. from Drunk for Her''[2] Zhao Youyue realized that his cousins ID had made her own Qidian ID Youyue to be mentioned a couple of times in the comments section. Probably everyone was guessing their relationship, but she was too lazy to reply if he was her own brother. Technically her dad was his dads brother, whose family was much richer than theirs. Zhao Youyue signed in to the account ImYouyueHerBrother on her phone, and found that the inbox was exploded with mails. Most of them were from the failed authors, of course, there were some minor, and Middle God grade authors too. When she saw an author with the pen name of Drunk for Her, promoting his new book Truth, a celestial-martial-arts genre. The author had actually guaranteed that this was one of the best literary creations out there. Zhao Youyue felt that this author was way too shameless, with no sense of embarrassment, anyway she decided to give this Truth a try. It started out with an extremely handsome male protagonist, who was then hit on by a stunning lady and became a sore loser Zhao Youyue giggled and abandoned the book after reading not more than three chapters. This Drunk for Her was indeed a failed author! Zhao Youyue never knew that Drunk for Her was inspired by this female elite scholar Xu Jing from Pure Romance after failing this book of his. He actually planned to write a shifter story, starring an elite female scholar While Zhao Youyue was being contemptuous of this Drunk for Her who shamelessly promoted himself, Zhao Hao was engrossed in the latest chapters of The Strongest King. Translation Note: [1] Ranking match () is a gaming mode in King of Glory in which the players are matched with players of equivalent tier to fight for the rankings on scoreboard through a fair battle. [2] Drunk for Her () C the author of Shift! The Side Character Heroine () Chapter 101 Face of Enjoyment The latest chapters of The Strongest King was regarding Lin Feng and Tang Yongkais meet up with Yu Shengfan, who was about to reveal her Fat Otaku identity. They had chosen to meet up in front of a barbecue stall since fat otakus loved this kind of junk food. Barbecue was always their first choice for food delivery order! As Yu Shengfan had appeared more often in the recent chapters, many readers were excited about the story progression. They could discern that Rosemary had depicted Yu Shengfan differently compared to the other characters. Of course, Rosemarys standard of depicting male characters had improved to a whole new level. He could even make a particular male character sounded as if he had blood and flesh in just a few sentences, albeit still incomparable to the character of Yu Shengfan. Anyway, a new female character that appeared recently was portrayed rather well. She was named Wen Zhouzhou and her godly aura could parallel that of Lin Feng. Using her small ID on the new server, Wen Zhouzhou went ahead to challenge Lin Fengs Shadow Rogue. Not only that she had lost to Lin Feng, she was even ridiculed for her slow reflexes. Besides, she had a rough idea of the identity of the character, and was surprised that Lin Feng had discovered a new way of playing it. She then told Lin Feng that she would be waiting for Lin Feng to return to the professional arena with a cool tone. Not to mention, the appearance of this new female character had received a lot of praises. Now that Rosemary had totally ditched his impression of not knowing how to depict a female character. Even though some readers with sharp instinct could tell that he was actually portraying some male characters with female names. But most of the readers did not bother about how Rosemary claimed those male characters as female. It was satisfying enough as long as the female characters did not sound awkward. Ye Hai knew those sensitive readers could sense the truth. Nevertheless, he acknowledged that Yu Shengfan was a real female character under his creation. Ye Hai had a preference for this character, which was further elevated after Su Li had sketched a portrait of Yu Shengfan. He was completely overwhelmed by this character. He could even feel the touch of her soul when he was illustrating her in his book. The feeling was wonderful yet mysterious. Even though people might not believe it, but he knew that Yu Shengfan was alive, a girl who was living in his world of literature. Ye Hai was different from Su Li. When Su Li felt that Xu Jing was alive, she could still torture Xu Jing mercilessly, by not treating her as a human being in order to make Pure Romance more famous than ever. To Su Li, she was only a manga character, anything more could she be? Instead of torturing Yu Shengfan, Ye Hai loved her more than any other characters in his book, as if she was his own daughter. He even added more scenes of Yu Shengfan, such as she bullying others. He had been holding the urge of writing the battle between Yu Shengfan and Lin Feng, all because he anticipated that Lin Feng would lose! Why wasnt Yu Shengfan the main character of this book? What a pity, he felt. Could Yu Shengfan actually be the main character of this book, he would have loved her even more, drowning completely in the ecstasy of not needed to hold his urge. He would not have to anymore prevent Yu Shengfan from shining brighter than the present main character, Lin Feng. Zhao Youyue had never expected that Ye Hai was that fond of Yu Shengfan. An accident beyond her prediction. A persons personality might be darkened once they lost something they loved. Zhao Youyue was being considerate to the author as she did not want to cause troubles, but she could never understand the pain of an author who had their inspirations lost, just like drug addicts putting themselves through detoxification. On the verge of breakdown, an author could produce writings infused with a kind of inexplicable influential power. Many should have heard of the saying, that an iconic work is usually written by an author who is plagued with an impasse and extreme sufferings. Zhao Youyue only wanted a High Popularity Character Card. She never knew the affection of Rosemary towards Yu Shengfan. Desiring to turn Yu Shengfan into a memorable character to his readers, he had to contemplate something Rosemary, or Ye Hai did not realize that he had already lost Yu Shengfan. The grand finale in his plan was still the heartwarming Daddy Battle. As such, he could not wait for Yu Shengfan to hurl her venomous phrase at Lin Feng, for only that once in his whole book! Unfortunately, that could not happen anymore Zhao Hao was already absorbed in reading the novel. Finally, it came to the scene which he was looking forward Yu Shengfan was riding in her low profile but fancy limo, and arrived at the designated barbecue stall, while Lin Feng and Tang Yongkai were sitting there waiting for her. Both of them were in slovenly shape because they thought that Unpleasant Rain was a fat otaku, so they couldnt care less about their appearances because he might be even worse than them. Tang Yongkai even said in a joking manner that he wanted to see Yu Shengfan showing his altering lolita voice in reality. To him, that lolita voice was pretty soothing and pleasant, but once he thought of the video of a fat otaku with that voice, the pleasure would vanish at once. Of course, he was not a pervert. Just as Tang Yongkai finished talking, he realized that the beautiful girl who previously visited the cyber cafe, walking towards them. She was indeed a cute twintail blonde, so dazzling! She was wearing a vigilant expression, with two bodyguards along her side. Yu Shengfan greeted Lin Feng with a stiff expression, and then challenged Lin Feng to a battle. Tang Yongkai was dumbfounded while goggling at her. Yu Shengfan proceeded to insulted him with her usual venomous tongue. But this time, he was showing a face of enjoyment instead, for being insulted by this beautiful twintail blonde lolita While reading this scene, Zhao Hao was showing a face of enjoyment. Damn, I would definitely recruit her to my team if Yu Shengfan existed in reality, and make her the first goddess in the arena of LoL. This would be awesome! Not only did she play well, she could even insult people at the same time, Zhao Hao murmured to himself. Zhao Hao was too focused on reading the novel, it caused his character to go AFK[1] while the game had already started. He did not bother about it, as he only wanted to finish the latest chapter update! Chapter 102 Chapter 100: Miraculous Confidence Zhao Hao finished all the latest chapters in one go. Tang Yongkai who treated Unpleasant Rain as a fat otaku all along had the funniest expression. Never would he have thought that Unpleasant Rain was not a fat otaku but a real lolita, the type that people would die for! Now, Hoodlum Tang who was unrestrained and did not bother about the minor stuff felt totally awkward. In the games, he frequently retorted, and even called this lolita Fat Otaku. Little did he know that he had accidentally offended this super adorable lolita, who was actually his type! Lin Fengs expression was unexpectedly calm. He did not care who Unpleasant Rain actually was in the real world. What he eyed on are only her skills. Nevertheless, their relationship had deepened while he was getting along with Yu Shengfan. Offering his hand to Yu Shengfan, Lin Feng greeted her with a slight smile. What amused him was that Yu Shengfan wanted to shake his hand at first, but ended up not doing it for an unknown reason. Haha, it seemed that she was shy, truly like an adorable child Lin Feng could not stop teasing her a little. Yu Shengfan explained that she was ill and coming in contact with her would bring misfortune! Rosemary aka Ye Hai did not think too much as he was writing this part. Because Yu Shengfan was still under Zhao Youyues possession state. Zhao Youyue only wanted to reflect the Tsundere personality of Yu Shengfan and purposely made her that way. Obviously, the effect was pretty good. In this chapter, numerous readers commented that Little Fish[1] (A pet name of Yu Shengfan) was adorable to the max. They really wished that they could enter the novel world and cuddle with this adorable lolita. None of the readers found anything inappropriate. How could Yu Shengfan possibly be diagnosed with a fatal illness? Even if Yu Shengfan was ill, it would be something like the talkative illness, venomous tongue illness, or the incurable Tsundere illness. How could she be sick for being able to do all the jumping about and troublemaking in the games? Unfortunately, a character who exists in the novel would encounter an accident anytime, should the author changes his mind Besides loving to PK, she loved to collect beautiful masterpiece equipment. She was very interested in Lin Fengs upgradable dagger artefact. Ever since she noticed that there was something called self-forged weapon in Eternal War. She too wanted to be like Lin Feng and forge a legendary blade. For this, she spent countless money and triumphantly declared that she would be invincible in Eternal War when the sword was completed! Plenty of readers were happy to see this. They could see that Little Fish had already become one of Old Lins bro. There was no need to be afraid that she would leave Lin Feng. The stronger she was, the better it would be! Despite some readers suggesting a different point of view, commenting that this character Yu Shengfan might be a little too strong. She had almost stolen the protagonists halo and the title of The Strongest King. Do not forget how strong she was in solo play! If the plot actually developed this way, it would surely be amusing. After all of this, Lin Feng was actually a fake protagonist while Yu Shengfan was the true protagonist? This must be unacceptable to plenty of readers. That was why they requested Rosemary to balance out Yu Shengfan and not making her a bug[2] in game. If this continued, she would soon ascend from female support character to the protagonist! However, it was impossible for Rosemary who was in an intoxicated state to take in any of the readers suggestions. He wanted to enjoy theinspiration outburst and the writings turn alive feeling while writing the stories of Yu Shengfan This was all Zhao Youyues fault. From the moment she went into The Strongest King through the Dimensional Gate, the popularity of The Strongest King continued to rise. Thereinto, the manga version of The Strongest King was considered to be started by her. In future, various doujinshi of The Strongest King would emerge, and the popularity of this novel was destined to be ever growing! After amplifying the reputation of this novel, her freedom in the world of novel would naturally increase as well. At the same time, Rosemary would be so intoxicated until he could not control himself. As long as he started writing Yu Shengfans stories, he would be carried away! Actually, Zhao Youyue did follow the comments section of The Strongest King all the time. Upon noticing that the character she played was about to steal the role of the hero Lin Feng, she already felt that something was off. Just at that moment, the Dimensional Gate was yet to remind her that she could receive Yu Shengfans high popularity character card if she bowed out. That was why she waited slightly, until today The decision of her bowing out was considered rather determined. Else, she did not even know to which extent would she lead the plot of The Strongest King to. Therefore, she would rather leave earlier and return everything to Rosemarys control, allowing him to sober up and in turn balance the storyline of the novel. It was still better if Yu Shengfan continued as a support character. At this moment, as the author of The Strongest King, Ye Hai had received news of his book being tipped a Golden Sect Master and a Silver Sect Master. In fact, plenty of writers were staggered, feeling that Rosemarys work was turning into a legend for sure. Its average subscription exceeded 10,000 compared to the former 4,000. Adding on the heat of the manga version, Rosemarys current novel was meant to be a great copyrighted intellectual property. Especially the game copyright of Eternal War, rumor had it that numerous gaming companies were highly interested in it. It was possible that by selling only this novel would bring a few millions worth of copyright royalty! Within the Lone Elderly Club, plenty of High God authors who had previously teased Rosemary now bowed to him. Currently, Rosemary was the boss who topped the Monthly Tickets Ranking. Some who were well informed already heard that Rosemary had changed to a High God Contract. Now that a Golden Sect Master had appeared, thus the results soared once again. When Rosemary finished writing this book, there was a high possibility that he would directly acquire a Platinum Contract! That would be another living example of becoming the legend with a single book, which truly made people envious, jealous and hateful! With only this book, Rosemary would already be capable of supporting his entire life! Seeing the front page of his novel, of course, he was very excited too. On the spur of moment, he uploaded a solo chapter[3], showing his sincere gratitude towards ImYouyueHerBrother. He also announced to all readers that tomorrow he would be uploading six chapters, a total of 18,000 words to express his gratitude to this Golden Sect Master! He had this miraculous confidence that he would definitely come out with this. Because his mind would be exceptionally clear every time while he was writing Yu Shengfans stories Translation note: 1. In Chinese, the surname of Yu Shengfan() C Yu() is pronounced the same as Fish (), thus some called her Little Fish in the story. 2. Bug C Normally mean a glitch game or software, but in China, this word is used as an adjective to describe a too powerful feature, AI or gameplay character. 3. Solo chapter () C a special chapter uploaded by the author which contains no plot but only to interact with the readers, as in reply their questions or express the authors gratitude to them. Chapter 103 The God was Envious of The Genius Ye Hais wife, Li Mengyao, was the first to see her husbands solo chapter of gratitude. You dont even have a single chapter saved up, are you sure you can finish writing them? Asked Li Mengyao anxiously. Ye Hai seemed to be in high spirit. That super tycoon had tipped him 110,000 RMB. Even after the deduction of Qidians fifty-perfect profit sharing and tax, he could still earn more than 50,000 RMB. This was already considered a huge sum of money to him. Not to mention the shocking chain effect brought by it! In a twinkling, his book which was bookmarked 10,000 times recently, had obtained up to 50,000 bookmarkeds. Following the rate of ten bookmarkeds to one subscription, that would be a 5,000 average subscription increment. What an exhilarating number! Now that his book ranked the first in Monthly Tickets Ranking, he would not willingly hand it over to the others, especially the fearsome ballot riggers! Therefore, he who hardly ever submitted any additional chapters must be launched himself this time! Most importantly, he was confident with his own writing performance! So, he replied with an exceptional confidence, Of course, Im able to write them, recently I have returned to my peak performance. Honey, didnt you notice? Of course, Li Mengyao had noticed this. She had even harboured a little jealousy. It somehow felt as if her own husband madly clung to his own novel, or probably this character Yu Shengfan He must have taken her as his own daughter while writing her stories, until while his wife and daughter in reality were left out. As a loyal reader of the novel, Li Mengyao had been following the newest chapters of the novel. She could clearly felt that when her husband portrayed Yu Shengfan, every term, every sentence had already brought out 120 percent of his writing skills. The difference between how he depicted Yu Shengfan and how he wrote about the other characters was just too obvious However, what could she say? Could she say that she was jealous of a novel character? Yet, her instinct told her that the condition of her husband was actually rather peculiar, as if he was possessed by something! Fine, continue your peak performance. Make this book better and better! But dont forget me and our daughter! Li Meng Yao appended this sentence. Ye Hai did not notice that his peak performance was already gone, and he had sobered up. He then held his wife gently and comforted her instead of hurrying back to his writings to be indulged in Yu Shengfan. Having comforted his wife, he sat down in front of the computer with delight. Placing his fingers on the keyboard, he closed his eyes and started to brew something up. Actually, he was trying to gather massive inspiration and images from an intangible world into his mind. Ah, telling this to a timid person might shock him to death. His fingers would then start typing automatically. The speed was at least 4,000 words per hour, and there would be no typo for sure. The wordings and phrases used were all the embodiment of his peak performance Of course, the prerequisite for all of this would be the moment when he wrote the contents of Yu Shengfan. Unfortunately, he was still closing his eyes while sitting still. After more than 10 minutes, his mind still remained empty! He opened his eyes, staring at the same empty typing software, and was baffled! Whats going on? This was totally different from what he had imagined! Where was the best condition as promised? He scratched his own head feeling a little agitated, trying to type these few words Yu Shengfan on the typing software. He repetitively typed these few words, till the screen was full of them and he mumbled, Dont go, dont leave me. Why do you leave me? Without you, what is the meaning of this empty shell? He did not know who she was, but he realized that without her, he might never be able to portray a true female character such as Yu Shengfan anymore If he forced himself to write about Yu Shengfan, he was afraid that the readers would feel awkward to death by only looking at the venomous phrases written by him. Looking at the screen full with Yu Shengfan, he genuinely felt desolated. He then laid against the armchair, covering his forehead. Could this be the after effect of the intoxicated state? He was done for. Never would he submit the six chapters by tomorrow. Suddenly, he was stuck. Unbelievable! If Ye Hai was a newbie author, during such a moment of despair, he might have dug his own grave. Despite being at the cliff edge, he forced himself to continue writing, insisting to fulfill the promise. After the sudden outbreak, he was left with no choice but to bring the plot to a weird extent. For example, in a daily-life city story, there were suddenly some fantasy or spiritual-cultivation objects. He might feel that he had discovered some new ideas and rescued himself out of the blind alley. But in fact, he was heading towards the path of destructing his own novel. Was this the authors fault? Strictly speaking, this was definitely the fault of the author. How could the author become this devastated just after Zhao Youyue harvested everything? Having lost the inspiration outburst state, he had no idea at all on what to be written The truth was that Zhao Youyue, the troublemaking girl had a part to do with it. However, she thought that leaving early would grant her the High Popularity Character Card and leave the decision upon the plot to the author. This would allow the author develop the work freely and remain its popularity. Never had she thought of how much the author would suffer after losing her! There are countless authors in this world. Within the entire life of these authors, how many icons would they create at their peak performance? Perhaps there will only be one book. Sadly, she did not have the patience to continue waiting for the end of this work. She had left with ease after harvesting a character card. Hence, there would definitely be authors who instantly destroyed the entire work, causing the popularity to drop drastically, and finally she would end up with nothing else! Luckily, Ye Hai was not the kind of insane author who treated his own future as a joke in writing. He was a professional writer who carried the right attitude. Since he was terribly stuck in his writings, he should then slow down, spending more time to read the previous stories, and finding a reasonable direction for development. That would be the right choice. As a result, the sobered up Ye Hai realized that the first female support character Yu Shengfan had stolen away too much of the protagonists limelight Later on, he saw the small details about Yu Shengfan in the new chapters, stating that she had an illness! Ye Hai sighed. The God was envious of the genius! Indeed, she must be afflicted with an illness, an incurable and highly infectious one. Her mother died while giving birth to her, causing her father to detest her deeply since her birth. She could only find her very place in the games. She loved to scold people because deep within her heart, she had hated this world all along! Until she met Lin Feng Ye Hai finally started to think from the perspective of Lin Feng. He thought of such a sentence C I had a friend, whose skills were exceptional in the Eternal War. But later, she died. Yu Shengfan would live forever in the glory of Lin Feng. Chapter 104 Cleared Thoughts Zhao Youyue had never thought that choosing to leave the stage early because she did not want to create problems, or so to achieve a higher cost performance index (CPI), had caused Rosemary to be stuck while writing the story. Then, when he was trying to overcome the barrier of writing, he had this sudden evil thought of removing the character Yu Shengfan! This was actually hatred born from love. When Rosemary could not feel the soul of Yu Shengfan, he was deeply disappointed with the empty Yu Shengfan. He used the typing software and typed the name Yu Shengfan on a full screen. In the end, he darkened the character! However, this was not an impulsive action from Rosemary. He would not dare to risk his work that would make him a Godly writer. He had this feeling of helplessness and realized that he only had one choice left after giving it a deep thought! Zhao Youyue trusted Rosemary, and she had absolute faith in his strength and attitude for creativity. However, she was only just a reader and had never created something on her own. That was why she would never understand how important and addictive the state of an inspiration outburst could be for a creator. The reason he promised that he was able to produce six chapters in one shot in order was to repay the Golden Sect Master, nicknamed ImYouyueHerBrother. He was very confident that he could maintain that state. Six chapters, 18,000 words, with his typing speed of 4,000 words per hour; he just needed a maximum of five hours to produce them. However, once he was no longer in that inspiration outburst state, it would be considered fast if he could type 2,000 words per hour. Following this calculation, it would take him at least nine hours to type out so many words. Not to mention that this was the ideal calculation, where it was impossible to complete in reality! Rosemary was not a plagiarist travelling from a parallel world. He had to come up with his own plots and storylines Zhao Youyue did not know that Rosemary was fascinated by the character Yu Shengfan while writing The Strongest King. Moreover, he felt that it was the most beautiful thing in this world that he was able to create such a character and to be able to sense her soul in the unseen world! The goddess of literature was blessing him He had no words to describe this feeling of his. However, when he found out that he could no longer sense Yu Shengfans soul anymore, he was down in the dumps. It felt like the perfect girl he created had vanished completely, leaving no trace behind and he could never find her again! Most of the good authors are sentimental. The works created by them are not some consumables manufactured by the assembly line. In order to create a work of love, first, you would have to love your own work. He had a deep love for his own work, and he loved the character Yu Shengfan who made his work famous even more! However, he knew clearly that once he started to write about Yu Shengfan again, it would be as tasteless as the chewing rubber. He would never be able to find back those feelings. Besides, he could not even come up with any descriptions by which he would be amazed when turning back his head. After those venomous phrases were optimized, they could be called as the art of language That was right. Many loving fans of Little fish had compiled a list of Little fishs venomous phrases at the comments section of the book. This post was very popular and was even shared on many other forums and sites. This had made many punsters feel ashamed! Rosemary was praised because he was the creator of the character Yu Shengfan. Strictly speaking, he was the talented person who wrote all those iconic venomous phrases. However, only he knew that he was not the creator of Yu Shengfan, but more like a recorder If you let him describe the true characteristics of Yu Shengfan right now, she would lose that strong realistic sense that she originally had in herself. Moreover, she could never speak those iconic venomous phrases anymore. What was the point for this kind of Yu Shengfan to exist anymore? He might as well let her become an icon yet unforgettable character to the readers. At the same time, her death could stimulate Lin Feng to become stronger. Her unfinished self-forged weapon could be inherited by Lin Feng too This was the cleared thoughts of Ye Hai. Thats right. Since he could not portray the charm of Yu Shengfan anymore, he might as well remove the character from the story. If he insisted on writing about her, the feel of the character would definitely change Ye Hai did read webnovels occasionally. A lot of gifted writers were able to produce interesting storyline in the early stages and portrayed some stunning characters. However, when it came to the later stage of the story, there would be the problem of the characters breaking down. This was actually similar to the current situation that he was facing. The best choice to tackle this situation would be slowing down the pace, instead of writing the story forcefully. Although Ye Hai had decided to plot kill the soulless Yu Shengfan, he would not do it right away. He still hoped he might get lucky, perhaps that state would come back sometime in the future? He was smart enough and decided to write some vague details to plant a hidden plot to remove the character Yu Shengfan. This is to prevent some readers who could not accept it when he killed the Yu Shengfans character all of a sudden However, Ye Hai realized that the death of Yu Shengfan would lead a lot of readers to be disappointed in him. He knew clearly how popular the character Yu Shengfan could be! Still, he could self-righteously say that he loved the character more than the readers. It was because of love, he did not want to ruin or tarnish her image. If it were those authors who were more to business, they would continue to forcefully write the story. Just like Su Li, if she was sobered up like Ye Hai, she would not have killed the character Xu Jing. Instead, Xu Jing would become one of the male protagonists lovers while the original settings of the character were ignored. Yet Ye Hai did not have the heart to do this, even the death of Yu Shengfan could damage the popularity of The Strongest King. Hence he would not allow himself to write a horrible sequel to a masterpiece. It would be better for Yu Shengfan to live in the glory of Lin Feng His thought was getting even clearer now. In fact, he was unskilled in writing venomous phrases, but he was good at writing the gaming parts. He would write the one versus one challenge between Lin Feng and Yu Shengfan beforehand. Then, he would reveal the true strength of Yu Shengfan when she was not speaking. In the end, she won against Lin Feng but she died in front of her computer because of her disease. After thinking in that way, Ye Hai realized that he was a little excited and the intoxicated state was coming back! This time, he entered this intoxicated state on his own! He could not wait to write about this Yu Shengfan character, the only person who could win against Lin Feng in a one on one challenge. Sadly, she had to pass away after doing that! This would still be the venomous-tongue, non-talkative Yu Shengfan. However, in the game, she would still have the description that was on par with the earlier description. Ye Hai felt that if he could portray this battle well, it would not bring shame to her! Ye Hai was never a hipster. However, once an author like him becomes a hipster, it would be terrible. The few millions of readers who were reading The Strongest King would feel it Chapter 105 Squabble At the same time, many readers of The Strongest King were high as a kite upon hearing the announcement of Rosemarys multiple releases. The book comments section overflowed with compliments as such: Thank you, God of Tycoon. Thank you, Master Rosemary, tomorrow Ill read it all to my hearts content! Everyone please contribute your monthly tickets. Secure the No.1 position on the Monthly Tickets Ranking! The recent plot is too amusing. Im looking forward to more interactions between Little Fish and Hoodlum Tang. This CP is rather lovely, and those Hoodlum Tangs antics were way too funny! A Loli [1] complex who despises fat otaku like Hoodlum Tang should just die aside. Little Fish obviously loves God Lin Feng, else shed have mocked him, yet she had felt embarrassed to shake his hand. Well, she is but a damn tsundere girl, if this continues, perhaps God Lin Feng would be snatched by some crafty b*tch, Wen Zhouzhou for instance! Stop blathering. There wont be any CP in this book. Why are you guys so obsessed with CP? Even if there is, it will be Lin Feng and Tang Yongkai. Imagine the evil master making out with his loyal puppy, oh my, I couldnt wait to read the doujinshi of The Strongest King! This is scary! The comments section is invaded by Fujoshis. I miss the days when all the readers are straight guys Straight guy? Haha, do you mean straight-guy cancer? Little Fish is too cute. I really want to carry her home and play games with her! Whenever Little Fish makes her appearance, I will be so excited! I newbie would like to ask a question. Whats the relationship between the latest Golden Sect Master and Youyue Tycoon? The book comments section was exploding. Any discerning people could tell that Rosemary was already having a divine aura, if he kept this up, The Strongest King would definitely earn him the moniker of God! But little did all readers know that their beloved Little Yu was already at stake of becoming a sacrifice under the pen of Rosemary. Authors are indeed scary, they could play the game of depression each time they reach a blind alley! Still, one was not able to blame Rosemary as he was doing this for the greater good of Yu Shengfan and Lin Feng. Only without Yu Shengfan, the path of heros Glorious Squad would be more challenging, otherwise, the team would be too powerful and break the balance of game! Meanwhile, Zhao Youyue had let Zhao Hao into the news of Rosemarys multiples releases, just to be answered by him with perfunctory. He was squabbling with the player with ID Jungling King in the game! Previously, Zhao Hao had been AFK for more than 10 minutes to finish the latest chapters of The Strongest King at once and show off to his sister Youyue by tipping the book. He was playing as a supporter at the bottom lane together with Jungling King who was playing as an ADC[1]. In his absence, Jungling King had to fight two opponents at the bottom lane on his own. Knowing that this was a Diamond tier match, in which the opponents were formidable, yet Jungling King was playing Ashe the Frost Archer, who is just mediocre in laning and easily killed. Undoubtedly, he was crushed by the opponents! Of course, he exploded with rage after being crushed, and bawled at this supporter F*cking Demon King. When he stopped AFK and started moving again, the rebukes went even harsher, which had insulted even his parents. Damn your father and mother for giving birth to a useless kid like you for instance. Zhao Hao felt guilty at first, so he had been tolerating his scoldings, but his parents were insulted now. This is too much! Infuriated, he yelled back right away. The public chat was instantly filled with all their vulgar words, some teammate had chosen to mute them. Coincidently, a LoL Douyu[2] Streamer Miss Purple was in the same game with Jungling King and F*cking Demon King. Miss Purple was just a small streamer, whose followers were around 40,000, but there were just a few thousand actual spectators. Just as everyone was watching their squabble, they also persuaded this streamer lady to challenge them to fight each other in a solo match. In a split second, the comments activity on the screen turned even more vigorous. A small streamer like Miss Purple most humored her audience. Not to mention, there was a comment saying to give her aeroplane if she successfully triggered them. This 100 RMB aeroplane[3] was not comparable to the 500 RMB rocket[3], but it was still a big present that moved her. Hence, she commented in public chat, Whats with this meaningless squabble? Why not you both just fight a solo match? The one winning two out of three rounds was considered the winner. I, as the streamer would be your witness. You may bet on something. At this moment, if Zhao Hao had this teammate beside him, he would accept the challenge unhesitantly, then request the help of a professional-level player to substitute him in the solo match. But he was helpless now, though he loved games like League of Legends but had only limited talent, plus he did not have much time to practice. In fact, he loved online games that allowed him to spend money and show off even more. He might be at the Diamond-tier, but his skill level was definitely not around there On the other hand, Jungling King was rather skillful and insightful. Having observed that the skills of F*cking Demon King were ordinary and his Diamond-tier was not genuine, he knew that he was not capable to carry a match. Moreover, Jungling King had a backup for himself, which was his classmate cum friend whose skills were considered master-level, and sitting beside him right now. If the bet was insane, his friend would play for him. So, Jungling King consented arrogantly, Solo? Come forth! I have no objection. Ill bet 100 QQ coins[5], the one who doesnt agree will be the son! Now, the live broadcast comment section of streamer lady, Miss Purple, was exhilarated by this Daddy Battle[4]. Albeit helpless, Zhao Hao would never let anyone act conceited before him. To him, ostentation is more at stake, and he shall not lose in term of that! He was actually too impetuous. Since childhood, he had been unruly and ignorant, thus Zhang Wanjun who had high IQ looked down on him. Only Zhao Youyue was kind enough to support him. Anyway, he had replied, Whats the meaning of betting only 100 QQ coins? At least 1,000 QQ coins! F*ck off if you wont, as you are not qualified to play solo with me! Jungling King was staggered by this vigor. He knew that he was being broadcasted live now. He did not want to lose his face so he had spoken to his friend beside him. He heard of his friend being invited by some professional team for a trial of playing the solo-mid role. Perhaps he was capable to win this for him! The friend of Jungling King came to understand briefly about the opponent. He then responded confidently, Come forth! Im with you, what to be afraid of? Its 1,000 QQ coins! Dont lose this opportunity, you could probably win the heart of that streamer lady too, hahaha! Translation Note: [1] In LoL, ADC C attack damage carry deals a huge amount of sustain damage with normal attacks and is typically most powerful in late game. The opposite is APC C ability power carry which deals a huge amount of burst damage and is typically most powerful in mid game. [2] Douyu() is a Chinese live broadcast website. [3] Aeroplane() and rocket() are the rewards given by the spectators to a Douyu Streamer, they are 100 RMB and 500 RMB respectively. [4] Daddy Battle () C the match which decides who owns the daddy title. [5] QQ coins (Q) C The QQ Coin is a virtual currency used by QQ users to purchase QQ related items for their avatar and blog. Chapter 106 The Game was Set! Hence, Jungling King agreed with confidence, and thus, the high wager Daddy Match was on. The audience in Miss Purples live broadcast room had increased due to this gimmick Daddy battle. Of course Miss Purple would enjoy watching it, and was rather eager to broadcast this Daddy Match, so she urged her teammates to surrender during the twenty-minute-mark. After quitting the game, she mentioned that she would be the witness of this match. So, these are the traditional rules of a solo battle, 100 last hits, first blood, first tower to win the game. Zhao Hao had a terrible facial expression in front of the screen. He was seriously in bad mood after glancing upon the internet famous female streamer Miss Purple, but he was not going to back down a single bit! A solo battle map was chosen by the summoners, and without any ban session, they would go straight to the champion selection page without knowing whom the opponent was using. Jungling King, Youre gonna lose! F*cking Demon King, Hoho. Jungling King, Prepare those Q coins, or youre gonna call me daddy. F*cking Demon King, Cut the crap and start the game. Jungling King had called on his best friend, a veteran in Server 1 to replace him instead. Even though Zhao Hao was not bothered about that 1,000 Q coins, but Jungling King and his best friend valued it. Both of them agreed on splitting it 3-7, and his friend could gain 700 coins if he won. Anyway, for a university student like him, this sum of money was indeed a huge amount. As a result, Zhao Hao had lost terribly in his first round, even though his ranking was at Diamond 5, but his standard was only at Platinum 5, and his favorite champions were the assisting type and could not perform well in a solo battle. Not to mention, his opponent was a veteran in Server 1, whose dream was to become a professional mid lane player After winning his first round, a boy named Cao Jinglong was getting cocky. He then turned to the owner of Jungling King, Feng Ming and said, Who is this F*cking Demon King, hes obviously a noob! Torturing him was way too easy, wanna beat him up personally in your second round? As Feng Ming was insulting this F*cking Demon King, he waved his hands and declined, Save the time and win another round, you have more skills than I do. Meanwhile, Miss Purples pop-ups in the broadcasting room were all ridicules as such This Daddy Match is way too boring, totally one-sided victory! Hoho, AFKer will always be AFKer, NOOB! What a noob! Where did he get all those courage to bet on that 1,000 Q coins? Too boring, Im leaving! Miss purples inner self let out a huge sigh. She even thought that the skills of this F*cking Demon King was no match for hers. Of course, she wondered how did he achieve a Diamond 5 ranking. Without further thoughts, she announced the start of the second match in low spirits. When Zhao Hao noticed the insults from his opponents and audience, he was so infuriated that he wanted to smash his computer! He might even smash it for real if he was at home. Having little knowledge of LoL, however, Zhao Youyue knew that Zhao Hao was beaten up pretty badly from aside. She said it out of compassion, Big bro, mind to let me try out one round? The fires in Zhao Haos eyes almost burst out, Are you mocking me too? Are you telling me that your little bit of gaming skills is nothing different from mine? Zhao Hao roared in anger. Zhao Youyue thought to herself that her brother was indeed hot-tempered. How dare he speak to her in such a spleen attitude. Hmph, dont blame her for being mean too! Activating her Yu Shengfan character card right away, Zhao Youyue bawled at him, Thats right, Im mocking you! Just because my teeny weeny bit of game knowledge was far better than your next-to-zero standard, now step aside! Zhao Haos anger had vanished after he was scolded by Zhao Youyues unusual behavior. Perhaps due to Zhao Youyues sudden change of attitude, it almost made him forgot why he was enraged at the first place. Zhao Youyue was still that super kind and gentle little sister awhile ago, how did she become such an irascible and ill-tempered lady all of a sudden? Zhao Hao gave up his seat, feeling a little uneasy, Zhao Youyue sat right in front of the computer. Just when she grabbed the mouse, a familiar feeling began to surge up in her, as if she was one with the computer. After that, Zhao Youyue skillfully insulted her opponent while getting hold of this F*cking Demon King, I was just going easy on you noobs! I know I could torture you single-handedly after seeing your silly manners. As Cao Jinglong replied with an ellipsis, he thought his opponent was a braggart king, for saying such words after being defeated in the previous match? Good work Youyue Meimei, just like my style. We cant lose any argument no matter what! Zhao Hao said it happily at one side. Big bro, which champion would you want me to use against him? Zhao Youyue said it arrogantly, with domineering confident of a master. Erm, any champion will do? Zhao Hao was beyond his believes, what has given his little sister such confidence. Hurry up! Ahem, then pick Vayne. I kinda like this kind of champion which allowed one to show off the skills, but are you able to handle it? I see so Vayne can be used to show off, without much consideration, she picked Vayne the Night Hunter instantly. Huh? How many times have you used Vayne? Zhao Hao soon realized something was off. Ive never used her before. Zhao Youyue said it straightforwardly. Then how the f you can play? Zhao Hao gulped back the word f*ck. But thinking that he would be beaten up badly by his opponent anyway, it did not matter anymore. Both champions were chosen, and they entered the loading screen. Then, both parties were able to see each others champion and summoner spells. Thay had brought the same summoner spells for a solo match, what a coincidence, a combo of Exhaust and Ignite. Cao Jinglong who was playing for his best friend on the other side, had chosen Caitlyn the Sheriff of Piltover from the champion selection page. When Cao Jinglong saw that Vayne was chosen by his opponent, he sneered. The champion Vayne could not perform to her potential unless the player had spent a lot of time on her. Besides, he had witnessed how stiff his opponent was during the last match. He did not believe that his opponent was able to use Vayne properly, not to mention that his champion was Sheriff! Caitlyn the Sheriff of Piltover was a champion who was most suitable for a solo match which requires 100 last hits, first blood, first tower solo battle. As she was regarded supercilious for her attack range in the early game, with a passive skill of 100 percent critical hit on every seventh attack, she definitely held an upper hand in a solo match. When both sides were ranged champions, she could easily suppress her opponents HP with this huge advantage. In comparison to Caitlyn, Vayne was not one of the champions who could shine within a solo match, because Vayne was a typical earlier stage hero. Therefore, upon learning that his opponent had selected Vayne, Cao Jinglong reckoned that the game was set! Chapter 107 Substitute player Yu Shengfan? As a master player in a server, Cao Jinglong mostly played mid lane solo. His last hit accuracy and normal moving attacks could not be compared to a Diamond 5 rank player. With his champion advantages, he could still win the match with 100 last hits if things took a turn. He even thought that his opponent had given up on this solo match. Hmm.. why Vayne? The female streamer Miss Purple assumed a similar judgment, while the audiences spammed pop-ups crazily, insulting F*cking Demon King for choosing Vayne, saying that he was just a braggart king and a show-off. They entered the game once it finished loading. At this moment, the world became silent when she was in control of Vayne, her mind was clear, nothing but victory. Indeed she had never played as Vayne, but dont forget that she had maximum potentials in gaming talents, not to mention that Eternal War required more technique than LoL. She read every skill description of Vayne once, memorized and understood them instantly. The author Ye Hai had found his inspiration from LoL for his Eternal War team battle. As such, she could totally reach her peak form in LoL easily. She bought a Dorans blade and a bottle of potion at level one, and then arrived at mid lane. The opponent Cao Jinglong had the same equipment to begin with. Cao Jinglong was all prepared to utilize the advantage of Sheriffs attack range by clicking on Vayne, and gained some upper hand in his health bar. He controlled Sheriff to move a few steps forward, attempting to shoot at F*cking Demon Kings Vayne. Vayne, who was controlled by Zhao Youyue had no intention of withdrawing from battle. With her maximum gaming talent, she already calculated that her Q[1] skill had additional damage on normal attacks, much higher than the Sheriff in early game. The Sheriff, on the other hand, had a Q skill called Peacemaker. Zhao Youyue had the confidence to avoid it with her mobility, there was no doubt about this! As for now, she was mainly possessed by Yu Shengfan! Yu Shengfan was playing for her instead! Yu Shengfan had never tasted defeat in a solo battle! Zhao Youyue directly took an initiative of using her Q skill Tumble to attack Sheriff and after hitting the target, she moved her character diagonally to continue her attacks. Cao Jinglong got surprised when he saw Vayne tumbling towards him, he had always thought that normal players would retreat by now, and because of Sheriffs attack range, his opponent would definitely suffer his loss by trading blows! As he was still getting hold of his precious Q skill, he thought that his opponent had completely given up and was about to play ridiculously with an irrational behavior. Cao Jinglong did not move the Sheriff, but attacked Vayne directly. With his gaming experience, he made a judgment that he was not at disadvantage by trading blows. After a few hits, Cao Jinglong could not believe what he saw, as Vayne had already hit him thrice while he only hit Vayne twice! Not that he wanted to back off, but his HP was not enough to trade blows anymore. While having Vaynes passive skill unused, she followed right up to his rear. I still have my Q skill, I can still turn everything back if Im able to hit her. Cao Jinglong thought after calming himself down. Cao Jinglong had retreated to his own tower nearby. I shall turn around and hit you with my Q skill followed by a normal attack, look whos gonna be at disadvantage now, he thought. Who knows Vayne had refreshed her Q skill Tumble! Just as she moved towards the right, she evaded the skill by tumbling diagonally, following a normal attack! Vayne had perfectly dodged the Q skill of the Sheriff in the midst of attacking her! Cao Jinglong was entirely stunned! Is there such technique!? The opponent did not retreat, nevertheless she tumbled forward and attacked him! Just how rash could this person be? With such confidence? First world rank Vayne C Mad doggy Uzi? Is there a Vayne called Uzi? Had Uzi come to play for his opponent in this solo match? Suddenly Cao Jinglong realized that he would be dead in another two normal attacks, while Vayne still had more than half of her HP left. Lucky for him, he had retreated to his tower, but Vayne was still pursuing, standing right at the edge of the towers attacking range in order to hit the Sheriff. Vayne had a passive skill of gaining movement speed after a successful normal attack. According to the rules of a solo match, the one who died first considered lost, so Cao Jinglong quickly activated the summoner spell Exhaust on Vayne, to prevent Vayne from crossing the tower to kill him. Before the minions arrived at the lane, he was forced to use his summoner spell Exhaust, and almost got beaten to death. His mentality was unstable in this second round, just because he had easily won himself in the first round, but then, he never underestimated his opponent either! Indeed, mistakes were never made but yet he got beaten up so badly! It was a break down describing his shock, and could only comfort himself that he did not specialize on ranged champions. Things would definitely be different if he used a mid lane champion! As the commentator of this Daddy Match, Miss Purple was already struck by awe. Just as Vayne showed off her skill, she was cheering for the crazy and overly self-confident F*cking Demon Kings style of playing. She had already forgotten that she initially thought she could win F*cking Demon King in a solo match The pop-ups in the broadcast room had completely changed, as 666 appeared countlessly F*cking Demon King was seriously incredible this round! Substitute player Uzi had come online! This is not a show-off, but a technique with confidence Wait a minute, was it just me or did F*cking Demon King controlled his character while mocking his opponent in the public chat? What the, the substitute player is not Uzi, but Lady Yu Shengfan! Whos Yu Shengfan? Who was the one who mentioned Yu Shengfan, lets PK in Eternal War! Wow, so many of you had read The Strongest King? At the same time, Miss Purple realized that F*cking Demon King was indeed typing words while chasing after the Sheriff, such skills! Cao Jinglong also noticed his opponents comment in the public chat, every word was pinning him down without a single cuss word. Cao Jinglong admitted that his mentality was at the point where he nearly went crazy just because of his opponents reflex and his amazing Chat Flow. He took a deep breath and decided to play cowardly, hopefully he could win this solo match by refilling his 100 minions At this very moment, Zhao Hao, who stood beside Zhao Youyue, had his eyes wide open with his jaws dropped! Translation Note: 1. Q, W, E, R on keyboard are the keys to cast the skills of a LoL champion. Q key corresponds to the champions first skill which is thus also called Q skill. Chapter 108 The Sword Set the World Alight Zhao Hao really wanted to kneel beside Zhao Youyue after witnessing her handlings of the game controls, does this look like a person who has never played as Vayne before? Is this the person who said she had little knowledge on this? Is this even the same person, his little sister, who had almost no sense of presence? Definitely not! Was she possessed by a High God? Zhao Hao realized that his standards were no match for her, but he knew that his little cousin could become a professional player with that awesome Vayne skills! Of course she would need more champions if she wanted to compete in the league, but then she would be helpless if she was directed against by others. Zhao Hao had tailed up while watching this solo match that had not end yet. Finally, out came the minions on mid lane. Zhao Youyue had executed every last hit perfectly, and Cao Jinglong confirmed that his opponent was being replaced by a substitute player as well, a player who specialized in range champions, and had much higher standards. Uh oh, things were not going too well! After that, Zhao Youyue purposely left a near-death-minion unharmed, and dashed forward to attack the Sheriff. She had everything planned in mind, and still not forgetting to taunt her opponents with metaphor and uncursed words With Cao Jinglongs unstable mentality, he thought he had the chance when he saw this situation. Before he could react, his opponent was pushing against him with a ranged minion, what a way to seek death! He lured his opponent, along with the Sheriff into the attacking range of his tower. Of course, he lured them while hitting the minions. Cao Jinglong had never expected something to happen. Just when Vayne was approaching him, her very own ranged minion had killed the near-dead-minion, upgrading Vayne up to level two. Zhao Youyue boosted her E skill instantly with her incredible speed that no one could ever imagine! She immediately tumbled forward and unleashed her E skill Condemn to push and stun the level one Sheriff onto a wall in front of the tower. What the, how was this possible! Not only a surprise to Cao Jinglong, the whole broadcast room exploded with cheers! Miss Purple too was shouting as if she was high and about, with her face blushing bright red! The whole pop up screen was full of 666. A tycoon then gave out a plane, let alone the other fish balls and likes! This was cheating right? How could she utilize Q and E from this angle? Besides, her damage was tremendous too! She even hit him with a normal attack after that combo, this could only be done in a split 0.1 second! Such horrifying reflexes! F*cking Demon King or Zhao Youyues reflexes had everyone entirely dumbfounded! As the broadcast room was flooded with the voices of worship, more people began spamming the name Yu Shengfan, as Xiao Yu-er was famous for her insanely fast reflexes in The Strongest King. It would definitely be impossible for Xiao Yu-er to control and type at the same time, insulting her opponent without that lunatic hand reflexes. Cao Jinglong totally panicked at this moment, he subconsciously pressed his summoner spells D and F, but unfortunately he was not on a five-on-five battle, and had not brought along his Flash and Heal spells. What he brought was the Exhaust spell, which he had used up previously, and another spell Ignite. Unfortunately, Ignite was a repulsive spell so it could not be used to save him. Please remain silent while I am killing. She typed it out with extreme speed, and Vayne proceeded to stroll into the tower, killed the Sheriff without a hitch only with her normal attack! She was left with the last drop of HP after receiving a hit from the tower. This was a perfect kill! The broadcast room was once again filled with 666! All rise! Zhao Hao was the first to rise! Zhao Hao wanted to give a round of applause to his Youyue Meimei for showing him such skills, but he never did that because he was in a cyber cafe. Zhang Wanjun who was beside Zhao Youyue too had woken up from her state of computer addiction, as she watched Zhao Youyue kill her opponent mercilessly. Even though Zhang Wanjun was not a player of LoL, still she understood this game. It was a game between champions and of course the one who was first to deplete all the HP of its opponent wins. This was the first time she realized that some players could really show off while playing the game, it was totally amazing! Zhang Wanjun even doubted herself for seeing the after-image of Zhao Youyues hand on the keyboard, could someone actually do that in reality? Her computer had Miss Purples Douyu broadcast room opened up, and when she saw Yu Shengfans name appeared on screen, she could not help but smiled at it. Come to think of it, both their styles were pretty similar, insulting opponents while controlling their characters Thats right! Zhang Wanjun was reading The Strongest King too. Although she was not into the gaming content, but for the characters in it. She liked the character Yu Shengfan because she was moe. She also sided Yu Shengfan with Tang Yongkai this pair of couple, a person who liked to insult and abuse, while the other was optimistic with an open heart, they were compatible! As for the final match, Cao Jinglong had requested his opponent to use a mid lane champion. After suggesting that idea, he directly told F*cking Demon King that he would choose Zed, the master of shadows, as Zed was an assassin champion who possessed a lot of potentials. One could become Hokage[1] if that person was familiar with Zeds character, but a Genin[2] or merely a childs play for those who do not. After seeing the words Shadow and Zed from her opponents, Zhao Youyue had lit up her eyes and asked her cousin eagerly, which champion can unsheath a sword? Unsheath a sword? What does that mean? Swordmistress? Hmm, thats not right, the swordmistress sword doesnt need to unsheath Zhao Hao hesitated for a moment, but soon he thought of a championYasuo, the Unforgiven! Death is just like the wind, that could always stay sides with me. A swords poor company for a long road. One Blade, one purpose! Yasuo was considered one of the most popular champions in LoL, just because he was incredibly handsome with lots of potentials. Therefore, players would naturally choose him for battle. Several nicknames like Childs care, Childs play, Small monk (Blind monk), ATM could be seen among these champions as good techniques were required, they would definitely be pathetic without decent player skills. Many players banned Yasuo not because they were afraid that their opponents would choose him, but scared of their teammates who picked him and could not control him well! After looking at this incredible champion, Zhao Youyue knew this was her destined champion, a female counterpart of Yasuo, swordmistress in Eternal War. Zed the master of shadows versus Yasuo the Unforgiven! Without any suspense, Cao Jinglongs Hokage-standard-Zed, was crushed by Zhao Youyues Yasuo without mercy! Yasuo in the hands of Zhao Youyue, was really elegant. Every skill was unleashed at the right moment, absolutely terrifying! Not forgetting to taunt at the same time! Hokage had become a childs play, and Cao Jinglongs mentality had totally collapsed! Every audience in the broadcasting room, included Miss Purple were shocked, followed by words in the pop-ups Unpleasant Night Rain Rhythm, Unpleasant Night Rain Rhythm, the Sword set the world alight. Translation note : 1. Hokage C Literally meaning Fire Shadow, generally regarded as the strongest shinobi in the village. 2. Genin C Junior ninja, generally refer to the lowest level of ninja. Chapter 109 Gaming was Meaningless Guess we have to admit that, it seemed pretty amazing when the pop-ups were full of words such as Unpleasant Night Rain Rhythm, The Sword Set The World Alight. Nothing much, it just had this indescribable burning passion within! The literary work, The Strongest King had a very big influence, mainly due to Yu Shengfans appearance, as this character had been created in a beautiful way. Besides the main character, the following character who gave another deep impression was none other than Yu Shengfan herself. Readers who have read it would felt that she did give out a very deep impression. Yu Shengfans terrifying reflexes was way beyond the limits of any ordinary person. Only she had the ability to control her character while mocking her opponent at the same time. Too bad LoL was different compared to Eternal War, as words displayed on the public chat could be hidden. This had actually made Yu Shengfans Chat Flow to become useless, as she could not show off her spectacular chat bubbles in LoL. At most, she could only make her champion dance to taunt her opponent Every single word of Yu Shengfans Vicious Quotes, made her sense of presence went way off the chart, on the other hand Rosemarys reputation increased because of it. Readers thought that he fully demonstrated his writing skills on Yu Shengfans venomous phrases, what a language master he was. Perhaps because of those venomous phrases were not considered as a vulgar language, but a form of language arts. Miss Purple, the lady streamer had never read The Strongest King, so the words appeared in the pop-ups made her confused, but that did not stop her from becoming a fan of F*cking Demon King because his earlier performances were simply awesome! Especially Yasuo the Unforgiven, those reflexes, and elegance, were simply indescribable with words. She even had the misconception that the player had become one with Yasuo, and that was why he was able to use that champion skillfully As the witness of this solo match, Miss Purple announced the final winner F*cking Demon King, and asked Jungling King to pay his wages. She then took the initiative to add F*cking Demon King as her friend in the meantime. All she wanted was to get along with this High God, so that he could bring up her rankings Meanwhile, the player controlling Jungling King had swapped back into Feng Ming. His best friend, Cao Jinglong had this completely lost facial expression and not to mention, his mentality was completely shattered as well! Zed, the master of shadows was his strongest champion, yet he got beaten up so badly that he began to doubt his life. His opponent still teased him right from the start till the end of the match! All those dreams of becoming a professional player had suddenly turned into something unachievable! Cao Jinglong knew that his opponent had a substitute player, or even a professional player. His initial thoughts regarding professional players were none other than gaining certain standards, so that he could eventually become a professional mid lane player within a famous team. But after being defeated by F*cking Demon King, he had this sudden thought that gaming was meaningless. Thats right, with the existence of this freak, where were all the meanings of playing games? Gaming was all about winning, but when Cao Jinglong faced his opponent, in despair, he realized he could not win no matter what! Besides, his opponent was able to show off his extreme skills, while leisuring around typing and taunting him, in fact, this very much indicated that his opponent did not show his true powers! So, is there any meaning left in gaming!? Feng Ming did not have that 1,000 QQ coins, so he quitted the game without much consideration. He did not have the courage to ridicule his opponent either, simply because he was unable to pay, and had to call F*cking Demon King daddy. Feng Ming had no guts to even look at the broadcasting room. By now, he knew he would be criticized by those pop-ups crazily. Even though he was badly criticized, he was not going to fulfill his promise to pay that 1,000 QQ coins, which was equivalent to 1,000 RMB. He would not even hand in his own money if his best friends car had overturned. Ah Long, your opponent is really that strong? I feel like you were totally overwhelmed in last two rounds Said Feng Ming. He was not going to blame Cao Jinglong since he had always relied on him. Yeah, hes way too strong, cant you see he could type and taunt at the same time? What does this even imply? It means that his skills are much better than mine, I can sense that he was full of confidence, and even felt his aura of not losing to anyone in a solo match. I was totally overwhelmed in terms of strength and power While Cao Jinglong mentioned it, he recalled the words, Three Dimensional Yu Shengfan, Unpleasant Night Rain Rhythm, The Sword Set the World Alight in the pop-ups from the broadcasting room. He could not help but to look up those terms in Baidu, and found a novel, The Strongest King. He began reading it out of curiosity, and could not control himself later on! The novel was great and the character Yu Shengfan was interesting! Wait, so the substitute player for F*cking Demon King was Yu Shengfan? He would gladly accept it if he was ever defeated by Yu Shengfan in reality, as she was a super gaming genius, even the main protagonist Lin Feng was envious of her insane gaming talents No! There was no way in reality that a bug[1] player like Yu Shengfan would have existed, obviously the opponent was just imitating her! Cao Jinglong snapped out of it, and realized that reading novels were way more interesting than gaming. Hmm.. might as well write a novel of his own, so that he could imagine himself as an invincible person, and not the one who was being defeated in the gaming realm The showdown was put to an end. Zhao Hao sat in front of his computer again, and rejected the friend request of that internet famous lady streamer that admired him. If it was not because of her encouragement, he would not be in that situation. Fortunately for him, he had a secret weapon, and was saved by his super High God little sister, or else he would end up in an embarrassing situation. Thats right, to Zhao Hao, 1,000 RMB was nothing! All he cared was his reputation. Whoever messed him up would get a taste of their own medicine. Of course, whoever made his reputation increased, he would be pleased with that person. In fact, he was already pleased with Zhao Youyue, but for now, he could only think of his little cousin as an amazing person! He did not expect her to be an expert in LoL, even though she did mention that she only knew a little of it earlier on Maybe this was the attitude of a real High God, truly a modest one. Youyue Meimei, you played so well just like Yu Shengfan from The Strongest King, are you interested in playing professional? Zhao Hao asked in a serious way. Lin Feng was not in your team, whats the point of playing professionally? Zhao Youyue deactivated her Yu Shengfan mode right after she gave her reply. Look at that broken team of yours, just give it a break! Xiao Youyue has just entered high school not long ago, for her, learning is more important, dont ruin her studies, you useless brother! Zhang Wanjun added from the side. Zhao Hao smiled awkwardly, and never mentioned it again. He just thought that, Even when you are skilled in gaming, you could only make it this far, thats it. This little sister of his was now part of the Zhaos family, a real noble person. Then, the three of them left the cyber cafe and went on for movies, but the internet was full of the name F*cking Demon King due to his spectacular solo matches. Translation Note: 1. Bug C It used to describe a cheater or overpowered character in gaming term. Chapter 110 Delaying updates By right, the showdown between these two infamous players should not get too much attention, even that female streamer Miss Purple was not that famous, she was just an ordinary streamer. Then, what makes it caused a little surge on the internet? Mainly it was because of the caption, a person captioned that video with a title of Three Dimensional Yu Shengfan completely thrash Shadow Rogue! Of course the fans of The Strongest King would not be able to resist the urge of clicking that video. No matter Yu Shengfan or Shadow Rogue, they were both equally eye-catching, but what they did not expect was Shadow Rogue was actually another term for Zed, the master of shadows. The solo style of F*cking Demon King in the video, was actually very similar to Yu Shengfan, she would be able to control her character while still could type and taunt, truly interesting. Too bad that F*cking Demon King was not called Unpleasant Rain, or else it would fit the caption perfectly Now that it had caused a little uproar, most of the people who knew the character Yu Shengfan would smile or comment The creator of this video is a fan of Xiao Yu, and make Xiao Yu fight against Old Lin? That Zed was a total noob, not even close to Old Lins technique! This was too much, Old Lin has never lost in a solo battle in the whole book, I dont think that Xiao Yu can still have the mood to taunt Old Lin in a match. What if Xiao Yu was serious, and get into the game, can she win? I think she can! Absolutely impossible! Xiao Yu was just a side character, while Lin Feng has the protagonist halo. I dont think the author would let them fight until the end, if he did write, somethings gonna happen! Please dont compare the trash game LoL with Eternal War, Eternal War requires much more skills to master! LoL was nothing! Hoho, imbeciles that compare LoL with a novel game, thats funny. I dont think the game mention in the book would be famous in reality, thats just a game for tycoons! This Yasuo was well played! But Xiao Yu used a swordmistress right? The caption for this video is way off. The swordmistress that Xiao Yu played can unsheath her sword and had many mobility skills, and she walks like a wind. Just that Yasuo in LoL, was a male counterpart of swordmistress, hopefully Tencent can create a female skin for Yasuo the unforgiven A lady boss had appeared in the comment above! A genderbend Yasuo would be sexy! The memes in the video were not too bad, that Yasuo had almost imitated her together with those venomous phrases, but still couldnt compare with the real Xiao Yu. Rosemary please update faster, I wanna see how Old Lin gonna make Xiao Yu join his glory team, she and Tang Yongkai was certainly compatible, always wanting to cause trouble After mentioning Rosemary, his writing condition was not in shape recently, he was in a total loss. Because Zhao Youyue had exited earlier, and the novel just went through a climax where Yu Shengfan had met up with Lin Feng and his friend, he had no idea on how to write afterward. He planned to write about the daily interaction of the three of them after Lin Feng had made Yu Shengfan join his glory team easily, it would be heartwarming and interesting to watch, as they prepared to return into the professional arena. But Ye Hai could not write anything about her, not under his best condition because he cared about her, he was afraid of losing his most genuine and popular female character, and her original characteristics Although he had already treated Yu Shengfan as his own flesh, he was still hesitating whether to give her a bento[1]. So he only updated one chapter per day for this couple days, while still stalling with filler chapters. The main problem was, it was not about Yu Shengfan. Many readers would still like it if the filler chapters were about the daily lives of that lady, some fans even hoped for it. But those filler chapters were not about Yu Shengfan, he even avoided that. He wished to stall it so he could find the way back to his best condition where he could solve that cliff-hanging chapters with an open mind. The readers patience was limited, many of them were unsatisfied with it because he could not even upload two chapters per day. They thought Rosemary was getting cocky or had he lost the inspiration? He had a temper now after being a Godly author? At the same time, he had not even fulfilled his promise to his Golden Sect Master, ImYouyuesBrother, he explained perfunctory that he was out of inspiration, he would return the debts when his inspiration returns To be honest, Ye Hai was too truthful. Using the excuse of losing inspiration was not comprehensive to the readers, because most of them would not be able to understand that pain. That hopeless feeling when sitting in front of the computer for a whole day, only able to write a few hundred words, and that few hundred words still felt terrible to read! Losing inspiration was one of the biggest enemies of an author could have. Readers thought that he was finding excuses for not updating his novel, some of the readers were already started to make a fuss in the comment section, most of them were male readers, while the female readers had more patience, tender and gentle If Rosemary was expert in delaying his updates, the most proper choice would be pretending to be miserable! Excuses such as having a fight with wife, the child had fallen ill, fingers will cause some serious pain while typing, or even waist or kidney failure! Something like, already at the verge of dying, will definitely die of exhaustion if continue writing, emphasize on how poorly lived, bad living condition, just by saying that it could not be any worse than these. These are the domineering way to delay updates or to even ask for votes There was one author who called himself Old devil kid in Qidian, and famous of pretending to be miserable. It would happen every two or three days, and make the readers thought that it might be his last day any moment. Actually, he had a pretty good life, and only updated his chapters when he felt like it. Some readers felt touched because they thought he used his life to write his novel, so they would give all sorts of tips and tickets. This kind of authors who tended to delay updates would need to be good at his writings, or else readers would definitely abandon it. After almost ten days, Rosemary had decided on a tough choice. Translation Note : 1. Bento C It originates from the film King of comedy by Stephen Chow, the director gives Stephen Chow a bento to chase him away because he was no longer needed. Give bento() means that the authors eliminate a character from their works by drawing him/her dead; while the characters who are drawn dead take bento() from the authors. Chapter 111 Flattering Zhao Youyue The winter holidays had ended. Zhao Youyue had gained a big reward during her winter holidays, which was getting closer to her cousins Zhao Hao and Zhang Wanjun. The red packets given by these two cousins were pretty decent since one of them was not short of money while the other one was a famous uploader in Bilibili, the advertisement fees could already support her, hence they would not be stingy on Zhao Youyue. This was also because Zhao Youyue had shown them something impressive, thus they had acknowledged her. For instance, she became Yu Shengfan in the cyber cafe and saved Zhao Hao from embarrassment, which satisfied this young master of Zhao family who was a braggart. He acknowledged Zhao Youyue as part of the Zhao family, unlike how he used to ignore this little cousin who had no sense of presence. How did one have no sense of presence at all? Probably because she was too mediocre, nothing special or different from the crowd. However, Zhao Youyue had shown her the gaming skills which totally made the game-loving Zhao Hao remembered her. How proud could he be for having such sister? Even though Zhao Youyue did not join Zhao Hao Esports team, but she promised him that she would play with him during her leisure time, so that he could show offDid you see that? This is my little sister! Her champion Yasuo was great right? Definitely awesome! Some words may sound unpleasant to ears but they are indeed reasonable. For instance, there is no equality among people, as to be acknowledged by others, you have to first prove your worthiness. If you are only a mediocre person, will they ever distinguish you? Formerly, Zhao Hao had found Zhao Youyue pleasing to the eye. She felt this little cousin looked average besides having an alluring voice and a gentle personality. But with these few traits, he would not remember her for long. Even though they gathered once every Chinese New Year, he had not got any closer to Zhao Youyue because they rarely interacted. Having displayed her extreme gaming skills, Zhao Youyue deeply impressed Zhao Hao. He then started taking initiative to get closer to Zhao Youyue. He felt she was indeed skillful and worthy of a close relationship. Even though Zhao Hao was always mediocre in doing things, he was good at judging people. People whom he got to know were those being useful to him. He even discriminated people who were not in the Zhao family, unless they possessed some extraordinary ability. He had his unique way of managing and recruiting people. He was able to do it without a mentor, so his investment company was in even keel, and his father and Grandpa Zhao were assured of his abilities. Hence, his absurd style of living and his extravagance in spending money had been tolerated by them. Since he was able to use his ability to recruit people with skills, and they were helping him to earn money, it was already more than enough. Eventually when he became more mature, although he might not be able to expand the Zhao family, he can at least still maintain their reputation. Right now, Zhao Hao realized that Zhao Youyue was not as simple as she looked. He thus took the initiative to flatter Zhao Youyue just as how he got connected to those people who had talents. He even tapped his chest and told Zhao Youyue that he would buy anything she wanted upon her request. When Zhao Hao first knew that Zhang Wanjun was a famous uploader in Bilibili, he tried to ingratiate himself with her too, despite knowing nothing about the kichiku [1] videos that she created. He discerned that over a million followers on her Weibo were true fans, not zombie fans, unlike him who had over three million Weibo followers but only a few hundred thousand true fans. The rest of them were some fake fans bought by him with money. Zhao Hao knew his cousin, Zhang Wanjun was talented, so he hoped to bring her alongside him and utilized her. Though she did not carry the surname of Zhao, but her mother was his dads sister, and her father was the mayor of the city. Of course, he should get on the good side of this noble-family daughter. As long as they maintained a good relationship, he could care less when he got scolded as mentally handicapped or a scum by his cousin. Since everyone was in Shanghai, they could come out and have a meal together, he could still show off in front of his friends, My cousin is the famous Black & White Z Mold uploader in Bilibili, a super elite scholar grade goddess in Sun Moon University, do you guys not admire her? Of course, his friends would be surprised, this handsome-looking, wearing frameless spectacles reflecting her cool gaze is a girl? Her tone of voice was neutral too Zhao Hao even gave her an SUV worth millions, she accepted it anyway. She considered it as borrowing on the surface because of her family background. Her father is an officer so she needs to mind the effects. Now, Zhao Youyue became the next target whom Zhao Hao admired and flattered. Not to mention, he sensed more intimacy between them for having the same surname, Zhao. Besides, Zhao Hao found Zhao Youyue was actually more mysterious and unpredictable, as he could never see through the superficially serene look of Zhao Youyue. Zhang Wanjun paid attention to Zhao Youyue because she realized that Zhao Youyue was very good at language. Zhang Wanjuns English level was fluent, and she planned to study abroad after graduating from university, but she was not that fluent in other languages. Some fans hoped that she could make a video about a Japanese game, but she realized the game was not translated into Chinese, so she was stuck and could not do anything about it. The language master Zhao Youyue had come online, she successfully helped Zhang Wanjun with the translation issue, and she acknowledged Zhao Youyue as a fellow person, an elite scholar more powerful than her, so she did not bother about Zhao Youyues venomous tongue while in the process of helping her. People were allowed to be fickle when they had the talents, they could ignore others and manifest their arrogance. Zhang Wanjun even warned Zhao Hao not to ruin Xiao Youyues future, turning her into a mentally handicapped person like him. Zhao Hao smiled at her and told her that he would not do that because they were all in the same family, he too hoped to see Zhao Youyue becoming more and more outstanding because she was his little sister! However, Zhang Wangjun would not have thought that this elite scholar in her eyes, Zhao Youyue was still rushing to finish up her holiday homework before the winter holidays ended Even with Xu Jings possession mode, Zhao Youyue realized that she would not be able to finish it in time, so she used her own methodsmartphone. Zhao Youyue was feeling helpless too, why she was not able to finish her winter holiday homework, where did she spend her time? After returning to the provincial capital, she did not do anything other than playing her smartphone and surfing the internet, and the days just passed by Even though Zhao Youyue had exited from The Strongest King already, she was still reading this Esport novel that caught her interest. The recent plot of the novel did not feel right. This Rosemary might stir up some serious trouble! Translation Note: 1. In Japanese, kichiku() literally means brutal or demonic. It is a common Japanese character type, the bastard-boyfriend type who is an Always Male Love Interest whose defining trait is that he is cold, cruel, or abusive to his romantic partner, in a manner intended to be kinky and appealing to the audience. Chapter 112 Greetings to Rosemary Even though Zhao Youyue had exited the novel earlier, she would still follow up the progress of The Strongest King. There were two reasons, she liked this book from the bottom of her heart so she felt awesome while reading it. The other reason was to watch over this book, so that it would not crumble suddenly. She certainly would not want to see the usage period of Yu Shengfans card to reduce due to a decrease in character popularity. She realized that whether maximum gaming talents or language talents were rather useful to her. She would not have to worry about her English teacher anymore. As for language essays, she did not even need to apply the template of one main accompanied by three sub-points. It was previously mentioned that the essay she composed could amaze the teachers like Han Lengs, or maybe even better than him! Overall, her writing style was however sharp and invective. She would get decent marks if it suited the taste of the teacher, or else she would get mistaken as a child with a psychological problem because of her choice of words In fact, the character Yu Shengfan was deprived of love, leading her to become an abusive, talkative person and addicted to gaming, she emitted a vibe of a cynical person. Whenever Zhao Youyue activated her Yu Shengfans card, she would assimilate the tremendous loneliness of the character. Perhaps she really has serious mental problems, because she seems to be venting her stress all the time no matter what she is doing. In fact, the difference of character personality between Zhao Youyue and Yu Shengfan was pretty obvious. Zhao Youyue was born in a happy family, her parents loved her although sometimes they were obnoxious for showing too much love for each other. Ever since Zhao Youyue cooked them a dinner, they made a self-reflection upon themselves, thinking that they had left out their daughter too frequently Ever since that dinner, Zhao Youyues parents decided to eat together once a week with Zhao Youyues homemade meal in order to improve their family relationship. Yu Shengfan had never experienced such a heart-warming family, the only place where she felt that sensation was when she was causing troubles with Lin Feng and Tang Yongkai in game. She could feel their earnestness, it was unlike the cold treatment she gained at home. Compared to the Yu Shengfans card, Zhao Youyue liked the Xu Jings card better because she would be calm and clear-minded after activating it. Then she could study passionately. Zhao Youyue would always have that satisfaction after deactivating Xu Jings card. Immersing herself in studies was such a great thing Anyway, with Zhao Youyues side character trait and saint mentality, she would not have to worry about the side effects of using a character card. The Yu Shengfans card was useful to her too, she was no longer bad in gaming and she did not have to worry about dragging her teammates down anymore, only others would drag her down. Yeah, this was the confidence of a gaming expert! In the recent chapters, Rosemarys writing was rather ominous, as if he was hiding something. There was not much about Yu Shengfan, but some minor details, insinuating that there was something wrong with Lady Yu Shengfan. Of course, Zhao Youyue was a little disappointed as she wanted to see more Yu Shengfans scenes and how Rosemary would portray her differently without her possession. Besides that awkward Mary Sue-like appearance (of course, it was corrected by Rosemary, she became a low profile rich lady like Lady Zhao), anything happened to Yu Shengfan later was being written under Zhao Youyues possession. Perhaps she would discover something interesting while comparing the character before and after her possession. Of course, adding more scenes of Yu Shengfan could also secure Yu Shengfans popularity. She was not the only one who wanted that, the comment section of The Strongest King was full of such doubts Master Rosemary, your recent updates are short and sluggish, why didnt Xiao Yu appear anymore? A plot progression without Xiao Yu, Im dying! I wanna see the interaction between Xiao Yu and Hoodlum Tang, this pair of clowns are amusing! Isnt Xiao Yu supposed to join Lin Feng already? I cant understand why are you dragging it I cant continue reading if this continues. You can update the story more often even without Xiao Yu appearing in it! Finally, Zhao Youyue could no longer wait for it, so she contacted Rosemary, she wrote a message, Master Rosemary, whats wrong with you recently? Not in the mood? Zhao Youyue did not realize that her earlier exit had caused so much effect on Rosemary, and she certainly did not expect that Rosemary would be fallen in love with the female character Yu Shengfan. After receiving the message from Lady Youyue, Rosemary felt a little bit of a migraine. There were a lot of readers who cared and sent their regards, including some cute fujoshi readers. They were really rich because they often tipped some Sect Masters without much hesitation. The Strongest King might become the first book with a thousand Sect Master in Qidian. Rosemary would not pay too much attention to the normal readers, he had always replied them simply. But Lady Youyue was different. Dont forget she also held the Golden Sect Master account ImYouyuesBrother. After joining the Lone Elderly Club, Zhao Youyue had once flaunted the 8 million Q coins in this super tycoon account, prompting everyone to worship her like a God. They were eager to know Zhao Youyue personally, in hope that she would tip them a Silver Sect Master that worthed a million Q coins Zhao Youyue had clarified that Zhao Hao was not her brother but her cousin. This mysterious young master certainly left a deep impression towards the people since his Golden Sect Master triggered a fuss in Qidian. Unfortunately, unlike Zhao Youyue, he was not interested to mingle with the authors. In fact, if it was not because of the Two Dimensional Gate, Zhao Youyue would not join the circle of authors as well. Zhao Youyue herself could actually write her own book if she activated her Yu Shengfans card, but she still felt that being a reader was the best. This is because most of the authors would take her opinion seriously and treat her like a special guest because of her wealthiness. Rosemary could ignore readers and even Sect Masters because he had already more than ten Sect Masters, but he could not just ignore the silver and Golden Sect Master Zhao Youyue. He had no choice but to reply, Im doing fine actually, I will get back in shape in no time. Actually, he had decided to eliminate the highly popular Yu Shengfan! Oh Can you write more about Xiao Yu? I am actually fond of her because I had empathized with her, not to mention that she was the cameo I requested. I did not expect that you would write her stories better and better, and even make her the first female support character. Im honored. Zhao Youyue said. After reading this message from Lady Youyue, cold sweat was chilling down Ye Hais spine, who just realized that he was about to kill this Silver and Golden Sect Master Lady Youyue He was struggling in despair, but what else could he do? Chapter 113 Giving Her Bento because Loving Her Perhaps the authors who have their standards would more or less develop the sentiments of a young literature lover. They desired to construct some profound philosophies and engrave some characters in the mind of all readers for eternity The created characters would eventually become an icon, and the authors literary work would pass down for generations! Rosemary had decided to give Yu Shengfan bento, because he loved her, not to mention that she had outshined all the other characters. Without confessing his decision to Zhao Youyue, he replied so, Lady Youyue, Ill consider your suggestion. I truly love the character of Yu Shengfan too, and of course, Ill increase her scenes. The next time she appears, Id make sure everyone remembers her forever! Zhao Youyue realized that something went terribly wrong. She suddenly perceived a similar vibe to Su Lis on Rosemary now. She could not help asking, Master Rosemary, are you going to let Xiao Yu die? Ye Hai stood up from his chair, revealing an unbelievable expression. How terrifying to possess such sharp instinct! This Lady Youyue could predict what he was about to do next? He denied it subconsciously, Thats impossible! Do I look like an author who enjoys writing pathetic dramas? Of course not, look at my previous works, Ive never written any pathetic scenes! Ye Hais reputation was indeed a pleasant one. All the previous sequel of LoL had been illustrating how the main protagonist carried their team towards victory, and the ending where he was living together with his buddies happily ever after. All the plots were quite pleasing, without any miserable characters Of course, the previous female characters had suffered a miserable end. They were complained by the readers until they had hidden miraculously, then disappeared It was rather interesting, as someone had even created a Rosemary meme the Rosemary female characters. However, Rosemary had Yu Shengfan as back up now, and nobody ever teased him anymore. Instead, all of them agreed that he had overcome his flaws, and was a step closer to becoming God! Due to Rosemarys reputation, Zhao Youyue chose to trust him and entrust the continuation of the plot to him. Meanwhile, she was also curious about Yu Shengfans performance under Rosemarys writings. Upon hearing Rosemarys assurance, the doubts in her were gradually fading. All this while she had mistaken Rosemary, it might be her misconception that he wanted to cause a trouble. Perhaps she was sensitive as she herself had stirred up a lot of troubles? Rosemary was an author with numerous years of novel writing experience. This book, The Strongest King was one of his best, so he definitely would not mess it up. This highly popular female character was already close to a heroine. Would he really make her die? Definitely not! Since she did not cause any trouble while possessing Yu Shengfan, let alone making her die on purpose. Rosemary was now in a clear-minded state, and not possible to be in an intoxicated state Now, Zhao Youyue had completely trusted Rosemary. Never would she have thought that once a reputed author who had always written happy stories decided to betray the readers, the effect would be more mind-blowing than ever! Simply because their reputation could confuse their readers easily Obviously, no matter how rich Zhao Youyue was, she was nothing compared with Yu Shengfan in Ye Hais heart! Do not underestimate an adamant author, especially one who had fallen head over heels for a character in his or her work. Without a doubt, the Dragon Raja author, Jiang Nan must have loved Uesugi Erii deeply too. She would become a memorable iconic character for the readers because the author loved her! This was the greatest pleasure of being an author! How could these mere readers understand the pain of an author? Rosemary was not intoxicated! He just had his own standards to pursue After giving it a thorough consideration, Ye Hai had decided upon the plot. Yu Shengfans death would be an impact on the plot, and she could create a realization upon Lin Feng who had always been addicted to gaming. The reality was as important as gaming, in order for him to become an ideal leader, he needed to learn taking care of others Well, these were the excuses Ye Hai had thought for himself as he wanted to give bento to Yu Shengfan. He had decided to stir up some troubles because he perceived that he would not cultivate the best condition anymore, and was not bothered about how it would end up. Ye Hai regarded this as the farewell of his old self who was so fond of Yu Shengfan. Yu Shengfan who had outshined the other characters would always have a place in his memories, forever free from The Strongest King! So he began writing more about Yu Shengfan. Eventually, she became thinner, with pale white expression, seemingly due to her training to be an immortal. The weirdest part was that her speech had become lesser while her interesting abusive and venomous words were nowhere to be found This was actually Ye Hais normal standards, he was not good at writing any invective, talkative characters. But he was good at writing characters with heavy burdens. He created an extremely sad atmosphere as if Yu Shengfan was a male character with a tragic backstory. He had no clue about writing Yu Shengfan before this, but after he had given a cancerous setting to Yu Shengfan, his inspiration came pouring in. He did not care what cancer she had because she was going to die anyway! Of course, this cancer was not contagious, but Yu Shengfan had a false judgment due to her loneliness. Why would her relatives stay away from her and not care about her if the cancer was not contagious? Yu Shengfan did not want Lin Feng to be dragged in as he was the only man whom she had always acknowledged, the man who gave her warmth. Her last wish was to have a solo match with Lin Feng before she died! She would then give the account of Unpleasant Rain to Lin Feng. Of course, she would not mention anything about her remaining life to Lin Feng. She was a rich lady and wanted to recruit Lin Feng, who was once the best player of Eternal War Anyway, this had also solved the financial problem of recreating Lin Fengs team. In other words, Yu Shengfans death would be a huge gift to the main protagonist Lin Feng Without knowing the truth, Zhao Youyue continued to promote the novel The Strongest King passionately in school, Wang Yang! Wang Yang! Have you ever heard of The Strongest King? The one written by Rosemary! The great old karma has spared no one. Chapter 114 Zhao Youyues Modest Style Zhao Youyue had cut her ponytail short before school reopened. It became a short bobbed hair once again, similar to that of Katou Megumi. The reason was that Zhao Youyue did not want her twintail-fetish mom to mess around with her hair. During the times she kept her hair long, she noticed how troublesome it was to take good care of her hair, not to mention that it was a waste of her precious time to play her phone After much consideration, Zhao Youyue decided to cut her hair short, like the typical student hairstyle. She wanted to spend more time studying without wasting any minutes. Oh and not to mention, she had also picked up her violin lessons again, attending it a couple of times a week, during night hours. This reason was impeccable, it rendered Wang Hua speechless though she was so eager to show off her skills of making twintail. In this school, apart from school holidays, students were only free for a brief period during the Sunday afternoons. But since Zhao Youyue did not have to attend night classes, she would utilize her free time to learn violin. Of course, she would not use up her weekend to do so. If she needed to attend violin lessons during night hours, she would need to finish her homework first, or she would be doing her homework after lessons. Looking from different perspectives, high school students were no longer advisable to pick up an instrument unless she was an art student. But then, Zhao Youyue was just a regular high school student. Zhao Youyue was confident that she could be persistent this time with the help of Xu Jings card. After cutting her hair short, she had once again lost her sense of presence which was gained by her ponytail hairstyle. Well, it did mean that Zhao Youyue would be ignored by others, but on the contrary, her in-class influences and sense of presence were gradually increasing. This was because she achieved pretty decent results from her last years final exam, she made it to the 7th place among her classmates. Mr. Qiu was praising her when school reopened, he thought that she was the student who had developed the fastest progress. Anyhow, she has become one of the top ten students in class after midterm, and this was definitely worth praising. Mr. Qiu thought that Zhao Youyue indeed had a proper attitude towards learning as he had always seen Zhao Youyue learning by herself quietly without disturbing others. Of course, he definitely had forgotten that he once caught Zhao Youyue playing her phone at the beginning of the semester. Even if he remembered, he would not despise Zhao Youyue anymore, and would only think that Zhao Youyue had corrected her mistakes after submitting an apology letter, and of course, she did it Mr. Qiu even believed that Zhao Youyue was a great example of following the schools regulations as she had never worn any unusual or branded clothing, other than her typical school uniform. Han Leng who was sitting in the back row, twitched his mouth when he first learned about Zhao Youyues modest personality. She was indeed modest to have spent hundreds of cash just to hire someone to write her an apology letter. In addition to that, she was rather modest in the way she spent thousands on a mug or even a bag, not to mention that she could tip any author a Sect Master on Qidian. On top of that, she even knew the infamous amateur king mangaka Su Li in person. They had always been seen hanging out in a limo with a personal driver Thats right, Han Leng had known that the Tycoon Youyue was Lady Zhao Youyue herself, that super-tycoon level account, ImYouyueHerBrother was in her hands too. He did not remember all of that by himself or gaining information directly from Zhao Youyue. He knew it by seeing a photo of Zhao Youyue in the Best Gaming Authors group. Naturally, Rosemary did not put his Silver cum Golden Sect Master, Zhao Youyue in display, but that did not mean that the other authors were not showing off. There was this author who had a gaming channel, called LoveEatingStrawberries, who had joined the Elderly Lone Club as well. There was once he simply flaunted the photos he had saved in the authors group, which were none other than the photos of Zhao Youyue and Su Li Tycoon Youyue was this pretty and rich despite being a high school student. You are lucky will she ever be interested in your books. A Sect Master reward was a piece of cake to her, as she could even spare a Silver Sect Master reward if you were able to coax her well. Just look at the Q coins in ImYouyueHerBrothers account. This amount could never be afforded by any other readers. Han Leng seldom spoke in the authors group. However, this did not mean he was one of the Godly authors, who usually loved to keep a low profile. But whenever he was free, he would still peek in the group, watching the other authors showing off. Upon seeing Zhao Youyues photo, he could not help but to send a message to the group, Hey I know this girl! Shes my classmate, I even helped her write an apology letter! Han Leng certainly did not expect that Tycoon Youyue was Zhao Youyue, after recalling his thoughts, he realized this definitely suited Lady Zhao because she was always the modest person he knew. After sending the message, the other authors were also showing off that they knew Zhao Youyue personally, their neighbors kid, relatives kid or whatsoever Han Leng rolled his eyes and ignored these authors who did not believe in him. He then clicked on Zhao Youyues reader profile. He thought that Zhao Youyue was the person who certainly had her own taste because the online literatures she had tipped were not some hollow literatures. As a matter of fact, he did not misjudge Zhao Youyue! It looked like he could not continue writing his hollow literature, Conquer the world within online games. If Zhao Youyue found out about this, even though she would not mention anything, but she would definitely look down on him. So he decided to learn from the books that Zhao Youyue tipped. What made him the happiest was that Zhao Youyue had liked The Strongest King as well, simply because he loved this book too! He thought he shared a common language with Zhao Youyue Because of her vast improvement and good results, Zhao Youyue was unafraid when she was invited on stage to share her experience. Her learning experience was gained through Xu Jings card. Although she did not enjoy learning at first, but with the help of that card, studying became the most enjoyable experience in the whole world. Therefore, she recommended her classmates to treat studying as their true love in order to enjoy their studies, and claimed that it was nothing better than falling in love with studying. Their homeroom teacher Mr. Qiu smiled, feeling that the speech given by this hardworking and modest Zhao Youyue had given a spiritual speech. Of course, if anyone wanted to get into an early relationship, they could pick learning as their target. Therefore, he personally supported the idea of getting addicted to learning! Upon watching the interactions between the two of them, all students in the classroom had given them the finger in their hearts After the school was over, the hardworking yet modest Lady Zhao who mentioned that enjoy studying, addicted to studying, began promoting the novel The Strongest King to boost its popularity. Passing by Zhao Youyue intentionally, Han Leng overheard her talking about The Strongest King. He had that sudden urge to talk, Rosemarys The Strongest King? I personally think the book is just ok What do you mean just ok? Just how high are your standards, Han Leng? Zhao Youyue said it with dissatisfaction all over her face. Chapter 115 : Irreversible fate Han Leng really felt like giving himself a tight slap. He loved The Strongest King as well, but why did words become so much different upon leaving his mouth Perhaps he was a little jealous as Zhao Youyue rarely promoted a book so passionately? Or.. probably because he was writing the works of the same genre as Rosemary, who had however gained so much fame with only this The Strongest King, while he was still struggling with his hollow literature which made him feel like throwing up In fact, Han Leng had been engrossed in The Strongest King. He quickly corrected himself, No, I like this literary work too! Especially that character Yu Shengfan whose nickname was Xiao Yu! But cant you see? This character outshines everyone, slowly becoming the star of this novel. This way quite an impact on the novel! You gotta be careful about jumping to conclusion that this story would have a happy ending. As a fellow author himself, Han Leng had very keen senses. He noticed something was off when looking at the way Rosemary described Yu Shengfan in the recent chapters. Now, he felt uneasy at the sight of Zhao Youyue promoting this literary work without worries, he felt uneasy. Zhao Youyue was speechless after hearing Han Lengs words. She kept quiet for a while, and replied, But Rosemary promised me that he wouldnt do anything unreasonable Im his Sect Master, and Xiao Yu was the cameo I requested Gazing at the anxious Zhao Youyue, he sighed, An authors promise cant be trusted sometimes No one can stop them while their inspirations are pouring in. Remember Miss Su Li whom youre close to, she did likewise right? In the end, what kind of finale came about? Zhao Youyue was responsible for the finale created by Su Li, but she had retired from Rosemarys literary work, would he actually become reckless? What worried Zhao Youyue the most was that Rosemary would destroy the character Yu Shengfan, which means her character card would turn out to be useless. In fact, she was wondering whether she should sacrifice this card after all the troubles Rosemary had caused How did you know that I was close with Su Li? Zhao Youyue asked casually. Han Leng did not attempt to conceal the truth from Zhao Youyue, so he told her that some author had revealed her photos in a group. Zhao Youyue nodded her head without batting an eye, she was only worried about Rosemary getting lost in his own inspiration. Why couldnt these authors be more reliable? Luckily Han Leng reminded her that if she kept promoting The Strongest King without any restrictions, she would end up with remember what happened to Jiang Chao earlier? Tragedy. Han Leng, what are you actually writing in Qidian? Give me your book name so I can tip you a Silver Sect Master. Zhao Youyue smiled gently. Han Leng turned around and walked away as he uttered, No thanks, Im waiting for the day you tip my book of your own accord. Zhao Youyue thought to herself, she was doing it of her own accord now. Hen Leng had helped her once, she was just returning his favor. In her mind, Han Leng was quite a money lover, who could be satisfied by cash compensation. However, Zhao Youyue never understood, that Han Leng wanted to win her over with his literary works, so that she would promote his novel with sincerity. For creations that deserved such effort of Zhao Youyue, would she be ungenerous to tip them? There were actually some others whose senses were as keen as Han Lengs, the mangaka collaborating with Rosemary for instance Su Li. As the original mangaka of The Strongest King, she must be very familiar with the novel. In fact, she had to picture every scene clearly so that she could start drawing. Of course, her reputation had risen due to this mangas drawings, especially the high-popularity blonde twintail lolita, Yu Shengfan! She was already crowned as the most moe character in the manga. Whenever Su Li drew the appearance of this moe character, the comment section would be hyped up! All sorts of tips and rewards would pretty much delight her. As such, she began treating Yu Shengfan as her money tree Recently, the abnormal behavior of Rosemary rather agitated Su Li, until she had personally questioned Ye Hai, and of course, she was given a perfunctory answer. Anyway, she was not the type of gullible person since she was a literary creator herself. She could even penetrate the thought of any author who wanted to cause trouble! Su Li realized that if the original creator had made up a decision, no one could stop the author from creating an iconic character or plot no matter what She remembered the times being in the intoxicated state herself, and perhaps Rosemary was intoxicated now too? The intoxicated state could either be a gift or a curse to an author. It could make a literary work or character become a memorable iconic, or even cause the whole thing to crumble if it was not handled with care! What worried Su Li the most was that her money tree would get destroyed, and most importantly she was a former convict too. Rosemary had tons of fans and a good reputation, and eventually everyone would put the blame on her when Rosemary had crossed the line! Su Li felt like using the Are you f*cking kidding me meme Not only Han Leng and Su Li, but the other readers who had keen senses became restless as well, making their remarks in the comment section. Most of them realized something was wrong with Rosemary in the recent chapters. That intense feeling of hiding something The atmosphere was supposed to be joyous because Old Lin and Xiao Yu were already that strong. Reading any of their gaming contents would cheer up everyone as they could see how they tortured the opponents with style However, there were still tons of fans defending Rosemary Master Rosemary would not disappoint everyone because he had three successful novels in the past! All his plots had never upset the readers, and now, he had even improved his skills in portraying female character! Has he not proven himself with this highly popular Xiao Yu? Master Rosemary is already flawless! He is nothing like Su Li, who killed the most popular female character in her work, right? Well, it may be common nowadays to give bento to a character in the grand finale, but who will do it in the middle of the show, not to mention the most exciting part? So, everyone please trust Rosemary and help him out of the authors gloomy phase of composing In fact, Rosemarys ignorant fans were quite plentiful. These protective posts had made it to the top of the page, and inside them, there was numerous Sect Masters supporting Rosemary. The next day, Rosemary uploaded 20 chapters at once, with a total of 60,000 words. After carefully editing his writings, he genuinely thought that this new Yu Shengfan could hold a candle to that depicted by him in intoxicated state! Of course, that included the long-awaited battle between Yu Shengfan and Lin Feng. Unfortunately, before the winner of battle was determined, Yu Shengfan was Chapter 116 Little Fishs Glorious Moment Yu Shengfan was dead. She died of illness. The battle was not yet over but she passed away before the computer. Since her first time meeting Lin Feng, she had claimed that she was afflicted with a terminal illness. That was the ominous hint on the later story development. During the process of deliberately increasing the number of words, Rosemary had inserted plenty of details. For instance, she would swallow many pills before playing games. These pills which looked like mere supplements, were actually some painkillers that assisted her in fighting against her illness. In fact, her ineffable chatting speed and game reflexes were due to some analeptic substances in the pills that were able to exhilarate someone Yu Shengfan was a prodigy in the first place. But under the stimulation of drugs, she had become a monster that was more dreadful than a prodigy. Hence, even Lin Feng who was granted a golden finger had also harbored an uncanny feeling about this missy. He suspected if he had aged too much upon seeing the incredible reflexes of Yu Shengfan. Never would anyone have thought that she had contracted a terminal illness. She was destined not to live beyond 20 years old since her birth. Later in the story, she fell in love with gaming, as if she had discovered her meaning of life. After all, it was such a brief life, why not spend all of it in her most beloved gaming? For her beloved gaming, she had mastered multiple languages and was able to communicate well with the players from all around the world in their respective languages. Moreover, she could mock others articulately in their languages, not to mention using their local slangs. In short, her language talent was not below that of her gaming, probably because she was mixed-race? Her father was a Chinese gentleman, while her mother was a British noble lady, she was then the missy of the family. If she was given a healthy body, she might become a stupendous translator who translated countless iconic works and contributed to the cultural exchange. Unfortunately, her illness was incurable, yet she had a father who detested her, because her mother passed away after giving birth to her. Perhaps that was the price to pay for being a prodigy. Bestowed with unimaginable talents, she was destined to be a lone wolf. Having all the material possessions in life, however, her soul was downright lonely, as no one had ever loved her. Thus, she immersed herself in the virtual world of games in pursuance of a shred of warmth. Only games could satisfy her craving for that sense of warmth. She had been looking for someone like her at all times. Almost giving up, she thought that she would never meet that person, until she met Lin Feng. Lin Fengs zeal for gaming was indubitable. People usually play games for relaxation, but to Lin Feng, gaming carried the weight of his dream, and was equivalent to the meaning of life. Without gaming, he might still be a regular employee who works 8 hours every day even at his current age. Lin Feng was born for gaming, and only felt alive while gaming. He had fallen out with his family solely to be a professional gamer, because Esports in that period was condemned by the parents, who regarded it as a digital drug which rendered someone useless. The children should study hard to enter a university and pursue a good job, spending the rest of their life accordingly. Never would Lin Feng bow to such a fate. He believed human need to have their own dream and meaning of life. To accomplish ones dream, even falling out with family and defying the conventional social value was endurable for him. He was eager to become one of a kind! Perhaps this is the main character. The main character is always bigoted. Unfortunately, most people in this world are side characters like Zhao Youyue. They do not carry any big dream and will not opt for an extreme path like Lin Feng. He could really give up everything for gaming. He was a professional gamer, and he would be the Strongest King! In his mind, The Strongest King was not a mere title, but a status that was incomprehensible to others. It was his principle and meaning of life, that the ordinary people would not fathom! Because he is the main character! Ordinary people are the side characters! In the eyes of ordinary people, he remained as a mere gaming maniac since his youth until he was already an uncle gamer. Besides, he was cold-blooded for willing to renounce his family. Of course, he would still send money to his parents monthly now, but would never visit them. Sending money was just a slap in the face of his parents, who claimed that he could never sustain his life by playing games. The money Im earning is more than the total of both of yours! Take my money and take care of your own lives, stop dissuading me from gaming! You old fogeys! Coming across each other was the destiny of Yu Shengfan and Lin Feng. To Yu Shengfan, gaming was her only relative, her only choice to overcome the relentless pain and suffering of her body. Without gaming, she might not be able to live until today. Gaming was the warmest treasure of her life. Meanwhile, Lin Feng considered gaming to be his life goal, the meaning of his existence. No one could stop his passion and indulgence in gaming. Even reality appeared to be trivial before gaming! Hence, they were the same species. Having discerned this fact through her keen sixth sense, her attitude towards Lin Feng was always different, as she approved him from the bottom of her heart. In any case, she would never attack Lin Feng with her venomous tongue. Perhaps that was the full extent of her tenderness for someone Lin Feng should have realized this too, thus he was pampering Little Fish with his most special way. Having spent tremendous effort in cultivating Little Fish, he was aware that he would turn old eventually and might lose his golden finger someday, perhaps after achieving his dream. He genuinely felt that Little Fish was the only person who could understand him, because they shared the purest passion towards gaming. Besides, Little Fish was this young. She was the perfect candidate to be entrusted his Glorious Squad. Should their golden footsteps continue to rule the next page of gaming history! There was however no love between them, but the most perfect teamwork, they were partners! Having attained the King tier in the new server, Yu Shengfan again sent Lin Feng a concise challenge. She was flurried this time, feeling that her life could not last any longer. Other than her hands, her entire body was suffering an inconceivable agony! Should she not battle Lin Feng in near future, she would be left with no chance! The time given for Little Fish not much Lin Feng finally accepted her challenge, but he would never have thought that this was Little Fishs final battle in her brief life, her glorious moment! Before the battle, Yu Shengfan consumed triple the usual number of her pills. Though a peaceful smile was showing on her face, she was wielding an inexplicable resolution! She was not chatting. She was not typing. This was the only time she was fully concentrated on her game control! Only Lin Feng deserved to have her doing all of this! Only Lin Feng deserved to have her unleashing her full might! (In fact, she could no longer unleash that, as her body was on the verge of collapse.) No matter what, she wanted to win this! Chapter 117 A Climatic Battle This definitely had to be the most vigorous and marvelous climax throughout all of Rosemarys novels. At the same time, it was also the most enigmatic battle. No clear winner was in sight. The foreshadowing of this battle had the power to send the readers into a mindset prepared for the worst, filled with that hollow, sinking despair! The setting of the scene reeled the readers in, sending chills all around their bodies. The blood rushed through their very souls, placing them in the front row seats of the scenes themselves! Without a doubt, such powerful contents, capable of getting readers intoxicated, was the complete embodiment of Rosemarys writing strength! Lin Feng did not know that Little Fishs body was on the verge of collapsing on the other side of the screen. However, as the best in Eternal solo fights, he will never show mercy. Actually, Lin Feng, who now possessed the golden finger was much stronger in one-on-one, compared to the time when he was crowned as the champion in countless solo championship matches! By the sheer amount of experience this elder, wiser him had amassed, the younger him could never have matched his skills right now. His reflexes and abilities have been so vastly amplified by the golden finger to an extent that would leave his younger self in the dust. So to speak, he was now the perfect player. He had the experience and tricks of an old player while retaining the speed of a young player! Even so, his speed could not match Little Fish who was drug-addled and had max gaming talents Yet, this was Lin Feng, the final boss of Eternal War throughout its history, the unmatched among the unmatched. Unbelievably, such a protagonist would nearly have his glory stolen by a newbie player, Yu Shengfan as Rosemarys writings would deem so. After blowing up Lin Feng to such proportions, the strength of a drug-addled and talent-riddled Yu Shengfan only spoke volumes of itself! Even Rosemary himself could feel his adrenaline pumping wildly as he wrote furiously about the battle taking place between these two epic characters! It was just intoxicating! Although it was a rather dramatic change, Ye Hai knew that he had not destroyed Yu Shengfans image. He had retained the peak of Yu Shengfans honor and glory in the middle-phase of this novel! From then onwards, The Strongest King will enter the post-YuShengfan era, an era where heroes gathered. There will never be such an abnormal super genius appearing again to steal the limelight Perhaps some readers who insanely loved Little Fish would quit reading after the extreme disappointment. Yet, Rosemary believed that most readers would still believe in him and continue following this book. He was also confident of creating more attractive content in the future! Based on his own inspiration, Rosemary who was totally lost in a drunken stupor finished the climatic battle between Yu Shengfan and Lin Feng in one shot. Perhaps, this could become the most iconic scene in all of gaming novel history! For comparison, in the iconic wuxia martial arts genre, such a scene would be the final duel on the rooftops of the Forbidden Palace between the Lord of Fort Bai Yun, Ye Gucheng, and Ximen Chuixue. That had to be the most iconic one-on-one battle in the history of martial arts novels. Similarly, Yu Shengfan and Lin Fengs battle had the potential of becoming an epic battle that would forever be recorded in the history of great scenes! Originally, Rosemary wanted to present Yu Shengfan as an entity who was a whole class above Lin Feng, winning the battle as a result. Anyway, she would not live any longer, why not let her leave the world as a glorious victory? She has never lost a single solo battle ever since her debut in Eternal War. Even professional players who were simply testing their skills in the new server fell under her sword, never bringing out her full potential for a single moment. She would still continue sending out infuriating chat bubbles that burst the blood vessels of her opponents with ease during the battle That was why everybody knew that despite her relatively new appearance, she already had the potential of a professional player. This was talent, undisputable talent, unreasonable talent! At the end of it all, Rosemary decided to let the battle end inconclusively. He wanted Yu Shengfan to live in Lin Fengs glory for all eternity. Lin Feng will carry the legacy and regrets of Little Fish and continue his fight. He brought this out by hinting that Yu Shengfan has found a flaw in her opponent, at last. As long as she controls her swordmistress who drifted like one with the wind, capitalizing on that flaw, Lin Feng would have lost Yet, she did not manage to do that. Her extremely good timing and weak spot targeting abilities were held back by her failing body. She stared at the computer screen regretfully, looking at both the male and female characters within. Finally, she closed her eyes in acceptance, bearing a peaceful smile on her lips. This was nothing alike to the energetic girl who jumped around all day long. She always seemed to be a walking hurricane, a truly annoying poltergeist. Yu Shengfan actually loved to smile, no matter how painful her body was in. She would smile freely, sneering loudly at the world, mocking everyone else, just like an aggregation of negativity. Yet in her death, she was so quiet and tranquil. No more rattlings and an unpredictable venomous tongue which was accurate yet heart-piercing could be heard In the beginning, when Yu Shengfan made her over-the-top entrance and abused plus mocked Tang Yongkai who was a friend of the protagonist, plenty of readers were greatly ired. They found her rude and obnoxious. Those readers would be reminded of the trolls and vulgar keyboard warriors they tend to meet in games. When they found out that Yu Shengfan was subdued by the godly Lin Feng and will likely become his teammate, only then would they slowly changed their impression towards her, or at least that was the plan. There were still some who still maintained that they did not like such a vulgar character, they just couldnt understand what was Moe about such a character. Now that Rosemary has revealed Yu Shengfans tragic past and her incurable illness which causes her great pain, leading her into a torturous life of swallowing pills after pills every day, those readers who thought that Yu Shengfan was a rude troll would fall silent, hopefully If one were to step into Yu Shengfans shoes, they will see that she was living on the last embers of her life, while being abandoned by her family at the same time. Nobody spoke to her nor cared about her. Not only was her body tortured by illness, her mind was also tormented, developing insecurities and paranoia. She was even led to believe that her illness was infectious, and while she could abandon that notion from time to time, it would forever come back to haunt her. That was why she did not even dare to hold his hand when she met a man who she could trust, a man that could bring her warmth. She was only afraid that she would pass her misfortune to him If such a fate fell upon another person, they would have lost their mind, and eventually lose their lives in their own hands. Yu Shengfan only became loud, brash, vocal. Just how strong and optimistic was this person?! The character under Little Fishs control froze to a halt all of a sudden. Lin Feng did not hold back, but killed the swordsmistress right away. He wiped away the cold sweat from his forehead and sighed in relief. He was just a moment away from getting his face blown up. He chuckled and spoke to Little Fish through the microphone. Whats wrong? Did your hands spazz up or something? Got a cramp from moving so quickly? What were you thinking? Stopping there, typing something to mock me? By the way, Ive never heard your venomous voice before, what a pity It was truly a pity, for Lin Feng would never ever hear the venomous tongue of Yu Shengfan even if he wanted to. Three days later, Lin Feng received a courier from Yu Shengfan. Inside it was a big gift pack left by Yu Shengfan, including the priceless account number of Unpleasant Night Rain Rhythm, plus the incomplete self-forged weapon within it, and also a diary. He was actually quite furious, because Little Fish had not gone online for three days. She had already promised to join his Glorious Squad, and it was time to start group training and various tactic drills. What a petulant missy! He was rather baffled when he received the courier package, until he flipped through Yu Shengfans diary Chapter 118 Tombstone at The Northern Sea Of course, the journal was not the only content. There were also various color printed photos. The photos were made of high-grade paper, perfectly preserved in a photo album. Surprisingly, on it was countless in-game screenshots containing sceneries from Eternal War. Within it, there was the sky castle, the unfathomable abyss, the vast dunes, the southern Alps, the northern isles The online gaming world of Eternal War was widely known for its magnificent beauty. It had almost achieved the pinnacle of online gaming graphics. Even the main storyline and the side stories were remarkable. Initially, plenty of players had started playing this game purely as a stand-alone game. It was absolutely capable of providing the atmosphere of a huge 3D console game. The truth was that, the games that Yu Shengfan played mostly were the stand-alone games. To her, playing alone quietly was good enough, and there was no need for her to interact with others. After all, everyone hated her. There were also some players who treated their in-game roles as casual passerbys, simply traveling and sightseeing Eternal War, not getting involved in any conflicts. This game was actually also a game catered for couples. Plenty of couples had played this game together, exploring places of wonder for couple selfies. It was exceptionally romantic. Within this compilation of sceneries by Yu Shengfan, that beautiful swordmistress would often be featured. Her appearance embodied the beauty of a heroine made perfect. She clearly prioritized beauty above the attributes of her equipment. The one who stood beside her had to be an assassin character, emanating a dark and mysterious aura all over him. Although they did not look like a couple, together they stood on the highest peak of the sky castle, overlooking all beings through the spreaded sea of clouds. Together, they stood, side-by- side, facing the deepest pit of the unfathomable abyss. Together, they stood among the vast dunes that merely served as a hunting ground. Together, they were silhouetted, enjoying sunrise and sunset at the highest peak of the southern Alps. Finally, on a mysterious isle in the northern seas, a tombstone was built by Yu Shengfan herself. She had laughed and said that she would want to be buried here if she dies Of course, Lin Feng had thought that his Little Fish was joking, how would a character in the game die? Even if they accidentally die, at most, they would lose some money and experience points. He did not know that Little Fish never died before, even once in the game. She told Lin Feng that if she is ever killed in the game, then she might actually be dead. Simply because The world she lived in was the gaming world. Lin Feng felt that this Internet Addicted Girl was even addicted than he was, but to him, it was not a bad thing at all. That was because the gaming world had unlimited wonders and possibilities, while the real world was just a continuous loop. There is not much difference between spending a lifetime compared to spending a day. This was because most people are repetitively doing the same old boring job like robots for every single day of their lives. Reality was just a crappy game! The only time Little Fish s character died was in the final duel facing Lin Feng. It was as if it was an inevitable destiny for her. At that moment, Lin Feng had never even thought of this. The free arena they were in had no death penalties. In a mysterious isle further far north of the northern seas, Little Fish used her ethereal voice of a little girl and sang to Lin Feng- If theres still a time before darkness comes I want to forget your eyes Spending my pathetic life With dreams left unattained Waking up to this ridiculous life Drifting southwards over the southern mountains, falling off the north with sorrow The southern mountains covered by grain stacks Blown by the southern winds over to the northern seas To a sea-full of tombstones Lin Feng had never heard of this song, but it cried out to his heart. He never thought that a noisy little missy like Little Fish would sing something this melancholic and abstract. Such a song did not match Little Fishs style. For someone belligerent like her who welcomed a life of rowdiness and stirring up trouble, she should be singing something bright and lively. Lin Feng was actually quite envious towards Little Fish. To him, Little Fish had a good family background, and she never had to worry about any financial problems. Her parents seemed to completely let her do as she pleased. She could recharge without any hold back in her games. This kind of life was simply just perfect for Lin Feng. His parents had forced him to study since young, forever preventing him from playing games. They did not understand his dreams and desires at all. How could these old fossils be his parents! At that moment, Tang Yongkai noticed Lin Feng flipping through the photo album. He then came over his shoulder and teased the boss. Did that troublesome Little Fish, that golden twin ponytailed Lolita actually fall in love with a big, fat, middle-aged otaku like you? She even took those scenes together with you, pfft, that is just so sweet! Lin Feng only flashed back a slight smile. The moment he chose the game and gave up on love and family, he would not be moved anymore. It was just that this girl Little Fish still made him feel warm inside. Actually, he had only treated her as a sister or perhaps as a daughter, especially after meeting up with Little Fish for the first time in the real world. After looking through the photo album, he read the diary. Lin Fengs smile vanished, and never returned again. Today, I met a player with the IGN Shadow Rogue, he was very strong But of course, I am the strongest! What a sorry soul. Like me, he did not have anything else except the game. It seems that he has a good bro, a hopelessly noob, dumb rogue. Never thought that I would end up becoming his companion, and it doesnt feel so bad Why do I love to go one-on-one? Thats because I wouldnt let anyone down. How much time do I actually have left with this game? When you are sad, dont tell anyone, smile more, talk more. When you are sad, put on the earphones, start playing games, enjoy it. When you are sad, eat your favorite food, pills that come in various flavors are the best. When you are sad, squat down and hug yourself, but dont cry, there is nothing to cry about. When you are sad, pretend to be happy, you can forget about yourself when you are playing games with him. That way, you will never be sad anymore. Old Lin, initially I wanted to leave the game silently but it seems that I am very selfish. At least there will be someone who still remembers that I, Yu Shengfan, came into this world. I want to live in your glory forever. Lastly, please listen to my wayward request. I hope that you can get your familys approval in place of me. I hoped that daddy and mommy could scold me, but there is always only me scolding others, its truly something regrettable. Lin Feng did not know how he could describe his current mood. He even thought that Little Fish was only fooling about. After all, Little Fish was very playful. Before, he thought that he would never be moved by anything in the real world, but with Little Fish leaving suddenly, it jolted him up. In this world, dreams and desires were indeed important, but perhaps there was something else as important, such as family, friends, and lovers. From then onwards, Lin Feng no longer acted like an NPC of a game. He decided to make an effort towards understanding his parents, and to at least use a normal persons attitude to face this crappy game called reality This brought the personal charisma of Lin Feng out to the next level. He suddenly understood why he could not achieve the title of The Strongest King. The reason was simply that he actually despised his teammates, initially. His conceited presumed that his teammates did not deserve him at all. Little Fishs departure would turn Lin Feng into a perfect gaming God who truly cared about others, a total 180 twist from an old adolescent male, haunted by delusions and insecurities. This was what Rosemary had tried to achieve with Little Fishs death At that moment, all of The Strongest King readers celebrated Rosemarys sudden wave of 20 chapters. Some of the tycoon readers did not even read the latest chapters, but tipped a Sect Master right away! Chapter 119 : Trending Book List of Zhao Youyue As a loyal reader of the book The Strongest King, Zhao Youyue quickly opened the Qidian website the moment she received the update notification on the novel in her phone. Her eyes shot open in astonishment. This was because Rosemary had been delaying the chapters lately, and even earned the nickname Delayed Rose. Well, this Delayed Rose had updated 20 chapters in one shot! If not for the reminder that Han Leng had given her, she would not have been able to hold back and tip Rosemary a Sect Master again! After all, 1,000 RMB was really nothing for her. Moreover, we must not forget that she had just taken a red packet worth around 100,000 RMB from her super, God of Tycoons cousin, Zhao Hao and her talented elite scholar cousin, Zhang Wanjun who earns money by making her own short videos. That was also why she had forgotten to stream any of her gameplays live to earn money. Actually, it was something she had considered after getting the character card of Yu Shengfan. She felt that it would be very cool if she could use her own abilities to pay for her own living expenses, like her cousin Zhang Wanjun. Not only would she impress her parents, she would also boost her own raison detre. You dont have to necessarily show your face when you are playing a live stream game. As long as you play well, possess the knack for golden commentaries, play a few golden or platinum rounds; you would definitely be famous. Of course, she could pull off a stunt before becoming popular. For example, she could score the highest points in a live single player game or become a national champion. How was it possible for her not to become the national champion with the gaming talents of Yu Shengfan? As for a professional career, she had never taken it into consideration. After all, there were no Lin Feng in this world. When she uses the Yu Shengfan character card, only a Lin Feng would gain her notice. The rest of the players were nothing but rookies to her. After being cursed and insulted by her nonchalantly, how would there be teamwork between them? Also, professional gamers did not earn any more money than a streamer would. Speaking of which, her uncle Zhao Jiaren was a board member of Douyu, it should be quite easy for him to get her a relatively loose contract Although she had great plans, when she realized that she was no longer short of cash, her plans of becoming a female streamer to earn money was temporarily put on hold. Actually, instead of becoming a female streamer, she was more well-suited as a God of Tycoons who could throw money on the heads of streamers. It was just like her throwing money in for the books she loved, in order to help them reach the top charts. Zhao Youyues other account, ImYouyueHerBrother still had around eight million Qidian coins. Previously, Zhao Hao had topped up twenty million Qidian coins (200,000 RMB). He had spent ten million Qidian coins (100,000 RMB) for a Golden Sect Master, one million Qidian coins (10,000 RMB) for a Silver Sect Master, and there was not any extra expense besides the full subscription of The Strongest King which was around a few thousands Qidian coins. Even though Zhao Hao created a God of Tycoons account, but in reality, he did not read a lot of webnovels. If it was not because he loved games so much, he would not even read The Strongest King by Rosemary. Zhao Hao was a hardcore reader who loved pirated novels. He even signed up a Qidian account that he had never bothered to use and asked Zhao Youyue to open up the auto-subscription function. Whether to tip the book or not, he simply left that decision in her hands. If there is no more money in the account, just inform him, and he would top up 50,000 RMB every time, which was equivalent to five million Qidian coins, or five Silver Sect Masters. The game Eternal war in the book The Strongest King was a combination of traditional RPG games and competitive MOBA games such as League of legends. Zhao Hao was interested, because he loved to play both types of games. Anyhow, the authority of Zhao Haos Qidian account had fallen into Zhao Youyues hands. As the fair, rich and beautiful reader Youyue, she had a distinct reputation in the circle of authors and readers. She even built her own book list which contained all the books she loved or had been given a tip of Sect Master. It was coined as the Moons gentleness. Moreover, she also wrote book reviews for all the books on the list. Although the reviews were not always positive, they were filled with sincerity. Due to the fact she is a famous God of Tycoons reader, and the list did not have the function that enabled one to recommend it to friends, she had written all the reviews by herself after she was finished reading the books and mangas. Therefore, the earnest, heartfelt list often left people fulfilled and content. There was also the fact that she would always tip at least one Sect Master for her favorite books, which made her list even more convincing. Zhao Youyues taste in books was rather unconventional, especially since she was a female reader. She had no interest in those books written by the popular High Gods and she would love to stay as far as possible from books centered around harems or multiple love interests. On the other hand, books with only one female character or books that emphasized on leveling up, totally strikes her sweet spot. For instance, books by the Supreme God I eat tomatoes, or books without a main female character or couples, just like Rosemarys The Strongest King. Of course, Zhao Youyue also read chick lit books. However, she did not favor stories where the main female protagonist gets f*cked from the very start. For her, a tormented love story was the worst. She also hoped that emotional and sentimental storylines would be lessened. The best case would be for a story to be sweet and smooth-sailing throughout the entire plot. There should not be any unexpected surprises or a mundane plotline, just like the novel LOVE O2O. The truth was, even though Zhao Youyues taste in books was unique, there was still quite a number of readers who had similar tastes. In just a very short amount of time, her book list had more than 100,000 followers and soon became one of the top trending book lists in the whole Qidian site! Zhao Youyue had also transformed from a God of Tycoons reader to a trending book list owner. If any book makes it to the cover page for her list, at least 500 to 600 favorites would follow soon after, and the title would be added the collection of various readers, even if it doesnt turn up in a recommended list. This would be the might and power of a trending book list! Zhao Youyue originally wanted to become an editor in the future, so that she would have direct access to the authors. However, she realized that she no longer had to become an editor any longer. That was because there were many low and Middle God writers approaching and recommending their books to her. Some were even shameless enough to ask if she could add their books to her trending book list Even some of the High God writers were rather kind and polite towards her. Moreover, she even had the ways of contacting them. In the world of web novels and manga, she was now doing great as a reader, even though she had never written a book or drew a manga of her own Those authors were clearly clueless that Zhao Youyue was befriending them for her own convenience. She could ask for a female cameo, and after that, it would be her show time. In her most recent trending book list, the top book was, of course, Rosemarys The Strongest King. A lot of readers were complimenting this book that she had recommended and had been giving her flowers. This was also a way of earning Qidian coins. Even though it was an insignificant amount to her, it was a token of appreciation from the normal readers Her review on The Strongest King was that it was a shonen, soul-burning kind of Esports novel. The unique part was that the story had distinctively different characters, and there were no villains, but enemies in the whole novel. Gaming was just gaming, as there were no messy, real-life plots. In any case, the new High God Rosemary would not everyone down. He would not write a depressing story development, and everyone was guaranteed to have a happy ending! She really trusted Rosemary, and had even leaked certain information regarding the ending in her book review. It would end up as a warm Daddy battle between Lin Feng and Yu Shengfan. It was one of the original endings that Rosemary had in mind, and many readers felt that it was interesting and filled with warmth However, when she finished reading the 20 chapters updated by Rosemary, she found herself almost out of breath and felt like crushing her phone! If she had not prepared herself mentally, she would have smacked her phone into the ground! This pit hole Rosemary, he really had the heart to do it! Most importantly, he even described the death of Little Fish so tragically! As the person who used to be Yu Shengfan, she also wanted to cry for her own passing Chapter 120 : Zhao Youyue, played for a fool Zhao Youyue had created the character Xu Jing, who was a silent, expressionless and emotionless elite scholar. As Xu Jing walked towards the sea in the ending of Pure Romance, she barely felt a thing and even wanted to morbidly laugh at it. This was because she already knew the ending beforehand. After all, there was nothing to be depressed about if you are the one who had orchestrated the ending. Since she already knew the ending of the story, there would not be much impact if she relives it from Su Lis comic in reality Anyhow, Zhao Youyue was rather uninterested in harem manga such as Pure Romance. Moreover, Su Lis ability to storyboard was horrible. She became Su Lis fan, not because of her work. Instead, she had acquired the ability of Addiction to study through Su Lis works, which she needed badly. On top of that, Su Li was also a gorgeous person, who possessed a great personality. She treated her God of Tycoon readers with the best services and pleased them as much as she possibly could. The latest manga adaptation of The Strongest King was also to Zhao Youyues liking; hence she had boldly tipped her a Silver Sect Master when the manga was finally released. In other words, this was also another way to greatly boost the reputation of The Strongest King. It could be said that Su Lis manga had pretty much trapped the hearts of those otakus and fujoshis, and flung them down the pit of this novel. Thus, they had contributed a lot in making Rosemary a High God author. In any case, she never saw this coming, not one bit, especially when she had decided to make her exit from The Strongest King. Just as she left the power of developing The Strongest Kings storyline in Rosemarys hands, he gave her a huge surprise, after holding back for such a long time. Zhao Youyue finished the 20 chapters in one shot. At that time, she did not even consider the changes that would take place in Yu Shengfans character card, as she was too absorbed in reading! As a reader, she truly loved this particular work by Rosemary from the bottom of her heart. She was so eager to know the development of the story. It was a feeling she never had when reading Pure Romance, and this was because she had put all her heart and soul into this novel The 20 chapters were sculpted meticulously by Rosemary. He had completely put all of his writing ability in this work, which was on par with the chapters that had been meddled by Zhao Youyues existence in the novels world! Although Zhao Youyue had left the novels world, he was able to stir his feelings up with his own power and enter the land of inspirations and wonders. Even without Zhao Youyue, he could still come up with inspirations on his own! After all, he loved this character way too much and had never once forced himself to write any scenes of the fishs venomous tongue or how much she ran her mouth off. This was because he was afraid of reducing the charm that this little fish once had. Therefore, he chose to give this Little Fish an exit that would shock the world! Lo and behold . That shocking exit would bedeath! He wanted to craft this Little Fish into a memorable, iconic character that all readers would never forget! Of course, her death must be derived from a plot kill. So technically speaking, Little Fishs death was unexpected and came out of the blue, smack in the face of readers. Loads of readers were still expecting for Little Fishs gibberish banter and taunts, which would only flourish during the world tournament, and allow contestants from other countries to be in awe Sadly, they no longer had the chance to witness this scene anymore. Even though her death was a little too sudden, Rosemary truly incredible writing skills. Furthermore, he had uploaded the chapters late, with subtle foreshadowing concealed all over the story through his unnecessary paragraphs. He had successfully changed the cheerful atmosphere of the story into a depressing one. This was also the reason many readers had been grumbling over the depreciating quality of the novel, to the point where they felt like giving up on the book before reading on. Actually, all of this fell into place by the plan meticulously set up by Rosemary. These 20 chapters were literally about how Little Fish had battled and died in glory while revealing the hidden plot that she had a chronic disease all along. Indeed, the previous chapters were pretty much suppressed, and everything had been purposely set up, all for this huge shocking moment! Regardless of how depressing this Little Fishs death could be, anyone who reads this must admit that he did a great job with these 20 chapters. It was the ultimate climax that he has kept brewing, after all these times! Sadly, thanks to how well-written the build-up was, the effect of Little Fish kicking the bucket was all the more devastating for the readers! It even got Zhao Youyue all fired up and excited during the big showdown between Little Fish and Lin Feng. This was the first time Zhao Youyue has ever seen a novel that horribly messed up! Actually, she was supposed to be the one holding all the power in stirring up trouble within the novel, and of course to take the author along for a messed up ride. Unfortunately this time, she never thought she would be fed a huge dose of her own medicine by Rosemary, after all this time! Any onlooker would laugh at Zhao Youyue for being so overconfident and paying greatly as a result of her complacency Now, Zhao Youyue had a better impression towards Han Leng and Su Li. Whenever Han Leng warns her, Su Li would also deliver the same warning about the recent exploits of the intoxicated Rosemary. She had even used herself as an example and further elaborated her similar predicament when she had wanted to draw Xu Jings death in the ending. She was very firm in showing off her drawing skills. No matter what, nobody could stand in her way; and those who dared to would make themselves her enemies! Zhao Youyue was reminded by both Han Leng and Su Li that as a reader herself, she had to stay sharp and be aware. After all, authors did understand their peers in a better way However, Zhao Youyue trusted Rosemary more, as she also preferred The Strongest King. Of course, Rosemary had a higher ranking among the authors as well. As a relatively new High God writer who had had three reputable Esport novels, surely he had to be better than both Su Li and Han Leng. Su Li had just become a professional mangaka not long ago, and Han Leng was probably a lousy writer, she assumed (If not, why he is always being so secretive about the names of his works, the results had to be terrible). The Strongest King was the novel that turned Rosemary into a High God writer. On top of that, his character, Yu Shengfan was pretty close to becoming a female main protagonist who possessed a reputation that was no less than Lin Feng. How could he kill such a female character off in his writing? It was the truth. Although Zhao Youyue had received the pre-warning from Han Leng and Su Li, she still could not imagine that Rosemary would have the guts to do it. Even she is not that heartless to commit suicide in the world of novels, and to push Rosemary into the pit. As a result, the moment she left the novel world, Rosemary took actions of his own! What a crazy man! This Rosemary is no doubt a lunatic! In this era, you must not believe the promise given by the authors, no matter who! Before this, he had been giving all sorts of promises on QQ that he would not put Little Fish through anything of that sort. In the end, he had lied to his number one Sect Master and almost made Zhao Youyue drown in tears after reading the latest chapters! Without activating her character card, Zhao Youyue was nothing more than an ordinary high school girl. As a female herself, she was still susceptible to such touching contents. Even though she had the mentality of a saint, that was only if she is in the middle of handling objects and human relationships. This does not necessarily mean that she had no emotions of herself. Thus, she could only blame Rosemary for describing Little Fishs death in such a heart-wrenching, tearful scene! If Zhao Youye has finished reading her 20 chapters, naturally it would also mean that the other readers have finished reading it as well Suddenly, the book comment section of Rosemarys The Strongest King blew up! It was just like an earthquake of the highest magnitude! Chapter 121 Curse you Rosemary, bring my Yu Shengfan back! Even a veteran reader like Zhao Youyue who would always be well-prepared for the worst had nearly cried, let alone those readers who were completely blindsided. There is this cute innocent female reader whose name is MoonshinesonCloud27. She had tipped a Sect Master reward to The Strongest King after she noticed the sudden influx of the 20 chapters. As she was happily chatting in the group called ElegantPeople, she tipped another 100 RMB to show her sincerity The number 272077752 was the group number for ElegantPeople. This group is formed entirely by cute, female readers only, just like what the name implies. All of them were quite wealthy, and enjoyed sharing their favorite titles with members of the group. Sometimes they would even organize meet-up and group activities for fun. Of course, the fair, rich and beautiful Zhao Youyue was also in the group as an admin, since Zhao Youyue was quite famous on Qidian. Her popularity was almost the same as the Sect Master WistfulFallenSoot or Sect Master Fning. Forms of entertainment have increased over the years, which made novels and mangas less entertaining than watching anime, dramas, movies, and playing games. Therefore, a large number of tycoons had retired from Qidian, and moved on to other platforms such as live broadcasting. Instead of leaving, out came Zhao Youyue who had other intentions, and she was also known as Tycoon Youyue. If it wasnt for the Two Dimensional Gate, Zhao Youyue would not be bragging about her status as a famous reader, as well as being one of the leading composers of trending book lists. She possessed great influence, and could even request for a female cameo from any author without a hitch. Now that Zhao Youyue is this super tycoon reader, her influence would surely be the same as the director The reason Zhao Youyue was able to become the admin of the group was none other than due to her fame, her wealthy background and her trending booklist. Not to mention, every book she has read would turn out to be a readers trend. But sadly, she was still a high-school student, so she could not make any adorable new friends from their gatherings. However, there were no couples in The Strongest King, and because of this, it could fulfill the fantasies of fujoshis, so it definitely could satisfy the female readers as well. After MoonshinesonCloud27 notified her besties about the updates of the book, she began reading the book without further wasting her time Happy and eager, she settled down and got to reading. But, as she continued reading, her emotions went downhill. She just could not describe her feelings thoroughly with words, it was as if she had fallen from a mountain down into an abyss! Her heart shattered into little fine pieces! Rosemary has lost his mind! The female character who had the utmost popularity! The one who could have overtaken the role of the main protagonist! That blonde, twintails lolita, who was actually moe, was given a bento after all! She certainly could not accept such a development! Why did a cute little girl like Little Fish, have to suffer such tragic fate? Couldnt she end up fighting alongside Lin Feng in the professional arena, conquering the eight-alliance nations? After finishing the updated chapters in one go, MoonshinesonCloud27 could not help herself but silently shed tears, especially after reading Little Fishs diary She felt deeply sorry for Yu Shengfan, as she wanted the whole world to know that she did exist. Just a little bit more time, and she could have joined Lin Fengs glorious team, conquering that world tournament together. Then, the whole world would know about the existence of this genius gamer C Unpleasant Rain! Her flawless techniques and proficiency in multiple languages would break her opponents morale. She played solo in the upper lane, and could always tear through the entire lane, all by herself! She would be a freak when attacking the back row, and was a nightmare to all ranged heroes. Careless players would witness the beautiful sword mistress approaching them, unsheathing her sword to unleash a fancy, deadly combo that would finish them off. After witnessing that fancy sword skill of hers, most of them would be jolted from the stupor only to realize that their screens have turned grey Of course, these were all just the imaginations of MoonshinesonCloud27. That scumbag author who killed Little Fish, had already cut her out from her fantasies! Hmm Who in the novel would still remember Little Fish? Probably just Old Lin, who felt extremely sorry for Little Fish, and even had a nightmare over it. He was the only one who had once killed Little Fish in the game, and sometimes he even blamed himself for killing her. Was he the sole cause of Little Fishs death? This was obviously another plan of Rosemary and of course, as invincible as Lin Feng was, he still was not without weakness. He would have to overcome his own weakness in order to walk out from the gloomy shadows of Little Fishs death, to become stronger than ever! The great author Rosemary truly possessed such a strong ability to write electrifying plotlines. Even though Lin Feng looked invincible, but still, he had lots to learn and was still held back by many forms of inhibitions. Right after he acquired Unpleasant Rains account from Little Fish, he would continue forging the incomplete unique weapon Now, more stories are about to unfold. Little Fishs death had forged open a new path for The Strongest King. Even though Little Fishs death pretty much passed in the novel, unbeknownst to the bulk of its occupants, readers truly felt for her. Her name was now deeply engraved on every readers heart! From a logical perspective, Little Fishs death had helped the book progress, but the comment section was full of emotional comments Fkfkfkfkfk! I tipped a Sect Master reward because I saw the updates of the 20 chapters. I cant believe that old sly Rosemary killed my favorite Little Fish! Please give me the address of that old sly Rosemary, Im gonna send him blades to his doorstep! Those blades will carry the price of a Silver Sect Master! I actually cried!!! Theres no way for a man like me to whimper over a dead person in the novel, this fking dog!!! Im really not a lolicon Who was the one who defended that old sly Rosemary in the previous thread? I got caught off-guard because I actually believed in that bullsh*t, and now it just slapped me right across the face! I started reading it, because it was in Tycoon Youyues recommended book list, I initially thought that there would be a heartwarming father-daughter battle between those two? The novel is just halfway through, and Little Fish has already received a bento, are you telling me that Lin Fengs gonna die too, so that he can finish the battle with Little Fish in hell? The recommended book list by Tycoon Youyue was total bullsh*t! Rosemary certainly had the healing capabilities, and she promised that Rosemary wouldnt do such a thing, Im such a fool for believing that All abort, all abort! I repeat, all abort! Without Little Fish, theres nothing left to read, a trash among the heaps of trash! Curse you Rosemary, give me back my Yu Shengfan! Chapter 122 : Acquired an Iconic Character Card! This raging comment section had now devolved as a place for readers to vent their sadness and anger, and while also turning into a place for them to comfort each other. Everyone was criticizing Rosemary as if he had committed a crime that would appear on news headlines all over the world, they were all adding words like curse you, Rosemary, give me back my Yu Shengfan. Some of them even demanded that he change the plot, or else they would abandon the book immediately! Actually, an experienced author would acknowledge this interesting fact. Readers who make up such a fuss are usually those who will not give up halfway, no matter how much they rage and threaten to boycott the author. Yet, they would still be here, up until the grand finale, even if they were not entirely honest about it Those who would really abandon the book would do it without uttering a single word. A minority of readers did give up on this book just because of that heart-wrenching disappointment. They had even placed Rosemary in their blacklist, because they had been mentally scarred by it. Those who complained and threatened to send Rosemary blades were just throwing their tantrums, they would still read the novel like true masochists. Such readers are far more common than you think. Even though they get hurt by the author again and again, but still, they would never learn their lessons. Thats right, these innocent, adorable and naive readers can be coaxed easily After the great author, Ye Hai updated his latest 20 chapters, he had been paying close attention to the comment section. Seeing the reactions of these innocent cute readers left him feeling extremely delighted! As low as an author would go, was to ask for money and results, whereas a better author would achieve their own standards while pursuing money. Besides, the best authors would accomplish all of the above and create something so amazing that it would shock the audience. Perhaps, this may be the power of creating something iconic! Even though he was most pleased with the results, he did not intend to express it. Instead, he wrote an open letter, shifting the blame as always I certainly did not plan to kill Little Fish, but it couldnt be helped. You guys might not believe me, but Little Fish became alive under my pen, Little Fish seemed to possess her own soul as I continued writing, because I could not control the letters that appeared before my eyes! It was not my intention to kill her, but her death was certainly her fate! After discussing this with Su Li, she agreed as well. Little Fish was actually a cameo requested by my number one Sect Master Youyue. For now, I can only sincerely apologize to all of the readers who supported my work. From now on, I guarantee that the story will only become interesting than before The reason Ye Hai was good at shifting the blame was probably because he was a veteran player in LoL himself. He was the one who gave a bento to his own female character, who had the highest popularity, just because he was so drowned in his own inspirations. But then, his explanation was all about the character becoming alive, who developed her own will and had caused this to happen. If Yu Shengfan really does emerge from the literary world, the first thing that she would do was none other than torturing Ye Hai who loved playing games. She would kill Ye Hai in every possible way and would hunt Ye Hai down, and kill him until he begins doubting the value of his own life. Not to mention, she would want to relieve him from his game addiction, so that he could focus on writing his novels! In fact, Yu Shengfan actually did come out from the novel, and. became Zhao Youyue. After looking at the blame shifting letter, she let out a cry shameless old sly! Zhao Youyue realized how blind she was when she thought that Rosemary was more reliable than Su Li, instead, he was actually some black-hearted guy! How naive of her to compare Su Li to that old sly Rosemary! Urgh, those carefree and innocent fans of Rosemary, of course, they would support Rosemary for shifting the blame and believe him, no matter what. Thus, the comments under the open letter were as followed So thats the truth huh? Its not that easy for Rosemary too! Im looking forward to your follow-up work. It seems like Rosemary was pretty innocent, wasnt he? He had no control over his plot development. A lot of authors have said similar things too, perhaps this was not an excuse after all, but the truth Am I the only one who noticed that Su Li actually agreed with Rosemary? The one who suggested to kill Little Fish, could that person probably be Su Li, that former convict? Youre not the only one! I sincerely believe Su Li was the bento devil! She gave out so many bentos to her characters at the grand finale of Pure Romance! Its highly possible that she might have suggested the killing of Little Fish, so she could again play with peoples hearts on the manga version Not just Su Li, that Tycoon Youyue is probably an accomplice too. As the fella who requested the female cameo, how could she not know beforehand that things would end up like this! She even said that this book will never have any sad and depressing scenes, how malicious has society become! Rosemary had no bad intentions, Su Li and Tycoon Youyue are the bad ones! Both of them already knew what will happen to Little Fish, but instead, they kept quiet about it, watching everyone suffer, as all of us are caught unawares! Look how sneaky they are, women are indeed insidious! No one else in this world could ever shift the blame like how Rosemary did! On the social media platform of Weibo, Rosemarys posts were not as attractive as Su Lis, even though he had a few hundred thousands of fans. Su Li was indeed an attractive and beautiful mangaka, so it came as no surprise that she was popular on Weibo. Furthermore, Su Li updated her Weibo status on a frequent basis. Rosemary did not manage his Weibo that much, as he was more focused on writing his book, and perhaps in the near future, someone would eventually manage the page for him when he gains more popularity. Naturally, as the mangaka of The Strongest King, Su Li had to carry the blame, unfortunately. Her Weibo was once again under the attack of some furious readers, all of them were cursing at this heartless author who had agreed that Rosemary should kill Little Fish! Rosemarys actions left Su Li dumbfounded. The next thing she did was to clear off her name on Weibo, Rosemary you old sly fox, Im just an illustrator, and youre the original creator! Get a hold of yourself, how can you shift this blame on me? Im really fond of Little Fish too, so Im gonna say this as well Curse you, Rosemary, return me my Yu Shengfan! Without any questions, Little Fishs death did not decrease the popularity of The Strongest King, but it rocked the whole internet, increasing its popularity to a whole new level! Besides, readers who had skills and talent began to create their own MAD[1] videos featuring Little Fish, and uploaded them onto Bilibili. In a split second, videos about Little Fish had completely overtaken the trending page of Bilibili! Many doujin artists and writers began to take action, using their own creativity to continue the glorious tales of Little Fish! Zhao Youyue wanted to question Rosemarys actions as she was intensely furious at that moment! As she was preparing to exact her vengeance for Little Fish in the game, she realized that the timer for Yu Shengfans card has vanished! What a pleasant surprise! Yu Shengfan has been transformed into a memorable iconic character from this wave of controversy and popularity! How is this possible? Is this the legendary earning a victory in your sleep? Translation Note : 1. MAD C a Manga/Anime/Doujin cultured media creation. Chapter 123 The Harem of Zhao Youyue Zhao Youyue was no perfectionist, so she did not feel it necessary for all of her character cards to become iconic characters. She would try to possess those abilities that made themselves available, while calculating the best stats for herself. She certainly did not expect that Rosemary would use his own writing ability to transform Yu Shengfan into an actual icon! Whenever an e-sport genre novel is mentioned, The Strongest King would also be brought up, as this was the first web novel that had ever obtained a thousand Sect Masters, it was simply the number one book on e-sports! Readers would always remember that most heart-wrenching twist of the novel Little Fish passing away before she could dazzle the stage of the world professional tournament with her amazing gaming talents. Those regrets that Yu Shengfan had left behind, were also the feelings sincerely shared by readers in reality. Only Lin Feng and Tang Yongkai could remember her existence in the novel world, but in reality, she would always be remembered by everyone who felt sorry for her and loved her If an ordinary author kills one of their famous female characters, the reputation of that literary work would surely suffer a great dive. But with Rosemarys writing ability, the popularity of The Strongest King was now heading towards the opposite way! Tons of talented readers were mourning for Little Fish because they loved her, and of course, that tragic fate of hers had caused Bilibili to be filled with MAD videos featuring her! All of this had attracted more readers to it, and even though some of them originally did not enjoy reading web novels, but they were interested in the culture of the two dimensions. At the conclusion of the anime, The Kings Avatar, the original novel was ranked on the top ten of Qidians trending board. This would mean a monthly income of at least a hundred thousand to the author! This is a fine example of how an anime could give rise to a certain novel. Without a doubt, The Strongest King had the same trend, even though it still had no anime of itself, chances of one being developed were very likely. Little Fishs death had been a rocketship for The Strongest King! Rosemary certainly had the strength, but it did not mean that the other authors would have it too. Even though some may achieve it through their hard work, at the end of the day, writing required talent, and when a comparison is made between a gifted and hardworking author, an ordinary author could only let out a dejected sigh After shifting the blame, Ye Hai contacted Zhao Youyue immediately and apologized with sincerity. He explained the reason of him having to kill Yu Shengfan, which was all because he had lost his best inspiration, and could no longer write any of those awesome abusive words uttered by Yu Shengfan herself! Plus, this side character had outshined the other characters as well. Half-*ssing her other appearances would only ruin her stature. So, after going through much consideration, he decided to give a bento to Yu Shengfan. To show his sincerity, he allowed Zhao Youyue to view his unpublished drafts which consisted of ten thousand words. He did not just want Little Fish to die in vain, but as depressed as he was, he had tried his best to turn Little Fish into an iconic character, all because he loved Little Fish deeply. Guess we have to admit, that the way Rosemary justifies his actions, and the way he manages things around, it was all rather praiseworthy. What else could Zhao Youyue do after listening to Rosemarys explanations? Of course, she chose to forgive him! How fortunate it is that Rosemary did not mess things up, or else her high popularity character card would break into pieces before she could even warm it up Zhao Youyue was pretty much drowned in her deep thoughts. She did not expect that Rosemary would be so greatly affected, just because she had left the novel earlier. He was stuck due to his great loss of inspiration, but luckily he had been able to overcome it, as he had considerable experience in writing, otherwise this literary work would crumble into pieces. Zhao Youyue soon realized that her early exit would bring up benefits, but the risks seemed intense too! In these recent years, authors were becoming quite unreliable. As long as there is no end to their work, they could definitely stir up a lot of trouble. Most of the literary creators do not have their own summaries, or would perpetually milk their work, not letting it conclude peacefully. As such, they would only write it with a smooth touch whenever inspirations come crashing in. However, their poorly done writing usually occurred during their loss of inspiration, and this would even lead to much unwanted trouble Zhao Youyue realized that she would have to minimize her influence on the author if she ever wants to exit the novel earlier. As a matter of fact, she would have to set the characters traits based on the writing style of a particular author. Zhao Youyue had given Yu Shengfan the venomous tongue trait. Even Rosemary was at loss for words when it comes to writing out such abusive contents, and thus, Rosemary had no choice but to remove her. Zhao Youyue would burst into rage whenever she thought about it! She missed the moments of when she first entered the King of Superpower, where she had wreaked havoc in it. Her super railgun had managed to kill the main protagonist with one shot, and that unrestricted feeling was undoubtedly awesome! Unfortunately, she had slipped through the chance of obtaining any abilities or iconic characters. The Two Dimensional Gate surely had its Equivalent Exchange. When you are all prepared to acquire an ability in that world, you will need to immerse yourself into that literary world, without forcing any weird characteristics onto the characters. On top of that, if you obtain a certain ability earlier, you would have to bear the risks of losing it all The same went to the creators. Whenever Zhao Youyue enters your literary work, it would bring up either fortune or misfortune. Your work would become famous with the help of Zhao Youyues existence, and of course, money and fame would roll in sooner or later But, you will lose the power of controlling the plot, as you will find yourself being immersed in the inspirational state or even get bewitched by your own work. Whenever Zhao Youyue exits the novel earlier, you will awake from your self-imposed enchantment, and all inspiration will fade. You will also lose the ability to continue writing and will soon realize that you could no longer greatly describe the highly popular character who was once possessed by Zhao Youyue. If you do not guard your characters carefully, your entire work would just disintegrate. At that moment, Zhao Youyue activated the Yu Shengfans possession mode. All she wanted to do was to distinguish the difference between an iconic character card with a highly popular character card. She already knew that Rosemary had added new settings to Yu Shengfans character. Poor Little Fish, who had to endure excruciating pain with her frail body, playing her games while consuming medicated drugs! Zhao Youyue was well prepared for the intense pain felt by Yu Shengfan when she activated her possession mode. But other than being greatly despaired, she felt nothing on her body! That is right, this is her own body, a healthy and lively body. This indicated that the Yu Shengfans possession would not change her physical body function. One decisive fact was that this cancer had been set up by Rosemary, and it was probably nonexistent in reality! That fictional cancer that did not obey the conventional rules of science, there was no way it could happen in reality. Nobody would still be that strong after suffering from cancer and consuming tons of medicine! In fact, most readers would simply flit over such minor details, especially in a state of intense reading. If thats the case, Zhao Youyue was wondering if she could acquire some ridiculous power through the Two Dimensional Gate, something that could only be obtained with her lineage Zhao Youyue could only explore the Two Dimensional Gate slowly, as it did not have an instructional manual, indeed it was a mysterious thing. But then, how does this Two Dimensional Gate materialize a readers will. It still remained unknown to her. Zhao Youyue was now rest assured that Little Fish would become an iconic character and at last, she could finally begin exploring the fourth literary world! What kind of pleasant surprise will it bring her, next? In order to obtain the following ability, she would have to take note of the particular realm that she enters next, and may need to make minor adjustments, according to its background. Of course, she definitely did not want to get herself disappointed, just like back then, when she had planned on acquiring an artistic talent, only to eventually end up in the gaming realm Of course, this had ended up as a brilliant attempt! At least she is now unbeatable in gaming, and had turned out to be the mightiest champion, one who was even a braggadocious king while at it! Her mom would no longer have to worry about her English results! Even though she hated the totally unplanned outcome of this latest addition, she would never sacrifice any of her iconic character cards. Regardless of it being Sister Jing or Little Fish, both of them were her precious, her harem! Chapter 124 Steady as She Goes Even though Zhao Youyue has now engraved the two iconic character cards onto the Two Dimensional Gate that floats in her mind, she could now use their abilities at any time of the day. However, in school, she was still that unnoticeable, ordinary side character. The only difference was that she was getting tons of benefits from her top student status. All this while, she knew that her homeroom teacher Mr. Qiu and other passing students would think of her as a low-profile, quiet and obedient girl. They certainly did not know that deep in her heart, she was actually a troublemaker. She had already made her way, interfering with three literary works, and not to mention, two of them had produced quite an impact Anyhow, a majority of the students had read The Strongest King, included Wang Yang, the one seated in front of Zhao Youyue. He got to know about the book through Zhao Youyues recommended book list. Of course, even Zhao Youyue had promoted the book in person. Although Zhao Youyue had lead Wang Yang to a certain level of shock, he had not reached the point where he hated Zhao Youyue for doing so. This was all because he was on good terms with Zhao Youyue. Fortunately, a majority of them did not know that the identity of tycoon Youyue was actually Zhao Youyue herself, or else she would end up like Jiang Chao. She had stood up for Rosemary, claiming that his book would conclude with a nice and heart-warming grand finale. But then, what happened in the end? The exact opposite! Tycoon Youyue was now under fire from numerous fans. They even labeled her book list as fraudulent and frivolous! On the books review section, loads of people started talking about the unreliability of tycoon Youyues recommended book list. Perhaps if you have warned everyone that Rosemary would mess things up beforehand, everyone would be keeping their mouths shut by now. Of course, quite a number of readers stood up for tycoon Youyue. The one who was at fault was definitely Rosemary, not only did he lie to tycoon Youyue, he had also messed up the main protagonist Lin Feng, too. Even so, there was still a sentence uttered by Lin Feng that broke everyones heart I once had a friend, she was excellent at playing Eternal Wars, but she is no longer with us. Yu Shengfans pitiful, cancerous death has reaped open the path where countless of doujins started pairing up both Lin Feng and Yu Shengfan together. Right after Yu Shengfan gave her account and self-forged weapons to Lin Feng, not leaving out the ridiculous stats of that divine sword, Little Fish had since then earned the nickname of Sword Sister, exactly the same with Umbrella brother[1] from another world Who knows, she would end up like a broken star, one fallen from the sky. They had once promised to stand at the summit of the kings, but now there was only one left to enjoy that glorious moment for the both of them. The dream of that person had slowly faded away Besides, talented readers had even co-written a song to grieve in her memory, and only lacked a melodic composition to go along with it. Come to think of it, we would never believe that a fictional characters death would have such an impact on reality, and it even became a top search on Weibo, which was pretty evident that Yu Shengfan was a highly popular person. No one would ever forget this iconic character! Some of the readers shared their opinions, stating that Rosemary should not have led Little Fish to this miserable state in the first place. Instead, he should have just paralyzed Little Fishs hands, so she could no longer play any games, and that would be tragic enough. After all, she could end up becoming a professional commentator who utters abusive words, still, that had to be better than letting her die, right? Anyhow, a number of readers were totally against this idea, because this would only make Little Fish suffer even more! Have you forgotten about her tragic life experience, do you want to take away the only source of happiness for Little Fish, her refuge in her world of games? The readers from before had suddenly suggested that if Rosemary decides to paralyze her hands, he would never have set up such a tragic background, such as the passing of her mom and the hatred of her dad. Otherwise, there was no need for her to ever seek for that heartwarming sensation whenever she plays games Both sides of the argument did not come to a stop, and one side believed that she could forever live in Lin Fengs glorious moments even though she has passed away. It was a tragic notion, but one could still take comfort in forever being in another persons memory. The opposition thought that being alive was much better than being dead, even though she could no longer assist Lin Feng in the game. Zhao Youyue was too lazy to even bother about the aftermath and reactions to this characters death, because it would be endless. It would be good for her if both sides continue arguing, as she would only be able to obtain more willpower. As a matter of fact, she did not even change her recommendation list. All she wanted to do was to attract as many readers as possible so, let them complain! When Yu Shengfans influential power begins to decline, she would consider cosplaying Little Fish. She would use Yu Shengfans card to play games during live streams, and of course, she would never show her face, her lolita voice and that shocking venomous tongue, would definitely leave everyone dumbfounded Even though Little Fish had passed on in the Two Dimensional World, she has successfully broken through the fourth wall in a sense, and is now invading the three dimensional reality! How can you explain that ridiculous technique and that venomously talkative lolita voice? Deja vu much? All of Yu Shengfans special traits would be found in this female streamer. No matter how you look at it, could it possibly be a coincidence, if she is not possessed by Little Fish? This wouldnt just be a coincidence, it would have to be a miracle too! As long as such a female streamer makes her appearance, she could temporarily utilize Little Fishs popularity to become extremely famous! Of course, as long as Zhao Youyue does not show her face, nobody will ever know that she is the one who caused all this fuss, right from the start! But then she looked exactly like a side character, an ordinary high school female student In fact, the impressions that she gave to her homeroom teacher Mr. Qiu and all the other classmates who only knew her in passing was that of an obedient and well-disciplined honor student. Anyhow, this was the outcome of her sole dedication within a semester. She was extremely pleased with her accomplishment, while chances of her being forgiven by her teacher had increased exponentially. Anyway, if she is ever caught by Mr. Qiu again while playing with her phone, Mr. Qiu might hesitate to confiscate her phone. After all, she was this well-mannered and obedient student, with decent grades too, so he may let her off the hook for once? Of course, if she ever messes herself up in the coming exam, she would have to bear with the consequences! So he would just warn her without taking any action this time Obviously, these benefits were the reasons of Zhao Youyue wanting to become one of the top students. Compared to her middle school life that did not carry that honorable top student title, she now realized that her school life was much more entertaining and exciting. Now, Zhao Youyue was truly enjoying her high school life. Perhaps, she had always made it to the headlines through the literary realm, and had been through something that could not be experienced by a normal person, so she now appreciated her ordinary carefree school life even more. This is her method of maintaining her happy mood, or else she would not be able to bring out her full potential in the literary world, and that would be a pity. Tonight, she is all prepared to opening the gate to a new world once again, to see which novel or manga realm she enters next. She felt extremely confident, because she was already that famous in Qidian, as a super tycoon reader and a person who could spark a trend with her recommended book list. As such, which author would reject her request? Steady as she goes! Translation Note: Chapter 125 Zhao Youyue Dreams of Becoming an Empress As it was spring in March, and every corner of the school was filled with life. This high school was one of the famous schools in the country, and of course, it did a fairly good job at adding greens to the school area. It certainly was most beautiful when the cherry blossoms were blooming. However, this school is not open to public, or else there would be tourists visiting the area during this season. Right now, the cherry blossoms trees at the sides of the path had not really blossomed out yet, but the tree branches already carried a tinge of pink. Zhao Youyue felt simply liberated when she walked the path between these cherry blossoms trees. It was actually the time for lunch break for those students who stayed in the dorm, so commuting students like Zhao Youyue could enjoy her peaceful moments in school. She had finally gotten over the glum of Rosemarys treatment. This, was of course, a fact that was greatly aided by the Yu Shengfan card which was now an iconic character card. She can comfort herself more than other readers, because Yu Shengfan was not actually dead! Yu Shengfan did not live inside of Lin Fengs glory, but she lived inside Zhao Youyues body, and she had been reborn through Zhao Youyues body Not only that, Little Fish was actually healthy for once. Imagine when Zhao Youyue activates her Yu Shengfan card, her gaming technique would only get even stronger, because Yu Shengfan would be in perfect condition! Sometimes Zhao Youyue wondered whether she could set a character card with a summoning ability, so that she could summon Xu Jing and Yu Shengfan. It would be interesting. Zhao Youyue was the creator of both characters. Even though Zhao Youyue had snapped out of the traumatic experience, she could not help but blame herself for being so weak minded. She had almost cried because of a sad plot in the novel, if only she had an iron will and be more optimistic, she would not be so miserable after Rosemary caught her off-guard. Zhao Youyue remembered that the science subject elite scholar, Chen Haoran had almost made her cry too, and she thought herself really pathetic for falling into it. She had even used the Xu Jing card and was not able to finish the mathematics exam. Not only that, Chen Haoran had even mocked her sarcastically. Ever since that incident, he had fallen from her good side. Luckily Zhao Youyue was able to prove herself with her remarkable results in the mathematics exam. She was one of the best students in the class, or else she would be doubting her arithmetic capabilities Long story short, when Zhao Youyue reminds herself as a weak minded little girl, she would feel deeply embarrassed! But what could she do, these were all her natural bodys reactions, she would be unable to control herself unless she is using that tri-no elite scholar Xu Jing card. Zhao Youyue could be frustrated at times, this was most probably because of her unique physiology as a female. She was not pleased with it, because she believed that this weak female body brings out a flaw in her personality. She was never a strong-willed person, and she can be bullied easily As a lady from a rich family, she could have anything ever since she was young, and she did not have to strive for it. She lacked the initiative. The environment is certainly important for one persons growth. With that side character trait of Zhao Youyue who did not have much sense of a presence, this had prevented her from getting bullied in school, and people would not bully her because no one will ever think of her So, Zhao Youyue now believed that she needed to get her hands on some manly power, without becoming one of those strong-willed women. She would be satisfied as long as she becomes more independent, strong and gains her own freedom. She can be lazy when she wants to be lazy, but she would be very passionate in a task once she sets her mind to it. Zhao Youyue was used to relying on herself, but she would need to be more reliable in order to become the perfect female protagonist. She did not entertain the slightest idea of wanting to rely on a man, and in truth, most girls did not want to. But Zhao Youyue was a step above the sort of dependence that other ladies aspired for, she intended to become the main protagonist! If it is possible, Zhao Youyue wanted to create an empress character who ruled the world. She would not dabble in petty romantic relationships, she would only care for her people and her country, and she wanted her flag to cover every inch of her land! Zhao Youyue had become excited after she thought of it, creating an empress character would certainly be interesting. A lot of famous emperors flashed through her mind, like the emperor of Qin and Han, King of Tang and Sung and of course, the western King Arthur and Iskandar The Great as well Zhao Youyue realized her favorite was the first emperor, Qin Shi Huang, so would a new iconic character be established if she ever creates a female version of Qin Shi Huang The Qin Emperor had conquered the six-nations and united China with his fierce dominance. Whenever the emperor waved his sword, every rich prince would migrate to Xian Yang! The next favorite would be King Arthur, that heroic temperament and that non-stop conquering attitude, she always admired that, but she thought that King Arthur lacked some domineering qualities thanks to Type-Moon. Whenever she thought of King Arthur, that saber Artoria would always appear in her mind. For male otakus, saber would be their goddess, this King Arthur was certainly moe, a kind of moe that brings justice! Zhao Youyue believed that Artoria certainly did not have the domineering qualities of a king, she was not a merciless killer, but only more like an innocent girl. Zhao Youyue also thought that an emperor should have their own self-cultivation, they should not waste their time on illusory justice or some other minor detail. Even though the Two Dimensional Gate was totally random and unpredictable, Zhao Youyue had a strong feeling that she would venture into a historical novel, and her mind drifted off to those famous Qidian authors who wrote historical titlesMoongate, AngelOscar, GreenApple, Larvae2, 3CrazyThieves She has already thought up a method of communicating with these historical High God graded authors, and had played the conversation in her mind prior to taking action. Such was the confidence of a super tycoon, a person who has established an influence, via a list of books! As Zhao Youyue arrived at her classroom, she decided to take a nap to explore the new realm. Steady as she goes, she knew she would soon be entering a historical novel! The moment she entered the new realm, she did not hesitate to possess any character, she would make the decision after reading the original novel or manga in reality, when she exits the Two Dimensional Gate. She wanted to acquire an empress character card! She looked forward to it. Thus, she opened the Two Dimensional Gate once again, and was shocked to see a literary work called War Heroes. China was not fighting against Japan in this realm, because Japan was the Vassal State of China since ancient times. The big revolt never occurred. China was fighting against the Russians from the north, and these two nations had fought over in the World War for these far east lands. The Russians were the first to invade China and took away their lands, but the Chinese were able to retaliate soonafter. This anti-Russian War was quite a popular trope in China because everyone loved watching Russians get beaten up This War Heroes was not a novel nor was it a manga, it was a script! A script written by playwrights! Curse you, Two Dimensional Gate, my dream of becoming an empress is ruined! Where was that promised historical novel? Even though this realm is somehow related to history, still, its totally weird! Chapter 126 Wheres your Motherf*cking Italian Artillery? Zhao Youyue got the rough idea of the sketch through a function like Baidu Wiki within the Dimensional Gate. She could surmise the plot just by looking at the title of it, War Heroes. This was pertaining the war between China and Russia, and spoke of brave warriors who fought for their countries. It looks like the same old war movie with the same old content. Zhao Youyue noticed there were quite a few female characters this time, and she read through their entrailing character roles. There were female nurses, female snipers, female college students and female clerks. In order to portray the cruelty of the Russians, there was also a five-year-old little girl who had lost her family to the Russians. She was the sole survivor of the family, and she was only one meter tall. Of course, this little kid was just a side character, so she cant possibly join in the war to resist the Russians, right? The Russians had female characters too. Among them stood the highest rank of all, the Russian Empress Catherine. However, she was a side character as well. This was a drama about war, so there was no way that the Empress would appear on the battlefield. After Zhao Youyue finished reading the summary of the script, she started having doubts about possessing any of the female characters, because she felt that this war film had a fair bit of potential. She particularly liked the female sniper character, what if she gave that character the ability to cap someone beyond the radius of 800 miles, wouldnt she be able to take that one shot on the Russian Empress Catherine, with such a range? Unfortunately, such an ability would only get snipped out by the director. This was a realistic and serious war movie, not a fictitious movie. In fact, the theme of these movies would always be iron-blooded, solemn and cruel Zhao Youyue could actually possess the Russian Empress, but this was a movie about China resisting the Russians. If she stirs up trouble with the Russian Empress, it would be ridiculous and the whole script would be rolled up eventually. Besides, Zhao Youyue was a Chinese, and she was proud of her own country. She loved her country, unlike other Chinese who insisted that the grass was greener on the other side. She had no interest in possessing any female foreigners. After gaining more information about the movie, Zhao Youyue exited the Two Dimensional Gate and woke up from her nap. She then quickly took out her phone and dug out for more information about War Heroes on the internet. She found a fair bit of information on the internet, learning that this series would release one episode per week. The director was an infamous amateur, and his name was Lin Jianzhong. The premiere of this war drama had opened up with very average audience ratings, and some sponsors had unexpectedly pulled out of the project. Filming and production budget had been cut down severely, and the boring, mundane plotline had caused this film to have extremely low television viewings, to the point where it was teetering on the edge of cancellation. Television series are not that easy to film, because the show would be filming and screening at the same time. They would never be too far ahead, so the plot can always be adjusted according to the audiences reactions. An incomplete television series would give Zhao Youyue the opportunity to mess things up. Zhao Youyue would not have the chance to interrupt a completed series. Zhao Youyue was relieved when she saw this series was in such a sorry state, so she can boldly mess things up even further. She would not have to suffer any consequences even if she causes this film to fail, because there were not many audiences. Besides that, she could choose to possess a side character and let her die quietly so that she can exit the realm. Then, she can proceed to enter a new and more reliable literary world, hopefully one that belonged to a novel or manga. Zhao Youyue originally thought that she could cause more trouble easily with her super tycoon status and as a person with an influential book list. She certainly did not expect the Two Dimensional Gate to send her into the script of an ongoing television series. Zhao Youyue did not have anyone who worked in the motion picture industry to contact, so does this mean that she would need to get to know all sorts of directors in the future? She found a clip interviewing the amateur director, Lin Jianzhong on the internet. Lin Jianzhong had said it with a balloonful of confidence, I wanna film the best war movie ever, I will let the audience know the cruelty of war, I will let them know how our ancestors have shed their blood for this country, by portraying a fine example for the military. I only want realistic material for my plots, I got my inspiration from Zhao Youyue felt that this film was definitely going to fail when she heard what the amateur director, Lin Jianzhong said. Nobody would want to watch a realistic and cruel war movie. Even though those fictitious anti-Japanese movies get a lot of flak, they had decent viewings. Youngsters would not appreciate such exaggerated and fictitious anti-Japanese movies, but the middle-aged and elderly would definitely enjoy it. The main focus of these movies was not about being anti-Japanese, it was all about how absurd the movies were. This world did not have any fictitious anti-Russian movies yet, but because this drama was a dull, arduous series, youngsters found it boring, and the elderly were not amused, they preferred those entertaining series. The world was already peaceful as it was, and war is something in the past. How can one increase their ratings, if they do not entertain the guests? There were already a few iconic movies about the war between Russia and China, how could a normal War Heroes possibly surpass them? This amateur director, Lin Jianzhong certainly had great ambitions, he wanted his first movie to be successful. But reality was cruel, not only was his film painfully mediocre, he had even doubted his own abilities as a director of a war movie. This was his childhood dream, he had firmly believed that war was mens romance! Lin Jianzhong had laid his head on the work desk at the moment, and the more he looked at the script, the more he felt that his script was nothing special, but he did not know how to continue writing the plot anymore He put down his pen and let out a hopeless sigh, this is probably the end of War Heroes. Who would want to watch a movie about war? He should try other genres like romantic idol movies, detective movies or even WuXia movies, these were far better than war movies. Lin Jianzhong actually wanted to create a unique war movie, but it certainly was not easy to pull off. But, he was lucky because Zhao Youyue has entered his realm of creation by chance! May realism fly out the window! A fictitious movie with countless plot holes is the way to success! Youngsters can complain about it, and the elderly would find it entertaining, a movie suitable for all ages! Zhao Youyue has decided to wreak havoc Second battalion commander, wheres your motherf*cking Italian artillery? Chapter 127 : Little Girls Have to Be War Heroes Too As a documentary war film, War Heroes would function according to the same scientific rules and laws as compared to the real world. Yet, this did not mean that Zhao Youyue intended to obey such pesky laws. A great film would actually be known due to anything thats over the top. Zhao Youyue intended to possess a female character, while tweaking the settings on her own which would allow people to expand their imagination. Originally, she wanted to craft herself a character card that possesses an iron will, fuelled by an unreasonable level of optimism with the help of the Dimensional Gate. This way, whenever she falters, she could activate this card straightaway, transforming from an ordinary high school student into an iron-willed empress. Then, all her feeble thoughts and her depression would fade away, and her mighty, iron-blooded will would tear a path open for her, no matter how dire the circumstances are! In that state, what could possibly drown her in depression? In the real world, she would turn into an empress fuelled with superhuman levels of willpower, releasing an aura far superior to the principal of her school. Yet, when she noticed that the script of War Heroes left no room for her to create an iconic empress character, she decided to go a little wild instead! War Heroes was nothing more than a failing TV drama series that was at the verge of being canceled. Saving it did not even occur to Zhao Youyue, she simply wanted to get out of it as soon as possible, after wreaking havoc first, of course. The series is about to be canceled sooner or later, so there should be no consequences if she tips it upside-down and twists logic into a knot, right? Why not take the opportunity of this position and create a bigger mess instead! Similar to the time when Zhao Youyue first stepped into the world of King of Superpowers where she created a mess as she pleased, War Heroes is in an even worse state. Even if Zhao Youyue turns it inside out, nothing could possibly happen in the real world. At most, it would be something similar to cutting her finger off by mistake. Therefore, War Heroes became the place for Zhao Youyue to tear off her restraints. Her purpose now was not to create an iconic character, but to do as she pleased, like in King of Superpowers. This had caused even the author himself to come to the conclusion that he had to have lost his mind to some cheap wine, which stunned the audiences even more C Has such war drama ever existed in the first place? With such a chaotic setting, it was as if he had created an entirely new genre! From thereon, it seemed most likely that this newbie director and screenwriter, Lin Jianzhong would be known throughout China for his godly anti-Russian drama After making this decision, Zhao Youyue suddenly calmed down. That was right, if she tries to salvage any situation, no matter how far it has gone beyond saving to create an iconic character whenever she goes through the Dimensional Gate, it would definitely take a toll on her mind. After all, most iconic characters experience extremely terrible fates. This applies even more so in the case of side characters, where it would be truly embarrassing if you have never received the bento. In a way, it meant that you are not popular enough. Those who are popular would always face death, and this has always been an open secret in the writers community. Only readers and audiences who are easily deceived would shed tears for them To Zhao Youyue, she would cast off all restrictions and begin tearing through like a hurricane in future if she ever enters a boring world which is underperforming while also suffering from low popularity. As long as she enjoys herself, regardless of whether the author would look back and scratch their head, thinking if they wrote this in an intoxicated state, it would still be fine for her, as long as she had her share of fun with it. As a matter of fact, she did have lots of fun when she killed the loser male protagonist with a blast of railgun, successfully experiencing the fun of being Misaka Mikoto, the Level 5 Electromaster. Zhao Youyue spared a few glances at this video hosting website which aired this TV drama, named Youku[1], I think, and the comments below were as such C Indeed the director has potential in him. The problem is that, the series takes itself too seriously. Liu Xing the male protagonist is perfect to a fault, and we are already bored of perfect heroes This is just too cruel, it feels like our Chinese Peoples Army are being tyrannized by the Russians. Throughout history, shouldnt it be us who are always scrubbing the floor with their faces? The battles also take place in areas that we have never once lost to them! What kind of crap is this Russian Empire! Do they believe that the Russians were that powerful? Hmph, I dont believe that! Frankly speaking, although message this series attempts to get across is to defend your country, the truth was that the Russians failed to invade us and got f*cked instead. The far east sector eventually became part of our country. What kind of defense is this, this was totally a trap to make the Russians attack, and then fight back to take over their lands. The Chinese Peoples Army have shown their plans through Dropped it after three episodes. What the heck is this, historical accuracy, my *ss! Were the Russians that strong? Anyways, the main protagonist Liu Xing is a loser too! Although he has very loyal subordinates, they are all useless. Moreover, he is always treated harshly by his rubbish superior, and viewers are strapped in on a ride, enduring the same shit as he takes without an issue. How much more ridiculous can things get?! Arent there any relaxing war films? I just wanted to watch those war films that overpowered the Russians. War films nowadays are just too serious, theres not a bit of fun in it. Upon reading these comments, Zhao Youyue had an idea. Perhaps in the other world where godly anti-Japanese films were popular, the term, godly films had become synonymous with shocking. However, in this world, audiences have never appreciated something like the godly anti-Japanese films. So perhaps, if they watch it, especially those in their middle-age and other senior audiences would then get hooked into a fantasy-type war film where the entertainment value would be higher than the actual content that could be used for education! What? Can a war film be made in such ways? Please produce more war films similar to this. I just want to see war films of us overpowering the Russians. Within it, please add in some love triangles, plus some mother-in-law and daughter-in-law conflicts. Romantic love stories are the best, what is the whole point of this if its only about war and mindless fighting.. Zhao Youyue suddenly remembered that her easy-going father seemed to love watching war films too. At home, he had a collection of iconic war film merchandises. When she was young, she even loved to play with model soldier toys. She never requested for any of that, but they were all bought by her dad. Back at home, there is this collection room, and within it were some cool and expensive looking models, such as aircraft carriers, tanks, jets and etc. These were all her military-buff daddys collections. Zhao Youyue decided to ask her father regarding his tastes and what he hoped to see after she heads back home. This way, she might be able to create a godly anti-Russian film that her father might love, while giving her more inspiration on how to stir up even more trouble As for her mother Wang Hua, she certainly had no interest in war films, but she always welcomed something that allowed her imagination to come alive. She pretty much indulged herself within Biribiri Kichiku, and if it was possible to turn War Heroes into something hot in Biribiri Kichiku, it would be even better. Perhaps she could unknowingly bring this series back from the ashes! After all, Zhao Youyue had no plans of creating anything iconic during her upcoming stint in War Heroes, it was solely for fun. Meanwhile, if she reignites the romance between her parents with the TV drama she maliciously creates, it would definitely bring up a sense of accomplishment. Even if she does not gain any ability out of this, she would not consider this a waste of effort, the fun she gets to experience would be the big pay-off! All she wanted to do was to create something so ridiculous, so over-the-top, that would leave everyone speechless! Naturally, to achieve such an effect, her desired possessee would be none other than that five-year-old girl! An Anti-Japanese girl Or perhaps. An anti-Russian girl! A poor side character whose entire family was cruelly killed by Russian soldiers, and her name was C Tan Xiaoya[2]. Chapter 128 Time to Rush Home for some binge-watching The final period for the afternoon was Zhao Youyues favorite subject, meaning that she could return home earlier She intended to return home and finish all six episodes of War Heroes which had been aired recently. Its lifespan might not go beyond ten chapters, which also meant that this whole thing could end within a month. After all, the ratings of this drama were simply abysmal. As of now, apart from activating Xu Jings Card in class, Zhao Youyue was still mostly her normal self on other occasions. In fact, her phone was as much a part of her as her actual body, and she would feel uncomfortable if she does not touch her phone during the day! Due to the high risk of playing her phone during classes, as well as wasting her time daydreaming around, she decided to activate Xu Jings Card during the entire period to keep her attention glued to the class. This way, whenever she deactivates Xu Jings Card, she would feel exceptionally enlightened. This was because she had actually committed all the important points to memory, while also being completely certain that she had not overlooked anything important out of carelessness. Zhao Youyue came to a realization that this feeling of accomplishment was very addictive. However, after classes ended, her addiction to her phone only got worse. Since she already had a thorough grasp of the contents that her teacher has covered in class, she had no need to refer to her phone when doing the handouts. Even the difficult questions seemed easier than ever. So, shouldnt she have the free time of her life, having breezed through all the sheets? Zhao Youyues after-class actions were noticed by some, thus shaking their heads while thinking to themselves. Why would the black horse appear at the end of semester exam, showing its true self in the face of the upcoming monthly test? Would she actually be able to achieve good grades if she is never serious for even a moment? Impossible! One of them who paid such a close attention to Zhao Youyue was her previous deskmate, Zhou Fang. She was seriously displeased over the fact that Zhao Youyues class ranking had surpassed hers, ranking seventh in class. Too bad for this arrogant twat, she will definitely surpass Zhao Youyue in the following monthly test and reclaim her dignity as an elite scholar! Unfortunately, she did not notice how attentive Zhao Youyue was during lessons. Truthfully speaking, as long as a person remains efficient in class, it would totally make any hard work later on redundant and unnecessary. Thus, in order to slack after class hours, one should pay full attention during lessons. Zhao Youyue couldnt care less about how others viewed her. As of now, she was 120 percent confident that she will score with flying colors. Xu Jings Card, only sent her confidence gushing over the brim! Zhao Youyue adored Xu Jing, her wife the most and will never abandon her wife as long as she lives. After the end of the third period, Zhao Youyue started to pack her things slowly. Going home early again, Lady Zhao? her green-eyed deskmate Jiang Qing sneered in envy. Thats right, rushing home to watch a war film. Zhao Youyue replied. War film? Whats so nice about war films? Its totally meaningless and only boys will love the sound of gunfire and cannons Jiang Qing drawled, based on her personal opinion towards war films. Maybe its because of my boyish personality? Dont you think that Im manly? with a slight smile, Zhao Youyue reached out and raised Jiang Qings chin slightly. Jiang Qing laughed while pushing off Zhao Youyues hand, shaking her head and said, Manly? You are totally like a gentle and caring little elder sister! Come on, Im very manly, actually. Thats because I have no interest in men at all. Doesnt this mean that Im attracted to the same sex? Zhao Youyue explained in a serious tone. Ya ya ya, Lady Zhao you are the manliest man ever! Your servant pays her respects to you! said the little angel Jiang Qing who was always obedient towards the lady of the Zhao family. This is because she has already been conquered by Zhao Youyues sugar-coated cannons. Since then, she would only think of how to please Zhao Youyue in order to keep her within arms length. At this state, regardless of it being weekdays or the hard to come by half days on weekends, she would follow Zhao Youyue to have a taste of various delicacies. Jiang Qing would be as cheerful as a fairy. How great would it be if she could follow Lady Zhao forever Zhao Youyue could only let out a sigh. Since she could not show how manly she is in the real world, her only chance to flaunt it would be in the other world. All she wanted was the whole Russian Empire to tremble before a young warrior girl! As the other students were heading towards the sports ground, basketball field or returning to their dorms, Zhao Youyue had finally packed up for the day. Of course, her private ride was already waiting outside the gates. Zhao Youyue headed towards the school gates while tapping away on her phone. She was collecting more information related to War Heroes while at the same time pondering on the manner and means of causing trouble to this unsuspecting drama series. Dramas are not like any other novel or manga, after all. It mainly requires a director, actors, cameramen and plenty of other crew members to finish the production. Without a doubt, all of these people are creators too! Would they be united in intoxication as well? Zhao Youyue suddenly had this strong interest in joining the filming crew of War Heroes. If her troublemaking contents are actually filmed and aired, she must then plan a tour to visit the scene when the entire filming crew is intoxicated Yo, leaving early again, Tycoon Youyue? Han Leng was holding a ping pong bat, apparently he had a game waiting for him. Zhao Youyue did not avert her gaze from her phone and replied as she walked by. You are right, great scholar Han. You wouldnt think that I am some top student just like what everyone else thinks, right? As Han Leng was rather close to Zhao Youyue, he was not able to take offense to that sarcastic remark. Instead, he felt a romantic knot forming in his heart merely from being able to walk side by side with Zhao Youyue. Unfortunately.. these sentiments were all one-sided. Without a doubt, someone with great results will definitely be a top student Anyway, for your information, you are currently the most well-known reader on the Qidian site. Your nickname has frequently appeared in the author group chats. Not to mention, plenty of authors are fantasizing about their novels catching your eye and being tipped a Silver Sect Master! Oh? What about you? If you have share similar fantasies, I should reward you too. Just consider it as your contribution of that gentle reminder earlier on, Zhao Youyue gave a gentle smile while speaking in a manner that was neither serious nor in jest. Its fine! Han Leng rejected her offer right away. He suddenly felt that he should not have helped Zhao Youyue with that apology letter in the beginning for the sake of money. Perhaps to her, Han Leng was just a tool that could easily be bought away with money. The people in Zhao family certainly treated everyone like dogs! Of course, being a dog of the Zhao family is better off than living as a human being. However, Han Lengs intense pride had taken over again, and he left Zhao Youyue for his ping-pong game. He was pricked by Zhao Youyues unintended sense of superiority, which once again only existed in his delusional mind. Zhao Youyue raised her head and was stunned at Han Leng who suddenly left. She was rather baffled but paid no further heed to it. After she reached home, Zhao Youyue directly used her computer and began watching War Heroes. She kept her eyes peeled open, not letting a single detail escape her gaze. Chapter 129 A crazy character setting She intended to get herself fully informed of her situation whenever she finds herself in another random story, courtesy of the Two Dimensional Gate, no matter how boring, awful, or distasteful the work was to her. Like Pure Romance, under normal circumstances, Zhao Youyue would never read such an erotic, school-based harem manga. However, since she has traveled into this world, she has committed the whole story to memory with all her heart. She believed that understanding the plot is vital if she wants to make things work. It was also probably due to her preference for the endless, survival type dimension-traveling Isekai novels. These novels have always stressed one thing knowledge is power. Protagonists would often strive to learn as much as they possibly can about the new, strange worlds they find themselves in. Of course, in this TV drama War heroes, she has entered the world with the clear intention of destroying the story. The original storyline should just buzz off! Initially, she was not looking forward to the quality that War Heroes would offer. However, when she forced herself through the story, she realized the drama was actually not that bad. Perhaps, it was because she lacked experience with war movies, for she was actually taken aback after witnessing the cruelty of war. She then understood that war was no childs play, and you the pen was not always mightier than the sword. When words do not get through, you might have to spill your blood, or pay for freedom with your life! The script for this drama was based on the historical war against Russia. It borrowed the events of that famous war as inspiration, and came as close as they could to portraying realism. The male protagonist Liu Xing, was the commander of one of the Chinese peoples brigade. It was called the Fierce Tigers Regiment, and all the members were very capable fighters in their own right. He was the perfect hero. He had no weaknesses besides being a little hot-blooded and cynical at times. Liu Xing was a very patriotic man. He would spill his blood or even lay down his life for his country. At the same time, he cared about all his troop members and treated them as his own brothers. He would use any necessary means to help his brothers! He also took his family bond very seriously, and he cared deeply for his only sister, Liu Qing. However, she was just a university student in the drama, and would never make an appearance in the frontlines. As for our main protagonist Liu Xing, not only does he have to battle the Russians, he also has to deal with the bullshit coming from his idiotic superior, Liang Feifan. Liang Feifan stood for all that is corrupt and self-serving and cowardly in the military, and it was just impossible for such character to exist in the real world. After all, the character would mightly end up being tried for defaming the army. However, in this world, the scale of your story could go to any length. After all, the way they filmed it was similar to an American drama. You could broadcast the show while filming it without needing the approval of any authoritative association. The State Administration of Press, Publication, Radio, Film and Television of the Peoples Republic of China was a terrible department. It should not exist, because it only served to irritate the viewers, scriptwriters, and directors alike! Liang Feifan came from a noble family. He was a selfish person and sought nothing but profit. He was jealous of talented people, especially Liu Xing who was an exceptionally skilled soldier. Not only would he keep picking on Liu Xing, he would even claim credit for the latters military exploits. He was particularly afraid for the day if Liu Xing is promoted and leaves his team, where people would realize that he is actually an incompetent buffoon. If you were watching the drama in Liu Xings shoes, it would be a story of tormenting the main protagonist. This was all because Liu Xing would constantly endure hardships for his country, reaching the limit as to how much a hero could cope with. Not only did he have to face the cruel Russians, he still had to bear with the pressure coming from upstairs. Foreign, domestic, he somehow finds a way to survive it! Perhaps the director, Ling Jianzhong intended to use this method to portray Liu Xings heroism. However, this well-produced drama was too aggravating for the viewers. It was unbearable for the viewers to see him fighting the Russians while being tortured by his superiors! The important part was that when Liu Xing is on the front lines; Liang Feifan would be seducing his wife, Zhao Dongni. The story was getting outrageous, as the main protagonist was being picked on, too excessively. What was the director trying to proof here, that the hero would definitely be cheated on and still forgives her later on? Luckily this was just a TV drama. As a drama, it was easier to accept that the main protagonist being cuckolded compared to a novel. This is because motion pictures lacked the inner voice within a characters mind that had readers sitting directly in the mind of the victim, and thus, it carried a less direct effect. American dramas are awash with NTR scenes, as if they could not be anything else but an American drama without complicated relationships. The current plot had reached a whole new level of picking on the main protagonist. The little girl, Tan Xiaoya, whose whole family was slaughtered by the Russians, had been shot in the chest and was bleeding her life out. Death in the next episode seemed to be the only possible outcome. Naturally, this was meant to serve as a switch for Liu Xing to unleash his rage and tear apart the Russian elite troop, Alpha as his unquenchable thirst for vengeance only grow further! In reality, this was also what his superior Liang Feifan would love to see. He wanted the members of Fierce Tiger Regiment who were loyal to Liu Xing to die on the battlefield. Moreover, he wanted Liu Xing to lose all his brothers and end up alone! Obviously, the development of the plot would have Liu Xing fighting the Alpha elite team. Then, even though he is able to kill some of the enemy, his Fierce Tigers Regiment members would suffer severe losses Zhao Youyue had already figured out the thought-patterns of this director/ scriptwriter, Ling Jianzhong. He would incessantly torture the main protagonist to show the cruelty of a war while portraying the heroic perseverance of Liu Xing! However, he did not understand what viewers actually wanted to watch. Viewers always loved a classic tale of good triumphing over evil. Regardless of story showing how the hero smashes the Russians up or repeatedly humiliates his superior Liang Feifan, it would greatly please the viewers. In the end, just because he is the hero, he has to endure everything and give his very soul away for the good of his country? What a boring, clich, mainstream trope! That night, Zhao Youyue had a very detailed conversation with her father Zhao Jiayi, who was a military buff. In the end, her father expressed that he wanted a war movie where people totally overpower the Russians with modern weaponry, decades ahead of the technology back then! Zhao Youyue could not hold back her laughter. She told herself that this was very similar to the pattern of a certain exaggerated anti-Japan drama. This was because inter-dimensional weapons would always appear in these kinds of dramas, such as AK47, Gatling guns, and AWP sniper rifles. Thus, she decided that the first ability of Tan Xiaoya would be the power to summon all kinds of modern weapons. Countless guns and weapons would appear with just a ripple in the dimension behind her, just like opening the Kings treasure! Of course, it was not enough to have only one power, she also wanted to have all the abilities that the main protagonists had in those anti-Japan dramas. For instance, there was this dumpling grenade which could be eaten as a delicacy, or be thrown as a bomb. As for martial arts, her choice definitely would be Bare-hand strength. She could use her cute little hands and rip tanks apart with bare-hand strength! She would even have a bag filled with stones that could bring down a plane. By flinging those stones, she would be able to strike down any Japanese plane flying in the air! Oh, lets not forget curving bullets. Every bullet she fires will curve in the air according to her desire. Therefore, it was no longer impossible to have a headshot on a target, 800 miles away! Of course, her most powerful weapon would be the Italian cannon. One shot would level an entire city! She was so powerful because she was actually a heroic servant from another dimension. She answered to the summoning and possessed Tan Xiaoya who was almost dead. Her real name wasLee Yunlong! She was a Saber class. Chapter 130 Destroying the dramas world overnight! Zhao Youyue was not joking about any of this, but neither has she lost her mind. All she wanted to do was to wreck something to her hearts content! This was due to the fact that she no longer cared about the consequences. She did not care if the screenwriter writes off her crazy character setting, who was out of this world. For once, she just wanted to become the main protagonist of a story! She did not come with the intention of creating an iconic character. She came with the sole purpose of becoming a superhuman in this boring drama! At the same time, she wanted to stand up for Liu Xing, because that Liang Feifan was way too horrible. You will always look forward for the day these characters get their dues. She did not have to be like Liu Xing who was constantly looking at the big picture. In this world of drama, she alone could accomplish the feat of defeating the Russians! Meanwhile, in the drama world, Liu Xing had a mixed feeling of sorrow and anger. This five-year-old girl Tan Xiaoya was just too pitiful. Not only was her family tortured and killed by the Russians, even she caught by stray bullets and would soon join her family, never able to see justice being served This side character Tan Xiaoya represented the suffering and loss of millions of Chinese people due to the invasion. Her death was a testament to the ruthlessness of the Russian invaders! However, not long after Liu Xing was having the mixed feeling of grief and anger, Tan Xiaoya suddenly recovered from her near-death state, as though as she had been reborn in flames. She had these mysterious lights glowing around her. Then, a huge sword appeared in her hand that came from nowhere, and it was even taller than herself. She lifted the sword and rested it on her shoulder, before putting on a roguish grinLet me ask you, are you my f*cking master? Tan Xiaoya was just a child. She could not speak clearly and had a lisp befitting of her age. However, she now had this indescribable aura billowing around her, because she was no longer human! When Liu Xing saw that Tan Xiaoya was alive and kicking, he was stunned. This was because Tan Xiaoya now had an army uniform on her, and it was the Chinese people armys uniform You Who are you? Liu Xing found that he could not wrap his head around the situation. What kind of situation was this, and was this Tan Xiaoya the Tan Xiaoya from before? My real name is Lee Yunlong, but right now I am Tan Xiaoya. The reason I am here is to join the war! Tan Xiaoya spoke through her childish lisp. As a result, Liu Xings sense of heroism was awakened again. Then, he said with all his righteousness to her, The war does not need kids like you. Protecting the country is the responsibility of the army. As the future pillar of this country, all you have to do is to study hard. Once the war is over, you can help by rebuilding our country! Just when he finished speaking, Tan Xiaoya was furious and stared directly at him. She shouted angrily, Are you saying that I am no soldier? Liu Xing could not agree to her joke. A five-year-old girl could never be a soldier, even if she is suddenly equipped with a big-*ss sword and dressed in a uniform that appeared from nowhere Tan Xiaoya scolded him, Here I thought you were a genius, but it turns out that you are an idiot. I alone, am sufficient for this war! She snapped her fingers after she finished her speech. There was a ripple in the air behind her, and countless modern weapons materialized at her back. This scene left the main protagonist Liu Xing in awe! The plot that followed was still Liu Xing fighting against the Russian elite troop Alpha with his Fierce Tiger Regiment. Of course, he brought along his servant Tan Xiaoya or Saber Lee, who he has inadvertently summoned Then, Liu Xing and his regiment members just sat back and watched as Tan Xiaoya vaporized the Alpha team while munching on dumplings. After going through half of the dumpling, she would throw away the other half and finish off the Alpha team! The story until now showed that Tan Xiaoya had made a scene with her dumpling grenade! Zhao Youyue felt awesome during the whole process. This is how invincibility should feel like! The plot development then became a one-man show for Tan Xiaoya. She used numerous, bizarre weapons to kill the Russians. In the end, she even summoned her Italian cannon and leveled the capital of Russia, Moscow. Zhao Youyue had completely destroyed the world of this drama. She was then reminded by the Two Dimensional Gate that she could now travel to the next world already. However, she was not in a rush, because she wanted to see whether this would actually make it to the final cut of the series Of course, during the process of leveling Moscow, there was a scene of Liang Feifan reprimanding Liu Xing. However, ever since Liu Xing had the servant Tan Xiaoya, he did not have to endure his sh*t anymore. He shouted six words to Liang Feifan Go and eat sh*t, Liang Feifan! Liang Feifan stated he was going to have Liu Xing court-martialed. However, before Liu Xing could say anything, Tan Xiaoya popped out from nowhere and shot Liang Feifan on the spot! There were corrupt, evil forces in the army who supported Liang Feifan, but Tan Xiaoya was not intimidated. She used her iron-willed resolve and eradicated all of them! Finally, Tan Xiaoya who had completed all her goals, or the servant Lee Yun long, bade her farewell to everyone with a smile on her face! It was truly a satisfactory ending! Zhao Youyue was able to finish all that she needed to do within one night. She woke up feeling refreshed the next day. At the very least, she was able to flush out all the dissatisfaction due to the torturing of the main protagonist when watching the drama War Hero. She just assumed it as one ridiculous dream. Zhao Youyue felt that her actions were no different to what she did in King of Superpower. Of course, her scenes would never make it to the final cut. At least, thats what she thought In any case, Zhao Youyue felt that it did not matter to her. She never wanted to gain any new abilities from that world anyway, and just wanted to have fun. If she does not put her heart into it, it would be impossible for her to obtain an iconic character card. At the same time, Lin Jianzhong was writing energetically on his desk. He was in a weirdly excited state. For some reason, his head was full of ideas and inspirations! Obviously, Lin Jianzhong had lost his senses. It was as if he had entered the world of War Heroes, and saw the character Tan Xiaoya firsthand. Moreover, he even witnessed all her unique abilities, including the shocking scene of modern missiles flying wildly all over the place, and the Italian cannon leveling the entirety of Moscow He felt that these scenes were even more realistic and interesting than those big budget movies. The visual effects were truly amazing! He wanted to inject all these inspirations into the script for the story development! Obviously, he was intoxicated and did not realize how bad it was for this character Tan Xiaoya to appear! It all depends on when he wakes up Chapter 131 How Did This End up in the Script? Zhao Youyue had tried her best to initiate the downfall of War Heroes, intending to make a quick exit, as she wanted to experiment and therefore determine the cooldown time of the Two Dimensional Gate. Thats right, the Two Dimensional Gate has a cooldown timer. Perhaps it was somehow related to the willpower of the character that Zhao Youyue possessed, or perhaps it was related to Zhao Youyues psychological state, or it even depended on how much she has affected the literary world itself. At this moment, the Two Dimensional Gate was in its cooldown state. All Zhao Youyue wanted to do was to end this war film arc quickly, so that she can move on to the next realm and craft up a new character. Of course, rushing all this would not make her feel any better. Zhao Youyue did not worry about it, as the Two Dimensional Gate will eventually open up. As a result, Tan Xiaoya, the character card from this realm cannot be obtained. That would be the irrefutable fact. The Two Dimensional Gate had a hidden equivalent exchange rule. In order to acquire an iconic or a highly popular character card, one must put in the necessary effort for that particular literary world, not deviating too much from its original background. Any character that stands out like a sore thumb would be regarded as a prank and those unusual characters could not possibly turn out to be iconic, as people would quickly forget about them after laughing it off. A literary world that contains physics similar to the real world will never produce a character that possesses a superpower. Consequently, that characters ability can never be brought into reality. Obviously, the realms that Zhao Youyue had entered were more or less as realistic as reality, even this war film is also heavily anchored down by realism. She would get the chance to obtain such a mysterious power whenever she enters a realm less bound by the conventional laws of physics. As for now, she has deliberately turned a realistic war film into a fantastical film, just to let loose for a bit. Even though Zhao Youyue did not acquire any abilities from her antics, she was still in a good mood at that moment. She had a pleasant dream that felt so real. She had a dream of resisting the Russian army by her lonesome, and it was truly a euphoric sensation. Zhao Youyue went to school like she normally did, her daily life still as ordinary as ever. But now, she has conjured up more ideas ever since entering a television series realm, and wanted to know more people who worked in the entertainment industry. Besides, she could even become a sponsor so that she could intervene things more directly, and of course, she certainly did not wish to mess things up whenever she enters the realm of a television series. For the same old reason, in order to create an iconic character, she must first cooperate with the creator. Before all else, a character must fit into the background of her literary world. Some creators fancied the thought of inserting some hidden settings into their works, using the magical world hidden in plain sight trope. If Zhao Youyue creates a something that completely did not belong, it would mean that she has ruined that literary work, even if it was just a little bit. This would also make that character useless, as that character she possesses is not supposed to have that kind of ability in the first place On the other hand, not taking advantage of a fantastical world of magic and superpowers would also be a waste. By being realistic in a realistic literary world, Zhao Youyue will then have a better chance of obtaining that characters ability. Meddling with the traits and abilities of a character without a care would only tear up the world. Then, it would simply end up as a dream, as too many inconsistencies will start popping up. Also, Zhao Youyue has discovered the various levels of realism of the worlds she has explored thus far. She now saw that the literary worlds would distort on varying degrees, depending on the extent of her tampering. Long story short, even though it seemed like she was just messing around, Zhao Youyue has gained much insight with regards to her abilities. This would all be a great help if she ever wants to create an iconic character in future. By not being able to leave this realm yet, Zhao Youyue has been given an opportunity to settle down and meditate on all this new information. Initially, as she wanted to leave this war movie realm as soon as possible, she went on a rampage for a day, intending to leave it on that very same day. Unlike Pure Romance and The Strongest King, where she would gradually get herself on the same channel with the plot. This was actually the correct way and attitude to obtaining an iconic character. The director of War Heroes, Lin Jianzhong jolted from his intoxicated state with a start. He looked at the script that he had worked on for two days in a row and leaned back contentedly As a creator, an artist, he had been through that hyper-inspiration state before, so he knew that he has created a masterpiece! Of course, that was just Lin Jianzhongs own imagination as he had not fully snapped out of his intoxicated state. He certainly did not view his work as something ridiculous, he even wanted to get to filming it right now Just before he handed over the script to the actors, he went over the script once again. Lin Jianzhong shuddered, and instantly felt as if he had just woken up from a possessed state. By the time he read through it, his whole face was bright red! He was completely buried in his own shame! Was he really that drunk for the past two days? How could he have created such a ridiculous script, this is definitely not what his hyper-inspired state would come up with, this was some scrambled up ramblings of a childs mind! Yup, that child was Tan Xiaoya. Her family was brutally killed, so she would usually fantasize about possessing miraculous powers, and would utilize that power without any restraint so that the whole world would tremble before her! Lin Jianzhong let out a wry smile when he knew that the past two days have gone to waste, how could he have written something so ludicrous? They had to go. All of it is to be scrapped, what the heck was he doing!? Tearing up the Russians with bare hands, explosive dumplings, flinging stones to strike down airplanes, sniping from 800 miles away, curving bullets Lin Jianzhong suddenly realized that it would take an unusual imaginative mind to come up with so many unnatural abilities to Tan Xiaoya. He could probably make use of these gimmicks for future projects. Just as Lin Jianzhong made to head back to the drawing board, he received a phone call Xiao Lin, Im sorry to tell you this, but the studio has decided to let you go. The viewer ratings of your War Heroes film are seriously awful, wrap it up with eight episodes, that would be all. What? Didnt they promise me ten episodes? This is just season one Lin Jianzhong responded disgruntledly. Hoho, season one? Are you seriously think that theres gonna be a season two? Giving you two more episodes is the maximum limit, dont forget that some sponsors have pulled out of the project, theres no way you can make it with ten episodes! My hands are tied, Im just giving you the news, goodbye! Lin Jianzhong was dumbfounded. He put down his phone haltingly, caressing the script in his hands. His eyes were burning with rage. Two more episodes left, huh A cornered beast is at its most dangerous state! All at once, Lin Jianzhong heard Tan Xiaoyas undeveloped lisp ringing away in his mind. Chapter 132 The Grand Finale Obviously, this television series was at the end of its life, with or without Zhao Youyue intruding to mess it up. Even if Zhao Youyue decides to provide a helping hand, the higher-ups have already decided to put an end to it. Zhao Youyue could actually become a side character and exit the realm when the literary work ends, but she was not planning on doing so, and remained to wreak more havoc instead. From a different perspective, her actions were only providing more ridiculous ideas and inspirations to the director, Lin Jianzhong. At the end of it, Zhao Youyue could only assure herself, that she was helping out this amateur director, Lin Jianzhong, who wanted to make an impression with his war films. This was no chicanery. Lin Jianzhong actually wanted to remove all the ridiculous contents from his drunken self, but after Lin Jianzhong was informed that his work was now coming to an end, boldness overtook his sanity! Why dont he just put all these ridiculous ideas to the screen, anyway? Since he was only left with two more episodes, his original plans were now really in ruins. Just because his work lacked a few, highly specific traits, the remaining interesting scenes could no longer be filmed To be honest, if he was not in his intoxicated state, he would have just given up on himself, feeling lost and unable to film the last two episodes. This movie would conclude with a half-*ssed, disillusioned ending. The consequences of a crappy ending would be, no one would ever know of this drama right from the beginning up till the end, and his unappreciated efforts would go to waste. Now, he realized that this ending could potentially turn this disaster into a cult favorite, if he makes his move wisely. Of course, such a heavily drug-addled work would not be something to be proud of. It was somehow akin to running naked on the streets to attract attention, or getting someone like Zhao Youyue, who had no sense of presence to suddenly jump up to the stage and beat up a teacher. Nevertheless, such methods would always cause an uproar! As short-lived as such methods would be, some netizens would even frame it inside their private halls of shame. But then, his drama had remained unknown ever since its premiere, so of course, Lin Jianzhong was not highly dissatisfied with this situation! He was disappointed with the current entertainment era. Indeed, he was pretty serious when it came to filming this war film, wasnt he, why couldnt anyone appreciate it? He wanted to cause an uproar to exact his vengeance on society! He wanted to prove his own existence, to make himself known throughout history! Now, he could only show it in a different way Lin Jianzhong himself knew all too well that this inspired mode produce ideas that were ludicrous and out of the world. However, in terms of creativity, it would definitely surpass all trending war films. He even believed that some other war films in the future would be inspired by his creation After wrestling with himself for a bit, Lin Jianzhong, who soon relented to himself, handed in the ridiculous script to his actors. He did not even bother considering if his five-year-old actress could play out the role. Obviously, Lin Jianzhong had given up all hope. In his mind, these final two episodes were going to be a mess, so who cares if the actors put their backs to it or not? Ratings were disastrous, the entire cast was low in morale, everyone was expecting this drama to fail and had left the sinking ship to its fate. This five-year-old actress was the daughter of one of the actors, her name was Li Yunyun, and she was just an ordinary girl. She only had two or three scenes originally, and her character would be killed off in the next episode, after getting hit by a stray bullet. So, she was rather shocked when she received her extensive lines, and turned to her dad who was also an actor, asking if something had gone wrong with Director Lins brain Her dad Li Yun felt especially happy for her, Who cares if hes lost it, its a good thing that you got so many scenes, can you do it? Understandably, Li Yunyun was a little uneasy, being only five years old. Even though she was rather mature for her age due to her single-parent upbringing, she was totally new to this role. She would not have become involved with acting if not for her dad. Seeing that she was originally planned out to be this side character little girl who had only two or three appearances on screen, of course, she could do it, anyone would be able to step up to it. But now that little girl was possessed by the brave soul of Li Yunlong, and having no clue as to who this Li Yunlong was, she had zero clues on how to act like one. A patriotic, heroic spirit, would be challenging, even for an adult. Still, Li Yunyun decided to accept the role, because she knew that her dad would force her to agree, regardless of what she felt about it. What was the happiest thing for an actor? Of course, it would be getting more screentime, so why bother about the details? Of all the actors here, none of them were award-winning candidates. The lead roles of Liu Xing and Liang Feifan had some caliber. Still, they were relatively unknown, despite being full-fledged professionals, possessing pretty decent acting skills. However, their pay was slightly low, as of now, this was the era of handsome men. Owning a handsome face and lovestruck fans, were the solid foundations of an acting career. These professional actors had no objections towards Lin Jianzhongs new script. The actor who played the role of Liu Xing grinned to himself, Eat this sh*t, Liang Feifan! He felt that he could finally release the anger of the hero that had been pent-up for a long time The actors were aware of this being the final two episodes, so they never bothered sweating over the details either. It was certainly best for everyone to end this flopping drama without incident. So, under strange circumstances, the cameras started rolling for the two final episodes of War Heroes The cameraman suddenly realized that when his camera was directed at Li Yunyun, who was supposed to play the role of Tan Xiaoya, he felt something click, as if he was being possessed, he knew exactly how to film, all the way down to the angle and zooms required to capture Tan Xiaoya in her perfect form! The actress, Li Yunyun who was acting as Tan Xiaoya performed incredibly as well. She has never taken formal lessons before, but her performance was like that of an experienced actor, it even outshone the actors who played as Liu Xing and Liang Feifan! She eventually became a genius actress, becoming fully immersed in this Tan Xiaoya role! The strangest thing was, not a single blooper even occurred, the whole group was completely in sync, it was an astounding sight! The director, Lin Jianzhong rarely had to shout cut, because everyone was at their peak performance, as if they all had the same visualizations of these scenesand knew just what the director wanted So, War Heroes was done filming in an extremely short amount of time, while editing took just as much, if not less effort! Even the awesome visual effects were completed, as the production staff who was in charge of the special effects were possessed too, and were performing at over 200% capacity. They were originally a second-rate special effects production team, but they were producing something that could have come from a major blockbuster! Next Thursday, these two episodes will be the grand finale of War Heroes! Youku video web will also host these final two episodes at 12:00 AM, on the same day. Chapter 133 Creators Gratitude Normally, a famous television drama would give a short overview of its plot towards the end of each episode so that it could rope in more viewers. For a flopping drama like War Heroes, what power would these two remaining episodes have. It was just like a normal person who has worked hard for their entire life, only for a few equally diminutive figures to acknowledge them when they die. It was understandable for the creator, Lin Jianzhong to completely lose it all after he has given up on himself. Some people would probably do something crazy if they knew that they were going to die tomorrow. They would not be bothered about moral ethics anymore since they were dying anyway, so why not enjoy themselves, instead? After Lin Jianzhong watched the completed cut of his two final episodes, he realized that they were surprisingly wonderful! Lets start off with the visual effects, this television drama had the same effects as some major blockbuster movies, how exciting can this be! The little girl simply looked amazing! One of the main focus was the amazing visual effects. Whenever the little girl was floating midair, she would wave a hand nonchalantly, and countless modern weaponry would materialize out of thin air, it was simply awe-inspiring! She was literally a one-man army! Story-wise, the sudden change of personality in Tan Xiaoya was justified by her being possessed by a brave soul named, Li Yunlong, eventually becoming the golden finger of Liu Xing, the main protagonist. Of course, she was not under his control, so she proceeded to fend off the Russian army alone, against his counsel. She also wiped out all the spies and scums in their own army. Liang Feifan, who had been bullying Liu Xing since the beginning of time was also butchered by this violent little girl In the previous six episodes, the main protagonist had been tortured by all these people, and everyone took pity on the main hero, as they obviously detested the villains. All of a sudden, these two final episodes had this brave Heroic Spirit possessing a little girl, meting out justice in invincible fashion! The plot was simple, yet with violence as their element! Had to admit that the final two episodes were indeed ridiculous, the styles had completely changed but it was still enjoyable as before. The actions that the invincible little girl did, was exactly what the audience wanted to see. The audience have often wondered about what they would do if they were in place of the protagonist for the previous six episodes. Obviously, Tan Xiaoya had helped them fulfill their fantasies Now for the main focus, the little actress who played the role of Tan Xiaoya was amazing. She looked nothing like a child on screen, but exhibited all the traits of a grizzled war veteran. Deep down in her heart, the soldier named Li Yunlong was loyal to the country and to her master. Indeed, she epitomized the spirit of patriotism and loyalty! The most impressive feat she performed was none other than her Italian Artillery. The effects were absolutely breathtaking, they were even more exaggerated than an atomic bomb! After watching the final two episodes, he realized something. His films had failed to catch on, because they were too realistic, and the main protagonist was pathetically helpless. Before this, he had this skewed view of the main protagonist being a person who could endure the worlds pain and suffering, a man who would never lose sight of the big picture, for these were the pure traits of a true hero. Now, he realized that all these realism was pointless and, the best way out would be to do something reckless and ridiculous! He wanted to create a new era for patriotic films, and his latest mindchild would be called Into the Artillery Fire. He decided to carry on with these over-the-top contents for it to stand out more. He intended to establish the great four in a movie. He would create the greatest war scenes ever in history, the greatest bandits of all times, the greatest possible display of brutal and bloody tortures, as well as the greatest convolution of love triangles, ever. This will be an illogical and thrilling war that has never happened in history, along with fun romance between youngsters to attract more audience of various ages Of course, before this happens, would the grand finale of his War Heroes make it to the news headline? From a different perspective, Lin Jianzhong is already so far gone and disillusioned that he no longer cared about the industry. He had put all of his earnest efforts into making a film that was tailored for both history and reality, and yet nobody ever paid much attention to it. Perhaps his standards were just too niche for the audience Lin Jianzhong had realized those famous popular shows on the market were always full of superficial gimmicks. Either that, or some famous and good looking artist having screentime in the show. He could not afford to hire those high paying actors who had a following of zealous fans, as such, he could only produce a film full of said gimmicks. He would then mix in all the popular elements into his war film in order to make it a godly film! This did not just apply to television dramas, elegance would never compete with vulgar fan-services in other fields. Even in web novels, the most popular ones were none other than hollow literature which was riddled with countless plot holes, as some carefree readers would still pay without hesitating. Readers who were slightly niche would end up viewing pirated versions instead. The number of people encouraging the pirated industry would only affect the income of the author. With insufficient income, serious authors who wanted to produce some masterpieces from their hearts and souls would eventually be forced to quit Without any other choices, those authors with their own standards would also end up writing hollow literature instead. This was harsh, cruel reality, a fine example of how bad money drives out good money. Lin Jianzhong was thankful for the intoxicated state that took hold of him on the previous day, it had led him down a new path of inspiration, and no longer felt lost. He might become one of the first few who has ever filmed the greatest godly films of turning the Russian army into mincemeat. That troublemaker Zhao Youyue was completely unaware that all of this was transpiring behind her back, neither was she aware of how thankful the creator was for the mess she had created. She actually thought that the author would snip out everything that she has created the moment he gets a grip of himself, and would only take some part of it as his inspiration. Those messed up abilities of Tan Xiaoya were indeed interesting, as these abilities had been inspired by another godly film from another world. Since Tan Xiaoya was already possessed by a Heroic Spirit, her ridiculous powers would actually make some sense. Zhao Youyue wanted to see what would happen after she inspires the original creator. Hmm Would he change the plotline of War Heroes? Would it somehow remain realistic, or would it gain some fanservice It seemed impossible to accept the entire ridiculous plot, however hard you try to. She even realized that she overdid it a little by pretending it to be a dream, and had messed things up to her hearts content. In fact, she was pretty satisfied with it. In that dream, she was just like a person with a messiah-complex, or with a Midas touch. Such dreams are pleasant, arent they? At the end of it, they will soon realize they were still a normal person, without being rich after waking up, but that could not be helped, right? Reality still has to run its course. In the cooldown period of the Two Dimensional Gate, Zhao Youyue had successfully lifted all the weight off her chest, causing total disarray. Her monthly test was just around the corner, and indeed, she wanted to prove herself in this upcoming test. Of course, she will never neglect watching the final two episodes of War Heroes. Oh, and she can watch it together with her dad who was a military buff. Chapter 134 Watching a Godly Film with the Family Zhao Jiayi would definitely agree to watch a war film with his beloved daughter, because he was a good man who takes good care of his family. He would never reject any request from his daughter, but he did not want to see his daughter become some sort of VIP either. This is one of the reasons why Zhao Youyue had been delegated to a role of a side character. If one wishes to become a high-profile existence, they must work hard for it, especially for someone like Zhao Youyue who was mediocre in every aspect. If she never stands out by herself, it would be normal for her to end up as a side character. Hardwork was a talent too. Luckily, Zhao Youyue was striving(causing) hard(trouble) in order to not end up as a side character, hoping to become something worth noticing. Zhao Youyues mother Wang Hua could not stand the way her husband was spoiling the daughter, she wished that her daughter would become a successful person one day. However she could not just force her daughter to do so, so she simply left her daughter be. The love Wang Hua gave her daughter was no less than Zhao Jiayis. She was satisfied with Zhao Youyues performance recently because her daughter finally decided to pick up violin lessons again. She never complained about it being tiring or torturous like she used to do so when she first started learning the violin. This was enough to bring a smile to Wang Huas face. Of course, Zhao Youyue had just started learning violin lessons again for less than a month. It still remained unclear if she could continue for three months, or if she could at least try to break her previous record. What a shame Zhao Youyue was reshaping herself. When Wang Hua saw that her daughter had invited her dad to watch a television drama, she felt a little bit emotional, why did that little sloth only invite that scoundrel from the Zhao family, and not her? No way, she wanted to be together with the little sloth as well! So, the family of three sat down together in front of a huge LCD TV that hung from the ceiling, watching a television drama. Zhao Youyue did this as a child, but as she grew older, technology only grew more developed. Television was gradually being pushed out, because a computer could replace it completely. Even smartphones could view dramas Wang Hua usually used her tablet to watch videos and being a smartphone addict, the smartphone was part of her body. The houses internet television was used mostly by Zhao Jiayi, because he liked watching big scenes with a big screen, it was a wholesome, fulfilling experience! Youyou, Im curious. Why did you recommend this War Heroes drama to me? I did watch the previous six episodes of it, it was rather lackluster Zhao Jiayi was lounging lazily on the soft sofa, talking to his daughter who sat beside Wang Hua. As a veteran war movie fan, Zhao Jiayi has seen a lot of war films, and he particularly loved those awesome explosive visual effects on a big screen. Every time a movie with decent visual effects shows up on cinema, he would bring his wife and daughter to watch it together. Unfortunately, Wang Hua was not interested in these kinds of film, she thought of them as childish and superficial. As for Zhao Youyue, she was neutral about it, so she would not question her fathers taste, and would even chime in with some good words that pleased her father. Zhao Youyues mild personality made it so that she would not blatantly offend anyone ever since childhood. She was slow to anger, and as a result, people would take it that she was an easy-going pushover. People who knew her for a long time would realize she treats everyone equally. Of course, there were people she held dearly in her heart, and none more so than her parents. She was a filial daughter who now cooks for her parents every week, and has even considered getting an awesome culinary skill that would only be found in a fictional world with help from the Two Dimensional Gate. When that happens, she would then make her parents a meal the likes of which the world has never seen. She could now make decent dishes without the help of the Xu Jing card, as practice makes perfect. While she prepares the food, her parents would not just wait for her like masters of the house, they would offer to help her whenever and however they can. Even her clumsy mother, Wang Hua would also do her best to help her daughter. The relationship between the three of them had been strengthened through cooking together. It might be normal on the previous episodes, but doesnt that mean that it wont be exciting at the end right? Who knows if the audience would be in for a big surprise? Zhao Youyue believed that the creator would not completely delete her touch of insanity, a part of it might have been taken as an inspiration for some form of fan-service. How else would he deal with that sudden outburst of inspiration? After Zhao Jiayi heard what his daughter had said, he felt somewhat disgruntled. He has watched a lot of war films, and he would know what the director was capable of just by watching the beginning of the show. This War Heroes was just an ordinary creation, it wasnt great, it wasnt horrible, there was nothing special about it, there was no mystery to its plummeting reviews. He did not understand why his daughter would recommend such a mediocre film. He had a collection of masterpieces if his daughter wished to watch war films But Zhao Jiayi valued watching television drama together with his wife and daughter over all else. He would not mind wasting his senses on a rubbish film, the company of his family was more than enough to make up for it. The showtime of War Heroes was 10 pm. Obviously, it was nowhere near primetime, it did not deserve to be there. Wang Hua could not help but yawn. She never liked war films. With her husband sitting on her left and daughter on her right however, she had no desire to move away. Rather, she wanted that situation to last forever. As the equally mediocre opening song of War Heroes started to play, the three of them had focused their attention on the television screen. Zhao Youyue was the most exuberant one, she was looking for a special something that involved no one else She predicted that the director, Lin Jianzhong would distribute the abilities of Tan Xiaoya to the men of the main protagonist, Liu Xing, forming a special forces unit to resist the Russian army. If every man had some sort of special ability, so people would not notice the sudden changes. But still, it would make the scenes all the more refreshing. After watching it for a short while, she saw the little girl Tan Xiaoya was glowing mysteriously, aided by effects that did not look one bit cheap. It was even better than the real-live effects of the Two Dimensional Gate. After all, the technology of computer special effects are pretty developed by now. Are you my motherf*cking master? Tan Xiaoya had transformed! That line was uttered with the uncharacteristic lisp of a child. Zhao Youyues eyes flew wide open. Zhao Jiayis jaw fell to the ground. Wang Huas drowsiness scampered away and never returned again. Chapter 135 The Grand Finale was Enjoyable Zhao Youyue did not expect this Lin Jianzhong to film the ridiculous plot that she created in the Two Dimensional Gate in its raw, mad entirety, how reckless can he be? How did the crew even agree to this? The Two Dimensional Gate was indeed incredible, whenever the author wants to turn his inspiration into reality, others who helped would also be in on it with all of their hearts. Of course, Zhao Youyue did not know that the studio has canceled the series. Enraged, the director had decided to film the whole script, the script that he wrote when he was as inspired as he was drunk, so that it would make it to the news! Since the war film I created was boring and those blasted viewers never once gave it a good rating, screw it all, Ill just go loco here these were the thoughts of the director. After Zhao Jiayi snapped out of his shock, he complained, What is this director on? He created something so ridiculous, this must be some kind of joke, this is an insult to all war films! How blasphemous Well, such things exist! I dont mind it at all, I find it rather quite interesting. Even though Ive never seen the previous episodes, but now even I feel like watching the past episodes to understand the plot better. War films these days are too solemn and serious Wang Hua refuted her husband. What? Too solemn and serious? Blood is spilled in wars, its not like you expect everyone to sing along at campfires! Oh, that will still be boring. You Lets just continue watching, shall we? Zhao Youyue piped up, she certainly did not want to see her mom and dad quarrel again. That reminds me, Youyou. You knew that this director was going to do something, didnt you? Zhao Jiayi felt suspicious. Mmhmm, but I never expected that he would do something like this, this war film is certainly mystical. Zhao Youyue chuckled. Zhao Jiayi did not bother probing any further. She probably had her sources, or knew an extra in the cast. Zhao Jiayi knew that his daughter was good at socializing with other people, even though she was just ordinary in every aspect. She could blend in very well, and people would easily connect to her, and would easily pull her into their circles. Zhao Jiayi knew his daughter like the back of his hand. Now that Zhao Youyue had blended into the field of network literature and manga, she has become a famous reader. She would receive numerous invitations to fan gatherings of well-known authors, but unfortunately, she did not have much free time, as she was still attending high school. As time passed, false rumors had begun spreading, saying that tycoon Youyue was actually a guy, or she was ugly, and thus will never show herself in public. Those who spread the rumors were the ones who had never seen the photos of Su Li and Zhao Youyue that were shared in the authors group before. Sadly those photos would be removed from the chat servers after some time. Zhao Youyue did not have the energy to entertain these rumors because they were not on the same level as her, they should at least know the basic information of tycoon Youyue by now. Zhao Youyue was considered an experienced reader in Qidian, because she was more involved in the field of authors, compared to amateur readers and authors. She also knew how Qidian operated, and knew how to pick out a good book from the extensive list of titles. Basically, books that were on the top twenty can be omitted, because eighty percent of them were fixed by people, the High Gods who had no godly expertise would need the fabricated clicks of their minions to retain their ranking. Those High Gods who had godly expertise would need no one to fabricate their statistics. What is this godly expertise? Readers would recognize the author, where after reading one of their books, they would want to read their other books. When they start reading a new book from the same author, they would start off by tipping a Sect Master to encourage the author. Such was an author with godly expertise. For those who manipulated their book ranking, they did not do it every month because they certainly did not want their dark secrets to be exposed, and it would go on like this in an endless cycle. To them, it was just like using the resources that gained from a war in order to continue the war. Long story short, those experienced readers in Qidian knew that the ranking board could not be trusted. The ranking board would be a battlefield of the rich players, and some people would spend most of their money to emulate the impression of a High God. Of course, they would not gain any profit from it, but they certainly enjoyed its process. While some people would only spend part of their money to gain more popularity or exposure, in order to achieve a balanced income Under these circumstances, Zhao Youyue, who had a significantly influential booklist would ultimately be the big winner! Because the ranking boards could not be trusted, many readers can no longer find books that they liked. Over time, experienced readers would start looking for books from privately recommended booklists, while amateur readers would still be looking on the ranking boards, searching for the book they all wanted to read. They would not know that higher rankings did not always mean higher quality. Those rankings were a farce. Zhao Youyue would never recommend a book as a favor for a friend, she insisted that she only adds in her favorite books to her booklist, and this had made her booklist even more popular. Zhao Youyues family was still watching the godly film at the moment. Zhao Jiayi disliked the odd director at first, but now he was totally watching the film with relish! What exactly did he see? Of course, it was a magnificent scene, the type that he loved watching the most! He would often fantasize Chinese soldiers using modern weaponry to gun down the Western white-skinned boars who dressed themselves up in fur and wielded crude spears! Wang Hua was transfixed by the acting abilities of the little girl who was acting as Tan Xiaoya, just how old was she? If she really was just five years old, with those spectacular acting skills, she had a bright future ahead of her! The final two episodes of War Heroes was absolutely amazing, it would be even better for people who have watched the previous episodes. The previous contents were an endless tirade of the main protagonist enduring humiliation after humiliation and sufferings at the hands of various vile villains. Now, the final two episodes glorified the exploits of the Heroic Spirit who possessed Tan Xiaoya, beating up the villains and annihilating a whole country single-handedly. What ridiculous madness! The plot was stupid, because there was no way a Heroic Spirit would appear in reality. Even though the plot was illogical, the audience wouldnt give two hoots about it. Those abilities that Tan Xiaoya used had really awesome visual effects, some people might even consider this a science fiction blockbuster movie! Zhao Jiayi highly respected logic and realism, but the stunning visual effects in this film had totally subdued him. This television dramas grand finale was unexpectedly amazing! Wang Hua thought that the character Tan Xiaoya was fascinating. A little girl becoming a soldier via supernatural means and taking her place among the bloody, violent territory of soldiers! Second only to Tan Xiaoya was most certainly the main protagonist Liu Xing and the antagonist Liang Feifan, and the showdown between the two of them. When Liu Xing shouted, Eat this sh*t, Liang Feifan!, it only made the scene more comical, right before the idiotic superior Liang Feifan was blown up by Tan Xiaoya The Italian artillery that was summoned by Tan Xiaoya at the final moment had terrifying destructive power, this left the three of them watching in awe. The director certainly had to be on something! This was the first time where the capital of Russia and the Empress Catherine was blown to smithereens by an Italian artillery on public television! It had much more details compared to Zhao Youyues dream, it carried far more impact! Zhao Youyue has certainly messed things up, big time! Why must it be Italian artillery, our countrys artillery was one of the best during the world war, that Italian artillery was nothing! The military buff, Zhao Jiayi grumbled. Dad, dont you think that the name Italian Artillery sounds awesome? Maybe that brave soul Li Yunlong came from another timeline to possess Tan Xiaoya? Zhao Youyue replied. Tch Whats the name of this director, nothing can impress me, but he managed to do it. He has created a new wave of war films! Zhao Jiayi exclaimed. The directors name is Lin Jianzhong, but I think that such a satirical finale will only raise some fuss for a short time, people will forget move on. Zhao Youyue said, feeling a little sorry for it. Even if people manage to remember Tan Xiaoya, Zhao Youyue would never inherit the abilities of Tan Xiaoya. As War Heroes took place in a universe as realistic as reality can be, she can only obtain a watered down form of that ability that was close to reality. If she did not create the Heroic Spirit Li Yunlong, instead of creating the real life Li Yunlong who was as much flesh and blood as anyone else, then she might be able to use that Li Yunlong card right now, inheriting the spirit of patriotism from Li Yunlong. After the three of them finished watching War Heroes, they were left wanting for more, because watching that little girl Tan Xiaoyas magnificent explosives raining down on the Russian army alone was indeed enjoyable. That little actress was stellar! Would this have a sequel? Wang Hua could not help but ask. It would be impossible to have a continuation after this, the director probably did this on purpose because he knew that it was going to end Zhao Jiayi said the truth harshly. Sigh, this was actually the first time I ever enjoyed a war film, I wanted to see a film with Tan Xiaoya as the main protagonist. Let this little girl continue her career as an actress. Her acting skills were top notch, I felt that she became the real Li Yunlong in that film. This is nothing like a war film! But it was indeed interesting, those actors were on steroids in the grand finale Zhao Jiayi the critic said. Tan Xiaoya would be completely at home in a world with supernatural powers. Maybe I should find an author to write something up, lets call it Rumble of Little Girls? Zhao Youyue smiled. That was a fine idea! If little sloth manages to find someone to write it, I would get someone to make it a movie! Wang Hua said it happily. Wang Hua now wanted to watch a war film that starred little girls, the irony was priceless! At the same time, several netizens who frequented the Youku video network, started watching the grand finale of War Heroes Chapter 136 Overnight Fame Several Youku netizens have never even spared a single glance for any episode of War Heroes, some of them just watched this film by chance the video was trending, and comments were flowing in about how shocking it was! The most absurd finale of a war film ever in history, having the Russian Empress getting blasted to smithereens! Obviously, the staff who marked the video as recommended had already seen it himself. This would be understandable, as the staff would need to verify the content prior to the video being uploaded, he could not simply allow anything to get uploaded onto the website unfiltered That staff was prepared for another boring day at work, but when he clicked the video, he was left dumbfounded Is this really a war film? He first thought he would get this verification nonsense over in 10 minutes, but he ended up watching the whole video! Feeling that he could not allow this unique video to go unnoticed, he used all of his experience on the job to give it a special title, or else this movie would certainly be buried under hundreds of other war films. Even though it had a bizarre ending, nobody would know about it. Even if someone discovers it one day, it would be a waste to let its freshness die off so soon. Might as well place it on the recommended video list, and let people discover it immediately. This film had failed as a war film, because logical-thinking fans would condemn it, while audiences who loved spoofs would love it, because it was a godly film. It had so many flaws that people had no idea where to start bashing it, it almost felt like the whole thing was full of loopholes, yet no holes could be found. A lot of audiences was attracted by that shocking caption, and they wanted to see how absurd it would be. After they saw Tan Xiaoya being possessed by a brave soul, they could no longer divert their attention, having never seen such a unique film before. One moment, it was a serious war film, only to become a magic girl fantasy in the next! This was a television drama that had the same effect as a blockbuster movie! The plot became stupidly simple and yet became stupidly violent! The events of the video could be summed up as a little girl beating up the Russian army and the dark forces within their own army. Be it the Russian army or the dark forces, they were all baddies. Now that Tan Xiaoya had activated her golden halo and started ravaging them fancifully, the audience found something truly magical about it. The main focus of this grand finale was not the simple and violent plot, but the little girl who got possessed by a brave soul, showing her ridiculous abilities and the awesome visual effects, such as those explosive dumplings that no one has ever seen. The appearance of a little girl that did not match with a mature soul, and her invincible abilities. All these points that contradicted each other was amusing! These self-contradictory points in the grand finale was a major attraction. The serious film becoming a godly film, the paradoxical characteristics in Tan Xiaoya, or the awesome acting skills despite her young age, these were the best selling points! Besides the plot, the effects were superb! Most people would not put much attention to this film, but after they watching the finale of this film, everybody was hyped up and they were busying commenting in the comment section At first I thought that it was some silly clickbait, but I had never expected such a finale in a television drama, amazing! A serious drama that turned into live-action adaptation of an anime, but who cares, it was interesting! Brilliantly ridiculous! The director, Lin Jianzhong is a motherf*cking genius. Hold on, Im gonna watch the previous episodes to understand the content, surely they cant be that bad, right The one who commented before of me, please dont watch the previous content, they were boring as hell! These two amazing final episodes cannot be compared with the first six episodes, those previous episodes were full of cuckold and endless suffering, beware! I did watch every episode of War Heroes, the prologue was indeed boring and the main protagonist got tortured a lot, but if you ever watched the first six episodes, the final two episodes will make you feel so good as if youre flying! Trust me, watch it in sequence, you wont regret it! Wow, I cant take it anymore, wheres the medkit? My heart is already conquered by this cute little girl, she is even more straightforward than any man, a little girl who picks a fight with whoever who opposes her, that is so moe, I cannot resist her charm Such amazing acting skills! Every actor in the final two episodes felt like the real thing, especially that little girl who acted as Tan Xiaoya, stunning actress! A genius actress who only appears once every hundred years. If she can continue acting like this, she would still be really famous, even though she looks normal! Guy who has no clue on this series asking here, is there going to be a season two? I want to see Tan Xiaoya beat up everything in the plot, I love absurdity like this. Gives me a break from reality. I only remember that pathetic main protagonist saying Eat this sh*t, Liang Feifan!, the real hero was none other than the little girl, Tan Xiaoya! Definitely not gonna have a season two, this drama has obviously been cut short! The director was obviously pissed, so he decided to end it with a ridiculous bang, but I gotta admit, he succeeded! Those special effects sure burned a hole in their pockets! Not asking for a season two, but I want a television drama starring Tan Xiaoya! Please raise your hands if your brain is full of Italian artillery when that little girl said that shes gonna f*ck things up, that was really funny! Among the praises of the crowd, there were those who disagreed as well. Some people thought that Lin Jianzhong had a problem with his moral values, and that little girl should not wipe out entire Russia, it was too brutal, civilians should not be involved in the war. When Russia invaded China, it was the rulers fault, the people were innocent. Of course, these self-proclaimed saints were getting scolded behind their backs, but they seemed to be enjoying it. Everyone is blinded, Im the only one whose mind is clear! Some people were saying this director did not respect war films and history as well. Such a ridiculous ending should be banned, it was an insult to every soldier who has ever fought for his country! Luckily the Chinese media was more developed in this world, or else this television drama that featured the nuking of the capital of other countries and blowing their leader to smithereens, would definitely get banned! War Heroes became famous overnight because of its absurd grand finale! It became famous overnight for various reasons! Chapter 137 An Unexpected Accomplishment Such fame is shortlived, and it couldnt possibly last overnight. This was similar to a Kichiku topic C Brother Bo Lan who went viral in the Bilibili website. He enjoyed an upwards spike in recognition for the first few months, but as time passed, such unconventional work, which was out of the norm and what that many would call a cheat to getting famous wears off rather swiftly. They would leave a messed up, mind-boggling first impression on the readersand that would be about it. On the other hand, an actual icon would actually blur the line between fantasy and reality. It would have the power to cripple that rational judgment of humans. To them, that iconic character was truly alive in another world. They firmly believed that this girl existed in one form or another. For someone with golden thighs such as Tan Xiaoya, she would be unreal from the beginning. Most treated her as a humorous character; they would never believe that she existed in reality. Such sentiments prevented her from becoming a character card, regardless of her now widespread notoriety. The fact that she possessed abilities that far exceeded the parameters of normal humans also played a significant role. Therefore, creating an invincible, iconic character is gives little room for restraint. This was due to the simple fact that they were, by all means, invincible. The notion of a human being invincible would already suspend rational belief. On the contrary, Yu Shengfan, who was invincible in the virtual world of gaming, had far higher chances of existing in real life. Furthermore, her backstory, personality, imperfections and quirks, had all been conveyed to a certain extant. That was why her sudden death had triggered her immediate rise as an icon. Moreover, Tan Xiaoya only made her appearance for two episodes. She barely had over an hour of screentime. Her power, personality, and other traits had been left unexplained. Besides, the attention of the audiences was not on Tan Xiaoya herself, but on the special effects of her powers. The audience had left their jaws on the ground when her various, ridiculous powers started setting off, one after another Jaw drops aside, how could one become iconic in such a short period of time? From War Heroes, Zhao Youyue had only sought for a vent where she could release her steam, and she didnt even spend much time in it. She could enter the next world earlier and see if the next world has the possibility of granting her desired powers. For instance, the iron will and supreme art of leadership of an empress, or culinary skills which could create meals that glowed with power, or meals with aphrodisiac effects. Perhaps she might even be hit the jackpot and randomly enter a work of some well-known author and obtain a victory there without raising a finger She actually welcomed the idea of such an easy victory. This would save her all the trouble of building up and customizing a character by hand, without destroying the fabric of the novels universe, while remaining unnoticed by the author, all at the same time. It was tiring work. By entering War Heroes, not only did Zhao Youyue get to relax, she also imparted Lin Jianzhong, the director cum screenwriter with new insight. This might even bring great success to his next realistic war film, a godly anti-Russian drama. No wonder Lin Jianzhong appreciated his inexplicable ideas that much. Besides, she brought joy to the netizens of this world, along with ideas for Bilibili Kichiku. Liu Xing, who had suffered discrimination for a long time in the hands of Liang Feifan had finally erupted with rage and delivered the one-liner C Go and eat sh*t, Liang Feifan!. Bilibili Kichiku uploaders soon came up with the idea of creating a Cantonese parody of it With little surprise, the last two episodes of War Heroes went viral on the internet. Obviously, it soon spread to the Bilibili website. As the most advanced 2D webpage for online livestreaming that provided a livechat service, Bilibili had countless users who were skilled at throwing out puns and sarcastic comments spontaneously. A while after the video clip was aired in Bilibili, the screen soon became blotted out by numerous witty commentaries. Watching the video while reading the puns that flew across the screen would surely humor one to death! The Kichiku video uploaders will definitely create a Kichiku video for such a video, opening even more avenues for puns and viral spin-offs. Suddenly, Tan Xiaoya, Liu Xing and Liang Feifan found fame in the Bilibili website. They nearly joined the team of Bilibili All-Stars With the power of humor, War Heroes had gained fame. Plenty of curious viewers went ahead and watched the first six episodes due to its popularity, only to find how boring they actually were. Two episodes served as the perfect lullaby for most. One after another, the netizens who became fans due to the finale encouraged Lin Jianzhong the director-cum-screenwriter to keep up the good work. They wanted him to venture into satire, where there is no need to be restricted to logic or historical accuracy. The more he deforms and mutilates reality, the better! Lin Jianzhong finally understood what it takes to sell a story! From the first episode of War Heroes, there was nothing special, and now it had exploded, due to the ridiculous ending, even appearing regularly in the list of hot keywords search bar of Weibo. It seems like this is truly an era of entertainment. He had actually intended to make a somber war film, to exhibit the ugly cruelty of war and get audience thinking. As it turned out, nobody could be bothered about such themes! What the audiences wanted was boy-scout heroics. The kind that crushes the opposing force between their golden thighs, without tragedy, without heartache At this moment, Lin Jianzhong was watching the quarrel and argument between Lu Xing and Liang Feifan on Bilibili while holding back his laughter. Especially when he saw the live comment You guys would never think that Director Lin would one day be viral in Bilibili C he was very pleased. Now, he who has never gotten any attention nor fame before, was enjoying the spotlight! His old interview footage was also dug out and turned into a Kichiku. This was because he had pledged to direct a war film which was extremely realistic, extremely logical and extremely accurate to history. The video immediately cut to the scene Tan Xiaoya summoned an Italian cannon, flattening Moscow to the ground with a single nuke Never before has a bald-faced lie ever been told in such earnesty, without a single flutter of his eyelids. Netizens had concluded that hes one of those artists who always spoke contrary to their claims. Now, he was pondering his next move. However, before he could make up his mind, he received a call. Surprisingly, it was an invitation for him to direct a full feature sci-fi film. Such a film needed perfect application of CGI effects, and he had proven himself more than capable via the finale of War Heroes Lin Jianzhong accepted it without much hesitation. This was a special effects based blockbuster film! He could not believe that he had truly reached the summit with his War Heroes, and he quietly thanked the outlandish ideas that had suddenly popped into his head once again! Not only was Lin Jianzhong tasting the fruits of his success; Li Yunyun who had played Tan Xiaoya was also being scouted by some firm. This was because she had displayed such impressive acting skills at such a young age. If she is properly nurtured, she might even become some Oscar-winning level material! Therefore, Tan Xiaoya who was initially the daughter of an extra, and was made to play as an improvised a side character to cut costs, became a child star with a tremendous amount of fans! Li Yunyun created a Weibo account and explained herself. You might not believe it, but I actually dont know how to act. It was only when I was acting as Tan Xiaoya, it felt as if some mysterious power from the east just, took control of my body. After that, I simply let her take the wheel! The fans commented one after another; Little Yunyun is really cute and humble. Kiss kiss kiss, Ive decided to be your fan! Zhao Youyue certainly did not expect her whimsical troublemaking to actually deliver success to a failing director and an inexperienced little actress. Sadly, if they do not continue to improve themselves, they would soon fall from grace. Intoxicated states do not simply appear as they wish. It was a blessing to the authors, regardless of Zhao Youyue shifting into their work to create trouble with a goal in mind, or to simply run wild. It would send forth an unending gush of inspiration and ridiculous ideas, of which the ludicrousness would bear no limits. Chapter 138 : Finally Aware of Your Mediocrity? Zhao Youyue finally adjusted her mood and regained her serenity, thanks to a series of mindless, wild troublemaking that served to release most of her steam. It was as if her having a nice dream in a full nights sleep. Even if she does not gain any ability cards this time, it truly satisfied her. One would always need some sort of method to release the pent-up depression. She admitted that it was because of her love towards The Strongest King by Rosemary was too deep. This, in turn, caused her to be deeply depressed when she was caught off guard by Rosemary when he wrote Yu Shengfan to death. A reader will surely understand why she would get this depressed. It was her deep compassion which caused her to receive such a mortal blow. She forcefully put up a strong front in the real world, but that was all just a smokescreen. She was not the type to release her depression with sports, karaoke or indulge in games. She only played her phone quietly, which only drowned her further in her melancholy. Although she seemed to be calm and cool on the outside, war had erupted within her heart. This ended up causing her to release all her piled up depression in the Dimensional Gate even moreso when she determined that she would not be able to acquire the ability she desired so desperately in that world. At the same time, she also considered the popularity of the work; if it was not popular, then there would be no harm turning it upside down to get an early exit After all, to the authors, failed work would not cause them permanent or physical damage. The moment she leaves the work, the author will wake up from the intoxicated state. As long as they double back to read their own writings, they would find the inappropriate contents and remove it right away. At the same time, they would also retain some of the ridiculous ideas that could be put to use elsewhere. All this could be considered additional benefits that she was leaving to the authors. The author would still retake the wheel at the end of the day. Authors like Lin Jianzhong who would actually bring the madness directly to the audiences were one in a million. In actuality, he had completely given up on that project. Lin Jianzhong was very lucky. Some dumb sponsor had appraised his level, based solely on the ridiculous, CGI-laden finale. However, he would have to disappoint the sponsor to death, because if he is not intoxicated, he would not have that power after all. As for those worlds of higher popularity or high-level authors, she would certainly thread with more care. This is all based on the consideration of cost-performance. A high-quality, popular piece of work would provide a more solid foundation to sculpting an iconic character. For something like War Heroes which was failing and had nearly being killed off, it felt as if the Dimension Gate was meddling with her. She could not salvage anything from such work which was on the brink of death. She could only mess things up to open up a path to quick retreat. Actually, besides popular works, there is another type of work, neither popular nor written by acclaimed authors, yet possessing the right amount of intricacy. There will always be some part that touches the feelings, and Zhao Youyue is easily drawn to such quality. If Zhao Youyue likes what she is reading, she will surely put more effort into it, regardless of its popularity. She will try her best to sculpt an iconic character. As the author is delicate, she will try her best to cooperate well. Zhao Youyue will lightly consider the will of the author. Authors who are highly-skilled, with strong principles of their own, are often more assuring. It is a pity that she was severely deceived by Rosemary, the last time. By learning things the hard way, Zhao Youyue was now more alert towards authors, no matter how good their reputation was. Authors are actually living beings which are difficult to predict. They will create trouble whenever they are in a state of outbursting inspiration. They will even have a very solid reason C I love this character too much, thats why she had to die! This night, Zhao Youyue, who did not need to go for late self-study went to the house of a violin teacher named Liu Yuxi for her violin class. The name Liu Yuxi is quite easy to remember, as this name had a similar rhyme to the ancient poet C Liu Yixi. The only difference was that this name was clearly a womans name, based on how it is written. Liu Yuxi was a close friend of Zhao Youyues mother, Wang Hua. From the looks of her high-class condominium, it was clear that she was not in desperate need of money. However, she was still single, and did not have any intention of seeking for a guy and starting a family. Her parents did not seem mind. Zhao Youyue felt that this teacher Liu was someone with a mysterious story behind her. However, she would not pry out of the blue, she was a student, after all, the only student. Zhao Youyue reached the doorsteps of Liu Yuxis apartment, and rang the doorbell. After a while, the door slid open. The person who appeared in front of her had a slightly pale face. She was actually rather good-looking, despite the fact that she no makeup on and currently had a messy mane of bedraggled hair, or by the fact that age had slightly marred her. That would also be why she couldnt care less about your outer appearance, either. Liu Yuxi did not need to dress herself up for anyone else. Come in, she said while yawning in her pajamas. Good evening teacher Liu! Zhao Youyue greeted her earnestly. Oh, come on in. Sorry to disturb. Zhao Youyue followed Liu Yuxi into her house. What she saw was a very messy common area. The floor was littered with various kinds of cans and bottles of drinks, junk food packaging and plenty of clothes that had been tossed here and there She was already used to it. Liu Yuxi did not need to justify her laziness for anyone. Why would she need to do the chores? All she needed was to let the hourly paid maid clean them up every week, because Liu Yuxi would only leave her house once a week. This was not the first time Zhao Youyue would start doubting the capabilities of this violin teacher that her mother had enlisted. However, with confidence, Wang Hua had said that she is the best violinist ever. During her school days, Liu Yuxi was a musical goddess who was on par with an elite scholar goddess like her! Musical goddess? This woman who never dress up herself and wore pajamas forever! Besides, Zhao Youyue has never seen Liu Yuxi playing violin even once. She seemed to love playing the guitar more. Sometimes, during breezy nights, she would pick up a guitar and indulge herself at the balcony she did not seem to be particularly good at it, and would hit the wrong notes at times, but her guitar would sound kind of unique, something that expressed delight. This day, Liu Yuxi taught Zhao Youyue entirely by the book as per usual, and then left her to her own devices. Her attitude to the task was still as flippant as before. Before this, Zhao Youyue had activated Xu Jing Card and learned with earnest. This time, she finally asked, Teacher Liu, it seems like you do not truly want to teach me. Right, Liu Yuxi replied without covering up. Erk, she admitted it! Although Zhao Youyue had a high tolerance level, rage started boiling up within. This time she was actually trying to learn seriously! And why was that? Because you do not truly want to learn although you have an upright attitude. Liu Yuxi sneered and replied. Let me guess the reason of you wanting to play the violin. For higher chances of advancing your studies? To show off in the school? Or to impress your parents? For such parlor tricks, I can simply teach and you can simply learn, only to achieve that. Zhao Youyue fell silent, she had been outguessed You did not have the sincerity, Liu Yuxi said softly, And you have poor talent in music. Zhao Youyue felt belittled. She had great musical talent, no matter how difficult the song is, and she could perform it smoothly! Indeed you could have gotten the top level violin certificate easily. But you have no creativity; even if you try harder, you will never reach a certain realm that you will never comprehend. That realm is something you either understand or dont. Even if you practice your violin skills to the peak, at most you could become a good enough violinist. Your music does not have any life in it! Alright, do you now realize your own mediocrity? Keep practicing. Liu Yuxi did not need to show mercy to anyone else. Suddenly, Zhao Youyue understood the possibility of not having stellar musical talent. Her eye-hand coordination was good, thats about it. She was indeed playing the violin like a robot, precisely keeping form. However, she never understood what creativity in music truly was. It turns out that some things could not be learned, no matter how hard one tries. It turns out that she was a side character in music too. Chapter 139 Sometimes, Zhao Youyue is not herself When Zhao Youyue realized that her anger at being brushed off had somehow reduced. She was used to being treated as a side character, and had resigned to that role, for now. However, she hoped that there will come a day where she would no longer be a side character anymore, while standing out and impressing the others. Perhaps, it could take her an entire lifetime of training, and she would never reach the level expected by her teacher Liu Yuxi. However, it could be considered an ability to be able to play several tunes skilfully, even if only as a violinist lacking true passion. Just like how hardworking Zhao Youyue was in school, she could never get the first position. Sometimes, whenever luck was on her side, she could claim that spot, albeit briefly. However, she could at least become an elite student in order to have access to more privileges and a stronger sense of existence. She would be satisfied with just that. That was not asking for much. Perhaps from someone elses view, Zhao Youyue lacked the dominating aura that made her an exceptional individual. Still, she understood the fact that only the first would be remembered in this world. For instance, everyone knows that the highest mountain in the world is the Mount Everest. What of the second highest mountain? Nobody remembers it. Still, Zhao Youyue was not discouraged by her stagnation. She actually enjoyed the process of improving herself little by little through hard work. She would become a better, more perfect person with a stronger presence. However, such perfection might seem futile in the eyes of Liu Yuxi, because Zhao Youyue did not have any unique qualities in her. She was nothing but another random face in the midst of a crowd, and nobody would even know her name. For example, there were several individuals who took up piano lessons in China, but people only knew of Lee Yundi or Lang Lang. If you ever ask them for more, they will never be able to come up with any other names. Violin was even worse, because it was not very popular, to begin with, when compared to the piano. For the laymen, they would not know even a single name of a famous violinist. Realizing this, Zhao Youyue could not help but to silently criticize her teacher. Since teacher Liu was all high and mighty, why is she not famous? Zhao Youyue was still a very kind girl. She knew that once she says those words, the hermit image of her teacher Liu Yuxi would not hold up. However, if such words came to pass, the teacher would claim that the general publics taste was horrible, and they did not understand the beauty and style of an art Even Zhao Youyue did not fully understand the art herself. She was too tired to pretend to know something that she knew nothing about. Moreover, she was extremely lazy, to the point of being in a class of her own. Still, as a long-time phone addict, she actually reads a lot of things. She belonged to the category of one of those guys who knew a little bit of everything. If she wanted to, she could show off some of her trivia to fool others. The young artist Han Leng was one of those fooled by her. He still believed that Zhao Youyue was a rich familys daughter who was full of intelligence and style. That was not entirely true. If she was rich just like Zhao Hao, then only could she be considered as a real rich daughter from a rich family. It was certain that she did not qualify to be included the circle of those socialites. It was impossible for her to get to know any scriptwriter or director of the entertainment industry. Zhao Youyue was no artist. She did not learn the violin to become one either, she only hoped to pick up a skill that can be used at the right moment to show off. She could at least surprise Jiang Qing who was very good at singing, by performing on the schools stage. She would be delighted to see that happen. This was Zhao Youyue, just a normal high school girl indulging her vanity. She only wanted to prove that she actually had some talent in music. However, Liu Yuxi saw right through her and scolded the poor girl for having no ambitions whatsoever. It was possible that she had high hopes for her, thanks to Wang Hua. Wang Hua would always belittle her daughter at home, but like any mother, she boasted and bragged about her lazy girl to any outsider. She had said that her daughter was a once-in-a-millennia genius in music, which sparked the interest of Liu Yuxi. However, Liu Yuxi was able to see right through the lies. Zhao Youyue could never be a musical genius, and her talent was mediocre. She should not have believed that unreliable, idiotic Wang Hua since high school. Wang Hua could only show off her piano skill in front of laymen, but things blew up, claiming that she was a Goddess of the piano, due to her beauty. Liu Yuxi was ashamed to be on par in popularity with that talentless beauty. Zhao Youyue was particularly optimistic that day. She was in a good moo, having wrecked things up. She did not activate the Xu Jing character card, but she played the violin with a cheerful mentality. No matter how many times Liu Yuxi kept brushing her off; she just wanted to be herself only. In any case, she would be able to entertain herself once she learns how to play the violin. She could play the hit songs and anime soundtracks that she loved, songs that others seemed to hate for no reason. It would be very interesting to do so. Zhao Youyue felt that a teacher like Liu Yuxi was great, since she was not particularly strict. However, whenever she makes a mistake, she would point it out and correct her posture. Still, she never demonstrated anything herself. You will never understand my music! Liu Yuxi has said this to Zhao Youyue mercilessly. However, you are very lucky. I just need to use 1/1000 of my focus, and I can allow you to achieve what you want. Then, you can go and please those ordinary people out there. You can flash your way about. Maybe this is what a Hermit should be. Nope, to be more accurate, it should be an indoor hermit, because Liu Yuxi would not leave the house, even if she could. Her meals all came via delivery and she only wore pajamas. Moreover, she would never clean up her room even when it got in a mess. She would wait for the hourly maid every week and paid them double Happily, Zhao Youyue finished one song without realizing it herself. However, Liu Yuxi who was sitting beside her, was not brushing her off as usual. She put down her own guitar and circled around Zhao Youyue twice. She blinked in surprise and said, Da one who came beforewazzit you? It was not! Liu Yuxi was not the most fluent Mandarin speaker around. She could not differentiate between blade-alveolars and retroflexes, or the differences between n and l. Therefore, it was hard to keep a straight face when listening to her speak. Zhao Youyue was shocked for a bit. Previously, in order to leave a good impression on Liu Xiyu, she would activate her Xu Jing character card. This was because she felt that as long as you were a teacher, you would definitely love a student like Xu Jing, due to her obedience. She would complete any task given to her by the teacher and be very respectful to teachers. Moreover, she was very focused and loved to study. Which teacher would not adore Xu Jing? If there is a teacher who does not like Xu Jing, it had to be a fake teacher! Besides, it was the best to use the Xu Jing character card to learn the basics of violin. It would give her a solid and firm foundation. Of course, Xu Jing learned things in a very mechanical and inflexible way. It was similar to copying, but still, was an absurd ability. This time, it was Zhao Youyue herself who played the violin. Zhao Youyue grinned and said, Stop joking, sensei Liu. Of course, I am myself. Liu Yuxi frowned and wondered if something was wrong with her ears. For the first time, she actually heard Zhao Youyue playing the song with her own emotions deeply infused in it. This girl who had no talent in music, wouldnt she usually play like a robot? Liu Yuxi would never suspect that Zhao Youyue was not even the one attending her lessons previously. Chapter 140 She used to be a champion For some arrogant and self-conceited individuals, even if they are wrong, would never own up to their mistakes. At the very least, they would not admit it through speech. However, there would be some changes in their actions and mannerisms. Apparently, Liu Yuxi is such a person. She suddenly realized that she had misjudged Zhao Youyues musical talent, but she would never tell her that. However, she did not brush her off like she used to. In fact, she seemed to take a step forward in her lessons. Who knows, perhaps Zhao Youyue could become a unique and famous violinist in her own right? She would never dare to interfere with ones future, even though she still bore grudges against Wang Hua. What happened to the vow that they would stay single till the world ends? Wang Hua was such an idiotic Tsundere to enter the graveyard called marriage! Wang Huas words could not be trusted, not even a single click of her tongue! It pained her heart whenever she thought of this matter. Wang Hua was her best friend She swore to never be in peace with the person who married Wang Hua! Technically speaking, her eccentric behavior could only be accepted by Wang Hua, who had an odd way of viewing the world. Otherwise, who else could tolerate her? Liu Yuxi felt no obligation to anyone. She was a very self-centered person. A person with such a sharp personality was destined to make others uncomfortable and difficult to get along with. In her eyes, humans without their own characteristics had no value or raison detre. To live their whole lives pointlessly, they would only be an obedient cog of society. There was no point in interacting with such folk! However she should realize that, if there society had no obedient cogs, would she still be able to stay home all day long and survive with food delivery? Society was gaining more and more hikikomoris because of the extensive development of online shopping and delivery. You could stay at home until the end of the worldas long as the internets up. It was better to be extinct than to live in a world without the internet. Without the internet, the world would seem meaningless to live in. According to Liu Yuxis personality, she could see why she despised Zhao Youyue from the start. It was just a clash of personalities one was very distinctive, while the other had none. Zhao Youyue was just a side character without her own personality. Liu Yuxi wondered to herself, is this girl really Wang Huas daughter? Why isnt she disowned yet? She was too normal Her appearance could only be considered as cute, but not enough to dazzle others at first sight. Perhaps she was the type that oozed her beauty out gradually, the more you looked, the more beautiful she becomes. However, if people do not notice you at the first glance, what would be the point of being one? Moreover, Zhao Youyues short hair infuriated Liu Yuxi. Thats right; She is strange in that way. Even somebody else was having short hair would offend her. Zhao Youyue had sensed that this weird teacher would be difficult to get along. Therefore, she activated her Xu Jing character card. No matter how picky you are, I would just be addicted to learning. Regardless the way you teach, I would learn them unhesitantly. In any case, I would do my best and have no regrets. Liu Yuxi acknowledged Zhao Youyues talent and continued to listen to more of her playing. The more she listened, the more interested she was, because it was very difficult to play such ordinary songs with emotion. Zhao Youyue used her own understanding, and played the music with various sets of emotions, which then resonated through the air harmoniously! Undoubtedly, such heartfelt expressiveness was what Liu Yuxi would appreciate! Maybe, this time, Wang Hua did not exaggeratetoo excessively. She actually had a daughter who had decent talent in music, but it was not the level of one that you find once in a millennium. A real genius would actually pull one to another world, as though as they had lived another life Zhao Youyue was miles away from that. Nevertheless, it was truly an unimaginable state to be in. As you close your eyes, the music takes over the world! Liu Yuxi was constantly aspiring to reach that state, but she had to admit that she did not have the talent to achieve such a state. This was her hearts greatest sorrow, and she was not willing to face such a cruel reality. In short, Liu Yuxi was a person who could not do great things but she could perform greatly in small matters. In fact, other women might look down upon her as a loser, as she was still single to this day. She never met a soul mate and had such a depressing life as a result. After Zhao Youyue played a few songs with the basics that she learned thanks to her Xu Jing character card, she started feeling lazy. After all, she never had much stamina and willpower, to begin with, yet Liu Yuxi was fixatedly listening to her music. She kept playing and started feeling bored, so she activated her Xu Jing character card. Once the Xu Jing character card was activated, Zhao Youyue felt the displeasure towards the boring practice disappearing. Instead, her whole body was filled with energy and the eagerness to learn! Learning sometimes was a mechanical, repetitive process, yet Xu Jing loved it. Whenever Zhao Youyue is in this state, playing a violin was nothing more than solving a sea of questions. In any case, she would be dead serious, in a hard-core processing mode, pursuing the perfect intonation. The air around her turned to steel. Every song that she played turned into the beepings of a computer that was on repeat mode Liu Yuxi immediately sensed the familiarity that reminded her of the previous lesson. She rolled her eyes back and turned her back to Zhao Youyue. That girl was not learning music, but trying to solve math problems. Liu Yuxi felt like a chewing a gum that was slowly becoming tasteless, listening to that music. Hence, she started to play Mobile Legends on her phone. She was terrible at the game, but she was having fun with it, even though she would constantly be cussed at. She did not care, because it showed that she had personality. Those who play the game normally, soundlessly, and did not even have a presence of an NPC, had no value of living! Just when Liu Yuxi was having fun, she inadvertently discovered that Zhao Youyue, who was on repeat mode, had finally stopped. She even popped up to her side and was watching her play Mobile Legends Apparently, Zhao Youyue had deactivated her Xu Jing character card and was herself once again. It was a 20 minute break time, but she was not playing her phone on her own. Instead, she wanted to see what her teacher was doing. However, she would never think that she was playing the game that even primary kids loved to play C Mobile Legends! Ever since she had the Xu Jing character card, she had been able to game more frequently. Her real gaming level improved, thanks to the frequent use of the Yu Shengfan character card. Gaming was all about how skilled you are at gaming. Right now, unless Zhao Youyue is playing a freakishly difficult game such as Dark Souls, or meet some terribly strong opponents in fighting games, then she would not have to activate her Yu Shengfan character card. That would be a waste of resources. Therefore, she could look down on Liu Yuxi who was getting beaten up in Mobile Legends, as much as she wanted. Zhao Youyue blurted out unconsciously, Teacher Liu, you really suck at gaming. I feel that you dont deserve to play games Zhao Youyue quickly clapped her hands over her mouth, as it was a horrible thing to say. As long as games are involved, her mouth would just become venomous. The Yu Shengfan card is really poisonous. Unfortunately, Zhao Youyues venomous tongue was incomparable to Master Yu Shengfan. Liu Yuxis face darkened, all of a sudden. She put down her phone and stood up with a sharp glare. She said coldly, Follow me. I will let you understand that I used to be a champion! Then never mind. Zhao Youyue felt a killing aura, but she fended it off as if nothing had happened. She replied by putting up the image of a normal girl, Alright teacher Liu, lead the way. Zhao Youyue followed Liu Yuxi. They walked through a messy hallway until they reached a door. When she opened the room, there was not a speck of dust nor dirt in it! Wait, thats not the point. The point was that the room was filled with all sorts of gaming consoles! There was even an arcade machine from the past century! She was indeed a champion in the past So, this is Liu Yuxis treasure room? This is too horrifying; no wonder she only leaves her house once per week! I thought that she was addicted to music Chapter 141 Alcohol and Stories Every single gaming console in the room represented a part of the Liu Yuxi of old, when she was vibrant and youthful. Liu Yuxi was really good at playing these ancient games, the earliest, analogous arcade machines, the ones that required tokens to play with. She was extremely skilled at King of Fighters 97, and she could also clear the entire Super Mario game with just a single life in the old Nintendo Family Computer console. She had proclaimed herself the King of these ancient games. Of course, she had the skills to prove that she was worthy of the title. Zhao Youyue had only heard of these ancient games but she never actually played them before Computers were already commonplace when Zhao Youyue was born. Even now, with the entirety of China being in the era of information technology, a smartphone can be used as a computer too. Flash games are now all over the place, and had completely overthrown the classics, big budget games which were made exclusively for gaming consoles. Any PC single-player game that takes up less than 50 or 60 gigabytes would only be shrugged off. Liu Yuxi still had the passion for games, but she could no longer taste the thrill compared to back then. She enjoyed hours on the old Nintendo Family Computer games with Wang Hua back then, and they would play together if it was a 2-player game. Wang Hua would sit beside and watch her play if she was playing a single player game. Whenever Liu Yuxi showed off her magnificent gaming skills, Wang Hua would be thrilled. Of course, Liu Yuxi was happy too. Liu Yuxi had hoped that Wang Hua would always remain by her side watching her playing video games. If only things had stayed that way, she would be in paradise. Even though Liu Yuxi still keeps in contact with Wang Hua, but it was never the same as before. Just like how she plays games now, she could no longer feel the excitement when she had to sneak out to the arcade center just to play games, back then. Time is always ticking, and nobody can ever escape the flow of time. As time passes, people change. Time would slowly change everything and take away everything. At this moment, Liu Yuxi realized that Zhao Youyue was like the young Wang Hua, and she also felt as if she had traveled back through time, becoming young again. They played every single game on her various consoles, from the oldest to the latest Liu Yuxi, who was once a king in gaming, found herself getting completely overwhelmed by Zhao Youyue who had summoned the power of a certain something from The Strongest King! Liu Yuxi could not even beat Zhao Youyue at King of Fighters 97, the game Liu Yuxi was most skilled at. Zhao Youyue had belted out an endless string of abusive words as she pummeled Liu Yuxi, leaving the latter sheepish and reflecting over her past behavior. She had treated Zhao Youyue poorly earlier, and now Zhao Youyue was venting her stress out through the games! Well, it could not be helped. Although Zhao Youyue had never played all these ancient games before, with the help of Yu Shengfan card, her gaming talents were now at the peak of human limits. This ability allowed her to familiarize herself with any game in a short time! Even though Liu Yuxi was good at playing games, she was not at the professional level. She could ravage an average person in King of Fighters 97 because this was the game that she was really good at. Zhao Youyue was a professional grade player, there was no way that she would lose in a game, not even in King of Fighters 97. The way Zhao Youyue used the character Iori Yagami was really mindblowing! Beating up three characters with one character was nothing for Zhao Youyue! Liu Yuxi refrained Zhao Youyue from using Iori Yagami, or else she would not have any chance of fighting at all! Still, she got beaten up pretty badly Zhao Youyue would never allow Liu Yuxi to beat her, that was the least respect she could give to Yu Shengfan. Yu Shengfan would never lose to anyone in any game. Luckily, Liu Yuxi had never read the novel The Strongest King, or else she would have realized that Zhao Youyue had already transformed into Unpleasant Rain while playing games with her unique venomous tongue! Both of them had a great time together Liu Yuxi did not care about winning in video games, she would still be happy even if she loses, because there is somebody to play with, just like old times. The nostalgia would just wash over her. As Zhao Youyue was about to leave, Liu Yuxi blurted out, Xiao Zhao! I misjudged you earlier. I thought that you were just a normal person, you hid that side of yours very well. I certainly did not expect you to be better than your mom, you definitely deserve to be her daughter Zhao Youyue had reverted to her normal self at that moment. She waved the compliment off and sheepishly replied, Teacher Liu, I might have said something unpleasant earlier, but thats just how I will act when playing games, please forgive me! Liu Yuxi let out a heartful laugh and took a chug from her beer. Suddenly, she gave Zhao Youyue a heartful slap on the shoulder, A girl who knows how to play games is usually a good girl! I absolutely acknowledge that! From now on, you will be my little sister, we will play games together after our lessons! With a skillful player like me, have no worries! You will have your share of fun! Zhao Youyue was thrown off by Liu Yuxis uncharacteristic behavior, whatever happened to that serene, untouchable music goddess image earlier, is this actually her true self? Oh right She had ingested so much alcohol without restraint, just like Zhao Youyues mouth who completely goes unhinged when playing games. Liu Yuxi must have sneaked in some sips of alcohol as they mashed buttons against each other earlier on. Little sister? Youre like my moms sister arent you, classmates who are fond of each other Isnt that inappropriate, Teacher Liu? Zhao Youyue expressed the thought that any normal person would have in the face of such a proposal. The drunken Liu Yuxi was far from the parameters of a normal person at the moment. Even though she could hold her alcohol rather well, she had emptied can after can as the game reached a feverish pitch! She waved her hand, Im breaking off my relationship with her! Im not gonna be friends with some old lady! From now on, we shall be sisters because Im still young! Quick, call me big sis! Zhao Youyue shivered, this friend of old mama was nothing like any normal woman in this three dimensional world. She knew how to coax a person, so she relented and called Liu Yuxi big sis as sweetly as she could. Liu Yuxi was satisfied by the reply, even mentioning that she would call Wang Hua to cut ties, because she felt that Wang Hua was no longer a match for her. Only a supreme gamer like Zhao Youyue had the rights of knowing her personally Err, no She and Zhao Youyue had a perfect synergy in music, Zhao Youyue would be her protege, and she would cultivate Zhao Youyue into the worlds best violinist! Zhao Youyue awkwardly left the house of that drunkard, guilt gnawing at her conscience, feeling that she had betrayed her old mama. She hoped that her old mama would forgive her for accidentally becoming sisters with Liu Yuxi Ah, Zhao Youyue was now curious to know the history between her old mama and Teacher Liu. Teacher Liu had her beer, so old mama definitely had her stories. Chapter 142 Yu Shengfan must not be buried! Zhao Youyue was curious about the story of her old mama and Liu Yuxi. Curious, but not curious enough for her to shake of her slothfulness and find things out herself. Besides, that could wait, for more urgent matters were at hand. She had decided to dabble with live-streaming. Live-streaming was getting more developed lately. Top tiers streamers had the same influential power as idols. They were also making comparatively good money. A monthly income involving millions of dollars was no longer a joke, but reality. Of course, these top streamers did not give a person the right to generalize the entire industry as so, there were a lot of failures beneath them as well. Many people have tried and failed, and they had no choice but to pass on this seemingly lucrative opportunity. Live-streaming had its share of fierce competitions, pressure, and feuds. Without a doubt, a top-tier streamer could get in touch with the entertainment industry easily, as they might from the same management. Ever since Zhao Youyue had entered the script of a television drama, she realized that she had a tough time getting in touch the creators who worked in the entertainment industry, and it was not easy for her to place a hand in their business. She was left thinking on how she could create more opportunities for herself. She was aware that her cousin, Zhao Hao, would be familiar with the entertainment industry. He spent all day chasing after female idols. Despite knowing that, she wanted to use her own power to get in touch with the entertainment industry, without the help of her cousin. She was a person who owned the Two Dimensional Gate, and she had the powers of the naturally talented professional gamer Yu Shengfan. Yu Shengfan had the makings of a streamer with her flawless gaming technique, and her vulgar stream of endless insults Since her cousin, Zhang Wanjun could become a famous uploader in the Bilibili website through talent and hard work, why wouldnt she make it big with Yu Shengfan? Besides that, Zhao Youyue was the same as those readers who liked Yu Shengfan. Everyone would like to see Unpleasant Night Rain Rhythm, the sword the cleaves the world appear once again in this world! She certainly did not want to bury Yu Shengfan just like this! Ever since Yu Shengfan had died in the literary work, The Strongest King, it had gained more and more popularity, even the related doujins had took off! Many doujinshis felt sorry for the death of Xiao Yu, so they began to produce more and more doujins featuring her, also leading to the popularity of her other merchandise. Her appearance in every doujin and manga had contributed to the popularity of The Strongest King Some die-hard fans of Yu Shengfan were accusing Rosemary of being a lucky bastard. Even in death, Yu Shengfan was still contributing to the rise of The Strongest King. Xiao Yu cant even rest in peace, after her death! Such is the charm of an iconic character! Xiao Yus death had propelled the popularity of the main protagonist, Lin Feng. Rosemary had expressed every detail of Lin Fengs character development, from an adolescent high school boy to a matured, supreme gamer. Lin Feng was filled with regret and loneliness. Although he claimed to have treated Xiao Yu like his sister, or like a daughter, it would be ridiculous if he did not have other intentions. An uncle would always be drawn to the charm of a loli. While Lin Feng knew that he was too old for Xiao Yu, while his career was not a stable or conventional one, he could not possibly provide happiness for Xiao Yu. Therefore, he decided not to get any closer to Xiao Yu. Before he could even step aside for her own good, Xiao Yu was no longer in this world There was once a time, when Lin Feng would have wanted to hug Xiao Yu if she was still alive, that would be great. Even though they had spent a lot of time together in the game, they had never actually hugged each other. They only met once, with a permanent goodbye for the second time This was probably a lifetime regret As time passed, many fans discovered that the character designer of Yu Shengfan was none other than Mangaka Su Li. Its that mangaka! Pure Romance! What a venomous woman! The iconic characters Xu Jing and Yu Shengfan all ended up dead in the hands of Su Li! Previously, Rosemary had shifted the blame to her, and this had sent a lot of hollow fans cussing at Su Li, because they never understood the relationship between the original author and the painter. They believed that Su Li was a lunatic, one who took pleasure in killing off everyones favorite female lead. As the tirade of abuse threatened to drown Su Li out, she had desperately attempted to explain herself on Weibo, but it was in vain. As the fans roared at her, she noticed the sales of The Strongest King manga rising up as well! Eventually, she gave up explaining herself The cute and moe amateur creator, Su Li is now a fully-fledged, veteran creator. Furious fans no longer bothered her, rather, she found it rather entertaining, as they did not stop her from earning their money! You Tsunderes, you guys are saying no but your bodies are honest! Su Li was extremely grateful for her tight friendship with Zhao Youyue. If Zhao Youyue had not suggested that she works on the manga of The Strongest King, she would not be who she is, today! Her abrupt rise to stardom had earned the envy and ire of many fellow mangakas! Her first work, Pure Romance had gained tremendous popularity, and her second work, The Strongest King was at the peak, too! In the world of web mangas, she was rather well known, and some influential High Gods had directly contacted her, asking for a collaboration The reason Rosemarys The Strongest King attained so much fame was because Su Li had decided to adapt it to a manga. Ever since Su Li announced that her latest project was to turn The Strongest King into a manga, the novel had gained much attention, gaining worldwide fame overnight! The overwhelming subscription rates had shot it up the trending list, going on to becoming first in the monthly rankings. Although Qidian did play a role at boosting the novel to the top, everyone knew that Rosemary had become a legitimate, new High God in Qidian, without a doubt. There was a rumor that he was in negotiations for a platinum contract with Qidian, as any involvement of his name now required a huge sum of cash! Obviously, the death of Yu Shengfan had improved the writing skills of Rosemary as well. Every team and ever character had their fully-rounded, complete development and interesting backstories, even garnering fans in real-life, with some of them even celebrating the birthdays of their virtual idols. Related merchandise was also selling like hotcakes. Other web novelists could not hold back their envy and jealousy, but what could they do? This novel was suitable for both male and female readers. Rosemary, Ye Hai was invited for an interview in TencentVideo, together with the deputy editor of Qidian, to share his journey with his readers in creating The Strongest King I want to give special thanks to a particular reader, the one who helped me created the character Yu Shengfan Chapter 143 There can be no Yu Shengfan IRL (In Real Life)! The news of The Strongest King releasing an anime adaptation had spread out, due to the sheer popularity of the novel. Of course, the original author, Rosemary had gained a tremendous amount of fame, gaining countless of fans. Many people had clicked on the video of his interview on Tencent Video. Watching his interview while reading the comments on the bullet curtain was certainly interesting. When Ye Hai, a chubby uncle appeared on screen, the tone of the comments took a turn! Who is this fat otaku? Return my goddess author! Am I seeing a fake Rosemary? Curse you Rosemary, return my Yu Shengfan! That thick-skinned old sly Rosemary is getting interviewed? Watch me avenge Unpleasant Rain! Upload this video to Bilibili website, let the fans of Xiao Yu bash that old sly Rosemary up The actual appearance of Rosemary had surprised a lot of readers, where was the promised Goddess author, that image of a young, intelligent looking girl? Who the heck is this side character uncle who was in his mid-thirties? Of course, Ye Hai was just chubby, at least he was not a fat otaku. He was a lifetime winner as well, having married his first love. They were still lovey-dovey to date. Undoubtedly, most of the distraught comments in the bullet curtain were just joking around. Most of them already knew that Rosemary was not a Goddess author because Rosemary had never pretended to be a female author, he even went out of his way, explaining himself in a public note. These were just fans teasing him. Once, a male author got mistaken as a lolita by the fans, even though the author had stepped out to clarify matters. He had allowed the fans to tease him with this nickname because he loved his readers, and as a result, he can no longer discard that lolitaish nickname which left him helpless. This author is most probably the perfect author in every aspect, and to be a fan of that particular author would be a privilege During the interview, when the host asked Ye Hai how he got his girlish pen name, Ye Hai smiled and said that it was his wifes idea. It was his nickname on the internet during his younger years, and he used that name without changing it when he started writing novels. He did not think of his pen name as girly, rather, he had thought it to be rather quintessential. The Qidian deputy editor was also saying that if it was not for the ID card Rosemary provided in his contract, he would also think that Rosemary is a female author. The deputy editor even said Rosemary had the most female readers, among all the male authors. There are three thousand Harem kings in Qidian, but there is only one Rosemary, this particular argument had already taken root in the hearts of people. The authors who had the same amount of female readers were Unripe Apple, the High God Platinum author who specialized in history and City Destroyer, the flamboyant author who favored the fantasy genre. Both of them had excellent writing, and they were able to portray the perfect female character in their respective works. Female readers would still read their works, even if they decide to write a harem novel. City Destroyer is a close friend of Rosemary, and he was jealous of Rosemary taking away his title of Friends on Women in Qidian. In fact, Rosemary was not only the Friend of Women, he was the Friend of Fujoshis as well. If his beloved fujoshis readers did not publicize his novel, The Strongest King would never be this popular! Its influential power had broken through the circle of web novels, it was probably the most popular search item on Weibo! Rosemary had acquired the High God and Platinum contracts with his novel, so even though there were many novels with higher subscription numbers than The Strongest King, they were nowhere close to the standard of Rosemary, as he had found so much acclaim with this particular book. This massive sales of this one book was enough to feed him for his entire life. As the host asked about the details of The Strongest King, he asked who was Rosemarys favorite character in this particular novel. Rosemary nearly that blurted out that his favorite character was Yu Shengfan, but he hesitated for a while. After some consideration, he said that his favorite character was definitely Lin Feng, because he was the ideal gaming expert. In the earlier arcs of his novel, Lin Feng had been depicted with quite an extreme attitude with an adolescents delusion. After going through all these obstacles, he had finally matured, and this was the reason of him being the favorite character of Rosemary. When the audience saw Rosemarys falter, the bullet curtain went in an uproar. Many of the fans knew that Rosemary was hiding something, the main protagonist Lin Feng might not be his favorite, afterall. The host capitalized on the situation and asked again, besides than Lin Feng, was there anyone else? Well, Yu Shengfan is definitely my favorite character besides Lin Feng. If Lin Feng is the ideal game expert, Yu Shengfan would be the perfect gamer girl. When such gaming talents are bestowed on a girl, she will certainly attract a lot of attention, even if shes not moe. So, how did you create this particular character? Actually this character was created by chance, and I want to give special thanks to a particular reader, the one who helped me created the character Yu Shengfan. Although she originally wanted a female cameo with the IGN Unpleasant Night Rain Rhythm, I was the one who decided on her abilities and characteristics. As I continued writing, I realized that she had become a favorite female character among my readers. When I was writing about her, I was filled with inspiration, I even felt her coming to live in my novel! Oh? This is actually the first time Ive heard you talk about it! Do you mind telling us who that particular reader is, is she a fan? Of course! You can take a look at my novels fans ranking, she has contributed hundred of thousands of RMB on my novel, her contribution is only matched by her beauty. I actually wanted to create Yu Shengfan based on her appearance, but I had no clue as to how accomplished a gamer she is, Rosemary replied proudly, he even included all the tips from Zhao Hao into Zhao Youyues account. Rosemary could not help but feel a little cocky, as had such a beautiful and rich female fan. After Rosemary said that, the bullet curtain produced a lot of positive comments, many of the audience wanting to make an acquaintance of tycoon Youyue but there were some people who flamed her too. They said that they were willing to eat sh*t on live video if that lady has the gaming skills of Xiao Yu. Xiao Yu was a goddess that has been immortalized in the world of novels, the appearance of Yu Shengfan in reality was simply impossible! Master Rosemary, since you liked the character Yu Shengfan, why did you kill her? What was the response of that lady fan of yours when you did such a thing? Chapter 144 Let the truth speak for itself The situation could not be any more awkward when the emcee threw that question out. However, the fans who were watching the interview were overjoyed. They kept spamming the sentences Rosemary, thief, Give me back Little fish to create a bullet curtain on the screen. It showed that everyone was pretty upset and held grudges against Rosemary for killing off the character Yu Shengfan. Ye Hai scratched his head nervously while telling the truth, Didnt I mention before that this character Yu Shengfan came to life in my writings? At one point, I realized that I could not proceed, because her soul had vanished. Moreover, I could only write in such a way in order to develop the story further. I did not want to destroy the character by half-*ssing and forcing something out, because l loved her that much So, is that why you murdered the character? The emcee asked abruptly. Apparently, the emcee was also a fan of little fish. Please do not put it that way. I did let her live on in the hearts of the readers, didnt I? Ye Hai replied with a guilty conscience. Ye Hai had simply used the explanation of further developing the story to push away the responsibility. Actually, he had wanted to kill the character Yu Shengfan off anyway. He had no choice but to do so, having lost his source of inspiration. However, he had created grandiose reasons and the importance of killing the character Yu Shengfan to fool the readers. One of it, was for Lin Feng to develop as a character and to develop the story. Ye Hai was indeed a sly fox, one who was very experienced in deception. Compared to Su Li who was cute and stupid, he was truly a master. Right now, it was the emcee who was stunned because he had never seen such a reason At that moment, many shameless people started to create a bullet curtain. A lot of readers knew that Rosemary was going to bear the title of a thief, for sure. The influence he created by killing the character Yu Shengfan was no less than the influence of another author who killed the character Uesugi Erii from another world. Besides, the reason for Rosemary killing a character off just because he did not want to destroy its image, would soon become an iconic excuse. He loved her too much, hence he had to kill her off. This could be compared to the trick Urobuchi Gen applied in Love Warriors. Ye Hai continued to say shamelessly, As for my cutest, prettiest female reader, she chose to forgive me. Even though I killed her cameo character, I managed to write her requested cameo to the level of a female lead by giving her extra scenes in the story. Thats right; I did consider letting Yu Shengfan be the female protagonist because she matched well with Lin Feng. They are the only characters who understand each other the most in my novel. Then, why you didnt let her be the female protagonist in the end? Can I say that you are agreeing with the Fujoshi readers? After all, they are more willing to see a brotherhood of two male characters, instead of a love story between the male and female protagonist. Its not like that. In my opinion, those who love my novel are my readers; regardless of them being Otaku or Fujoshi readers. The reason of her not being the female protagonist is because I am not very good at writing romance. Besides, I have found a trick to creating a female character. Oh? Can you share the trick with all of us, Rosemary Sensei? That is not a problem. Actually, it was that gorgeous reader who gave me this trick. As I quote, since you are so good with male characters, all you have to do is to describe a male character and change the sex to female. For instance, there is this beautiful, moe female character in a comic, only for me to insist that she is a boy. If I use the same method to describe a female character without any love scenes, then I can portray a similar yet still amazing female character. That is wonderful! You are good indeed, Rosemary sensei. The female characters that you created afterward all had distinctive personalities. It seems that your method is very effective! However, I believe that other authors will be envious of you to have such a great female reader, when they hear of this! Hahaha, I guess, I am quite lucky for her to love my work. So, was the character Yu Shengfan created via this method? No, she is the only character that I created as a real female character. I can feel that she is a girl. What? As long as you are an author, once you have feelings for your work or characters, it is very easy to enter a state where you get drowned in your own inspiration. You are able to resonate with your favorite character, thus allowing you to write a really good iconic novel! Thats why, I dont think any of you will believe me when I say that I cannot control my hands when Im writing about Yu Shengfan. Words will appear on their own, forming sentences regarding Yu Shengfan, and there is not a single spelling error in them. The things that Rosemary sensei say are really mysterious. This is indeed the style that a High God writer should have. Lastly, is there anything else you want to add? I want to say that, lately, more and more authors have chosen to enter this industry, due to the advanced development of webnovels. If you are doing this for the money, its better to find a more secure and future promising job. Writing requires that you devote your love into it. Then, you will be blessed by the goddess of literature and truly enjoy the fun in this line of work. Moreover, you will get real fans, your soul will find its own inspiration, and you will form your own godly expertise. If you write novels with nothing but money in mind, you may earn more than those who write with love, for a short period of time. In the long term, you will have more loss than profit. That is all I have to say. I hope that everyone listens to my advice! Rosemarys interview video was a success, and his reputation was boosted further to another level. At the same time, the iconic female character Yu Shengfan, was mentioned again. In any case, he was sure to keep a firm grip on the title Rosemary thief. Truth be told, in the hearts of every thief, they would actually be proud and happy to have such a title. However, Rosemarys last words did start a controversy. A lot of online writers who wrote to put food on table started to insult that Rosemary was only showing off after earning some money. Was money earned from business novels dirtier than the money earned from your passionately written novels? If love is so lucrative, I should even be able to use love to generate electricity! As Rosemarys number one Section Master, Zhao Youyue too had become quite famous. Her Weibo even gained a few thousand followers. Sadly, even though she loved to browse through Weibo pages, she rarely posted on it. She had no intention of showing off her wealth and some beatified pictures. Otherwise, it would not be a problem for her to have at least ten thousand followers. Many readers from The strongest king were very excited when Rosemary said that Youyue was the original model he had for Yu Shengfan. They all kept asking about her gaming skills, and whether she would become very talkative, complete with a venomous tongue while playing? Zhao Youyue did not reply. She wanted to let the truth speak for itself! She had been busy setting up the necessary hardware for a live-stream. A three dimensional Yu Shengfan was about to show up soon! Chapter 145 : Prerequisites for live-streaming Zhao Youyue did not want to do a live webcast based on her own desire alone. She felt that it was better to discuss the matter with her parents. She would still be discovered if she were to do a live webcast in secret. It would be embarrassing and awkward for her when someone walks in, literally into the cameras view. After all, she lived with her parents. Wang Hua would come to check on her every day before sleep. Wang Hua, her mother, who had a rather unconventional drawing technique, would always nag about Zhao Youyue in front of her. However, whenever she is outside, she would praise her daughter until she soars through the skies. Regardless, her mother cared very dearly for her lazy daughter, because she was too cute and fun to play with. Zhao Youyues high school life limited her live stream times to only night. After all, she has to study during the day. If she is not relying on her Xu Jing character card, she would never have the idea of doing a live webcast. Her academic result would inevitably drop. After she had the Xu Jing character card, which allowed her to study like a maniac. When she does her school work, it would be done in an instant. Without the card, she would slog through like a tortoise. It was not because she could not answer the questions, but she would easily get distracted. Her phone would slip into her hands whenever she finishes one question. How would one expect her to finish her work swiftly? Some authors shared this syndrome. For every 500 words they type, phone screens would fly up to their faces and they would chatter away. As a result, 500 words would be all for that day Therefore, it was a must to lock their phones away when typing! With the knowledge gained through the Xu Jing character card, Zhao Youyue was able to master her subjects well. It was like the knowledge being embedded in Zhao Youyues brain. However, she still could not perform her best during an exam. She would get nervous and careless, but Xu Jing would not. Xu Jing had a powerful mind, and she was able to calculate everything to perfection. Zhao Youyue knew that her parents were open enough to support her. As long as she maintains her grades, they would not stop her from doing what she wants to do. Hence, one dinner after the whole family had finished eating the dishes cooked by Zhao Youyue, she approached her father Zhao Jiayi and stated plainly, Dad, I want to do some live-streaming. Zhao Jiayi frowned a little when he heard his daughters words. In this world, the reputation of live-streamers, especially the female ones, was not very pleasant. After all, the China in this world had more freedom and had greater freedom of speech. Those rated 18+ live platforms were legal. As for how he knew about it, that would be difficult to explain. Of course, other than those adult-rated streamers, there were others who did their business moreconservatively. They did not yank peoples attraction over with their bodies, but with their respective talents such as gaming, singing, dancing or with their own charisma. However, unless you are already famous before, or if you have a unique talent or selling point, such streamers would have a very difficult time standing out from the rest. Thus, many female streamers had entered a vicious cycle. They wanted to be famous through their own effort and talents, yet were not recognized. Sadly, their fame could never match those female streamers who sold their bodies. Hence, they would resort to any immoral means of getting famous In any case, as a man, Zhao Jiayi was instinctively against his own daughter being a live streamer, out in the open. He was not poor, even though he looked like an ordinary hospital director. In reality, he had a lot of resources and connections in his hands. His private hospital was not just any ordinary hospital, many powerful people have been admitted to his hospital. However, Zhao Jiayi wanted to keep a low profile, and his wife was exactly a braggart either. Zhao Youyue had no idea how special her father was, as the director of a private hospital. Lately, she spent her time thinking about how she would earn and spend her own money like her cousin, Wan Jun, who had started to make money from live-streams That would be so awesome. She did not want to become a spoiled brat who always spends money off his parents, like Zhao Hao. Youyue, why do you want to start live-streaming, all of a sudden? Zhao Jiayi would never reject his daughter outrightly. He loved to reason with his daughter, because she could be reasoned with. Unlike Wang Hua who he would never argue with, because she would always win in the end. Zhao Youyue replied in a calm and orderly manner, This is because I am very good at gaming and I can garner viewers with my skills. I also play the violin. If there are more viewers, I can perform better, with greater motivation. Most importantly, the prerequisites for all of this, is that I can maintain my good grades. Moreover, I will not show my face when Im doing the live webcast. I want to impress my viewers with my talent alone! She believed that she could persuade her parents with only two points. One was to maintain her good grades, while the other would be to keep her face obscure. This way, no matter how popular she becomes in the future, it would not affect her peaceful life. Without a doubt, Zhao Jiayis frowning brows slowly went back up when he heard the clear reply from his daughter. After all, he could watch anytime whenever she starts her live webcast. If she shows her face, he could stop her live webcast. However, was she that good in gaming? Haha, he never believed that his daughter would know how to lie either. This could be an improvement. Before this, she had no desire to prove herself and was satisfied with being normal. Before Zhao Jiayi could say anything, Wang Hua supported her in a loud voice, all of a sudden, Lazy baby, you can do your live webcasting. Your mother agrees, as long as you follow the prerequisites! No need to bother this man with the sir name Zhao! Mom, you are the best! Zhao Youyue hugged her own mother affectionately. As she was touching her mothers silky smooth and black long hair, she could not help but envy it. She should try growing her hair out I told you not to call me mother! Then, what should I call you? How about you call me big sister? Yuck! Mum, you and teacher Liu really are Shut up, talkative, so noisy! Zhao Jiayi had no idea that his head was turning green, but he knew the reason of Wang Hua agreeing so quickly to their daughters live webcast. This was because Wang Hua had always hoped that their daughter, who had always been a normal side character, would be the most dazzling main character! Zhao Jiayi tried to reason with her and said, Youyou, dont get happy so soon. The monthly test is just around the corner. Once the school reopens, youll be thrown into it, and you only got an overall of seventh place for the last final semester exam. This time, do you dare to set your target at the fifth place, overall? In that case, I will prepare a full set of live webcast equipment, and they will be of top quality. When you play the violin, the quality will really shine. Even though Zhao Jiayi was saying this, but he still felt that the target he has set was too high for his daughter. In his mind, he still believed that her seventh place was all because of luck. He just wanted his daughter to be in the top 20, and he would be satisfied. After all, his daughters academic result had been average, since primary school. Then I will have to thank you, father for spending the money. But, I promise to return the money once I start earning something! Youyou, you really are confident. Do your best! My lazy baby is the best when she is not lazing about! Zhao Youyue was all fired up for the upcoming monthly test. She felt that even without the Xu Jing character card, she could explode at any moment! Luckily, the Two Dimensional Gate was still on cooldown for the time being. That gave her time to focus completely on her real life. This time, she wanted to let her teachers, classmates, and parents recognize her again! Feast upon her magnificence! Chapter 146 Elite scholar mode on! One week before the monthly exam, Zhao Youyue had changed from her lazy, sluggish attitude, to a model student by using the Xu Jing card every day. As if the elite scholar, Xu Jing in Pure Romance had possessed her, she was totally absorbed in studying, not being interested in anything else. The teacher and her classmates saw the sudden change of her attitude. Mr. Qiu thought that this simple girl, Zhao Youyue has grown even more mature. Zhao Youyue had the potential in studying, and he believed that Zhao Youyue would have great results in this upcoming monthly test. He also hoped that Zhao Youyue could become a representative in this class, because the whole class was in an unstable state. While everyone was trying their best to get the first place, none of them could hold the top position in the class. The mathematics representative Chen Haoran was only strong in science subjects, his ranking in the class would drop if the science subjects are too easy. The class rep, Zhu Ran was a boy with an unassuming appearance, wearing black-framed spectacles. He too, was a forerunner the mathematics competition, but he obviously could not keep up with the pace at the very top. He does not have any particularly strong or weak subjects, while he gets pretty decent results in his language test. Although he was not a good writer like Han Leng, he was better than the average student. He was one of the top five students in class because of his above-average grades. He was a star among pupils. Comparing Zhu Rans results with the whole school made him an average student, and he was nowhere close to the super genius, Huang Zongchao. The homeroom teacher, Mr. Qiu thinks that this is as far as Zhu Ran can go. Zhao Youyue, who had improved the most during the last semester had much more potential now, because she had started to get serious and was putting in more effort. Those students who did not know Zhao Youyue personally would feel the aura of an elite scholar from her, her presence these days was only growing even more. This was obviously one of the reasons Zhao Youyue wanted to improve her grades, to get more attention. Zhao Youyue realized that studying could improve her presence, without her even trying it consciously. This was probably the best way for a side character to improve herself. Everyone knows that studying can enhance ones self-improvement, but few would actually have the determination to commit to learning. Now, Zhao Youyue has become one of the few who can commit to self-learning, because Xu Jing was Zhao Youyue. At this moment, Chen Haoran could not help himself but whisper to his best friend Han Leng, Han Leng, I dont know if Im hallucinating, but I feel that our classmate Zhao Youyue is getting even prettier. Han Leng was slightly startled when he heard Chen Haoran complimenting Zhao Youyue, because he had distanced himself from her again. It was his own baffling ego that drove him to avoid Zhao Youyue, for now. Whenever he contacted Zhao Youyue via Wechat, she would always reply Han Leng seriously. She never replied him with casual, half-hearted replies like, Hehe, Im gonna eat or Im going to take a bath, while she never gave off any arrogant goddess vibe either. Zhao Youyue was clear-minded, and she was still grateful to Han Leng for all the troubles that he had gone through to help her. She was impressed with the writing skills of him as well, but unfortunately, Han Leng had never revealed the title of his web novel to her. Zhao Youyue had a very high EQ, and she would have noticed if Han Leng treated her more than just a fellow classmate, but he never did that. Han Leng had always put up a cool and cold expression, as if it was an honor granted to Zhao Youyue, to be able to speak to him. Other girls would have hated Han Leng long ago, thanks to that off-putting attitude, but Zhao Youyue always treated everyone equally, because she was Saint Yue. Zhao Youyue had gotten used to being treated like a side character, so naturally, she would not even consider the idea of any male classmate having a fancy for her. If someone still remembers her after graduating from middle school, it was already good enough. Zhao Youyue has never dreamed of being liked by someone else, it was something she has never experienced before. In a way, she did experience falling in love with someone else in the realm of Pure Romance, because Xu Jing loved Yang Xixi. A one-sided love experience such as this was definitely not enjoyable, so she decided to block everyone out, to prevent herself from falling in love by accident. Her two self-crafted, beautiful character cards, which were Xu Jing and Yu Shengfan, would be put to use whenever she is unable to use her smartphone. They would server as the perfect emotional blankets. Han Leng was just a teenage boy who lived in his own world. In his mind, he had already taken the initiative to talk to someone, and yet the person his attention was directed to has made no effort to carry the conversation. For someone like him, his ego and pride would definitely be wounded. In fact, Han Lengs difficult attitude was destined to give him more trouble with girls, it was certainly a bizzare way of thinking. Zhao Youyue? Pretty? Hoho, I think shes just normal. Han Leng lied. I think that she is actually rather pretty, with her fair skin and gentle personality. Now that she has become serious in studying, I really think that she has become prettier. Too bad I did something wrong to her earlier, now she hates me. Chen Haoran finished awkwardly. Han Leng was furious when he was reminded that Chen Haoran had nearly made Zhao Youyue cry previously. Well, I have to disagree with you. I think Zhao Youyue is just pretty normal, Im not interested in a short-haired girl. Han Leng criticized arrogantly. I know youre the same with the other guys in class who like Jiang Qing, but I cant help it, I like Zhao Youyue. Chen Haoran said it without much consideration. What? You liked Zhao Youyue? Han Leng nearly ended his sentence with the word too. Chen Haoran felt embarrassed, because his family would not allow him to be involved in a romantic relationship at a young age, but such feelings cannot be controlled. After collecting her mathematics homework countless of times, every morning, since last semester, he soon realized that he liked her. Han Leng, youre my best buddy, please keep this a secret. I wont bother her even though I like her, it will just have a bad influence to our studies, if I confess to her. If I still like her during our third year, I will definitely take action. I wont regret it, no matter how it turns out. Chen Haoran muttered. Han Leng felt uneasy, but he cared for his buddy, and he would do anything for his best pal, so he said proudly, Just go after her if you like her, I can write you a love letter for her! Forget it, I dont wanna be in a relationship this early. It will be too late when you finally regret it. Haha, you talk funny as always, Han Leng. Im gonna go study now. Tch.. I dont get you. ED Note: EQ Emotional Intelligence the capability of individuals to recognize their own emotions and those of others, discern between different feelings and label them appropriately, use emotional information to guide thinking and behavior, and manage and/or adjust emotions to adapt to environments or achieve ones goal(s) Coleman, Andrew (2008). A dictionary of Psychology (3 ed). Oxford University Press Chapter 147 Chapter 145: Lucky and Unfortunate Those students who knew the nature of Zhao Youyue like her ex-deskmate, Zhou Fang, felt Zhao Youyue was incredible. Zhou Fang knew that Zhao Youyue would always slack off right before an exam. Usually, teachers would give time to students for their revision, and normal Zhao Youyue would use all that free time to play with her phone. Right now, not so normal Zhao Youyue was using every single second for her revision. Zhao Youyue reminded Zhou Fang of how it was last final exams. She had taken pity on Zhao Youyue for burning the midnight oil right before the exam. She certainly did not expect Zhao Youyue to ace the final exams with flying colors This time, Zhou Fang did not anyhow jump into conclusions, she certainly did not want Zhao Youyue surpassing her this time. Zhao Youyue might have been lucky enough to surpass her once, and she would need to reconsider her capabilities if Zhao Youyue manages to do that twice. Finally, the monthly exams had commenced, according to schedule. Zhao Youyue was full of confidence when she activated her Xu Jing card, because she knew she had done her revision perfectly. The main point was, she had paid attention during lectures in classes, so she never missed out on any information. She felt the exams going smoothly for her, this time. Apparently, the toughest subject was English, but this did not pose a threat to Zhao Youyue who had the Yu Shengfan card, and she even thinks that she could get full marks for English. As for the science subjects, mathematics, physics or chemistry exams, they were all too easy for her. Zhao Youyue believed that she could ace the exam without activating the Xu Jings card, because she had a perfect memory retention of everything that had occurred during class. As Zhao Youyue wanted to brag about her results to her parents after the exams, she realized that her room already had a complete set of utilities for live broadcasting, ready for her to use at any moment. Zhao Jiayi was smiling at his daughter, asking whether she was happy with this pleasant surprise. Zhao Jiayi had decided that no matter what results his daughter gets, he would give his daughter a surprise, because he knew that she was changing, and she would shine even brighter in the future. In fact, when Zhao Jiayi saw how serious his daughter was preparing for the exam, he was already satisfied with what he saw. He was not so fixated on the end results as he was in the process. Of course, Zhao Youyue was pleased about it, to see her family being so supportive of her being a livestreamer. Her parents probably believed that she would not become a particularly notable streamer, but she would prove it with her skills. Thanks for the pleasant surprise, but I will not start using these before my results are revealed. When I say that I can get into the top five in class, I will get into the top five! Zhao Youyue replied. Zhao Jiayi gave his daughter a big thumbs-up. Zhao Youyue had been focusing on her studies recently, and this had caused her violin to go out of practice, so she decided to use the free time after lunch during school to practice. Zhao Youyue had a solid foundation in playing the violin, because she had the magical Xu Jing card. Whenever she allows herself to be taken over, a familiar feeling would flow through her body. Xu Jing can definitely play a song perfectly, but Zhao Youyue could make the music even more livelier with her emotions. Even though her musical talent was not able to make her a master musician, it was much better than the dull musician that Liu Yuxi always scoffed at. One afternoon at the beginning of April, Zhao Youyue carried her violin case to the cherry blossom lane in her school. The cherry blossoms were blooming gloriously at that moment, and pink petals were falling down from the trees as if she was in a wonderland of flowers. Zhao Youyue let the peace and serenity flow over her. She then took her violin out of the case and started playing it under a cherry blossom tree. From a distance, a brisk yet soothing song could be heard. If Teacher Liu Yuxi was here, listening to Zhao Youyue playing her violin, she would definitely change her opinion of Zhao Youyues talents. A normal person might not be able to judge the quality of the song that Zhao Youyue played, but they would definitely get influenced by the way she played the violin. With the elegant temperament that was spreading out of her body, her presence was extremely bold at that moment! As if Zhao Youyue had transformed into a musical elf, playing a song under the flying petals of cherry blossoms in April. Unfortunately, nobody was here to witness her beauty. Zhao Youyue was completely relaxed, as if the music had washed her heart like flowing water. Of course, there are always some lucky ones in this world. Han Leng had decided to finish up his web novel in Qidian which was called Conquer the world in Online games, not because he was not able to write anymore. An experienced web novel writer would know if he can continue milking something out of a title. As long as it is interesting, readers would be reluctant to see the end of that novel, as much as their authors. Han Leng was wrapping up this still interesting webnovel, because he had received an opportunity to sign a contract with a magazine. It wasnt like he wanted to create a literary work to impress Zhao Youyue. Ever since Han Leng knew that his best friend Chen Haoran liked Zhao Youyue too, he had decided to avoid her completely. He laughed at himself, because he was never close to Zhao Youyue to begin with, all that was all his wishful thinking. In fact, Han Leng had never treated Zhao Youyue as more than just a classmate, he had always ridiculed and insulted Zhao Youyue as a way of flaunting his alpha masculinity, thinking that it was hilarious and cool. Other girls would have already hated him to the guts for displaying such attitude. He believed that it was the perfect flirtation, when actually, he was just a bad mouthed person who loved to show off. Only Zhao Youyue could bear with his superiority complex and pride. Equally hilarious was his reason for keeping his distance with Zhao Youyue; he had already set his heart in stone, certain that Zhao Youyue had officially become Chen Haorans girlfriend. He would be betraying his best pal if he decides to approach Zhao Youyue. He felt proud of himself for doing so, thinking that he had done something great for his best friend Such was the awkward person, Han Leng. Nobody can save him from being forever alone for the rest of his life. Han Leng had finished up his novel, because he had received the opportunity to sign a contract with Mengya magazine. They promised him 300 RMB for every thousand words, and they hoped that he would exclusively write for Mengya, because he had won the award for writing a new conceptual composition in a competition when he was in middle school. He was the youngest person to ever receive this first-rate award. He used to avoid becoming a traditional writer, because his father worked in the cultural bureau and had many contacts and available resources, but he wanted to forge his own path by writing web novels when he was younger. As he fell behind the demanding pace of web novels, it occurred to him that web novels were not suitable for him to flaunt his writing talent. Thus, he decided to sign the contract with Mengya. This would also severe any contact with Zhao Youyue who was deeply involved in web novels too. Mengya wanted Han Leng to write a romance novel. The more satirical it was, the better, and it would be perfect if he could add some pure romance elements. After Han Leng finished his lunch, he did not go back to his dorm for a nap. He could only wander around in school to find inspirations for his new book. Luckily, he had stumbled across Zhao Youyue. Unfortunately, he can never ever forget about her. Zhao Youyue was wearing a standard school uniform while playing the violin under the cherry blossom tree with elegance. No words can describe how Han Leng felt at the moment, he felt extremely bad for not picking up any instruments of his own. Tonicquill: Misunderstandings irk me the most. Especially when reading them as a third-party, knowing that you cant do anything to convince the dim-witted characters otherwise. But the human mind just cant hold itself back from jumping to conclusions and playing out hypothetical scenarios, can it? Oh, but am I terrible at flirting, myself. The author might have been able to express these scenes out if he adopts a more show-not-tell narration. Chapter 148 Chapter 146: Ranked first in the entire school Han Leng had always wondered, what is the purpose of writing novels? Some authors wrote novels in order to earn a living, they wrote because they wanted money. Han Leng used to despise these kinds of authors, until he realized that he was starving to death, unable to afford even a single meal. Somehow, it enabled him to understand the feelings of these authors, even though their writings never made sense. As long as readers enjoyed it, that author would have a purpose to continue writing. Many normal people do not seek for great scenes that made sense, they just simply wanted to enjoy reading a novel. Han Leng was impressed by these authors that were driven by money, they actually put their readers as first priority. They probably knew how boring or flawed their writings were, but in order to keep their readers paying, they had no other choice. Some readers would accuse certain authors of not being sincere, or for being too boring as they use the same plot and plot devices over again and again, because readers would grow tired of it over time. These veteran authors realized that new readers would still accept their old writing style, so they did not waste time entertaining those old readers who were bored of their repetition. Hollow literature readers would be like leeks, uproot one, and another would pop up to take its place. This is actually a wise choice, if they decide to create literature for the sake of money. Some authors would proclaim that their masterpieces would last for a decade. But in reality, extremely few people have shown that they have the persistence to carry on, even if they do not earn recognition in their lifetime. Can they be considered as successful when there is no one supporting their work? There is only one way of putting it, they were just entertaining themselves. These types of authors usually had great ambition, and sadly, Han Leng was one of them when he just started writing. He intended to make his mark as another great poet or essayist! In this modern era, poets are now punsters, while essayists are a legendary profession that no longer exists. Nobody has the time to read such artistic essays anymore. Only the famous essayist, Yu Qiuyu was able to sell his book with fame, but many people bought the book, not because they wanted to read it, they simply wanted to put it on display on their bookshelf! Look, Im reading the book of Yu Qiuyu, am I cool or what? Artistic teenagers would despise it, Yu Qiuyus essay was nothing, compared to the writings of foreigners! Never heard of such person? Well, I certainly cant brag about it if you knew every single author. After Han Leng was done writing Conquer the world in Online Games, he realized he had caught the eye of certain readers as he was indulged in his own fantasy. Being able to gain favoritism from the readers while enjoying oneself, was such a wonderful thing. He had set his mind to doing the same thing when he writes a romance novel in Mengya. After witnessing the boom of commercialized web novels, he still had hopes of writing a novel that would satisfy both himself and the readers. Such was his purpose of writing a novel. He felt regretful, because he never picked up any instrumental lessons, but in the novel, he could be anything he wanted to, even a piano genius! He might not be able to approach Zhao Youyue in reality, but he could do otherwise in the novel. After having that thought, his depressed feelings and struggles disappeared. He had never thought of this until now. Oh, how he was looking forward to writing his own new novel, now! He stood from a distance quietly, and after listening to the soothing melody of some time, he left without Zhao Youyue noticing him. He had promised himself that he would not approach Zhao Youyue anymore, and he is a man of his words. After he went back to the dorm, he took out a secret memo and jotted down a new entryBeautiful April. With so many sad and tragic romantic novels, he decided to write a comedic school romance novel. Meanwhile, he would never forget to mock the current China education system. He wanted to name his novel as Three Layers Gate, which stood for elementary, middle and high school. Why do the students have to spend their youth on an unnecessary educational system that restricted them so? The message he intended to share was, You mortals are fools, why cant you keep up with your studies while being in a romantic relationship? You cant even earn money for yourself to be able to commit to a relationship. Those elite scholars would have no problems dealing with it, while they could still flirt with other girls in this Three Layers Gate. His talents had earned him money through writing web novels. If not for him being a true gentleman with other girls, he would already have his own harem in high school. He was pretty confident in his EQ. Han Leng would never write these facts in his novel, he would probably get beaten up to death by the students, because this was an insult to them! He planned to write all this, because the current education system was killing creativity. Without an exam-oriented education, unique, personalized individuals would have arisen from the new generation. Chinas education system was a mess! He has decided to stand up and fight against it! Han Leng believed that he should include the popular sentiments of students into his novel. If he includes the rebellious thoughts of a student, he might just get popular among the students. Be it male or female, students would like him because he was a rebellious author who preached the truth! He would know what the readers wanted, because he had gained the experience himself while writing web novels, and he would allow the main protagonist to speak out these words at the right moment. The insults he had for those he considered beneath him would never appear in any of his literary works. His work would only consist of sweet romance, allowing countless of students to bask in their fantasy of pure romance. To be able to fall in love during high school, that would be wonderful! As he stumbled across Zhao Youyue, his mind had echoed the words that Natsume Soseki once saidThe moonlight is beautiful tonight. Thus, he decided to write a story centered around a violinist in his new book. He wanted to use this novel to bring his first love to closure, a love that he never had in the first place. Zhao Youyue, no matter what your status is in reality, you are just a figment of my writing. I am the one who decides your role, because I am a creator, a world-creating God! Han Leng let out a contemptuous smile, he would write something that was totally the opposite from reality, he would model a female lead after Zhao Youyue, one who pursues, and yet would not get the love from the main protagonist! This will be his new book! Naturally, Zhao Youyue did not know that a certain weird twisted author hated her so much, because he loved her too much. Zhao Youyue was delighted, because she had ranked first in the whole school for this monthly exam! Science subjects were rather easy, and she was able to get full marks on it. Surprisingly, she got full mark on the difficult English test too, the language master Yu Shengfan certainly is amazing. Her Chinese test lost ten points because it was up to the markers understanding of her composition which was out of her control Her Chinese language tests, with only ten points short of full marks had surpassed Wang Zongchao, who had lost a total of more than twenty points in her English and Chinese language tests. Thus, Zhao Youyue was now first in the whole school! Even though Wang Zongchao had full marks on science subjects as well, it cannot change the fact that Zhao Youyue had surpassed him! This monthly test had made Zhao Youyue extremely popular! No one had ever managed to dethrone Wang Zongchao previously Chapter 149 Chapter 147: Playing solo from bottom rank Many top students in the whole school did not even know that Zhao Youyue existed. So, just where did she come from, shes simply amazing! Who was this Zhao Youyue, what did she do to become usurp the first position in the whole school? Wang Zongchaos classmate, Guo Peisheng was a rather famous person in school because of his results. He had fought to stay in the top five positions since the start of last semester. Unfortunately, he was in the same class with Wang Zongchao. He would never know how it felt like to be the top student in a class. Guo Peisheng was familiar with the top ten students in school, and he treated these top students as his rivals. He had a dream too, he wanted to challenge the final boss, Wang Zongchao! Of course, he was in good terms with Wang Zongchao, he earnestly wanted to get close with Wang Zongchao because he had a wild ambition, to become the first in the whole grade! Guo Peisheng truly never expected that the final boss, Wang Zongchao would be defeated by a nameless side character before he even gets his chance! Director, is this the correct script? Wasnt Zhao Youyue from that particular class, and werent the students in that class useless. More than half of them gotten into that class because they had some sort of special relationship with the school. How did a dark horse like Zhao Youyue suddenly pop out of that hellhole? Guo Peisheng even believed that Zhao Youyue had cheated on the exam; how else did she snatch the first place from Wang Zongchao? Of course, he knew that this was all in his mind. He saw someone posting the results of Zhao Youyue in a certain elite scholar group chat that he had created. Zhao Youyue had managed to surpass Wang Zongchao because of her English exam! When Guo Peisheng saw Zhao Youyues English composition, he could not believe his own eyes, was this an English composition written by a Chinese? Such authenticity, did she copy it from the internet? Or has she studied abroad in the US before? If someone were to search the internet with the smartphone, they would realize this was indeed written by Zhao Youyue herself. Even Wang Zongchao had sent a few exclamation marks in the group. Obviously, he was surprised that a nameless side character had taken the first place from him. Wang Zongchao now remembered the name Zhao Youyue because he had failed. Thats right, he would consider this as a failure because he did not manage to get the first place He just wanted to know who this Zhao Youyue was. Zhao Youyues homeroom teacher, Mr.Qiu was delighted. He knew that Zhao Youyue had great potential, but he never expected Zhao Youyue to get the first place in the whole grade! With those many elites in this strict and unforgiving high school, to be able to get the first place was indeed incredible, she had been able to take down a final boss elite scholar like Wang Zongchao, taking his rightful place! Of course, Zhao Youyue was able to take the first place because of luck too, the science subjects exam were too easy. Careful students had more advantage, because the science subjects elite scholars had been careless. Chen Haoran did not get a full mark on his math test because he did not spare his answers a double take, he had thought it to be too easy and it had cost him dearly Meanwhile, the English test was extremely difficult. If Zhao Youyue had never activated her Yu Shengfan card, perhaps she would gotten ten points deducted as well, and she would not able to get the first place so securely. Mr. Qiu had complimented Zhao Youyue in front of the whole class because of her amazing exam results. She had become famous instantly, rising from a side character that did not have any presence, some students even treated her like an extra boss, because she was able to surpass a genius like Wang Zongchao, it was certainly terrifying! The one who still did not believe the fact was probably Zhou Fang, because she had performed well too in this exam. When she got the third place in class, she thought that she would definitely surpass Zhao Youyue this time, but Zhao Youyue managed to get the first place in the entire grade. This was unbelievable! There was nothing Zhao Fang could do except comfort herself, she had found her pride from this exam. As she cannot grasp the character of Zhao Youyue, she believed that it would better if she does not compare herself with Zhao Youyue, that would be a disgrace to herself. Zhou Fang felt exhausted Zhao Youyue had gained much attention in school from this monthly exam, although many students still did not know her in person, they would at least be aware that a person had taken the first place from Wang Zongchao. If Zhao Youyue still manages to lurk around the top five positions in school, she could secure her fame. Zhao Youyue had reached her goal, and as long as she maintains her results, she would have her special privileges. Mr. Qiu would treat her like a Buddha; she had brought glory to the class. When Zhao Youyue showed her monthly exam results to her parents, they were surprised too! Their daughter had changed so much since the winter holidays, they certainly did not expect her to get first place in the whole school, even if she had gotten it by chance, it would not matter! Zhao Jiayi was in an excellent mood, and he then proceeded to invite his friends over for dinner to celebrate his daughters results. When Zhao Youyue saw her parents were delighted because of her good results, she was in a pretty good mood too. She knew that she had made the correct decision, because her parents would always forgive her from now onwards, regardless of what she does, thanks to her grades. After she was done with the schools monthly exam, she could finally do a live-stream. First, she familiarized herself with all the equipment, and then she bought a new LoL account from Taobao, a level 30 account with maximum runes. She intended to change her IGN into Unpleasant Rain but soon saw that someone else had already taken it. She frowned. Why were there so many players called Unpleasant Rain? She was the one and only Unpleasant Rain! Zhao Youyue had no other choice but to add numbers to the back of her name, UnpleasantRain001. This made her unhappy as she felt like an imposter. She would make other players realize the terrifying truth when Xiao Yu comes into this three dimensional world of theirs! After Zhao Youyue was done settling her account, she eagerly started her live-stream for the first time. Even though she did not reveal her face, but her voice could be heard clearly, and she aptly name her room Yu Shengfan in the flesh, a new account in a new server, playing solo from bottom ranking to national ranking, number one! Chapter 150 Chapter 148: He heard this voice before! Zhao Youyue never expected to become famous the moment her livestream kicked off. For every following day, she would only play for two hours at most, so that Xiao Yu could enjoy herself in the world of gaming. She did not only play LoL on her livestream, she played many single player games too. As Xiao Yu steamrolled through the games, Zhao Youyue felt her gaming standard improving slowly as well. In fact, Zhao Youyue had no idea how to make herself famous, because she did not know how to insert any gimmicks into her show. If she decided to give out 1000 QQ coins whenever her champion Yasuo loses in a solo battle, she might get more attention. Zhao Youyue was just simply live streaming herself playing games casually, relaxing and minding her own business. Zhao Youyue had already gained a few subscriptions on her first stream, but they had just come here to insult the streamer on the bullet curtain. Obviously, they were fans of Yu Shengfan in the novel, they simply could not ignore it when someone self-proclaims herself as Yu Shengfan in the flesh, and they also wanted to see the face of this Yu Shengfan. However, Zhao Youyue only lashed out at them furiously, because with her Yu Shengfans card active, she was now a loud-mouthed venomous brat with a tongue of spears Stop making noises and look at how I play seriously, learn from this kings skills! I dont care how many of you are watching me, I only care about my enjoyment. If you think that you guys are tough when commenting on the bullet curtain, watch me insult each and every one of you. I dont want any presents, a rich lady like me doesnt lack money! Please roll out of this live streaming room! Can you guys comment something nice on the bullet curtain? Is this how you put up a fight? To be honest, it was quite difficult to become famous because of how Zhao Youyue or rather, Yu Shengfan performed in her live streaming video. She was far from friendly to her audiences, whereas other streamers would treat their audiences like treasured guests, asking presents from them politely. They would even treat those high leveled tycoon fans like their own parents, wishing they would give out presents like rockets or airplanes. Zhao Youyue, on the other hand, did not even bother about these tycoon fans. Those normal audiences who only commented on the bullet curtain had it far worst. Every time Zhao Youyue starts a live streaming, it becomes a battleground between her and the people in bullet curtain, insulting each other. Her teammates and opponent had something to win from it as her attention would be diverted, so she would no longer be flinging insults at her opponents in the game. It was rather spectacular in its own way with so many people in the bullet curtain coming in to look for a fight. The main point was, Zhao Youyue or Yu Shengfan would never utter a single cuss word while scolding everyone, or else her room would have been banned by now. She would render everyone in the bullet curtain speechless. Under those circumstances, she used three days to win ten rounds of ranking battles, with a win rate of 100 percent, becoming a gold rank player. This was quite an impressive feat for a new player. What that really fed her fame was the way she fused those insulting words together while playing on a live streaming video. She would scold the audiences while playing the game, it was certainly an enjoyable experience. Some people were here to watch her extraordinary gaming skill, some people were here looking for a fight! Whenever Zhao Youyue uses Yu Shengfans card, her original, soothing voice would change into the voice of a lolita, similar to that of Rie Kugimiya. Was this actually the Fanfans disease in real life? many viewers wondered. Zhao Youyue unusual style had attracted many perverted fans in a short period of time, they all wished to get scolded by Zhao Youyue. The more Zhao Youyue insults them, the better the reward! Many audiences soon realized that if the two dimensional character, Yu Shengfan comes into reality, this might actually be her method of live-streaming! Unfortunately, LoL did not have chat bubbles, and people could mute their chat at will. When Zhao Youyue goes off with her Chat flow ability at the start of a game, she soon realized her opponents had muted her and feared her Chat flow would become useless. She could not hold back the urge to talk while she eats them for breakfast, but then she found out there were many insulting comments on the bullet curtain! She was so happy, as if she had discovered a new continent! It was the true nature of Yu Shengfan to insult her audiences while she is playing a game, because she was a tsundere ojou-sama. Besides Lin Feng, nobody would ever be spared from her venomous tongue! Zhao Youyues live stream had become famous, but her reputation was not doing as well. Everyone knew that a certain little girl plays LoL with a bad attitude, scolding the audience while playing. She would have the audience beg her if the audience ever wants her to use a specific champion, or else she would never agree to it. There was now a few thousand people watching Zhao Youyue live streaming every night, and she already had more than twenty thousand subscriptions. Everyone knew that the popularity of this particular Douyu Streamer was still relatively low, only because she was a female game streamer who had joined in only recently. Nobody would dare to question about Zhao Youyue self-proclaiming herself as Douyu Yu Shengfan anymore, because she already proved herself with her venomous tongue that was similar to Yu Shengfan, now she only needed to prove her gaming skills. Of course, many audiences did not expect much from her, because she never reveals her face. According to her voice, everyone thought that she was only an elementary student, and there was no way that a female elementary student could play that well. However, Zhao Youyue kept amassing victories in the ranking battles while verbally abusing the audiences. As time passed, her fame as Douyus Yu Shengfan soon spread out. The creator of The Strongest King, Ye Hai would watch a live-stream or two in his leisure time. With the currently advanced technology of live-streaming, he could learn a gaming technique or two from it. Soon, he heard a news from his readersMy goodness, Xiao Yu had started a live streaming video in our reality, will she exact her vengeance on our Master Rosemary? Ye Hai was curious about it, as he loved the character Yu Shengfan as well, and soon navigated his was into the live-streaming room of Yu Shengfan. The first thing he heard was Yu Shengfan scolding, Filthy bugs, crawl out my channel immediately! The one that keeps giving gifts, yes you! Are you stupid, Im scolding you right now, and youre still giving me gifts? When Ye Hai heard the voice of Yu Shengfan, he was dumbfounded. This voice, there was no mistake! You might not believe it, but this is the voice. It was the very voice that had rattled his brains in his intoxicated state! Chapter 151 Chapter 149: A Suffocating Operation If it audiences joined a livestream only to be relentlessly scolded by the host the moment they make their entrance, it certainly would leave a bad taste in their mouths. Even though her fury had its appeal, just like the arrogant female character in the anime, audiences looked for fun, not to be scolded. This is why Zhao Youyues or Yu Shengfans live broadcast had failed to gain popularity. Not to mention that she was not contracted to any specific sponsors or Dou Yu live broadcasts platform. Without these, her live broadcast schedule would not appear on the homepage. However, Ye Hai was not disgusted by this voice. On the contrary, he felt it connecting with him. It even brought him back to the nostalgia of his intoxicated state. In that state, it was as if him entering his own literary world where he could closely observe every character. Yu Shengfan, being the active and talkative one, would grab his attention the most, among others. Her indistinguishable voice had been engraved in his mind since then. All this while, he had always believed that such a voice only existed in his imagination. A hallucination that was the result from being overly obsessed in his literary work. Now, he was completely stunned by the familiar voice once again. Could it be possible that Yu Shengfan really existed in this world? It had to be a coincidence He was confused and lost. He could not deny that Yu Shengfan totally fascinated him. It gave him the reason to be obsessed with her as he pleased, as she was a character from his work. After all, she was just a two dimensional character. He could not be accused of conducting an affair, right? Moreover, the justification he gave himself was that, in order to better depict this character, he had to be obsessed with her Alright, Ye Hai had to admit that he got caught roleplaying the male protagonists role named Lin Feng. At that time, he was writing the ending part of Yu Shengfan. How does losing a beloved one feel like? In order to better portray this sadness, he method-acted Lin Feng himself. Then, Ye Hai put what he felt into words. It left many readers in awe and sent tears to almost twice as many eyes. The death of Yu Shengfan profoundly impacted Lin Feng, especially when he realized that he had insensibly fallen for her but never got the opportunity to express it. Well, if Yu Shengfen was still alive, Lin Feng would have been not discovered his admiration for her that had grown silently, deep within him. Yu Shengfen would still be treated as a good teammate or buddy. Now, faced with the possibility that Yu Shengfen has appeared in this three dimensional world, he felt exactly like how Lin Feng would feel, finding out that Yu Shengfen was still alive. To him, it was like her appearing out of nowehere again, just being her mischievous self again, teasing him for crying Fortunately, Ye Hai still had a firm enough grasp on reality. He knew that, ultimately, he was not Lin Feng, but a web novelist with a family. He was not Lin Feng, the single dog[1]. He was also not a member of the E-sports Who Does Not Need Love community. In addition to that, he was loyal to his family. In the live broadcast studio, Ye Hai found himself being carried away while listening to Yu Shengfans non-stop talking. His mind drifted back to his older days where he was a little-known web novelist. Now, he was a reputable web novelist who stood out among the entire community. His work, The Strongest King, was going to be adapted into an animation film. An epiphany occurred to him. Could he invite this livestreamer whose voice matched the Yu Shengfens voice in his mind to become the voice actress of Yu Shengfen in his animation film? His mind connected the dots, and a certain song titled, South Hill South in his literary work popped out in his mind. This song never existed in reality. During that time, many readers praised the super talented Mi Diexiang. Even the songs sung by Xiao Yu to Lin Feng were original. However, Ye Hai knew that this song was not his original creation. It was created by Yu Shengfan, and he merely committed it to memory with a passion. Ye Hai thought that this song really existed in reality as he was not familiar with folk rhyme. He even wanted to search for more of this song to put in on repeat. The way Xiao Yu had sung this song was simply a paradise for the ears. Alright, other web novelists might find it hard to comprehend if they knew that Mi Diexiang could hear the voices from the literary world as he wrote. This was a surprising phenomenon, wasnt it? Hence, Ye Hai searched this song using Baidu and found that it was unavailable. The lyrics existed only in his literary work. He grew dejected. Perhaps his so-called inspiration was more of a hallucination. The voice of Xiao Yu singing in his literary world was merely his hallucination. Suddenly, Ye Hai thought that this could be used to verify the identity of this crazy streamer who self-proclaimed herself as the three dimensional Yu Shengfan. Of course, Ye Hai knew that it wasnt nice of him to do this. He launched the barrage anyway Miss, since you confidently claim yourself to be the three dimensional Yu Shengfan, do you even know how to sing South Hill South? If not, you are just an imposter with a sharp-tongue. This barraged had caused a ripple in the chat stream. Audiences who disliked her but had been unable to refute her self-proclamation started to chant for Zhao Youyue to sing South Hill South. However, other audiences immediately jumped to her defense Isnt this South Hill South only a bunch of lyrics on paper? How does one even sing it? Dont start a shitstorm for nothing, just watch her play, alright? This is ridiculous. Is it possible to compose a melody for these lyrics which were unintentionally written by Mi Diexiang? Besides, they are incomplete. Youre asking her to actually complete it? F*ck! Youre not happy with her roleplay? Why must she sing? She just perfectly acting out the role as Yu Shengfenit is impossible for her to sing South Hill South. Shameless pricks Zhao Youyue soon noticed the change in the chat stream. It was about her time for her to go off, and she wanted to play the game no more. She then took a deep breath and began to sing into the mic before her. You faced the southern bright sun on this snowy day Spring was the only season I felt although I was in the freezing night in the north I wanted to forget your eyes before dawn Spending my life on an untrue dream that never ends There were hills in the south, gloominess only intensified by autumn in the north There are heaps of grains in the south South wind whispers to the air over the northern sea Our love will eventually be buried under the tombstones in the northern sea After singing, Zhao Youyue humphed arrogantly and ended her broadcast. She did not even express gratitude to the excited tycoons who had sent her rockets as she was singing. Making her exit after being cool was so exciting for her. Ye Hai was excited and shocked. He too sent her rockets. Now, he became even more fascinated. This South Hill South was exactly what he heard before and, this time, in full version! Holy sh*t! My fictional character actually time-traveled to this three dimensional world. What a suffocating operationhe truly felt out of breath and would need an oxygen mask to prevent himself from blacking out. Translation Note: 1. Single dog () is an Internet slang. It refers to people who are single or whoever who doesnt have a boyfriend or girlfriend. In China, this status is like that of a dog, afraid of being lonely and in need of company. Chapter 152 A New Literary World 66666666[1] This girl is super talented! Why end it so soon? I havent had enough! Its only a matter of time before she goes viral. If not, I will cut my d*ck off, live! She ran away after being cool, makes things so much more sensational Nice voice! She should not be a gamer. Focus on singing! So, have a livestreamer who livestreams a black screen for us, and yet, is gaining millions of RMB. Lu Benwei is damn awesome The truth was, except Ye Hai, most of the audiences thought that this streamers talent was exceptional for being able to compose a melody for the uncompleted lyric But what did this mean? It merely indicated, that due to her utmost admiration for Zhu Shengfan, this streamer was able to perfectly roleplay her. Most audiences would not have the ludicrous brain hole[2] idea that Yu Shengfan has time-traveled from the two dimensional to the three dimensional. This idea threatened the foundations of sanity itself. After all, these interdimensional travelers appear only in fiction. Ye Hai was the only one who would believe that Xiao Yu really had crossed over to reality. Blame no one. Nowadays, there are too many novels involving interdimensional traveling. This had expended the brain hole of many web novelists, more so than ordinary people. Furthermore, the melody of South Hill South that was just sang by Xiao Yu, matched the very song he heard in his hallucination! Dj vu! He was unable to describe the shock and fear that he felt after hearing it. He must be hallucinating againno matter how lucid things may be, even though he wasnt in that intoxicated state at that moment. Ye Hai should be grateful that he was not writing one of those extremely realistic genre novels. Such a character crossing over would certainly add to the confusion! Even if Yu Shengfan happened to cross over to reality, she was just a gaming expert. He was unsure what she felt about him. After all, he was the one who cruelly ended this characters life. If he was her, there was no doubt that he would take revenge on that person! Ye Hai decided to incubate in this live broadcast studio. He believed that fame awaited Dou Yu Yu Shengfan this girl in the future. She simply had not crawled to the top of this game, not yet. It was impossible for her to not be famous if she manages to crawl up from a mere side character to the role of a king, right? Furthermore, she was a girl. To date, no female player had obtained the king role from individual rankings, right? Let alone national rankings By that time, the verbal battle between her and her viewers would be the highlight. Normally, audiences would be reluctant to verbally attack her. Moreover, she was selective in who she intended to verbally slay. If he had not been motivated to probe this girl whose voice was alike Yu Shengfan, he would not simply started up any flame wars. Ye Hai wanted to collect more evidence by incubating here. Moreover, if she really is the character from his novel, would not it be interesting to witness her becoming the master of gaming in this world? Besides, he must be proud, if the female character from his novel ranks first in the individual and national rankings! He would not reveal this, as it was inconceivable Actually, Ye Hai wanted to get to know and invite her as the voice actor for his upcoming animation filmThe Strongest King. Rather than voice acting, this would simply be the character speaking into the microphone Certainly, Ye Hai wasnt cheating of his wife. He always reminds himself as a good man who was loyal to his family. He is Ye Hai, a web novelist, not Lin Feng. It seems like the cooldown time of the Two Dimensional Gate has passed. Finally, it is time to stroll about in the literary world. I should treat it seriously, as long as it is not as much of a joke as the Hero of War. She sensed the ripple created by the gate in her mind, and this idea popped up as she lay in the bathtub. To Zhao Youyue, the Two Dimensional Gate was the most intimate existence. It had become a part of her. The gate dying would mean her death too. In supernatural terms, the Two Dimensional Gate was her natal talisman. Zhao Youyue was the acolyte who was trying to discover more of its functions. This time, before entering the gate, Zhao Youyue did not set any expectations such as wanting to become an empress, or to enter a world of superpowers. Perhaps by just being the iconic character that matches the realism of the world that she is about to enter, she might as well gain superpowers in reality. Well, at least Tan Xiaoya and Li Yunlong that she created in Hero of War could be considered as famous characters. They were still active and had become superstars in website B, alongside Liu Xing and Liang Feifan. Nevertheless, their popularity did not help her obtain character cards, because their energy levels had exceeded the original character. It was illogical for them to appear in a war film based on a true story. Therefore, she could not own those superpowers. However, this did not mean that she was useless. She could play as Li Yunlong when the Fate series is published. By this time, on top of her previous popularity, she might become an icon. One thing was that this character was a joke with cluttered abilities. It would never become an iconic character unless reset it. Detaching from expectations, Zhao Youyue regained her calmness. The familiar Two Dimensional Gate appeared in her mind again as she lay on the bed with her eyes closed. Both the Xu Jing Iconic Character Card and Yu Shengfan Iconic Character Card were so vivid in her mind. They were far more refined than her custom-made character cards in reality. By the way, she owned many of Xu Jing and Yu Shengfan merchandise such as garage kits, body pillows, etc. All of them were custom-made and their quality was incomparable to the mass-produced ones. She decorated her room with those garage kits that were one-of-a-kind. This way, she would not feel lonely, as she saw them as lifelong companions. Although both characters were actually played by her and reflected her life in that particular world, she felt secure by just acknowledging the presence of Xu Jing and Yu Shengfan. It was self-reassuring to see them embodied. Both of them would stand up for her whenever she refuses to be an ordinary side character. Everyone would be fascinated by her. And so, Zhao Youyue once again strode through the Two Dimensional Gate. Here, she discovered a literary work titled Beautiful April. Translation Note: 1. 666 carries homophonic of the Chinese character(Liu]). Widely used by online gamers in China to describe a strong gamer. 2. Brain hole () C Stands for imagination or insight. Chapter 153 Juvenile Literature Zhao Youyue was muddled after reading the title. It did not sound like a title of a webnovel. A webnovel with this title would not work out, for sure. Obviously, it was not a webnovel. It was bad news again for her, as a top subscriber of Qidian and other online works. She could not custom-make a female cameo which she could easily operate if she is unable to get hold of the author. She briefly went through its introduction that looked like Baidus Encyclopaedia via the Two Dimensional Gate. She was very disappointed to find that this was targetted for juveniles. It was hopeless. The reputation of juvenile literary works, both novels, and films, have been damaged by juveniles. Such juvenile literary works tended to include elements such as affairs, abortion, love triangle etc., claiming that it is part and parcel of an exciting youth. Abortion, a must-have element in the juvenile films that Zhao Youyue have watched. Back then, she was so exasperated with mankinds inability to produce any innocent juvenile films. Why must heroine express something in such a way As for juvenile literary novels, Zhao Youyue has not read much. However, she knew that such novels were very popular in the physical book market. Unlike other physical novels, they stood strong, despite the trend of webnovels. Every week, may students would buy juvenile romance magazines, such as Meng Ya, Zui Novel, Fiction&Drawing, Hua Huo etc. Her peers from the same class were obsessed with them. Even the Little Angel, Jiang Qing, who sat beside her would buy Meng Ya on a weekly basis. For her case, that would be understandable, Meng Ya sales have always been excellent, as it is published weekly in this world. Latecomers could not overcome the urge to join in. The magazines New Concept Essay Competition also held significant influence. Therefore, here, Meng Ya is the most sought-after juvenile literature magazine. Zhao Youyue was unsure if Meng Ya serialized Beautiful April. If so, she would feel relieved, as this indicated that it would easily become popular. Hence, the character she was in would easily become an icon too. Otherwise, she could only keep cursing Two Dimensional Gate for sending her to such uncharted waters. Anyhow, if this does not become popular, she would withdraw ahead of schedule, and ruin it in a way that would leave readers dumbfounded. For instance, if she is a female alien spy character who has the ability to produce alien eggs, she would incubate the egg in the male protagonist and turn him into an alien too. Eventually, the world would become the home for aliens Wasnt it interesting to alter the plot of a juvenile literature novel? However, the author would certainly drop such a notion. Unlike Lin Jianzhong, they would question their own minds for having such ideas. Juvenile literature novels are popular in the physical book market, but not online. They were not like those feel-good literature works. These novels always enjoyed sending their readers into despair. Tragic ends would also befall the male and female main characters who loved each other. After all, youth is a mixture of joy and sorrow. At that stage of their lives, most readers would be filled with angst and rebellious instincts. Such ending would bring forth an indescribable pleasure for the readers. Perhaps, only they could understand such pleasure. Therefore, when they reread these novels after becoming adults, an ineffable shame would wash over themWTF! Such pretentious, plastic literature made me cry back then? So embarrassing! That is right. Generally, the level of writing in these novels was high. They would be filled with stunning, bombastic phrases. Therefore, many students who mastered writing high school essays would take note of these iconic phrases to impress their teachers. Apparently, this was the reason why Han Leng students wrote so well. Ever since junior high school, he began to tamper with his writing skills. In addition to that, he was talented in writing, which helped him rank top in the new concept essay competitions. Many readers would be willing to buy a great authors work, even if it is written in a colloquial manner. For instance, Han Lengs Web Game: Dominate the World. Those lousy authors would definitely ruin such themes. However, he had managed to turn it into one of the top novels. How many top novels are there available in Qidian? Hundreds, at most. Thus, talent is crucial. Isnt it talent that turns a passing cameo into a God? After Han Leng wrote down the title of Beautiful April, he finished it in just three days. Then, many die-hard fans asked him about his next publication, but no feedback was given. He was unsure if he will write webnovels again. This work had required him to pass up about 8,000 words draft per week, which was approximately 1,000 plus words a day. When he was a web novelist, at least 4,000 words of draft per day was compulsory, and refinement was impossible. Now, this was merely a days update for him. This book would probably consist of about 200,000 words. For a webnovel, it would not appear in the VIP section, yet it could be published if it is a physical book. Nevertheless, for a high school student like himself, writing magazine articles was a good choice. The daily quota was not too heavy. Unfortunately, not everyone is as talented as him. Zhao Youyue had no clue that Beautiful April was a masterpiece of her classmate. After reading its introduction and the characters, she discovered that there were many female characters. Some were merely side characters with names. This could work in her favor. This time, she withheld her impulse, but first withdrew from the Two Dimensional Gate. She intended to read through its serialized parts to better prepare herself. Meanwhile, she would also plan carefully on crafting the ability that she could gain from it. Chapter 154 A High School Comedy The next day, Zhao Youyue Baidud for Beautiful April on her cell phone, on her way to school. After discovering that it was serialized on Meng Ya, she felt relieved. That was a good start. According to Jiang Qing Little Angels Encyclopedia, Meng Ya consisted mostly of experienced authors. Thus, quality was guaranteed. Leng Zi was the authors pen name. It gave her the impression of a hipster and gave her no clues about the authors gender. Not even for a single moment, did she relate this pen name toHan Leng. She had lost touch with him for more than a month, now. They were barely even acquaintances. Before this, she had sent him WeChat asking about his next novel out of curiosity. Regardless its quality, for the sake of friendship, she would still buy it. However, Han Leng always slighted her by replying with an Oh. It didnt take long before she decided not to disturb him anymore. Womens hearts could detect a needle beneath the ocean, yet, she hardly understood he was thinking. This left her puzzled. Zhao Youeyue would never even consider the possibility of Han Leng liking her. His actions have never expressed any of that. He, being misanthropic, had always teased her in messages by saying that she was too average and not as talented as him, and yet, he still looked up to her for her depth. Thanks to her good temperament, she never rebuked him. She always agreed with him. However, whenever she tries to probe the title of his novel, he would start avoiding her. Even a woman who knew how mens minds worked might not understand him, let alone Zhao Youyue. It was obvious that he liked her, but, in a weird way. Han Lengs did not use Leng Zi as his pen name for his juvenile literature novel. Being superstitious, he had used Sour Oranges, after noticing that most great web novelists pen name have been named after vegetables and fruits. It did give him the effect. What a waste, after deciding to change his direction. Nowadays, authors of juvenile literature novel must be good at writing stories that emphasized either on male protagonists or heroines. It is always more pleasurable to torture the heroine. For example, a well-known male author named Guo Xiaosi, was skillful at writing stories that emphasized on heroines. For this, he was given a nickname as Guo Siniang (Empress). In this world, authors like Guo Xiaosi are extinct. Zui Novel was established by a female author. Unlike Guo Xiaosi, she was not talented at business. This made Zui Novel rather mediocre, and was not even a competitor for Meng Ya. At the beginning, Zhao Youyue was a little depressed, regarding her relationship with Han Leng. She had done no wrong as far as she could remember. Why was there now a wedge between them? As time went by, Zhao Youyue gradually forgot about it, as she did not write reviews anymore. If she falls too far behind, she would activate the Xu Jings card, and write the reviews wholeheartedly. That should not be a problem, as Xu Jing had great respect for the teachers. A short introduction of Beautiful April was available online. Pirated versions did not exist, yet. This might due to it just being serialized. By the time it becomes popular, internet pirates would take action for sure, even if it hasnt become widespread. Jiang Nans Dragon Raja for example, was free to read online. China pirated websites were badasses. Readers like Zhao Youyue was a huge anchor of support for the authors. To read through Beautiful April which had been serialized for 5 weeks, consisting of about 4 million words in total, she would purchase five Meng Ya at once. She would even tip the author if it is good. Wait a minute, one could not tip the author of physical books. However, she could still express her appreciation by sending them red packets after following their Weibo and fan pages. Of course, she had to actually like the work first. With the magazine in her hand, she bumped into Jiang Qing the Little Angel on the way to class. Since when did you start reading juvenile magazines? Youve made your disgust at their cheap sentimentality clearly enough! By the way, I have many of them. You can borrow from me if you want, she said in surprise. I overheard one of our classmates who is good in writing saying, to improve our own essay writing, we must read and take notes from all sources available. So, I decided to buy Meng Ya. The writing style of its authors is excellent. Zhao Youyue replied firmly, trying to conceal her real intentions. Although astonished, she understood why Zhao Youyue wanted to improve her essay badly. Recently, Zhao Youyue has become the top student in the class. This wouldnt go unnoticed by the entire class. It was already early May and the midterm exams were coming soon. Would she be able to maintain her amazing performance? Everyone in the class witnessed this exchange, including Han Leng. He was startled after spotting those five magazines. His new literary work had just been serialized for five weeks. Maybe he was overthinking. Being allowed to read the magazines during the morning reading period, Zhao Youyue found herself enjoying the latest Meng Ya issues. Many a time, she had proven to Teacher Qiu that she would memorize the contents of their lessons at home. She was unafraid of being tested again. On top of that, Teacher Qiu was rather lenient on her, due to her previous results. Well, this were the special rights of the top student. Before entering the main story itself, a foreword where Leng Zis harshly criticized the chaos created by typical juvenile literary works nowadays caught her eyes. This resonated with her thoughts. She, too disliked abortion as the common expression of pain. Leng Zi even firmly expressed that This would be a high school comedy, complete with a happy ending catered for lovers! Translation Note: 1. Womens hearts are like needles beneath the ocean (,) C Proverb which refers to the inexplicability of womens hearts Chapter 155 This is dog food? Well, let me have a bite After reading his column, Zhao Youyue had to admit that Leng Zi was a likable person. His review about the trend of juvenile literature resonated with her. Love should be an innocent thing, right? No point creating such mess However, his closing line about this being a high school comedy, raised her guard. She was now dubious of authors promises, having been deceived previously. As the proverb goes, once bitten, twice shy. With vigilance, she began to indulge in Beautiful April. The opening of the chapter seemed to suggest a warm atmosphere. Leng Zi did not parade his flowery style, instead, outlined the scene of the start of a new school term with few words. An unexplainable familiarity called out to her, and Zhao Youyue was soon engaged with it, as she somehow felt a connection to this writing style. Apparently, Zhao Youyue had not noticed it. This scene was based on Leng Zis freshman year in senior high. A memoir of his daily life. The name of the male protagonist was Gu Yuan. It was mainstream, easy to pronounce and settles in the memory with ease. Some juvenile novelists liked to give their male protagonist edgy names, that end up sounding stupid. For example Dragon Proud Sky [1]. The heroine, Lin Yuemei, was about to appear. Although it sounded tacky, she must be the one, as the description of her started pouring just after the male protagonists turn. Moreover, the Yue in her name implied that she was a big star in this play. She was depicted as an introvert, unsociable, and easily anxious, as a result of not being in the same class with her bestie since junior high, Wang Yan. She loved music and often turned up the volume to offset her anxiety. Suddenly, the presence of this side character with a name caught Zhao Youyues eyes. She recalled the fact that her very first iconic character card, Xu Jing, had a bestie too. A side character like this gave her great room to maneuver, should she choose to possess her, but it also had its setbacks. If it catches the authors eye, he or she will sense something amiss. Therefore, Zhao Youyue continued reading on to search for a more suitable vessel. Gu Yuans personality gave Zhao Youyue a sense of innocent joy. On the surface, he seemed sophisticated and carried himself like a hipster, but, he was actually goofy and fun. He had a handsome gay friend, Chen Hao, a fact that he would lament over, as Chen Hao always grabbed the attention of the female classmates. His results were excellent, especially his science subjects. Even though Gu Yuan did not know Lin Yuemei, likewise, but they were aware of each others presence. The situation made Zhao Youyue feel an awww forming in her heart. This smells like dog food[2], for sure. Well, shes calling dibs on it! Then, the story continued from within Gu Yuans mind, as he observed the new classmates. He seemed to be very talented, his internal speech had a certain charm to it C Why do people play with pebbles? Because it does not have edges. The skin of a human being varies at different areas. Some have calloused hands, some have smut on their backs or an incredible amount of dead skin on their faces. I hope that mine is the heart. A heart that never gives up easily or sighs in despair. A heart that will prove myself to those bullies. Nobody likes to listen to your pain. It makes your friends miserable while your enemies cheer. I once crossed over the mountains and oceans and walked through crowds too. Everything I once owned is gone. I once felt frustrated, disappointed and lost. Then, I discovered, that being ordinary is the answer. Reading that, Zhao Youyue felt that this male protagonist had his own agendas. He looked an ordinary student for now, though. As the plot goes on, he should reveal his other side. Finally, she noticed that the author did not show off his style via descriptive sceneries, but rather, emphasized on the internal thoughts of characters. This did not offend her. To her, he is indeed very talented. Some words functioned as a refinement to details as well as a form of foreshadowing. The next sequence made Zhao Youyue vigilant again. This was going to be a mixture of high volume musical elements. Lin Yuemei and Wang Yan were the members of the classical music society. Gu Yuan would come to the room next to it after class. It was like his personal music studio, with a piano. Zhao Youyue did not bother investigating to see if senior high had such facilities. If everything is based on reality, it would have emphasized on studying. If there is a musical theme, she would more or less know how to pick the character that she wants to possess. Although not a once in a millennium prodigy, she really was talented in music. Liu Yuxi could vouch for this. In the novel, she could set herself to have top-tier musical talents, one who has mastered a wide variety of musical instruments, even having maximum stats in singing and composing. If the character becomes an icon, her gains would be massive! This could greatly enrich her live broadcasts, even, by upgrade her performance of South Hill South. After all, Yu Shengfan did not possess any musical talent in The Strongest King Immediately, she began to have high expectations on Beautiful April. The problem now was, who should she possess? She continued reading. Next was, Leng Zis description about the daily activities of the classical music society, which further added detail to Lin Yuemei by emphasizing how many awards she had won. She had to be very talented. Not to mention, she was superb at playing the violin, in contrast to Wang Yan who the played violin too. Thus, Zhao Youyue decided not to possess Wang Yan. She would be looking for trouble if she sets such a character with max musical talentShe continued reading with interest. Translation Note: 1. Dragon Proud Sky () C It is an internet slang used to scorn the main character of the novel, manga or anime. 2. Dog food () is an internet slang means: Lovers who publicly display their affection towards each other. Single dog () single individuals who totally detest the above. Chapter 156 The girl who has been blessed by the God of Music A few pages after, Zhao Youyue witnessed a scene that greatly pleased her. Coincidentally, the male protagonist Gu Yuan, and the female protagonist Ling Meiyue had chosen to have dinner at the same restaurant. Words alone cannot express the mysteries of fate and destiny. Both of them soon came across each other and turned red in unison as their eyes met. This might be what they call the taste of first love. The female protagonist Ling Meiyue was not extremely pretty, but she was quite a feast for the eyes. She also did not stand out much, but she would be very serious when it comes to studying or co-curricular activities. Zhao Youyue had not realized that the model for this female protagonist was almost similar to hers, other than the family background. Perhaps this was the kind of girl that Han Leng loved. In the end, he still had not stated that the female protagonist was the incomplete half of a one-sided love, involving the male protagonist. Instead, it would be a happy love story when both parties fall in love together, because it was the only way for him to satisfy his own imagination. He also hoped that the Ling Meiyue in real life would fall in love with him, but such a thing was nothing but fantasy Of course, both of the protagonists in the novel were largely ignorant of their own situations. The male protagonist then used an idiom from a famous author in his world to express his surprise at meeting the female protagonist. There was one detail that we should pay attention to. The female protagonist Ling Mei Yue seemed to have a happy family, and she had an adorable elder sister, Ling Meixing. However, it appeared that she was in love and was busy sending Wechat messages to her boyfriend. As for the male protagonist Gu Yuan, he only had his father accompanying him. Where was his mother? It had not yet been explained in the novel, for now. In any case, the novel was exactly what the author Leng Zi said it would be. The novel was a happy one, mixed with some sweet romance. The level of tiny details was truly surprising. For instance, when Gu Yuan pours himself some drinks, Ling Mei Yue would be standing behind him. He had wanted to pour himself some fruit juice in the first place, but went for coffee instead. It was as if coffee would make him appear more superior. Zhao Youyue had no idea how the other readers processed this detail. However, she could not help but grin after reading through this small detail. It was true, boys would love to act mature in front of their crush. The sister, Ling Meixing was rather thoughtful. After knowing that he was her sisters classmate from Ling Meiyue herself, she immediately reported it to her parents. As outgoing socializers, Ling Meiyues parents went to greet Gu Yuan who was with his father Their parents had also met for the first time during the protagonists first meeting! Zhao Youyue was very surprised; she had never seen such a stable couple before! Why couldnt all novels be written this way? One on one couples are the perfect setting! Zhao Youyue was really grateful to the Two Dimensional Gate for giving her such a pleasant surprise. It had actually given her a youthful novel that made her feel so refreshed and bittersweet. This author, Leng Zi had just won herself a new fan. It had to be a female author, since such care was given to every detail, right? She made a decision to hunt down other works by Leng Zi after she finishes reading the currently available releases of Beautiful April. Soon after, Gu Yuans father started to tease the male protagonist and asked him whether he liked the girl or not. After all, she was quite pretty. Of course he said no, but his ears were all red. He quickly drank the coffee to hide his embarrassment, only to realize that coffee was terribly bitter As they were paying the bills, the female protagonist Ling Meiyue overcame her nervousness and spoke to the male protagonist. She told him not to tell anyone in the class what happened today, because it was too embarrassing. The male protagonist was very nervous as well, but put up a manly front, and insisted that he would not tell anyone. The following plot basically portrayed the typical routine of high school life. Due to the shyness between the male and female protagonist, the story developed at a slow pace. In the fifth chapter of the novel, only did she realize that they had exchanged their respective WeChat IDs to discuss about the preparation of tools and equipment for the upcoming music festival. Still, Zhao Youyue read with great interest. She used all her break time during the day just to read this youth novel that kept showing more and more bittersweet, shy romance. Even though both protagonists did not show or express their feelings for each other, it was truly heart-warming to see them in sync at doing almost everything. The passion it awoke in the readers was just too profound and overpowering! Of course, besides the love story, there was another critical plotline as well, which took the musical aspect. By the end of chapter five, the story broke off at a point which made Zhao Youyue infuriated. The background of the male protagonist was finally revealed. Apparently, he was a genius pianist. Due to his ability to play music scores perfectly, he was known as the Human metronome. He played the piano for the sake of his sick mothers happiness. Consequently, his talent and hard work had earned him a lot of honors and awards. However, during one practice session where his own feelings overwhelmed him and caused the flowing of tears, his mother had literally asked him to go die. Soon after that, his mother passed away. As a result, he could no longer hear his own music, after suffering the heavy blow of his mothers death. In addition to that, he also gave up on his promising career path as a pianist. The prizes received by the male protagonist were too many compared to the female protagonist. This is because the female protagonist Ling Meiyue, was just an average genius, similar to the level of Zhao Youyue in real life. However, the male protagonist was a genuine super genius. He used to be the king of pianos, but Zhao Youyue pitied and sympathized with the male protagonist, Gu Yuans history. However, if we refer to our experiences of clich stories, with female protagonist as a violinist, she might end up healing the male protagonist. Perhaps, she could reignite his love for the piano again? Zhao Youyue looked back at the mental description of the male protagonist, and she somehow understood the extreme feelings that he had. After all, he lost his mother, and the piano along with it Has he given up and now wanted to be a regular person? He used to say this to himself I once crossed over the mountains and oceans and walked through crowds too. Everything I once owned is gone. I once felt frustrated, disappointed and lost. Then, I discovered, that being ordinary is the answer. This foreshadowing had taken Zhao Youyue by surprise. You could only say that this is how a good book should be. The lines and the sentences that were gracefully written are worth doubling back to re-read before understanding the profound meaning behind it. While Zhao Youyue was deeply immersed in the world of the novel, she did not notice that Han Leng had gone to the water dispenser in front of the classroom multiple times. Whenever he passed by, he saw that Zhao Yoyue was reading his Beautiful April at the edge of his line of sight. This made Han Leng feel greatly conflicted. He had wanted to ask about her feelings and thoughts after reading his novel, but he was too shy to talk to Zhao Youyue When Zhao Youyue went back, she re-read Beautiful April another three times. In the end, the female character she decided to possess was Chu Luoxun! Who in the world was Chu Luoxun? From the name, we would know that this female character had the characteristics of Mary Sue. For now, she was just a vague character, mentioned among many other students. There was no direct description of her. However, based on the rumors spreading among the students, she had two distinctive, unforgettable characteristics. Firstly, she had unmatched beauty. Secondly, she has been blessed by the God of music. In any case, the story had exaggerated the characteristics of Chu Luoxun. We could assume that she would be the final boss in the main storyline, and is defeated by the protagonists at the end of the story. However, since her description was based on rumors alone, there was no sign of an antagonist yet. Actually, in most of the novels, if a female character is too overpowering in terms of beauty, intelligence, talent, she would be a side character for sure. She would also most likely be the main villain in the story as well. Therefore, it was entirely possible for Chu Luoxun to follow this trend when she appears. However, she was still absent from the story at this point. When Zhao Youyue saw the setting for this character, her eyes started to sparkle. She would love to experience the feeling of being blessed by the God of Music. As for making her an iconic character, she would have to give it some thought and be careful when twiddling with the character settings. In any case, she simply wanted to be an assisting attacker because she absolutely adored the Gu Yuan and Ling Meiyue ship! She just hoped that they could be together forever. That would be sufficient Chapter 157 She could give up everything To gain more powerful abilities, she would not be a side character anymore once she enters the novels world. She would not consider possessing the female protagonist, unless it being a powerful character, while having the potential of becoming an iconic character. If the characters personality and abilities have already been fixed, it would be difficult for Zhao Youyue to manipulate the characters actions. Ling Meiyue was the female protagonist in Beautiful April. Even though Zhao Youyue adored and felt as if the character was her spirit animal, she did not have that divine talent in music. At her best, she would be at the same level with Zhao Youyue in real life. Thus, why would she choose to possess the female protagonist? Besides, the female protagonist was an introvert, where she would get nervous and shy easily. This kind of girl might get sympathy from guys, but she did not want to become all meek and timid when she activates her character card. She assumed that her socializing skills was not that bad. At the very least, she would not get nervous all the time. Ruling out the sure-win option that the female protagonist had, the first choice for Zhao Youyue would be to possess those side characters with impressive abilities in the novel. If you manage these side characters well, it would be easy for them to become iconic characters, as long as the novel gains popularity from the readers. As for those average side characters, if Zhao Youyue messes up their settings and makes them too powerful, it would definitely earn the unwanted attention from the author. Why could the side characters be so powerful? That was also the reason why Zhao Youyue gave herself only one ability addiction to study when she possessed Xu Jing in Pure Romance. It allowed her to study silently in an isolated corner. Actually, Pure Romance was a novel that had no possibility of becoming an icon. If we are talking about the level of creation, Su Li would be lacking in a little as a rising mangaka. She could not match the level of Rosemary or the current Leng Zi. However, she was very good at drawing erotic scenes, so she invested all her skill points into drawing that. It was a difficult task for Zhao Youyue to turn Pure Romance into an iconic novel. She should be grateful that the market was overflowing with clich romantic novels, so that her anti-clich novel Pure Romance was able to stand out. By utilizing techniques such as dark, depraved characters, cleavers, and a nice boat, she created an iconic novel. Hence, she would not possess Wang Yan, the bestie of the female protagonist Ling Meiyue who was just average in music. Actually, Zhao Youyue felt that something was wrong with this character, Wang Yan during the ongoing chapters in issue number five. She was progressively sidling up to the male protagonist C Gu Yuan. She found out about the male protagonist from the female protagonist Ling Meiyue, and even knew the nickname she gave Gu Yuan C curly haired classmate. This was due to the male protagonist Gu Yuan not taking care of his image and always coming to class with an unkempt mop on his head. Perhaps this would be a characteristic of a musician. Moreover, Leng Zi specifically mentioned that her bestie, Wang Yan had a side of always wanting what others want. For example, she would always ask innocently, Thats nice, can I have some? Originally, Zhao Youyue had a positive image towards the character Wang Yan because she was very friendly, cheerful and innocent. However, once she realized that she had the potential of becoming the third wheel in a relationship, she became extremely cautious of her. It was evident that the female protagonist Ling Meiyue should ditch such a boyfriend-snatching bestie! Zhao Youyue had become a loyal guardian angel for the typical protagonist couple. The interaction, coincidence, the blushing exchanges between the couple had been giving off the right vibes for her. This is indeed the taste of first love, along with the power of innocent and beautiful youth! It was because that Zhao Youyue did not expect to fall in love in real life; hence she wanted to protect this couple from the bottom of her heart. However, both of the protagonists did not have an opportunity to deepen their relationship any further. This made people very anxious, and the more anxious people get, the more they wanted to read on! Zhao Youyue was very sure that she had fallen in love with this novel. In other words, she would not make a ruckus in this novel, because she wanted the story to become more, and more popular. The ideal situation would be the protagonists getting together as a couple, while she crafts an iconic character card from the side character C Chu Luoxun. Maybe she should give up everything she had to help the protagonists? Everything, which also meant her life, was included. Zhao Youyue was never afraid of death in the world of novels. As long she dies for the right cause, dies gloriously, or dies in order to get thereaders to pity her, which would be the best. In her opinion, since the relationship between the protagonists was so healthy, the other readers should share her feelings for them and support the couple. They represented the best aspects of a couple falling in love for the first time. Their relationship would definitely heal peoples heart and make people believe in love again. People would be eating dog food and reflecting on their wasted youth. Then, the horrible things that happens to the female side character wouldnt matter, right? Although the dog food given by the protagonists would worsen her situation, wasnt this useful at making her impression even more lasting? All of a sudden, Zhao Youyues had the ideas of a plot flashing through her mind. It was the story from Andersons fairy tale called Daughter of the sea.The little mermaid had sacrificed so much for the prince, yet the prince had mistaken her for another girl. In the end, the little mermaid turned into bubbles. The scene gave a lasting impression. The main protagonists had no chance to develop the relationship yet, right? Then she should let the possessed Chu Luoxun give them a chance! She had drafted most of the plot lines where the male protagonist would get along surprisingly well with Chu Luoxun. Under the guidance of Chu Luoxun who has been blessed by the God of music, even though Gu Yuan could not hear the piano, but he could feel the joy again when playing music! Moreover, the male protagonist had a wish. He wished to play the piano to express his love to the female protagonist Ling Meiyue. However, due to the scar in his heart, he is no longer able to hear his own music Still, as long as Chu Luoxun was there, she would be able to restore the male protagonist to the musical path. However, she and Gu Yuan would stay as friends only, and she would call him friend A. Besides, in order not to let the easily jealous female protagonist worry too much, she could pretend to like the male protagonists friend, Chen Hao As for the reason why she would go all the way out just to help the male protagonist, she could go under the guise of admiring his music ever since she was a kid. She had stepped into the path of music because of the male protagonists influence. She just wanted him to play piano again and win over his first love, as long as he is happy. At the same time, she would guide the female protagonist in detail, so that one day she could replace her, as her time was limited. The male protagonist, Gu Yuan would always think that the person who matched him well in music was the female protagonist, Ling Meiyue. The truth was, this was just a misdirection caused by Chu Luoxun. This way, wouldnt she help to make up the couple? Even until the end, the male protagonist would never know the truth. He would be playing the music in perfect harmony with the female protagonist. This is indeed a great ending! Zhao Youyue was grinning widely. She felt that the biggest advantage of traveling into her favorite novel was that she could guide the storyline the way she intended it to be Zhao Youyue did not know that the author, Han Leng was having a headache trying to develop the relationship between the protagonists. We must not forget that his relationship with Zhao Youyue was only up to the level of knowing their respective WeChat ID. In the end, he even stayed away from Zhao Youyue intentionally. In this novel Beautiful April, he would write a happy ending for the protagonists, no matter the circumstances. It was to hold a memorial for his love that had died before it even began. This would be the work where he devotes the best of his youth into. However, he had crashed headfirst into writers blockbecause he had no experience in love, at all. It was due to that exact reason; that he was able to describe such a pure, innocent, young love story that tasted like first love. Luckily, Zhao Youyue has entered the door of Two Dimensional Gate again. She chose to possess the side character Chu Luoxun who had not been introduced yet and started to make adjustments to her character settings. Chapter 158 Goddess character settings completed! Zhao Youyue took control of Chu Luoxun, who had already acquired both Brilliance & God of musicals blessing. After possessing her, Zhao Youyue noticed a hidden setting for Chu Luoxun that had been set by the author Leng Zi. Before a performance, Chu Luoxun has to chant a sentence in French, Dieu de la musique, sil vous plat coutez mon appel, (which translates to God of Music, heed my call) to relieve her of any worries, so that she would be able to perform flawlessly. It was not clear why she had to chant in French, maybe that would make her cooler, or it was just some adolescences delusion. Chu Luoxun actually knew French, probably due to her family background, but Zhao Youyue did not set these details, she only can establish a characters abilities and characteristics. It was quite amusing to discover this hidden setting, some people in reality would do the same, saying some specific sentence or words to keep their cool. This might be some form of silly superstition in our reality. But in the world of novels, these chants were incredibly useful; everything was possible in the world of stories and manga. In a fantasy sports manga, characters would shout out their own techniques name before they unleash it, like Flying hawk ball or Tigers style shooting. Every killer move in Prince of Tennis and every characters technique in Kurokos basket When Zhao Youyue gets the chance to enter such Killer sports worlds, she would create a memorable, ultimate skill too. A character without an ultimate skill in the world of fantasy sports would be a nobody! It would be extremely embarrassing to shout out a techniques name before using it in reality This would be interesting, trying to create a realistic character in a fantasy sport literary work. Zhao Youyue was satisfied with the simple settings of Chu Luoxun; she just cannot resist a brilliant female character, because Zhao Youyue herself emphasized on appearance. Zhao Youyue was far from brilliant in reality, but she was similar to the main female protagonist Lin Meiyue, in this literary work. Although she was cute, she did not possess a superstar-like divinity that would strike everyone dumb when she makes her first appearance. Unfortunately, Zhao Youyue was not as lucky as Lin Meiyue because Lin Meiyue was lucky enough to fall in love at first sight. Zhao Youyue had never liked a guy before, and probably never would. There would be no guy to fall in love with her at first sight too, especially when she barely stood out in class. Would she still be the same person when she attains perfection in the future? No matter the circumstance, it was not wrong to make oneself become more superior, perfect and become lesser and lesser of a side character. What was the mentality of a person when they rather stay as a side character? Zhao Youyue could answer that question herself; comfort. Complacency. Actually, she had a hidden Zhao Youyue character card; she would become a side character whenever she activates it so that she could observe under cover of darkness, and this was probably the best assassin skill that she could have. In fact, the brilliant trait that Chu Luoxun possessed gave her the presence of a goddess, her sense of presence would be at the maximum. Yu Shengfan in The Strongest King cannot be considered as a goddess, because she was a twin-tailed lolita, and everyone was calling her Little Fish. The character, Chu Luoxun that Zhao Youyue possessed would have the temperament of a goddess because she had the blessing of the God of musicals, she could even play ancient instruments. For an on-going series with a total of more than 40,000 words, Chu Luoxun has not yet officially appeared in the novel, but she had already been mentioned in the previous chapters, everyone was already hyped up for her debut. She would be the perfect goddess in the eyes of the author, Leng Zi. Even though she did not appear in the main series yet, but she was already showing great potential, and her own rumors and legends already heralded her coming It was just like a fictional character from the novels of Jing Yong C named Loner who seeks defeat. He never actually appeared in any novel, but his fame was beyond imagination! Of course, Leng Zi did not have the writing skill of a Jing Yong author, but he was a talented essayist. His writing skill was decent; he was already able to use bombastic words to form philosophy-esque sentences, while keeping his senteces clean and simple. His writing style was self-ridiculing and easy-going, and he would never forget to insert some form ironic humor in his literary work, making readers laugh while reading. Leng Zi had used every single flowery word in his vocabulary to describe a musical goddess that has not appeared in the series; he was trying to get everyone to know, how awesome she was. After Zhao Youyue was done reading the latest chapters of the novel, she found herself attached to Chu Luoxun before the character even made her appearance, the hype was real! Zhao Youyue felt an imminent sleeping victory when she decided to possess Chu Luoxun because she was similar to the character Loner who seeks defeat. It appears that the Two Dimensional Gate has brought her into a realm of quality literary work, created by an excellent author, unlike her previous misfortune of entering the realm of an on-going movie script. Of course, Zhao Youyue still hoped that she could create an iconic character, so that countless readers would have a profound impression of the Chu Luoxun that she has possessed! Since Chu Luoxuns characteristics were yet to be determined, Zhao Youyue decided to make her an optimistic, strong-willed and self-confident girl! After all, she had a goddess-like attitude, unlike reality, she cannot be sad all the time, just because an author broke her will once, right? A goddess is supposed to be optimistic and mature, or else she would not be able to help the main hero and heroine. Chu Luoxun was almost the perfect goddess character! After much consideration, Zhao Youyue decided to add in another setting; her days were numbered C she had a serious illness. It cannot be helped; the Gods were jealous of talented people! Maybe she was loved by the Gods, because she summoned the God of music frequently, which was why she was going to the heaven at such young age. The main reason was that it would actually be easier for Zhao Youyue to find a method for Chu Luoxun to die Would it be too shocking for the readers when she becomes even more optimistic and strong-willed after knowing the condition of her own serious illness? Chu Luoxun was not at the same level as Yu Shengfan, although both of them were sick, these two had made different choices After some deep pondering, Zhao Youyue realized that she has made Chu Luoxun too outstanding. In the end, Zhao Youyue decided to make Chu Luoxun absent from school most of the time, because she had a frail body, much like what a normal girl would do when she knows that she is going to die. Before she dies, she changed her attitude. She started playing instruments in the musical world, she was not born to compete with others, but she was born to perform! She would turn her dying life into a brilliant shooting star! After completing Chu Luoxuns characteristics setting, Zhao Youyue added every talent related to music into Chu Luoxun. She would know how to play every single musical instrument, and she had a perfect voice too, she could play classical and pop music, and she could even become a composer! She did not bother to add in the ability to write song lyrics because she thinks that it would be better if the authors write the lyrics themselves, so that she could help to compose those songs that appear in the novel, like the song South Mountain. What else can Chu Luoxun do after Leng Zi has given her such awesome description, while Zhao Youyue has presented her a pair of golden thighs? She could still write a love song to bring the main hero and heroine together in the series A main artistic hero could never possibly resist the love song from the main heroine. Yet, the love song would actually be created by Chu Luoxun, this was her purpose! After Zhao Youyue gave it some thought, she realized that even she was starting to feel sorry for Chu Luoxun! The character settings were finally wrapped up, and now she would want to create Chu Luoxuns memorable debut appearance! Tonicquill: Hi guys. This TL here is trying to change his style a little, and it threw me off for a bit. Will try to adapt as soon as possible. Let me tell you what foreign phrases do in stories, however. Theyre awesome. In my case I remember such scenes more than anything else. Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows. Holmes first meeting with Moriarty: Gib auf nur deine Tcke, Den Fisch betrgst du nicht.. without your foolish trickery, this fish you cannot cheat. Fate: UBW: I am the bone of my sword Azur Lanes Warspite: Beli Dura Despicio! I despise the hard knocks of war. We NEED more of these lines! Chapter 159 Totally Gap Moe When Zhao Youyue possessed Chu Luoxun completely, she felt entirely different, especially when she takes a sit in front of a piano. Of all the music sheets that were scattered all over on the floor, she picked one music sheet at random. When she saw the notes on the music sheet, instantly, she heard music inside her brain, and she could also predict the next chords because she had the trait of having perfect pitch. She could also use music to express her feelings and beautiful attachment to this world with ease. Not only could she express her feelings, she could express anything with music. When the audiences listen to her music, she could choose to give them the lightness of a comedy, or she could choose the dark tones of tragedy. It would never be boring whenever she is playing music, she would make everyone in the world enjoy music! This is the power of a girl who had the blessings of the musical God! Her musical standards were even higher than the Indoor elite that Liu Yuxi had mentioned! Besides music, her psyche was at its best too, because she is an optimistic, strong-willed and confident girl. She felt that she had an open mind, and every little thing would cheer her up. Zhao Youyue realized that she was fond of Chu Luoxun because she was giving off endless waves of positive energy. Who wouldnt like a beautiful girl filled with positive energy? Chu Luoxun was already part of Zhao Youyue as well. The realm Chu Luoxun existed in had the same energy level as our reality. Even though Chu Luoxun had the blessing of the musical God, she was still a mortal, without any superpowers. Her music, however, could attract many people. Whenever they listen to her music, they would as if like they had entered a different world, experiencing music in its perfection. Zhao Youyue is able to stay as herself whenever she possesses an incredible female character she creates, it was an amazing feat for her. In a Chinese fantasy novel, people who gain power too quickly would never be able to cope with it, and they would eventually turn evil, falling to its corruption. This would never happen to Zhao Youyue, because she had the mentality of a saint. If it was not for her saint mentality, she would have already collapsed when she realizes that she does not have the ability of an esper and Saber Li Yunlong. In fact, she would pretend that it was a wonderful dream because those abilities were not hers originally. She did not deserve that power, because she never strived for them. As long as things go according to plan, she knew that she would be sticking around for a long time in the realm of Beautiful April, or at least until the main hero and heroine ends up together, she was afraid that the author would screw things up. She intended to protect the pure love of this cute couple; they were the symbol of first love that everyone could relate to. Of course, even readers who have never experienced first love before could also enjoy this novel. Zhao Youyue was one of them too, and she could fulfill the expectation of the readers Zhao Youyue could see a long, arduous journey in her attempt at gaining the character card C Chu Luoxun. Many people might not believe it, but Zhao Youyue enjoyed the process of making her iconic character, down to the little things that she has to go through just to get that ability. Whether she obtains that ability in reality, it was totally up to fate; everything would come to her in due time. Of course, there will be accidents too. For instance, the character card Yu Shengfan was an accident previously. Reality was indeed dull, novelists and mangakas, on the other hand, would always create a world with their imagination and bring some pleasant surprises to her, sometimes. At this very moment, Zhao Youyue could feel the symptoms of disease in Chu Luoxuns body. Zhao Youyue never bothered to give a name to the illness that Chu Luoxun had. It was a disease that weakens and paralyzes the body over time, something similar to Hawkings Lou Gehrigs disease, also known as Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis. Hawking never died, but Chu Luoxun must die. This disease was precisely the same disease that had caused the death of the main heros mother, and it was perfect for the plot. The death of the main heros mother had caused him to stop playing the piano, but the music of Chu Luoxun would save him. With the company of Lin Meiyue, he would finally walk out of his shadowy past. What a happy ending, filled with positive energy. This certainly was a heart-warming story. Zhao Youyue knew this plot would be perfect. She revealed a pure, innocent smile. No words could describe the beauty of Chu Luoxun, the perfect goddess at this moment. Isnt this how you describe a Mary Sue? There was absolutely no flaw to pick when it comes to this goddess level character, Chu Luoxun who carried the description of Mary Sue! Chu Luoxun also believed she was the most beautiful person around! At this moment, Chu Luoxun finally made her official appearance in the novel. It was early April, when the cherry blossoms were flourishing. She was holding her violin case in one hand, while the other hand was holding her favorite snack. She was munching on her snack, which does nothing to taint her perfectly slim body, despite her vigorous eating. Although she does not eat much, she loved eating snacks. As she was walking around, she stumbled upon a cat, and she started to give chase energetically. When the cat ended up hiding beneath a car, she got down to her knees and searched for the cat, having no concern for her image Finally, she found it on the park bench under a cherry blossom tree, where she crouched down and handed over her cake to the little cat. As she was stroking the cats head, she mewed at it and smiled like an angel She always hoped to bring more happiness to her surroundings, including a little cat. If this novel is going to be adapted into a manga, her hair color would be blonde or brunette, because she was cheerful and passionate. But, the novel never mentioned her hair color, it only mentioned that she had waist-length hair, and an elegant temperament. Although this was Chu Luoxuns first appearance, her image did not fit her personality at all, so, would it ruin her built up expectation? Veteran authors would know this would not affect her at all. This gap moe would make Chu Luoxun even more outstanding and attract the readers even further because she would be highly relatable. She was a happy-go-lucky girl and easily approachable, and she always treated others sincerely and passionately in her daily in and outs. She loved the world so much that she wanted to bring more happiness to the world. She would do it with her music. One moment, Han Leng was devoid of inspiration. The next moment, he woke up in the middle of the night and rushed to the toilet and washed his face. Staring at his own reflection, he smiled. The familiar feeling has returned! Right! Chapter 160 Han Leng in Inspired Mode Han Lengs familiar feeling, naturally, would be his inspiration. It had returned. Without a doubt, Han Leng was a talented author. He would never forget to polish up his writing skill even though he had the talent; this was the reason he could earn some pocket money despite his young age. Such a talented author would sometimes get inspiration without the help of Zhao Youyues Two Dimensional Gate, as if they had entered their very own literary world. They would write down every little thing they see and put their thoughts on paper, and the resulting content would be fascinating. It would definitely get the readers hooked to it. There was this one young author who was only 19 years old, and had named himself Silkworm Potato, he had created the novel Fight Break Sphere, and it was one of the top books in Qidian! Following that, his previous work became famous overnight, while this book turned him a legend! He would never have to bother about making money again! Two of his works were at the top of the chart; the other authors could only be envious of his success. Although this is a parallel world, many famous people and the events concerning ancient dynasties have changed, but some facts remained unchanged. Silkworm Potato and Masashi Kishimoto, who drew the manga of Naruto were experienced authors, and their works had been adapted as anime. The worlds they created exist in our reality as well. Some other famous authors or masterpieces were different. Interestingly,people had thought that the original lyrics in South Mountain were created by Rosemary. Zhao Youyue might even get credit for composing that song. Despite their young ages, talented authors can create a wonderful literary world, even if they did not have the writing skills to fully express it, making readers feel as if they are in that world themselves! How passionate! Once the Fight Break Sphere is released, many other copycats would start to appear, and they would never be able to surpass the original, because those authors would never get their own inspiration, they were merely copying without inserting their own vein into it Lately, Han Leng was at a loss of inspiration, and while he was training to be an immortal, he had suddenly realized that his mind had traveled into the world of Beautiful April. There, he met a girl who left him a deep impressionChu Luoxun. At first, Han Leng had just created Chu Luoxun for fun, because he needed someone to be the rival of his main protagonist, or else he would not be able to show off how talented the main hero was The reason he had made Chu Luoxun so incredible, beautiful and talented in playing music was because he wanted to make sure she would still lose to the main hero, Gu Yuan. Finally, she would acknowledge the talent of Gu Yuan in playing the piano, and that scene would certainly be interesting. This is how iconic hollow literature is written. Han Leng was already familiar with all sorts of way of creating a hollow literature that is associated with web novels. In fact, if he continues writing his second web novel, he might even create something that is at the same level with Fight Break Sphere, but it might probably be like Fighter of the Destiny or Snow Blade. It would be pure and exciting, because Han Leng had outstanding writing skills. But Han Leng never did so. Instead he chose to write Beautiful April. He wanted to satisfy himself with his own fantasies, because he had failed in romance. He wanted to forget about Zhao Youyue once he completes this Beautiful April, because everything had become a reality in the book. Wasnt this the most beautiful part of writing a novel? Nothing would go as planned in reality. Han Leng never thought up of the characteristics of Chu Luoxun, and he definitely never would have thought Chu Luoxun would help the main hero and heroine in their relationship. But then suddenly, his inspiration exploded, he knew exactly how to create the character Chu Luoxun. He took out a flashlight and started scribbling on his secret memo. As he was jotting down the contents of his inspiration, others that did not know better would think that he was burning the midnight oil to improve his studies. This is not his first time writing in the middle of the night, in fact, he had already lost count. It was quiet night, accompanied by the snores in the dorm. He would write in his memo or directly into his phone. As he was writing Beautiful April, he felt conflicted, because sometimes he would be happy, anxious or even sad. He had inserted all of his feelings into his first romance novel. He believed that even if he is destined to be alone, words would always stay by his side. That was good enough for him. As the dateline was fast approaching, with the help of his suddenly outbursting inspiration, he started to write at an incredible speed! Although the character, Chu Luoxun was indeed incredible, he still loved Lin Meiyue more, because this main heroine had a special place in his heart, and nobody can ever replace that. Even though Chu Luoxun was struck rather hard by misfortune, she would never interfere the perfect love of the main hero and heroine. He would make sure Chu Luoxun and Gu Yuan never fall in love with each other, they were just childhood friends, and Chu Luoxun sincerely wanted the main hero and heroine to find happiness in their relationship. However, Han Lengs instinct had told him the readers might not agree with his plan; it would be awkward if the readers want to change the main heroine. Han Leng had actually wanted to create a single couple, there would be obstacles in their relationship, but there would be no threats powerful enough to derail the whole affair, he might even add in the meddlings of a female bestie of the main heroine like Wang Yan, just to spice things up a little. There would be a rival for the main hero, one who would mess things up a little for Han Leng to show that the main hero had a very high level of EQ. The main heroines position would be secure, and no other female character would pose a threat to her. Some female characters in certain novels were so popular that the readers would demand that she take over the role of the main heroine, and the decision would be up to the main hero, but in actuality, this would be up to a poll option for the readers to vote When that happens, some people will rejoice because the couple they supported had ended up together, but some people would suffer terribly because the opposite had happened. Usually, this happens when a particular female character is too outstanding in a particular novel, and the main hero in a harem novel would always play dumb and milk the plot. Han Leng was not writing a harem novel, but a romance novel, Gu Yuan would only love Lin Meiyue till the end, just like him! In conclusion, Han Leng would make Chu Luoxun die, no matter the circumstances. She would never have the chance to be with the main hero. Actually, he had already lost his sense Even then, he still believed that his mind was sober. Chapter 161 : Pretending to be the female author Leng Zi A talented author would be sober and alert when he is full of inspiration. They realized the necessity of sobriety when making a solid plot, lest they mess things up in their wild recklessness, inserting ludicrous elements into their literary work in the process, ruining the whole book as a result. When Han Leng was in intoxicated mode, he still remembered that Zhao Youyue was reading his new romance novel, Beautiful April. Han Leng felt extremely embarrassed, because he had used her image as a reference for his writing material without permission, and felt that he had violated her in some way. He had wanted to break off his friendship with Zhao Youyue by writing this novel because he thought that it would help him plunge into the darkness of his writing even more He had described Lin Meiyue as an introvert, a person who is easily embarrassed and rather jumpy, giving off a moe vibe. That is how Han Leng sees Zhao Youyue. Her identity aside, the other characteristics of her were of his fabrication. In fact, Lin Meiyue was nothing similar to Zhao Youyue. Zhao Youyue was not an introvert, nor would she get embarrassed easily, that is unless she makes a big fool out of herself. Of course, Zhao Youyue had the capacity for nervousness; everybody goes through that. Even the goddess, Chu Luoxun herself would get nervous on stage, but she would chant her magical words to invoke calmness upon herself and perform at her best. On a serious note, Zhao Youyue was just a regular person, except that she was richer than average, and that barely made her special, because she never flaunted her wealth in life. When a person shows something off, it presents evidence that person owns something. These days, nobody would know that youre rich if you dont show it off! Zhao Youyue never stayed low-profile on the internet though, but who else would know her identity in reality? Playing with her phone did not make her unique either, it would be weird if youngsters never touch their phones. When a guy has a crush on a girl, he would only have a crush on his minds self-made imagery of that girl, not the actual girl herself. Well, it takes no reason to fall in love with someone, it was an inexplicable phenomenon, or it could simply occur just because they were feeling horny at that moment. As a high schooler, there would always be one girl in Han Lengs heart. A weird person like Han Leng, chose to love his imaginary girl to satisfy himself. Although he had Zhao Youyues contact, he never actually approached her aggressively. After finding out that his best buddy was in love with Zhao Youyue too, he decided to back off. Many guys were like Han Leng when they were young and raw. But most guys would go over the top when confessing their feelings. Even though they would face rejection more often than not, at least they had an answer for themselves, unlike Han Leng who would never know anything, it was such a pity. Han Leng affirmed himself that he had no need for the answer, for he had talents! He could lie to himself with his writing skills and indulge in his own fantasy world No matter what he encounters, he would always think Why not write something down. This was the nature of Han Leng; he loved writing even more than anything else, and even his lover only existed in his writing! When he is so full of himself, he would think that the whole world was a blank piece of paper for him to write upon. No matter how rich or famous a person is, under the ruling of his pen, that person would always be his puppet, fully submitting to his personal whims. Of course, that would not happen, because the world would not allow him to upload such content. Even if he does upload such content successfully, it would get censored eventually, and that was how the world works! Han Leng actually wanted to know Zhao Youyues opinion on his book, but he was too embarrassed to ask her directly. Eventually, he came up with the idea of buying a new QQ ID. He purchased a high-leveled ID and changed the name to Leng Zi, even changing the gender to female After buying the ID, he customized his QQ space and made it look like the newsfeed of a literary young girl, and casually wrote a few simple diary entries that told the events of the day from her point of view. This was actually one of Han Lengs talents too. As a talented author, he could mimic the writings of a delicate female; it was that simple for him. A couple of books had been written by Osamu Dazai like The Setting Sun and The Schoolgirl, both were written from the perspective of a female, and it certainly was exquisite. Unfortunately, Osamu Dazai no longer existed in this world. After Han Leng set up everything up, he felt that it was perfect. He wanted to add in a few fake photos at first, but he feared that he would get busted, so he scrapped the idea. Of course, Han Leng never wanted to be a lady boss; he was just disguising himself as a female, temporarily. Then he created his own reader group, and he invited everyone who was in the forum of Beautiful April from Tieba. He intended to develop his own fanbase. He knew that Zhao Youyue would join the fan groups of her favorite literary works. According to the fans, she would even give out red packets without saying much, and the money in the red packets she gives out would have a lot of money in it. Han Leng was not interested in her red packets, but he wanted to approach Zhao Youyue as Leng Zi because he wanted to know her opinion about his work, it was important to him. Mengya would never promote this talented high school author, and they definitely would never expose his gender, so he could be assured of his confidentiality. The forum of Beautiful April in Tieba was not particularly famous, there were only a few thousand subscriptions, but there were many people who discussed the plot, and this proved that many readers had paid attention to this literary work. Many people were praising this literary work for not being cliche or purposefully heart-warming, they were just happy seeing this cute couple being together. The main hero had a slightly darker personality because he would sometimes mock the current education system, but this was satisfying for the students to read, because they had the exact same thoughts. Other than this, the other topics were mostly circled around Chu Luoxun, because everyone was looking forward to her grand entrance! Han Leng decided to use his sudden outburst of inspiration to make a reasonable entrance for Chu Luoxun, but she would immediately show off her talents, because the main hero and heroine would watch her live performance, a violin competition that they would attend together, so that their relationship could develop further. A typical entrance via a grand live performance, would definitely leave a deep impression of this character in the hearts of everyone! For some unknown reason, Han Leng realized that when he was writing about Chu Luoxun, his pen would start flying across the paper with uncharacteristic speed and fluidity, as if he was no longer in control of himself. Of course, this smooth writing was indeed an enjoyable experience, but it worried him so. He knew that he was supposed to put in more feelings for the main heroine, because Lin Meiyue was the only main heroine he acknowledged, was he shifting his love to another character? Han Leng dared not imagine anymore Chapter 162 : A beautiful misunderstanding In the literary world of Beautiful April. The first person that Chu Luoxun met was the main heroine, Lin Meiyue. She did not know the main heroine, but Lin Meiyue knew her. Chu Luoxun was a famous person in school, because she was a member of the classical music club. Due to her frail body, she had missed many of the clubs activities, and was as scarcely seen in school. This music club had a QQ group; Chu Luoxun was in the group too. Because of Chu Luoxuns popularity, many club members were curious about her. After successfully adding her as a friend, they would quickly search for her photos in her QQ space, only to be left utterly in awe! She was absolutely gorgeous; her selfies were flawless from every angle! It was unlike some girls who were pretty in reality but lacked the photogenics. Her photos went viral in group, and Lin Meiyue saw it too. Of course, she would not get jealous of the beauty of Chu Luoxun, because she was kind-hearted. She was even looking forward to listening to her music, because she had yet to hear anybody left who was unimpressed after hearing her music Lin Meiyue was one lucky girl, for one day; she met her guardian angel. Lin Meiyue was on her way returning to the music club room, and right outside the music room was the cherry blossoming scene. She felt a little uneasy because she could not express her feelings to a guy she liked. Both of them had each others Wechat ID, but they rarely spoke to each other, and most of the topics they spoke about were pointless. This was undoubtedly her first love, and both of them were not aware of their feelings for each other. She simply could not bring herself to ask if the guy she liked felt the same, it was too embarrassing, even to imagine it! Lin Meiyue was an introvert who lacked self-confidence. She was returning to the music club room, because she had left her earphones there, and her earphones was her only escape from her nervousness. Whenever she gets nervous, she would put on her earphones, and by adjusting the right volume she could totally leave her surroundings behind and be submerged in her own musical world. As she was approaching the music club room, she heard a wonderful ensemble song of a piano and violin. She never heard this song before, so she guessed that it could be an original song. The sound of the piano was coming from the other music room, but it was kept locked all the time. All she knew was that they kept a piano there. Clearly, the pianist was not as good as the violinist. The piano sounded messy and out of place, as if it was sinking progressively into a deep abyss, and the sound of the violin was like a ray of light, shining down on the abyss, pulling it out from the abyss, like a helping hand. Soon, Lin Meiyue found herself enjoying this magical song; she realized this was the song of Castle in the sky. Even though Chu Luoxun has never mentioned about it before, this was most likely an original song created by Chu Luoxun, as the songs origins could not be traced. As Lin Meiyue was enjoying the music, the feeling of unease vanished without a single trace, as if she has been brought to a castle in the sky. She had the Gods eye view of everything from above, everything she saw and heard was turning sharper in contrast Was this the true potential of a master violinist? Lin Meiyue was utterly taken over by this music, and at the same time it got her thinking Was she playing the same instrument as me? How can it be so melodious! Most of the people who has learned the violin would have the same thought when they hear a top-tier violinist performing in front of them. Lin Meiyue was feeling a little bit furious, because the sound of the piano was dragging down the standards of this song, she would have been able to enjoy this song to its fullest without the piano getting in the way. But Lin Meiyue could tell that the pianist was not willing to give up, as if he had deluded himself into thinking that he was qualified to play together with the violinist. Then, Lin Meiyue saw something she could never forget, a beautiful girl with long straight hair was playing the violin, and outside the music club room was the azure sky, where cherry blossom petals had streamed into the room, as the sun gazed upon the whole room and its occupants. Lin Meiyue felt as if this was what shed been yearning for in her entire life. As the song finished, Lin Meiyues was still trailing after, reliving that sweet melody, but she caught sight of tears rolling down the cheeks of Chu Luoxun, she appeared to be very sad. Why was she tearing up, could her own music have affected her deeply so? Was it her attachment to the world? Was she taking pity on somebody? The girl, Chu Luoxun had a pale expression, and she coughed weakly while putting down her instrument wearily. She wiped the tears from her face, and she looked up to see Lin Meiyue who was standing at the entrance. At that very moment, Chu Luoxun revealed her contagiously bright smile, and she introduced herself to Lin Meiyue while shaking her hands vigorously Lin Meiyue doubted herself for seeing the wrong image, Chu Luoxun was obviously a girl full of positive energy, she loved to smile and enjoy herself, to be crestfallen was not to be Chu Luoxun at all! Chu Luoxun or Zhao Youyue, felt that this Lin Meiyue was awfully familiar, Lin Meiyue had a shoulder length black silky hair, she looked good and cute. However, Zhao Youyue did not think too much about it; she was piloting Chu Luoxun to proceed with the plot. She gave the girl a few tickets to her music competition because they seemed to get along pretty well, and even boldly asked for Chen Haos contact number. She hoped that Lin Meiyue could pass this entry ticket to Chen Hao, because she had a crush on him. In this Beautiful April, Chen Hao was the best friend of the main hero, he was an elite scholar in science subjects, and he refused to get into a relationship at an early age. He was a quiet and handsome boy, a male version of Xu Jing. Zhao Youyue liked this character setting too, because she could make Chu Luoxun fall madly in love with Chen Hao, so that the main heroine would not get jealous of her. Lin Meiyue could never save Gu Yuans music career, and she could never play music together with him, and she could never replace Chu Luoxun. Chu Luoxun had to do this herself, as a friend, and the main hero would just be her friend too. Chen Hao was the best friend of Gu Yuan, so that gave her all the more reason to approach Gu Yuan, it was certainly sensible of her to do so. This made Lin Meiyue speechless, how could she so easily let others know who her crush was? The cheerful, optimistic and generous personality of Chu Luoxun overwhelmed her, and she agreed to help. Suddenly, she realized that she could give this entry ticket to another person. Naturally, that person was Gu Yuan. The assist king Chu Luoxun had temporarily left the stage. Lin Meiyue and Gu Yuan soon bumped into each other afterward; there was no one left in the school because everybody else had gone home, this school did not provide any dorms for the students to live in. Gu Yuan saw Lin Meiyue with her earphones plugged in and carrying her violin in her bag out from the music club room. His eyes blinked, and he felt an impulse to ask Lin Meiyue in a stuttering manner, Did you just come out from the music club room? Lin Meiyue nodded her head while feeling slightly confused Gu Yuan thought that it was Lin Meiyue who had played the song together with him, which made him fall in love, almost instantly. Chapter 163 : It feels great to be Chu Luoxun Long story short, with the unintentional help of Chu Luoxun, the relationship between the main hero and heroine became even closer, and both of them walked out of the school by the sunset, and the scene was absolutely breathtaking Han Leng felt a surge of sweetness flowing through his body after writing this scene, as if he was experiencing his first love himself, getting closer to her in reality. Later that night, Lin Meiyue took the initiative to message Gu Yuan, inviting him to go see Chu Luoxuns music competition. Gu Yuan was wide awake, lying on his bed, recalling everything that he had been through for the day. After he saw Lin Meiyues mail, he bolted upright. He hesitated for a moment because he still had that trauma towards music competitions, but eventually agreed to go with her. Of course, they were not going there alone; they had invited Chen Hao and Wang Yan as well. They were too embarrassed to on a date alone After they decided to go watch the music competition together, they started to talk about music, and it went smoothly unlike previously, when their conversation was extremely awkward. Both of them vaguely felt their feelings for each other. The most wonderful feeling in the world was to find out your crush likes you too, it was just indescribable. Unfortunately, most crushes are one-sided. Curly hair! What do you mean? Thats your nickname. What a weird nickname. lol. Thats because your hair is messy, as if you just woke up from your sleep. Beautiful April was a modern romance novel, and the conversations between the main hero and heroine via Wechat became more frequent. Even though they were too shy to talk to each other in reality, both of them had no problem holding a conversation in Wechat, after finding a topic on even ground to dwell in. For the Chat history to be more heart-warming, and full of lovey-dovey scent, Han Leng had done his homework, so his readers would smile while reading those text messages, even he could not resist the urge to fall in love again. When Beautiful April gives rise to such sentiments, it was destined to be successful. Success is still not enough to make a literary work famous; it would need something outstanding. That something, was undoubtedly Chu Luoxun. The four of them went to watch Chu Luoxuns national music competition the next day. When Gu Yuan arrived at the venue, he was already surrounded by the crowd Gu Yuan was once a famous pianist because he was amazingly talented, but now he was just a failed music genius, his plight was awfully similar to the main protagonist in Fight Break Sphere. Gu Yuans expression turned dark, but he tried to put up his best appearance, because Lin Meiyue was right beside him, perhaps this was the power of first love. It has been a while ever since Gu Yuan showed up in a theater, his musical senses were still intact, he could even become a judge. This music competition was about skill and accuracy; those excessive personal feelings were unneeded, Gu Yuans mother was always scolding him for putting in unnecessary feelings into his instruments. What that made Gu Yuan curious was that, this violin competition was accompanied by a piano performance. This was actually a subtle hint for Gu Yuan to become Chu Luoxuns partner in the future. The contestants before Chu Luoxun were nothing special; they were just about average, nothing was special in their music, which sunk the audience into a stupor, until Chu Luoxun appeared on stage. Chu Luoxuns style was completely different! Concurrently, Han Leng had also entered his intoxicated state when he reached this point! He wrote, Chu Luoxun stepped up in a silky white gown, and her face alone drove the entire theater to utter, bewitched silence! Chu Luoxun did not come here to win the competition, she just wanted to bring more joy to the people, while expressing her genuine feelings to everyone. She felt a little nervous before the play, so she chanted her magical words in her head, Dieu de la musique, sil vous plat coutez mon appel, and after saying those magic words, she instantly found her flow Chu Luoxuns performance was marvelous, the audiences stood up and gave her a round of applause. But her actions had earned the fury of one of the judges, as it was no longer that specific song, it had been heavily improvised. He admitted it was indeed better than the original, but this was a competition, not a performance! Chu Luoxun could not care less; she was happy about it, because she had came here to perform at her own will, she does not need any approval or praises from the officials. The plot of Beautiful April went to a halt at that point. Meanwhile, in reality. Zhao Youyue stirred from her sleep. Even though her body had enough rest, but upon entering the Two Dimensional Gate, she would still be awake in her dreams, and it mentally drained her. Everyone knows the difference between dreaming the whole night and sleeping through the whole night without having any dreams at all. This is why Zhao Youyue would not enter the Two Dimensional Gate every day, and even if she does enter, she would only go in for a few hours, in order to have enough time to rest and stay healthy. Possessing Chu Luoxun, was certainly enjoyable, but she was getting ahead of herself this time. She was indeed in a good mood, being able to possess a goddess character like Chu Luoxun, was an amazing experience. Chu Luoxun was very popular in the novel, even the children who did not know her beforehand would buy her flowers after hearing her spectacular performance. Indeed, not many readers would like a character like Long Aotian, or Mary Sue. That was because the author never actually put in any effort into the character development, but who does not want to be Long Aotian or Mary Sue in reality? That was just a fantasy that everyone wished they had. When Chu Luoxun used her music to capture the hearts of every single audience, Zhao Youyue was looking forward to the day where she could do the same in reality! When it comes to games and music, she definitely preferred the latter. Her live-streaming in Douyu had not yet really picked up. It certainly was not easy to become successful in a short amount of time; it was not as easy as in the novel. First of all, it could not be helped, because Zhao Youyue never reveals her face, which resulted in a great loss of her appeal as a female gamer. Second, to become the first rank in the nation was definitely not going to be an easy task. Also, Zhao Youyue did not spend too much time playing games; it would be quite impossible for her to live stream her game every single night. There was no way that she would reach the top in such a short time. Thirdly, Douyu was one of the largest live streaming platforms in the nation, without any sponsor or a signed contract with Douyu, there was little to no hope for fresh blood to become famous overnight. Fourth, upon activating Yu Shengfan card, Zhao Youyue would become irascible. A rich lady like Yu Shengfan would never bother about the gifts thrown in by the fans. A tycoon would want the live streamer to be respectful and thankful for their gifts, but Yu Shengfan showed no signs of being thankful at all. Naturally, nobody would want to promote her But Zhao Youyue had faith in Yu Shengfan, she firmly believed these setbacks were all temporary. At this moment, what that concerned her the most was the latest issue of Beautiful April. Chapter 164 Zhao Youyue wants to become a Big V [1] In the eyes of most creators, Zhao Youyue must be a perfect reader. Every time, she would not refrain herself from recommending the work that she liked and enjoyed reading. Also, she would not hesitate to support those creators financially. Undoubtedly, under the voluntary promotion of a reader like her, her favorites would receive notice of more readers. Its popularity would increase, for sure. After she decided to mold an iconic character by using Beautiful April, she started executing her plans of increasing this works popularity. She even recommended Beautiful April in her Introduction of Big Books List which had over a hundred thousand followers. Although the effect was limited, it was better than nothing. Then, she recommended it via her Weibo as well. She soon saw that she had very few fans in Weibo, which was only in the thousands, excluding those VIPs. Suddenly, a more precise goal came into her mind. Not only did she want to become a VIP of Qi Dian, she wanted to become a VIP on the internet as wello. For this, she can take advantage of her popularity to recommend any book that she shifts into. At the same time, she could also help enhance Yu Shengfans streaming studio. But the problem was, how does one become a Big V with more discourse power? For Zhao Youyue, she had really zero clue about this. Being an independent person, she never thought of seeking help from her cousins, Zhao Hao and Zhang Wanjun. Both of them were Big Vs of Wei Bo with over millions of fans. Actually, in contrast to her low profile personality, she could have just shown off her luxurious life, even if she gets condemned by some people in the process. This, too, would stir up the effects of promotion, right? As usual, Zhao Youyue was playing with her cell phone. Then, she entered the Tieba of Beautiful April by chance. This must be the platform where most of its fans had gathered. The latest Meng Ya will be published in several days; readers have begun to discuss fervently on Tieba about the most recent serial. Everyone was anticipating the innocent romance between the main characters. It has been a long time since they last read a work that is so pure, yet, close to reality. This was mainly because the romance between the main characters has been exaggerated in recent juvenile romance novels. It was so abnormal, especially in the feminine oriented novels. Either the main character, or the supporting actor would be the most handsome one in school. If not, how would he possibly match the ordinary heroine, right? The surreal mixture of realism and fantasy was what made Leng Zis Beautiful April so precious. Ingenious was the only word that can describe those little rapport, sweetness and details. It would make one want to roll in the bed with it This juvenile novel is certainly suitable for both genders. Moreover, most of the readers will definitely support this couple and, in the meantime, suggest that Leng Zi refrains from complicating things with a messy love triangle. A Tieba user whose id was [Your brother Hao], perhaps was too keen to see a happy ending for the main characters, left a post firmly saying Although Leng Zi has promised that this is going to be a high school comedy with happy ending, but recently the heroines bestie is being disgusting. So, I must remind him not to create an awful triangle love, once again! I dont want to see any cheating from the male protagonist, even though I am a man! I hope that Leng Zi takes note of this! Nevertheless, many readers supported this user, including Zhao Youyue. But, she got that sense of superiority after knowing that she could shift into the work to help the couple, while other the readers cannot. Besides that, Zhao Youyue was delighted after realizing that many readers were gossiping about the legendary character, Chu Luoxun, saying that they were anticipating her appearance. From thereon, there were many speculations that she was going to be the male protagonists opponent or the big villain. She was at a higher level than Wang Yan and might be a threat to the heroine Zhao Youyue suddenly laughed, thinking that this was impossible. All she wanted to do was to help the couple achieve a happy ending. Hahaha! How could Chu Luoxin manage to threaten the heroine, what a joke! Then, her eyes sparkled when she found out a QR code of Leng Zis fans group on Tieba. She immediately clicked into it, to realize that many users had added it. Some even commented that Leng Zi was a female! Zhao Youyue chuckled, as she had expected. Now, she flattered herself that she could distinguish the gender of the author through its writing style due to her extensive reading. Normally, the finer and more sensitive of the writing style is, the author must be a female. It was impossible for a rough, uncaring man to write romance in such sensitive way, right? Subconsciously, Zhao Youyue imagined Leng Zi as the heroine, Lin Meiyue, whom she felt familiar with. At that moment, her good feeling of Leng Zi increased by twenty-fold But, it will dramatically decrease by two hundred fold if Leng Zis true identity is going to be revealed eventually Well, it can be concluded that Han Leng was seeking for death in his trick again. Without further consideration, Zhao Youyue added the QR code: 517637875. Just as she entered the group, she noticed that there was only about a dozen of fans. Most of them were the active one n Tieba, and there was no admin. In fact, not many people welcomed her. It seemed like a dead group. But, Leng Zi must be here otherwise she would not be approved so quickly. She would not know that Leng Zi always paid attention to this group, waiting for her to join. He was already holding his breath, waiting for Miss Zhao to comment. Unexpectedly, Zhao Youyue gave him ten slogan red packets, each worth 100 RMB-I really like this work! Translation Note: 1. Big V (V) is an internet slang to describe those who have over 500,000 fans on the internet. The V stands for VIP. 2. Tieba () is an internet platform for discussion on a particular topic. Chapter 165 Miss Youyue and the Female Author, Leng Zi For our Miss Zhao, this one hundred RMB red packet was nothing; it was equivalent to one RMB given by those average person. It was just to announce her presence Since Zhao Youyue first joined the book friend group with the pen name of Im the best and then this group, she had already evolved from a goofy-cutie amateur into an experienced reader. Sometimes, she still liked to browse through those miscellaneous groups, but she seldom did so after entering senior high due to time insufficiency. [So-called lady] with the group number: 272077752 was the best! It consisted of friendly sisters. She hoped to become their bestie and travel together someday. After the I really like this work! slogan red packets was sent out, several group members appeared out of sudden in that dead group. Of course, Leng Zi was the fastest one. Always known as someone with sharp eyes and agile hands [1], Han Leng was dumbfounded as he was only able to snatch a red packet of 25.8 [2]. It was once hard for him to even grab a one RMB red packet in his Web Game: Conquering the World book group. But, now, this was a twenty plus RMB one. This was totally a big bumper red packet! A bitter smile curved his lips when he recalled her status of a rich mans daughter. Thats right, this fella was inhumane, having no sense of presence in reality, but not on the internet. This quite matched with the setting of the heroine, Lin Meiyue, of his new novel. She was passive in taking the initiative to talk with the male protagonist, Gu Yuan, but not in WeChat. Han Leng immediately sent out an emoticon of worshiping the boss, kneeling and licking Miss Zhaos boots, following with a message Thank you, Godly Tycoon! Other group members were amazed by her action which was really like that of a boss. She had spontaneously given out the red packets, each worth one hundred RMB. So generous! Being adored by the members and showered by the gratitude from Leng Zi, it made her extremely happy. She could not help it. She naturally adored the author of the work that she liked, and the feeling doubled after knowing that Leng Zi was a female. Compared to the male author, this would give them more mutual topics of interests. Spurred by such emotions, Zhao Youyue sent a 200 RMB red packet again but, this time, it was exclusively for Leng Zi. This was the highest possible amount of a QQ red packet. Han Lengs agility at grabbing red packet was at auto-pilot, in fear of reading that one, heart-wrenching phrase- You are late, Im all finished~ He gasped when he looked at this red packet. This Miss Zhao is such a willful person. Honestly, Leng Zi was reluctant to receive her red packet. It felt as if he would place himself in her debt. Actually, he felt terrible after he began avoiding Zhao Youyue. He felt helpless and, at the same time, utterly hopeless. Writing was the only way for him to make up for the regret. Revealing his identity was impossible, as he was still masquerading as the hipster female author, Leng Zi. Therefore, he could only keep expressing his gratitude to Zhao Youyue in this way. On the other hand, other members were commenting that said Leng Zi, looks like this fan truly loves you! The highest valued bumper red packet This is my first time seeing one, I am so jealous of you! Could it be the legendary [You Yue] Tycoon? Tsk, never thought that [You Yue] Tycoon, famous Tycoon reader of Qi Dian, would read physical novels. See through.jpg Leng Zi, please reveal a picture of yourself, your voice, your body measurements. This true love fan is so supportive! Why not ask [You Yue] Tycoon to reveal itself? As an experienced reader, she was not as shy as before while being ridiculed. This time, she chuckled and, by using voice message, gently said I do not mind as long as Leng Zi reveals the picture of herself. I guess that Leng Zi must be pretty! All of sudden, Zhao Youyues gentle and soothing voice made the group flutter to life. Wow, [You Yue] Tycoon really is a girl! He voice sounds good too! Apparently, the rumor is true, that [You Yue] is not only a rich mans daughter, but a very pretty lady! I sincerely think that her voice is nice. Ive known that she must be gorgeous, just by listening to her voice! Miss Youyue, do you still need any leg pendants [3]? I would like to ask Miss Zhao this: How is your daily life as a noble? Miss Zhao has revealed her voice. How about you, Leng Zi? At this moment, Han Leng began come down with cold sweat. All of this was obtuse. Zhao Youyue is such a bastard! This would make him look very passive. Why must he reveal his voice? If he does so, everyone will know that he is a man. No way! He cant afford to have his cover blown, especially not when he was still unsure about Zhao Youyues overall impression on this work. However, a preliminary conclusion can be drawn. She probably tilted more on the positive side, based on the red packet that had been given exclusively to Leng Zi. However, knowing that was useless. That day, after seeing her read it seriously, he had guessed that Zhao Youyue should approve of his work. This definitely gave him some pleasure and had boosted his motivation in writing. As he has said before, one day, he would make Zhao Youyue tip him voluntarily. Now, that desire has been fulfilled Nevertheless, Han Leng was still eager to know her overall impression of his work. The word Good was not sufficient. Moreover, he was not cool with the male members who were insanely trying to hook up with her. Although he was the one who avoided her at first, he had not been prepared for this. He could not stand other guys approaching her! So, he decided to use his secret weaponvoice changer. Thats right, this incredible software can turn a lolitas voice into an uncles voice, and a mans voice into a womans voice! Helplessly, he felt like he had fallen into the chasm of Nv Zhung Da Lao. Han Leng, no, Leng Zi replied by saying Lets just skip the picture of myself. Everyone should be more interested in my work, rather than my average look The voice changer turned his voice into a ladys voice that sounded indifferent and pompous, like a cold, arrogant goddess. Translation Note: 1. Sharp eyes and agile hands () is a Chinese proverb someone who is alert and agile in carrying out ones duties. 2. 25.8 is a Chinese internet slang for loving me (). 3. Leg pendant () is a Chinese internet slang referring to a person who would like to hug another persons thigh. Tonicquill: Remember how Nora Cat the Virtual Youtuber (Much like Kizuna AI) had that accidental face reveal? Well. It was more impressive than repulsive. Chapter 166 Zhao Youyues Victory Unlike the one integrated in QQ which is often used as a prank or to distort a voice, this voice changer was a miracle, born from the internet, rendering the gender of a person undistinguishable. Han Leng was skillful at using the voice changer because there was an expert of this equipment in his Web Game: Conquering the World fans group. Initially, everyone had thought that this reader was an uncle. The modified voice was so magnetic and masculine. Later, Han Leng found out that the real owner of this voice was a female college student. Her nickname was [Hua Qi]. He had learned about this from [I am the fairest], another Godly author who was skillful at writing all sorts of genres. The cohesion within its fan group, [White Cloth League], was on another level! [I am the fairest] knew [Hua Qi]s gender because they had a very close relationship. She would lie to others but not to [I am the fairest]. Han Leng was in shocked at that time, he would never have thought that this miracle equipment could modify a cutie girls voice into an uncle voice Soonafter, Han Leng added her as friend. From their conversation, he learned a lot about the voice changer and got himself one too. He played with it out of curiosity, but who knew that it would find practical use now. Besides this voice changer, there was another vocal technique called voice mocking, it was very seductive too. However, it will definitely sound unnatural by using this technique, as he had not revealed his gender. Voice mocking is indeed hard to master. Moreover, he was not interested in talking in a female voice in real life, but he had no qualms about doing so on the internet. Well, he did not value integrity, after all. He had been mocked as a ladyboy by selecting the Wu Tian Ji when he played the earliest game, called Westward Journey Online by NetEase. So many male gamers had fallen for her, sending her money and equipment. He even married the richest tycoon in the game. He had never used his time card since then; all expenses were covered by his husband At that time, he just entered primary school, still being a thick-skinned boy, but stopped the practice after he grew up. He eventually stopped taking advantage of male gamers by such means. However, now he did so only to prompt Zhao Youyues opinion about his new workErr, more correctly, by using a female voice! When Leng Zis female voice appeared in the group, the response was huge, as compared to those of Zhao Youyues earlier reaction Leng Zi really is a cool goddess. Such a cold voice is amazing! What a nice voice! Its totally different from [You Yue] Tycoons gentle, soothing voice! At first, I wanted to lurk silently in this group forever, but not after listening to Leng Zi voice. I must emerge to start marking my territory. Leng Zi, are you married? I would like to confess to Leng Zi, and I would give twelve marks to this voice. Leng Zi is my wife now, do not mess with me! If she wants to be crowned as a talented beauty, her talent must be more outstanding than her voice! It seemed like all the attention that had been given to Zhao Youeyue earlier had fallen on Leng Zi. Well, this was because she is the creator of Beautiful April. Those who chose to join this group were definitely her true fans! Their hearts were still more inclined to Leng Zi, compared to Miss Youyues red packets. Zhao Youyue did not doubt Leng Zis gender after hearing his female voice. Normally, one is a female for sure, if the revealed voice belongs to a chic. While those who either delete the pictures of themselves after posting it or post a time-limited one, while hesitating to reveal their voices, were the most suspicious ones After all, voice changers or voice mocking was very difficult to master. On the other hand, posting a picture of a beauty is easy, as such pictures are available online, or to make it even more obscure, they could secretly use one of their female friends pictures that nobody would know. Which one is more difficult to pull off? The answer was obvious. Han Leng deeply understood this. Therefore, he decided to use the voice to solidify Leng Zis gender as a female. It did not bother Zhao Youyue at all, seeing all the fans clustering around Leng Zi. After all, Leng Zi was the creator of this story. She took the initiative to add Leng Zi, enabling her to send her a red packet at any time, as well as to gain a sense of presence. She could also send her a variety of hints, so that she would not delete the scene involving Chu Luo Xun. She wanted this character to be iconic so badly Upon seeing the friend request from Zhao Youyue, Han Leng approved it immediately. He thought to himself that she would be more convinced that he is a female author, after reading the articles on his timeline. Then, they started to greet each other. The atmosphere was harmonious. It didnt take long for Han Leng to realize that, by pretending to be female, they communicated far more smoothly! Why would he think so? This was because he felt awkward and failed to think of any topic whenever he chat with Zhao Youyue in his own identity, deleting the word that he had typed. Eventually, he just talked about nonsense to portray his uniqueness But now, he was holding an entirely normal conversation. Then, Han Leng started to notice that Zhao Youyue were very concerned about Chu Luo Xun. She kept fishing for more information on how this character would appear. This might be due to how he had finely foreshadowed Chu Luo Xun at the beginning of the story, he thought. The truth was, Zhao Youyue, the troublemaker had aimed her turrets at him! After careful consideration, I will make her appear extraordinary. Now, she might seem to be an aloof goddess. After that, you all will realize that she is actually very friendly and approachable in the next issue, he replied. Zhao Youyue made a gesture of victory in her heart after reading his reply, knowing that has Leng Zi decided to adopt her settings. Han Leng, on the other side, was still very proud to think that he was the one who had come up with this idea And thus, the latest issue of Meng Ya arrived in the market after several days. The appearance and performance of Chu Luo Xin helped increased the heat of Beautiful April by more than one level. This work began to spread among the students of all school widely. Tonicquill: Oh boy. I had a little too much to drink when editing this chapter. 167 and 168 would be done in the same sitting. *Fingers Crossed* Dont drink on the job, guys. As it is, Im still upright, Im still typing straight. Those are good signs. Chapter 167 The Inability To Escape from This Indulgence On that day, Zhao Youyue was the first customer to procure the latest issue of Meng Ya. Perhaps, there were no readers like her, who were as eager to know how the Chu Luoxun that she possessed would appear in the novel, in this real world. To know how would Chu Luoxun, or in the other word, herself appear, she simply breezed through the content where the main characters fed each other dog food After much frantic flicking of pages, she finally came upon her destination. With Leng Zis good writing, as usual, the appearance of Chu Luoxun was commonly uncommon. It definitely would leave the readers with a strong feeling confused, with her contradictive personality! She was already feeling much pleased about her positive description of Chu Luoxun. As usual, her possession of the character had allowed the creator to reach her peak writing state, so much so, that she was able to describe Chu Luoxun fluently. Therefore, the immense level of presence that resulted from Zhao Youyues possession of any character in any work will make readers take greater notice of that particular character. Do remember that she has no level of presence, none whatsoever in realityIn a sense, this made up for that shortcoming. In fact, the appearance of Chu Luoxun was full of contradictions in itself, in terms of the words used and also the style of writing. Before this, Leng Zi used an elegantly bitchy style of writing in when it came to describing Chu Luoxun. Now, it was naive yet very dreamlike, which made the character much simpler. Zhao Youyue personally believed that this female author, Leng Zi, who wrote for a physical magazine, should have a stronger writing style than most web novelists. Those who read magazine articles and webnovels at the same time would be able to tell the difference. Of course, it would not always be the case. Compared to physical book authors, the sheer volume of updates was what web novelists often pursued, causing their work to look like rough drafts. Basically, the material would never go through any form of refinement in order to meet the deadline. Therefore, if given more time to refine, their writing style would be as good as that of physical book authors. Some incredibly talented ones would even produce amazing pieces of work without any correction being needed. Chasing a cat was Chu Luoxun first appearance. The description of the last scene where she was feeding the cat, gave Zhao Youyue such a warm feeling. She truly felt that the description was superb! She was no narcissist, of course. She became deeply attracted to this goddess, Chu Luoxun, for being a nave and approachable beauty. Her optimism seemed to have been delivered to all readers through the paper! Who would not like this character, after witnessing her positive attitude? Most of the readers were regular folk who would be inclined to such characters, unlike Yu Shengfan, who liked to spread discord through her venomous tongue. Many would have condemned little fish, if not for the fact that she was a blonde Lolita. Well, cutie is justice, pretty faces alway wins! Zhao Youyue really liked Chu Luoxun for sure; even if she was inhumanly perfect. Moreover, Leng Zi did a great job in depicting her! Alright, she seemed to be flattering herself, wasnt she? Being not literary talented, Zhao Youyue could not find any words to describe her feeling towards Chu Luoxun, the moment she witnessed her own appearance in ink. Like the heroine, Lin Meiyue, she realized that she was longing for this girl too. There was no doubt that Zhao Youyue wanted to become a person like Chu Luoxun in reality, bringing others positivity and warmth through the best form of music! However, Chu Luoxuns exceptional musical talent was not mentioned in the scene of her appearance. Zhao Youyue continued devouring the story. For the first time, she was deeply infatuated with a character, even though it was actually herself After that, there were two scenes depicting Chu Luoxuns musical talent. The first was when she performed together with Gu Yuan, where Lin Meiyue came across her by chance, the second was her stunning performance at the musical competition, where she received a standing ovation from the audience. As she was reading the first scene, she felt like she was again becoming Lin Meiyue, the fangirl of Chu Luoxun. Unsure if it was her own imagination, she could hear the music as she was reading the plethora of interesting words that Leng Zi used in describing Chu Luoxuns music. What did this actually indicate? This indicated that Leng Zi was at her peak level while writing this, enabling readers to hear music by reading her words. Certainly, the magical Two Dimensional Gate played a role in this. It enhanced the creators abilities. The efficacy of the enhancement directly correlates to the original level of the creator. Nevertheless, in a highly intoxicated state, one would incredible words! One would have this thought after reading it How could one write it so well?! Zhao Youyue was having mixed feelings now. The excellent description of Chu Luoxun gave her second thoughts about putting herself to death. She would be miserable if she read this in reality. Unlike Xu Jings case, she was emotionless and wanted to laugh instead This scene was already written so well, not to mention it only being the second scene, it could be the climax of the novel, already! The climax must not necessarily be where the male protagonist acts like a duplicitous jerk. It can be created purely by Chu Luoxuns musical talent, for instance. Zhao Yueyue felt like she was reliving the scene while reading the novel. What was the feeling of being personally drawn-into-the-scene? This was how it felt like! This could be described as the ultimate expression of words! Normally, a person like Zhao Youyue, who has firsthand experience of the novels verse would lose interest, as she already knew the plot. This did not happen to Zhao Youyue, it even indulged her with the grace of Chu Luoxun goddess! The other readers would be stoked! Tonicquill: Its a miracle Im still holding on. Im racing against the effects of alcohol at this rate. Which would falter first, my speed, or my rapidly fading sobriety?? Chapter 168 A Fangirl of Chu Luoxun Well, Zhao Youyue did not have to predict the general response. The response of her friend, Jang Qing Little Angel, who was a loyal reader of Meng Ya, was enough to tell Zhao Youyue that she really liked Chu Luoxun! Unlike Zhao Youyue, who was lazy to read other serialized articles and short web novels, she would not buy the magazine just to read the Beautiful April. However, Zhao Youyue cannot be blamed as she was busy, juggling between schoolwork and her streamer job as Yu Shengfan. So far, the number of audience remained consistent at two to three thousand, and her total amount of views was only between twenty to thirty thousand. The data should be reliable. Basically, they liked her strong personal style, having such a venomous tongue. They considered this as a God-level roleplay. Previously, Yu Shengfan astonished those manipulators on her live stream by singing South Mountain. Then, it had attracted more of them to watch her, hoping to hear it again. But, Zhao Youyue managed to restrain her desire to sing. Well, after being Chu Luoxun, she had become critical about this song which she had sung when she was Little Fish. She hoped that she could someday perform the song perfectly to all the manipulators, showing them what real music was! This perhaps was the aftermath of her indulgence in Chu Luoxun. While it was a given that the audiences would resonate with the music, Chu Luoxun pursued the almost divine state in her music that could bring them into a new world, stealing their souls away with its goodness. Words can barely describe this sensation. But, to those who had wholeheartedly listened to her music were intimate with it, it is such pleasurable feast on the ears As a loyal reader of Meng Ya, Jiang Qing Little Angel would eagerly share a good article with Zhao Youyue whenever she reads it. Most of all, she would comment on short novels, where they can finish reading it at once and start chattering about it. Attaining mutual understanding pleased them both. Yup, it is certainly a delightful thing if a good article is validated by the one who has been recommended to it. Considering Zhao Youyues fussy personality, reading a tedious article is impossible. Moreover, as a juvenile novel magazine, there were many sarcastic, affectionate and hipster articles inside Meng Ya too. Their writing style was exaggerated, making the plots interesting, unlike a full-mark essay. This was what Zhao Youeyue wanted. Although there were many elegant writing styles in Beautiful April, Zhao ] Youyue did not hate it because they had just the right amount of detail. Those styles did help create the right atmosphere at the right time. For instance, without it, Chu Luoxun would not have been poshed up, due to her partial appearance before. This is why the antagonists in most hollow literature would be incapable idiots, due to the author s inability to do otherwise. However, too much of this writing style in some overwhelming plots would make it look insightful, reducing it to merely a scam in the form of meaningless words. Zhao Youyue despised such articles. She certainly will give these creators a lesson if she comes across such convoluted articles again. They should not exist. Miss, finally, she has appeared! Jiang Qing told Zhao Youyue excitedly when she read the first appearance of Chu Luoxun. Who? Zhao Youyue asked back, pretending as if she did not know, although she was up to speed on the latest issue. Chu Luo Xun! Didnt you say that this character is the one you were anticipating the most after you finished reading last months Beautiful April? Chu Luoxun has made her full appearance now! Jiang Qing Little Angel quickly replied. She was so nave, totally believing in ZhaoYouyue. As calm as usual, Zhao Youyue smiled and asked How is it? Did Leng Zi write well? It is awesome! The way she appeared is totally unexpected. I thought that she would be surrounded by light and all of the audience would be blown away by her music, admiring herBut, she was happily feeding a cat with a cake, alone! Jiang Qing Little Angel said in a very exclamatory tone, still unable to get over this unpredictable scene. But, she deliberately warmed the heart of every reader with her happiness in that scene. Everyone seemed to become that cat Obviously, the author had slapped those readers who predicted Chu Luoxun to be the antagonist. How could a positive girl, whose personality surpassed the heroine, be the bad guy? Jiang Qing Little Angel continued her reading in full of surprise, exclaiming each plot that had Chu Luoxun, then excitedly said Leng Zi totally made Chu Luoxun livelier than the main characters. If I can travel into that world, I will definitely not miss her concert and get her signature! After seeing that Jiang Qing was more excited than her, Zhao Youyue recalled that Jiang Qing loved music too. She was an arts and literature committee member, and a good singer too at that! In addition to Jiang Qings optimistic personality, this probably made her resonate deeply with Chu Luoxun, this goddess character, easily placing her in that characters position! Zhao Youyue began to worry that, along with the revealing of the foreshadowed ending of Chu Luoxun, would Jiang Qing Little Angel become a malefic person What a miracle! The sound of the violin played by Chu Luoxun is revolving around my ears! Have I gone crazy? I could hear the music just by reading the article! Jiang Qing was awed. You are not crazy; the article was really written well! This is the charm of words, just like how you will salivate when you are reading a well-written gourmet novel Zhao Youyue explained. Oh, I See!Leng Zi is truly awesome, and so is the musical goddess, Chu Luoxun! said Jiang Qing Little Angel, who had totally joined the Chu Luoxun fangirl club. She did not know that the real Chu Luoxun was sitting right beside her Meanwhile, Beautiful April had stirred up a youthful storm on the internet! Tonicquill: HOLY COW Im about to keel over at this point. Fingers are slipping, typos occurring more often than ever. Fortunately, I use Grammarly. But no. No way will I survive if I move on to 169. Im going to just lie down here for a bit. Chapter 169 The perfect opening Theoretically speaking, works like Beautiful April that are not repeatedly bumped up via continuous online updates would find trouble kicking off. After all, it had only been published in a magazine Unless it is adapted into a manga or animation, how would it ever compete with popular webnovels with words alone? Currently, the most famous novel on the net would be The strongest king (It might not be the most famous in Qidian novel website, but it had considerable influence on the net. It could easily pop up in the hot topic search bar of Weibo, and all kinds of MAD [1] versions of the novel would flood a certain website).The death of Yu Shengfan was the line that should not be crossed, yet it was, to great effect, anyone who was unsatisfied with the death of little fish had to admit Since then, Rosemarys work had been improving, at a rate matched only by the growing depth and maturity his writing! Many new, distinctive characters would make their entries one after another, eventually mingling together to churn out wholesome, proper drama that stems from their various complex interactions, along with their quirks and imperfections Many readers were so absorbed in the book and felt that they had traveled into the story world. They were like some fans in the story who had started to pick their own favorite (In-story) teams to support. Among them was the Glory squad led by Lin Feng, who had the most number of fans. He was the leading protagonist in the whole story, his position only bolstered by the fact that THE one and only Little Fish would forever live on in his glory. Besides Tang Yongkai, he was also able to recruit other players with potential into his Glorious squad. He would be able to reach the summit if everything goes according to his plan. Sadly, no matter how deeply absorbed the readers were, they could never really travel into the story world. Hence, they could only use money to satisfy themselves in the real world. Rumors had it; there was a female godly tycoon planning to book the space of a very costly advertisement block to celebrate Lin Fengs birthday! This might sound ridiculous, but this was the truth. The strongest king had that kind of intense influence where the characters inside had become virtual idols. It will not be surprising if one of the characters becomes the spokesperson of a certain brand in real life. Zhao Youyue, as the Sect Master who had the highest fan base for The strongest king, actually knew most of the female readers, including that female godly tycoon. She was just a university student, but she was filthy rich. She was the daughter of a coal tycoon, and she was loved by her parents very much, and had even more allowance than Zhao Youyue We could never imagine the world that godly tycoons lived in. Apparently, this female godly tycoon also watched live web streams, and had tipped one of the male streamers one million, on the condition that he does not fall in love for the next five years. Much spoilt, filthy richness. Actually, if Zhao Youyue introduces this tycoon to her own live web stream and spreads the right words among the godly tycoon readers, she might have their attention and get a sponsorship to continue promoting Little Fish. However, she did not do so, and nobody knew that Zhao Youyue was Yu Shengfan. Just when The Strongest King was about to dominate all the other works and top the search list, a story called Beautiful April came out of nowhere and triggered a storm of youthful noise. It has only been published for six weeks, such success was nothing short of a miracle! This was all thanks to people like Jiang Qing who could not contain their excitement after reading the story, mostly due to the character C Chu Luoxun. Most students were creatures of poverty, but they all had hearts filled with burning passion. They all had the strong desire to express their feelings. In this era where everyone has a handphone, they could choose to express their emotions on the internet! The story Beautiful April was simply charming, I was being fed dog food non-stop! Oh, and that the new character Chu Luoxun was really something, such a goddess! I had a strong premonition that Chu Luoxun would become very popular in the future! She had been fleshed out so nicely, and I could always feel her brimming with life, whenever I read about her. Moreover, her music is so magical that you could hear it through the words on the paper! Its definitely a first for me. Id have never thought that my ears could enjoy a novel. It was like being soaked and dunked in the world of good music. The new, mysterious author Leng Zi wanted to climb the peak with this novel, the evidence could not be any clearer! The famous Qidian reader Youyue, also strongly recommended this novel. This was the book that the leader recommended. It is the embodiment of what all teen magazines should be! Originally, I only read web novels. After being Amwayed into reading the whole story, it moved me in many ways. Chu Luoxun was like a scorching sun; her presence brought warmth to everyone! However, you might burn yourself if you are too close to the sun I was suspicious of Leng Zi being an actual web novelist. Its not that I look down upon book authors, but they do not usually care how readers feel; theyre in it for the money. Leng Zi was different; her work actually allowed the readers to enjoy the story to the fullest! Shes also one heck of a writer in her own right! The sea of praises soon flooded into Weibo. Many VIP writers spoke highly of the story. All in all, the book was warmly welcomed by many! In the comments section of Beautiful April, a lot of arguments regarding the plot had started rising up. Some were not happy with scene where Chu Luoxun had unknowingly played music together with the male protagonist. They felt she had overtaken the place of the female protagonist, lingering around to cause a wedge between the two protagonists! It was all a feint when Chu Luoxun professed that she had been smitten by Chen Hao. Just like the female protagonist Ling Meiyue had thought C how could a person admit their crush so readily? It appeared that Chu Luoxuns real target was the male protagonist. She was a terrifying third wheel, and so she must be cautious of her! This topic would never find peace. Everyone was in a heated argument, as several readers were rooting for Chu Luoxun. They would not allow anyone to sully Chu Luoxuns innocence, just like that! They even stated that if not for Chu Luoxun, there would be no real relationships between the protagonists. As for the relationship between her and the male protagonist, they were merely friends. How could this be a lie? At the same time, some readers loved the male protagonist, and asked everyone to have a little more faith in him. This male protagonist was not like those dim-witted, clueless male characters. He already had a clear choice of love, and that person was his first love, Ling Meiyue. He would never change his heart! Seriously, the popularity of the character had not been anticipated by the author Leng Zi or Zhao Youyue. How did it become such a hot topic? Zhao Youyue was even more surprised, because the Two Dimensional Gate suddenly reminded her that she could leave the story anytime she wanted to, at this point. There would not be any adverse effects, since Chu Luoxun was now a famous character. However, Zhao Youyue would never do that, as she was aiming to create an iconic character this time! She was able to become a famous character just by popping up for the first time in the book. This was the perfect opening! A million thanks to the author Leng Zi, and also to all the readers! Translation note: [1] MAD can be understood as a secondary creation image, which is a movie made by using existing material, modifying, editing and other secondary creation and music. The difference is that the focus of the MAD film is on the film, paying tribute to the animation or video game. The focus of the relative MV is on the music. Chapter 170 All hail the big boss, Zhao Youyue Zhao Youyue knew that Chu Luoxun was only so popular now, all thanks to this novel. Beautiful April had been able to attract a lot of student readers with its all-too-relatable portrayal of purity and the innocence of youth in the story. This was even before she had traveled into the story world using the Two Dimensional Gate. The plotline was rather calm and straightforward, but it had failed to choose an appropriate timing to blow up. In the sixth issue, Chu Luoxun had appeared, cheerful, bright, and perfect, along with the beautiful description of her musical performance. This had triggered long-suppressed passion and enthusiasm in the students. The readers were able to feel the power of youth coming from these students! Sometimes, the best influence would be Amway, since the crowd tended to follow the majority. A lot of netizens would be curious when they see someone discussing somebody else, and they would try their best to investigate and understand that person. Hence, the pirated version of Beautiful April was spreading fast on the internet. The pirated websites in China would always provide everything for you, to celebrate the spirit of sharing on the internet. Many netizens would simply search for the pirated version and read it, since it did not contain many words. Six issues would only have about 50,000 words, so pirates were able to keep up without trouble. However, the reading experience on the pirated sites would not always be as satisfying. Sometimes, the text might get left out or missed. After all, it had been mostly hand-typed, and the paragraphs might get mixed up. Besides, there would be pop out windows which prevented the readers from getting fully immersed in the story. Consequently, there would be some bad comments. Many pirated readers started to criticize Beautiful April. They claimed that it was a story without any climax, and it left them yearning for something it could not deliver. They did not understand what was so good about the novel, to even be able to create a sensation on the internet. They soon denounced it as another business scam, and that its reputation was clearly undeserved. These days, pirated readers have become good at waging online battles with fabricated, albeit convincing facts. They would easily outspeak the honest, supportive readers who had spent money to read the originals. Most importantly, they would not feel ashamed after reading a pirated novel. To make it worse, they actually thought that they were giving face to the author, as they were willing to spend the time to read the pirated version of his novel. They would even start throwing suggestions on how the authors should write They felt like they were the center of the universe, as though the authors would be damned if they had not been there. They should be worshipped by the authors, being treated with equal respect as they would their parents. In reality, when it comes to the book comment section of the original website, these people would not be allowed to even post, or comment. It did not matter if their suggestions were good or bad. Pirated readers had no right to say anything. At a discussion forum called Dragons sky, someone had recommended Beautiful April, at the book recommending section. Surprisingly, it had received many good reviews. Many veteran readers who were picky even said that this was the real youth novel. It should be aptly named Innocent love, which was the title of an anime. Even though the anime was named Innocent Love, the contents were not very innocent. These veteran readers had some good qualities in them. Some of them had urged others to buy the real book when it is published. After all, it would feel better to read such a novel on real paper. Dragons sky was just a discussion forum on the internet; hence such movements had little momentum. However, the fact that Beautiful April had appeared in this forum, goes to show how popular the novel was! Zhao Youyue was very happy with the Two Dimensional Gate, this time. The random novel and author she had been sent to were both too good to be true. Her victory was already inevitable. Zhao Youyue also communicated well with the author, Leng Zi. Apparently, the author took her opinions very seriously, so she always tipped her whenever she is free to guarantee how Chu Luoxuns scenes would unravel in the story. At the same time, she hoped that Leng Zi would write a happy ending for the protagonists so that they could live happily together Leng Zi agreed to do so. Zhao Youyue had better faith in female authors, because they kept their promises. Unlike that Ye Hai (Rosemary), who had killed the character C Yu Shengfan, all of a sudden. He had promised that he would give Little Fish a far larger role, and many more scenes, yet he had killed her off in the story. Zhao Youyues mid-term exams was finally around the corner. This time she was unable to reproduce her glorious achievements from the last monthly exams. The art streams papers were easier, and the marking was more lenient. In consequence, the average results of the art students were better. For the science students, things were far more difficult, even moreso than the final-term exam. Even though Zhao Youyue had activated her Xu Jings character card, she still faced some trouble. Other than Mathematics, the Physics paper even had school tournament questions inside. Zhao Youyue was dazzled by the questions. The top scorers in the class who had joined the tournament were very excited because they have come across similar questions before. They had the advantage over the other students. Still, Zhao Youyue used all of her ability to get the second place in the class. The first place was Chen Haoran, who had underperformed during the last exam. This time, his science results were incredible. Against all odds, he was also able to get a full score in maths, a paper that was so notoriously tricky, that only three people in the whole school could earn full scores! The number one in the whole school was still Huang Chaozhong. Zhao Youyue fell to ninth place. Still, her name was now acknowledged by all the top students in the school. Apparently, it was not a coincidence that she got first place the last time! Zhao Youyue was probably the only one from the top ten who had not joined any competitions. Therefore, she was at a disadvantageous position when the exam had included questions from competitions. Regardless the situation, she still got the ninth place in the whole school, and that was not easy to pull off. The person who created the elite scholar group, Kuok Peisheng had been asking around for Zhao Youyues QQ ID and added her as a friend. Miss Zhao Youyue, I would like to invite you to join the group of elite scholars. They all have the ability to enter renowned universities such as the University of Shoudu, University of Qinghua and we always study together. If you want to join, please accept my invitation, and I will add you to the group. Kuok Peisheng sent the message to Zhao Youyue with complete sincerity. Zhao Youyue had never known that the top elite scholars of the school had a group. The group only had ten to twenty people, and the top ten would always be among them. However, her dark horse appearance had broken the tradition of the group, where they should have monopolized the top ten seats in exams. Hence, she was recognized strongly by the group leader, Kuok Peisheng Zhao Youyue accepted the invitation because she felt that it would be kind of cool to join this kind of elite scholar group.Whenever she thinks herself as one of the big bosses in the school, she would finally be able to restrain her admiration towards those elite scholars.Other than Huang Chaozhong, she felt no fear towards anybody else, since Xu Jing had her back. Zhao Youyue did not admire anybody else, but others had started to admire her, the moment she joined the group. They all complimented that she was invincible in art stream subjects, especially her English; which was on another level! Huang Chaozhong added Zhao Youyue as a friend, and had even asked her to teach him English Huang Chaozhing seemed to be very interested in Zhao Youyue. Perhaps the trauma left by Zhao Youyue last time was still too shocking for him. Tonicquill: Back in highschool, while kids were comparing scores and homework, I was slipping out (very loudly) through the backdoor with tumbles and rolls that shook the wooden tiling and resonated throughout the entire hallway. Playing Yu-Gi-Oh, Magic the Gathering, Beyblade, Gameboys, and the occasional novel, xD. Teachers couldnt give a rats ass about my type. I was always in the last class, as it is. A teachers worst nightmare. The fewer devils in their classes, the better. I know that all too well when I ventured into teaching myself, upon graduation. They had guts, Ill give them that. Chapter 171 Acknowledgement Without a doubt, Zhao Youyue was impressed by an elite scholar such as Wang Zongchao. Even with the help of Xu Jings card, she was not even close to surpassing him in terms studying. It was apparent that his standards and hers were not on the same level, and it was not because she was not hardworking enough. When Wang Zongchao asked Zhao Youyue how she managed to get good results for English, she could not simply say that she relied on her Yu Shengfans card, so she decided to go along with the premise that she played lots of foreign language games. She preferred to play them in their original languages, so she had no other choice but to master the English language This was the actual reason why Yu Shengfan was good with languages from several countries. But in reality, it sounds cooler when Zhao Youyue says it out herself. Of course, when Wang Zongchao was asking her this in the chat group, the other top students were hanging on to every word she said, hoping to take a leave out of her book, but then she had blurted out that it was because she liked to play foreign games So, not just English, but youre good at other languages as well? asked Wang Zongchao. You could say that, and I would spend two hours gaming a day because I really enjoy them, Zhao Youyue answered honestly. Two hours? How do you have so much leisure time? Wang Zongchao was incredulous. I have some spare time during the night I only need to finish my homework earlier. Zhao Youyue replied without giving it too much thought. Arent you suppose to self-study at night? Wang Zongchao was amazed. Each question only gives rise to more questions! This isnt a simple girl! Erm Im actually a commuting student, so I dont have to attend night self-study classes. After Im done with homework, I could play to my hearts content Zhao Youyue retained her cool and answered him casually. After she replied, the group remained silent for a while. Shortly after, everyone was sending pictures of worshiping her like some sort of God Everyone had thought that Zhao Youyue was the hardworking type of elite scholar, especially based on her performance in Mathematics. If elite scholars never work hard enough, their results would inevitably deteriorate. An elite scholar such as Wang Zongchao was without a doubt a natural genius and made sure to pair it up with superhuman effort. Only with that, he has been able to secure his ranking in this school. As it turns out, Zhao Youyue was not a hardworking elite scholar! She was indeed a genius; she could spend two hours a day playing games and still maintain such results! Even Wang Zongchao would not manage that! Guo Peisheng could not help himself but speak up, Wow, Zhao Youyue youre awesome! I envy you could take it easy and still get such amazing results. We had to take competition classes every night, why didnt you join us? Youre such a genius Zhao Youyue was struck dumb for a moment. No one had ever praised her for being smart, not even her old mama. She was well aware of her navet and candour, but this was actually the first time anyone has ever praised her of being smart! Im not really good at doing questions in competitions They were too difficult for me! Actually, Im not that smart either; I worked hard for the results Ive obtained! Zhao Youyue defended for herself. If she was a genius elite scholar, she would not need the help of Xu Jings card, she would still have gotten into the top ten position in school without having to study so diligently. As for the first place, it would not be easy for her, because there was a hardworking genius in her school. That combination would be unbeatable, no matter what. When Zhao Youyue said that she was the hardworking type, this rendered the other top students speechless. They were surprised to find that among the top students, there was a student who had the time to play computer games every day and still claim to be hardworking in her studies Zhao Youyue was telling the truth, because she always made sure to pay attention in class, and she would do her homework attentively, while also making sure that she gets the critical points in every days class. This was all the effort that Zhao Youyue poured into her studying, which reaped great rewards in return. In the eyes of other top students, they were all jealous of Zhao Youyue because she still managed to get into the top ten position while playing games every day, for two hours! Ahem Well, lets officially welcome Zhao Youyue into our study group, since we have a half day off tomorrow, why dont we have lunch together to celebrate this event? What do you say, brother Chao? Guo Peisheng suggested, it appeared that Wang Zongchao was the de facto leader of this group. Wang Zongchao was just a first-year high school student, but he was already the vice president of the student council club. If he manages to maintain his grades, it would not be a problem for him becoming the president of the student council in his second-year. Since all third-year high school students would be focusing on their final exams, it was natural for the president to give up his or her position to the vice president, it was a tradition in this school. Of course, Wang Zongchao himself would not hesitate to take up that role, because he enjoyed the feeling of ruling over other students. His idol was the founder of the country, and his favorite book was Dynasty Biography. Certainly, Im glad to have Zhao Youyue in our group, she has earned her rights to join us, are you free to join us for lunch tomorrow, Zhao Youyue? Wang Zongchao asked. Zhao Youyue was aware of her surroundings, so she definitely would not turn down such an invitation. She was well-informed of who was in charge of this top students group. Obviously, it was Wang Zongchao, and Guo Peisheng, both of them were also the student council members. Honestly, these top students gaze Zhao Youyue the creeps, they spoke as if they stood on a pedestal, gazing down at the masses over the tips of their noses. Zhao Youyue was once a normal person in their eyes. They even liked to brag about the privileges they had given by their homeroom teacher, and all of these privileges were greater than Zhao Youyues. As long as they could maintain the first place in class, or the top twenty in the whole grade, they could do anything they wanted. Unfortunately, to maintain their grades, they had to sacrifice many other things such as hobbies. Now, Zhao Youyue had become the top third person in this group. She had once surpassed Wang Zongchao, and she could secure her rank among the top ten in this test, and she was the only person who had a perfect score in English test in her whole school! It was not easy to attain a perfect score in English, what a freak she was! She had scored perfectly because of her composition; her writing was perfect, her grammar was perfect, even her vocabulary was perfect! It would make no sense if the marker does not give her a perfect score! The English reading comprehension was a multiple choice question, unlike the Chinese test which required a little bit of luck, and as long as her composition has a perfect score, she would definitely get full marks for her English test! Obviously, Zhao Youyue had surpassed Wang Zongchao regarding languages, which was the reason why she had gained acknowledgment from these top students. Sure, Im free tomorrow But pardon me for asking, I believe that my classmate, Chen Haoran did better than me in this test, why isnt he in this group? Zhao Youyue probed. He is only strong in science subjects, and if it wasnt for the science subjects being so tough for this test, he wouldnt have been able to even squeeze into the top ten. Even though he is good in science, he still wouldnt be able to surpass brother Chao, this group doesnt need him as long as we have brother Chao. Guo Peisheng said arrogantly. Zhao Youyue suddenly realized that no one in her class had ever earned the rights to joining this top students study group Tonicquill: Do high schools nowadays have politics and elitist factions? Oh, for the life of me Chapter 172 An Extremely High Rating Well, Zhao Youyue has now managed to witness the hypocritical side of the top students study group. Even though most of the people in the group agreed to meet up for lunch, except Zhao Youyue, only five of them showed up in the end. They had all sorts of excuses such as urgent matters coming up, or parents coming to visit them. Zhao Youyue included, that made six people, three guys, and three girls. The three guys included Wang Zongchao and Guo Peisheng, and a certain Cao Yuan. He was big and tall. Apparently, he played basketball pretty well, and could still maintain his good grades, which were among the top twenty. The other two girls were Xu Na, and Shen Menglian, both of their names sounded awfully familiar because they were always in the top ten positions, and both of them always had first place in their respective classes. Zhao Youyue treated this as a typical student gathering, and sincerely sought to get to know more about these students who regularly pass their exams with flying colors; what could she possibly lose. This would easily satisfy her tiny little ego. As always, Zhao Youyue wore her plain and simple uniform for the gathering, and they agreed to meet up at an old pavilion in school. She ended up feeling awkward, being the odd one out, as everyone came in flashy casual C the school rules never required them to wear their uniforms on weekends. The other two girls had dolled themselves up. Unfortunately, they were still no match for Zhao Youyue. The probability of a beautiful girl being a top student this year was not unheard of, but it would be difficult for them to be among the top ten students of the school. Any student with a good grades would understand how hard it is to get into the top ten in the whole school in a state of consistency. In this school, these top ten students had the potential to ace the final exams in their third-year, which meant that they could pick whichever university they wanted such as, Tokyo Metropolitan University and Chung Hua University, the top recommendations of Chinas government. Wang Zongchao was wearing his casual clothing as well; he had not dressed-up for the appointment, he simply switched out of his uniform. He was not a big guy, he had average looks, but he always had this smile on his face, an inscrutable beam that exuded confidence. This confidence was particularly familiar to Zhao Youyue, because she had seen it before from Chu Luoxun. Because he had the strength, he could confidently flaunt it. When Wang Zongchao met Zhao Youyue, he was surprised, for beyond his expectations, Zhao Youyue had turned out to be this fair, delicate, cute girl with a short bobcut. Wang Zongchao greeted Zhao Youyue with enthusiasm, and he introduced his members to Zhao Youyue with ease. As expected of the vice president of the student council. His social skills werent that bad. Zhao Youyue could not tell what sort of person he was from the group chat alone, but in the flesh, she could tell that he was rather amicable. Luckily, Zhao Youyue was not much of an introvert; she gladly introduced herself to these top students. Her sincere smile and soothing voice gave her a mysterious charm that made her easily approachable. This left Wang Zongchao astonished. When he heard that Zhao Youyue loved to play games, he had assumed that she would look like an introverted otaku who kept to herself more than anything. He was indeed surprised to find out that Zhao Youyue had turned out to be a girl that was easy to hang around with; she would easily become friends with anybody. Usually, a girl with an unpredictable attitude would not have good grades, because they would not spend too much attention on their studies, but Zhao Youyue was different. Clearly, she was a genius! It was a mystery as to why she had not gained fame any sooner. The other two guys treated Zhao Youyue with enthusiasm. She had a pretty face, a cute face was always nicer to talk to. The two girls who were called Xu Na and Shen Menglian just smiled at Zhao Youyue. When they saw Zhao Youyue in her school uniform, they chuckled within their hearts. As the rumors have said, Zhao Youyue did not hail from a particularly well-off family. It could not be helped, both of their results were not on the same level as Zhao Youyue, and they were not as pretty as Zhao Youyue, even with all that pasty make-up. So, if looking at her clothing and the state of her family gives them some refuge for self-satisfaction, it would be better than drowning in envy The six of them went to the shopping district in separate cars. The atmosphere of the girls cab was very dull; Zhao Youyue even had to pay for the cab fare. The two girls thought she was just trying to show off; they believed that Zhao Youyue would feel heartache for the money she spent. Meanwhile, the other cabs atmosphere was quite lively. Cao Yuan, was not just a big guy, he had a big voice to match, I never expect Zhao Youyue to be this pretty, at least not in our school, it looks like our school has crouching tigers and hidden dragons. Guo Peisheng nudged his spectacles up the bridge of his nose and said calmly, Indeed. Her temperament and attitude are far better than the other two girls, dont you think so, brother Chao? Wang Zongchao is usually be seen without his spectacles, because his eyesight wasnt that bad, but he had to wear it during classes. Of course, I also feel that she is suitable for our student council, her overall ability should be impressive. Unlike those girls who only know how to study, she is a talented person! It shows! He praised with his usual smile. Cao Yuan and Guo Peisheng were surprised by Wang Congzhaos review of Zhao Youyue; she cannot be taken lightly. Wang Zongchao never really spared the other two girls a glance, even though both of them boasted decent results, but they did not possess any charm or elegance. Oh right, let me test her to see if shes really good at multiple languages later Wang Zongchao said it in a joking manner. Brother Chao is not just good at English; he even knows French! Brother Chao is simply marvelous! Guo Peisheng initiated the boot-licking session. Thats right, your piano level is at grade ten too, right? You always perform at the final program for our campus parties! Cao Yuan quickly followed up. Wang Zongchao had already gotten used to flattering, Lately, the girls only pay attention to handsome faces, my side-character face wouldnt stand a chance, hahaha, he said flippantly. Youre too humble, Brother Chao. You just never accepted those who confessed to you! I guess that brother Chao wouldnt be interested in Zhao Youyue, either! Indeed, Wang Zongchao did not have any interest in Zhao Youyue, even though she was cute, but she was far from stunning him with her looks. He had always looked down on mortals, as if he was lounging on the top of the clouds. Chapter 173 : Parting Ways It was always easier to socialize over a meal, but something awkward was happening. The two girls could not afford to pay for such luxury meal, so they ordered as little as possible. Even though Zhao Youyue did not have a big stomach, she loved to eat. As usual, she ordered whatever dishes from the menu that caught her eyes Wang Zongchao stared wordlessly at Zhao Youyues innocent actions. His family lived in pretty decent conditions, because he had learned the piano when he was young but his family was not filthy rich. Wang Zongchao did not have a lot of pocket money either, and he did not have the ability to earn his own money despite being the top student of the school. Perhaps only Han Leng, the genius essayist, could earn money through his own power, among his fellow classmates. Soon, Zhao Youyue caught hold of the awkwardness, and she looked up and smiled, This will be my treat, it is important to eat well and be happy during a gathering! This greatly embarrassed the three guys, they were usually viewed in divine light because of their excellent grades, but now they felt tiny, having to spend a few thousand RMB on a single meal This might be the power of money. The two girls who did not dare to order much dishes were unhappy with Zhao Youyue, both of them had thought Zhao Youyue had turned insane and had decided to all of her savings on this meal because she wanted to show off! Of course, they were measuring Zhao Youyue by their own financial standards; they felt they were more superior than Zhao Youyue because they were looking down on Zhao Youyue in their hearts Finally, Shen Menglian snapped, Zhao Youyue, wouldnt you think that ordering this much will be a waste? Our teachers have taught us to be grateful for our food Look at you, still wearing our uniform during the weekend, you cant be that well off, right? Are you sure that youre not acting rashly? Suddenly, Zhao Youyue felt most unwelcomed among this group of top students, cant they just settle down and enjoy a meal? Im not acting rashly; I simply wanted to try more dishes. Im doing this restaurant a favor by spending my money, increasing their domestic demand and promote economic cycle. Is it wrong for me to do something that benefits the country? Im actually contributing to our country! After Zhao Youyue said that, she got the shop owner to prepare for the dishes, and she instantly became the host of this gathering. As a person who is used to eating luxurious meals, she had that dominating aura surrounding her! Zhao Youyue might be a side character in school, but she would definitely become the main character of every restaurant! She always hoped that she had a Godly tongue, it would be best if she had an excellent sense of taste! Zhao Youyue had wholly overwhelmed the others; not even Wang Zongchao could stand up against her imposing manner They could only bow down to Miss Zhao Youyue, handing a cup of tea to her obediently. As per usual, Zhao Youyue only took a bite from every dish, she would only take an extra bite of the ones that were delicious. Her fellow students were staring at the hearty dishes, and they found it too embarrassing to dig in. At last, Zhao Youyue knew she would never be able to mix in with these top students because she was not one of them, to begin with. Unlike them, she did not pay much attention to studying, and she definitely would not feel arrogant after she gets decent grades. She intended to retain good grades because she would have more privileges and make her life in school much easier. As for entering a good university like Tokyo Metropolitan University or Chung Hua University, she could easily do it if she manages to obtain another one or two abilities, even if she gets average result. Well, this sounded extremely unfair to the other top students. Zhao Youyue did not want to attend to Tokyo Metropolitan University because it was too far away from home, she would rather attend Jiangnan University. It would be rather interesting, attending her mothers classes A person like Zhao Youyue from the Zhao family was absolutely overpowered! People had to strive hard to achieve success, but Zhao Youyue was already there the moment she was born. As everyone was eating, the situation was becoming more awkward. Although Zhao Youyue had said this was her treat, everyone else was worried that she could not afford to pay for the meal, and so, they were afraid of splitting the bills. When nobody was willing to spend the money, they were not in the mood to eat Zhao Youyue kept a straight face while everyone else was uneasy, she proceeded to the counter and paid the bills, and she smiled and waved at them, Im happy to meet all of you, I had fun today. See you. Then, Zhao Youyue left the shop without turning back. A luxury car stopped at the entrance of the shop, which attracted a lot of attention. Uncle Liu proceeded to open the door for Zhao Youyue and guided her into the rear seat of the car. After that, uncle Liu returned to his driver seat and drove away. Wang Zongchao and his friends looked at each other; no words could ever describe their feelings at this moment. Xu Na and Shen Menglians faces were bright red because they had been gossiping about Zhao Youyue being a show-off It turned out Zhao Youyue was not a show-off, but a genuinely rich lady! Ahem, it would be a waste if we dont finish this, lets us eat. Guo Peisheng started to gobble up the food after saying that, he was feeling hungry because he did not eat much just now. Obviously, Cao Yuan had started to dig in too. The dishes were indeed delicious, it would be a waste to throw them away. Besides, it would be an honor to eat a leftover from a rich lady! Only Wang Zongchao had lost the appetite to eat because he knew his relationship with Zhao Youyue was all over. Without a doubt, she was already be disgusted by their attitude because they could not even bear with this little money Of course, that amount of money was little in her eyes, but not so little in their eyes Just what exactly does Zhao Youyues family do? Xu Na gossiped while still eating. Duh, obviously a rich lady! Anyone will know by looking at the car she went home with. How can I make such a dumb mistake, how embarrassing Shen Menglian said it awkwardly, at the same time she felt regret because she knew she had offended Zhao Youyue. Wang Zongchao had fallen into a long silence, he always thought he was at the top of the clouds, a superior feel because he was the greatest in school. He understands something when he was out of school, all those results he obtains would be nothing because he could not even afford a meal with it He felt regret to handover all the scholarships he had. Zhao Youyue was not bothered about the opinions of those top students because she knew they would not get along with her, they simply do not have something in common, she still prefers to be a side character among them After that, Zhao Youyue proceeds to enter the Two Dimensional Gate, carefully craft the character of Chu Luoxun. Chapter 174 Trauma Zhao Youyue likes to eat, whoever that does not let her enjoy her meal was the enemy! Obviously, those top students had earned Zhao Youyues ire, because she could not enjoy her meal, and she did not want to put up with them any longer, so couldnt she exercise her rights to release her temper? Under normal circumstances, the fraulein Zhao Youyue is amicable and approachable, but she was, in fact, the daughter of the ill-tempered lady, Wang Hua, and some of her mothers temperament would rub off her. If Zhao Youyue could keep her cool and gentleness at all times, she would not even be a human anymore, she would be a doll. Just because Zhao Youyue was a living person, she too would have her uncharacteristic outbursts when somebody offends her. Zhao Youyue would never tolerate being hindered from treating her palette to an excellent meal! Whenever Zhao Youyue uses her character card, it would consume her energy and make her go hungry easily; different character cards had their individual preferences in tastes too. She wanted to try all sorts of dishes to make herself happy. She would be in a bad mood when she is prevented from a delicious meal! But then, Zhao Youyue would dwell on such pettiness for long. She had entered the realm of Beautiful April once again. With the help of the main heroine, Lin Meiyue, Gu Yuan and Chu Luoxun finally met up, and Chu Luoxun had appointed Gu Yuan to be her partner to perform music together. Even though she did not get the approval of the judges in the previous competition, by the recommendation of the audience, she had earned another chance to perform in the upcoming competition. Of course, Gu Yuan had rejected her request, because he was still held back by his past trauma. He could again hear the music when he starts to perform, but as he plays, the music would begin to fade away, and the more he concentrates, the lesser he would hear it. He might have a mental illness of being unable to hear any music in his peak form. But Chu Luoxun had insisted that Gu Yuan become her partner, and Lin Meiyue had supported the idea You stood among the unique colors of spring, Gu Yuan was lost in his thoughts again. The designated song would be Saint Saenss Overture and Rotary Caprice, Ill bring the music score here tomorrow. Chu Luoxun smiled and had already decided to drag Gu Yuan into her plan. Lin Meiyue was supporting the idea as well, because she was a gentle and kind girl, plus she knew what trauma Gu Yuan had. She wanted Gu Yuan to overcome his trauma by becoming the partner of her new best friend Chu Luoxun, who might be able to help him subdue it. Gu Yuan still refused, regardless of what they said. He did not even go to the assigned location on the day of competition; he went to the schools rooftop, eating his sandwich cake Gu Yuan suddenly caught sight of Chu Luoxun running up the rooftop, Wh Why are you still in school? Todays the day! Chu Luoxun asked, while still trying to catch her breath. Ive come to pick you up! How could you hide in such a place, didnt you know that I had a tough time finding you? What are you waiting for? Lets go! Chu Luoxun urged him. Didnt I say earlier that I couldnt perform with you? What!? There will be a professional accompaniment during the competition, even if I do become your accompaniment, I would not be able to match your standards I, cant play the piano. Gu Yuan kneeled at the corner of the rooftop like Hisashi Mitsui from Slam Dunk. From the bottom of his heart, he wanted to play the piano; he wanted to say, I want to play the piano! But, he was still trembling from his fear of failure, and he was still looking for a reason Under the bright sunlight, Chu Luoxun said to Gu Yuan, So what? Its not like you cant play the piano, you just refuse to play the piano! Your reason of not being able to hear the heart of the piano is just an excuse to run away! I Im scared. Gu Yuan was kneeling with his head down; he remembered his failure on stage which caused him to have this trauma Everything went dark, there was nobody around, only dead silence. He could hear his mothers voice from his nightmare! You should feel relieved, the moment you couldnt hear the tune You already gave yourself a reason to stay away from the stage, after all, youre no Beethoven! Help me! I cant hear anything! It was as if Gu Yuan had returned to his young self, sitting in front of a piano with all the audience watching him. He held his head in his hands, and in his anguish his tears rolled down from his cheeks unceasingly Did his mind go blank? Why isnt he starting? What a weird child Did he forget how to play? This was the first time Ive met such opponent; I think he just gave up on himself. With one lesser opponent, then Ill have a better chance at winning. I think he was too nervous Sinking into the bottomless pit of the dark ocean alone Im forever alone in the darkness. Dont you still jave me? Chu Luoxuns voice, just like the warm rays of sun, tore open the darkness of the abyss. Gu Yuan finally lifted his head, staring up at Chu Luoxun. Her dazzling smile and lovely face were all so stunning! I know you cant hear any music and couldnt play the piano, I know everything! But still, I want to choose you! Its just as you said, you might not be able to play something that could satisfy everyone, but you still have to do your best! As long as somebody is willing to listen, Ill be sure to give my best! I want everyone who listens to my music to always remember me, thats my drive. Im a music performer, and so are you! So please, be my partner! Gu Yuan stared at Chu Luoxun who was smiling and had tears welling up in her eyes. He felt a little ache in his chest and he stood up, Very well, Ill be your accompaniment. Gu Yuan walked out from the shadowy corner and said, But I dont care what happens next. Gu Yuan had already decided to give his best. Thats right; he was a musician, no matter the outcome, he would always play the best music for his audience! After Lin Meiyue learned that Gu Yuan had finally agreed, she was happy for him too; she hoped that Gu Yuan could play the piano once again. After seeing Lin Meiyue who was happy for him, Gu Yuan felt even more motivated. As long as he has the support of his first love, Lin Meiyue, he could overcome any difficulty! Of course, he sure hoped that he would one day play alongside Lin Meiyue, even though she was nowhere close to Chu Luoxuns standard, but he felt that his soul was in sync with Lin Meiyue. Chu Luoxun was just a partner to him, without any romantic feelings. He had always believed that Lin Meiyue would be his partner when performing together, from the beginning until the end. Tonicquill: Isnt Chu Luoxun raising a billion romance flags here though. Chapter 175 First Time Performing on Stage Together Listen here, Yuan Yuan. You must look at the music score carefully and keep practicing; then youll be able to play well. Just follow the music score and your musicians heart, and you should be able to play it perfectly Youre not playing correctly again! How many times do I have to repeat myself? No sleep for you until you get it right! Its already written clearly on the music score, take a better look! Whenever Gu Yuan shuts his eyes, he would hear his late mothers teachings, reminding him of his glorious, yet dark past. Gu Yuan got the first place again After all, his mother is a famous musician; it must be in his genes! His glasses were almost touching the music score, is he trying to cover up his wound? How does he play if he has to practice seven to eight hours per day? Not everyone can take that kind of stress He looked a machine! A humanoid metronome! Gu Yuan always hears those comments while he was young, but it never bothered him, because he took all that as nonsense. He had the perfect mother by his side, he was not afraid of anything, and he could keep playing the piano. But at this moment, Gu Yuan was struggling with nervousness. As he read the music score, his fingers were shaking; he thought he should have spent more time practicing, so that he could play it by heart, because he was going to perform with a stranger, together! What worried him the most was he was performing with a reckless, improvising violinist! After witnessing how Chu Luoxin performed during her last competition, he more or less knew what sort of musician she was. She never treated it as a competition in the first place, she would play the violin however she wanted to, as long as it pleased her! Honestly, her style was completely different from Gu Yuan, because he had the nickname of the Humanoid Metronome, he was famous for being able to play note-by-note, precise, down to the last beat. He would never take any liberties with the piece, he would only get scolded by his mother if he does that. As Gu Yuan was practicing nervously, Chu Luoxun appeared with her beautiful gown, Im ready! Lets just dive in and see how it goes! Our rendition! She beamed as she said those lines. This is madness I can never perform in such a condition! Gu Yuan was struggling with the music score, trying to practice as much as he could. Do I look good in this dress? It was tailor-made for me! Chu Luoxun was excited, since Gu Yuan had agreed to be her partner, she had become even more lively and energetic, she was grinning all the time. We should just forfeit the competition; we will only embarrassing ourselves Gu Yuan still stared at the ground, mumbling to himself. Chu Luoxun became angry when she realized that Gu Yuan was not paying attention to her, so she tugged at his necktie and gave him a good old headbutt. Of course, this was all written in a playful manner in the novel Hows that? Have you calmed down? Chu Luoxun said grumpily. What the heck are you doing! Gu Yuan snapped, because he was still feeling nervous. Chu Luoxun lowered her face down to Gu Yuan, foreheads almost touching, Look at me! Lift your head up and look at me. Your head is always down, as if the musical notes have imprisoned you Dont worry, I know you can do it, youve been listening to that song for the whole afternoon, havent you? The music sheet is just right in front of you too We can do this! After saying that, Chu Luoxun revealed her brilliant smile once again, Mozart once told me from above the sky Dont worry and carry on with your journey, do not be afraid of embarrassing yourself! Even if we do embarrass ourselves, well be in it together! Gu Yuan was staring at Chu Luoxuns smiling face, and he felt his heart racing for no reason, as if he had just met this girl, the girl who had the blessing of a musical God. At that moment, the competition staff came over, No.14, Miss Chu Luoxun, please get ready! Chu Luoxun smiled and grabbed Guy Yuans hand naturally, and jogged towards the stage. Gu Yuan looked at her beautiful long hair that gave out a sweet fragrance, her bare shoulder courtesy of her single strapped dress, it was such beauty The strict teachings of his mother that had long taken thrall over him were replaced by a beautiful and shining sunlight, Chu Luoxun. Naive and whimsical, just like a roller coaster, she always spins me silly, she doesnt even know where she was heading Gu Yuan muttered to himself. Youre Freedom! No, Music is freedom, as if she had heard Gu Yuans inner voice, Chu Luoxun turned her head toward Gu Yuan just before she went on stage, and she still had that dazzling smile on her face. Its been awhile since Gu Yuan returned to the stage, and he had been dragged back to the stage by this girl, he had mixed emotion blossoming about Everyone was waiting for their performance, because the theater was completely silent! Well, lets carry on, shall we? Saint Saens waiting for us! Chu Luoxun grabbed her violin and stepped forward on the stage elegantly. Some of the audience members had noticed Gu Yuan, and some of them thought that he looked familiar, they were all guessing his identity A famous judge was talking to himself, Ive waited long enough, Chu Luoxun, eh? Hm, she changed her partner, a student? I feel like Ive seen him from somewhere. Suddenly, someone said, Isnt that accompaniment Gu Yuan? Oh, thats Gu Yuan? I could barely recognize him after all these years. That genius pianist Gu Yuan, do both of them know each other? Why is he performing together with her? The other judge seemed confused. The famous judge who had high expectations on Chu Luoxun was thinking to himself, An uncoordinated combination of a natural and an artificial musician, what kind of performance will they bring out? Before Chu Luoxun performed, she closed her eyes and took a breath, Dieu de la musique, sil vous plat coutez mon appel! Then, Chu Luoxun turned and nodded at Gu Yuan. After blinking at his face, she could not help herself but laughed at him, Your expression is too stiff! This is for the genius violinist, Pablo de Sarasate, Saint Saens Overture and Rotary Caprice Gu Yuan muttered to himself as he started performing. Chapter 176 Again! This Saint Saens Overture and Rotary Caprice C the whole song was somewhere between nine and ten minutes. The prelude is melancholic; the rhythm is full of charm and sway. The entire song gave off a very Latino vibe It was rather nice to listen to, as long as the ears can take a syncopation that constantly beats. Actually, the author, Leng Zi did not have any knowledge concerning classical music, but fortunately, his literary work now housed a troublemaker girl who knew what he did. He did not have to research on information for classical music, all he had to do was to let his pen run free in this outburst of inspiration. At any rate, every author would want a troublemaker like Zhao Youyue in their literary work, in hopes that she would lessen the burden of creating new content As the piano started to play, Chu Luoxun also started to play her violin elegantly. Her movement was precise and beautiful, she closed her eyes, putting all of her soul into playing the violin Gu Yuan felt cold sweat dribbling down his chin, but he was smiling. Good, this is going smoothly, I can still hear myself playing the piano, luckily it was this particular song! Gu Yuan murmured. Even though he would trip over a note or two, as long as he pays attention to the violin and music score, he would go through this without any trouble This was not a technically demanding song. The stage was set! It was going on smoothly, until Lin Meiyue was sitting among the audience, looking at Gu Yuan who had decided to play the piano again, she smiled. At the same time, she was a little bit disappointed with herself because she wished that she had the skills of Chu Luoxun, so she would be qualified to perform together with the genius pianist, Gu Yuan Lin Meiyue wanted to learn more from Chu Luoxun, because she was the girl Lin Meiyue admired. The judge who had his eyes on Chu Luoxun was frowning, The difference with the last performance was too great, is she behaving herself because she was cooperating with Gu Yuan? Just when the judge had the thought, Chu Luoxun winked at Gu Yuan and started to improvise wildly without following the music score, diverting from the original piece The judge cant help himself but smile at her, So you have finally revealed yourself, little girl! The audience became absorbed in her music! There were many bright faces of enjoyment among the crowd, as if this was no longer a music competition, but a musical performance! Gu Yuans best friend, Chen Hao was here as well, as he stared at the brilliant star, Chu Luoxun. Even an introvert like him couldnt help himself but say, Shes really awesome and beautiful! Chen Hao did not know of any classical music; if it not for his best friend, Gu Yuan, he would have never paid attention to classical music whatsoever. His only interest would be getting involved in studying to improve his grades; he had even sacrificed the prospect of romance, even though he heard from Lin Meiyue that Chu Luoxun had a crush on him Now, his heart was beating in tandem with her lively music! Chen Hao starts to fantasize if she still has feelings for him after he graduated, surely he would accept her. But now, he chooses to focus on his studies even though he had a crush on her now. Everything was going accordingly to plan, until the music arrived at the Rondo part Gu Yuan suddenly saw a familiar face among the crowd, smiling at him hideously, it was his dead mother! Without a doubt, he was hallucinating. Just as the music was about to hit the climax, his trauma made its appearance once again! The music notes start to shatter into pieces right in front of Gu Yuan, blurring his vision! The musical notes were disappearing and disintegrating It was as if Gu Yuan had sunken into the deep sea, along with his piano! He could no longer hear the sound of the piano! Under such circumstance, his rhythm fell apart into a wreck! Hm? What happened? The judge who had favored Chu Luoxun frowned, Her accompaniments rhythm who has always been loyal to the score is going haywire. Err Her partners rhythm is a mess! The other judge said. The audience was roused from their stupor by this messy rhythm, as if they had been forcefully kicked out of a good dream, they all had dissatisfied looks on their face, it felt like premature ejaculation before foreplay Lin Meiyue was worried sick about Gu Yuan; her entire heart was agitated. Chu Luoxun had opened her eyes too, her forehead was drenched in sweat, she frowned, not because she was worried about her performance was getting messed up, but she was worried about Gu Yuan as well. It looks like it would not be an easy task to save Gu Yuan from this bottomless abyss. Gu Yuan bit down on his teeth, a nervous wreck. He felt as if he was at the bottom of the dark ocean, unknown to sight, nor known to sound, alone in the darkness. It was dark, and lonely, sinking into the bottom of the ocean alone. The audience was starting to complain Hes playing the piano, right? What sort of accompaniment is he? Her partners just terrible! I liked the violin, but this pianist has completely messed up her performance It might be even better without her partner. The judge who liked Chu Luoxun also shook his head, Their cooperation was a little bit out of practice but manageable. Now, Gu Yuans piano is destroying the performance! Damn, damn, damn! Im hitting all these keys on the piano, but why cant I hear any sound from my piano! Gu Yuans mentality had collapsed entirely! He gave up playing the piano halfway because he knew if he continued to play the piano, he would only ruin the violinists, Chu Luoxuns performance The judge muttered to himself, Wise choice, even though her points wont remain unscathed from this, playing it further would only intensify the damage. The pianist was terrible; he shouldnt even have started playing in the first place! Some audience members were angry, because they had completely fallen into Chu Luoxuns violin performance! Gu Yuan can only lower his head, blaming himself endlessly But then, Chu Luoxun also made a huge mistake, she stopped playing her nearly perfect violin performance! All of a sudden, the whole theater was in a commotion! Theres one thing in a music competition that contestant should never do, that is to stop midway during a performance. No matter what the circumstances are, they would undoubtedly get knocked out, when they end their performance prematurely. Even though the judge who favored Chu Luoxun, was forced to give an X to her. Many of the audiences were blaming on the pianist; the violinist was great on her own, she should not even have a partner! Chu Luoxun was already drenched in sweat, and sighed. Even though she was already exhausted, and at the limit of her body, but Again! Chu Luoxun looked at Gu Yuan, under the spotlight, she still looked as brilliant as ever, and with the dazzling smile on her face, it was as if she had not been affected by all the commotion! Maybe it is an endless road in front of me, but still, I choose to march forward. Even the smallest start will pave the way for my journey! Well, lets continue. Chapter 177 A Perfect Counterattack When Chu Luoxun began to start over, some audience members wondered aloud, if this was allowed, while others said that it was still within the designated time. However, the score was forfeited, and the girl is now disqualified. If so, why is she starting over? The heroine, Lin Meiyue was hoping that Gu Yuan would replay the piano too, please do not abandon Chu Luoxun Gu Yuans heart was entangled, trying to find a reason. Then, he recalled the moment when Chu Luoxun had pressed her forehead against his, confidently telling him, we can do it! Her eyes were full of determination. This was her, a girl who was extremely bold and confident! Did she see him to be as brave as her? Gu Yuan asked himself. Once again, he could hear Chu Luoxuns optimistic and joyful voice revolving around his earsyou still have me, right? Raise your head and look at me! Look at me Gu Yuan immediately raised his head, looking at the girl beside him, who was performing solo. Even though she had been disqualified and her performance was meaningless now, she will keep playing as long as there is an audience! She was not merely playing for the audiences, but also for the petrified Gu Yuan! She wanted to use her music to save him from the chasm! Gu Yuan picked himself up, and placed his fingers on the keyboard again! The audiences were astonished to hear the unexpected sound of piano However, his play still seemed to be unregulated in that judges eyes. But, this caused the judger to wonder, what would this once talented pianist do? Chu Luoxun ignored about the disarray of the pianoforte accompaniment. The smile on her face became brighter, unaffected by the results of the competition. She was happy, because Du Yuan was playing the piano once again under her influence, even though he might still struggling with his psychological trauma Focus focus focusGu Yuan was trying his best to focus. The sound and musical notes might have abandoned him during the competition, but as he has read the music score and listened to the song over and over again, he believed that he could unleash what that lay within him! When his concentration reached its peak, he could hear his mother voice, not berating but gently advising him Listen carefully, Yuan Yuan. You cannot simply play as-is. Treat the piano as yourself, it will smile if you touch it gently, it will get angry if you hit it brutally, you should touch it, like how you caress an infants headok, lets try again, twinkle twinkle little star, how I wonder what you are, up above the world so high, like a diamond in the sky Gu Yuan felt that as if he was under the boundless galaxy, and the stunning night sky was just above him. The deepsea drowning sensation seemed to be gradually leaving him. He thought to himself; he will play according to his interpretation if he can not hear the sound of the notes, he would allow the music to flow through him, unleashing all that his mother has given him! Sweating ferociously, Gu Yuan began to play wildly. At that moment, he was discontented with his role as an accompanist. He wanted to win over Chu Luoxun, becoming the main character of this competition. Perhaps this was the pride of a once talented musician Nevertheless, Chu Luoxun was not an easy girl, becoming more prideful in her music too. She chose to save him by music, but it did not mean she was going to surrender to his music. She was unlike Lin Meiyue! If it is Lin Meiyue, she would have chosen to cooperate with him harmoniously, letting him be the main character like he deserved it. Arrogance appeared her face. Her thoughts went wild, Friend A, forget trying to surpass me! She was sweating ferociously too. She drew more power, perfectly handling the bow of her violin. On the surface, they seemed to be cooperating, but war had erupted! Lin Meiyue was dumbfounded after seeing their condition. They were releasing the same, inconceivable auras as well as the same degree of stubbornness for music! Could this be the so-called connection between geniuses? Meanwhile, there was a fascinated look on the face of the judge who had high expectations for Chu Luoxun. He thought to himself, is this real, it is so great although they are going wild, having a fight to the death with their instruments In fact, their battle was slowly engulfing the audiences! All of the audiences were gradually drawn into that artistic conception That judge began to realize that, like Chu Luoxun, Gu Yuan was a leading performer too, not an accompanist! Gu Yuan felt that he was continuously stimulated by Chu Luoxuns music, like his fierce heartbeat at that moment. With a smile of satisfaction, he glanced at the beautiful figure. He could hear her voice; she was hereIt would be great if she could be with him forever. Chu Luoxun noticed that he was looking at her, and she too gently smiled. It was a when-you-say-nothing-at-all moment. Their performance ended perfectly when they dropped the last note. The audience stirred. All of them stood up and applauded vigorously. Some even shouted Bravo,Good job,the best,Encore and the sorts. The hall had exploded! Perhaps, this is the charm of music However, that strict judge was not happy about it, how dare they take so many liberties in a strict, serious, by-the-book competition! As he breathed in the dusty, dry, cold air, Gu Yuan looked at his hands. He knew that he back on track. Then, he looked at the audience again, and when he saw how they cheered for the both of them, his eyes sparkled back to life! Chu Luoxun raised his head, sweat was rolling down her chin. She had used up all of her energy. At that moment, she collapsed Gu Yuan could not describe how he felt the moment he saw her fall. She was just an ordinary friend, and Lin Meiyue should be the one he liked the most! At that point, the creator, Han Leng, felt most conflicted. He felt a great threat from Chu Luouxun. Who is supposed to be his heroine? Who had his heart? So, Han Leng decided to toss dog food first to allay fears, worried that he would be softhearted and reluctant to let her leave this world Otherwise, he would succumb to the charm of Chu Luoxun. That would be awkward! Tonicquill: Have you read Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas? The heroine had a knack for visiting orchestras. Its almost impossible to put music into words; I guess only a few readers would click with the scene. As much as I tried to, I couldnt, not even when its written by Sarah J. Maas. Chapter 178 Zhao Youyues Suggestion Chu Luoxun waved off the concerns by simply saying that she had anemia. She asked him again, can you really forget the piano? The piano was part of you, but just now, it completed you. But, you wanted to get rid of it, like cutting a limb off. That was why you experienced unbearable pain, and it seeped through your expression Can you forget it? No, certainly not. We were born for that moment just now! We are musicians, unheard of and causing a spectacular blunder, but now the audience is going to remember us forever. Till death, I will not forget. Because of your pianoforte accompaniment, I accomplished this. Thank you, Gu Yuan! Gu Yuan recalled the ending moment of their performance. Before she fainted, her eyes had told him everything. A person who liked to smile, a person who cried just because of music.Such a straightforward person. Those honest eyes and even her back, was not easy to forget However, they were just partnering for music, Gu Yuan emphasized. His hesitation reflected Han Lengs confusion. He was uncertain of himself. The more he wrote about Chu Luoxun, the more he felt for her. Like Gu Yuan, he could not abandon her too. He was increasingly favoring Chu Luoxun. It seemed to be against his own will. However, he still wrote it Is it? Did I faint again? Chu Luoxun mumbled while looking at the rain outside the window. He knew that many readers are going to investigate ChuLuoxuns health condition after the release of this issue, thinking that the cause was not as simple as an anemia Han Lengs mind was cluttered, and he began to write the joyful dog food scene between Gu Yuan and Lin Meiyue. They spoke the same language regarding music and chatted happily via cell phones. Gu Yuan sighed at this, as he seldom spoke to her at school. There was an indescribable form of tacit understanding between them. Well, this was probably the so-called soul mate. Since their relationship remained secret, there was a part that left people uneasy. For instance, the heroines besties, Wang Yan, was interested in Gu Yuan and meanwhile, a senior of the musical society was interested in Lin Meiyue. However, they were like cannon fodder In addition to that, the creator, Leng Zi, even helped them this time, by creating the miracle of destiny. On one night, they met by chance again, and got to be alone together. They chatted awkwardly for a moment and then, shyly looked at each other. Han Leng had put a bloodletting amount of effort in writing this scene, trying to express every bit of his vision. The moon on that night was full and beautiful as well. Please be my dateGu Yuan burst out. What dateI do not really understand. Give me several days, and I will tell you after that. said Lin Meiyue. Although she liked him, she did not promise him, out of a girls reserved manner. However, Lin Meiyue started to research on dating. She even searched the internet for the dos and donts. She really did not know how to date a guy. In the process of writing this, Han Leng felt that he favored Lin Meiyue again. How lovely was this nave and kind girl? She did not particularly stand out, yet she could purify a persons heart. She even asked her sister, Lin Mei, for dating tips Gu Yuan was being cute too. He even posted a question on Baidu Zhidao, asking I am a high school student. Please tell me how to be alone with her in school? Actually, the part that was the sweetest, it was full-on dog food, and echoed their conversation on WeChat We did not talk at school today, Lin Meiyue expressed her sadness. But, I am happy because I get to see you at school. Gu Yuan shyly replied after thinking at length. He tossed and turned after replying, and even did sit-ups. Me too, Lin Meiyue replied. Gu Yuan was relieved after reading her message. Then, he asked Lin Meiyue to meet him at the music studio of their school. His first love seemed to be smooth enough, compared to his musical journey. This made Beautiful April to constantly be read in a light-hearted atmosphere, allowing all the heaviness and suffering to be borne by Chu Luoxun. Finally, Han Leng realized that he could refrain himself from being increasingly attracted by Chu Luoxun by not writing about her. Honestly, he was happier when he wrote about Lin Meiyue. Now, that is the feeling of first love. Chu Luoxun and Lin Meiyue were not rivals in love, yet they opposed each other naturally. Even Han Leng himself was confused about it. So, he decided to discuss the plot with Zhao Youyue. He found that her suggestions were valuable, although she was not a creator. You want to increase the scenes of Lin Meiyue by reducing Chu Luoxuns scene? That is literary suicide! Leng Zi, Chu Luoxuns popularity is very high now, compared to Lin Meiyue, who barely exists. By doing so, the readers will surely be against it as advised by Zhao Youyue immediately, after reading his message about reducing Chu Luoxuns scene. Han Leng thought that her suggestion was reasonable. There were indeed many discussions about this character since her full appearance in the last issue, which surpassed the main characters. Before this, everyone had been discussing about the dog food feeding of the main characters. No conflicts will happen between Chu Luoxun and Lin Meiyue. One is only interacting with the male protagonist in music, while the other occupies his entire life. That is very clear. Leng Zi, you should just write it according to your explosive inspiration, and it will be an iconic literary work for sure! Zhao Youyue encouraged him. As influenced by Zhao Youyue, Han Leng decided not do so and wrote it according to the ideas he gets in his intoxicated state. He Chapter 179 The True Usage of The Character Card Zhao Youyue will feel refreshed everytime she withdraws from the Two Dimensional Gate, after making trouble. She could even feel the residual effects of Chu Luoxuns perfect musical sense in her, and she decided to try it out on her violin. Something was fundamentally different! In conclusion, she will gain something if she submerges herself fully into a characters role whenever she enters the gate, even if she fails to inherit that characters ability at the end. Now, she was not afraid of performing in front of an audience, after knowing how to take control on the stage like Chu Luoxun. Before each performance, she would recite silently God of Music, please listen to my call, and all would be calm, and she would indulge herself in the music. The Two Dimensional Gate had certainly turned her dull life into a lively one, even in her real life. Well, unlike the novel world which was full of ups and down, she will not suddenly find herself succumbing to the incurable disease in this Three Dimensional, real world. Although dog blood [1] incidents like these do happen in reality, a side character like her couldnt possibly be struck by it. It would only happen to the main character, or those close to him Zhao Youyue has finally found out what abilities she had inherited after studying the two Character Cards that she gained. In fact, it felt like Xu Jing and Yu Shengfan were using her body to emerge in this world, or she was slowly falling into a schizophrenic state. However, this was unlike the multi-personality disorder. It was all under Zhao Youyues control. They will only appear under her will. Obviously, she had an excellent flair for agility and coordination, etc. However, she did not have the mental quality to utilize those innate gifts fully. Her main personality was more average than the average Jane Therefore, these two Character Cards were the keys to initiating the treasure within herself, enabling her to unleash all her hidden potential! Perhaps, every average person has unlimited potential like her, and they would not know that they can push their limit to such a point, under the guidance of the cards! But, Zhao Youyue was little upset with this discovery. Even if she gains the character card of a superpowered person, she would not be able to use it in reality. It was all because she did not have the blood of that person in her veins. In other words, she can only use the superpower when she possesses the character. Otherwise, it would not happen, unless she already has the superpower gene in her. This was impossible, right? Therefore, she must first have a body which can use that particular superpower in reality Zhao Youyue began to realize that it was so much harder for her to ruin the real world, than the novel world. All those robotic machines, supernatural abilities, and magic that one could imagine sounded sane in the novel word, but they were useless in this precise, materialistic realistic world. But, Zhao Youyue soon adjusted her mind. Nevertheless, it was a great thing. Even though she can only break her mental limiters with the Two Dimensional Gate, it gave her power, outstanding power, nevertheless. Bear in mind that, the longer she uses the Xu Jings Card or Yu Shengfans Card, the more muscle memory will be left in her body. This will make her outstanding. For instance, she can do well in her homework and examination without initiating Xu Jings Card because she had absorbed all her knowledge during the previous usages. After all, this was her body, and the mind had spent time studying. The same goes for the usage of Yu Shengfans Card, she can play the game just as well, without initiating it. Her body knew what to do by itself. Not only talent, but proficiency is also crucial at playing games too. During the process of using Yu Shengfans Card, she also had quickly absorbed her sharp wits and strong awareness. Someday, Zhao Youyue might reach her level without initiating Yu Shengfans Card. This was not an imagination C be it Xu Jing or Yu Shengfan, they were both Zhao Youyue. So, why she cant she make their abilities hers, if they are using her body to be an entity? Apparently, initiating the character card was the way for Zhao Youyue to gain the sense of presence. But, she will become outstanding by herself someday, and those cards will be merely an adornment. Under the guidance of the character cards, she would gradually transform from a side character into the heroine. Again, Zhao Youyue understood that these cards actually served as references, and that she too can reach that level, if she is determined to do so Thus, Zhao Youyue decided to use the cards only when necessary. She wanted to train herself to be like the characters of the cards. Hence, she did not use Xu Jings Card in the class, as usual, letting herself seek for the measured concentration. Without realizing, she managed to listen to a class earnestly! Unsure if it was her imagination, she felt as though the knowledge gained through her own effort, was far more than that which was acquired via the Xu Jings Card After all, without going through the veil of the card, she was directly receiving the teachings of her teacher. Some might ask, what is her purpose for not relying on the character card? What is the point? It meant everything! When she fully masters Xu Jings ability to focus and obsession in studying, then the card can be sacrificed However, Zhao Youyue would be reluctant to sacrifice Xu Jings Card by looking at the style of Complete Collector and Card Collector Maniac which she learned of gradually. Translation note: [1] Dog blood () is used to refer something nonsense, exaggerated or illogic. Tonicquill: Wasnt easy to edit this, hope its comprehensible to you folks! Chapter 180 Streaming the Whaling Card Game Probably due to the influence of the character cards, Zhao Youyue had grown fond of card collection games. There is this card collecting cum battle mobile game called Summoners War, which was similar to Onmyoji in the other world. However, this was a game with a broader worldview, that involved entities like Cthulhu, and the summoning of all kinds of weird stuff. The God Cards, The Mythology Beast Cards, and The Evil Spirit Cards etc. are SSR [1]. Upon entering Onmyoji, the gamer will be given a Manual of The Other World. Then, the tutorial would begin, along with putting in a variety of materials, the character, and the Monster Cards etc. that he wants to summon. The more precise the description, the more accurate the summoning would be. But, Onmyoji is truly a deceitful game. Many gamers did not acquire the card that they really wanted, even though it was close to their description. For instance, you would like to summon a Mermaid Card, and you have described it, sparing no details, and yet, a Medusa Card appears. The possibility of getting this card is far greater, as the Mermaid Card is very rare. Once this evil card is summoned, you will need to battle with it by using your collected cards. You can only gain more materials for summoning and experience points for leveling up by defeating it. It was actually an exciting game to play. Its most celebrated attraction lied in its unpredictable nature. Whether it is good or bad, the results are always exciting! At the same time, it contained many branch plots. Oftentimes, a precious SSR card would contain a series of branch tasks. One can collect it only after perfecting the character. It is said that the game developer is so serious in developing and perfecting it that they are constantly adding new cards to the roster, keeping those obsessed collectors Whaling and RIP Livering [2]. Those sheep were willing to put themselves through all of that, as they would be very happy for a month if they manage to collect an SSR card! Unlike Onmyoji, SSR cards in Summoners War were scarce. However, it was worthwhile, as the card promised great performance, often forming the basis of a specific deck build.. A legend had even popped up on the internet concerning the designer of this game, the top game planner whose nickname was [Two Big Spys], saying that this planner wanted to create a character card with its own intelligence. The card would be consistent yet kaleidoscopic; gamers could own her but not the real her However, a legend would remain as a legend. [Two Big Spys] had not yet specified the methods of obtaining the card, and it is impossible for an extremely rare card to possess such intelligence with todays technology. This was merely a beautiful pipedream. Otherwise, how could there be a game character who seemed to have a soul and really be alive in a card game? That night, Zhao Youyue resumed her streaming, and without using Yu Shengfan, she played the Whaling and RIP Liver game, Summoners War. She had been so obsessed with it recently, and did not have an SSR card yet, since she just started. All she had was a set of standard card, and all of which were side characters. Once she started, many fans of Yu Shengfan entered, and they greeted her by using bullet curtains What game will Xiao Yu play today? Will she continue to fight for higher ranking or a LAN game? Watching you playing games is boring, it is too easy for you. Lets sing; I want to hear the song South Mountain again! Come, I am begging for some scolding. B*llsh*t Yu Shengfan, come and confront me! Theres a bullet curtain that begged to get scolded again, this only happens in Xiao Yus streaming No matter what, let me send her some fish balls first. Besides that, I beg of Xiao Yu to turn on the camera! No point turning on the camera, the streamer must be a fat otaku girl, a big fat one! Whats wrong with fat otaku girls? Did she eat your rice? I like Xiao Yus streaming so much. I dont think that there are any streamers who are as money-conscious as her, she has the style of a plutocrat lady! So, those tycoons will not support her? She will become popular if they do so. Her streaming is nice, shes a very skillful one indeed There was a Douyu user, whose ID was [Leaves Fall on the Sea], who often sent Zhao Youyue many presents during her streaming. However, he was not one of those tycoons who sent her presents that are worth few thousands RMB each. She did not know him, but he was actually a Platinum Author of Qidian C Ye Hai. Thats right! Ye Hai, the [Rosemary], had been apotheosized by one book, and by signing the platinum contract with Qidian web novel website, became the Supreme God of the internet literature world. It was all because of his book, The Strongest King. Ye Hai still liked Yu Shengfan very much, the character who once lived in his novel. He even agreed with many fans of Xiao Yu who associated the success of Rosemary to her, whether it was when she was alive or her death that earned the tears of so many readers. As for Ye Hai, Yu Shengfan was the character who sublimated his work! Ye Hai had missed the moment where he could feel as if Xiao Yu was living in the world of his work, just like Han Leng who now could not repress himself from favoring Chu Luoxun. It was all because they were so unique in the novel! Creators often indulged in the moments of describing them with their inspiration that seemed to be ever flowing. The creators wanted just to keep on writing whenever that happens, even though they might surpass the main characters. It was clear to Han Leng that the more he wrote about Chu Luoxun, the more he was deviating from his original intentions, which would give the readers a strong hintThis Chu Luoxun goddess is going to take over! Lin Meiyue seemed to be very stable, but was she truly? She still had not interacted with the male protagonist regarding music. On the other hand, Chu Luoxun was the one who made the first move of saving him Han Leng was helpless, only able to watch the spotlight of Chu Luoxun take over his original heroine. Along with that train of thought, he suddenly realized that Zhao Youyue was not so attractive anymore, in reality. Oh, yes. Compared to Chu Luoxun, she was nothing. It was so funny how he was so fond of her, he must be blind. Zhao Youyue was utterly incomparable to his Chu Luoxun! Han Leng came to this conclusion. Just as Ye Hai discovered the Three Dimensional Yu Shengfans streaming, he felt that no streamer could compare to his daughter! Thats right, at the bottom of his heart, Ye Hai had already regarded this girl, whom he has never once seen, and did not even know her name, as his own daughter Its impossible for her to be his wife, right? Unlike those fat otakus, he would not shout Thats my wife! when he sees a beautiful girl. He had a wife, and could not afford to make such mistakes. Translation Note: [1] SSR means superior super rare. [2] Whaling and RIP Liver () are internet slangs which describe a game that will cause the gamer to spend a lot of money and stay up late to play the game. Chapter 181 : There is Nothing In This World That Money Cant Buy The stream today was different, as she did not activate her Yu Shengfans Card.If the bullet curtain that was begging to be scolded just now is seen by Yu Shengfan, it would have only infuriated her, and she would unleash her violent tirade on everyone as she liked, much to everyones delight On her own, she had mastered the art of the venomous tongue, or more accurately, the art of the venomous chicken soup, having used the Yu Shengfan card for so long that it has become second nature. Being Zhao Youyue however, she would rather use such an ability at her expense. After all, she is a kind soul, as long as one does not push her buttons. For example, after taking note of the bullet curtain that asked her to turn on the camera, she replied, I could have used my pretty face to earn money, instead of my talentI am different from Ming Ming, and that is why I do not plan to turn on the camera. The audience went silent for a while after her self-deprecating reply. Then, they began to reply her with 666. So, Ming Ming earned money by using her pretty face. People started to notice that Douyu Yu Shengfan was a completely different person today. There was none of that shrill, ear-piercing Lolita snarling, but a very soothing and charming voice of a young girl. However, one could tell that they were the same person if one listens carefully, as there were some similar mannerisms between those voices. Zhao Youyue soon discovered that she could now skilfully switch between a Lolitas voice, and the Bouyomi [1] style of a Tri-no Girl. She even believed that she had what it takes to become a voice actor of these characters, she would be able to carry out those roles flawlessly. Noticing her style had changed, many bullet curtains started to come in, asking Whats wrong with our Xiao Yu today? There is no venomous tongue at all, so dull! I am pretty sure that our Xiao Yu can use her pretty face to earn money, its just that she wants to use her talent Although today is different, I still like you. Every day I will watch you play your games, because it makes me very happy. Unfortunately, I can only send you the free fish ball and some likes, as I am no tycoon. Actually, this change is good for once. Xiao Yu is sure cute as the novel character, but she would be plain annoying in real life! Think of what would happen if you meet a gamer who is as sarcastic and bb [2] as she is! Although Im dying from boredom due to the lack of iconic Xiao Yu insults, this feels pretty soothing. Anyhow, she is still my favorite streamer. I am sending her an airplane! The manipulators on Douyu refer to Zhao Youyue as Xiao Yu or Ah Yu. Even though she was still infamously notorious, her die-hard fanbase has rapidly picked up. She was slowly and steadily becoming successful. This is the actual rule of streaming in reality; success comes with perseverance. Nevertheless, many people would give up as they saw no immediate improvement. Zhao Youyue was definitely not going to give up. Under the influence of Yu Shengfan, she began to enjoy playing games genuinely. She started racking up victories, thanks to her improved skills and knowledge. This certainly gave rise to her passion! Thus, she downloaded the King of Glory again on her cell phone, simply blasting out a wide spray of Pesticide and carrying her entire team. It was exhilarating! She was clueless as to why she had screwed-up in this game previously, as it is so easy to play. She was very masterful at it now, constantly being worshiped by her teammates. The morale of her opponents would decrease upon seeing her heroes, where they were all killed like dogs. Then, while looking at the bullet curtain, Zhao Youyue spoke to the mic First, my thanks to [Ai Ai Ai Young Lady [3] for the airplaneToday, Im going to play a mobile card game, Onmyoji. It is a card collecting game. It is not particularly popular, but once you taste its charm, you will definitely start indulging, summoning non-stop for the endless surprises. It is as addictive as the King of Glory. At the same time, she showed the audiences the game on her cell phone. Upon opening it, the player would be greeted by a mysterious summoning circle that was so clich yet nostalgic at the same time. The atmosphere was good The audiences started to discuss among themselves Ive never played this game, but Ive heard about it, and it is said to be an endless bait. Only the European Kings could afford to play it, not an African like me! The game is well made. However, it extremely difficult to summon a SSR card! I can see a lot of potential, especially in the end-game. The fun part is the unknown nature of summoning. Cant wait for Xiao Yu to show us her skillful draw skills! Wait a minute, did Ah Yu just thank a person for the present? Tell us who you are! Has our Ah Yu been possessed? Zhao Youyue noticed the tremor caused by the bullet curtain; everyone agreed that she was not Xiao Yu. She refuted wearily I am Xiao Yu. Actually, Xiao Yu has three forms, and the venomous tongue is one of them. Without further ado, she began to stream the summoning spree. It was a repetitive process that involved one submitting a set of materials in order to summon a card. So, as to be expected of her African Chieftain [4] genes, she started her first draw that was worth One thousand RMB. After noticing that there was no SSR card, all of the audience were shocked and felt sorry for her. Zhao Youyue remained calm and said Everyone should know a certain phrase, there is nothing that money cant buy. I will buy it again! RIP Liver! Many manipulators once thought that Xiao Yu had simply proclaimed herself as a Missy due to her adolescent delusions, but they changed their minds after seeing her spend millions of RMB on this game. Many bullet curtains expressed their shock, they never would have thought that she really was a tycoon! This proved the power of money, turning an African into a European King. She managed to draw two SSR cards! All at once, her deck matched the level of the Gods, and she started wiping out her enemies with ease! By being rich, everyone can be a Dalao [5]! Then, she noticed that the number of audiences had reached millions. It seemed that the audience loved watching whalers in action Translation Note: [1] Bouyomi is used by the anime fans to describe the unskilful voice actor whose voice is emotionless, less of impact, and does not portray the image of the character. [2] bb describes a gamer who is noisy and nagging nonstop. [3] Ai Ai Ai Young Lady (): Its literal translation A girl who touches peoples hearts, it is a play on the Mandarin Phonetic Ai, with each Ai carrying different meaning.means love, is the interjection of disapproval/regret and which could mean dim (of daylight)/obscure/clandestine/dubious. [4] African Chieftan () is an internet slang that is used to describe unlucky individuals as based on Chinese culture, black color is associated with misfortune. [5] Dalao is an internet slang used to describe the gamer whose fleet strength is stronger than the average gamer. Chapter 182 A Tranquil broadcaster Zhao Youyue did not expect such a drastic rise in viewership, just because she had erroneously played a money spamming card game by accident. The effect of live streaming a Summoners Waresque game is not exactly harmless. It was probably similar to those types of ship collection games. One could have great fun by playing alone. It would give a sense of accomplishment, as ones collection grows. But when it comes to a whaler live streaming, it would only give rise to the envy and jealousy of viewers who played the same game. Usually, active, unpredictable streamers who were constantly on the move, killing their enemies would attract several viewers. Audiences would be placed in the very seat of the gamer as he or she carves up a path of destruction. In this case, the huge increase of viewers was related to Zhao Youyues sudden change of her live broadcast style. She did not go against the pop-ups anymore. Instead, her speech was calming, soothing, almost therapeutic. Whenever someone gives her a present, she thanked them, instead of being disdainful, ole Yu Shengfan. These little bits of gift money certainly made no difference to Zhao Youyue. But whenever she thinks of what people are putting through to gift her something, she simply had to express her appreciation. This action was out of common courtesy, while also being Zhao Youyues usual habit. If Zhao Youyue notices those local tycoons entering the live broadcast room, she would welcome them warmly. The Douyu platform had implemented a cash-based hierarchy that was loosely inspired by Aristocratic terms. It was divided into Knight, Viscount, Earl, Duke, King, Emperor. Of them all, the Emperor stood atop it all. One would have to spend 120,000 RMB on subscriptions alone, and keep that up for the following months. But, it had the most privileges, even being able to speak to beautiful female live streamers through the mic, at the good-looking section. Zhao Youyues cousin, Zhao Hao for instance, owned an Emperor Douyu ID, with its level exceeding 100, meaning that he had already spent two to three million RMB on Douyu. To a person like him, that sum wasnt much. Do not forget that Zhao Haos father, Zhao Jiaren is the director of Douyu live broadcast platform. By relying on this relationship, Zhao Hao would receive a discounts when he fills the shark fin[1]. His ID was boss Hao, also known as CEO Hao. He was once obsessed with a female live streamer for a period of time. After playing with her, he no longer had interest in her. Nowadays, Zhao Hao would seldom get obsessed with female live streamers on Douyu. He loved to watch the more interesting live broadcasts. He even does some live-streams of his own in his free time. Lots of audience loved watching local tycoons spam money, they would feel the fun as well. Now Zhao Hao pays attention to the style when he plays with a woman. He specifically plays with those second-rate and third-rate female celebrities. They were not very widely known. They looked just as good as first-rate celebrities, and they were far cleaner. He also would not need to worry about them utilizing their own influence to cling onto him, because they did not have much influence. Therefore, it was said to better play with second-line or third-line female celebrities. This was Zhao Haos experiences accumulated over the years. He was very skilled. Today was a coincidence. Zhao Hao, who rarely logs on to Douyu to watch live broadcasts, did exactly that. He habitually went into the gaming area. After noticing a title called, Douyu Yu Shengfan under the gameplay category, his interest was instantly piqued. He intended to enter and see how Yu Shengfan looked like in the real world. By the way, Zhao Hao had abandoned the book when Yu Shengfan was written to death by Rosemary. He did not even read the pirated version, even if he is in the real life Golden League[2] of The Strongest King. However, he gave the opportunity to his cousin, Zhao Youyue to show off on Qidian novel website. Zhao Hao was not sad, angry or any of that sort because of Xiao Yus death. He was not as sentimental as his own younger sister. In his case, the plot lost its appeal with the departure of that character. There was no more passion and the desire to know more, like it was, during the moment he first read the book. Besides, rich folk like him had lots of other creative methods of entertaining themselves. Why should he waste his time on novels? But even so, Zhao Hao still remembered the girl named Yu Shengfan. It had recurringly haunted his thoughts. If there is really such a girl in reality, he would recruit her into his own E-sports team. Zhao Hao entered the live broadcast room. As an Emperor, and also a Douyu celebrity, his appearance brought up a storm. Lots of pop-ups greeted him CEO Hao has actually visited Xiao Yus live broadcast room. Does he want to boost Xiao Yus status? Boss Hao has seldom logged on to Douyu recently; we seldom see him spam money anymore. Doesnt CEO Hao have a motorcade? What a king! Does CEO Hao want to play count the helicopters today as well? The so-called Douyu motorcade, was organized by the tycoons themselves. If they wanted to appear in one of the live broadcast rooms, they would do it together. It was pompous, but they enjoyed the feeling of being worshipped by live streamers and loser audiences. Although Zhao Hao did not bring his motorcade along, he still very much enjoyed such a feeling of being pursued and admired by most audiences. Then, he happened to hear Zhao Youyue spreading poisonous chicken soup[3], and putting herself down along the way Failure isnt scary. What that is scary is that you still believe in that sentence. Suffer more when youre young, so that you will get used to suffering when youre old. Looking back in the past, I realize that I have lost so many precious things. Yet, I am not sad, because I know that there is more to be lost in future. Whatever that Yu Shengfan typically did unto others was now being done unto herself. As a result, this particular stream produced a comedic, satirical effect, and brought life to the atmosphere. Zhao Youyue suddenly found that deprecating others would make them unhappy, and they would respond in kind, only ending up with both parties being unhappy. Self-deprecation on the other hand, can bring happiness to more people, at nobodys expense. This is because, no matter how she deprecates herself, those poisonous chicken soup statements are all invalid to her. She did not win at the starting line; she was born at the finish line There were also some poisonous chicken soup statements such as Girls will only look prettier when they have a bit of confidence, but there arent any pretty girls who are not confident!, There are two causes towards the princess disease, either shes ugly, or shes poor. Then how about those who are pretty and rich? They were originally princesses, okay?!. Such soups were even more invalid in her case, because she is both pretty and rich. Although Zhao Youyue lacked some confidence, in the process of acting Chu Luoxun, she was unknowingly learning more about the source and workings of Chu Luoxuns optimism, self-confidence, and fortitude. These most beautiful qualities were the parts of this character card. Chu Luoxun had moved her heart the most. As for the musical talent, that was just an unexpected bonus Zhao Youyue saw the emperorBoss Hao coming in. She certainly did not know him, since her total time spent on Douyu had not yet been long enough. However, she still expressed her welcome calmly, insincere yet unperfunctory. Such is her typical demeanor. Talking about poisonous chicken soups and self-deprecating with such a calm tone turned out to be the biggest highlight, apart from her current live broadcast of whaling. She spat out witty, quintessential phrases, one after another. Zhao Hao heard Zhao Youyues voice and felt that it was familiar, but he did not think that it was her at the moment. How could his closeted, dull sister possibly become a female live streamer? Translation Note: 1.Sharks fin Sharks fin is a newly added item onto Douyu live broadcast platform. The audiences can send them as gifts to the live streamers, activate reward missions, encouraging the live streamers to have more live broadcasts. Live streamers can use the obtained shark fins to exchange for rewards in the personal center. Currently, 1 shark fin costs 1 RMB. 2.Golden League Golden League refers to the RMB fan title of a book, which can be obtained through giving tips. In order to receive the Golden League title, one has to tip a book a total of 10,000,000 Qidian coins in one shot, converted from 100,000 RMB. Only the first person who fulfills the requirement is able to receive the title of the book he/she has tipped. 3.Poisonous chicken soup The opposite of love chicken soup. Love chicken soup refers to a phrase/sentence that warms your heart; poisonous chicken soup refers to a phrase/sentence that misdirects you, makes your heart feels like stopping. Another way to understand is that, love chicken soup gives you a beautiful fantasy, whereas poisonous chicken soup tells you what reality is. Chapter 183 Zhao Youyue, the expert gamer Zhao Hao did not dwell on this matter for long, as there always would be similarities in this world, voices included. He started to watch the live broadcast. Through the popups, he realized that she was a tycoon herself. She was actually live-streaming herself, spamming tens of thousands of dollars just to get an SSR rank card in a card game. Although she eventually got it, everyone still generally considered it as a loss, the live streamers luck was not particularly good, afterall. Then, Zhao Youyue started to live stream herself playing King of Glory. She did not use her own QQ ID to play, as she was still concerned about her privacy. As a result, more popups came up, laughing at her, saying that, Isnt this live streamer quite rich? Why arent all the heroes and relics in her KoG account fully unlocked? If it was Yu Shengfan who got the butt end of those taunts at this moment, she would immediately fall into the bait and spam money unlocking all the heroes and relics. Zhao Youyue only smiled and said, Thats too much. We need to give the other players a chance. When I play this, its okay for me to choose any hero at random, without full relics. Thats the only way we can enjoy a balanced gameplay. Then, she inadvertently showed her level 3 Xinyue member''[1] symbol, which was followed by a wave of 666s[2] among the popups. Anyone who understands the Xinyue member system would instantly get what that level 3 meant. Being a level 3 Xinyue member meant that Zhao Youyue has spent at least 80k RMB on Tencent games. That is how you achieve the highest level of Xinyue membership! The more you play Tencent games, the better you would know that Xinyue members with the highest level have privileges. No matter what problems they encounter with their account, attending to them would become first priority. This is Tencent Gaming, creating games with all their hearts. You can hardly play their games without spending any money. Zhao Youyues calm way of lowkey bragging was far more provocative, compared to Xiao Yus straightforward railing. In response to that low-key taunt, some viewers started spamming a lot of vulgar phrases, eventually getting themselves banned. Zhao Hao suddenly laughed when he saw this scene. He spoke within his heart, This tycoon female live streamer is certainly quite interesting. Just like what everyone says, lowkey taunts are the most critical ones. She seems to have maxed out her invisible showoff skill. There was only one thing that confused Zhao Hao. Up till this moment, he still could not find any similarities between this female live streamer and Yu Shengfan. Such a calm attitude was apparently more like the main protagonist of The Strongest King, Lin Feng However, this matter did not hinder Zhao Hao from watching happily. This female live streamer called Ah Yu, is indeed considered one of a kind amongst all female live streamers. She retained her calm at all times, as if nothing could move her. Zhao Youyue chose to play Zhuge Liang the Star Commander, a hero that she had acquired, along with a hero-experiencing card and skin-experiencing card. This was a hero who had a lot to show. His positional shifting skills were similar to the hero EZ''[3] of League of Legends. He is able to continuously shift his position here and there, displaying the limits of the game. Zhao Youyue then played and narrated calmly at the same time as usual. Oftentimes, before she could even finish her sentences, an enemy would have already died In the next moment, the Zhuge Liang under her control killed its target with a blistering combo. She eventually achieved beyond godlike status at the 10th minute and ended the game in just 15 minutes. It felt really like she was bullying primary students. This is definitely Zhao Youyues personal capability. She had not relied on Yu Shengfan. KoG was too easy for her now. After she was finished playing KoG, she played one round of solo ranking match in LoL. In order to save time, she opted for the empty position, which was naturally the support position. She picked Veigar, the evil little mage as support. As a result, a 1 for 2 trade happened at the bottom lane, where she killed two enemy heroes. Her ally ADC [4]felt angry, saying that she was stealing his kills and was not behaving like any supporter whatsoever. He then scolded her on the To all channel. Luckily, it was Zhao Youyue who was playing now, not Xiao Yu. If not, according to Xiao Yus style, this ADC might have been flamed until he starts doubting his own life, by now. Xiao Yu had never taken the initiative at flaming her teammates, but this did not mean that she would stay silent when her teammates flame at her. Some popups started to respond on behalf of Zhao Youyue This ADC must be a m*ron. According to that situation, theres no reason to give him the kills. If not, it might have ended up as a 2 for 2 trade Having such an ADC in a Platinum Rank[5] match is stupid, to say the least. Host, do hurry and advance to Diamond Rank, so that you avoid meeting such players again. So admirable! A snot-faced noob, yet already throwing a tantrum, that is truly bullsh*t! The host should not have opted to fill the empty spot. How peaceful would it be to be able to solo-mid! She can definitely carry the game, as long as her teammates arent noobs. But if she plays support, then it would be quite a struggle. The ADC actually chose to go farming in the jungle and resorted to ganking. Zhao Youyue allowed her ally ADC to go on with his flaming and responded with her actions. She soloed at bottom lane in a 1-versus-2 situation, utilizing the two enemy heroes miscalculation and overconfidence. They tried to forcefully kill her at the enemy tower, only to end up giving her a Double Kill instead. She sold her supportive items and started playing like a solo mid, eventually becoming stronger and stronger! Everyone who plays Veigar should know. Once it gains a significant advantage in the early game, with a high creep-kill count, it would steamroll its way through the rest of the game! Without a doubt, seeing Zhao Youyue who had turned a support hero into a carry hero, performing even better than the solo midlaner, her teammates started shouting 666 at her, in a frenzy. As for the raging, flaming ADC who had been running his mouth of since the beginning, he had long fallen silent. He seemed more like a supporter now, allowing Zhao Youyue to have the bottom lane. He had actually thought that she will be owned in a 1-versus-2 situation. Then, he would be able enjoy laughing at her. However, the enemy heroes kept giving her double kills, one after another instead, until they almost left the game After about 25 minutes, the enemy base was destroyed. 666, host, youre too awesome! If Ah Yu keeps playing LoL and increasing her ranking points, she may be able to reach the top rank in no time! Please have one more match, you really need to do more than one match per day! I truly admire Xiao Yu. She played a support as a solo mid! Come on, have another round. Dont play support, just go solo mid rightaway. Own the enemy, carry the game All the commentators within the live broadcast room were so excited, after watching such a dramatic match. This made great streaming. A live streamer using a support to carry the whole game was indeed awe-inspiring. Zhao Youyue also imitated the other live streamers and spoke into her mic, If everyone enjoyed watching, please press the subscribe button. Anyone who has free fish balls[6] or likes, do contribute. It has been proven that such a way of asking for subscribers and presents was quite effective. Her total subscriptions had almost reached 50,000 Zhao Hao expressed enjoyment in watching by clicking the subscription button. Then he sent a popup, Host, please turn on your webcam. I will immediately give you ten helicopters if you open it! All the commenters saw Boss Haos popup and started supporting his idea, asking for the host to open her webcam. They even said, Ten helicopters is worth 5,000 RMB. If that amount is divided by half, the host would already get 2,500 RMB.All she has to do is to open the webcam. What an easy way to earn money Zhao Youyue nonchalantly dismissed the comment. Zhao Hao was just another stranger to her. She said calmly, Im going to end the broadcast. Lastly, I will play my violin for everyone. I will also take song requests. Translation Note: 1.Xinyue member Xinyue member is a type of privilege which specializes for Tencent game top up platform and priority experience, mainly for gaming purposes. Firstly, you need to have a QQ account; then you need to join the Xinyue member Club and start accumulating growth points. Growth points can be obtained by reloading in QQ games. 1 RMB equals to 10 growth points. Accumulate 50,000 growth points within 365 days to automatically become a Xinyue member. Accumulate 800,000 growth points within 365 days to get to level 3 Xinyue member. 2.666 C A Chinese network slang, often used on the internet by Chinese to praise/indicate someone is very impressive, fluent, skillful at something. 3.EZ full name Ezreal, has the title The Prodigal Explorer, one of the champions in LoL. Ezreal has a skill called Arcane Shift, which allows him to teleports to a target nearby location and fires a homing bolt which strikes the nearest enemy unit. 4.In LoL, ADC C attack damage carry deals huge amount of sustain damage with normal attacks and and is typically most powerful powerful in late game. The opposite is APC C ability power carry which deals huge amount of burst damage and is typically most powerful in mid game. 5.Platinum Rank There are a number of ranks in LoL. Whenever you play a ranked match, according to victory or loss, the system will calculate for the players, to either increase or decrease certain points. Your rank will change when you reach a certain number of points accordingly. From the lowest to the highest, LoLs rank is divided into Bronze, Silver, Gold, Platinum, Diamond, Master and Challenger. 6.Fish balls Douyu Fish balls can be obtained via user missions, top up, or special events of games. It can be sent to live streamers as a gift. The Douyu officials will pay the live streamers wages according to the total amount of Fish balls respectively. 1,000 Fish balls equal to 1 RMB. Chapter 184 Onward to Fame Zhao Hao was a bit annoyed that the female live streamer ignored him. Zhao Hao was used to the feeling of being idolized on Douyu, no matter which live broadcast room he enters. He felt like the emperor of all Douyu Streamers. The live streamers were all slaves to please him, and the audiences were merely his people. But what could he do? This female live streamer is also a tycoon. She was not lacking in money. He couldnt do a thing if she doesnt want to open her webcam. Therefore, it is said that be it within the literary industry or the live-stream industry, those who do not bow towards money are most annoying. No one would understand the desires and thoughts of such individuals! What Zhao Youyue really wanted was an existence of her own, she wanted acknowledgment. This was a place for Xiao Yu to enjoy herself showing off and making herself matter in this world. However, she rarely ever live-streamed as herself. She did not expect her calm, soothing style to draw in so many more viewers, compared to Xiao Yus non-stop blabbering style. Now, the subscribers of her live broadcast room had almost reached 200,000! At this moment, Zhao Hao had a move in mind. He first gave this female live streamer a helicopter, and sent another popup, saying, Do you think I was just kidding with my 10 helicopters gift? Obviously not! Ive given you one as proof. Hurry open your webcam; theres 9 more! This one helicopter by Zhao Hao had increased the popularity of this live broadcast room even more. Many commenters came to grab the treasure box that would appear after each helicopter is given. But after they entered the room, they felt reluctant to leave, because they heard a very melodious violin sound After Zhao Youyue asked the commenters within the room to suggest some songs, some of them quoted some pop music, such as songs by Joker Xue[1]. Zhao Youyue felt that it was such a waste that there were no Jay Chous[2] in this world. She loved his songs the most, especially the ones that incorporated classical, Chinese orchestra. Zhao Youyue had come well-prepared. She started to play the tune on her violin. To most people, they would hardly feel anything from listening to hard, classical violin pieces. Instead, they preferred the melody of songs that they were familiar with, as long as they are played fluently. Zhao Youyues skill with the violin was not just fluent, but it also had depth and emotion, although it could not be compared with Chu Luoxuns. When she plays as Chu Luoxun, she would utilize the maxed music talent stat to do many things. For instance, she would rearrange the music score of the iconic songs that existed in reality, or within her mind into full-on, proper violin melodies. This was not something that could be done by anyone. Chu Luoxun is able to perfectly rearrange pop music into violin melodies, without anything being off. This is Chu Luoxun, a girl blessed by the God of music. But of course, she was still mortal. There were also benefits for being mortal. Zhao Youyue could perfectly inherit everything from her. Previously, Zhao Youyue assumed that she might not be able to use the ability of the high energy level character cards. This was actually all based on her own assumptions. After all, she had not yet obtained such a character card. She seemed to be assuming things scientifically, forgetting that her very own Two Dimensional Gate was a very unscientific existence. Therefore, not everything could be simply concluded, before she actually obtains a high energy level character card. There was also merits within her idea of being self-reliant C not relying on the character cards. Since she was able to master Xu Jing and Yu Shengfans abilities by her own efforts, this meant that she could apply science into analyzing the superpower stuff. As long as the analysis is thorough, she might even be able to manifest those superpowers in reality. Two Dimensional Gate is truly a fascinating existence. You will never know what surprises you can get, until you arrive at the location and survey the scenery there yourself! Zhao Youyue devotedly played Ambiguous Relationship by Joker Xue. It was quite a feat for anyone to play this song with the violin. After recognizing the familiar melody, many commenters sent popups praising her Xiao Yu is truly 666, she is so versatile, to be able to play the violin so well! Ah Yu, this must be your own rearrangement, right? Im truly convinced. Its really nice! This must be a 10th-grade level violinist, right? By the way, is 10th grade the highest grade for violin? But then, even those full graded violinists can never play the violin this well. I truly worship Ah Yu Surprise appearance of a violin expert on Douyu! How about a song by Hiroyuki Sawano next? Whos Hiroyuki Sawano? Must be some kind of anime gibberish that only fat otakus will listen to! Hehehe Any problem being a fat otaku? Zhao Youyue immediately accepted the excellent suggestion. She played the song MKaliez and [3] by Hiroyuki Sawano. She even managed to re-enact the Sawano-style pauses with her violin perfectly. The commenters who loved 2D stuff praised her, Its too awesome! Too nice! Right at that moment, be it Zhao Youyue or the commenters, everyone had totally forgotten about Boss Hao who had planned to establish his own existence by spamming helicopters. This situation left Zhao Hao very embarrassed. But after he descended into the world of this female live streamers melody, that embarrassment was quickly lost. Instead, he continued spamming the helicopters, one after another. This was because he truly admired her talent, and he just happened to have no other place to spend his money. He decided to investigate the true identity of this female live streamer. He wanted to see who she actually was. When he noticed that she was yet not contracted, he felt even more helpless. Then he expressed his anger, Is Douyu blind? Why didnt they sign a contract with such a talented female live streamer? What on earth is wrong with those Douyu officials? Why dont they sign a contract with such a female live streamer, one who totally has the potential to make herself famous throughout the whole of Douyu? Do they want to leave her to the other competitors? Zhao Hao used the helicopters to release his dissatisfaction, while making Zhao Youyues live broadcast room shot up the ranks! Many audiences treated her as a talent-type live streamer. They did not know that she was even more incredible when it comes to playing games Ye Hai, whose pen name was Leaves Fallen on the Sea, heaved a sigh of relief. This female live streamers previous live broadcasts were only cosplaying Yu Shengfan. She was in her normal condition today. Previously, he thought that he had gone completely crazy, thinking that Yu Shengfan had traveled into reality! He continued spamming a few helicopters within the live broadcast room in order to suppress his surprise. Since he was now a Platinum writer, he had grown rather wealthy! He had the capital to get addicted to female live streamers Translation Note: 1.Joker Xue Joker Xue, formerly known as Jacky Xue, is a Chinese singer, comedian, record producer, actor, and television host. 2.Jay Chou Jay Chou is a famous Taiwanese musician, singer, songwriter, record producer, film producer, actor, and director. 3.MKaliez and MKaliez is the IN(interlude) of a Japanese anime called Aldnoah Zero, where as is the IN of another anime called Guilty Crown. Both INs are composed by Hiroyuki Sawano. Tonicquill: I am a HUGE fan of Hiroyuki Sawano. Huge, but relatively new to him. The first track that got my attention ever was one of his newer works. Layers, from RE:Creators. Chapter 185 Conflicts have started emerging Zhao Youyue was displaying her versatility through the live broadcast for the first time. Moreover, the support by the tycoon audiences had increased her popularity drastically. Not long after, Douyu live broadcast platform took the initiative to come to her doorstep to sign a contract with her. Throughout the process, she remained hidden. It was her father, Zhao Jiayi who greeted Douyus director, Zhao Jiaren, and further asked a lawyer to directly help facilitate the contract. The terms were very favorable. Zhao Youyue was indeed a member of Zhao family. Even the contracting staff member of Douyu officials was dumbfounded. He had also watched Ah Yus live broadcast. Even after yesterday, when she had live-streamed herself spamming money and flashing her Tencents Xinyue member level 3 symbol, he wouldnt have thought that she would have this much capability. It was not until the moment when she did not even turn up in person during the contracting process, but had the senior director come in her place, that he suddenly wanted to kneel before her. Who is she? Isnt this a bit too much? Such news quickly spread throughout the livestream industry. The UC Shock Department''[1] was specialized at heating up such matters. The title was Shocking! The Douyu Streamer, Ah Yus true identity is the daughter of Douyus director, Douyu seems to be under her familys name!. The news started with a thorough description of Ah Yus live broadcast yesterday. She was said to be absolutely worthy of the title Douyus Yu Shengfan in terms of gaming. The news also expressed that her livestreaming style was amusing and witty. She was even praised for being multitalented. Her violin was superb! This was obviously Douyu, who intentionally created a sensational wave for Ah Yu, after signing a contract with her. Without a doubt, her Lady identity was most daunting. Some female live streamers who also had the Lady title were not always real ladies. They did not have the Lady aura. But Lady Ah Yu was always in style. She did not even care about that little money gifts, not even when it could recover the money spammed from whaling. After all, most female live streamers only wanted to earn money. Therefore, they had to please the audiences, the tycoons, especially. But Zhao Youyue was not like them. She only asked to be acknowledged. She wanted to become perfect, step-by-step, and conquer everyone. That was the accomplishment that she sought for. Lots of internet users noticed the UC Shock Department going at it again. They complained one after another The Shock Department receives more cash to publish soft articles again. Is this Ah Yus recruitment? Never heard about Lady Ah Yu. I only know a Lady miss. Whats this? Douyu Yu Shengfan? Isnt it just a sprayer[2] with no quality? Ive watched her live broadcasts before. Very general. Ive watched her live broadcast yesterday. Her new style was quite nice. The various poisonous chicken soup statements were so funny. Her gaming skills were pretty good. Her violin performance at the end was even more amazing! She is not Douyu Yu Shengfan at all; she should be called Douyus No.1 Violinist! Anyway, Ive already subscribed to her, because she truly relies on her skills and talents to survive. She isnt like those sexy b*tch prostitutes. I believe that she can become famous! Some insightful audiences believed that Ah Yu would definitely become famous. However, she might find more success with her music than her gaming. In fact, the type of live streamer that can really get stabilized and be sought after by tycoons, would be the musician types. For example, the Miss Douyu Feng Timo, and Ah Leng, who had settled in Douyu recently, are consistently sought out by Douyu officials. They were both music live streamers and could sing very well. Although Zhao Youyues current violin skill level was pretty good, it had not yet reached her peak level. She believed that she would be able to reach Chu Luoxuns state one day. Once she reaches Chu Luoxuns music state, the effects of the live broadcasting would be something else. The audiences would be spirited away into a new world through her music and would never be able to come back Chu Luoxun who had maxed music talents could play not only the violin; she had also mastered other instruments. She could even play a guitar and sing. Although she had not yet presented it within the novel, now that Zhao Youyue was here, how could she not present such an ability? Zhao Youyue had to upstage the novel, no matter what. If the audiences only remember her being good at playing violin and nothing else, her character card might not reflect her other talents. She currently had an advantage in the literary world of Beautiful April. The readers did not hate Leng Zi for putting considerable effort into depicting Chu Luoxuns music. When they read the musical plots related to Chu Luoxun, it was as if they could hear the beautiful music flowing out from within the words. Many readers sighed. How nice would it be if Chu Luoxun really existed in reality. If so, they could directly enjoy her beautiful music with their ears, instead. Leng Zis writings had also been recognized by countless readers, as many readers were able to listen the music from within for the first time when they read Leng Zis work. Conditionally, you must read every single word, attentively immersing yourself into the artistic conception of the work. If not, you will not be able to enjoy the supreme feeling of the text mixing in with music. The latest issue of Beautiful April was the arc where Chu Luoxun was unaffected even though Gu Yuan had messed things up during the music competition, only for them to continue performing. Some readers cried after reading that arc. They had been totally influenced by Chu Luoxuns persistence towards music. The tacit understanding between her and the male lead, Gu Yuan had given many readers an endless amount of tangles and knots in their hearts! Some readers who had been conquered by Chu Luoxuns charm, clamored one after another to let her gain the upper position. She was more beautiful than the heroine, Lin Meiyue. She could even co-operate with the male protagonist in music C on such a level that spoke from the soul. Why couldnt she become the heroine? However, there were also many readers who supported the lovely couple, Gu Yuan and Lin Meiyue. They started having doubts, if Chu Luoxuns development was a little too premeditated. Although she said that she liked the male protagonists gay friend, Chen Hao, she had flirted with the male protagonist in the name of music. This was obviously the doings of a third person! Undoubtedly, the Chu Luoxun gang did not like such a statement. They criticized, Some readers are too mentally dark. Chu Luoxun has always wanted to rescue the male protagonists music career only. At the same time, she has continuously assisted both the male protagonist and heroine. She had never thought of stealing the male protagonist from the heroine at all. This is considered a third person? Try to find a third person who will encourage a couple to get together in reality, please? Speaking of which, if its not because of Chu Luoxun, Gu Yuan would be struggling to get closer to Lin Meiyue! Translation Note: 1.UC Shock Department The UC Shock Department refers to a group of people who always write news on a web browser called UC Browser. Their news articles usually come with shocking, sensational titles. Due to a large number of such articles on UC Browser, the internet users think that there must be a department that specializes in publishing such articles. So, the rumored UC Shock Department. 2.Sprayer The sprayer here refers to people who likes to scold others unreasonably. As long as theres something that is not pleasing to their eyes, they will criticize. They have intense jealousy and a strong winning mentality. Theyre right; the others are all wrong. Normally, people like these have tough lives in reality, and always seek for a sense of superiority by scolding others on the internet. Tonicquill: If you play Girls Frontline, Im in the middle of farming in the Singularity event. Its butchering me. Oh. You can find me in Taiwan server. ID number is 420534. Heh. Chapter 186 : Had a New Sweetheart As the number one fan of Beautiful April, Zhao Youyue was very happy to see the debate about the heroine on the internet. For better or for worse, it was gaining popularity. After seeing the number of the gang of Chu Luoxun skyrocketing, following the publication of the latest Mengya, she even firmly believed the trouble she caused in the world of the novel was the right direction. This character that she played had been the favorite of many readers. It had increased the popularity of this work. This indicated that her presence was meaningful for this entire piece of work. As for the matter of many readers worrying that Chu Luoxun would replace Lin Meiyue, Zhao Youyue expressed that there is nothing to be worried about. How could a dead person replace her? The relationship between the main characters would be most stable! Moreover, Zhao Youyue had got the reassurance from Leng Zi. How could it be possible for Leng Zi, a cute female author, to copy the bad examples of Rosemary? Leng Zi would never cheat the readers! Zhao Youyue showed that she believed in Leng Zi. She even kept saying to Leng Zi that she supported only Gu Yuan and Lin Meiyue as a couple, but she liked Chu Luoxun too, and that she must not reduce her scene no matter what, and that she had to showcase more of her talents in music Leng Zi was confused by Zhao Youyue. He did not understand why Zhao Youyue strongly supported the couple, yet not allow him to reduce the scenes of Chu Luoxun. Much contradiction, right? The heroines sense of presence was already weak, to begin with, and now came the eye-catching Chu Luoxun. Apparently, she was a significant threat to her, and she was even threatening to blot out the male protagonists role! After seeing the first ensemble of Gu Yuan and Chu Luoxun at the musical competition, many of the trouble-making readers had shouted excitedly C they are together now. They did not bother about the fact that Lin Meiyue was the first one. After all, they had not yet confirmed their relationship Nevertheless, Han Leng took Zhao Youyues opinion seriously, as usual, and he began to write accordingly, throwing more dog food between Gu Yuan and Lin Meiyue and sprinkling out more scenes of correspondence between him and Chu Luoxun in music, simultaneously. Both should be held on to, with neither aspect neglected! He took Zhao Youyue seriously, not because he still liked her, but because she was the number one fan of his book. Why is she being described as the number one fan? This is because she did not only support the author financially but also sincerely promoted the book in class. She even hoped that those readers who liked this work would submit the reader survey form to push Beautiful April up the ranks. These magazines took the survey form rankings seriously. They will stop the publication of the lower ranking works. The previous issue of Beautiful April ranked the first as it deserved which made Leng Zi, the newbie author became the boss of Mengya contracted authors. Zhao Youyue even kept posting comments about the Beautiful April on Weibo. None of them failed to emphasize on how much she loved the story. Through this, her Weibo finally achieved the Big V status. Actually, it was a walk in the park for her, as having thousands of fans was already sufficient. On top of that, there were many genuine Qidian authors among her fans, and this naturally would let them solidify her status. Hence, her Weibo became a Big V. However, her influential power was still limited, only holding sway over Qidian readers, and yet, many of them started reading this juvenile novel because of her. They praised it after reading it, naturally, as such a refreshing and realistic juvenile novel is rare. The musical passages carried such depth, which made it stand out even more. Honestly, it was a great thing to have a reader like Zhao Youyue. However, Han Leng had become afraid of revealing the true identity of Leng Zi. He regretted starting off under such a disguise in the first place, feeling that he could not regain his integrity anymore. If he does reveal himself, Zhao Youyue would see him as a pervert, right? Han Leng, a pervert author who would be mocked, posing as a female. Since he is so good at using the voice changer, he must be a closet cross-dresser as well. Apparently, Leng Zi was not a female author, but a Lady boss! Admittedly, it touched him to see that Zhao Youyue was enthusiastically promoting his book and was even asking everyone to submit the survey forms. She had voluntarily chosen to do so, as she really liked it. Thus, she had put in a considerable amount of effort in promoting it Han Leng did not know that the more popular the book gets, the more useful it would be for her. He really thought that Zhao Youyue was a perfect reader selfless, passionate, and without ulterior motives, and that he was lucky to have such a reader! The former Han Leng would have fallen for her even more, due to her behavior, thinking how nice she was and that she should be a major fangirl of the author, seeing that she liked the book so much! Nevertheless, everything was different now. Han Leng noticed that she was not as attractive as before, not because Chen Haoran, his bestie, liked Zhao Youyue too, but he discovered that he now knew the perfect girl, he is writing about Chu Luoxun! Dont forget, in his Beautiful April, Lin Meiyue; the heroine was written in accordance with the archetype of Zhao Youyue. He had more feelings when he began to write Lin Meiyue to fulfil his regrets in reality, but, after the appearance of Chu Luoxun, he found only found the former to be petty and tedious! This made him miserable, yet helped him learn more about himself, to know that his former preference was so fickle and artificial. Initially, he was so confident that nobody would like her more than him. Because of this, he wrote the turbulence in his heart into the novel However, his so-called deep love would not last long! The more Zhao Youyue did for his work, the more ashamed he would be to face her. He felt that he was a super scumbag, an unfaithful lover. She treated him and his work seriously, yet, he was afraid to say that his most favored character now was Chu Luoxun As a creator, it was normal to be obsessed with the character who set off the explosion of inspiration. Moreover, for Han Leng, an author who was in the age of puberty C a very superstitious age C having the Adolescent delusion would be on a crazier level than the Rosemary, uncle level author! Anyhow, Chu Luoxun had replaced Lin Meiyue, becoming the female character that he is madly in love with. It even made him neglect his former crush in reality Tonicquill: Whoa, hold your horse, man. Falling in love with your own creation? Thats like. Incest? Chapter 187 The Voice Actor Candidate of Yu Shengfan. After such a revelation, Han Lengs writing would carry a bias that leaned towards Chu Luoxun. In the previous serialized six issues, she was still a junior high school student and the high popularity character of the book that many would talk about. As popular as she was, she had remained a side-character, as she never fully appeared. This all changed since the last issue. She started popping up everywhere. After Han Leng began to have a bias towards her, dog food feeding between Gu Yuan and Lin Meiyue became another question. This was no speculation that has been carried out without any basis, as a creators favoritism had its limits too. When a character becomes his favorite, other characters are bound to be restricted. One would notice it by reading the previous issue of The Strongest King. Many characters started living under the shadow of Xiao Yu, as she was too charming and spectacular. This caused the readers eyes to be filled with nothing but Xiao Yu, thinking that, well, it is just another main character being added. As for the other NPCs [1], why should they care? The experienced Ye Hai chose to let Xiao Yu send out the bento and make it seem like she had been trapped in her own duel to the death, of a chess game. Then, she committed suicide to seek a way out Ye Hai succeeded. After the death of Xiao Yu, The Strongest King slowly became an ensemble cast which remained as interesting as usual, without her dimming the light of the other characters anymore. Its Doujinshi products and merchandise started selling great too, and it soon became a common sight at anime conventions. Besides that, the most successful thing about it was there were people who still felt sorry for her and had debates about her, long after her death. They even started carrying out hypothetical battles of her against other opponents she had never met before, coming up with a consensus on how she achieves victory there. These kinds of Xiao Yu power level discussion threads had started flooding up many forums, Tieba and QQ group. Ocassionally, someone would bring up a new topic, saying that Xiao Yu was the strongest player in The Strongest King and that she would be unbeatable if she had a healthy body! Since there were so many people who flattered her, more will attempt to rebuke her skills, claiming it was obviously indicated in the article, that Xiao Yus skills improved immediately after she got on medications. Even though she took those pills for the sake of lengthening her life, they had contained analeptics. By this, her true capacity was incomparable with Lin Feng, the main character. She would be a pretty skilled player, but she couldnt possibly be number one. Thus, both of the parties began with their war of words. Those who flattered Xiao Yu definitely thought that Unpleasant Night Rain Rhythm, the Sword set the world alight made Lin Feng slightly inferior. If she was given 5 more seconds, Lin Feng would have lost! On the other hand, the gang of rationalists thought that they were a bunch of unreasonable, carefree fans. It was obvious that the judgment was made by the early death of Xiao Yu and this had increased the relevance of subjective emotion too. They acknowledged the talents of Xiao Yu, but they did not admit that she, who has never fought a professional player before would be able defeat them upon entering the circle of professionals. Her victories had simply come because those players were careless Such is the fate of an iconic character. Readers would not forget about them and would feel sorry for them whenever they are mentioned, becoming emotional for them, debating over them. The more their merchandise is sold, the more it showed how much people were in favor of them. Although she was dead in her canon, she would live forever in their hearts. Actually, Zhao Youyue should not have carried out her live streaming at the Douyu Streaming Platform. Perhaps, she should have gone to the B studio as it hosted many subscribers of Yu Shengfan. The B studio had almost been slaughtered by the varieties of MAD [2] concerning The Strongest King. As a miserable two dimensional character, the chances for Yu Shengfan appearing in a MAD was high! Unfortunately, Zhao Youyue had already signed the contract with Douyu. She definitely would be streaming by using the Yu Shengfan Card, yet, she would restrict herself from firing away on the bullet curtain. It would be sufficient just to satisfy her sarcastic mouth, and she would not have to type to get it out. Frankly, the audiences loved pretentious live-streamers. It was perfectly justifiable for a skillful live streamer to taunt his opponents. As for the teammates, one would throw the pan once he loses. He could do so, as long as he achieves a good score. Anyway, neither the teammates nor the opponents would be able to refute his skills. It all depended on the live streamer Zhao Youyue, who had been playing League of Legends for so long, knew she could taunt people in this game by pressing the Ctrl + number that made her character dance playfully, or show the dog tag, without having to type the words at all. Of course, if someone dares to scold her, she would return fire under the influence of the Yu Shengfan Card. She only restricted Xiao Yu from berating in the first place, but it did not mean that she would remain silent if someone challenges her. She would definitely beat that person up and then taunt him. Such satisfaction! Zhao Youyue believed that the subscribers of Yu Shengfan would increase, as she had granted Yu Shengfan much popularity by her own power. If her own strength gets her this far, the Yu Shengfan Card would surely be far more effective! Otherwise, it would be like what had happened before. Many of the passer-by Douyu browsers only recognized her as a female live streamer who liked to scold people, without knowing who Yu Shengfan really was. Not everyone would have read or watched the anime in the first place. Speaking of anime, Yu Jings first work, the Pure Romance, must be mentioned. It was in the middle of May now, and it would be introduced on TV in April. However, it was already available online, while the TV station would only play it late at night, because it was obscene. Children might not be able to handle it! It was initially planned for 12 episodes to be released per season. Under such circumstances, several changes were made. Xu Jing no longer started off as a side character, but a hypocritical and Tri-no elite scholar, with an overloaded sense of presence. She was the only innocent one in the animation. As the other female characters got shoved down by all kind of scumbags, she just stayed silently on the sidelines The manga readers eagerly awaited. They waited for the mind-blowing finale. However, the innocent audiences who have never read the manga waved it off as another form of typical fanservice riddled fluff. There were probably more of them than the manga readers. They did not even watch the preview or run through the original work; they were just watching it by chance. They would only discover at the end that this Pure Romance is insane! The only thing that came under fire was the voice actress of Xu Jing. She did not give off the feeling of a hypocritical and Tri-no elite scholar. This iteration ofXu Jing was lacking in that inexplicable, imposing manner Su Li, the original mangaka, also criticized it herself. She even complained about it to Ye Hai, whom she had a good relationship with now. When Ye Hai recalled this, he frowned. He must not let a voice actor ruin Xiao Yu! One must know that the production of The Strongest King animation was in full swing, and the voice actor selection was about to begin. It would start screening in October, and it would be a long-running animation like One Piece! Ye Hai wanted to take charge in deciding the voice actor candidate of Yu Shengfan Translation note: [1] NPC is the abbreviation of the non-player character. [2] MAD can be understood as a secondary creation image, which is a movie made by using existing material, modifying, editing and other secondary creation and music. The difference is that the focus of the MAD film is on the film, paying tribute to the animation or video game. The focus of the relative MV is on the music. Tonicquill: Some convoluted descriptions occurred up there. Hope its comprehensible to you guys. Chapter 188 : Ye Hai Was Secretly In Touch With the Female Douyu Streamer Ye Hai, Platinum Author of Qidian, was no longer an unknown little author. He was a living legend among authors now. After the success of his The Strongest King, he joined the local Web Novelists Association and became a member of the council. He even went to Beijing for training at the Lu Xun Literary Institute. Anyone who knew a little about the circle of Qidians author would know that getting training at that said institute was a way for the Godly Authors and Platinum Authors to improve their writing even further. If they manage to build a good relationship with those bosses of the literary world, it would easy for them to join the China Writers Association in the future. Along with his elevated personal profile, Ye Hai had gained greater discourse power too. He would not have the chance to choose the voice actor for his works adaptation, had he been the same as before. In fact, it was just like pennies from heaven, for their works to be adapted into manga or animation. They should be grateful, instead of giving comments to the producer, right? However, Ye Hai was different. After Su Li criticized the voice actor of Xu Jing, he vowed not to let this happen to The Strongest King! Then, Ye Hai went to watch the animated Pure Romance. Objectively, there was nothing special about it. Apparently, it patronized the audiences. Its popularity would have diminished, if not for the great support from the supporters of the original manga Well, this was just his own assumption, because the actresses were rather prolific. It was merely an Uraban [1] among the Omote [2], but with highly experienced content. Everyone knows that a severely deregulated animation like this would still be supported by many male audiences, regardless how patronizing it is. Well, the desire for food and sex is part of human nature. Although Ye Hai thought that the animation was very superficial, the fanservice must have won over some viewers, just like when he first read the Pure Romance manga. He was able to continue reading it because of the good fanservice even though he felt that Su Lis standard of screenwriting was rather lacking. For instance, the Minamotokun Monogatari from Japan. It was clearly an erotic comic with uninteresting plots. However, because of its excellent drawing style and artwork, as well as the variety of characters, especially that seductive aunt, male readers kept up with it As long as the aunt is there, the readers will have high expectations of it. Moreover, she was giving away fanservice scenes in every chapter, which guaranteed the excellent sales volume of the offprint. The animated Pure Romance was similar, giving away fanservices in almost every episode. Also, Xu Jing was exceptionally charming. Therefore, it could be considered as the most popular one release, among all the newly released animations of April, but everyone was ashamed to admit that they were high while watching it After criticizing Pure Romance, Ye Hai noticed that the standard of the voice actor of Xu Jing was indeed atrocious! This caused the charm level of Xu Jing to drop by more than a level! Voice actors play a crucial role in animation. An outstanding voice actor could cause a common character to radiate with indescribable charm while an emotionless, monotonous one would ruin the iconic character! Ye Hai reminded himself, that he had to learn from Su Lis lesson, not letting the average voice actor ruin the most important female character in his The Strongest KingYu Shengfan. If not for the fact that Ye Hai had coincidentally paid close attention to Ah Yu, the Douyu Streamer, he would not have the strong urge to wanting Ah Yu to dub for Yu Shengfan. This was because when Ah Yu roleplays as Yu Shengfan, her voice and performance were identical to the Xiao Yu in his work. He even thought that this character had transmigrated into reality! Luckily, he discovered that it was merely a roleplay. If transmigration was true, he was afraid of being throttled by Yu Shengfan, as he had written her such a miserable fate! At first, Ye Hai wanted to postpone it, but now that Su Li had undergone the incident of an iconic character being ruined by average voice actor, he could not sit still! This time, Ye Hai guiltily sent a private message to the female Douyu Streamer, Ah Yu for no reason. He even furtively observed his surroundings, making sure that his wife, Li Mengyao, was not around him. Then, he sent it like so Hi, Ah Yu! I am [Leaves Fallen on the Sea] who is ranked second in your Overall Present Ranking. I really like your streaming, and as a loyal fan, I will watch it until the end! I know it might sound unbelievable, but I am the author of The Strongest King. After listening to your voice when you play the role of Yu Shengfan, I truly think that you would make a great voice actress for Yu Shengfan! Therefore, I am taking the liberty of messaging you regarding the following. If you are keen in becoming the voice actor of Yu Shengfan in the soon-to-be animated The Strongest King, we can discuss it face-to-face After sending it, Ye Hai began to daydream. He did not know if she would agree to meet him personally. But, one thing he knew for sure, was that he would be very happy if she agrees and takes the initiative to contact him! How should he put it? Although he was convinced that she was just roleplaying Yu Shengfan, the truth was that she made this character become alive, as if the two dimensional character had transmigrated into this three dimensional world! Yu Shengfan, being Ye Hais most favorable female character, had brought him many good memories during his writing process and allowed him to be apotheosized by one book, which led him to the peak of his life. How could he not excited by thinking that he would have the chance to meet her in reality? Well, it was true, she was just a roleplayer, but only passion could have allowed her to roleplay Yu Shengfan so perfectly. She was probably an avid reader and fan of his! Many rumors of the cosplay world flashed in Ye Hais mind. Should he take out his SLR camera? While Ye Hai was daydreaming, his wife, Li Mengyao appeared silently beside him, like a ghost. Naturally, she took away the tablet from him. Unfortunately, the screen still displayed the private message that he just sent Her eyes breezed threw the entire message. Translation Note: [1] Uraban () is a Japanese word used to describe those TV programmes that are played by other TV station, at the same time with Omote. However, Uraban (: the and shared the same phonetic sound, Li) is used in China to refer an obscene (R18) anime and comic. [2] Omote () is a Japanese word used to describe the highly popular and good rating TV programme. However, it is used in China to represent the anime which is suitable to be shown on TV or can be found on the normal website. Tonicquill: I beg to differ. Some characters are deliberately monotonous when speaking, and that is exactly what that makes them memorable. Well, emphasis on deliberate. Ye Hai is screwed now, although I see little reason to be jealous about that message. It seemed all professional and business-like. Im guessing this is all Ye Hais paranoia talking. Chapter 189 What A Coincidence At that moment, Ye Hai could not describe the fluster in his heart, as if he had been caught in bed. What was wrong with him? However, Ye Hai was a grand author after all. He got a little bit calm after thinking that there was nothing between him and Ah Yu. Emboldened by this thought, he coughed lightly and calmly said Honey, I was discussing with someone about workyoud better return the tablet to me. Li Mengyaos face was emotionless, and she did not throw any tantrums. Her reaction, or lack thereof, caused Ye Hai to feel very uneasy. Undoubtedly, Ye Hai was very respectful of his wife. He has never quarreled with his wife, because she was not a woman with unreasonable demands who would blow up a small matter She gave him time to explain everything. Ye Hai got straightforward with her and began to explain seriously Heres the thing. This female Douyu Streamer named Ah Yu is imitating Yu Shengfan so perfectly and her skills in gaming probably rivals fictionAll in all, to make The Strongest King animation perfect, I would like to invite her to dub for Yu Shengfan. After listening to his explanation, Li Mengyao looked convinced, but still taunted him Oh, ye grand author who is now well-known and can casually tip a female Douyu Streamer with his richness. Moreover, the girl fans are spreading all over Qidian, and they would come and play with you with a simple wave. A yellow-faced wife [1] like me, can only stand and watch. Ye Hai quickly comforted her There is no such thing! You are always No. 1 in my heart, not a yellow-faced wife! Honey, you are forever beautiful! Li Mengyao was certainly not a yellow-face wife. Before Ye Hai became a Godly Author, they were already living together in abundance, without having to worry about the daily necessities. She also had plenty of time to keep fit, and was absolutely a charming woman. She was confident that no mistress could be compared with her by beauty alone. In terms of empathy, which woman was better than her? Li Mengyao could be considered as a winner among the women, managing her marriage very well. Ye Hai was good at coaxing others. Moreover, he never had the thought of betraying his perfect family. Well, men can sometimes be confused. The brain hole of an author is even greater, imagining the character of his book transmigrating As for Ye Hai, no girls, in reality, can move his heart. Despite the fact that he had many girl fans. However, he would surely lose his mind, if a character of his book comes to reality one day. As a creator, he would harbor certain feelings for his creations. Under his crazy, remedial persuasion, Ye Hai finally regained his wifes trust. He promised to bring her along, and Su Li too, to discuss the work with Ah Yu. As it is, Su Li was one of the creators of The Strongest King. She began to become interested in Ah Yu after listening to her husbands description. After all, Li Mengyao was a fan of The Strongest King too. She felt cheated when Ye Hai wrote Xiao Yu to death, and she was so angry that she had him sleep on the couch for a week Now, knowing that this Ah Yu could perfectly imitate Yu Shengfans voice and the quality of her venomous tongue, which fulfilled the image of Yu Shengfan in her husbands heart, her curiosity about this girl had reached its peak, and she wanted to meet her too. If Ah Yu could truly roleplay Yu Shengfan to perfection, she might become her fan too. Soon, Su Li learned about this news from Ye Hai. She was also very interested in transmigration. It would be most profound! Suddenly, Su Li recalled the time when she first met Lady Zhao. There was a moment too, when she thought that Xu Jing had transmigrated from her Pure Romance! She had no idea on who they were going to meet with, this time. After receiving the private message, she thought that it had to be a fraud. Well, nowadays, there are so many liars on the internet. Also, many female streamers would get mistreated after being seduced by large amounts of tips. Of course, some of them were gold diggers who were willing to do the pleasurable things with the godly tycoon. This was the hidden rule. Nobody would innocently think that those godly tycoons were tipping them merely for their talent right? Such a hidden rule has ruined the reputation of female streamers in overall. Some even jokingly said that the number of female streamer would increase whenever the internet starts throwing out anti-porn filters Basically, Zhao Youyue, who was never lacking of money, will never meet a fan alone, just because she has been tipped. If the fans are in a group, she would consider it, as this would increase the cohesiveness of her fans. Nevertheless, Zhao Your felt a sense of familiarity with Ye Hai QQ number after seeing it. Thus, she searched it on her QQ. To her surprise, it was really him! [Leaves Fallen on the Sea] was really [Rosemary], Qidians Platinum Author! An impulse to urge for an update ignited within Zhao Youyue. This [Rosemary] had the time on his hands to watch live-streamers but had no time to write, and he was far behind on updates. In fact, according to her update principles, a Golden Sect Master has to have one hundred updates! However, Ye Hai, the shameless old thief had managed to muddle over and retain his title. Again, he became a Two Update Monster that only updated two works with 6,000 words, every 5 PM. He was too lazy to even request for tickets. Even so, his work had remained unshakably at the first position in the top ten Original Billboard, solely due to the vote from his fans. It was clear that The Strongest King had been apotheosized! Zhao Youyue did not reply Ye Hai through QQ but directly through private message. The meeting point was set at a high-class business club in the Province of Jiang Nan, just to see if he would come. Of course, Ye Hai immediately agreed with it. After that, he flew there from Beijing together with his wife. On the other hand, Su Li was surprised. That female Douyu Streamer was in the Province of Jiang Nan too? What a coincidence. She was there too Translation Note: [1] Yellow-face wife () describes a woman who has been married for a long time. The (face) color indicates that she has aged with the burden of housework. (Someone says, in ancient China, to cover the aging face, women misuse the cosmetics with lead and turn their face yellow. The elder they are, the more yellow.). Its a derogatory term. Husbands use this term to describe their wives as their love fades out. Wives complain about the housework and the relationship by calling themselves . Chapter 190 Inviting the Missy Out Su Li had since moved to a more upscale apartment, which was also her new manga studio. She had recently hired a male and a female assistant, both of which were diligent. Their existence made the panels of the manga more exquisite and interesting. After getting the title as King of the New Stars for her first work, Pure Romance, Su Li was now a famous mangaka in the manga world. It had even established her status in the manga world after it had been animated and achieved good ratings. She had gained instant victory with the iconic female character, Xu Jing. Moreover, terms like scumbag, Darken and cleaver will be eternally passed on in the ACG [1] world No ordinary mangaka could create such a Godly Creation. Well, for her second work, she was not the original author, but it had been based on the adapted manga[2], The Strongest King. At first, many people in the industry had questioned her choice, as The Strongest King was infamous at that time. Drawing it was almost looking for failure! However, the popularity of The Strongest King afterward proved that Su Lis precise vision was correct. Many of them became more envious, jealous and hateful of her. Nowadays, many mangakas are good at drawing but not at adapting a story. Also, the manpower and resources were usually reserved for those well-known mangakas. No High God would give the copyright to an infamous mangaka, right? Su Li was being condescending when she first drew the The Strongest King. But, it gained her the free copyright and other side incomes. Rosemary too, never expected that the popularity of this novel to instantly turn him into a Platinum Author from a weak little author. He had initially pursued the ability to simply excel. How much did this novel exactly excel, to have a manga, and for the author to be King of the New Stars, Su Li Obviously, Su Li gained more advantages from this work compared to Pure Romance, almost becoming the Silkworm Potato of the manga world. Her first work earned her the King of the New Stars; the second work got the highest form of achievement Only Su Li knew that the credit of choosing The Strongest King as her second work mostly went to her number one fan, Lady Zhao. She was basically clinging on to Lady Zhaos thighs. She had always treated Zhao Youyue with beer and skittles, for she knew that Zhao Youyue had tipped her a lot. Zhao Youyue was indeed close to Su Li now, because she may be the creator who respected her the most. She was not arrogant, despite having the title of manga High God Meanwhile, Zhao Youyue also thought that she could be a pretentious person by being a friend to Su Li. She could even know more excellent creator through her. After all, many High God Authors were inquiring Su Li for collaboration for their next work. Perhaps, they would create another successful work like The Strongest King? However, Su Li had not agreed to any of them. Clearly, she wanted to get Zhao Youyues guidance first. What should she draw as her third manga? Should I an original work? For Su Li, original creations were troublesome, as interesting plots werent easy to create. Her brain would only be full of unbalanced plotlines. Do not forget her another identity in the world of adapted manga, Teacher Wang Li. However, it was no secret anymore, as her drawing style was distinguishable through its aesthetics and exquisite delicacy, the same style as her manga adaptation too. Moreover, the combination of Wang and Li formed the word texture. Wasnt it obvious? Although her identity was publicly known, it was no big deal, as long as she does not admit it. Instead, those fans of Pure Romance and The Strongest King started to purchase Su Lis adapted manga out of admiration for her. This had unexpectedly increased her income. In addition to that, Su Lis adapted mangas were getting much more sensational each time, with readers being unable to control themselves. Her normal mangas would never be as good as her adapted mangas. Anyhow, her drawing style was still much liked, containing the fashion and aesthetics which fulfilled the young readers visions. Her art form was the new golden standard of all manga, unlike those mangakas who are being eliminated due to their old drawing styles. Su Li had initially chosen to become a normal mangaka to hide her identity as an adapted mangaka. Unexpectedly, her manga journey had been smooth thus far. Anyway, she firmly believed that Zhao Youyue was her lucky star. As long as she hugs Lady Zhaos thighs tightly, nothing will go wrong! After knowing that the female Douyu Streamer, Ah Yu, was in the province too, Su Li messaged Zhao You Yue Missy, your one month off period will start from this Saturday, right? Would you like to hang out? After reading her message, Zhao Youyue frowned. She was going to meet Ye Hai on that day too, and now Su Li was asking her out too, what a coincidence? Then, she replied, Sister Li, did any good thing happen to you recently? For Su Li, it was an honor that Lady Zhao called her Sister Li. It shared the same pronunciation with understanding. Hence, there was an emoticon called Cant Sister Li. Missy, you are right! Ye Grand Author said that he spotted a female Douyu Streamer who is suitable for the role Yu Shengfan. She is here too, and we are going to test the quality of Ah Yu Actually, I feel that part-time Douyu Streamer like Ah Yu certainly wont do well. I dont know why Ye Grand Author is so obsessed with her, and he even pledged that he wants only her. Men always will be men, losing their minds to a womans charm! How? Does Lady Zhao want to go with us? I heard that Ah Yu is a rich person too, but undoubtedly not as rich as you. You should go and put her in her place! As expected, Ye Hai would go together with his partner, Su Li, to meet Ah Yu. Then, she gently smiled and replied Sure! See you then. I will be punctual! Translation Note: [1]ACG refers to anime, comics and games. [2] Adapted manga () refers to the adaptation of the original manga, mostly with obscene plots. Chapter 191 : Resonance Among Creators On Friday, Ye Hai and his wife, Li Mengyao, departed for the province of Jiang Nan from Beijing. Throughout the journey, he could feel the goodness of his wife even more. In life, Ye Hai was a lazy and careless man. He sometimes couldnt even remember where he had placed his information book, but as long as Li Mengyao is there, she would manage to find it. As usual, she had prepared all the things for this journey. Barring any unwanted circumstances, they would enjoy themselves here for few days, letting their parents look after their kid. All in all, Ye Hai was 120% satisfied with his wife. He could not imagine how his life would be if he leaves her. It must be terrible. Therefore, he will never cheat on her. The incident of the female Douyu Streamer, Ah Yu, was merely an accident. He just wanted to be clear about whether it was true that the character he created had transmigrated into reality They reached the province on Friday, and Su Li picked them up. When Ye Hai saw Su Li, he sighted that she was young and beautiful. Although they had met each other before to discuss the copyright contract terms, her charm had increased even more, now. Of course, the credit went to Zhao Youyue. Su Li has become a famous Grand mangaka, with millions of Weibo followers and a yearly income that exceeded millions of RMB. Money can be traded with beauty once the woman becomes rich. Plastic surgery was the easiest way. However, Su Li did not need it as she was a natural beauty. It was just that she had not emphasized on keeping fit, previously. Now, she had Lady Zhao as her guide and role model. Hence, Su Lis charm has increased significantly. Well, the proverb saying One who touches rouge will be stained red, one who touches ink will be stained black, exists for a reason. Even her temperament had changed, becoming bighearted, as she actively contacted Lady Zhao. Su Li greeted the mans wife enthusiastically. In fact, she was more familiar with Li Mengyao than Ye Hai. Maybe it was because both of them were women, having a mutual topic. After seeing the close relationship between them, he suddenly thought of the Yuri plot between Xu Jing and Yang Xixi in Su Lis first work, Pure Romance. He felt some greens [1] growing on his head Well, Ye Hai chose to forgive her! At that moment, the atmosphere between them was pleasant. Anyway, they have had a successful collaboration before, which enabled The Strongest King to achieve great results through their hard work. Oh, yea! Ye Grand Author, I have invited Lady Zhao to go together with us tomorrow, and check out to see who this Ah Yu actually is. Su Li thought about it and said. Who is Lady Zhao? Ye Hai could not react for a moment. The Zhao Yue tycoon, Miss Youyue who tipped you the Golden Sect Master by using the Qidian account called [I Am Youyues Biological Brother]. It is by her hand too, right? Su Li explained. Oh, I see! That Miss Youyue! I would never have thought that her surname really is Zhao! The Zhaos, tsk tsk. Ye Hai managed to react now. He had always called Zhao Youyue Miss Youyue, and that was why he did not know her surname. This means that her name is Zhao Youyue? Li Mengyao interrupted. Thats right. Her name is Zhao Youyue, with the unpredictable background. I could not believe that a missy like her likes to read novel and manga Su Li added. Me too. It is unbelievable that a reader would tip a book with one hundred thousand RMB, let alone, ten thousand RMB at once! Li Mengyao was feeling confused, when she recalled the day The Strongest King got the Golden Sect Master! Well, no one would understand the world of the wealthy person, tipping one hundred thousand RMB like it was nothing However, they had misunderstood Zhao Youyue. For her, it was actually heart-breaking to tip ten thousand RMB at once. Unlike her cousin, Zhao Hao, the wealthy second generation who was as rich as the son of the richest man, Ding Yuncong. Wait, he should be third generation, as his surname was Zhao, as well. Since Ding Yuncong generously gave away supercars worth ten million RMB to the participants of Esports, Zhao Huo tipping a book with Golden Sect Master should be nothing right? Ten thousand RMB? Not a big deal. It was not even sufficient for Zhao Hao to buy high standard non-ranking equipment in the Fantasy Westward Journey. Those High God super tycoon fans had such financial power too, but they were too lazy to make that move, as there was no more God of Wars in this era. Even the super tycoon would never beat the game operators I have never seen Miss Zhao Youyue before, but her photo. Since we are going to meet now, I must thank her. said Ye Hai, In fact, when I first wrote Yu Shengfan into the story, it was actually a cameo for this missy, but it became incontrollable, the more I wrote about it I know this feeling! It is the intoxicated state! I managed to think of the finale for Pure Romance in such a stateBut, Ye Grand Author, you have deceived me by drawing my Xiao Yu to death in The Strongest KingThe pan [2] is on my head again. Many rumors on the internet said that there will be misery, as long as it is my work. Therefore, one must be cautious when reading the deceitful work of mangaka Su! Su Li complained. That time, Ye Hai was indeed putting too much effort into deceiving the readers, letting her as the illustrator, carry the pan. Till now, many still thought that the blacklisted Su Li was the main reason why Xiao Yu had died. Ye Hai smiled awkwardly and quickly said Perhaps this is the resonance between excellent creators like us. Lets not talk anymore, dinner is on me. You can bring Mengyao and me to the most delicious and high-class restaurant! Su Li thought to herself that this Rosemary was indeed thick-skinned, an oddity who would write Xiao Yu to death with a snap of his fingers. A new, cutie cheater like her was totally out of his league! All right. Ye Grand Author is definitely a Platinum High God of Qidian, going into the fore without any reservations! Talking about food, I think Lady Zhao should be the expert, she is very fastidious in eating which seems to be a little wastefulBut, I have learned a lot from her. Lets go to that private restaurant. I think we can still make an appointment, because I always go there with Lady Zhao, and she is rather close to the boss. Su Li undoubtedly regarded herself as Zhao Youyues toady, willing to become a stooge for the Zhaos. However, a sense of pride could be felt from her speech. Apparently, she enjoyed playing that role After all, one should be proud, to able to befriend a member of such a high-class family. In this world, not everyone deserved to have Zhao as their surname, not even if they were rich Translation Note: [1] Green () here means cuckolded. In Mandarin, the husband of an adulteress is often described by the word (wearing a green-colored hat). [2] Pan ()/Carry the Pan () is used in mandarin to refer a person who is left holding the bag. The general meaning is that someone has ended up getting the blame for a bad situation. (ED Note: I didnt know this, not until I read this TL note, or I would have used the term scapegoat. Tell me what you guys think, we can always change it!) Chapter 192 Various Speculations Well, it only served to prove that Zhao Youyues taste was good, for Ye Hai, Li Mengyao and Su Li had a pleasant dinner. They were happier, especially after knowing that one had to book this restaurant several days prior, feeling an overwhelming sensation of superiority with every bite. Ye Hai had intended to invite Lady Zhao to this dinner. But, Su Li knew that Zhao Youyue, as a high school student, had to go to school today. What! Lady Zhao is still a high school student? Are all high school students today as rich as she is? Ye Hai was shocked. Li Mengyao then added Wouldnt it be improper to tip so much for Ah Hais book at her age? Wouldnt she be scolded by her parents? Already spending so recklessly without any income For Li Mengyao, it was improper for a child to spend recklessly, even if his family is wealthy. She certainly would not teach this to her child. It was like cultivating a rich playboy. Soon or later, the Zhaos are going to be damned! At that moment, Su Li felt a tad bit guilty about it. She had always gladly accepted Lady Zhaos tipping without pondering over it. After all, she was so rich Since they talked about it now, she began to feel that it was improper of her, and said, Lets advice her tomorrow to not recklessly spend the money, if she had not earned it. Ye Hai nodded his head gently, thinking that Su Li was a person with integrity, she was not a materialistic person, after all. Unlike creators, some live streamers would do whatever they could to deceive the audiences for a present, even if they are innocent kids. There were also some oddities among the audiences who had less thought processes than a child who were able to defalcate millions of public funds to tip live streamers. What was wrong with their minds Creators like Ye Hai and Su Li were earning money from the support of the readers, not depending on the tips from Godly Tycoons. Even so, they were not short of tips. However, an enormous tip would will stimulate them and create big headlines to attract the eyes of the public, allowing more readers to notice their works. For them, that kind of tip was an honor to receive. For instance, a web novel of Qidian would have the ability to be pretentious by achieving a Silver Sect Master, while those that gained Golden Sect Masterswere even greater. However, Golden Sect Masters were mostly fabricated by the High God Authors. On the other hand, the Golden Sect Master gained by Ye HaiThe Strongest King was genuine. This had naturally astonished the other authors and the readers. After all, the fabricated ones were hardly any secret. For example, a Supreme God once created a One Hundred Million Sect Master which meant that somebody had tipped 10 Golden Sect Masters for a book that worth one million RMB, which was one hundred million Qidian coins. That was impossible! However, outsiders would not understand it. Moreover, the media was busy reporting it, sensationalizing that book and its author which further cemented the authors status in the industry Even a super Godly Tycoon like Zhao Hao would be unable to tip such an amount at once. Although he loved to spend his money on the streaming platform and web games, he spent it in moderation. This plot would only exist in a novel, and it would be an illogical one. In reality, it could happen at a live auction or charity eventbut, tipping a web novel? That would be a joke! Friday passed, just like that. Ye Hai and his wife checked-in a four-star hotel which was already excellent in itself. Soon, it was Saturday. The weather was fine on that day. The temperature was pleasant, as it was already the end of May. Using the GPS, Ye Hai and his wife went to the business club. There, he was mesmerized by the place and said to his wife Looks like the well-being of this Douyu Streamer Ah Yu is extraordinary. The exterior of this place already looks exclusive. I am now starting to think that Yu Shengfan has indeed transmigrated into this world, and that she is even the daughter of a legendary super plutocrat. After listening to it, Li Mengyao tittered and said What are you going to do, if it is real? You want to fall in love with the character that you created as a creator? Ye Hais facial expression changed and he immediately refuted Honey, you are joking again. If this is real, she would be my daughter. Am I a person who would pull off an Oni Chichi [1]? Ha-ha. I bet you would forget about it when you are intoxicated. I got it now. You were not obsessed with typing away, at that time, you were obsessed with Yu Shengfan! Thats not true! I was earnestly typing to earn a living, not obsessing about my female character! Ye Hai denied firmly. Actually, his wife was correct. He was abnormal that time. By this time, Han Leng should be experiencing what Ye Hai had gone through. He no longer cared about Zhao Youyue, the first girl who he had fallen for ever since being obsessed with Chu Luoxun, thinking that the former was incomparable to Chu Luoxun, especially when it comes to playing the violin. Speaking of which, Zhao Youyue had taken the grading test under the arrangement of her teacher, Liu Yuxi. She would soon take part in a musical competition, just like Beautiful April, but on the provincial level. Getting good results at the provincial level was necessary for her to be qualified for the national level. Liu Yuxi had suggested that she become a Human Metronome while competing in such competitions, to be emotionless and only pursue precision and technique. She knew that Zhao Youyue had a state of mind that was suitable for emotionless performance. Therefore, it should be easy for her to win a prize, as her foundation and skills were solid now. She really had put a lot of effort when it came to the violin! Then, Su Li arrived. She always used Didi Dache [2] as she did not have a car. Her arrival had saved Ye Hai from awkwardness, and she eagerly asked What kind of person do you think Ah Yu is? She has not sent any photos. She wouldnt be ugly, right? I dont think she would be particularly beautifulmainly because she never turns on the camera when streaming. She would have done so if she is pretty, that could have easily made her famous. Ye Hai speculated, which sounded reasonable. At this time, Lady Zhaos private car was slowly approaching Translation Note: [1]Oni chichi () literally translated to as Naughty Father is a Japanese adult video game where the male protagonist commits incest with his two step-daughters. (ED: *Covers face* Its available on video as well) [2]Didi Dache(/) is the Uber of China. Chapter 193 The Demeanor of a Missy When Ye Hai saw the actions of Lady Zhao, he had the same thought that Su Li had before. Could this Lady Zhao be a character of a novel or manga? This was because a Missy would appear in such a way, according to the settings in a novel or manga, sitting in a luxury car, while not even needing to raise sully her hands on the door handle. The driver would open the door for her. Then, she would slowly make her way out of the car This was how Miss Zhao made her appearance, giving a strong sense of Dj vu. One would think that it was a strange, adolescent delusion at the beginning. Isnt this too pretentious? However, after giving it thorough thought, how many girls in this world would mock the appearance of the Missies in the novel or manga? Only a few of them. Unfortunately, her luxury car seemed to be slightly lower in class. It was no a limousine. If she was the daughter of a celebrated plutocrat like in a novel or manga, it could very well be one. Well, perhaps she was low-profile, or she did not care about the brand of the car. For her, it made no difference, whether it be a luxury car that is worth three-four million RMB, or one that is more than ten million RMB. Zhao Youyues family was not lacking of money, and had zero debts. It was not like those companies seemed to be doing great, but the surplus revenue is being used to pay the interest of the loan. After all, real estate gave the country prosperity, not industrial business. Nowadays, industrial business was in a dreadful state The private hospital that was owned by her family was not any small hospital, but one with an establishment with deep roots, having a military background and conducting all sorts of trades behind the scene. Those who afforded it may not necessarily be there due to illness or sickness, but for recuperation. Well, they were all veterans. However, Zhao Youyue never understood the political ecosystem of China. She had underestimated her father, who looked like another typical noble. Nevertheless, at this moment, Ye Hai and his wife were astonished by her actions. Ye Hai felt the surreality of the scene, because a missy like her would either appear in the visualization of the creator, or in gossip fluff, like Digging up the top 2G in China, or rather, it would appear as a headline like the wedding of the century, complemented by a mind-blowing setting If such a person existed, he or she would have no connections to a person like him, and yet, this Lady Zhao was his loyal reader. She had even gave him many constructive suggestions over the internet, and he had put many of them to good use too. On the internet, Ye Hai always thought that there was nothing special whatsoever about the Youyue Tycoon. Now, his perception of her had changed, immediately. Well, it looked like pretentiousness was compulsory for such a character, or else it would not portray the greatness of a person like Zhao Youyue, who had a strong sense of presence. Who would notice her greatness, if she does not make trouble? Therefore, she had to do so. What she needed now was the appreciation of the creators Nevertheless, the fact was indisputable. She was the ideal reader in the eyes of many creators. She alone was much more useful to the work, compared to other readers. She was now the Master of The Big Book List of Qidian web novel, which had over one hundred thousand followers. Whenever she promote a book, the effect may not be any less than the efforts of the official Qidian website. Most of the creators of Qidian web novels and webcomics were like the women of Zhao Youyues harem, hoping that Youyue Tycoon would turn up someday and visit their works Unfortunately, she had been obsessed with a certain juvenile novel, recently. Wasnt she a typical female reader? It was completely normal for her to get engaged in one. Many male creators and readers would be turned off, after knowing that it is a juvenile novel. It was full of those poisonous, affectionate scenes. They would rather read articles or mangas with sexy elements. At that moment, Su Li passionately welcomed Zhao Youyue after seeing her coming out of the car. She naturally held her arms and said It looks like you are getting more beautiful. Your outfit today speaks of your taste and quality! You are indeed a missy with a good taste! Sister Li, you are getting good in smooth-talking She allowed Su Li, the Great Mangaka, to hold her hands as she led her to Ye Hai and his wife. Ye Hai, who was wearing spectacles, looked average and was slightly pudgy, which fulfilled every stereotype there is about authors. On the other hand, Li Mengyao made her eyes sparkle because she was indeed quite pretty. Although she was not as beautiful as Su Li, her charm would leave single dogs like Su Li in the dust. She deserved to be called a beautiful wife. Ye Hai, the Rosemary was lucky to have her as his wife. Ye Hai and Li Mengyao were studying Zhao Youyue too. Her appearance and her outfit really stood out, giving off the full aura of a missy. Li Mengyao vaguely remembered that her upper wear was part of the latest series of a certain luxury brand, and it matched well with her slim-fit pants, creating an excellent visual effect. That day, Zhao Youyue did not wear a dress. It was a dynamic, fashionable style that still looked feminine. Actually, she would definitely become the cool kid by appearing this way in school if she wanted to. However, it was really unnecessary. She would depend on her results and talent to gain the sense of presence she wanted. At this moment, even her airy fringe was so unique, that it did not seem rustic at all. It made her poise and visage outstanding and graceful instead. She was really such a person. Zhao Youyue took the initiative to greet Ye Hai and his wife. She was no afraid at all to portray her exceptional social skills. Although, she really loved his The Strongest King, she had remained calm while meeting him in person. Unlike those fanatic fans, she did not ask for his signature either, which left Ye Hai a little disappointed. Perhaps he thought that she should be his number one fangirl, but she had turned out to be a rational fan Li Mengyao had a good impression of Zhao Youyue too. Before this, she perceived Zhao Youyue as a little girl who spent recklessly but, now, after meeting her, her maturity level was completely not that of a high school girl, as well as her mannerisms, which left her thinking that Lady Zhao was not any average little girl! If Su Li had not told her that Zhao Youyue was a high school student, she would have thought that she was an undergraduate. No high school girl would behave like her! It really is unforgivable! The missy is already here, yet Xiao Yu is not. How arrogant is this female live streamer? Making the missy wait for her! After Zhao Youyue got along with Ye Hai and his wife, Su Li began to complain about Ah Yu Errshe is already here. Zhao Youyue said with a faint smile. Chapter 194 : It Was You For Sure She is here? Su Li quickly looked around, Where is she? Ye Hai and his wife looked around too, especially Li Mengyao. She was keen on meeting this Ah Yu, the female live streamer, feeling that she was an unpredictable person. How did she pull off a perfect Yu Shengfan roleplay? Were there any hidden agendas? I cant see her! I only see an aunty walking by. I dont think she is Ah Yu. Although she may not be a beauty, it is impossible for her to be an aunty, right! Su Li went on to say. Oh? You just said that I am getting more beautiful, so why do you change your mind now? The smile on Zhao Youyues face grew wider. She still loved to tease Su Li as usual. While Su Li still could not get it, Ye Hai eyes had bulged out, looking at Zhao Youyue in wonder. What she had said just now was indirectly admitting that she was Ah Yu, the female live streamer, right? You are Douyu Yue Shengfan? That is impossible, Lady Zhao! You are doing the live streaming, at your status? Ye Hai could not hold back, and blurted out. I am me, whats wrong with me doing live streaming? I cannot let Xiao Yu be forgotten. Although she has died in the novel, she is now back to life in reality. Now, the popularity of my live streaming is increasing! Someday, everyone will know that a two dimensional character has come to the three dimensional world! Zhao Youyue replied. Ye Hai was completely dumbfounded. He could not refute her at all. She is a missy, so what? Why couldnt she do live streaming? She did so not for the money, but love! Passion and love would bring out the most convincing role plays ever! Thats right! If it was not for love, it would be impossible for her to imitate Yu Shengfan to such uncanny levels. She had even composed the full version South Mountain! Did this mean that she was good in music too? Of course, she was! She had shown her consummate violin skills on her live streaming before! Therefore, it was not unusual for her to be able to compose South Mountain all by herself, even completing the lyrics After discovering that Zhao Youyue was Ah Yu, he really could not describe his mixed feelings at that moment. It left him a little upset. Before this, he was thinking that she must be his fan, as Ah Yu was so good at cosplaying Yu Shengfan and did not even hesitate to meet himwell, he was no narcissist, as this surely would cause a normal man to have improper fantasies. However, he had sternly took a stand against it, by bringing his wife along. After all, he was a good man! Before this, he had assumed that Ah Yu would not be such a looker, as she has refused to turn on the camera, no matter what. The person behind the voice could be a big, fat otaku, for all you know. It was impossible for him to forego his beautiful wife for a big fat otaku, right? Nonetheless, the fact has shown that it was all his misconception. Perhaps this was similar to the misconception of I can kill it while playing the game! It turned out that Ah Yu was Lady Zhao, a beautiful young girl whose face score was the highest among the three ladies here. She is definitely uninterested in a married uncle like him. This was evident, be it from their online conversations, or her calm when she met them. Finally, Su Li realized it. She quickly hugged Zhao Youyue and buried her face in her boobs. Then, Su Li snapped Missy; you have already known about it during our previous dates, didnt cha? You played us for fools! Zhao Youyue was in her arms. The mixture of the perfume and Su Lis body fragrance was quite pleasant to smell. After all, she was a Godly Mangaka, and the perfume she used were of a high standard brand recommended by Zhao Youyue. Moreover, The Great Mangaka Su was a virgin. She seemed to be falling into the evil path of Yuriness, especially since her works contained so many Yuri scenes! Dont be like this, Sister Li. I wanted to give yall a surprise. Come, lets head in. I have booked a private room, ensuring a peaceful environment where we can talk about business while sipping tea! Zhao Youyue freed herself from Su Lis arms and brought them into the business club. A waiter attended to them once they entered. After knowing that Ah Yu was Zhao Youyue, Li Mengyaos ill feelings toward Ah Yu were resolved. Most women had very strong intuitions, and she was very familiar with Zhao Youyue through the internet. After all, the four of them had been in the same discussion group before, and she had added her as a friend too. Li Mengyao did not believe that a blessed girl like Zhao Youyue would be interested in her husband and, likewise, his husband would not be interested in her too. After all, she had not even reached sixteen years old At that moment, Ye Hai suddenly realized that the reason Ah Yu had not hesitated to meet him and did not see him as a liar was because the suggestion he made was realistic. However, Zhao Youyue had done a nasty job of hiding it and dropping the bomb during this meeting! Although Ye Hai was quite sure that Zhao Youyue was Ah Yu, and her voice sounded familiar too when he thinks about it, after settling down himself in the private room, he could not resist but to ask Missy, why dont you imitate Yu Shengfan nowYou know my intention of coming here. I really want you to dub for Xiao Yu. I strongly believe that this will not degrade this character, as long as you unleash that godly imitation that you do during your live streams. Once Ye Hai said this, both Su Li and Li Mengyao showed great interest. This made Su Li recall the incident where Zhao Youyue had roleplayed Xu Jing in front of her, previously. It had terrified her. The point was Zhao Youyue even had her hair done up in a ponytail Zhao Youyue took a sip of the tea, and without further nonsense, she initiated the state of being possessed by Yu Shengfan. If she were playing a game now, she definitely would not be able to resist her desire to talk and let out her venomous tongue, but, she was not. Actually, Yu Shengfan was a rather quiet girl by nature, surrounded by a deep abyss of loneliness. It seemed that nothing would trigger her interest, except games. When not in front of a screen, she would be as silent and docile as any other. This setting had been set by Ye Hai, but whether he remembers it, was a different story. I am Yu Shengfan. Are you the despicable creator who caught me unawares in the novel world? You would not have thought that we would meet again, right? The Lolita voice of Yu Shengfan which Ye Hai could not ever forget appeared again! It was you! It was you for sure! Looking at Zhao Youyue, Ye Hais eyes glinted Tonicquill: Do high school kids actually do part-time VA in Japan? Or rather, are any current seiyuus still in high school? Curious question, heh. Chapter 195 Youre definitely Chosen! How could Ye Hai possibly forget the feeling of being intoxicated, in the first place? Words would not be able to describe it. That was a very unnatural state, just like the author himself entering his own literary world, seen the plot develop with his own eyes, as well as the joys and sorrows of the character itself Then, he would simlpy write down everything that he has seen. Written text was the best state of reflection. Be it the words and sentences, or rhetorical devices, all those would be applied most appropriately. Even in that frenzy, no typo would ever occur! To be honest, Ye Hai himself missed that kind of state as well. It was indeed intoxicating and addictive, as if his hands would move by themselves, the moment he sits down in front of the computer and places his hands on the keyboard. There would be no doubt, no fear, no hesitation. Unfortunately, with the departure of that intoxicated state, writers block would visit him once again. Although writing 6,000 words twice a day was still a walk in the park, he knew very well that the passionate state that he missed so much might never possibly appear in his life anymoreever Thus, all those scenes, sounds, characters emotions, etc. had been deeply etched in his memories. This was especially the case for the character, Yu Shengfan. She was totally different from other characters, as if she truly had a life and soul. She was certainly a person that lived within his literary world. In other words, a life that had taken place in his literary world! Therefore, Ye Hai always had a special kind of feeling towards Yu Shengfan. It was not romantic in nature, but it was something closer to a familial bond. If the work The Strongest King was his bride, the character Yu Shengfan inside would be his daughter. He personally thought that it was his own pen that had given her life Now, when the voice of Yu Shengfan that he missed so dearly appeared in reality, he would suddenly burst into life, as if he had found his long-lost daughter. When Li Mengyao saw this, she cleared her throat and said, Pay attention, shes not Yu Shengfan, shes Lady Zhao, Zhao Youyue But her vocal control is incredible. She previously sounded like a very normal teenager. I didnt expect her to be able to change to a Lolita voice immediately at will. Ye Hai could not tell his wife that this voice was the very voice in his mind that Yu Shengfan uttered. If Zhao Youyues appearance was a lolita with blonde twintails, he might have lost his mind for real and believed himself to be within his own literary world once more After that, Zhao Youyue, or Yu Shengfan, used her lolita voice again to utter many classic lines by Yu Shengfan within The Strongest King. Ye Hai immediately concluded his decision, to set her as the VA for Yu Shengfan. Even Su Li sighed, saying, My lady, I think that you are truly a VA genius. I should have assigned you to be the VA for Xu Jing. If so, this character Xu Jing would have certainly acted like herself in the anime! Zhao Youyue switched off the Yu Shengfans possession mode, and her temperament changed entirely. The profound loneliness and melancholy that spread throughout her body a moment ago disappeared entirely. Li Mengyao praised her as well, Why would you still want to be a VA? You can be an actress already. You had everything spot-on, down to her mannerisms. That is too incredible! Zhao Youyue spoke within her heart that no matter being a VA or an actress, she would only be able to act as Xu Jing or Yu Shengfan, because they were actually her other selves. That was the actual appearance of the characters. She would definitely be dumbfounded if she was asked to voice act or act as other characters. Zhao Youyue gladly accepted the job of being the VA for Yu Shengfan. Since the recording session would take place during her summer vacation, she would have all the time in the world. Thanks to sly old Rosemary, Yu Shengfans scenes were just that scarce. She only needed to voice act Yu Shengfan until she dies of disease, and her job would be done. She would not need to voice act until the end of this work. Therefore, she replied, I can voice act for Yu Shengfan. But theres one thing I would like to ask. Is an ordinary person like me who has never received any VA training before really capable of being her VA? With a swing of his big hand, Ye Hai replied, Of course! Ive absolutely chosen you. I believe that you would bring Yu Shengfan to life. Just do it to your hearts content. You will be paid for this, of course. The salary will probably be given according to a new VAs rate. The moment Zhao Youyue heard that she would be paid, she felt happy. She had not yet earned any money from live streaming, since she had not signed any contracts with Douyu previously. Besides, the gift money that one receives for that particular month on Douyu would be delayed by three months Although Zhao Youyue was a lady, she always had a desire to earn money by herself. This was not because that she was lacking of money. It was to prove herself that she was not an ordinary student who could only survive by relying on her parents, but someone who is able to earn money with her own power! Ye Hai was always a resolute person. When he first said that he wanted to be partners with Su Li, the mangaka, he did so. The contract was settled within a few days. He was fine letting the other party have more benefits, as he was not that kind of selfish, childish author. This was a similar situation. Since he had selectively chosen Zhao Youyue, he immediately called the animation supervisor of The Strongest King, informing that he had found the best VA for Yu Shengfan. The animation supervisor was Dong Yang. He had been serving as the supervisor for quite a number of excellent animation works. His works were nothing spectacular, but they were without flaws. He was also very responsible towards his own works. When Dong Yang answered Ye Hais call, he felt that this original author was very unreliable. How could he simply choose someone to be a fixed VA for such an essential female character? He protested, Teacher Rosemary, you dont know much about animation after all. You totally dont understand how important it is to have a professional VA for the animations characters. Yu Shengfan is the most important female character in the early stage of this novel. She can even be considered the heroine of the arc! Yet, you got a person without any VA training experience to voice act for the heroine. Isnt this too careless? You need to know that, on the proseminar of the animation production, the company decided to let You Dinghui, the famous VA take the role. Shes very experienced. She has a lot of fans. There are even rumors spreading, that a lot of the originals fans look forward to her voice actingNow that youve suddenly made such a decision, this is really too Ye Hais attitude was unyielding. He said domineeringly, I dont care, I just want to assign her as the fixed VA. My eyes cant be wrong! Even a famous VA can never compare against the most suitable VA. Besides, Im saving your money! Chapter 196 Flattering Lady Zhao Dong Yang may be serious about his work, but he did not have the fortitude to face such stubbornness. Therefore, he could only report this matter to the company, and let the seniors decide. He thought that the best solution was to let the girl that had been strongly recommended by Rosemary come for an audition. If she is really that good, then it would be fine to choose her, while convincing everyone else at the same time. What that irked him was Rosemarys method of putting his recommendation forward, as if he had abused his role as the original author into making a forced decision for everyone else. Would there be anything fishy in this matter? Dong Yang was too lazy to think any further. He could only hope that the girl that had been so persistently chosen by Rosemary to at least live up to those expectations He still strongly hoped to make a proper animation for The Strongest King. This was also the highlight of the company for this year. Failure was not an option. After Ye Hai resolutely decided this matter, he had started stirring up an issue with the animation studio. This left Su Li very envious, because she was also full of confidence towards Zhao Youyue, thinking that she would have been able to voice act Xu Jing just as well. Unfortunately, she had not taken the animation of Pure Romance seriously from the beginning. If not, she would have definitely chosen Zhao Youyue as Xu Jings VA. The four of them spent their time leisurely on that day. At night, Zhao Youyue became the host, leading the other three to another western restaurant with tasty dishes. Their steak was truly delicious, along with a truly expensive price. However, since Ye Hai and his wife had learned of Zhao Youyues grandeur, they no longer said anything. It had been quite ridiculous of them to previously decide to advise her as one, to be thrifty.. It was quite a joke to advice a girl from such a family to save money. Zhao Youyues speed on spending money could not be compared to her familys speed on earning money at all. She could not be compared with rich playboys like Zhao Hao as well. She liked novels, mangas, games, foods. How much would these cost her? She did not play those whaling RPG[1] online games which required millions to stay on top. In a sense, Zhao Youyue indeed was a low-key, wealthy person. She did not have any bad habits. She seemed to be more willing to get addicted to mobile phones When she gained an insight of the wonderful world of literature, she would feel that the real world in 3D was nowhere near as colorful as those fantasy worlds in 2D. Most importantly, she could enjoy causing trouble within the 2D world, setting various bug-like abilities and talents for herself, paving the way for a life without obstacles. That was true satisfaction. She actually missed her antics in War Heroes very much. Those outrageously strong abilities, while crushing the enemys whole army by herself, was simply too enjoyable! Although it was similar to having a bullsh*tery dream, no other person would ever have such a wonderful, vivid dream. It was truly real and fascinating. The guests enjoyed themselves to their fullest, on that day. The next day, Zhao Youyue continued being the host. She brought Ye Hai and his wife to some famous tourist spots in Jiangnan Provincial city. There were ancient towns, landscape gardens, along with their unique architecture. Su Li followed them throughout the entire journey as well. Since Zhao Youyue has gone to so many places, she was quite proficient in tourism. Therefore, she could be considered very experienced. She was no female otaku. She took a lot of pictures with her phone and showed it off among her friends. She flaunted her radiance, wealth, and beauty, as if her life was very fulfilling Ye Hai and his wife were also very touched by Zhao Youyues warm hospitality. Unfortunately, she had classes the next day. Or else, they could have asked her to bring them to more places. Ye Hai spoke to Su Li, Great Mangaka Su, Im really envious that youre able to stay in the same city as Lady Zhao. You can ask her to bring you along and show her off in front of others! To be honest, its a wonderful thing to have a reader like Lady Zhao Su Li giggled. She felt delighted as well. Actually, she never understood why Zhao Youyue treated her so nicely. Since Zhao Youyue treated her so nicely, she treated her nicely as well. Su Li was such a simple woman. Su Li remembered something and said, Great writer Ye, if Im not mistaken, Lady Zhao will be participating in a provincial violin competition within these few days. Maybe we can attend and cheer for her. Ye Hai totally agreed, Sure. Since we will be staying here for a few more days, its fine to enjoy some high-grade classical music. Speaking of which, I truly admire Lady Zhaos music talent. I think that she can definitely become a composer. Her South Hill South sounded too amazing! South Hill South? Isnt that the original song within your novel? Did she write a music score for it? Why have I never heard of it before said Su Li uncertainly. You didnt watch her previous live broadcast? It was unfortunate that her live broadcast room was not popular enough. She has sung it only once and never sung it again, saying that the time is not right. Could she still be polishing it, while waiting for the moment to conquer the world with her great music, after that? said Ye Hai. Hahaha, Great Author Ye, youre truly a novelist. Your imagination is truly incredible, but it may be true. Ive been in touch with her for so long. I can feel that shes quite a perfectionist towards some matters. Whenever she does something, she would want to do it perfectly But through my long-term observation, Ive also figured out at the same time that her ideas were terrific, yet a bit lacking in executive force. Is that so? I can feel that Lady Zhao is a daunting force. Her determination must be extremely strong. Shes a very assertive girlShe would definitely be something in the future! Since Ye Hai has gotten in touch with Zhao Youyue, he had been totally conquered by her charisma. He even vigorously praised her in the godly writers group chat, causing various envy, jealousy and hate among them. They lamented that she would never recognize their own works. Besides, Ye Hais incredible fantasy was not exactly wrong either. Zhao Youyue was indeed using Chu Luoxun to improve her music. Zhao Youyue went to school like a nobody again. The awkwardness during the previous dinner with Huang Zongchao, the vice president of Student Union had also been resolved very earnestly by him as well Those top students finally understood that this inconspicuous looking Lady must not be taken lightly. It would be best to befriend her. If not, try to avoid messing with her. She was truly untouchable! Huang Zongchao invited her to join the Student Union. Mr. Qiu, the class teacher also helped promote her. However, she rejected decisively. She had stated she wished to focus on her studies. She would not do anything that would affect her studies! Mr. Qiu expressed his understandings towards her in the end Then, she bent down and continued playing with her mobile phone leisurely. Translation Note: [1] RPG C Role-playing game, which refers to games in which a player controls one or more characters. There is a complete storyline for such games. Chapter 197 Zhao Youyue who was mistaken as Xu Jing Sometimes you would suddenly notice that you are not as excited as you imagined, the moment you obtained something that youve always wanted. Instead, you would completely miss that sensation. This was probably the reason why Ma Yun the president had said that, creating Ali (Baba) was the most regretful thing that he had ever done in his entire life. Many people thought that he was being sarcastic but he wasnt! There was a Ma Yun, Ali, and Taobao in this world, but there was no Jingdong. Instead, the Tencent E-Commerce was like Jingdong, boasting that their products were authentic, whereas the products on Taobao were all fake. Right now, Zhao Youyue was also talking to her deskmate Jiang Qing, saying, I truly regret having flying colors for my exams. Its difficult for me to have bad scores. In the end, my results are so good that problems have started coming up my doorstep. Someone asked me to join the Student Union, someone asked me to be class cadres, someone asked me to share my study experiences, someone even asked me to give a speech during the national flag raising ceremony next week! That is really too troublesome! Ive realized that being a passerby is the most suitable role for me, always staying out of peoples business as a bystander. She seemed to have realized something, out of the blue. She used to be very most displeased about her passerby attribute, always egged on by the desire to cause trouble. But now, she missed the feeling of being unknown and lurking in the shadows. However, Jiang Qing truly wanted to strangle this Lady Zhao, who was getting better at showing off. She wanted to choke the life out of her. It turned out that the results of the following monthly test after the mid-term of this semester had come out. Zhao Youyue got the second place throughout the entire school. The science subject was rather difficult, therefore her total score was just behind Huang Zongchaos by a hair. However, this totally proved that Zhao Youyue had joined the top elite scholars list. Even the headmaster had an eye on her. She would definitely a young successor of the Capital University or Chung Hua University. Many students admired her results as well. After all, no student did not hope to have flying colors. It was just that some students were very unlucky. They were not only less intelligent, but they were also unable to put in effort. However, that was not a problem. Students with bad results could still be successful in the future, because their parents were successful people. After finishing this bowl of poisonous chicken soup, she could continue to enjoy being carefree during her school days. She is finally known throughout the school. This was not because of her appearance or her family background, but because of her results. This could be considered as her successfully achieving the little target within her heart. At the same time, it was also the reflection of Xu Jing cards power. Regarding family backgrounds, it seemed like many students had some misconceptions towards Zhao Youyue. This was because she wore the school uniform at all times. She would not even change into prettier clothes during weekends. Students who were not close to her thought that her family was not very rich. If not, why could she be so low-key within her high school age group? At this age, a person would love to show his or her personality and uniqueness the most! Moreover, looking at Zhao Youyue, who was getting more and more focused into her studies, many male students who read the novel Pure Romance before would automatically relate her image to the goddess Xu Jing. This was not a problem, because Zhao Youyue would occasionally switch on her Xu Jing card. Once the switch is flipped, she would release Xu Jings aura. Fortunately, she did not tie her hair as a single ponytail. If not, she would have looked almost alike. Of course, Zhao Youyue wanted to force herself to completely master Xu Jings passionate learning skill. But sometimes, her old, slothful nature would call out to her. In that kind of situation, she would have to forcefully switch on the Xu Jing card. This created misunderstandings among more students Maybe shes the Xu Jing in 3D. She still has a dad whos lying in bed, a mum whos a street vendor, trying to maintain the livelihood, while still being beaten up by the urban management For a moment, many male students in class looked into Zhao Youyues eyes with pity. They spoke within their hearts, Its not easy for her at all. Her familys in such a tough situation, and shes still able to so focus on her studies. She may even need to do house chores and cook for her mum when she returns home. Shes truly virtuous, shes the perfect wife material! Unfortunately, those who wanted to start a romantic relationship in high school were mostly hoodlums. As great people have said, love relationships that were not for marriage, were all actions of a hoodlum. But the truth is that nowadays, be it men or women, they all loved to act like hoodlums. If you aim for marriage in your first relationship, you would scare your lover away, instead. This is the generation when no one wants to take responsibility, utilizing youth as the most significant form of capital and reason. Those who considered themselves lady-killers in school were not willing to pursue Zhao Youyue, who seemed to be a girl that could not be easily rid of, once hooked up with. Instead, her best friend Jiang Qing was more popular, as she seemed to be a girl that was gullible and nave enough to play with, as she had big b*obs and was so talented, to be able to sing that well. In the eyes of some boys, a girl like Jiang Qing seemed to be the representative of a flirt, one filled with the sense of a sexy lady. In fact, it was similar to Zhao Youyues situation of being misunderstood as an elite female scholar from a low-income family. This was also a complete illusion! Although Jiang Qing was extremely popular among the male group, she treated them rather coldly. This was probably because she was aware of how they viewed her. Therefore, she had a wall built up against the boys. If not, girls like her would easily get involved in rumors. The boys very much loved to spread rumors about girls like her as well. As people reminisce their school days, they would probably remember such types of girls, the ones who would have slept with about every boy in school, while changing boyfriends during every alternate week. In the end, they realized that those were simply rumors. Just because that she spoke a few more sentences with some boys and just because they had walked together a few times. It was not of her own will, but the boys who took the initiative. Therefore, Jiang Qing the little angel found her life unnecessarily difficult as well. She had to suffer from the jealousy of some female students and pay attention to keeping a distance with the male students. Luckily, there was Lady Zhou who would always protect her. Zhao Youyue did not face the same trouble. This was the benefit of being low profile. Moreover, her elite scholar identity came as a shock as well. Everyone probably would subconsciously assume that a top-10 girl would not want to be in an early love relationship. Zhao Youyue was quite popular among the girls as well. This was probably due to the boasting by Jiang Qing, the little angel. All the female students knew that Zhao Youyue was unfathomable, since Jiang Qing had provided examples to testify her boasts. She would even often receive presents from Zhao Youyue. Some gifts, such as skin care products were not cheap, as Lady Zhao was rich! One indeed could do whatever he wants as long as he had money Thus, many female students in class have tried to get closer to Zhao Youyue, such as Zhao Youyues ex-deskmate, Zhou Fang, not because that she was rich, but because of her results. Zhao Youyue had totally conquered Zhou Fang. She seemed to have forgotten entirely that she once felt pity for Zhao Youyue, to see her studying within the last minute. But now, she finally realized Zhao Youyue and her were the same, they were both good children who were passionate in studying. Zhou Fang was so happy, that she wanted to invite Zhao Youyue into a study group that she had organized. It is said that most elite scholars in the class have joined the group. Of course, as this was just on the class level, the highest ranked among them would only be positioned in the top-30s when it comes to the schoolwide board. Im so sorry. Im just a bit serious during class. I actually dont like studying much. I prefer playing my mobile phone in my free time Zhao Youyue rejected indirectly. Zhou Fang was especially disappointed, because she knew that this was the truth. The truth in this world was that only very few among the students with best results were extremely hardworking. Most students only needed to pay a little attention during class, complete their homework a little more seriously, and they would be able to win the college entrance examination It turned out that the poisonous chicken soup was not poisonous at all. It was just spitting out the truth regarding lots of matters. Chapter 198 Lets donate to Zhao Youyue I never expected Zhao Youyues family to be so poor. I feel bad for her Chen Haoran sighed. It was now a self-study session. There was no teacher in charge. Therefore, the class was a mess. After all, the monthly test had just ended. Moreover, it was already June. The weather became increasingly hot, the ceiling fans in the class have all been switched on. Under cover of the sound of the ceiling fans, everyone was able to enjoy chatting and relax their tense nerves. When it was May, Zhao Youyue had participated in the provincial violin competition. She successfully passed the preliminaries. All the judges gave her high comments. They thought that she was that one violinist who respected the original composer the most. She was able to perform the specified music on point. Her skills were superb. She was like a human metronome! Such contestants might not be able to become excellent performers, because she would not please the audiences. However, she definitely could become a prize-winning machine. The judges loved her very much, and the prize-winning selection had nothing to do with the viewers. This competition was about classical music. Ignorant masses should just step aside. They did not even have the right to cheer 666s. Only the audience members with good taste could do so. In the current generation, classical music have become the niche among niches. Its sole purpose of existing was to show oneself off. Obviously, Zhao Youyue was roleplaying Gu Yuan, the protagonist of Beautiful April. Of course, she chose his younger, pre-trauma self. He was also known as the Human Metronome. The only difference was that Gu Yuans instrument was the piano. She switched on Xu Jing card when she played the violin. It sounded exactly like the performance from a textbook, without any personal emotions. If Gu Yuan also had Xu Jing card, maybe he would not be scolded by his mother for subconsciously sprinkling in his emotions while playing the piano. In fact, to be able to perform without adding any emotions was something amazing in itself. Music should be more sensible than that. Therefore, in Zhao Youyues violin teacher, Liu Yuxis opinion, her performance during the competition sounded dead. However, the judges enjoyed such a style. After all, this was a music competition, not a live concert. Ye Hai and his wife who had attended the competition were a little disappointed, as Zhao Youyue had not integrated her spirit and emotions into the music. They noticed that the violin competition was boring, and the audience was trying hard to stay awake Ye Hais wife, Li Mengyao had also read Leng Zis Beautiful April. After all, Lady Zhao had strongly recommended it. As a female, she also loved youth novels as well. In the end, she got cheated, reading up to the latest issue in one shot. The character Chu Luoxun etched a deep mark in her heart. When she read about the scenes related to Chu Luoxun, it felt as if the violin melody played by Chu Luoxun within the literary world had manifested within her ears. At first, she was expecting to be able to enjoy a performance that would be comparable to Chu Luoxuns during the violin competition. It would be nice if Zhao Youyue could perform in such a way. When Li Mengyao heard that Zhao Youyue was good at playing the violin, the first thought that appeared in her mind was that, Whos better between Zhao Youyue and Chu Luoxun? Obviously, the reality in 3D was ruthless. When the contestants are placed in the novel, they would probably become nobodies without names. The same would go to Zhao Youyue. If it was an anime, their performance would be static, like a slideshow. The characters within the scene would only start moving when the real main character appears. Animation studio funds were highly limited. It should be spent on main characters. Any nobody that makes it in a slideshow could count themselves fortunate enough. Su Li cheered loudly for Zhao Youyue, praising her skills unceasingly. Actually, she knew nothing about music. However, through her observations, the judges had kept nodding their heads when Zhao Youyue was performing. That was why she knew that Zhao Youyues skills must be very good! Of course, even if the judges did not recognize Zhao Youyue, Su Li would only think that they were blind. Lady Zhaos very good. Shes the best! Never underestimate Su Lis determination in showing her admiration towards Lady Zhao Ye Hai and his wife left Jiangnan Provincial city and returned to the capital, feeling a little sorry for Zhao Youyue. Ye Hai asked Zhao Youyue to wait for his good news. No matter what happens, he would have her be the VA for Yu Shengfan. How about the voice test? It didnt exist! Ye Hai had doggedly chosen Zhao Youyue. His instincts told him that Lady Zhao might have been possessed by Yu Shengfan. He did not even dare to talk about the mysteries that happened whenever he gets intoxicated. As for Zhao Youyues classmates, they did not know that she had participated in the provincial violin competition, and had entered the finals. The finals would be held in the middle of June. Without any exception, Chen Haoran did not know that Zhao Youyue would attend the competition as well. Still, as long as you focus on the minute details of her actions, you would notice that her family financial situation was not the same as the rumors among the males, not at all. However, Chen Haoran believed in the rumors. From time to time, he would chat with Han Leng about Zhao Youyue, ever since he had expressed his crush for her. It was like a sharing session. Han Leng heard Chen Haorans sharing and suddenly laughed, You really think that Zhao Youyues from a poor family? Shes a Lady! Han Leng had gradually reduced his concern about the inexplicable feelings he had at the beginning. Through his writings in Beautiful April, he indicated to himself, that he had put everything else down. There was only one goddess within his mind, that isChu Luoxun. After listening to Han Leng, he replied, Leng Zi, dont listen to the rumors among the females. They liked to spread rumors the most! Someone told me that he saw Zhao Youyues mother working as a street vendor, being beaten and chased away by the urban management. So miserable! No wonder Ive always felt that shes always sulking alone. Its because of the huge pressure in life. Han Lengs mouth twitched, asking, Bro, have you ever read Pure Romance? Whats that? A love novel? Hahaha, you already know that Ive no interest in that. Sci-fi is quite nice, though Chen Haoran replied. Han Leng felt helpless. Chen Haoran was clean and honest; he definitely did not read 18+ novels like Pure Romance. Han Leng felt embarrassed to talk about it as well. He could not tell Chen Haoran about his PY trade[1] with Lady Zhao as well. Han Leng also knew that Chen Haoran was a very stubborn person. The moment he makes a conclusion, he would never change his mind, unless there is actual proof. Then, whats your plan? Han Leng asked snappily. Why dont we gather all the classmates to organize a donation session for Zhao Youyue? Maybe even the whole school? After all, her study results are so good. We have to make sure that she has nothing to worry about! said Chen Haoran, earnestly. Han Leng went as white as chalk. Translation Note: [1] PY trade C PY trade refers to backdoor trade, meaning a trade is carried out behind the scenes, not intended to be discovered by anyone else. Chapter 199 Walking Out From Turbulent Puberty Han Leng was struck speechless by the stupidity of Chen Haoran, but he almost burst out laughing, thinking of the dumfounded face of Zhao Youyue upon receiving the donation, if Chen Haoran goes through with thisLady Zhao, would you have such a day too? Would it be enough for her to buy a bag? In fact, Han Leng never once knew what was in this Lady Zhaos mind. From their limited contact, it was obvious to him that Zhao Youyue was not a girl who would settle for a low profile. She always showed off her selfies among her friends and seemed to be very good at mix-matching her clothing too. Her selfies were beautiful, with perfect angles, slightly touched-up, just enough to turn her into a goddess, as she was already a beauty. But, why would she always wear a school uniform at school? Did she underestimate her peers so much, that she did not bother to flaunt herself in front of them? Well, she already was on a different level compared to them. The sense of superiority that was deep within her would leave them unworthy of knowing her any better than this This was probably what Han Leng believed. The truth was that, the school uniform was a very convenient choice, as she would not have to think about what to dress, or how her peers would perceive her. She was used to being a side character. Who would pay attention to her? There is proverb that says A girl will only doll herself up for him who loves her, and she was still a single dog. People only started to be significantly interested in her due to her recently excellent academic results, and had formed rumors to fill the gaps in her puzzle. Perhaps, someone had said that Zhao Youyue and Xu Jing, a manga character who was a poor student that loved to study, was alikebla bla bla. Eventually, others omitted the fact that Xu Jing was a fictional character, and directly described her family to be very poor, and her mother was a roadside vendor who got beaten up by the city inspector, it was very pitiful! Wang Hua, with the temperament of a missy, would have beaten those people up if she heard these rumors. An elite scholar goddess like her becoming a roadside vendor? The rumors soon spread like wildfire. Zhao Youyues excellent academic results have become the supporting evidence. If not, why would a rich mans child study so diligently? Well, students nowadays are very narrow-minded. In fact, there were some rich students whose academic results were even greater As a creator, Han Leng liked to think a lot and fantasize too, to an extreme level. He had such speculations, as he was unhappy with her status as a member of the Zhaos. On the other hand, Zhao Youyue did not overthink like everyone else. Why was wearing the school uniform equivalent to poverty? What mentality is that? From this moment, Han Leng will hinder Chen Haoran for doing so. It will definitely become a joke. Therefore, he said Dont mess up, for I know that you are a nave person. You should ask her yourself the truth. Our class has a Wechat group, right? You can add her as your Wechat friend Chen Haoran quickly declined by shaking his hand and said I can only use my phone during school breaksMoreover, it is improper to uncover other peoples wounds. Han Leng now realized that this boy never brings his cell phone to school. He always uses the public telephone in school to call his family. Oh, now you know that it is improper now. What was it you said right after the examination Without letting Han Leng finish his word, Chen Haoran quickly interrupted Stop it! I was an idiot, okay. I thought that would comfort her! Seeing Chen Haoran like this, a faint smile formed at the corner of Han Lengs mouth, thinking that talking to guys was definitely easier than talking with girls, as no scruples were needed. Why dont you ask on my behalf, Leng Zi? You add her first and let me see your conservation after that. Chen Haoran suggested, thinking that this was the best way to verify the condition of Zhao Youyues family. Initially, Hen Leng wanted to refuse, as he did not want to talk with her anymore. They were not like-minded at all! However, at that moment, the gorgeous figure of Chu Luoxun appeared in his mind suddenly. Her voice and her perfect poise while playing the violin rang through his thoughts. He smiled faintly and said, Alright, Ill ask her. Leng Zi! You are my great buddy! Chen Haoran was touched. I dont know why you would like her. There are a lot of girls who are nicer than her in this world, and now you like her just because of her excellent results. I really dont get you, said Han Leng, being blunt for once. Han Leng knew that he had completely walked out from turbulent puberty, and he had found his true love. Zhao Youyue was a past flame! When Han Leng no longer placed Zhao Youyue in his heart, he discovered that he could peacefully communicate with her, without scrupling through anything. Hence, he decided to be in touch with her and tell her of his works on Qidian Web Novel. She had always been curious about it, wasnt she? Han Leng was once a rigid person, as he cared about his personal image. Now, things have changed. He was overly obsessed with Chu Luoxun, the character he has created. No girl, in reality, could turn him on anymore! Han Leng certainly will not reveal his identity as the creator of Beautiful April, for he still had that little bit of integrity. After all, Leng Zi was the identity he used when he started using the voice changer It was now June, and the Beautiful April had been serialized for more than ten issues since April, with more than eighty thousand words released. It was almost half the number of words in the whole book, out of the two hundred thousands words that he had predicted. This fulfilled the word count of a juvenile novel. Chu Luoxun had many scenes, unleashing her astonishing musical talent again by being skillful at a variety of musical instruments, constantly guiding the male protagonist to perform by using his imagination. To bestow life into his music, she even registered him for the national level music competition, forcing him to move forward. The effect, of course, was significant. Gu Yuan, the male protagonist, had never once forgotten about the piano. With her help, he got back to his musical track again Nevertheless, this intensified the competition for the heroine. It was certainly an odd piece of work. In the novel, the three of them were good friends with no hard feelings, and there was no sign of love triangle either, yet, the readers have only continued arguing about the relationship between them! Tonicquill: I, had a drink again. Dont look at me! It was a cold day, I thought I should have some Rum for some warmth. Unfortunately, I am a lightweight. Extremely so. Fear not, for I only have one more chapter to cover today, so I should still be seeing straight when Im done. Chapter 200 A Plot That Deviates from The Original Idea The readers who argued about it were not to be blamed. The creator, Leng Zi, was simply too cunning! She had inserted a huge climax in his recent issues, which was Gu Yuan, the male protagonist being forced by Chu Luoxun to take part in the national level musical competition. As a result, Gu Yuan, who was once a famous musician, drew forth two new characters who were his ex-competitors. After knowing that he was taking part in it, one of them even gave up on the international competition for this competition! The other was a female pianist who came for the sake to meet Gu Yuan again, for she decided to become a pianist after she was influenced by his music as a child An article should have an ever-changing tone that flows like the ups and downs of a mountain range, akin to the contrast of bright, green leaves spreading out beneath the shadow of bold, red petals. Both of them were already famous young pianists in their industry, and basically, their existences were to serve as a foil to Gu Yuans. Once a creator of the literary internet world, Han Leng knew exactly how to get criticized for being pretentious. His writing style could be said to be pretentious and annoying. Everyone knew that those High God hipsters produced convoluted, unnecessarily bombastic passages, especially in the case of the High God who wrote Making a Fool of the Feudal Princes by Using Beacon-fire. It was full of pretentious content, from the main characters to the side characters. This was to better set off the greatness of the main characters. Therefore, Han Leng described Gu Yuans ex-competitors as high and mightily as he could, despite them already being the top youngest pianists that could ever exist! However, they were still obsessed about Gu Yuan and tried to get a sense of presence in front of him before the performance. Unfortunately, Gu Yuan was intrigued and had asked them, Who are you guys? Many readers would feel inexplicably satisfied when they read this in-your-face moment. This was because the male protagonist was once so great that he ranked first in every piano competition ever. Who would care about those who were constantly chasing after them? Nevertheless, Han Leng knew that he could not let the competitors be despicable culprits, unlike typical web novel antagonists. It was unnecessary to create excitement at the expense of other characters, for a juvenile novel like this. Thus, both of his competitors were set as highly disciplined performers, where one was very diligent while the other was so talented that music could be produced according to the imagination, combining with the emotion that yearned to be expressed. Unfortunately, as there was the monster level Chu Luoxun who served as a contrast, the female pianist was destined to be a narrator, explaining the state created by the male protagonists music during the competition. The appearance of the two ex-competitors stirred up a great response from the audiences, foreshadowing their greatness once again. Finally, it was the male protagonists turn! For the article to be full of ups and downs, Gu Yuan unsurprisingly messed up during the performance again. His psychological trauma resurfaced, and he could not hear the sound of the piano. Eventually, the performance fell apart! This was the agonizing part, and to make thing worst, one would need to wait for another week for the upcoming chapter. Lastly, this issue had triggered the readers of Beautiful April again. The fan group was full of Slogan Red Packets Someday with a knife in my hand, I shall kill those who love to torment! Anyway, the first ever colossal climax would occur in the next issue! After Gu Yuan stopped, the scene of his previous performance together with Chu Luoxun suddenly came to his mind, which was the same as today. However, when Chu Luoxun told him again, it stroke his soul, immediately! Many of their moments of being together flashed back in his mind. In most of them, they were talking about music. It was so relieving and warm The most unforgettable part was when they played the piano together. He was guided by her music, and gained insight of many things. That night, the music studio was lit up by the moonlight, and Chu Luoxun said, the moon is beautiful tonight. Gu Yuan agreed with it. Then, they continued playing the piano The moon was beautiful, but it was not as beautiful as the piano on that night! Music was even more beautiful! In the midst of the sound of the piano, his wounded heart was slowly healed by the ever-radiating Goddess Chu. Clearly, Han Leng did not include any romance in their interaction, not even a subtle fledging. The sweetness between Gu Yuan and Lin Meiyue, contained enough dog food as it was. The interaction between Gu Yuan and Chu Luxun was faint, just like a hedge between that which keeps friendship green. However, the deep correspondence between them in music had already expressed many details There was only music in between them. Therefore, it can be said that Leng Zi, the creator, is simply too cunning! It was so hard for the readers to choose between the correspondence among the male protagonist and the Goddess Chu or the sweet first love of him and Lin Meiyue in reality! Those who placed themselves in the role of the male protagonist wanted both! But, most of them split into two gangs! One was the gang of the Chu Luoxun goddess, the other was the gang of the first love Lin Meiyue. What agitated the gang of Chu Luoxun was the song that Gu Yuan performed again was solely dedicated to Chu Luoxun. At this moment, the first love Lin Meiyue or whoever she was, could have just gone aside and drowned herself! Wasnt this mirror the change of Han Lengs love life in reality? Zhao Youyue or whatsoever could have just gone aside and drowned herself! My Chu Luoxun is my one true love! After finishing his performance, the hall was silent. Then, the audience applauded, after being dumbfounded for a moment. The truth was that, his performance was so great, that the after sound was still lingering on in their hearts. The reaction of the audiences was even better than what the two-competitors had received. The female pianist, who had the ability of synaesthesia, had been explaining the state reached by the male protagonist. In the end, she pointed out This was a song filled with the smell of April. She perceived Gu Yuan sitting in front of the piano with his eyes closed, with a blossoming gigantic sakura tree beside him, as if the petals have scattered across the entire hall. So beautiful It had reached the huge climax. Obviously, this indicated that the male protagonist had tentatively come out from his deep psychological trauma, and he was ready to be at full throttle! The anticipation could kill readers! The Beautiful April had completely turned into a work that emphasized on music, from a refreshing love work. The music was initially intended to be an ornament Honestly, Han Leng had never thought of such a development initially, as he did not understand music much. Emphasizing on music would be revealing his weaknesses. All he wanted to do was to emphasize on the feeding of the dog food! What would it indicate, the more he emphasized on music? Shouldnt he be clear about this? However, he continued to write as so. He just could not control himself! Most importantly, the readers were excited too. Even the gang of Lin Meiyue accepted that the male protagonist had to achieve greater success in his music career On the other hand, the gang of Chu Luoxun got a stroke on their head again as they were celebrating. The illness of Chu Luoxun was gradually revealed, it was not anemia. Would a patient of anemia carry all sorts of pills? Leng Zi, have you been reading The Strongest King recently? Is your Beautiful April going to be adapted into a manga, with Su Li as the illustrator? If sowe have already called the police! Chapter 201 Sweet It should be noted that readers of juvenile novels nowadays have a more considerable endurance capacity, unlike those readers on the internet, who will give up reading after noticing some faults. Although few readers had been deceived by the recommendation of Qidian Youyue Tycoon, jumping around and wanting Leng Zi to guarantee that she will not mistreat Goddess Chu, this did not move the mainstream readers of the juvenile novel. Even though she had given her word, was it genuine? Or it was just a flag [1]? Now, Chu Luoxun and Lin Meiyue, the two female characters, have caused much dispute among the mainstream readers. Concerning the interaction between the male protagonist and the Goddess Chu in music, or him getting closer to Lin Meiyue romantically, neither side could ever come to an agreement. According to the fan club of Lin Meiyue, Leng Zi has already guaranteed a perfect love between Gu Yuan and Lin Meiyue. Chu Luoxun did not even intend to compete with Lin Meiyue; she had even assisted them Now, they had time to date every day. Lin Meiyue was jealous, even C not because of Goddess Chu but Wang Yan, her bestie. She was always around Gu Yuan, using music discussion as her reason. Of course, Wang Yan would be rejected. With her musical standard that was incomparable to Lin Yuemei, did she even qualify to discuss music with Gu Yuan? However, Lin Yuemei was unhappy since she had once accidentally discovered Gu Yuan and Wang Yan alone together. Gu Yuan was misunderstood at that time, as it was a coincidence. He and Lin Meiyue had agreed to meet at the library, but awkwardly, Wang Yan came before she did. At a crucial time such as this, Goddess Chu, the queen of assists had to come into play. She treated Lin Meiyue as her own sister, not only guiding her in music but had also encouraged her to be more proactive, and to be firm in her relationship, not allowing the tides to take her. As for a treacherous person like Wang Yan, Goddes Chu gave her a lesson by using music, telling her that she was not qualified to discuss music with the male protagonist. Chu Luoxun had even created an opportunity for the male protagonist and the heroine to be together alone, at a French-style cake shop, owned by her family. And thus, her family background was finally uncovered. She was not just a missy, her familys financial situation was rather lavish too. Her parents cake shop had its own franchise and was a well-known brand. This cake shop was where she could often be found, and what she did there depended on her mood. The shop was full of harmony and art. There was a variety of musical instruments as well, all of which she knew how to play. It was a double-story shop. Chu Luoxun stayed upstairs alone while leaving Gu Yuan and Lin Meiyue by their lonesome two. She even prepared the cakes and the milk tea for them; all of which were free of charge. With the assistance of Chu Luoxun, they had managed to hold each other hands and confirmed their relationship as a couple. However, they did not want to reveal it in school, due to their shyness. Gu Yuan and Lin Meiyue were naturally intrigued by the unconditional assistance of Chu Luoxun. Chu Luoxun had simply said that she could gain many forms of musical inspirations from their beautiful relationship. Even so, they were still not convinced. Without talking nonsense, Chu Luoxun sat in front of the piano in the cake shop, and played and sang the song, Sweet I gently tasted the love you said which was for me And felt the aftertaste of your tenderness I gently tasted the sweetly scented temptation I gently tasted the love you said which was for me I reluctantly ate the smiling candy I gently tasted it, even though theres only a little left Ill eat all of your love Undoubtedly, this Sweet was quite similar to South Mountain, which was written by the creator in his intoxicated state. They had thought that the lyrics were all their original creation When Han Leng reread the lyrics himself, his ears could hear the melody! Even Chu Luoxuns pleasant voice could be heard. After all, she was a talented musical all-rounder, good singing was a must! Han Leng was most pleased with the lyrics he wrote under the exploding tirade of his inspirations, even being too confident in himself, thinking that C wouldnt it be mind-blowing if he can get a talented composer to turn it into a thing? Han Leng thought of Zhao Youyue, but he quickly shook his head. It was impossible for her to be able to compose a song. She was not the Goddess Chu that he created! If Zhao Youyue could do so, he will dress as a woman! Thats right. He had set this song as a spontaneous improvisation of Chu Luoxun to elaborate on her musical talent. He then rendered the song in words of how sweet and how mellifluous it was, representing the love of Gu Yuan and Lin Meiyue. Under the influence of the superb writing style and the sweet lyrics to seal the deal, the readers would smell the freshness too! Honestly, the first love of Gu Yuan and Lin Meiyue was indeed sweet and very stable, as they moved forward steadily. However, some readers thought that Chu Luoxun should be the one for Gu Yuan, as Lin Meiyue was too mediocre and temperamental. Although this portrayed the cuteness of the character, the bighearted Chu Luoxun was far more preferable by their standards. How could Lin Meiyue be compared to her warmth which was like a sunshine? Some of the readers had pointed out that if Lin Meiyue is like a neighborhood girl that one could find everywhere, then the existence of Chu Luoxun would be the epitome of many mens dream girls. Would such a girl exist in reality? Isnt the purpose of the novel to turn fantasy into reality? Therefore, people hoped that Leng Zi would think thoroughly on finalizing the choice of the heroine. Although the relationship of Gu Yuan and LinMeiyue had been confirmed, they were not yet married, right? So, was this room for Gu Yuan to change his mind? The suggestion was rejected. Gu Yuan was not a playboy in Beautiful April. He was so innocent that he needed a truckload of assists to eventually confirm his relationship with Lin Meiyue. Moreover, he was sure that he only liked Lin Meiyue. He was not as obtuse as the other male protagonists and did not even hesitate when confessed to by other girls. For instance, he had outrightly rejected Wang Yan who had done everything she could to win his heart. Also, his ability to reproduce music precisely down to the final note had been recognized by many readers. Otherwise, no readers would think that he was well-matched with the Goddess Chu. It would certainly ruin his image if Gu Yuan becomes unfaithful Han Leng was definitely not going to do so, although he himself had become unfaithful, in reality. He would only express his love for Chu Luoxun through describing her music, and her pure love for music. He was so cunning, that the readers have gone by themselves and made up a love triangle, even thought he had not written so. Some even firmly believed that the Sweet was written by Chu Luoxun, for Gu Yuan. This song fooled Gu Yuan and Lin Meiyue into completely believing in Chu Luoxuns beautiful lies. Lin Meiyue happily recorded this song. She and Gu Yuan would listen to it whenever they were alone by using earphones, sitting close to each other and holding hands. Their souls got closer because of it This was the sweetness of first love! Chu Luoxun was alone whenever they were together, indulging herself in music under the beautiful moonlight. The moonlight was beautiful as usual. Just that, with some loneliness. This scene of loneliness had appeared in Han Lengs mind before he took the initiative to contact Zhao Youyue, and his heart seemed to calm down. Chu Luoxun definitely did not belong to the male protagonist but him, the creator! Long time no see, Lady Zhao. Han Leng sent his message. Translation Note: [1] A flag is an internet slang that means a persons conduct is different from what he has promised. Chapter 202 I Have Someone That I Like After reading Han Lengs message, Zhao Youyue did feel that anything was off. She was not like Han Leng who could imagine a plot with millions of words. Well, this was the greatness of a creator, to be able to turn anything into an article. Zhao Youyue simply replied Are you sure, The Great Scholar Han? Dont we see each other in school every day, and you seem to smile more often recently. Anything good happened? Her tone was as cold as usual, even the same in replying messages. However, she would sometimes add emoticons to act cutely, even if her heart was dead inside. This had to be the attitude of a saint person. One word was enough to describe hercalm. She had replied instantly, as she happened to be playing her phone on her bed after taking a shower. As planned, today was another session of her troublemaking. Beautiful April was already half-way through the plot. Although the reaction of the readers was different from what she expected, it still fulfilled her plans. Indeed, she never thought that many readers would ship Chu Luoxun and Gu Yuan, the male protagonist. They seldom interacted with each other in reality, and they did not even have each others WeChat. Chu Luoxun would find Lin Meiyue whenever she wants to contact Gu Yuan. This was the reason why Lin Meiyue was not worried about Chu Luoxun. This perfect Goddess Chu Luoxun was such an honest person. From any aspect, she seemed to be selfless. She wanted to save Gu Yuan from the chasm, while unreservedly teaching Lin Meiyue how to play the violin. This had improved Lin Meiyues skills tremendously. For Lin Meiyue, Chu Luoxun was her most respected grandmaster, her role model. She wished to become outstanding like her someday, getting others attention whenever she goes. She also hoped to catch up to Gu Yuan in terms of music. Chu Luoxun would not be like this, if it was a love triangle. She would have been described as a very jealous person. However, she had been described as a benign and openhearted person, without any trace of jealousy at all. She was very happy to see Gu Yuan and Lin Meiyue being together. Could someone tell if a girl likes a guy, when she has no jealousy? This was the reason why Lin Meiyues fan club did not hate Chu Luoxun, there was no reason for them to accuse her of anything. It would be strange for a mistress to behave like this, right? Plus, the fan club of Chu Luoxun, which was especially fond of imagination, believed that everything had already been expressed through music, and even perceived that Chu Luoxun had confessed, with the phrase the moonlight is so beautiful was obvious. Then, Gu Yuan had responded to her too, by using a song that told the tale of April Their souls had truly interlinked, and in a sense that transcends their dimension, they were a couple! However, everything was merely their imagination and fantasy. They had to admit that Lin Meiyues status as the girlfriend was unshakable. They could not call her bitch either, as she had no agendas of her own, and she did not even know how to keep a firm grasp on the male protagonist. Luckily Chu Luoxun assisted her through every step, or else, her bestie would have ruined everything. If Lin Meiyue were a calculative person, she would have disagreed to letting Chu Luoxun and Gu Yuan perform together. She trusted both of them; they were merely partners in music. Even the fan club of Chu Luoxun could not bear to hurt such a nave and sentimental, cute girl! Lin Meiyue represented the most beautiful form of romantic first love, and who would not want a fruitful ending with his first love? In conclusion, the Beautiful April was already half-way through the plotline, a work which goes against the typical juvenile novel where the male protagonist and the heroine are persistently hesitant in confirming their relationship. Even those dog blood love triangle plotlines in other novels would appear to be tragic when compared to this piece of work. However, some readers were saying that they could not see through Chu Luoxun, unsure if she was telling lies. Well, perhaps the secret of Chu Luoxun would be revealed at the end of the story? Anyway, this atypical juvenile novel found unexpected success! A certain teen film director expressed in his Weibo that this work was very suitable to be adapted into a film, and he would love to do it He was badly criticized as his previous teen films had consisted heavily of dog blood love triangle and abortion plots. He would have ruined the original work, right? Furthermore, the fan club of Chu Luoxun had affirmed that no one would be able to play this girls role in reality. Do not let the Goddess Chu be humiliated by those actresses. Zhao Youeyue also participated enthusiastically in the debate of these two gangs, and of course, she belonged to the fan club of Lin Meiyue. The perfect first love was the best, and the dog food it served was very delicious. As for Chu Luoxun, she could just become the bgm [1]. As the story has now come to this state, Chu Luoxun had undoubtedly become the most popular character.Zhao Youyue could already gain the character card if she stopped now. Nonetheless, she refused to do so, having gone through the painful lesson of Yu Shengfan. What would she do if Chu Luoxun does not die and Leng Zi continues to write about her? She even worried that Leng Zi would lose his mind and join the fan club of Chu Luoxun, becoming biased, himself. That would be interesting! Therefore, she would only be at ease by using death to withdraw from the scenes. Everything would be set in stone, by then. At that moment, Han Leng instantly received Zhao Youyues reply. Usually, he would be fantasizing something between the two of them, but his mind was now occupied by his Goddess Chu, so he did not feel anything for the girl who was merely a side character Indeed, something good happened! Oh, what is it? I have someone that I like. Thats great! Very interesting. Who is the girl who is able to cause a flutter in The Great Scholar Hans heart? Zhao Youyue began to be interested and asked in curiosity. She did not have any unusual reaction after knowing that Han Leng had someone he liked. Han Leng noticed Zhao Youyues simply wanted to gossip. He sighed. What he had thought previously was merely his imagination. Nevertheless, his spirits were raised after thinking of the Goddess Chu and said, She is not from our school, but what I want to say is that she is perfect, even better and prettier than you! Now, Han Leng no longer cared about Zhao Youyues feelings. He blurted told the truth. Zhao Youyue smiled kindly after reading the message. She was genuinely praying for the happiness of Han Leng and that he could be together with the goddess soon. Han Leng was ashamed to tell that the person he liked was the character in his book So, what is your purpose of finding me this time? Not just to tell me this, right? Zhao Youyue faintly asked. Translation Note: [1] Bgm is the initials of background music. Chapter 203 Han Lengs growth Han Leng nearly forgot his true purpose. He was a little carried away, which made it seem like he was trying to tease Zhao Youyue. However, he had failed to do so. Zhao Youyue was The Saintly Yue. She could not catch on to the implication of his words. She did not know that Han Leng had gone through a great romance with her in his imagination. Now, he was dumping her, and she was now his ex-girlfriend Sometimes, humans would behave in such a childish way. For instance, they would show off to their exes when they have found a better partner. This was what Han Leng did, just then. Unfortunately, Zhao Youyue took it as a show. She perceived the teasing as a way of saying that beauty is in the eyes of the beholder. She understood that the youngsters in the pubescent stage loved to beautify their partners. Zhao Youyues reaction can be concluded to be calm and mildly curious. Nonetheless, she would not get to the bottom of it, if Han Leng does not intend to tell who he liked. It was none of her business, right? The former Han Leng would have been depressed as he could not make her jealous, even slightly. That would mean that he had been lost in his own delusions Now, whenever he thinks of Chu Luoxun, his whole body would be filled with energy! It was as if the Goddess Chu had saved not only the male protagonist in the novel but also his dark youth. He had found a new spiritual sustenance. In addition, Han Leng did not have to worry about being unable to express his love, as he was expressing his passionate love to Chu Luoxun whenever he writes about her. He must place her on the altar! Turn her into the goddess of the nation! However, she would forever belong to him, the creator. Even the male protagonist would have to stand aside! Firstly, he deleted all of their previous conversations and then naturally replied, Its like this, you know, Chen Haoran who sits beside me believes the rumors about you, and he has even thought of calling on the whole class to make a donation for in your favor. In retrospect, Zhao Youyue recalled that Chen Haoran was the elite scholar in science subjects, the representative maths in the class, but now he looked like an idiot. Rumors? What rumors? Zhao Youyue asked. With you are studying like that Xu Jing recently and your soaring results, a certain somebody thinks that your family is poor, that your dad is in the hospital, and your mother was chased away by the city inspectors while street vending What? Zhao Youyue was dumbfounded. His father a hospital director, and her mother was a beautiful professor of Jiangnan University, an author of pure literature. How could it turn out like this Oh oh. Perhaps you do not know who Xu Jing is. She is the elite female scholar in the recently popular anime, Pure Romance. Her family is poor, but she is strongly self-reliant. Han Leng explained it all to Zhao Youyue calmly. The former him would have been too embarrassed to mention Pure Romance. as it was a manga with sex elements. I know who Xu Jing is. I am a good friend of Su Li, the mangaka of Pure Romance. But, many female students in the class like to study, why me? Obviously, Zhao Youyue had not yet recovered from the setting of the Side Character. She was not a side character anymore, but a top ten big boss in the school in three major examinations! Now, Han Leng recalled that Zhao Youyue was [Youyue] tycoon, a well-known Qidian reader, the kind that interacted with many High God Authors. He saw a photo of her and Su Li before, but he just did not remember it at that moment. At that point, Han Leng felt that something was wrong. Why would she get mixed up with a deceiving mangaka like Su Li, and even seem to be one of her loyal readers After thinking it through, he realized that Zhao Youyue did not seem to be a pretentious person as he had once thought. Then, he had a sudden revelation, the Zhao Youyue that he once liked was merely his imagination, his twisted fantasy. This was similar to the Lin Meiyue in the novel; jealousy was one of her defining traits. However, the cold and aloof Zhao Youyue would never, ever be that sort. Perhaps, the real Zhao Youyue greatly differed from what he had imagined. Han Leng instantly felt that he had greatly matured. He would like to thank, of course, his Goddess Chu first, for finally giving him the strength to face all the women in this world with the utmost superior attitude, and scornfully telling them off Humph, women. Maybe you are too low-profile in the classwhy dont you do something to prove that you are not a poor elite scholar, but a missy tycoon. Han Leng replied. Well, your suggestion is great, Ill prove it tomorrow. Thank you The Great Scholar Han for bringing this matter to me. If there is nothing else, I am going to sleep now Oh yea, didnt you keep asking me what my pen name is on Qidian? It is Sour Oranges, and the title of the book is Conquering the World in Online Games. Thats all, theres nothing else, I am going to write now. Alright. Good night, The Great Scholar Han. Sleep tight. After ending the conversation, Zhao Youyue only came to realize that Han Leng had changed. Previously, he had been reluctant to reveal what his books were, no matter what, and no longer spoke like an awkward, angry young man anymore. He showed much more restraint now. He had matured a lot. Zhao Youyue was naturally happy about it. Who would not like a person who could communicate well? Before this, he had always choked on his words, not knowing what to reply as he would never once utter an appropriate line, always aiming for the best, dramatic effect in a conversation Formerly, Han Leng would always alter his messages before sending them to Zhao Youyue. Now, he could say whatever he wanted; nothing could restrain him anymore. Thank you, Goddess Chu! He was free. Soon, Zhao Youyue discovered how to prove that she was not poor. There would be a sports class tomorrow, and everyone would surely be thirsty after exercising. Lets buy them a box of Gatorade. Besides that, she did not forget to Amway Leng Zis Beautiful April to the whole class. She decided to buy each and every one of them, ten issues of Meng Ya in the name of improving their essay writing level. Well, there was another nickname for Beautiful April now, which wasApril is your full marks essay. Inside it, the psychological state of the male protagonist would be described in rather bombastic, hipster-like terms, while the heroine or the Goddess Chu that would be described with a variety of elegant phrases which were suitable for writing essays. An idea suddenly dawned on her. Could Leng Zi be a female high school student? She shut her eyes while thinking about it. Again, she entered the literary world, and resumed her journey of trouble-making. Chapter 204 : Finally, something happened to Goddess Chu It turned out that it is not easy to prove that you are not poor. Zhao Youyue went ahead and carried out her simple idea. It was not to prove that she was a tycoon. It was simply meant to prove that her family was not poor! The rumors changed once more, saying that she chose to suffer, acting rich when she was actually not However, everyone only took more pity on her. They promised not to talk about her family financial conditions anymore. Anyway, as long as she has flying colors, she was still worthy of being respected, regardless of her family conditions! Zhao Youyue had given up explaining. The more she explained, the worse things became. Some people were truly silly! She consoled herself, At least, Master Leng Zis Beautiful April has been AMWAYed, it was worth it! Han Leng was also speechless. Why couldnt the rumor spreaders add Zhao Youyues Wechat ID and take a look at her newsfeed, or her friend list? At the same time, Han Leng was touched by Zhao Youyues efforts in AMWAYing Beautiful April. He had a feeling that she was not planning to prove her Lady identity. Her actual purpose was to AMWAY the novel However, no matter how touched Han Leng was, he would not lose his focus on Goddess Chu! Luckily, his best brother Chen Haoran finally realized that Zhao Youyue was not a poor elite scholar. She was a Lady tycoon. She was a person who would travel around the world every long holiday Therefore, Chen Haoran gave up on his funny plan on the donation for Zhao Youyue. Instead, he took the initiative to refute the rumors for Zhao Youyue. However, it was not proving to be very effective. Someone seemed to be giving Zhao Youyue a firm label She is an inspirational girl. Although her family is poor, she studied hard. She is full of positive energy. She is the example for all students! Zhao Youyues attitude towards this matter was like Yeah yeah yeah, Youre right. Im so poor. Therefore I study hard, because knowledge can change my destiny! Regardless of everything else, she was in a good mood. She was still delighted with her progress within the literary world. In the literary world. Chu Luoxun received an invitation to the celebration concert. It was a special public performance to commemorate something. This performance was precisely meant to celebrate Chu Luoxuns participation in the music competition. That had also been the first ensemble between her and Gu Yuan. Those who are able to attend the performance were the winners and the top runner-ups. This was not a competition anymore. It was a real concert. The more personal touches, the better. This was the opportunity for Chu Luoxun and the male protagonist, Gu Yuan to have a public ensemble for the second time. Gu Yuan remembered the wonderful experience when he had his first public ensemble with Chu Luoxun. He chose to agree, spurred on by Lin Meiyues encouragement. Chu Luoxun chose to perform Loves Sorrow by Fritz Chrysler[1]. Gu Yuan seemed to have remembered something. He wanted to switch it to a vibrant and popular song. However, Chu Luoxun had already set her mind, ignoring Gu Yuans refutation. Anyway, they were only serving as foils, a low-key song like this would be suitable for their roles. Actually, Chu Luoxun knew something else. This was a knot within Gu Yuans heart His mothers most favorite song. What made you choose to face the piano again? asked Gu Yuans father. One day in April, I met a violinist who was blessed by the God of Music. She was always full of absolute confidence. She had an extremely confident smile. Even when she encounters troubles during her performance, she would continue her performance. I was forcefully pushed onto the stage by her. Yet, I found a scenery the likes of which I have never seen beforeand I want to take a look at that beautiful scenery once more. replied Gu Yuan. Gu Yuans father was very pleased. He knew that Gu Yuan was stepping out from his mental shadow. Chu Luoxun started her ensemble with Gu Yuan. Lin Meiyue joined them at the same time. Chu Luoxun was slowly preparing to have Lin Meiyue take her place. There was once upon a time when the three of them walked back home together. Night had already fallen. They passed by a forest. There were many fireflies within the forest. Chu Luoxun could not help feeling that the fireflies were like the lights of life. They were so weak, yet they were desperately glowing, just like heartbeats. With Han Lengs hipster writing, this Forest of Fireflies scenery was absolutely beautiful. It was obviously another foreshadow Chu Luoxun was like the sun, shining brightly forever. However, her body was actually as fragile as those fireflies. How much longer would she hold out? Chu Luoxun was hugging her favorite violin, asking it to accompany her longer. Just when expectations reached the peak, when numerous readers in reality expected to enjoy Chu Luoxun and Gu Yuans second ensemble, something happened to Chu Luoxun in the end. She had been putting in so much effort when practicing the Loves Sorrow with Gu Yuan. Yet, she did not appear on time, on the actual day. No one was able to contact her via phone. Many audiences and judges who were present on that day expected Chu Luoxuns performance the most, especially the judge who appreciated her flair the most. He indicated that he had not been so excited for a very long time. He was just like Chu Luoxuns top fan. Gu Yuan and Lin Meiyue chose to buy more time for Chu Luoxun. They asked for the next violinist, hoping that he could perform in advance, but were eventually rejected. The violinist expressed his disdain towards Chu Luoxun, saying that her performance was a mess. She did not respect the competition or the judges. He further concluded that her lifestyle must be very messy as well. Just because she had some talent, she had gotten carried away, being late as if nothing happened. There goes the twist again. Han Leng would never allow a single dull moment. If the ensemble just happens like that without any rivals, how would the readers get excited? Gu Yuan thought that the violinists words were a bit too much. However, the violinist said, Isnt the current situation proof in itself? The violinist indicated that the soul of music lay within the music score. That messy improvisation should not be called as music at all! Gu Yuan was stunned. He seemed to be seeing a ghost of himself from the past In the past, Gu Yuan was also a pianist who would have stood firmly behind that idea! He laughed. First, he apologized sincerely to the violinist. Then, Chu Luoxuns music echoed within his mind again. He laughed with more confidence and spoke to the violinist version of Gu Yuan,Although youre the final contestant, were the main protagonists today! Gu Yuan pulled Lin Meiyue onto the stage! Translation Note: [1] Loves Sorrow by Fritz Chrysler C Fritz Chrysler (February 2, 1875 January 29, 1962) was an Austrian-born violinist and composer. One of the most noted violin masters of his day, and regarded as one of the greatest violin masters of all time, he was known for his sweet tone and expressive phrasing. Loves Sorrow was one of his compositions, published in 1905. Chapter 205 Fate The ensemble of Gu Yuan and Lin Meiyue was indeed very successful. However, Gu Yuans piano was the main character while her violin was merely an accompaniment Gu Yuan had never thought of trying to improvise with Lin Meiyue; he played according to his tempo. In the beginning, it seemed like he was venting his anger out. Then, he thought of his mother, who loved him the most, again and not his inner demons. The reason his mother had treated him so strictly was due to the fact that she was running out of time. She felt that desperate urgency. She hoped that he could perform according to the taste of the judges. The more prizes he won, the more popular he would become. At least, he could make a living by playing the piano. As they performed, Lin Meiyue felt for the first time, the stark difference between her and Chu Luoxun. She simply could not attain that synchronicity that Chu Luoxun had with Gu Yuan in music. She was just a makeweight. Nonetheless, she deeply remembered the ensemble of Chu Luoxun and Gu Yuan. Their postures looked like they were going to battle, and they were competing to take the lead role. As a result, they managed to perform an amazing song. It seemed that Lin Meiyues innate nature as a side character had been fully displayed in this ensemble. The audiences were attracted by Gu Yuan as his Liebesleid delivered the warmth of a mothers love. He was gently stroking the piano, just like his mother had used to stroke his head He recalled an afternoon where he asked his mother why she chose Liebesleid over Le plaisir damour. She told him that he should get used to sorrow first. Gu Yuan had completely said goodbye to his mother after he finished playing the Lielesbeid. The soul of his mother which kept haunting him had disappeared, not in the way you think, it had entered his heart and gave him power! At that moment, he suddenly came to realize that the one who made him choose this song was Chu Luoxun! She was the one who made him face his past again, genuinely understanding the most profound love of his mother for him and coming out entirely of his psychological trauma! But, now, she was not the one who was performing together with him Strangely, he felt slightly lonely, for she did not hear this performance which made him feel as if he had been reborn. This Lieslesbeid had conquered not only the audiences, but also the violinist version of Gu Yuan. He too thought of the love of his mother. He was completely affected and, now, he looked at Gu Yuan with respect. Thus, this violinist had walked up the stage as a new person, and performed a piece that could not be said to be a precise reproduction of the score! Unfortunately, his scene was skimmed over, as he was not the main character. Chu Luoxuns absence in this scene, was to dissect Gu Yuans inner world, allowing him to come out from the shadows of his mother altogether. Previously, many readers had complained that they hated this cold-hearted mother who caused him the loss of his musical soul, but, they were about to get a slap on their faces, as the deep love of his mother was the real tearjerker! This plot was exceptionally emotional! Of course, the image of Gu Yuan as a handsome pianist was building up in the heart of the readers. For Gu Yuan, perhaps the death of his mother was a regretful matter, but it would push him to take a great leap in his musical journey, as long as he manages to come out from the trauma Regrettably, he could not make it by himself, until he met her. Then, the question arose. Where was the absent Chu Luoxun? He was still concerned over the absence of Chu Luoxun as Lin Meiyue couldnt be compared to her skills. She needed more time for progression. He thought that perhaps, he could find her in the music studio of their school. Well, he did not have her contact, not knowing her phone number and Wechat Now, he realized that he did not understand her at all because there was only music between them. Alone, he played The Nocturne by Chopin in the music studio. The melody of this song was gentle, expressing the serenity in the loneliness, which gave the feeling of one who was silently cogitating under the moonlight. He closed his eyes, and his nose smelled the light, delicate scent of her body, as if she was sitting beside him, playing the piano together. It must be her whom he had his first ensemble with Unfortunately, it was too late for him to realize that. Gu Yuan and Lin Meiyue were a couple now, and he really liked her. However, he knew that he had chosen Chu Luoxun in music, not because of love but more like a friend with the same ideals. He seemed to be indulging in the beautiful moonlight, reminiscing their musical moment. Then, Lin Meiyue came to the music studio and said in worried Sister Chu sheshe has been admitted to the hospital! After hearing this, Gu Yuan ran to the hospital without saying anything. Looking at his retreating back, Lin Meiyue was slightly dumbfounded. If this was an animation, the bullet curtains would have turned green. However, Lin Meiyue was as nave as usual, totally believing in them. Thus, she did not overthink it and ran to catch up to Gu Yuan. The foreshadowings were slowly being revealed. It was the same hospital where Chu Luoxun did her body check-up, using anemia as an excuse. Gu Yuan opened the door of the ward. Chu Luoxun was not the person that he saw, but it was his late mother. His pupils contracted But, his mothers face disappeared, the next moment. It was replaced by the face of Chu Luoxun which was always smiling. Her speech sounded optimistic and confident as usual How was the musical concert? I wanted to call you yesterday to tell you that I was coming, but, my body did not allow me to do sorenunciation is the only choice. I am very sorry that I did not make it. Gu Yuan was gasping for air. Looking at her, he discovered that her body was very skinny. She looked elegant that time on stage in the long dress, but, now, her head was wrapped in bandages, and she was on an IV drip. He face was as pale as a piece of paper, and her lips had vanished into that mist of sickly white. Zhao Youyue, who was possessing Chu Luoxun, felt the pain too. The former Chu Luoxun who burned her body and soul for the final, powerful outbursts of her performance, was now suffering from the lash back. Now, Zhao Youyue realized for the first time that she was most fortunate to have a healthy body. Since then, possessing Chu Luoxun had gave her great pain, but she was sticking to it! The illness of Chu Luoxun was different from Yu Shengfan. Even though that loli was moments from dying, she was still able to play one last game at full strength. On the other hand, Chu Luoxun had succumbed to a chronic disease where she could only witness her body wasting away and losing the strength to produce the music that was a life. This would be the most painful form of torment, worse than Yu Shengfan, as Yu Shengfan was able to play the game before her death. As for Chu Luoxun, her talents, her skills, were all going to be taken away from her! Meanwhile, Chu Luoxun had to smile while looking at the affection between Gu Yuan and Lin Meiyue Chapter 206 Leaving the Sadness to Myself Lin Meiyue was much more careful compared to Gu Yuan. She treated Chu Luoxun, who was not related to her by blood, as her own sister. It so happened that the effort Chu Luoxun had put into assisting her was even higher than her own biological sister. This probably was a juvenile novel, where the whole world was assisting the male protagonist and the heroine. Whether Lin Meiyue and Gu Yuan would be able to be sure of their relationship without Chu Luoxun, even the Goddess was not confident about it. Therefore, Lin Meiyue brought Chu Luoxun some comforting goods; they were all her favorite sweets, cakes, chocolate, etc. Then, Chu Luoxun smiled even brighter, of course, and hugged Lin Meiyue, saying, it was too bad that she was not a man, otherwise, she would marry her! Thats right. Lin Meiyue was a very gentle, kind and innocent girl, carrying the most beautiful soul. Unfortunately, she was not good at expressing herself which made her easy to miss. Chu Luoxun had even warned Gu Yuan to treat her well. If not, she would keep haunting him, even when she becomes a ghost! At that moment, she was extremely lively and optimistic. Thus, when Lin Meiyue inquired on her condition, she confidently replied Well, it is just a general body check-up! I am fine; there is nothing wrong with my body! However, Gu Yuan doubted it, for this was already her second check-up within a short span of time. He could not restrain himself and ask, Didnt you just go for one not long ago? His meaning was clear. Why would someone go for a body check-up again, in such a short period of time? As usual, Chu Luoxun remained smiling, and said without any hesitation, There was nothing unusual before this, so nothing unusual was required. But, there seems to be a problem with my head now, and it looks like Ill have to stay here for a bit. It turns out that she had collapsed on her way to the competition and had bruised her beautiful face and radiant forehead The injury was nothing more than a graze. It was not the reason why she lay in bed now, but she had used it to cover up the fact that something far more severe ailed her. I get tired easily, and I may have overexerted myself a wee bitI will be fine after resting adequately, and youll soon see me back in school again! The energetic voice of Chu Luoxun always made people feel that she is indeed vigorous, if you could look past that hollow, pale face. After hearing that, the innocent Lin Meiyue was happy for her, of course. She wished Chu Luoxun a speedy recovery and hoped to continue learning the violin from her. Nevertheless, Gu Yuan still did not believe her. He felt that her answer had the makings of a pre-prepared speech. Chu Luoxun was not as nave as Lin Meiyue. She had a keen mind, and she could see through any smokescreen and superficiality with just one look, just like how she noticed that Gu Yuan and Lin Meiyue liked each other. Then, with her various forms of assistance and match-making efforts, they finally held each other hands and confirmed their relationship as a couple. The Goddess Chu was a girl who completely understood the ways of the world. In reality Chu Luoxun had the same disease as Gu Yuans late mother. Her body would slowly become weak; she would not lose her strength to even lift the violin and, she wouldnt be able to even walk. She would have to remain in a wheelchair This was fate. This was karma. By this, it perfectly fulfilled the stereotypical drama and structure of a juvenile novel, just like the proverb that goes without coincidences, there can be no stories. However, would reality ever bear witness to such ridiculous coincidences? After Gu Yuan and Lin Meiyue left the room, the smile on Chu Luoxun face disappeared. Giving her smile to the world and other people while leaving the sadness to herself, was already second nature to her. Hence, she had written a song named I Left the Sadness to Myself according to what she felt I think its because I wasnt gentle enough I cant share my sadness Leaving the sadness to my self Letting you take off with your beauty Thereafter I have no reason to be happy anymore I think I can bear the sadness Pretending that youve never entered my life before Think of me occasionally Can you think of me too Can you Can you Of course, the you referred to the performance. As for a girl who loved music with her life, how sorrowful would it be, to lose the ability to perform? Leng Zi, the creator, pointed this out after rereading the lyrics in the novel. However, the gang of Chu Luoxun would disagree with her explanations. Instead, they would think that this song had been dedicated to Gu Yuan and, your beauty was clearly referring to Lin Meiyue! Besides that, I think its because I wasnt gentle enough fulfilled the characteristics of Chu Luoxun. She was very optimistic, tough and confident, yet, she seldom portrayed the tenderness of a little girl, creating a distinct contrast between herself and Lin Meiyue, who was careful and gentle. Even Gu Yuan has said before, that the understanding and caring personality of Lin Meiyue attracted him the most. These were nowhere to be found in Chu Luoxun who was careless, mean and vigorous. She would always force him to move on without considering his opinions, be it placing him on the stage, or choosing Liebesleid for him. If it is Lin Meiyue, she would not have used such assertive methods. To be honest, most men would prefer a girl like Lin Meiyue. As for an eye-catching goddess like Chu Luoxun, her tenderness would only exist in music. Along with that, her vulnerability, loneliness, sadness Nonetheless, it had been proven that she had allowed a once fallen genius to rise up again, better than he ever was. He was not a pianist who performed according to the music book, but a pianist who could form an intense resonance with the audiences! Could this be considered as the tenderness of Chu Luoxun? Inside the ward, Chu Luoxun put down the song that she had completed as the nurse stepped in. Apparently, she was not come to check on her, but to refill the drip. All sorts of medicine were strewn across her tray, indicating that she was going to be damned soon. Upon seeing the nurse, Chu Luoxun showed her bright smile again. Even the nurse could not resist her charm. The nurse could only flash her a sad, sorrowful smile. She was feeling absolutely sorry for the fate of this beautiful young girl. She did not know that Chu Luoxun knew how to play the violin, but she knew that Chu Luoxun could play the guitar. She would sing and play in the garden of the hospital whenever she had the energy; all of which would be her own her songs, each of them as pleasant as she was. One would be lost in the sound of her voice, unknown to time, nor known to self. She was unsure when this rapid deterioration begun, but she sure felt like a flower that was slowly withering away, as she did not have the energy to sing anymore. All she could do was to hold a pen and keep writing new songs, while continuing to pursue her love for music in what way she can Tonicquill: Kyoukai Senjou No Horizon. Check it out. The protag was crazy enough to make a vow with the powers that be in exchange for a powerful boost in abilities, on the condition that he doesnt get sad, ever. If he drops his smile for an instance, he would DIE. Anyway, hope you enjoyed the chapter. Chapter 207 : Even the Creator Himself Sheds Tears! Why? The audience would not think it unusual for you to not perform,Chu Luoxun asked while smiling. Gu Yuan, alone, came to visit Chu Luoxun again, as he was anxious about her. At firstI felt like you were reeling me into a nasty trap. However, the sound disappeared in the middle of the performance. I recalled my moms words, and scent, and all the memories of her transformed into music notes that danced in the air. Such a performance was indeed unforgettable. Gu Yuan said. Really? By nature, it seems that youre more of a performer, not a prize-winning machine or a human metronome. What an admirable, innate talent, Chu Luoxun was pleased. Because she knew that Gu Yuan finally had created his own musical path. I knew it. That song was chosen especially for me, right? The Liebesleid. That song made me think of my mom, the scent of the softener she used for our clothes, the faint piano sound that can be heard by the sleeping child, the gentle hum of her lullaby, the smell of antiseptic, the echoing footsteps, and the slightly faded linoleum flooryou know that I have a lot of memories of the hospital. Now, you are reminding me of those memories. In the end, Gu Yuans voice became low. I really want to hear you play the piano nowI really want to have an ensemble with you.Chu Luoxun was smiling, but, there were tears in the corner of her eyes. However, the ray of the sunset came in at that moment and leaned upon her cheeks, framing her cheeks with a golden halo, which perfectly covered up everything that should remain unseen. Are you alright? This check-up was not a lie, right? You are not going to tell me that you cant go back to school, right? We will be able to see each other again, right? You you will not disappear like my mom, right? We already had a deal, right? That we are going to have an ensemble again! Meiyue is still not good enough Yes, we have a deal. Pinky swear?Chu Luoxun revealed a bright smile. Both of them made a pinky swear. Could this be considered as holding hands? Maybe. Gu Yuan left in relief. Chu Luoxun would always be the girl who only interacted with him in music, and, his girlfriend would be Lin Meiyue. As Gu Yuan and Lin Meiyue continued with their sweet, daily dates, Chu Luoxun was left alone in the ward, attached to the IV drip. In addition, the last scene of this serialized issue was the highly torturous scene! At night, Chu Luoxun was humming Sweet, the song she wrote for Gu Yuan and Lin Meiyue. Her mouth seemed to taste the sweet cake. She really liked to eat sweet food. She was the only one at the aisle of the hospital. She was walking. Suddenly, she staggered and fell to the floor. Fortunately, it was not her head that hit the floor first, but her legs had folded upon themselves and she now sat on her bum Her face displayed an utter look of confusion. She tried her best to stand up, but her legs no longer responded! Zhao Youyue had fought really hard to obtain the Goddess Card. This was her first time experiencing such a disease. It was genuinely terrifying for her! If she has it in this reality, she really would not be able smile all day like Chu Luoxun, like a normal person. She probably would not have been brave enough even to live. Her legs had lost their senses; even her hands were losing strength. Even writing didnt seem so possible now. If we were to look at the well-known scientist, Hawking He seems to have only two fingers moving. Chu Luoxun tried her best to move towards the railings on the wall. Then, she grabbed hold of the rail to support her body that seemed to have been paralyzed. After struggling in vain, she fell helplessly. Leng Zi, the creator, had placed all his effort into depicting this scene. It created a vivid, intense, mental imagery. The wording and phrasing used further dramatized and sensationalized the actual scene Zhao Youyue was experiencing, if that was even possible. Finally, the ever smiling face of Chu Luoxun vanished, as she did not expect this to come out of the blue. She gnashed her teeth, and heavily started punching her legs. Nonetheless, she still could not feel anything. It was unimaginable for a healthy people to experience the hopelessness of losing sensation of the use of the body. It was as if the lower body had gone for good, no longer being part of herself anymore. Chu Luoxun said to herself Stand up! Stand up! You are my legs, right! Stand up! Stand up! Stand up! Her will-power was superhuman. After all, she had set her mental fortitude stat to the max. Nevertheless, her mind broke down at that moment. This had been too sudden! Even though she was tough, but, there should be a process of adaptation. Although she experienced a loss of her senses for a while where she fell down and hit her forehead, she regained those senses soon after But now, she doubted whether she could stand up again. Chu Luoxun, whose mind instantly broke down, covered her face and sat alone in the dark aisle. The only source of light were those cold, dreaded directional signboards The ever-smiling bright Goddess Chu in the entire novel broke down and wept. Gnashing her teeth, she cried silently. She did not want to cry like a fragile person, even though there was no one watching her. The beautiful young girl who once was so eye-catching on the stage, getting the audience infatuated with her music, was now sitting on the empty, cold aisle, crying alone. There would be no one to comfort nor take care of her immediately. Although her family was not poor, they were not wealthy, and she was staying in the normal ward. There were no personal nurses for her. At that moment, Gu Yuan and Lin Meiyue were sweetly messaging each other through WeChat as usual, happily talking about the musical college which they had promised to enroll together For art students like them, they would only need to earn a decent amount of cultural marks. Moreover, Lin Meiyue was growing fast under the careful guidance of Chu Luoxun. She was no genius, but she was talented in music, and she was much more capable than the average person. On the one side was the distraught and lonely Chu Luoxun whose legs had lost sensation while on the other side was the sweet first love and dog food. With this juxtaposition, nobody would deny that the writing was splendid. The readers of this issue would feel it. The Chu Luoxun fan club would probably become the sunspot of the male protagonist and heroine. But Gu Yuan and Lin Meiyue should not be blamed, as the lies told by Chu Luoxun had been very convincing. Her outstanding, optimistic, and confident image had taken deep root in peoples hearts! Therefore, at that moment, the image of her lonely self, fragile and crying alone had pierced the hearts of the readers all the more! The iconic character was half complete. She had to be half-iconic already, at this point. The male protagonist and the heroine had no clue of Chu Luoxuns condition. However, in reality, thousands of readers were already acknowledging it! It was indeed, most unfortunate! How much was a kilo of blades? I would like to book it first. In reality, Han Leng was wiping his tears while writing these lines. Why did he write such a torturous scene? How could he be so mean? Where was the promised, juvenile love comedy novel that was going to be warm and fuzzy, all the way? Han Leng could not answer them. He also did not understand why this happened! He was just this close to tearing all those drafts as he reread them! However, he did not do so as they were indeed well written! Even he himself cried after reading it. Wouldnt it be great? His writing would explode, every time Goddess Chu makes her appearance. The quality of the words would surpass the peak! Thereforeoh my Goddess Chu, you really should not blame me. You would not believe if I tell you that your disease appeared by itself. I could not control it at all. I was only a helpless bystander, writing this down, so that your memory would be immortalized. Chapter 208 Her Laughter and Happiness In fact, torturous elements are commonplace in juvenile novels. After all, most people must have experienced something regretful when they were young. If a juvenile novel could cause a wave among the readers, it would already be considered a feat in itself. Regrettably, most teen films preferred to use abortion as an element to express pain. This seemed to be the daily pastime of the current youth, in the minds of the screenwriter and director This couldnt be any more wrong. Abortions do occur to some younglings, but, others were mostly innocent, and would never commit such an atrocity. It was just like the perfect first love between Gu Yuan and Lin Meiyue in the Beautiful April which was sentimental and full of wonderful moments. Unfortunately, many people did not have a Chu Luoxun, and they might never have even experienced first love before. The most wonderful thing to experience in this world would be to find out that your crush feels the same about you. Perhaps this was the crucial element in the perfect first love, otherwise, it would be yet another one-sided love story. Even if they get together, it would only be the results of one party, or, the other was feeling lonely and simply decided to follow the trend, seeing that everyone else in love. This would be a more realistic situation. There would be a sense of instability and viscosity in that relationship. Well, both were just getting partners as a makeweight, as long as both of them were happy about it. Initially, Han Leng wanted to write a story purely about the perfect first love. Gu Yuan and Lin Meiyue would be his prime examples. There would be some misunderstandings and setbacks to torment the readers, but it would end beautifully, nevertheless. According to the personality of the male protagonist and the heroine, their relationship was destined to be stable This was a work based on his personal fantasy of his first love, as reality had let him down. Thus, he was using the novel to cheer himself up. Even the music element was merely an embellishment, so that the male protagonist and the heroine could speak the same language and, at the same time, increase the relatability of the novel, even though he hardly understood anything about music, especially classical music. Nevertheless, everything had changed after the appearance of Chu Luoxun! The music element which originally served as an embellishment had become a prominent element! Even Han Leng himself was frightened by it. He really did not understand the circle of classical music, yet, what he had written was convincing enough. Many readers had even started asking if he was once in that circle before Initially, Chu Luoxun was meant to be used to improve the relationship between Gu Yuan and Lin Meiyue. She was merely a supporting character. Because he had been so good at describing her debut, even his editor have noted that his words would be full of indescribable spirituality each time Chu Luoxun appears; he had vividly described every detail of this girl who was blessed by the God of Music. It was impossible for such a perfect person to exist in the three dimensional reality Han Leng could not afford to be complimented. On top of that, the editor and the readers also said that this was a nice character, full of sunshine and hope neither lacking in her ease of relatability. One would not only be influenced by her optimism, but would also be moved by her music while reading her lines. Although the music was just made up of words, one would be able to hear it. Han Leng, who was a former web novelist who could not afford to be complimented began to add on to Chu Luoxuns scenes, unconsciously. She even became the comic relief of the work as she started pulling off more and more bizarre stunts. She was a bundle of joy. Although she possessed the beauty, talent, and confidence of a goddess, she did not have the demeanor of one. She was also not a daughter of a plutocrat but was born in a common family. Her family ran a cake shop business, owning three or four chain stores. Her family could be categorized as wealthy, but middle class. Thus, she could afford to learn many kinds of musical instruments. It would be too unrealistic if she was born in a poor family. The readers would smile unconsciously whenever they read passages of Chu LuoxunWhat would this joyful girl come up with this time? How would she assist the male protagonist and the heroine? How would she use the music to save the male protagonist from his psychological trauma? How would she patiently guide the heroine so that she would find that magic in her violin? Unknowingly, this beautiful young girl who was originally fated to be the Dugu Qiubai [1] of the music had completely surpassed Lin Meiyue, the heroine. Even Gu Yuan, the male protagonist was overshadowed by her existence. Nonetheless, the editor and the readers did not see it as a problem. On the contrary, they felt that Leng Zis work was only getting more exciting, and the charming Chu Luoxun had deeply touched their hearts. On the internet, there would be people feeling sorry for themselves, thinking that it would be great if a friend who is always optimistic and full of laughter and happiness existed in their youth. She even knew who you liked and would assist you The only thing that is absent between the winner of life and myself is the Goddess Chu! This phrase instantly became a hot topic on Weibo. Beautiful April was so popular, that Chu Luoxun had become an iconic female character. Many of the readers who finished reading all the current release of this work would express emotional sighs. Why would they worry that this first love story would fail, since the Queen of Assistance, Chu Luoxun was there, and the male protagonist and the heroine were just there, gaining a sleeping victory? Therefore, many readers felt that Chu Luoxun should be the soul of this work and also the main character. The other two were merely faux main characters. Well, some supporting characters would be well-depicted in many works. They were even more popular than the main characters whereby everyone would still remember their names and forget the names of the main characters, years after going through them. This was mainly because the finale would not differ much, whether the name of the main character being Zhang San or Li Si, or, anything else. Of course, Gu Yuan in the Beautiful April was still liked by many readers. His image of a fallen genius who had risen again had been deeply rooted in their heart. Also, many praised him for being loyal to Lin Meiyue. He was not obtuse. Although he was sentimental in love relationships, he was responsible. By this, Lin Meiyue would remain intensely secure and said that she feels at ease whenever she is with him. The male protagonist is very charming in term of his personality. This why there was the fan club of Chu Luoxun, passionately helping her by hinting to Leng Zi, directly and indirectly, to let her replace Lin Meiyue. She and Gu Yuan were a better match, even in music. This was the resonance between the geniuses! As Chu Luoxuns fan club gained more momentum, the latest issue of Mengya was published The diehard fan club of Chu Luoxun and Jiang Qing the Little Angel, the desk mate of Zhao Youyue bought the magazine as soon as it was published, anticipating the next batch of laughter that Goddess Chu would bring in this issue. However, the place where the words laughter and happiness would commonly be seen would be the laughter and happiness in a good game. Translation note: [1] Dugu Qiubai () is a fictional character in the novel of the famous China author, Jin Yong. Chapter 209 The Passionate Great Mangaka Su As a loyal reader of Mengya, Jiang Qing knew of Beautiful April before Zhao Youyue. Initially, she wanted to AMWAY it to Zhao Youyue, but she did not do so as she knew her taste well. As it was, Zhao Youyue was a rather unpredictable reader. She would read anything, whether it was a web novel or a hard copy novel, a famous work or even a magazine sold at the stall. Of course, she would read it in softcopy, on her phone. Nowadays, the functions of the smartphone are comparable to computers. One can easily obtain limitless knowledge, as long as it is connected to the internet. Since Zhao Youyue loved to play with the phone so much, she must have obtained knowledge that is unknown to her peers. Her wealth of knowledge could originate from Duanziwang, as well as Zhihu, and Douban. It would be easy to find a topic to chat with her, no matter who you are. Zhao Youyue has once said that she was not fond of juvenile novels, because they were all basically the same. They all seemed to portray the joy of innocent youth, but, it would be good if they could be accurate for once Nevertheless, the plots and the characters in most juvenile works were abnormal, as if they had been based on the youth from other worlds. Jiang Qing worried that the Beautiful April would be criticized by Zhao Youyue, if she recommends it to her. The progression of the romance had been agonizingly slow; it was as if the book wanted you to die out of impatience. After all, the male protagonist and the heroine were both very shy individuals. If Miss Zhao criticizes it, Jiang Qing would have no idea on how to oppose her. However, what Jiang Qing had never thought of, was Lady Zhao voluntarily picking up Beautiful April! Since then, the both of them had always discussed the plot progression of Beautiful April. Initially, Jiang Qing was in the fan club of Lin Meiyue, of course. Wait, no, there were no divisions formed yet, during that time. All of the readers supported the male protagonist and the heroine, and their interaction with each other had caused the teenage girl dreams of the readers to explode, allowing them to happily eat the dog food. Jiang Qing was pleased that she could support this couple with Zhao Youyue. The happiest thing about reading a book would be to meet a like-minded friend, and both had agreed on the development of the plots which gave rise to hours of lengthy, cheerful banter on a mutual topic. Their friendship had strengthened, because of a book. Nonetheless, Jiang Qings stance was shaken as Chu Luoxun made more appearances. She often told Zhao Youyue C Chu Luoxun must have fallen for Gu Yuan, right? I think she matches him the mostLin Meiyue is quite annoying that she likes to fuss over small matters, she is such a small-minded person. However, Jiang Qing perceived Zhao Youyue as a diehard fan of Lin Meiyue. Such abominable heresy! This was what Zhao Youyue answered her most of the time C Chu Luoxun is helping him only in music, and she even has to go through Lin Meiyue to contact Gu Yuan. Meanwhile, she has not done anything secretly to steal Gu Yuan, and she does not get jealous because of him. So, how would it be possible for her to have any feelings for him? Youre reading too much into it. She is merely a side character, mainly there to assist Gu Yuan and Lin Meiyue. Lin Meiyue is very cute, dont you see. She gets jealous often, because she really cares about Gu Yuan. Zhao Youyue was the one who played the role of Chu Luoxun, and she knew that the reason Goddess Chu saw Gu Yuan in a different light was mostly due to his musical talent. She had embarked on her own journey of music after she had been influenced by his music when she was little. This bomb would only be uncovered by the end of the story. Fans of Chu Luoxun guessed that she had deeply fallen for him as she had assisted him so many times. In reality, this was due to what he did in her past, without even being aware of it. She had always been side character A and, now, she saw Gu Yuan as friend A. The reason Jiang Qing was longing for Chu Luoxun was that she wanted to become a girl like her, one who would always walk hand in hand with laughter. Her jovial personality did not only restrict her influence to her universe, she had brought many wonderful reading experiences to the three dimensional readers as well. Whenever she reads something about Chu Luoxun, she could not resist smiling and even bursting into laughter. Chu Luoxun was really funny. Moreover, she truly enjoyed reading the description of her performance. The words used were wonderful, better than a full mark essay. Jiang Qing recalled that there was a nickname for this work C April is your full marks essay, and she could not find any description more apt than that. Apart from the extremely confident personality of Chu Luoxun, Jiang Qing admired at her musical talent too, as she liked singing. However, she did not know how to compose, write lyrics, or play all sorts of musical instrument, while Chu Luoxun was proficient at all of them. In summary, Jiang Qing Little Angel had been utterly charmed by Chu Luoxun. She could not stop herself from repeatedly reading the apparances of the Goddess Chu. It was her lifes dessert! The Goddess Chu was not only a beauty, but a joker too! Unfortunately, Mengya would not hire a high standard illustrator, or else, it would be awesome, as one would be able to visually enjoy the charm of the Goddess Chu. Jiang Qing, who seldom used Weibo did not know that there was a passionate Great Mangaka who had taken the initiative to illustrate Chu Luoxun and had posted it on own Weibo, just a few days ago and had even tagged Qidians famous Godly Tycoon readers and[Youyue] tycoon, the owner of the trending book list. Those actions were just like that of a bootlicker who was seeking for rewards and credits Thats right. This passionate Great Mangaka who had illustrated the character for free was Su Li. She truly suited the role of an illustrator more, as she was not good at screenwriting, yet, she was skilled at illustrating beautiful characters. Su Li knew that Missy Zhao was obsessed with April. Moreover, the work itself was getting more popular, stirring up intense response from the readers, being ranked first in the reader survey form of Mengya almost every time. Its influence had also radiated to the internet. An idea had come to Su Li, who liked to keep up with the times, and she illustrated Chu Luoxun playing the violin in an elegant dress, with a similarly gorgeous background! This was a high-quality illustration. Obviously, Su Li had read up till the latest update, and she favored Chu Luoxun the most. Thus, she had allocated some of her time to draw this exquisite illustration, to please Miss Zhao, as well as to increase the followers of her Weibo by becoming a trendy figure. It turned out to be very effective! The illustration was well received! Many fans of Chu Luoxun instantly became Su Lis follower, saying that they liked her so much, and have finally found the perfect picture of the imagined Goddess Chu! Her exquisite painting and beautiful style showed that she was an illustrator among all illustrators! The Great Mangaka Su now flourished, thanks to the calculated maneuvering of an experienced illustrator! Of course, at that moment, the latest issue of Mengya had not been published yet Chapter 210 : The First Blade Su Li was so delighted and danced happily on her Weibo as Zhao Youyue liked her illustration and shared her Weibo page for others to see. Unfortunately, Leng Zi did not have a Weibo. Otherwise, Zhao Youyue would make her share it also. Su Li knew that her move was correct this time. It had won over Lady Zhaos heart. Meanwhile, the number of her followers have also increased! Now, her stigmatized nickname as a cheater was slowly being forgotten by many of her fans. It looked like she had completely straightened out This was the real Su Li! She never thought of deceiving the readers, yet, her mind was always thinking the ways to please them, especially the tycoon readers. This was why she had been so enthusiastic about getting close to Lady Zhao! She would always pay attention to the works that Zhao Youyue liked, and would check them out herself. If it fulfills her appetite, she had to do something to portray the similarity between her and Lady Zhao. When it comes to cheating on the readers, circumstances had taken the power of out of her hands. She could not be blamed for this. It could only be said that this was a mysterious force coming from the East Su Li hoped that everyone would believe that she was good-hearted in nature. She happened to carry the pan, as she had been unlucky. Or else, how would a Doujinshi ero mangaka like her become the representative of all depressive series? Su Li only wanted to read the two lines of poetry, one of which should uphold this countrys interestwhich was even more deceiving than Rosemary, the original author. She had to challenge him! Although Leng Zi did not have a Weibo, Zhao Youyue still shared the exquisite illustration to the group, which then received many positive comments, naturally. Su Li was already acclaimed by many of the readers as a great mangaka, and this illustration had truly mirrored the image of Goddess Chu! Han Leng always had mixed feelings for this Leng Zi fan group. His initial purpose of creating this fan group was to determine the feelings of Zhao Youyue towards this work. At that time, he had not found a new love yet However, he never would have thought that Beautiful April would turn out so popular. It literally became the top-rated work among juvenile novels! Mengya highly valued Han Leng too, hoping that his identity could be revealed, in order to promote him heavily. Well, he was a freshman in senior high, which meant that he was a talented high school student author. This was worthy of a large scale promotion campaign. It would only make his work all the more popular! However, Han Leng persistently refused it, as more and more fans had perceived Leng Zi as a female author. He was the one to be blamed for pulling off that stunt with his voice, before this He had spirited himself away after that and never appeared in the group again, and yet, he would always be lurking in the shadows. Nonetheless, the number of the fans was increasing, and they became more active at the same time. Naturally, Han Leng saw the illustration of Chu Luoxun by Su Li. At that time, he was already uncontrollably obsessed with the Goddess Chu. Although the two dimensional cartoon drawing of her was totally different from the three dimensional one he saw in his mind whenever his writings kidnapped him into his world, he still secretly kept it on his cell phone. He had even set it as the wallpaper, immediately. He felt the utmost joy to be able to see the Goddess Chu every day, when he turns on his cell phone. Deep in his heart, Han Leng was very grateful to Zhao Yuyue. After all, this work could not have gained such popularity without her all-out promotion. Nevertheless, he would still do something childish when facing her Now, he finally could remain calm when facing her. Then, he noticed that Zhao Youyue was not as perfect as he had imagined. On the other hand, he had also noticed that she was even more big-hearted than he had initially perceived her to be, and he truly admired her poise and indifference. Han Leng had grown up. He felt that he was intoxicated, previously. His brain was disrupted by the sudden turbulence of puberty which caused him to have no clear understanding of Zhao Youyue. Now, after he had sobered up, and his friendship with Zhao Youyue had been recovered, he was surprised to discover the feeling of a hedge between that which keeps friendship green. Han Leng no longer spoke awkwardly and could normally and naturally interact with Zhao Youyue. He did not want to dig deeper into the opinions of Zhao Youyue about this work anymore. It was enough for him to know that she liked it. Han Leng had decided he will reveal his identity after the work is completed. He had prepared himself mentally, no matter what she would take him as. All in all, Han Leng had now restored a good impression of Lady Zhao, a pure and good opinion, which excluded previous complicated and sentimental emotions. By this time, Jiang Qing, who was the first to buy the latest issue of Mengya, had begun to read Beautiful April. In the beginning, she was undoubtedly reading it with joy, as Chu Luoxun was going to perform together with Gu Yuan again. As a hard-core fangirl Chu Luoxun like her, their first performance had made her so high. Gu Yuan, who had slightly escaped from his psychological trauma, should be able to perform flawlessly with Chu Luoxun in this second performance, right? There was an expectant smile on Jiang Qings face. She felt the Goddess Chu was especially superior when she read that The Goddess Chu forced the male protagonist to play the Liebesleid, completely ignoring his opinion. Perhaps this was bossy tenderness? Then, many running gags would make the readers laugh, during the practice sessions of Chu Luoxun and Gu Yuan. It was truly harmonious, yet amusing. Jiang Qing pitied Lin Meiyue, the heroine, the light bulb that was always there. She was so helpless. If it was not for the fact that Lin Meiyue had been set as a very nave and kind character, she would have already thought that the other party was a Sketchy Yueshe would have already noticed that Chu Luoxun was her biggest threat, and then raise her guard against Chu Luxun, not leaving the two of them alone, by any chance. Anyhow, no one could stop their second performance! Jiang Qing hummed in her heart, eager to read their performance. However, what surprised her was Chu Luoxuns absence, on the day of their performance! At first, Jiang Qi had thought that Leng Zi was being mischievous again, using this trick again to whet readers appetites. After all, the Goddess Chu will definitely appear magnificently and dazzlingly at the end! These creators are too cunning, always dropping a twist out of the blue! After reading Chu Luoxun being insulted by a little violist, she sneered. Wait until the Goddess Chu teaches you how to be a human with music! Nevertheless, Chu Luoxun was still absent in the end. Instead, Gu Yuan dragged Lin Meiyue to the stage Why is it like this? Jiang Qing, the hard-core fangirl of Chu Luoxun, was struck by Leng Zis first blade. Where was the promised ensemble? Tonicquill: First blade? More like first hammer bomb. Chapter 211 The Life-threatening Sorrow after Sweetness At that moment, Jiang Qing was unsure if it would be wise to express the vulgarities that were in her mind. She felt that Leng Zi had completely played her as a fool! She had been eagerly anticipating the ensembling of Chu Luoxun, and Guyuan due to the previous foreshadowing. It turned out that everything was a dream. However, Jiang Qing still read it with great enthusiasm because the description was fascinating, even though it was the ensembling of Gu Yuan and Lin Meiyue. Of course, Lin Meiyue was just a complement and Gu Yuan was the one who performed elegantly on the stage. This performance had profoundly changed Gu Yuan, utterly coming out from his trauma and moving on from his mother. This was a song that contained the love of a mother, and he delivered that kind of love to all of the audiences. Jiang Qing admitted that this performance was also well-described by Leng Zi. Nevertheless, she noticed that it paled in comparison to the ensemble of the Goddess Chu and Gu Yuan. This was not even an ensemble, but Gu Yuans one-man show with Lin Meiyue merely following his tempo. Although there were no any highlights, there were no accidents too; everything was safe and smooth. All in all, it solidified her position as side character. The audiences even forgot that there was a violin accompaniment after listening to the Liebesleid Such irony made Jiang Qing, a hard-core fan of Chu Luoxun, miss the Goddess Chu badly. Only she would be able to start putting pressure on Gu Yuan when paired together! She wanted to know what was wrong with Chu Luoxun and to know why she was absent. Jiang Qing continued reading. Finally, she felt Leng Zi ill-will again. Chu Luoxun was sick and had been admitted to the hospital. She was shocked, sensing impending tragedy, and yet, the joyful writing style used by Leng Zi in describing the scene where the others visited her in the hospital left her inexplicably at ease. Anyway, as long as it was the plots of Chu Luoxun, it would put a smile on readers faces. It could be a warm faint smile, or it could be a smile of amusement thanks to Goddess Chus antics or, even, an understanding smile. In sum, she was a female character that brought boundless joy and humor to everybody. When the readers smiled, the Chu Luoxun in the novel was smiling heartlessly too. She was being close to Lin Meiyue, and pretended to be strict on Gu Yuan, wanting him to treat Lin Meiyue nicely. Therefore, musical ability aside, the image of Chu Luoxun in Gu Yuans heart was an aloof and easy-going girl with a brash demeanor similar to an enterprising woman. She was very independent and full of confidence in everything she did, as if nothing could ever stop her. She was also crazy about sweet food, never afraid of losing her perfect body figure. Gu Yuan must admit that Chu Luoxun indeed had a gorgeous face. Because of this, no matter how inappropriately she behaves, she will get away with it. This is the capricious benefit that a great beauty would have. For some guys, such a girl would be exceptionally charming, but as for Gu Yuan, he still preferred an unassuming girl like Lin Meiyueeven though she was not as beautiful as Chu Luoxun. Humph, such a Cancerous straight guy [1]. I dont know which part of the Goddess Chu fails to amaze you. Is she truly incomparable to Lin Meiyue? Jiang Qing murmured, expressing her resentment of Gu Yuan. However, she knew very well that she would also despise him if he changes his mind easilywhat a scumbag, changing his mind after seeing that Chu Luoxun is prettier and more talented And so, such is the dilemma of quirky readers in this world. Unpredictable, unsure of their own desires, and constantly living in self-contradiction. Try as the author might, they will never be pleased! Thus, the author should not be bothered by them, and just write whatever they want. Without all these worries plaguing their minds, they would be able to produce better content. Soon, Jiang Qing began to worry again, as some words seemed to raise a flag! For instance, Chu Luoxun promised to have an ensemble with Gu Yuan again, but had failed to do so. Is there even a chance for them to have an ensemble, again? Jiang Qing was unsure about it. Previously, her spirits were raised when she saw Chu Luoxun writing the Smells of Roses, thinking that it might be an unusual confession. It was just like the time when she told Gu Yuan that the moonlight is beautiful. As Smells of Roses did not have a tune to go along with, only lyrics, so it lacked expression. If this song existed in reality, listening to it while reading this article would be so awesome! Jiang Qing did not stay worried for long, she was soon distracted by the dog food feeding between Gu Yuan and Lin Meiyue. If every appearance of Chu Luoxun is always full of laughter and life, then the perfect first love of Gu Yuan and Lin Meiyue which was full of sweetness and warmth, gave off a sensation of love that was realistic yet borderline fantasical. Overall, it was a refreshing read. Both of them were still in the holding hands stage and had not yet kissed. Readers would not want to rush them either. Eating dog food was so good. Such delicious dog food was also the reason why the Lin Meiyue had a solid fanbase as well. Gu Yuan and Lin Meiyue are doing fine, what is wrong with you all, Chu Luoxun fangirls. She does not have any feelings for Gu Yuan, what are you all being so delusional over? Was all this a lie? If so, this Chu Luoxun is really great at deceiving people. Not only has she tricked the male protagonist and the heroine, but she also has most of the readers wrapped around her finger Therefore, it was not disgusting for Gu Yuan and Lin Meiyue to indulge in their affection when Chu Luoxun was sick. Everybody did not know that Chu Luoxun was severely sick! Han Lengs sense of timing was really excellent. He would quickly write a stable plot, which is very sweet and warm while the readers were worrying. It made them indulge in it, forgetting the plight of Chu Luoxun. In the other word, he was simply too cunning. The work was only halfway through, filled with light, cheerful writing, and all sorts of lamentations and terms used only gave people more joy. It could almost be categorized as a comedy novel! Then, Jiang Qing, who had completely submerged herself sweetness, suddenly felt the sharp pain of a blade in her heart! At one moment, Chu Luoxun was happily humming Sweet, and promptly collapsed. Both her legs have lost all form of sensation Jiang Qing was stunned. This is no fake April! Translation Note: [1] Cancerous straight guy is an internet slang used to describe a man who is living in his own worldview, value system, and aesthetic standards. Also used as a disparaging term for a male chauvinist. Normally, such individuals are very self-righteous and ignore the value of women, objectifying them. Chapter 212 Forever Remembering Her Weeping What is this contrasting change of events? This was how Jiang Qing felt, reading the latest development! Chu Luoxun, who always appeared with a brilliant smile like the sun and brought warmth to everybody, broke down and cried! There was not any sense of violating the Goddess privacy at all, as Leng Zi used his exquisite writing style to describe in detail the hopelessness felt by Chu Luoxun when she lost sensation in her lower body, with her hands being unable even to support her body. The level of detail practically flung readers into her shoes! This was because Han Leng was in an Intoxicated state at that time. Therefore, he could clearly experience the fear and hopelessness of Chu Luoxun at that moment. The creepy surroundings around her did not help one bit. It was late at night, at the hospital. It was silent, and the smell of the antiseptic was in the air. Previously, she was humming Sweet as she was walking down the aisle. She must have been trying to fend off the creepy atmosphere. Even a man, in such an environment, would feel the intense feeling of depression! The atmosphere, coupled with the sudden tragedy was overwhelming, but Chu Luoxun held her voice back. She wept silently. She was tough as nails! Others would have wailed! Therefore, Jiang Qing, who always placed herself in Chu Luoxuns shoes, was struck by environment described by Leng Zi, as well as the terrifying onset of Chu Luoxun illness and her despair! One moment, all had been sunshines and rainbows, and the next moment, everything changed drastically. It was impossible for Jiang Qings little heart to take! When Chu Luoxun broke down, helplessly punching her legs that just refused to feel anything and then hopelessly clutched her face and cried, Jiang Qing broke down along with her! This Goddess Chu was so pitiful. Death might be even better than the cruelty of this illness! Jiang Qing even imagined a scene where Chu Luoxun used her superhuman willpower to pick up the bow of the violin with her trembling fingers, only to lose strength and have it clatter on the floor Chu Luoxun would only be able to gaze upon her favorite musical instruments in despair, unable to play them anymore! How was such a scene not torturous? Jiang Qing instantly regretted imagining such a thing. She started bawling to herself. One must know that as a hard-core gang of Chu Luoxun, she had deeply bonded with the Goddess Chu, but Leng Zi had applied fatal poison to her Goddess, and in extension of that, Jiang Qing too. Nonetheless, the image of Chu Luoxun weeping silently had been deeply engraved in her mind The imagery of Chu Luoxun only became more vivid in her mind! All previous descriptions of Chu Luoxun have been nothing but passages of joy. She was all smiles, either be it a gentle curve of the lips. or a wide-opened mouth, or the mysterious, silent smile as she indulges in music. You would never find her without a smile, and you would never know what she was smiling about Wherever she was, there would be laughter. Even when she simply appears, without doing anything, you would already find yourself unconsciously smiling, for that was her power. It was incredible. Even though she was merely a character on paper, her optimism, perseverance and confidence, all of that positive vibe, would burst through the papers and mesmerize readers. She was the most dazzling character ever, neither peevish nor pretentious, as she wholeheartedly helped those around her, bringing them into the light. Some people would still be unclear of her motives in helping the male protagonist. However, everyone agreed on one thing, she was doing this out of her own volition! This was her true self, unable to ever see others being unhappy. If they are unhappy, she would share her happiness with them. It is said that a girl who loves to smile is undoubtedly lucky, yet, this had not been the case for Chu Luoxun. When nobody came to help and comfort the girl, who was always smiled beautifully, but was now hopelessly and helplessly crying alone in a dark corridor, late at night, does anything else need to be said? For the rest of her life, Jiang Qing would never forget how Chu Luoxun cried painfully for the first time. Although Chu Luoxun has shed tears before, those were not tears of hopelessness! She shared her sunshine and happiness with others. Where were those who had been healed, cared for and helped by her when she was alone in that creepy hallway? Well, those two were still being lovey-dovey, heartily enjoying the warmth of interconnected hearts At that moment, no one will remember Chu Luoxun, who once was an eye-catching genius violist on stage. What her music did gain was the recognition of the audiences. She grew no more popular by winning prizes. She was only popular among the students as she was much more open-minded during the campus party, compared to when she competed! Of course that free spiritness would create lovelier arrangments! Lets not forget that those were all her original songs It was as if she was destined to be forgotten by others. No one would know that such a genius once walked in the musical world. Hence, Gu Yuan, whom she has saved from the chasm would enjoy the honor of being crowned. He will have a bright future and a girlfriend in mutual love. Chu Luoxuns illness had deteriorated so fast, because of she had given her all at helping Gu Yuan recently Anyway, Jia Qing was totally unable to forget this character. Although she had smiled many times previously, all that joy would never surpass the despair her trembling heart felt right now! Chu Luoxun really made people sorry for her. She radiated warmth to others in the entire novel, but she could only endure her pain alone when she was in a desperate situation. Although Jiang Qing knew that she should not hate the lovely couple, she just could not help but to feel that they were unworthy of Chu Luoxuns acquiesce. Why couldnt they even tell the pain that their so-called friend was going through? Now, what Jiang Qing wanted to know was whether her illness could be healed, as there was no mention of it being incurable. It seemed to be a chronic disease. It should not be that big a problem if one takes good care of himself, right? While Jiang Qing had mentally exploded and was crying badly over this latest update, the whole internet was wailing too, specifically Chu Luoxuns fans. It was as if their parents had died! Interestingly, several of Lin Meiyues fans had defected to the enemy after this issue was released! Chapter 213 It was all the fault of the deceiving Mangaka, Su Li! Prior to this, Chu Luoxuns fans were all dancing happily along with their idol. For instance, the representative figure, Su Li, The Great Mangaka, whose exquisite illustration of Chu Luoxun had increased the momentum of the gang of Chu Luoxun. Many of the gang members had perceived it as the true expression of the Goddess Chus sense of presence. As for Lin Meiyue, she was just a side character. Moreover, what they liked to do most on the internet was to dig into details and analyze the hidden messages in the contents that contained Chu Luoxun. Those who have done the reading comprehension before will know how terrifying the gang of analyzers were. They could even forcibly interpret a phrase in the article into a content of a thousand words. The conclusion they got was that Goddess Chu was the best, having the typical plotline of a heroine and the male protagonist was simply blind. In reality, the fans of Lin Meiyue were too blind to even see that the Goddess Chu already succeeded in substituting the heroine! Which character will come to the mind first when Beautiful April is mentioned? Chu Luoxun, of course! The most beautiful, talented, optimistic and confident girl who has brought a lot of laughter to others. She was almost perfect, just a little lacking in the gentleness department. However, for a goddess, she should be aggressively gentle, unlike those obsequious and unreasonable little girls. The Goddess Chu was a girl who had the aura of a queen. Thats right! The fans of Chu Luoxun showed that they looked down on such a girl like Lin Yuemei, who was not bighearted at all. On the other hand, the fans of Lin Meiyue thought that Chu Luoxun would never to win over a mans heart, even though she was very charming. She had no clue on how to walk into the heart of a man, as she was neither attentive nor thoughtful. The gang of Chu Luoxun coldly chuckled and said that If the Goddess Chu was not attentive, would she have chosen Liebesleid for the male protagonist? She had her personal style. She never procrastinated, and she was very capable! Those who never looked up to the Goddess Chu were merely feeling envious. They were those Cancerous straight guys, male chauvinists, who hated talented girls who far surpassed most men, fearing that they would not control her! The fans of Chu Luoxun had even analyzed, that perhaps Chu Luoxun was hiding something. There were too many mysteries about her. Perhaps they would slowly be uncovered someday. Her lingering enigma was the reason why she was so attractive. In summary, she had become the most important character in this juvenile novel. She may not be the heroine, but her spotlight had surpassed the heroines! Anyway, the Chu Luoxuns fanclubs movement was booming on the internet. Perhaps this character had a lot of things to be dug into and analyzed. As for Lin Meiyue, except for her selling point as the perfect first love, her image only shrunk under the shadow of Chu Luoxun. Leng Zi, the creator, was still the key player.originally, he had visualized Lin Meiyue as the perfect first love that he never had.She even felt that jealousy was a special trait that reflected a persons desire to monopolize someone she likes (Despite the fact that Zhao Youyue was never jealous in the first place). Nonetheless, Lin Meiyue was merely her creation, but Chu Luoxun was the only character with a soul! Of course, nobody knew that this soul actually belonged to a certain trouble-making young girl Moreover, Chu Luoxun could even buff up the intoxicated state of the creator, while Lin Meiyues presence depended solely on Han Leng. Now, Han Leng had turned his back on her. That was why the Chu Luoxun fanclub movement was booming. The standard of depiction when it came to these two female characters were not on the same level anymore. However, the fans of Chu Luoxun would have never thought that the latest issue would be so torturous! Many of them wailed on the internet Leng Zi, this is torturous, and it completely caught me off-guard! Where is the promised all-the-way happiness? Why are the creators nowadays so deceiving! I knew that there would be that torturous element in such a juvenile novel. Why did it have to be the Goddess Chu? I cried while reading the latest issue. I felt like a knife was piercing my heart when the Goddess Chu cried! I am feeling so sorry for her! There are laughter and tears in this world. Someone will be responsible for laughter while another is responsible for shedding tears. So, the capable Goddess Chu was responsible for both? Suddenly, I dislike the male protagonist and the heroine who are feeding on dog food. Why should they be able to enjoy that sweet happiness while Chu Luoxun suffers alone? What exactly is this disease? Is it severe? Chu Luoxun would not be written to death, right? Is Leng Zi preparing to open a blade factory? Deceiving us by buying the blade and sending to her. Wouldnt it be nice with this infinite loop of money making? Actually, I saw this coming after reading all those foreshadowing flags. It had left me uneasy for a long time. Now, after knowing that her illness has worsened, there is the feeling of impending doom.My demands are not high; I am just hoping that she will not be written to death. If so, he he he he I am a fan of Lin Meiyue, and a firm one at that too. I always believed that the sentimental first love of Gu Yuan and Lin Meiyue was the biggest highlight of this work. It really triggers a young girls dream. However, I suddenly feel that the dog food is tasteless and I just want to know Chu Luoxuns fate after reading this issue. She is such a pitiful girl! Even the fans of Lin Meiyue can like Chu Luoxun at the same time. I do not believe that the two parties should be clashing. What I hate most are those guys who stubbornly say that Chu Luoxun likes the male protagonist and that they want them to be together. Thats so unreasonable! That earth-shattering kneeling and crying of Chu Luoxun made this character, who seemed to be only full of laughter turn even more relatable, all of a sudden. I must absolutely salute Leng Zis skill at molding the character, totally bringing her to alive! Wait a minute. Am I the only one who noticed that Su Li, the cheater, has illustrated Chu Luoxun before her drastic change? Dont forget her illustration of Xu Jing, Yu ShengfanNow, Chu Luoxun! Everyone, I think I have discovered a pattern! The comment on Su Li seemed to be a wakeup call! As Leng Zi did not have a Weibo, many of the readers who had been struck on their heads could not find a place to vent their anger. Soon, they found one! The latest post of Su Li was the Weibo that contained the illustration of Chu Luoxun that she shared. The commentary section blew up! Indeed, it was all Su Lis fault! Chapter 214 : Su Li Is Dumbfounded Su Li was rushing to meet the deadline for The Strongest King, at the moment. After all, it was a manga that was adapted from a web novel. Those web novels are all astonishingly lengthy. It may take years before she completes this line. Su Li had sacrificed her working hours to illustrate Chu Luoxun. Admittedly, she was a very diligent mangaka, because she was from a poor family. Her parents were farmers, and she had two sisters. She had taken up the role as the familys breadwinner, ever since she entered university. After discovering her talent in drawing, she had first used it to draw some H [1] Doujinshi, as it was fast, easy money. After all, she was a far better illustrator than she was as a storyteller. By this, she earned her first pot of gold, and she could not resist it since then. Whichever something became popular, she would draw an H Doujinshi version of it Perhaps it was because of drawing too much Doujinshi; she had become somewhat frigid in reality, no longer being interested in men She could completely satisfy her desire by drawing Doujinshi! At the same time, she would even be lining up her pockets with gold. So, whats the point of having a man? She had grown up poor. Often a time, she had to stifle her ambitions, due to various incidents where her lack of money had tied her hands up. Knowing how fickle a thing money really was, her money-grubbiness was now at inconceivable levels. However, her money-grubbiness was different, compared to those gold-diggers. Most of them merely wanted to satisfy their vanity, or they could not bear the hardship of poverty. Therefore, they satisfied themselves with a sugar daddy. As for her, the root cause of her grubbiness was the state of her family. She seldom spends the money on herself, and most of the income earned from drawing would be given to her mother. She sincerely hoped that her family could live better lives. Su Li was indeed keen on bearing the hardship. A lot of drawing had honed her artwork and drawing skill. She was not an innately super talented illustrator either. Such talent would have produced the triple L C Luxurious, Large-scale and Leveled-up artwork, and not Doushins and H-manga, right? Basically, commercialized products like manga are similar to web articles whereby the more one creates, the more income one gets! Therefore, Su Li took it as a job, drawing 8 hours every day. Now, her productivity had increased even further, as she did not need to think of the plots anymore. Her brain would be filled with the inharmonious scenes whenever she does. Well, such is the side-effect of drawing too many Doujinshi ero mangas Both full-time mangakas and web novelists knew that it takes a terrifying amount of willpower, if one seriously takes creative art as a job, and do it for 8 hours a day! That would be a massive amount of updates! Nevertheless, Su Li persisted. Sometimes, she would even update two chapters of The Strongest King! Her speedy updates only contributed to the huge growth of her fans. This corresponded to a sentenceIn the era of the Internet, the speedy updaters are king! Perhaps her success was coincidental, but her hard work was indeed the main contributor for her success! Many creators looked down on her bottomless manner of licking tycoon readers shoes by not having her own backbone, yet, they could only salute her for her effort and willpower in updating! After all, her goal has been to wholeheartedly serve readers, since the beginning. If every creator has their own concept of creation, then this would be hers. Some readers, bolstered by the power of money had their own demands, hoping that their words are meant to convey ideas. For instance, Han Leng, who would like to produce a monumental piece of work one day, believed that the purpose of his novel was to realize his unachievable dreams in reality. He was a self-indulgent creator who never spared the readers a glance. If you dont like it, dont read it. After all, someone is bound to like it. Rosemary, Ye Hai, was another example. He projected his wonderful expectations of the real-life national Esports team. The death of Yu Shengfan was indeed the aftereffect of his hipster-itis in creating an iconic character If it was up to Su Li, she would not have put her to death, right? After all, Xiao Yu was very popular. It would be a waste not to fully utilize her and cheat others of their cash! Of course, she placed great effort into drawing Xiao Yus death, wonderfully rendering the atmosphere. It completely portrayed the scene in the novel. This was no fault of hers. This was the self-discipline of an illustrator. She drew The Strongest King with all her soul. It was her long-term meal ticket after all. How could she not be serious about her most profitable work? Her principles were simple. She will draw whatever work that earns her a lot of money, and the more money it makes, the more refined her drawing will be, giving the paying readers their well-deserved God-like service. In the case of those pirated readers with no fan points, she would be even crueler to them than other creators. She would delete their post and ban them if they commented on the manga, be it a good or bad comment. Who would want to listen to their bullsh*t? Some had even said that her artwork was bad. She would take it lying down, if it was a bandwagon load of fans, if it was a valid remark like her own plotlines lacking fan service, but do not ever criticize her artwork. They were asking for trouble. It warranted a lifetime ban from her! Even Rosemary, Ye Hai, would peacefully discuss matters with pirated readers, trying to convince them to support him However, Su Li persisted. She boldly and openly looked down on them, treating them like animals, taking their personalities in as black and white, and taking their opinions as barking dogs. What was wrong with it? This was Su Li. An extreme money-grubber of a creator, whose eyes contained only the paying readers. She was a lackey of the tycoon readers, especially the Zhao Youyue type of Godly Tycoon. Theres nothing much to say, right? In her eyes, Lady Zhao was a saint! Su Li had even postponed The Strongest King just to make her happy by illustrating a character from her now favorite Beautiful April, for free at that, too! A single piece of her illustration, even if not worth a million RMB, should be around thousands of RMB. The original popularity of the character played a huge role too. This is just like a web writer taking a pause from his main work and voluntarily writing an Uraban for a Godly Tycoon reader for free Therefore, Su Li had been played a fool by the Gods too. She was a mangaka who valued the paid reader, but she had been misunderstood as a cheater! As manga painted a clearer image in the mind, many readers who were too lazy to read long texts had joined the manga release as she drew the death of Yu Shengfan. All blamed her death on Su Li. Moreover, the tactful Ye Hai had been busy throwing the pan, hence, Su Li took all the diverted fire. Xiao Yus fans launched their tirade on her Weibo. Some even said that she was a black stigma. Well, the bento scene in the finale of her first work was indeed mind-boggling! Therefore, you, Su Li the Cheater, must be thrilled with her death, right? Su Li felt she had been wrongly accused. She had clarified on her Weibo, that she was not the original author, merely an illustrator. She could not diverge from the intentions of the original author by not drawing Xiao Yus death, right? Yet, everyone blatantly ignored the statement, muttering along as they did. Some even blamed her for not preventing Rosemary from inserting that depressive element. It must be a tax evasion (pleasure) This time, she was lying flat on her back, taking a break, when the pan fell from the sky. After seeing her crowded Weibo during rest hours, her female assistant quickly informed her, Teacher Su Li, your Weibo; it is exploding, quickly, its getting out of hand! You are being scolded againErr, why did I say again? Su Li put her drawing pen down and shook her aching wrists. She was dumbfounded. What? What the hell? Why would it explode? Pure Romance animation has not yet come to the finale, right? Or is Rosemary, that old thief making me look bad againIs he throwing the pan again? I shouldnt have collaborated with him in the first place! Horrible! Translation Note: [1] H is the initial of the word, Huang in mandarin. It could mean yellow color or erotic element. Here, it means erotic element.(ED: Or you could simply call it Hentai.) Chapter 215 : Its not my fault! As Su Li was speaking, she used her phone to surf through her Weibo, and only realized that the notification center had exploded with various types of private messages, comments, and shares, at least a few times more than usual! Su Li personally loved being in the thick of things, rubbing hot spots and appearing in headlines on the internet. Her Weibo followers had enthusiastically trailed after her, making her movement almost considered No.1 within the manga world. This certainly did not mean that Su Lis manga has become invincible. It just meant that she was better at hyping her fans up, like those outspoken interactive celebrities. By doing so, her fame had thrived. Such was Su Lis secular mind, with a very strong heart towards her career. She loved to secure her personal gain, while being engrossed in her fame and fortune. This new, mysterious fire gave her a panic attack. The work that was her main priority at the moment was The Strongest King by Rosemary, as this was her primary source of income, so she had to understand all of the plot fully. She had even consulted Rosemary for more details. No other plot is more disastrous, compared to Xiao Yus. This upcoming outline certainly does not involve her. Among all of my recent updates, there have been no bad signs either As a creator, Su Li had a keen sense of smell. If the author wants to make something happen, she would have known. In this case, none of her red lights had lit up. If this is a surprise death flag, readers wouldnt exactly be approving of it. To be honest, Xiao Yus death was rather unexpected, as her death had not been foreshadowed from the start. On the contrary, it was Rosemary who had suddenly decided to give her a bento, during the process. However, most readers are easy to deceive. Xiao Yus death had successfully earned a wave of tears, at the same time making The Strongest King viral, eventually solidifying its spot as an iconic series. When Su Li realized that there were no words like Rosemary,The Strongest King, etc. among the comments on Weibo, she felt relieved. Then only did she notice that many readers were actually blaming her for a development concerning Chu Luoxun. What is h*ll is going on? She voluntarily painted an illustration for goddess Chu, why am I being scolded instead? Did I fail to portray the essence of the goddess Chu, Chu Luoxun? Su Li admired her exquisite illustration once more; still thinking that it was undoubtedly perfect, even finding herself almost enthralled by the charm of the goddess Chu. She could not help but felt the urge to draw an entire artbook of goddess Chu Su Li had always thought that if a female character wants to become famous within the manga world, she must first become the model worker [1] within the realm of Doujinshi ero mangas or become a public transport [2] within anime fanfictions. Without those, would you still dare say that female characters are famous? Su Li had not have time to look through the latest issue of Mengya, and that was why she was confused, unable to understand the comments under her Weibo. Ive already seen it through! Everything is the cheater, Su Lis fault. If she had not drawn an illustration of goddess Chu, goddess Chu would have to suffer such a terrible fate! Su Li really is the grim reaper of the manga world. Whoever who gets drawn by her gets their world turned upsidedown, as long as its a widely known female character. For example, the Tri-No elite scholar, Xu Jing who is obsessed with learning, and the tsundere, poison-tongued Lolita with blonde twintails, Yu Shengfan the gaming genius. Now, its finally the Genki [3] music goddess, Chu Luoxuns turn. I have a feeling that Chu Luoxun would probably be damned. Old sly Su Li, please keep your all-mighty capabilities away! Goddess Chu was all fine, and once you drew her, she became ill. This is supposed to be old sly Su Lis fault no matter which perspective you take, right? At first, I thought that it was the Master Leng Zi who was cheating the readers on purpose. Now only did I realize, it was actually you behind the scene, Su Li! Seeing that everyone has managed to find the real criminal, I feel relieved right away. This cheater, Su Li already has numerous convictions in the past, she is certainly involved this time! She is the source of all evil! To be honest, Master Su Li shouldnt be blamed for this, right? She has carried the pan again no matter from which perspective you takeHuh? This word again, suddenly appeared by itself! Congratulations to Master Su Li for receiving the title The Pan of This Generation! Its not The Pan of This Generation, it is clearly The Killer of Goddesses. I doubt that there really is a source of mysterious power from the East. Although Su Li did not read the newest issue of Beautiful April, she was able to figure something out from these comments. It looks like the one causing trouble was not Rosemary. It was Leng Zi! Su Li had felt no need to keep up with such a youthful novel on an issue-by-issue basis. She had intended to wait till it is finished, before binge-reading it in one breath. Current circumstances had forced her to start reading it. If not, she would not even know how to defend herself. She sent her own assistant to purchase the latest issue of Mengya. Then, warily, she finished the content in one breath. Her face went slightly white; her eyes turned slightly red. She knew, if she had not kept her guard up, she might have cried uncontrollably by now! It was really too heart aching, especially at the last scene of the latest issue Know this, Su Li is also among the Chu Luoxun fanbase. If not, why did she not draw illustrations of the others? At that moment, Su Li had been heavily cheated by Master Leng Zi. No, it should be sly old Leng Zi. This is why there are so many authors with hipster-itis in this world! Why cant they just write books properly? I suppose that you abused Chu Luoxun to such an extent, just because you have problem with money? For a while, Su Li felt that ethical authors like herself were a dying race. Those people, every single one of them wanted to become the readers dads. She is the only one who truly considered the feelings of the readers! Thus, Su Li immediately contacted Zhao Youyue via direct message on Wechat and asked her comfortingly, My lady, have you read the latest issue of Beautiful April? Zhao Youyue replied, Yup, its well-written! It will be so good if I can see the moment where Chu Luoxun crying in despair in picture form. That will be such a profound moment! Su Li spoke within her heart, So scary, is your heart made of iron, Lady Zhao? How could you face the matter of goddess Chu being abused so calmly? She replied her bluntly, My lady; if you want to see such a thing, Ill draw another illustration of that scene. I also think that this is quite memorable. After all, its the very first time ever for goddess Chu to be seen in such a state Wechat money transfer 5,000 RMB. Keep it up, Sis. Li! This is some encouragement for you, I believe that you will do a great job Zhao Youyue replied after she transferred the money. She was grabbing every opportunity, trying her best to deepen the readers impression towards Chu Luoxun, C the deeper, the better! Having a soulful artist like Su Li at my beck and call, isnt it such pity to not use her? As Su Li replied her shamelessly, she accepted the money transfer. Soon after, she assured her patron that 3 days was enough for her, because this scene had certainly stimulated her inspiration! But on Weibo, she screamed once again To all the Beautiful April fans, I want to tell you the truth! I am just an innocent, passing fan of goddess Chu, and I was merely drawing an illustration of her, without asking for anything in return, increasing her fame at no cost whatsoever. So, she suffered from such a disaster, but what does this have to do with me? All of you should go and find that Leng Zi who is hiding her head, exposing nothing but her tail! If you guys still think Im the culprit, then dont blame me! I, Su Li, have no need to explain myself to anyone! Its not my fault! Translation Note: [1] Model worker It refers to characters that have high appearance rates within a doujinshi ero manga or those who maintain high production amount of doujinshi ero mangas, yearly. Therefore, characters with such selfless dedication, rushing to attend different plots, are given the title model worker. [2] Public transport C When this is applied to a female, it means that everyone can have sex with her. [3] Genki an innocent and energetic personality. Tonicquill: Someones in the wrong place at the wrong time. Again. Oh, why did I say again? Chapter 216 On this day, people finally remembered Habits and rituals, are sometimes terrifying. The previous Su Li would have been very resistant against carrying a pan. She was clearly the kind of mangaka who cared about her readers. Why was she slandered as a cheater? As a drug Lord? Of course, Su Li was complacent, thinking that Drug Lord was a good designation, meaning that her works are easy to get addicted to, like getting a drug addiction along with severe withdrawal symptoms. Now, she had a holy sense of duty. She, Su Li, is contributing to Lady Zhaos cause. Do not forget that. Yet she did not know how many readers had entered the pit, as per the Youyue tycoons recommendation. Now, Beautiful April ended up making such big news abusing the female character with the highest popularity towards her death. Shouldnt the Youyue tycoon who recommended this piece of work take some form of responsibility? To be honest, Su Li felt that the plot development related to Chu Luoxun in Beautiful April was more natural, compared to Yu Shengfan in The Strongest King. Both of them were sick, but Chu Luoxuns illness had clearly existed since the very beginning. There was a foreshadow when she appeared, and later on, she had fainted after the play, and also, the various kinds of medicine that she carries with her Furthermore, similar cases like Chu Luoxuns illness can also be found in reality, whereas Yu Shengfans incurable disease, if we were to insist on researching the details, was highly virulent. It was an incurable disease, specially designed for killing Yu Shengfan, and she was its first and last casualty. No matter how good Rosemarys writing skills are, no one would be able to deny that Yu Shengfan had been worked towards death on purpose. Beautiful April was not like this. First of all, Chu Luoxuns illness was not an incurable disease; it was curable, there was hope. Currently, everyone could not confirm how she will end up next. Furthermore, from the perspective of character creation alone, to be able to smile on while encumbered by such illness, would serve to deepen her optimistic and strong image further. After all, to still be able to face the world with a smile, calling her stout would be an understatement now, wouldnt it be? What form of extraordinary willpower was this? She had always been smiling, and finally broke down, being the human she is. That uncharacteristic, contrasting scene would certainly take a toll on all readers! This was truly a scene that could thrill the hearts of readers. It would stimulate Su Lis inspirations as well! When Su Li suddenly found that carrying pans of kind of stuff not only did not decrease her income but on the contrary, increased her fame. At the same time she would be able to please Lady Zhao, so why not? After all, the reason Su Li wanted to have a good reputation was simply to send more readers into her pit and bring her more income. After coming to know the power of this title C The Pan of This Generation, she accepted it calmly. She, Su Li, could see the bigger picture! Why bother about empty reputations that would not increase her income? Su Li even felt that being able to become a punchline within the two dimensional manga world could also bring forth a facilitating role towards her fame! One punchline that is now very popular on the internet is Its all Su Lis fault! Of course, at this moment there were many people standing up for her The defenders quickly died off when three days later, amidst all the different kinds of fermentation and arguments that had long reached the climax, Su Li once again released an illustration of Chu Luoxun. One of her crying desperately! Su Li had always been great at depicting characters in detail. The Chu Luoxun within this illustration, her mental status, and physical condition, were entirely different from the Chu Luoxun in her previous illustration. If one is to say that the previous Chu Luoxun was tender and beautiful blooming flower, then she is now nearly withered dry Looking from the perspective of the illustration alone, this was full of visual impact. If this illustration had accompanied the issue of that particular scene, to be seen by numerous readers, the world would have been flooded in tears! Sometimes, only the complete combination of words, imagery, and sound could truly bring out a scene. Understandably, the numerous Beautiful April fans took a fatal blow when this illustration rode on the new wave! This Su Li is definitely having revenge on the society, isnt she? Does she still think that Chu Luoxun has not yet earned enough tears? One wave had just been suppressed within the novel. Looking at this illustration will immediately remind others of that particular scene again. Readers with active lacrimal glands would cry all over again! Some fans with good memories would remember Su Li defending herself three days ago, but it had been of no use. Numerous fans still treated her as the person carrying Leng Zis pan. After various sorts of ridiculous mockeries, Su Li spoke out If you guys persist, do not blame me for what happens next! But no one expected that Su Li would truly live up to her threat. An honest person, the pan carrying hero would also explode, someday! It was just like Xu Jing, the three Nos Straight A student fate, under the strokes of her brush. Who asked you people to keep saying that its Su Lis fault? Youve woken the devil in her and brought this on yourself! The fans were divided into two factions. One side was fervently against her. They strongly criticized Su Lis character as the Drug Lord, releasing poison whenever someone disagrees with her, and threatened to boycott her works. So much for her revenge Another faction chose the soft, repentant method, hoping that Teacher Su Li would stay her godly powers. Chu Luoxun was not yet dead, but if you keep pushing the devil, even if she does not lose her life, she would end up like Stephen Hawking. It was simply unimaginable for the goddess Chu to one day sit on a wheelchair, unable to even speak! This time, Su Li embraced the limelight, stacking more pans onto her head, completely covering for Lady Zhao. Moreover, her cheater and Drug Lord titles which were on the verge of being forgotten, came back with the crack of a whip! On this day, everyone finally remembered the terror of once being poisoned by the Drug Lord, and the humiliation caused by her following works. Therefore, do not let Su Li carry the pan, just because she seems like an easy target to pick on. You will have good experience if you offend a soulful artist like her. Do not look down on the great mangaka Su, who had frenziedly given bentos to almost every character within her work, achieving complete extinction. If she becomes crazy, she would terrify even herself But Su Li was nowhere near the Old Sly title. After all, the wickedness of old thieves was not something that the new cute beginner, honest Su Li can compare to. Just like Rosemary, this pan-rejecting technique was perfect. Leng Zi had pulled the same trick, this time. Be it the internet or within the group, people have been at each others throats, and she did not care. She had not even stepped out to receive the 200 RMB exclusive red envelope sent by local tycoon within the group. Authors totally ignored the readers, sitting above the nine heavens, looking down upon the mortal beings, not giving a crap about their emotions, are the truly scary ones! This is because the readers would never affect them. Whatever they write, readers would have no choice but to accept. Dont want to read? If you dont, then go away! Theres no difference! Someone would want to! Magazine based youth novels did not bind readers by subscription fees and the like. No matter how many magazines are sold, the contribution fee for the book would not increase This is also why there are always so many depressing plots within youth novels. The least harmful works to the readers would usually be the online series. After all, only a few online writers would not care about subscription counts at all. Online articles pave the way for readers to contact their creators directly. Whenever there is a problem on the plot, the author would be able to receive feedback on time, and then make adjustments and amendments accordingly. Tonicquill: WellStephen Hawking is no longer with us. Either waythat was a pretty bad joke to me. Chapter 217 It is best to follow your feelings As the perpetrator of all these incidents, Han Leng was also paying close attention towards the movements on the internet from the shadows. Of course, there were letters from fans. To conclude, the contents basically begged him to spare Chu Luoxun. Even if he wants to abuse her, please be easy on her Some begged humbly, some threatened rudely, some questioned him instead, I thought we had a deal that this is a joyful work? Why did you not keep the promise made before the start of the book? Of course, there were also some carefree fans who worshiped him, saying that no matter what he writes, they will keep supporting him. When Han Leng saw those questions, he felt sorry as well. After all, he was indeed at fault, he was shy, and he too, hated those authors who purposely cheated their readers! He hated them the most! He could only comfort himself and say that all of this was not his fault. This was because when he wrote about the character Chu Luoxun, she came to life under his pen. He had no way of controlling her actions With the work becoming more and more popular because of this character C Chu Luoxun, the sensation of being dominated by her only grew, as if his pen did not belong to him anymore. He could only look helplessly at her in the quiet hospital corridor, crying desperately and helplessly. He then used his pen to record the scene down and showed it to all the readers. He did not even bear to delete the depiction of this scene, because he could not guarantee at all that he would be able to write something as good as this one if he were to write a different path. Whether she lives till the end, he would never know. This was not him shirking responsibility, it was the truth. A truth that even the readers would hardly believe Authors were basically the Gods of their own universes, so why could they not decide a characters life and death within their literary world? This is because that character was not simply a character within the literary world anymore, it had appeared to have manifested in reality. Words no longer held sway over her actions. Han Leng also paid attention to great artist Su, Su Li who had been inexplicably criticized for no reason. To be honest, Han Leng had a good impression on her, for she was obviously a loyal reader. She had even drawn an illustration of his goddess Chu without being commissioned to, giving him great, free advertisement. This undoubtedly increased Han Lengs favorability towards her drastically. He had almost laughed at the fact that this enthusiastic artist, Su Li had even carried the pan for him. Many readers did not go after him, who was the perpetrator of all crimes, but went for Su Li. They had to be drunk. Su Lis anti-criticism measure raised his eyebrows as well, mainly because that illustration of goddess Chu crying was too tearjerking. If you look at it together with that scene in the novel, your heart would shatter into smithereens! Many fans instantly cried after looking at the second illustration. Some fans who were in high-spirits previously had bowed towards boss Su Li, asking her to let them go Han Leng felt that the effects of the illustration was so good, that he even wanted to ask Su Li to help him draw the illustrations for the offprint of his work after it is completed. Although illustrations mostly appeared in light novels, youth novels like his could also have illustrations to increase the offprint sales. The combination of graphics and text could attract readers even more. Finding a good illustrator was not easy; one would have to at least read through the book. However, some illustrators often ignored the details of the novel and flippantly draw something out of the novel, not pursuing the details to completion whatsoever. However, Su Lis illustrations were not like those. She often managed to illustrate the scenes perfectly, in accordance with the original. Moreover, with the good reputation of respect the original author that she had accumulated from The Strongest King work, Han Leng could totally trust Su Li. She was actually the mangaka that numerous original authors wanted to cooperate with. This was because she was serious, responsible, and was loyal to the original content, and the original authors desires. Han Leng gave it careful thought, and soon thought of the relationship between Su Li and Zhao Youyue. He could not help but sigh within his heart. The person that he should be most grateful to, should perhaps be Zhao Youyue. If not because of Zhao Youyue, would Su Li even pay attention towards Beautiful April? He did not think so. Han Leng walked out of his adolescent turmoil and perceived Zhao Youyue objectively. Only then did he realize that this girl was more interesting than he had concluded some time ago. It was an understatement to characterize her as Lin Meiyue. Zhao Youyue was like a book, riddled with profound connotations. From the cover alone, she might not seem like much, she would not even be a particularly thick book. But when you really calm yourself down and read it, you would sense that her ideologies far exceeded her peers. Han Leng remembered his many silly and awkward antics in front of her. He wanted suddenly dig a burrow and jump in. It was too embarrassing! If his current self was to face himself in the past, he would have wanted to beat him up, for sure. His past self really deserves to be beaten! How could Zhao Youyues personality be so good? To have remained calm in the face of all that Han Leng felt a newfound wave of respect for Zhou Youyue, feeling that she hid her complexities well. Before this, Han Leng felt that Zhao Youyue was utterly incomparable to his goddess Chu. We could only say that Han Leng is flexible enough to change his opinion of a person. He could not understand Zhao Youyue, therefore he could only fill her gaps with different sorts of brain supplement. Sometimes, he felt that she was just a passerby without any sense of existence. Sometimes, he felt that she was so incredible, like an undercover agent who was convincingly playing the role of a passerby! However, Han Leng was sure about one thing. He finally would not feel uneasy when communicating with Zhao Youyue. He would only need to chant his goddess Chus name under his breath, and he would be fine. If not, he would still feel himself lacking to be in her presence Thinking of Zhao Youyue, Han Leng unconsciously sent a message to Zhao Youyue using Leng Zis QQ ID. Getting along with Zhao Youyue using this Leng Zi identity was way better, compared to using his real identity. Their relationship could be said to be unusually congenial, which gave him more reason to continue keeping the secret of this Leng Zi identity. The moment the true identity of Leng Zi is exposed would be the end! Lady Youyue, I wrote this heart-aching plot by chance, I was going with the flow. I am not sure if it was for better or for worse, I would like to hear your thoughts on that, Han Leng sent the message like so. Zhao Youyue saw the message, with a smile, she replied, Master Leng Zi, you wrote it very well! It will be better to follow your feelings in futureMoreover, the male lead and heroine must enjoy a big, happy ending. That was your absolute promise. Han Leng sighed. This Zhao Youyue truly did not care about goddess Chu at all. Even at this stage, you are still paying attention to the male lead and heroine. Chu Luoxun had already caught most of his attention, even as the author. He really wanted to determine his next move now. The fear of the unknown would scare other authors to death. Was there truly such an author who did not even have a clue on what he would write next? Was he this unreliable? Han Leng had no idea that all the pain of Chu Luoxun was actually Zhao Youyue abusing herself, literally. There was no other choice, she had to take things to such an extent, in order to get the iconic character card! She was also using her life to get the power! Even Zhao Youyue herself was afraid of entering the Two Dimensional Gate. This was because that she would experience Chu Luoxuns pain once she enters. Of course, she could choose to disable her senses and withdraw temporarily. But if she does so, she does not believe that she would be able to let Master Leng Zi experience goddess Chus pain, or how else would she perfectly depict the scenes that are to follow? In her mind, by doing so, she would show goddess Chu all the respect that she deserves. She cant just expect to earn goddess Chus power, if she does not have the courage to bear her pain. The more painful it is, the greater the fortitude needed. This would also hone Zhao Youyues willpower! Tonicquill: Did you know, that in the Watchmen comic series, the one with Rorschach, Ozymandias, Nite Owl and the other guys, the author himself did not know that a certain would die in the end, not until he saw that this was a character, a sociopath, who would not bend or compromise to maintaining a status-quo, a lie that would bring peace to the world. He had no choice but to kill off one of his favorite characters in order to silence him and allow the plot to carry on. Chapter 218 An Interesting Disagreement After Han Leng finished communicating with Zhao Youyue via the Leng Zi identity, he jumped over to his actual account and chatted with her as a fellow student. He seemed to be fascinated by the sensation of spying on Zhao Youyues information using dual identities. Every time he learns more about Zhao Youyue, he would feel gratified in a way that could not be put in words. Han Leng saw that Zhao Youyue clearly was more passionate towards his Leng Zi identity, because Leng Zi was the author of her favorite novel. As to how much preference she had towards this kind of authors, one would only need to look at Su Li and Rosemary. It was enjoyable and fulfilling. There were many a time when Han Leng almost could not resist revealing his true identity, so that his true self could also enjoy being favored by Zhao Youyue. But he fell into his own trap. To avoid arousing suspicion at that time, he had acted on impulse, and by using the voice changer, had ended up being treated as a female author At that time, Han Leng had not walked out of the knot in his heart yet. He was very afraid that his real reason for writing Beautiful April would be discovered. That guilty conscience plagued him for a long time. But now, Han Leng realized that the Lin Meiyue under his writing was way different compared to the real Zhao Youyue. He found his nerves, because Lin Meiyues prototype character was not the real Zhao Youyue, but the Zhao Youyue within his imagination. One was day, the other was night! Besides, the character that he had placed most of his focus on was goddess Chu, Chu Luoxun. The more Han Leng learned about Zhao Youyue, the more he felt that this girl had an alternative charm. It was not about her appearance, but her coolness and aloofness. Combined with Zhao Youyues Lady identity which could be considered prominent, compared to ordinary people, made her even more enigmatic. If the others had such an identity, they would be loud, brash, and bold. How could they be as low key and as calm as Zhao Youyue? Now, Zhao Youyue was being treated as the poor elite scholar in class. The more the rumors spread, the more troublesome things would become. It was just like a piece of work. Most loyal readers read and voted silently, thinking that everything was pretty good. Only a small portion of readers who were very active, would constantly throw out demands. New and innocent authors usually would concern themselves with their opinions, but they ignored the real silent majority. They made amendments according to those opinions, and the silent majority would end up abandoning the books. It did not balance out in the end. This was actually a matter of choice. The author was not writing for one particular reader. He must be concerned about the general readership. Zhao Youyue knew that the silent majority within the class had sharp eyes. Lets just say that they have not yet figured out her Lady identity, even so, they would not treat her as a really poor student. Naturally, they would deal with the rumors with a smile. We dont need to attend the boring self-study session this Saturday, hooray! (*) Tsk, Lady Zhao, are you planning to slack off using the elite students privilege again? It looks like the reason you study so diligently is for the purpose of being able to slack, am I right? SeeThrough.jpg. Thats not it. Im going to participate in the provincial violin competition finals, and Im going there to win. () Incredible! You even know how to play the violin? StillHaveSuchOperation.jpg. Han Leng pretended as if he had heard Zhao Youyue being able to play the violin for the first time. He had actually heard her perform before, which had left a deep impression. Only the sound of Chu Luoxuns violin would make Han Leng totally lose himself, although it was just an imagination within his mind. Oh right, have you read Beautiful April? Of course I have. Your Lady Zhao AMWAYed it like crazy, sending the 10th issue of Mengya to everyone in the class. I certainly want to read it and try to learn from it for my own essay writing. After all, April was your full mark essay! Han Leng replied with exultation. He finally had a piece of work that has been acknowledged by Zhao Youyue. The web novel Conquer the World in Online Games, did not win Zhao Youyues favor, as expected. It could not be helped, as it was a hollow piece literature with some flowery writing. It was not her style, not at all. She would never tip such a pretentious title. Zhao Youyue had actually thought about giving a friendship tip before, since she had a lot to spare. But throughout the communication process with Han Leng, she found that Han Leng was highly prideful. Her tip which could be misinterpreted as her approval would turn Han Leng cold and stiff once again. She was a girl who would consider the emotions of others. After all, her EQ was quite high. Although she did not know why Han Leng who had suddenly disappeared was now contacting her again, she felt that maintaining good classmate relationship with talented folk such as Han Leng is a good thing. At first, she thought that Han Leng was a shallow, materialistic money grubber. But then she realized that this guy was an idealist. He worked in a completely different way, compared to Su Li! Su Li produced work for readers with all her heart and soul. Han Leng wrote for himself, with some serious Hipster-it is. Surprisingly, such authors easily attracted loyal fans, they would have to have their niche, specific tastes, but they would stick on, nevertheless. Zhao Youyue regarded idealists with a special kind of respect. She would not be one of those elite scholars who did nothing but burn the midnight oil on their schoolwork, would she? Han Lengs steadfastness towards his literature was admirable. The male lead, Gu Yuans nicknames such as Human-type Metronome,Prize-winning Machine are very cool, right? I will use his beliefs to conquer all the judges. Zhao Youyue spoke confidently. She had not expected the Xu Jing Card to have such a wonderful function. It enabled her to accurately perform according to the music score, without any sense of personal emotion. This was how judges tended to evaluate performances. But later on, during the development of the plot, Chu Luoxuns music was pointed out to be the real music that has life within, right? After being saved by Chu Luoxun, the male lead also gave up on his inflexible play style and started emulating her. Obviously, Han Leng disagreed with the male leads initial music concept. He had made it clear in his writings. However, Chu Luoxuns fame within the classical music industry isnt as good as Gu Yuans, is it? Whats the use of being famous among students? Besides, a competition is just a competition. The judges have clear rules, yet she insisted on taking liberties within the competition. Shes brainless. Zhao Youyue criticized herself. Wow! Are you still a loyal fan of Beautiful April? How dare you label Goddess Chu as brainless? To be honest, this is my I mean true love, favorite character! Show your sword, you heterodoxical Lin Meiyue fan! Han Leng held aloft the flag of Chu Luoxun gang, drawing his sword on the Lin Meiyue fan before him. Chapter 219 A Situation Happened, due to a Leave Application Zhao Youyue did not expect Han Leng to be in the Chu Luoxun gang as well. It looks like her possessed Chu Luoxun has now gained enough existence within Beautiful April. Its influence has even exceeded the hero and heroine. Zhao Youyue felt conflicted over this, because she very much liked the dog food sweetness of the hero and heroine. Now, this dog food plot seemed to be getting outdatedThe bigger the influence that Chu Luoxun had, the more benefits she had in shaping this character. Even the fans of Lin Meiyue were hanging on to every word that could possibly determine Chu Luoxuns fate. The sweet dog food of the hero and heroine, and Chu Luoxuns tragedy. The juxtaposition only served to enhance the impact of the latters predicament further. Time flowed by, and Zhao Youyue successfully requested for leave on that Saturday to participate in the provincial violin competition finals. When Mr. Qiu knew that Zhao Youyue was an expert in the violin, he was obviously surprised. Even after her recent academic achievements, he still deemed her as a passerby. He did not expect her to become the best student in class now, to even be able to play the violin at that. Go, participate in the competition. The next time when theres an evening party in school, you must go on stage and show your specialty! Student Zhao Youyue, youre just too low-key. If you had let it be known that you could play the violin, you could have gone on stage and performed during the New Year evening party of the first semester! said Qiu Yingchun, the class teacher. Now, Qiu Yingchuns attitude towards Zhao Youyue was most favorable, and it was not because she was rich. To old-school teachers like him, students who were rich but did not study thoroughly were the most annoying ones. Honest, earnest students like Zhao Youyue earned his favor the most. Even when Zhao Youyues results were not this good, Mr. Qiu already had a good impression on her. Her unassuming appearance often escaped his gaze, that was all. This was no fault of his. Zhao Youyue never caused trouble. She never had any outbursts or tantrums. She was always there, calm and unassuming. Whatever urges she might have, the Two Dimensional Gate was her outlet. No problem. For the class, if you ask me to perform, I will perform! Zhao Youyue replied. Mr. Qiu immediately smiled. Look at her; this is the perfect student. Not only is she good in her studies, she even has a sense of patriotism for this class. Such students are really too rare! However, those were merely words. If Han Leng heard about this, he would have exposed her countless layers of masks. If she really felt anything for the class, he would eat sh*t! He could never forget about her various methods of escaping from group cleanups. She never gave two hoots about them being together in this. The only reason she would be willing to perform on stage was just because she had the desire to show herself off, a passion that lay within her bones. Zhao Youyue treated all students almost the same, always smiling courteously. If you are assuming that she likes to makes friends, then you are wrong! She is actually the easiest person to get close to, yet the hardest person to get to know. Everyone would think that it is easy to get to know her. But becoming friends that is just your imagination. You will never become anything more than just another of her acquaintances. Yet, Zhao Youyues had connections that stretched across the globe. This was because she did not refuse to know more people, especially authors. Han Leng had slowly come to realize this as time passed by. Luckily, he seemed to have been recognized by her as a friend. Obviously, it was all thanks to him helping her to write reports and reminded her in advance, concerning the problems related to Yu Shengfan. Besides, they were old classmates; and have accumulated years of communication. This was enough for Han Leng. As for lovers, Han Leng had expressed that he already had Chu Luoxun within his heart, so he should just forget about an unfathomable Lady like Zhao Youyue. Han Leng had entirely given up on trying to figure her thoughts out, because she seemed to be as stoic as a tree. Nothing, and no one would ever catch her off-guard. Her icy demeanor would shatter the moment she finds another piece of excellent work that glues her eyes to the end, or a touching plotline. She would AMWAY the work with great fanfare. She would be a creature of passion. Such contrasting behavior was the part that threw him off. Was she really AMWAYing and producing various mediums of recommendation, just because she simply liked it? He did not believe her to be such a passionate person. She could treat anything calmly and coolly, as if nothing mattered to her, and that she was too lazy to care. What was it that drove her into such a frenzy? Han Leng observed and thought for a very long time, still unable to see through it What? You also want to request for leave on Saturday? Mr. Qiu looked at Han Leng suspiciously. Well, its like this. The editor of Mengya Magazine Agency told me that some media wants to have an interview with me. Teacher Qiu, you also know how famous my Beautiful April is nowyou mentioned also just now, is there anyone who had requested for leave? Han Leng pretended to be puzzled and asked. Haha, I almost forgot, youre now the great author Leng Zi, Im so proud to have a student like you! Im now waiting for you to reveal your identity, then I can show off everywhere that youre my favorite student! Since its a matter regarding the media interview, then you have to go. Oh right, I just want to ask, will this Chu Luoxun character die? Tell me the truth! Qiu Yingchun narrowed his eyes at the last bit. Han Leng felt a shudder, and he answered, She wont be dead! How could I write her towards death? Currently, I only put her in a bit of a tragic situation in order to display her fortitude. Chu Luoxun will eventually be able to overcome the disease! Not bad! Qiu Yingchun patted Han Lengs shoulder and said, Youre indeed my favorite student! Will you choose to become a professional author in the future? Your academics are suffering a little ErmI will pay attention to that; I still want to take the college entrance examination. After I finish writing this book, I will transfer my energy to my studies. Your story is pretty good, after all, being a professional author has its own risks as well. Your current book may be famous, but your next may not be so. Its better to have something to fall back on. How about this? I will change the seating arrangements for you and have the others guide you. Teacher Qiu, theres no need for that. Bro. ChenI mean Student Chen Haorans science result is so good, its best to let him counsel me. I only have to sit with him. Han Leng immediately replied. He disliked the other elite students. Whoa, you two are already calling each other brothers, can he still counsel your study? Obviously, he is definitely working hand in glove with you! Dont you ever think that I dont know that he looks out for you when youre sleeping! Teacher Qiu, you really have Han Leng did not spill out the phrase bright eyes. You will become deskmates with Zhao Youyue from now on, thats it. Only such an earnest, hardworking and simple good girl like her can counsel your study! Her results are way better compared to Chen Haorans, especially in English. You already know how bad your English is, I suppose? This Han Leng was shocked. He had given an excuse to request for leave, so that he could attend Zhao Youyues violin music competition, in order to draw some inspiration. He never expected such a situation to happen, due to his leave application! Chapter 220 : Good grades are Everything Han Leng had to admit that if he were to sit next to the class rep, Zhu Ran, or the student council member like Qiu Pengcheng to help him with his homework, he would not change his seat, even in death! Obviously, Han Leng can never get along with them, not to mention that they have this competition going on during night classes, along with the fact that they were the student cadres. They would not have the time to guide him, the least they could do is to let him refer to their homework. But Zhao Youyue was different; nobody knows what is hidden underneath her mask, except for Han Leng. He always wanted to know how this Lady Zhao manages to get her good grades, especially when she is such a slacker. Zhao Youyue was laid back to begin with, and ever since she became a top ten student, her attitude only worsened. She would grab any opportunity to play with her phone during recess, so what if she is caught by the teacher red-handed? I can guarantee to make it to the top ten. When the science exams remain as they are, without any of those competition format questions, I can even shake the position of Wang Zongchao, can you guys do that? Welcome to the class, where good grades are everything But Zhao Youyue was still afraid of her homeroom teacher, so she did not dare to be that arrogant during Mr. Qius class, but still, she would play with her phone underneath her desk. Of course, she had been caught by Mr. Qiu a few times, but Mr. Qiu did not confiscate her phone like last time, nor did he ask her to write an apology letter Mr. Qiu believed that simple and diligent Zhao Youyue was using her phone to check for information to increase her knowledge. Woah, no wonder Zhao Youyue is the elite student representative of his class, such self-motivation! If everyone can learn from Zhao Youyue, he could worry less about this class! Her grades have spoken on her behalf, the Xu Jing card had definitely changed her high school life. Zhao Youyue had studied hard, so she has the time to play with her phone even more. However, most people lacked determination. They were all too aware that good grades would grant them a lot of leeway, but they could find it in them to improve their studies. Well, besides getting good grades, they would have to at least maintain their places at the top ten positions in the whole school, or the top three in class, or else they would still have to obey school rules, without any privileges. For an excellent student like Zhao Youyue, as long as she does not affect others in their studies, she could do whatever she wants. Many students were mistaken about Zhao Youyue, because there was a rumor going about Zhao Youyue that said she was from a poor family, and that she was a strong-willed elite scholar; she would do house chores while studying! Of course, Mr. Qiu was willing to publicize Zhao Youyue in such a way; he can never let her true nature be known. What would happen to the other students, if a lazy person like her still manage to get good grades? Mr. Qiu had also decided to separate Zhao Youyue from her deskmate, Jiang Qing. Zhao Youyue was a bad influence on the little angel, Jiang Qing. A committee of art like her already had little interest in studying; now she was mixing in with Lady Zhao who only waits for the holidays during the weekend, so that she could follow Zhao Youyue to a great meal, tea time and even movies Jiang Qing had even considered to surrender herself to Lady Zhao for the rest of her life! Since Lady Zhao had taken a liking to her, she would agree to anything easily. Jiang Qings heart was nowhere near studying, and that was causing her grades to fall, while Zhao Youyue continued to excel. She never noticed that Jiang Qings grades were going through a steep fall. Now, Jiang Qing and Han Leng were the same, one of the former top ten students. Emphasis on former. Deep down, Zhao Youyue was not one of those arrogant, excellent students. Many of the excellent students loved to compare their answers whenever a test is finished, and they would usually lie that they messed up in the test. But when the results are announced, they would smile at their own results and ask the other excellent students for their results Before the teacher reveals their ranking, they would already predict their own rankings, and they like to compare their exam results with their deskmates. If their deskmate is a student with a bad grade, they would feel all the more haughty. The top student study group that Zhao Youyue joined had many such students. This excluded Wang Zongchao, who never bothered about other peoples grades, because none of them was better than him. Of course, Wang Zongchao could not take his eyes off Lady Zhao. He would feel the pressure when he is facing Zhao Youyue, because her grades were a threat to him. But still, he felt that he retained an advantage over her, because he has entered mathematics and physics competitions, while Zhao Youyue has never participated in any of those. Little did he know that if Zhao Youyue manages to get the gold medal in the provincial violin competition, the school would definitely grab this opportunity to publicize her success this was called the Quality Education Achievement, because her school emphasized on quality education, and it affected the reform of the nations education culture as a whole. Mathematics and physics competitions were a given for excellent students to participate in, and Zhao Youyue who took part in a violin competition would be a special case, because it is usually the art students who took part in those. Not many can play a musical instrument yet also excel in their studies, not even students from music schools. Zhao Youyue actually set a very bad example, if her deskmate is not strong-willed enough, he or she would definitely be corroded! There is a saying, Hardwork does not necessarily grant success, but not working hard is definitely easier, becoming the deskmate of Lady Zhao, following her path of a stress-free life, without the help of Xu Jings card and 200% effort on learning, would d*mn a person! So, on Saturday, the little angel, Jiang Qing almost cried when she lost her status as Lady Zhaos deskmate! Her seat was now the closest to the blackboard, and her every single movement was under the supervision of all teachers! Chen Haoran helped Mr. Qiu carry Han Lengs desk over, and thus, Han Leng now became the deskmate of Zhao Youyue. Chen Haoran and Han Leng had been mercilessly separated by Mr. Qiu! On that day, Han Leng and Zhao Youyue have gone on leave, so Mr. Qiu quickly arranged their seats before they could oppose. He knew very well that Zhao Youyue would protest she was very close to Jiang Qing Chen Haoran was envious of Han Leng, because he had become the deskmate of Zhao Youyue under the command of Mr. Qiu! But he changed his mind, Han Leng was an acquaintance to Zhao Youyue too; he could get close to Zhao Youyue through Han Leng, even getting Han Leng to speak of nice things about him to Zhao Youyue Jiang Qing stared at the messy desk of Han Leng with a grudge, as if they were now mortal enemies. A girl named Zhou Fang also stared at that table with a hateful expression; she was Zhao Youyues first deskmate! Chapter 221 Goddess Zhao Youyue As Zhao Youyue headed for the violin competition venue with her teacher, Liu Yuxi, naturally, she did not know that her deskmate, little angel Jiang Qing had been spirited away. She had been forced to change into a miserable position, because of Mr. Qiu, who cared about his students results. Thats right, that particular seat is not seated by just any student. When the teacher thinks that a student still can be saved, he would make that student seat right in front of the classroom, so that student would have no choice but to focus in class. As for students who the teacher have abandoned, they would get thrown into the corner of the classroom, so that they would not affect the other students who were keen on studying. Obviously, Mr. Qiu still had hope for Jiang Qing. When she became the deskmate of Zhao Youyue, her grades were still average, about the same level as Zhao Youyue. But now, Zhao Youyue had improved tremendously, turning out to be one of the top ten students in the whole school, and could pick any university or profession at her own discretion. Mr. Qiu had acknowledged Zhao Youyue as one of his proud students. He actually wanted every student to excel, even when it came to a student like Han Leng C who only had one specialty. He would understand and support Han Leng, even though his grades were going through a steep fall, knowing that Han Leng could earn even more money than he did Since the majority of the population comprised of normal people, a normal job would easily support ones life. Mr. Qiu believed that even if Han Leng did not have good grades, he could still earn money with his ability to write an essay. But not with Jiang Qing. She may be a good singer, but the road to becoming an artist was even tougher. As she was not earning more money than Mr. Qiu, he would have to improve her grades. If she is unable to even find herself a university, how would she even land herself a job? Actually, Zhao Youyue was responsible for Jiang Qings lousy results. She set a terrible example. Zhao Youyue could be seen slacking off most of the time, not even tensing up during exams, but still, she had been able to get good results, and that did not mean that Jiang Qing could do the same too Lady Zhao was a laid-back person who loved to have fun; her attitude had significantly affected Jiang Qing. Zhao Youyue and Liu Yuxi had arrived at the theater; it was no different than the stage in Beautiful April. They first went to the backstage preparation room; every contestant has their own private rooms, since this was a provincial level music competition. Those who obtain a ranking or a trophy in the final contest would be qualified to enter the national music competition. Reputation in the classical music field can be earned by obtaining more trophies; and the same goes to the field of literature too. Of course, this cannot be measured with sales volume alone. It would be awkward if one book had a sales volume of 100 and the other had 50. A literary work could gain its fame after winning an award, bringing great sales. It was not like a web novel which only served to please the readers; actual novels could be brought back physically, to be displayed on bookshelves. For example, take the book, Frog by Mo Yan, how many knew of its existence before it got the Nobel prize in literature? After winning the award, the volume of its sales increased drastically. Of course, this still could not be compared with the sales of other popular literary works After it won the award, many people bought it, but how many people have actually read it? The same goes for classical music, unless combined with pop music or anime music, would be dull like pure literature. A high-level, unpopular literary art. Zhao Youyue could not be bothered much about classical music; her goal was to get the trophy. She thought that the main hero of Beautiful April was cool; to the point of getting the title, Humanoid Metronome, A machine meant to win trophies. He still had his booming sense of presence. Even though he has never participated in a music competition for years, when he arrived at the theater, he still became the center of attraction. It had always been her biggest dream of being seen and talked about by the crowd! So, in the qualifiers, she had played the violin the way the judges expected in order to win their favour, and she got first place as a result! Now, she had the confidence to get the one and only gold medal in the finals! Are you done changing into your gown? Tsk What a fine body you have, my little sister Youyue! Liu Yuxi was admiring Zhao Youyue, who had changed into her custom-made gown. After all, Liu Yuxi was no longer young, but Zhao Youyue was at the height of her youth. When she changed into her gorgeous gown, her goddess temperament was brought out almost instantly C she was mimicking Chu Luoxun. Even though she has not obtained the character card of Chu Luoxun, dont forget that she has already experienced what Chu Luoxun has been through, and even endured all her sufferings. Although she did not have the musical talent of Chu Luoxun, she could perfectly imitate the goddess temperament of Chu Luoxun because the latter was part of herself too. Unfortunately, her hairstyle still remained as that cute short bob cut. As mentioned before, Zhao Youyue had a face most suited for long, black silky hair. She would instantly become a goddess if she grows her hair out! The only thing thats stopping her from becoming a goddess would be her hairstyle! Many female characters in the fictional world had waist-length hair, which includes Goddess Chu. But it would be difficult to keep such long hair in reality. A far manageable hair length would be just slightly above the waist Another thing worth mentioning was that Zhao Youyue was able to get the first place in the qualifier thanks to her looks. A gorgeous gown and some light makeup had transformed her into a goddess; if her classmates saw her, they would not even recognize her! After listening to Liu Yuxi, Zhao Youyue took a deep breath; she could not help but chant her magic words. Even though she had activated her Xu Jings card, she still felt nervous. Liu Yuxi then laughed at her, My little sister Youyue, your mom and dad are here to see you perform. I might as well have you know that first to save you from the shock. Zhao Youyue rolled her eyes, Youre doing this on purpose, arent you, teacher? Now Im getting even more nervous! Dont call me teacher, call me big sister! Well, dont frighten yourself, if you ever get nervous in that tri-no state of yours during the performance, Ill eat your violin live on stage! My, Im really impressed, you can play a song out perfectly, without inserting any feelings at all, this is a talent meant to win trophies! What will happen if you have your own concerts in the future? The audience would be bored to death! Liu Yuxi was worrying a little bit too much. But Zhao Youyue was not worried about that at all; she could just turn into the real Chu Luoxun, because her music would definitely win the hearts of the audience Chapter 222 The Competition Begins Zhao Youyues parents, Zhao Jiayi and Wang Hua were at the scene of the music competition. After all, this was their very first time attending their daughters provincial violin competition. The final results of this competition would certainly be useful for applying to a university or participating at a higher level of music competition. Its level of importance was not inferior to those provincial science competitions too. Besides, Zhao Youyue had decent grades herself, and if her achievements in classical music were to be added to that, she would definitely get the attention of famous schools. Not many people in the theatre, because most of them were the relatives of the contestants. This was not a concert, and it could get pretty boring. Many of the audiences were dozing off, for contestant after contestant was playing the same tune, it was monotonous! Ever since Su Li, Ye Hai, and Li Mengyao attended the last music competition, they swore never to come again. They always believed that these sorts of music competitions would be grand, but they had been greatly mistaken, because music competition and performances were two different things! Those who were capable of holding their own concerts undoubtedly had their own skill and charm, but those who participated in music competitions might be amateurs, and most of them were not qualified to perform in a concert, and some even participated for the sake of getting an extra curriculum credential. Only professional judges were able to withstand this dull performance, as they listened to every one of the contestant play, and gave them the scores that they deserved. At this very moment, Wang Hua was even more nervous than Zhao Youyue, she held her husbands hands tightly, I cant believe it, my little sloth actually made it, she has upheld her promise ever since she started attending her violin classes again! Not only has she managed to get a grade ten in violin; she has even entered the finals in this music competition, shes definitely a talented musician! Its all your fault, if only you had insisted on her learning the violin when she was still young, she would probably be famous already, in the field of classical music! Wang Hua actually wanted to say that she was her own Chu Luoxun, but she did not believe that her husband would understand a single word, because he has never read this popular romantic novel. The violin has twelve grades in total, and the highest an amateur could achieve is ten, while grade eleven was master level, and grade twelve was performance level. Normally, a person would spend seven to ten years to achieve to grade ten, but Zhao Youyue had only spent a few months to get the same results, wasnt she talented? Of course, this was because Zhao Youyue had been possessing Chu Luoxun frequently over the past few months. Although she had not gotten the character card of Chu Luoxun yet, she was already in sync with Chu Luoxun. Chu Luoxun was addicted to music in her own literary world, and she even goes up on stage to perform, teaching Lin Meiyue violin lessons. Indirectly, Zhao Youyue was improving her own violin skills as well. To be able to enter a literary world to live another life was an experience worth treasuring, the process was far more satisfying than the results. Zhao Jiayi only smiled as he was listening to Wang Huas complaints, he would have never expected his daughter to be this outstanding! He was already proud of his daughters academic results, and now, her violin skills had improved drastically as well, where was all this mysterious power coming from? What happened to his daughter who was ordinary in every aspect? Zhao Jiayi felt sorry for his daughter, did she overwork herself and struggle through unspeakable hardships to achieve such results? Zhao Jiayi was right on point, the reason behind the drastic improvement in music was because Zhao Youyue had experienced everything Chu Luoxun had been through, be it her happiness, sadness, and sufferings. There is a saying, The road to success is not easy to navigate, but with hard work, drive and passion, its possible to achieve the American dream. This character, by far was the character that Zhao Youyue had spent the most time on, and of course, she had deep feelings for her. In fact, Chu Luoxun was considered as the most important side character or even the main heroine in this particular novel. The previous iconic characters like Xu Jing or Yu Shengfan had significantly lesser appearances in their respective novels, but not Chu Luoxun, her appearance in the novel was on par with the main heroine, Lin Meiyue, and you can find her appearing in almost every chapter. Other than Zhao Youyues parents, Han Leng too was at the theater; he was lurking about in one of the corners. He had thought that he had always given inaccurate descriptions of the atmosphere, mostly due to the fact that he had never been to one before, but surprisingly, it was quite accurate! It was no surprise that many of his readers who participated in music competitions before asked him if he was had once been involved in the field. If he was indeed one of them, they would probably know his identity, after all, the field of classical music was not that vast, and people would certainly recognize a genius like him immediately. Zhao Youyue, who resolved herself to becoming a Humanoid Metronome in order to win the competition had already attracted a lot of attention to herself. What Han Leng did not expect was the size of the audience, they were so sparse. He would be deeply embarrassed if Zhao Youyue catches sight of him! If he is misunderstood by others, it would turn out even worse, he no longer had a crush on Zhao Youyue, because he had his own Goddess Chu! Whenever he is reminded that Mr. Qiu had swapped his place and had placed him beside Zhao Youyue, he would feel an immense headache. It would be best if he opposes this idea, because he was only close to Zhao Youyue in Wechat. In reality, he could not even speak ten words to her; it was extremely awkward. If it were not for the apology letter that Zhao Youyue had requested of Han Leng to write for her, they would not even know each other. Han Leng believed that he should only keep in touch with Zhao Youyue in Wechat. What if his inspiration comes pouring in during class and he starts writing, only to be discovered by his deskmate, Zhao Youyue? Will Zhao Youyue beat him to death because his identity of Leng Zi had been exposed? At that moment, the music competition finally started. There were less than twenty contestants, and Zhao Youyue was the sixth to go on stage. The content of this competition was to pick a song of your choice under a certain category, which was Mozart, and Zhao Youyue had picked a song title I Palpiti by N.Paganini, a flamboyant song that served well in showing off ones skills. In fact, her heart was as still as calm water as she performed, and without any distraction, she would become a doll, playing the two songs perfectly, fitting her title as the Humanoid Metronome. As the fourth contestant had already went on stage, Zhao Youyue started leaving her preparation room, only to discover a male violinist waiting for her in the corridor. When he saw Zhao Youyue coming out from her room, he headed toward her and said, Dont you find the way you play the violin boring? Today, Ill show you what real music is! Chapter 223 Gorgeous Appearance! Of course, Zhao Youyue was calm, she need not have others telling her what real music was, because she had already experienced it firsthand from Chu Luoxun herself. Out of curiosity, she glanced at him and thought that he was familiar, but she did not actually know his name. It could not be helped, Zhao Youyue never paid attention to any students with great academic results or to her fellow music contestants, this was how she behaved. She only paid attention to herself, never comparing herself to others, she would be satisfied, as long as she improves herself. Zhao Youyue kept quiet, but Liu Yuxi was displeased with his attitude, Mind your manners! Do you want to influence her mind by speaking to her in that foul tone, my little sister will not waver to such petty harassment! After being scolded by Liu Yuxi, this male violinist toned down on his imposing manner, Ahem, allow me to introduce myself; my name is Hang Yongming, a second-year art student. This competition was merely an experience for me because I dont care about the trophy. Im not taunting or picking a fight with her; I just feel sorry for her! Suddenly, Zhao Youyue remembered him, Hang Yongming? Arent you a senior student at Jiang Nan high school as well? I think I saw your performance during the previous years cultural night party; everyone knows how well you played the violin. Zhao Youyue said it in a neutral tone as if she was telling a fact, but still, Hang Yongming could not hide his happy face after being praised by the beautiful genius musician, this was something worth being proud of If only she could say it in a stronger, impactful tone. Oh, a junior? Youre currently a first-year student, I presume? Are you going to join the arts class next year? Hang Yongming said. Jiang Nan high school had exclusive arts and sports classes to show that the school provided quality education, but usually, the students who joined these classes would not be performing particularly well in their academics. People often discriminate students who joined these two classes, because the mainstream students of this school were proving themselves capable of achieving good grades, and pushed these two lesser known classes into the shadows. People would look down upon them. Many students were proficient at drawing in the art class, and only a few played music, probably because music required more talent and finance to nurture. Hang Yongming was considered the most skillful violinist in Jiang Nan high school; he had shown his skill during a cultural night party in school during his first-year. He got famous because he had played a self-improvised anime song with the violin, not a classical song. Now, he planned to do that again in this competition! No, I might be joining the liberal arts class. Zhao Youyue replied. What? Arent you going to join in with the pros? I think you totally have the potential to become an international violin master! Not everyone could play a song as precisely as you do. Hang Yongming always said things with exaggeration, without thinking twice. Didnt you just say that my violin was boring? Thats because you failed to understand the song itself, the songs you played were all too dull, you cant surprise the audience with that! Havent you read a novel called Beautiful April? Your style totally matched the main hero; only Chu Luoxun can influence people with her music! Err This character made me aware of something important in music, so Im gonna be like her in this competition! Zhao Youyue saw yet another follower of Goddess Chu; and she asked, What place did you get on the qualifiers? Fourth But I dont think the ranking matters, what really matters is to make the audience feel engaged and have them indulge in the music, thats the real purpose of playing music, am I right? Hang Yongming said it with enthusiasm, hinting Zhao Youyue to learn something from Goddess Chu. I agree with what you said; it makes perfect sense. Zhao Youyue replied seriously. Of course, why she wouldnt agree with Chu Luoxuns music style, that was part of her! Hang Yongming became even more excited, as if he had found a confidant, someone that must be shown the way of Chu Luoxun. He did not expect Zhao Youyue to know anything about Beautiful April, and started to promote the novel itself. He firmly believed that the author, Leng Zi, was a musician too, or else she would not be able to describe classical music so intimately. Although Beautiful April was a romantic novel, it was worth a read to every musician out there for them to learn a thing or two from it. Dont always play such dull music that wont sway anyone, that would be pretty boring, cant you feel that the whole theater is getting sleepy? Liu Yuxi was trying her best to not burst out in laughter, thinking that this Hang Yongming was a ridiculous person. He did not seriously think that Zhao Youyue would be as reckless as Chu Luoxun in this competition? Thanks to Zhao Youyue, Liu Yuxi also read the novel, Beautiful April. Of course, she was fond of the character, Chu Luoxun. She acknowledged the way Goddess Chu played her music, and she knew Chu Luoxun was already at a level where no one could reach her, but unfortunately her body But now, Zhao Youyue was participating a music competition, and her goal was to gain favor from the judges and win it, not please the audience. Finally, it was Zhao Youyues turn, she took her violin and walked up to the stage slowly with her gorgeous gown. When she reached the center of the stage, a murmur rose up from the stirring audience! With some makeup, Zhao Youyue was absolutely stunning! Even though she did not grow her hair out, she could still awe the audience with her gorgeous gown, because she was already cute in the first place! Many of the audiences recognized her as the one who got the first place in the qualifiers, and many of the judges believed that she was a genius violinist. She might even be a late bloomer, because she had no prior records of participating in any competitions. When Zhao Youyues parents saw their daughter going up the stage with such grandeur and elegance, they felt very pleased. Wang Hua nearly cried out with tears of joy because she had been expecting her daughter to become the center of attention for years! Zhao Youyue might have a long way to go still, but at least she had taken her first step Han Leng was struck dumb, he nearly cried Chu Luoxun out loud, for every move that Zhao Youyue made mirrored Goddess Chu, down to her goddess temperament! Just what exactly happened? The judges were admiring Zhao Youyue as well When Zhao Youyue started to perform, and Han Leng let out a sigh of relief, this was not Chu Luoxuns style, not at all! It was more like Gu Yuans style, cold and mechanical; nothing else thrown into the music that she played accurately. She played the classic song in its most original form, right off the bat, and gained the highest rating from the judges! Hang Yongming was enraged by Zhao Youyue, didnt she agree to learn from Chu Luoxun? He felt cheated! But he decided to turn his rage into power, and use it later to drive the judges speechless. He wanted to show Zhao Youyue what music really was! Chapter 224 Reality is not a Novel The lead judge of this provincial music competition was called He Wencheng, the vice president of China Classical Musicians Association, and he was also a composer on an international level, and he was already in his sixties. Long story short, he is an influential person in the field of classical music, and he was in charge of the provincial music competition in Jiang Nan, this already showed that the music competition was a solemn affair. As a famous composer himself, He Wencheng loved seeing performers who gave their respects to the original song, improvisation was taboo to him! So, among all the judges, He Wencheng was the one who emphasized on accuracy the most. If someone manages to play the song accurately, while showing off their techniques, that would be perfect for him. How hard would it be to perfectly match every beat and note of a music score? When Zhao Youyue appeared out of nowhere in this competition, she had given a huge surprise to He Wencheng! During the qualifiers, he was already amazed by the skills of Zhao Youyue in the designated song, and had asked the other judges about this girl and her past achievements, but she was completely unknown to them. Of course, the other judges were not able to answer him; they only told him she just recently got a grade ten in violin In the eyes of an average person, a grade ten in any musical instrument would be impressive for them; they would not be able to tell the difference because they were outsiders to that realm. But in the eyes of a professional, grade ten was an amateurs level. The level difference between music performers and grade ten was even greater than grade ten compared with an average person. This was just like those RPGs, leveling was easy in the beginning, but at the end of the game, gaining a level was much harder than raising ten levels in the beginning! After knowing a little bit more about Zhao Youyue, he had paid even more attention to her now. Did she practice her skills all the time and caused her to become a late bloomer, and has finally decided to take part in this competition? Judging by the way Zhao Youyue walked onto the stage, it was clearly not her first time performing on stage This made He Wencheng very confused, but it never prevented him from admiring Zhao Youyue at all. Her manner of performing, gave her utmost respect to composers like him! Now that they were in the finals, He Wencheng still favored Zhao Youyue the most. When she was able to play the designated song perfectly, he gave her the highest score, without any hesitation! When it came to her self-picked song I Palpiti, Zhao Youyue nailed the song completely and showed the judges the extent of her abilities! She had activated her Xu Jings card for this occasion, as Xu Jing had a superior learning skill and a mind without any distractions, and when paired with her bodys adaptive ability, allows her to play any song with absolute accuracy! After a song that lasted for more than ten minutes, Zhao Youyue was leftdrenched in sweat. Once again, she had experienced the hardship of Chu Luoxun in reality. She had insisted on performing with the main hero while dominated his piano performance, which was not an easy feat! After playing the final note with a perfect end, Zhao Youyue bowed deeply to the judges and audience, it was an amazing performance! The lead judge, He Wencheng stood up and clapped for Zhao Youyue in excitement, and the other judges followed suit. They were certain that the gold medal would go to Zhao Youyue. He Wencheng admired her that much! But the applause from the crowd was not as enthusiastic. Perhaps, they could not see as much as the judges do. But they had to admit that the self-picked song of Zhao Youyues was indeed something else. She had shown her skills to the crowd, and those who were familiar with music knew that it was a complex piece. The others would only be able to judge it by its surface. It would be hard for those who were unfamiliar with violins to judge a song they do not know. When a violinist plays a song they are familiar with, even if it isnt particularly good, would garner their applause. Zhao Youyues parents were pleased with her performance, especially Wang Hua, My little sloth finally has the qualifications to play a musical instrument with me, we could be the perfect combo of pianist and violinist! Zhao Jiayi just gave a perfunctory nod, as a guy from a wealthy family, he knew a little bit about arts. He knew that his daughters violin skill had already surpassed Wang Hua, at a professional level! He had no idea how his daughter had managed to acquired such extraordinary skill in a short time, but he realized that she had not won over the hearts of the audience with her spectacular skills As for Han Leng, he was enjoying himself; he had started off as an outsider to music. But whenever he is inspired to write Beautiful April, he had learned a lot more about music, and he had been driven to do his own research on that subject. Now he finally understood, what a real Humanoid Metronome was! At first, he wanted to find more inspiration for the character, Lin Meiyue by watching Zhao Youyue participate in this music competition. Soon, he realized Zhao Youyue and Lin Meiyue were two different people, other than the side character trait. Zhao Youyue was only gentle in appearance, and she could flaunt that face without being embarrassed about it. However, a certain part of her demanded to be the center of attention! Han Leng realized that Zhao Youyue was actually more similar to Goddess Chu, her temperament, especially! As for her performance, there was no doubt about it, she was the violin version of Gu Yuan! Han Leng was very satisfied, as if he now understood Zhao Youyue a little more After hearing the performance of Zhao Youyue, Hang Yongming fell silent, he had this indescribable feeling in his heart! The rage he felt earlier seemed to become a joke. With those skills of Zhao Youyue, did he have the qualification to judge that perfectly accurate song? Not every music performer could become a doll for the composer! But Hang Yongming stayed determined. Since Zhao Youyue was the female version of Gu Yuan, why couldnt he become the male version of Chu Luoxun? Hang Yongming wanted to conquer the hearts of the audience in this theater! Finally, it was Hang Yongmings turn; he was the ninth contestant. He went up on stage with his black-frame spectacles, adjusted his trousers and exhaled heavily through his mouth, puffing his cheeks, as if it could improve his ability only doing that to ease his nervousness. Hang Yongming had expressed himself! Everything was perfect! The reaction given by the audience was not bad either! The theater had become slightly livelier! But as it turned out He Wencheng expression turned dark because he had a foul temper, and in his position, he could publicly give anyone a scolding without holding back, Eh eh eh! How are you playing the song? N, no! That tune, tune it properly before playing it! Hang Yongming was stunned, this did not happen in the novel! You cant just interrupt my performance, just because youre the lead judge! He continued to play the violin in his own way! Scram! Can you play that thing properly! Are you trying cause trouble? He Wencheng was furious, this brat was showing no respect to the piece, the ceremony, the judges! He Wencheng wanted to beat him up so badly, after listening to his racket! The fact was, Zhao Youyue had the ability to become the female version of Gu Yuan, and acquire the title of Humanoid Metronome. But Hang Yongming was nowhere close to the standards of Chu Luoxun! Meanwhile, the author of Beautiful April, Han Leng doubled over in laughter! Chapter 225 Got Her Wish Han Leng certainly did not expect his novel, Beautiful April to ruin the chances of a contestant in this music competition; he only thought that this violinist was amusing As his seat was far from the stage, he couldnt zone in on the face of that contestant, so Han Leng did not know that contestant attended the same high school as him, or had performed on stage during the cultural night party. This was actually part of Hang Yongmings fault too, as he wanted to cause a scene in the theater, so that the crowd would recognize him, but he never expected the lead judge, He Wencheng to start throwing a tantrum! Just as Hang Yongming stood on the stage awkwardly, he suddenly recalled the scene of Goddess Chu saying, Again!, as if she had suddenly materialized and was whispering into his ears! At the rush of adrenaline, Hang Yongming skipped the boring designated song, and started to play an anime theme song composed by Hiroyuki SawanoaLIEz! Of course, this was a very popular song, and his aspirations came from a female streamer from Douyu, Ah Yu. As he was fond of animes, games, and novels, he had subscribed to the live stream channel. When he saw her playing a certain song requested by the audience, it had struck him like no other! Now, he intended to try this himself! Under the influence of Beautiful April, he decided to play his own style for this upcoming music competition final. He never yearned for any fame; he just wanted to influence the audience, as long as one person was listening to him, he would continue to play his music! This was what he had learned from Goddess Chu! At that very moment, Hang Yongming ignored every single judge and started to play his own anime theme song When he started to play aLIEz, most of the judges were astonished, what on earth was he playing? There were a few younger judges among them, and they knew of aLIEz. But this was the last place they would expect to hear it! Even though it was ridiculous, but it was surprisingly amusing One of the young judges thought that this rendition was pretty impressive, but he did not hesitate to put a zero on the score sheet. Although it was a self-picked song, in fact, there were not many songs for them to pick from, most of them were classical pieces, not some anime adaptation. How could the old judges rate the song, if they have not even heard the song before? Art competitions are quite flexible and free-spirited, but it would become a nightmare if it was up to the audience to judge in a music competition, there would be no standards at all! As it turned out, it would be best to judge, based on the skills and accuracy. Zhao Youyue had ultimately shown her skill, and she managed to capture the hearts of the judges, there was no doubt that she would get an excellent score. Just as Hang Yongming started to play aLIEz, Han Leng was lost in thoughts. When he came to his senses, he was impressed by this violinist who stood out from the rest. What an interesting guy, daring to pull a stunt like this in a music competition! Han Leng felt that the level of capriciousness Hang Yongming showed was the same as Chu Luoxun, but his music level was not at that level. He only thought that this song as acceptable as it was catchy, but it was far from influencing him. A young audience like Han Leng only thought that aLIEz was just an interesting song, and there was no need to ask for the reaction of the audience who were older. When Hang Yongming finished his performance, the crowd did not cheer for him as he had expected, he was greeted by crickets and poker faces. Most of the audience did not know of the song aLIEz, they only felt that the song was interesting after hearing it, surely, it was different from the others, but it was a rather short piece, that would be all the credit he could take The biggest mistake Hang Yongming did was, not knowing that Chu Luoxun had a main protagonists halo on top of her head too, and that she was protected by a mysterious aura. Just like a delicious food literary work, where the dishes they make would glow and be seasoned with dramatic killer moves In a literary music world, the main characters would have a different effect on their music, as if they could make the audience indulge entirely in their music! Perhaps in reality, the readers would think the music was just average while reading the novel, but the audience in that literary world would get addicted to it, just by listening to the music! Reality was not a novel, and unless Hang Yongming has a Two Dimensional Gate, he would never manifest those mysterious powers from the novel in reality, never being able to perform with such magical effects. Of course, the audience would not be bothered by the lack of logic behind the music, they would only think that the musician was so great that they send them into another world, making the music so surreal that images would pop up in their brains, or even stimulate certain parts of their brains to make them happy! What an incredible music performer! Hang Yongming left the stage with disappointment; he felt the harsh reality slapping him in the face At that moment, he was actually missing the moment of glory he had in the school, where even though the effect of playing the violin in the school hall was not that great, at least everyone would give him a round of applause after he has played a song everyone was familiar with But now, all he got were the angry faces of the judges and the poker face of the bemused audience. Just when Hang Yongming had given up all hope, he heard a soothing voice, That was an interesting performance, I never actually expected you to do that in a competition, Im impressed. Hang Yongming lifts up his head and saw Zhao Youyue with her gorgeous gown, her flawless, beautiful face, and a sincere smile. He had to concur, her smile was pretty, and her voice had a special healing property. But what gave Hang Yongming a deep impression was her expression on stage, she was as cold as steel during her performance, and her poker face gave her the impression of a strong, heartless person. It was as if she was sitting on top of the clouds, looking down upon the mortals. How did she change her expression so quickly, which was the real her? How terrifying. Are you mocking me? The judges didnt acknowledge my music, and I did not get the expected reaction from the crowd. Hang Yongming said it in an impolite manner. Am I not one of your audience? I think you did pretty well, but on the wrong occasion. Zhao Youyue smiled at him. Hmph, quit it. Were different, and we will never be the same! Youll never understand what real music is! As Hang Yongming glanced upon that flawless smile of Zhao Youyue, he turned his back and left. He knew that he would not get any trophies at all, this was all his choice. When the competition finally ended, the results came right in. Zhao Youyue had gotten her wish by winning the gold medal of this provincial music competition! She had no regrets! Chapter 226 Desk Mate Has Been Swapped Out Ultimately, Zhao Youyue won the Gold Prize of the provincial level Music Competition and made Wang Yan, her mother, shed tears of happiness. Wang Yan had been anticipating for her daughter to become successful. Today, she was so excited to see her daughter finally becoming the center of attention! On the other hand, Zhao Jiayi was happy as well, but not as excited as his wife. His only expectation of her daughter was to grow up healthily and happily. She has the right to choose her own life. Be it average or outstanding, it was all up to her. He would not force her to do anything. He was very open-minded in educating his daughter, yet, it had cultivated a self-assertive personality in Zhao Youyue. On the surface, she seemed to be unperturbed by it, but she already had a mind of her own. The only problem was that Zhao Youyue has never expressed it before, and she never thought of expressing her own mind either. Perhaps, being hidden in the crowd as a side character and following the trend by observing the world, was relaxing and interesting for her. Just like a saint, who is never involved in any form of karma and remaining totally disconnected with the world. However, by having the perfectly neutral soul after the merging of her souls, she became more pro-active. She once was content at being common and mediocre. Nevertheless, she would express the supremacy of a heroine in crucial moments. Then, she would hide her credit and fame and become a side character again, silently observing the reactions of the people to the troubles she leaves behind The gorgeous and dazzling appearance of Zhao Youyue when she won the prize had astonished a person too, and that was Han Leng, who had deliberately taken leave of his job and came to see her compete. But, do not misunderstand him. He was there to seek inspiration, and much of it did he gain. Apart from seeing Zhao Youyues precisely perfect and professional level violin performance, he had also witnessed the comic relief who played aLiez and even tried to give the designated song a personal touch. However, they were harshly criticized by the judges! This gave him some introspective insight of his Beautiful April. Fortunately, Chu Luoxun was never directly scolded by the Chief Judge, or else, it would be so awkward. She would look like another poorly mannered participant who came only to mess the competition up To be frank, Han Leng was completely amazed by Zhao Youyues performance today, just not the music. After all, he did not completely understand classical music. It was her overall performance that amazed him. The moment she held the violin and went up to the stage in the elegant long dress and light make-up, her nature as a side character seemed to vanish and she had transformed into the heroine! Han Leng was used to her low-profile behavior in school. This was why he was profoundly amazed by her elegance, today! Meanwhile, he never expected that Zhao Youyue would have such a great attainment when it comes to playing the violin. He thought she was at the same level with the Lin Meiyue, the heroine in his book, the kind that was just there to round up the numbers. As a result, Zhao Youyues true nature had given him a slap on his face The real Zhao Youyue and the one he had envisioned were completely different! Han Leng felt that his heroine, Lin Meiyue, was merely his fantasy, who was not even qualified to be a watered-down version of Zhao Youyue. She seemed only to have the side of Zhao Youyue which was a low-profile side character, while her side which was akin to a heroine with a strong sense of presence was absent. A side character heroine would not only possess the nature of a side character but the nature of a heroine too. Therefore, what kind of person is the heroine? A girl who had a strong sense of presence, unique charm and the ability to shine at any time, while also having many fans and worshipers, of course! The world would revolve around her! Zhao Youyue was amassing her competence gradually as she forms the foundation of her heroineship. That night, her parents brought her for a feast as a celebration. They had invited Zhao Youyues teacher, Liu Yuxi, too. However, Liu Yuxi now claimed herself to be Zhao Youyues sister, indicating that she totally disdained being the bestie of Wang Yan. Meanwhile, she too was not happy with Zhao Jiayi, who had taken away Wang Yan from her Anyway, everyone was in a good mood. After all, they were sincerely happy for the achievement of Zhao Youyue. Zhao Jiayi, who loved organizing dinners, had already sent the news of his daughters victory to his friends. He wanted to treat them dinner to celebrate the excellence of his daughter. Wang Yan was happy about this too. Those wives of the leaders had been showing off the excellence of their children, and now it was her turn. Her daughter was a musical genius! Nonetheless, Zhao Youyue disliked dinner. It was normal for dinner to take up one to two hours and mostly last until 8 PM, and she found that to be a waste of time. Fortunately, she was skillful at playing the phone beneath the table. Moreover, she did not have to drink and was able to easily ingest some food and play the phone while following her parents around, greeting their friends. Then, she would become a side character again, and nobody would notice her. This dinner was simply a place to refresh contacts, rather than being a celebration. Zhao Youyue had seen through its nature On the second day, Zhao Youyue, as usual, went to the school in uniform, as if nothing out of the ordinary had happened. After all, there was a half-days worth of self-study class in the morning section. Her classmates did not know the reason she took leaves, even though she did it often. Her presence or absence did not make much difference, as she had little interaction with other classmates. Although she has become the tip-top student, she would not talk to someone after class, if she is too lazy to answer the question during class. She would play with her phone alone, making herself invisible again. Her presence really did not make any difference to the class. When she entered the classroom, most of her classmates were there, and have begun their morning reading. Then, she was shocked to discover that her Jiang Qing Little Angel had moved to the side of the dais! Jiang Qing saw her too, who was leisurely entering the classroom. Her eyes turned red immediately, and she started tearing up. How she wished to get into Lady Zhaos arms to seek for warmth and protection Zhao Youyue did not walk to her seat first, but she walked to Jiang Qing. She asked in concern Why are placed here? Jiang Qing wiped her face and helplessly said Teacher Qiu said that my results got worst after sitting beside you, that I am not putting effort into studying anymoreHe even said that I am actually a bright student with potential who needs to still her mind and study earnestly. Thats why Zhao Youyue was speechless, as she had never been concerned about her studies. All she did was to bring this angel to play about. She was truly responsible for badly influencing Jiang Qing! Teacher Qiu had good insight! Zhao Youyue was ashamed to request for Jiang Qing to become her desk mate as her way of studying was basically a malignant tumor for ordinary students. She was the existence of one who touches ink will be stained black. So, who was her desk mate now? She looked at the desk beside he Chapter 227 Dont Step Over This Military Demarcation Line! That persons face could not be seen by Zhao Youyue, as her new desk mate was sleeping, bending over the desk, while the teacher was not in. But, this person was undeniably a male. Zhao Youyue felt uneasy. Why would a male student and a female student be arranged to sit together, especially when they are already in high school? Wasnt the school worried about improper relationships? She would not do so, of course. However, was Teacher Qiu underestimating her charm? Well, she would not know that she was still that honest, responsible, innocent and low profiled good girl in the eyes of Qiu Yingchun. Such a girl is not attractive to the high school male students who are experiencing puberty. Many are still fond of those bad girls who are better at dressing up. That is more exciting. Perhaps this is why many high school male students who dug the bad-boy style have managed to hook up with beautiful high school female students. As a result, there was now a classic aphorism saying that a woman does not fancy a nice man. There is a gene that craves for excitement within man. Actually, both the good girls and the sincere men are powerless when it comes to love relationship. They can only helplessly look at the person that they like fall into the arms of those bad guys. It would be perfect if the scumbags are matched with the girls who liked to play dumb while the good girls are matched with the sincere men. Unfortunately, reality is always merciless. Zhao Youyue was unsure if she had offended Teacher Qiu before that he played her for a fool. She was very confident that, within a short period, she would get along well with the new desk mate if she is a girl and turns her into her loyal dog, just like the cuties, like Jiang Qing Little Angel and Su Li. As a person who always interacted with the girls, Zhao Youyue was very confident in seducing girls to her side. Whenever they called her Missy, Zhao Youyue would be most pleased, her narcissistic side being satisfied. Perhaps a diva was residing in her, even though she was gentle and charming. Her latest deskmate would be a male, and she was really clueless when it comes to manipulating him, as she seldom interacted with his gender. Zhao Youyue walked towards her desk. Luckily her desk was not by the window, but the passageway. Hence, she did not have to wake him up, who seemed to be sleeping soundly, to make way for her. When she came to her desk, she discovered that he was Han Leng! This wasnt that bad, after all. They knew each other. There would not be a single awkward moment even though they never carried a conversation past 10 words, in reality. Zhao Youyue noticed a fascinating pattern. Han Leng seemed to be trying hard to keep a distance from her, putting the chair close to the window and huddling up by it. They were both thin individuals, and there was enough space to fit another person in between them, if Zhao Youyue remains in her regular position. At that moment, the entire class was observing her, to see what her reaction would be after knowing that her desk mate had been changed In the end, they were disappointed as she was as calm as usual, taking out a magazine and reading it. This was her privilege, being allowed to read magazines during the morning reading class. She had a valid reasonthat was to improve the level of her essay writing. This was also the motive of Teacher Chu by arranging them to sit together. He hoped that Han Leng would aid her in improving her essay writings, so that her results would be perfect. Chen Haoran, in particular, was closely observing her reaction. As he witnessed her calm old self, he saluted her even more. If he ever finds his deskmate being turned into a member of the opposite sex, he would freak out and be at a loss Han Leng was not fully asleep actually. What a joke. This was the first day of him being the desk mate of Zhao Youyue. How could he possibly sleep in peace? Also, he had just seen her elegant and eyes-catching demeanor yesterday. That long dress and violin would never leave his memory for a while. Therefore, he pretended to be asleep, as he could not face her at the moment. He really did not know how to start a conversation with her in reality. That would be too awkward and difficult! He was indeed much comfortable admiring her from afar! It was already good enough to be able to chat with her over the internet. With her being so close to him now, he could barely breathe! Nonetheless, Han Leng had his own way of keeping himself tranquil, that was by telling himself that the girl that he liked was Chu Luoxun, who was his perfect creation. Regardless how charming Zhao Youyue was, she was incomparable to her! He would then calm down instantly as if he has become a saint who was impervious to desires and passions Finally, Han Leng woke up, but, he still stuck himself closely to the wall, intentionally distancing himself from her. If it is possible, he would like to pretend to be asleep for the whole day, yet, he knew that Teacher Qiu was about to enter the classroom. That man was a robot when it came to timing. Moreover, he could not sleep peacefully as Chen Haoran, his bestie, was not beside him anymore. What surprised him was that Zhao Youyue had simply kept her magazine C Vista: To see the world, and took out the Chinese textbook. This happened just as he lifted his head up. Although she was allowed to read the magazine during this session, she would try her best to take out the textbook before Teacher Qiu enters classroom, so that she could use the she is trying to improve her level of essay writing and accumulating the elements for writing as a reason for her to continue reading, if Teacher Qiu does a spot-check. By this, Teacher Qiu would not think that she is reading the magazine every single time. Soon, Han Leng realized that she already had Teacher Qius behavior at her fingertips. Her excellent results were probably gained by being an opportunist student! Zhao Youyue turned her head to take a look at Han Leng. He had messy hair, thick dark-eyed circles, and a divine aura face. The pimples on his face had increased as he had repeatedly burned the midnight oil recently. What a waste of an idol face. Well, earning money by using his skills would be the only way. Honestly, the ungroomed Han Leng had given a bad impression to Zhao Youyue, who emphasized on proper care. However, Han Leng was ultimately a creator, right? This would give him a point. Also, Han Leng was well-behaved before this. Overall, she did not hate him. Han Leng felt uneasy after knowing that she had just glanced at him. He huddled up himself closer to the side of the wall, which could be created into an emojiafraid.Han Leng limited.jpg. Zhao Youyue was too lazy to take the initiative to talk to him; she only kept leafing through the textbook. Han Lengs reaction was what she wanted. She felt like she was occupying the space of two persons, what a great feeling of freedom! She was truly a free and easy-going girl. Ah ha, you have stepped over the line! Finally, Han Leng began to speak, coldly. What? asked Zhao Youyue curiously, slightly turning her head towards Han Leng. How can you put your elbow on my desk?! Dont step over this Military Demarcation Line! Han Leng gravely answered her. Are you still a primary school student? Zhao Youyue asked him flatly. Chapter 228 Unable to Speak A Word After questioning him, Zhao Youyue removed her elbows that had crossed over. However, she did not inquire about the whatsoever Military Demarcation Line. She would sit as she liked. Who would be mindful of that line all the time? She was not a primary school student anymore. Moreover, Han Leng was huddling up so far away from her, which left a big space in between them. So, why couldnt she use the space flexibly? After seeing her removing her elbow from that line, Han Leng felt relieved and restored his state of elegant indifference. He despised Teacher Qiu now. There would be only endless awkwardness by sitting together with Zhao Youyue, as she gave him endless guilt. There is a statement that says one will like your appearance, but will begin to detest you once they know your true colors by claiming that you are different than what he has imagined. The truth is, you never changed, and yet, you are being disgraced for something that you never committed. He would feel like an idiot, every time he recalls the self-delusion and satisfaction that he had submerged himself in before. He had even written a fictional character that was based on Zhao Youyue. Nonetheless, the more he knew about her, the more he felt that she was nothing like her! There was nothing that he could complain about the real Zhao Youyue. Instead, he felt that she had lain low, extremely low. It was either her face or her talent that was far more excellent than what he had imagined. He truly felt that the more he learned about her, the more he would be slapped in the face. Ironically, there was once a time when he would secretly belittle her, thinking that she was nothing That was the time when he was obsessed with Chu Luoxun. It was also the phase where his understanding of Zhao Youyue was wholly based on his fantasy. After that, he began to calm down. When he could normally chat with Zhao Youyue via Wechat, he realized how stupid and wrong he was. Finally, Teacher Qiu, their class teacher, entered the classroom. He straight away asked Zhao Youyue and Han Leng to meet him outside the classroom. He wanted to explain to her about the seating arrangement, hoping that she would accept his good intentions. He hoped that the both of them would help each other in their studying, whereby Zhao Youyue could learn how to write a full mark essay from Han Leng, while Han Leng adopts the hardworking attitude from her. Any questions, and he may ask Zhao Youyue, the top student Zhao Youyue, as indifferent as usual, did not make any objections. She knew that she was unable to help Jiang Qing in improving her results, even if she got her to be her deskmate once again. She would only make things worst. On the other hand, Han Leng was the best novelist of Qidian. He could still make a living if he quits school and starts writing novels now. Results were nothing for him to worry about. Of course, she would try her best to help him if he needs it. But, she did not think that he would take the initiative to ask her anything as he seemed to want nothing more than to keep himself 10 meters away from her. That was it. Both of them became desk mates. Zhao Youyue was slightly bored. After all, Jiang Qing Little Angel, who used to talk to her, was not sitting beside her anymore. She had been replaced by a quiet and aloof hipster. Well, this was what it seemed to be on the surface, as he had a funny side, but, he did not want to show it now as if he has decided to become a tranquil, immortal practitioner. Therefore, Zhao Youyue occupied herself by playing with the phone, completely ignoring him. After all, she was used to entertaining herself. Han Leng was focusing on his work and had sat up properly. His mind started to conceptualize the plot of Beautiful April. He used to write his work during the self-learning session, but he could no longer do so. If Zhao Youyue ever discovers it, his identity as Leng Zi would be revealed, right? Thus, only a fine outline would be written when he is in classroom, to the extent of the male protagonist and the heroine, of course. In the case of Chu Luoxun, he would write it according to Zhao Youyues suggestionand write it according to his feelings. What Han Leng liked the most about Zhao Youyue was her impeccable behavior as a fan of a work. Sometimes, he envied Leng Zi because she was very supportive of Leng Zi. She would send a red packet, even when mutual agreement on something was unattainable Those hefty amounts of red packets were the reason he increasingly valued her opinions. Although the juvenile novel was not as commercialized as a web novel, fundamentally, it was still commercialized literature. Moreover, Han Leng was very experienced in the field of web articles, which was why he could not resist the money from Lady Zhao. On top of that, he fully accepted her opinions, due to his guilt of misjudging her. Today was Sunday, in other words, it was self-learning session for the entire day. Suddenly, Han Leng felt the urge to pee after the first session. He wanted to go to the washroom, but, there was a tiger blocking his way! Should he pat her shoulder to ask her to make way for him? No way! He would be electrocuted once he touches her. He thought this out, all of a sudden. If this is to happen in an anime, his bones would be seen through his translucent, frying body. Han Leng was unable to speak a word. He felt as if that those words were stuck in his throat! Thus, he held it for another session! Perhaps others guys would not be as stupid as Han Leng! In this crucial moment, Chu Luoxun was the one that rescued him, of course! Thats right. Chu Luoxun was the only one who could help him to overcome his fear of Zhao Youyue As usual, he did not speak a word but handed over a note to herCould you make a way? I would like to go out. Zhao Youyue read it. His handwriting was not good, yet, was neatly written. She turned her head, giving an uncomprehensive look at her desk mate who was still sitting properly and elegantly indifferent, wondering why wont he just say it aloud? Could it be that he knew the skill of spirit of languages, which would cause misfortune to others after speaking to him excessively? However, he just raised the important issue of the Military Demarcation Line Zhao Youyue was not a girl who would intentionally make things difficult for others. She has a good temper as well as one who was very understanding. Hence, she stood up to make way for him. After seeing this from the corner of his eye, he almost shoutedI was saved! My throat was unsealed! Lady Zhao, you are indeed a saint, and I almost fell for you! Nevertheless, Chu Luoxun is my only favorite! Han Leng stood up slowly, and with his extremely aloof expression, he slowly and steadily walked out from the classroom, so that it would not ruin his elegant indifferent style. After making sure that his classmates could not see him, he rushed to the washroom, as he could not hold it any longer! Chapter 229 : Zhao Youyue, The Representative of the top students Han Leng, for the first time, felt that going to the washroom was difficult, while at the same time was thrilling, in the same way a secret agent would think that infiltrating a military base was thrilling As he washed his hands after using the washroom, he looked up to the mirror. To his surprise, he looked horrible! Han Leng never really emphasized on self-grooming. However, he was now the desk mate of Zhao Youyue. Although he only peeped at her from the corner of his eye most of the time, he would still find himself captivated by her beauty. One would easily be made aware of her beauty by getting closer to her, because one would ignore her unconsciously if he keeps a distance from her. By being his desk mate now, he could not look away from someone that was practically in his face. Moreover, Han Leng was the only one in the class who had seen her performing on stage in an elegant dress. At that moment, he almost thought that Chu Luoxun was possessing her, until she started playing. Otherwise, he would be worried about getting obsessed with the three dimensional Chu LuoxunZhao Youyue. Also, at this close distance, Han Leng could see her supermodel level skin, it was as close as you get to snow-white skin in reality. Her silky, black hair was just as entrancing. She seemed to be in the midst of growing it out. Besides that, her school uniform was always clean and emanating a fresh, citrus scent. Whenever Han Leng inhaled this pleasant scent, he would get agitated. Hence, he tried his best to keep a distance from her. Han Leng felt that the world was joking with him. He already had a new sweetheart, which was Chu Luoxun, and why is he now the desk mate of Zhao Youyue? He also found that Zhao Youyue was much more mysterious and exceptional than what he had imagined. She was inconceivable Well, he could only become more deeply in love with Chu Luoxun, who was living in his literary world. By this, only could he guard himself against the evil forces of Zhao Youyue! Honestly, this was the first time that Han Leng thought of grooming himself being attacked by Zhao Youyue beautiful face from near. He would feel uncomfortable if he does not do so, otherwise he would remain as the leaf beneath her rose petals! Luckily, his body was not giving out any unpleasant odors. He never skips his baths or laundry. Since he was her desk mate now, he must pay attention to his appearance so that he would no longer look like a mess In his heart, he blamed Teacher Qiu again. He missed sitting beside Chen Haoran, his bestie who did not have to care about so many things. Things have changed now, and he must not cause Zhao Youyue to hate him. Han Leng would not have thought that, once he has made this decision, that guy who made a living out of his capabilities and talents would someday use his face to do so too. Unfortunately, how many guys could become the desk mate of an innocent and indifferent girl in their wonderful youth? As a person who emphasized on the appearance, Lady Zhao had great taste in matching pairs, choosing the skincare treatment and hairstyle, for both male and female. She would not discriminate anybody, unless something crosses her lines. For example, she loved delicious cuisine, and yet, she ate it to merely satisfy her taste buds, not to fill her stomach. Therefore, those who valued frugality would think that her princess disease was beyond cure when they see her eating. Likewise, if one makes that sentiment known to her, she would respond similarly. Sometimes, the unprejudiced Zhao Youyue would become generous by doing the act of commiting to the worlds welfare when you are rich. Jiang Qing Little Angel had benefited greatly from this when she was her desk mate. Well, if the idiot Han Leng behaves appropriately, he would be rewarded by Lady Zhao, showing him the light. Nonetheless, she would not simply praise or reward him, knowing that he was practically made out of ego. The last thing she would do would be to tip his work as a friend. Based on what she knew of him, she knew that she must have a concrete speech to compliment his work. Well, as argumentative as a scholar could be, he would not easily be cheated or played the fool. She might as well let him live in his own worldshe did not want to get involved in it. Zhao Youyue admitted that she was good at tricking others, sometimes, especially men. They would be very flattered when she throws empty praises at them, thinking that she had discerning eyes, compared to other girls. So, they would think that she is a kind and understanding girl, and befriend her in turn. In truth, these empty complements would be made in passing, like an obligatory ritual of hers. Three days after Zhao Youyue won the gold-prize in the provincial violin competition, the news started spreading all over the school! This wouldnt be much, on its own. However, she was already quite popular after gaining recognition as a top student before this, and now with this hefty gold prize, it was natural for her to become the center of attention instantly! Zhao Youyue was soon appointed by the headmaster to give a speech on next weeks flag-raising ceremony. She was now fully qualified to be a representative of the top students. However, this only annoyed her. Of course, this still gave her a sense of achievement. In fact, this was why she had been working so hard to make herself outstanding, so that she would be noticed by others, and become the center of attention She deserved all of this. What annoyed her was that she had to prepare the speech draft, and her writing sucked. It would be a misanthropic speech if she activates the Yu Shengfan Card. Perhaps, halfway through the speech, the headmaster would get pissed off and drive her off the stage. As such, she thought of solving this problem by using money again! As long as the problem can be solved by using the money, it would not be a problem at all! The Great Scholar Han, help me prepare a speech draft, three hundred RMB for one thousand words, deal? she asked Han Leng, while placing a hand on his shoulder. Suddenly, Zhao Youyue knew how to take advantage of Han Leng. Should she cultivate him into her personal scholar? He would be able to write according to her demands. That would be awesome, right? Han Leng was startled, and practically hugged the wall again, how could she touch him after three days of becoming his deskmate! Doesnt she know that it is improper for a man and woman to touch each other without a valid reason? By acting elegantly indifferent, Han Leng wrote on his draft paper: I refuse to do so! Then, he showed his draft paper to Zhao Youyue! Have you really lost your tongue? You havent spoken a word for the past three days, and have just expressed yourself in written words! Zhao Youyue stared at the lunatic before her eyes and raised the stakes, How about five hundred RMB? Deal? Chapter 230 : How To Be As Presentable As You? Zhao Youyue gave up. This guy has always seemed coherent and fluent enough in WeChat, so why the heck is he acting like a lobotomized alien in reality? Zhao Youyue was an easy-going girl, and a very sociable one at that too. She did not fully understand men, but, men will always be men, they are the same species right? So, interacting with them should be not a problem to her. Thus, she was very positive that building a good relationship with Han Leng, in reality was possible, so that she could ask favors from him anytime he wanted to, like this speech draft, for instance. After all, he was a very talented person and could be handy for her too. Therefore, Zhao Youyue took the initiative to talk to Han Leng on the second day, even though she had given up on him the day before. She spoke to him as she would speak to a girl Han Leng was indeed like a girl, girlier than an actual girl, so to speak. He seemed to be afraid of her, continually struggling to stay away from her. Hence, he refused to talk, and would respond to her by writing it down on small notes. Zhao Youyue would ask him many questions. For example, The Great Scholar Han, when are you going to publish your new work after the completion of your on-going one? What genre will it be? Could you write something that fulfills my appetite? Then, Han Leng would hand over the small notes to her, written with concise answersI am still conceptualizing it. Anyway, he would continue giving her brief answers to her many questions. Meanwhile, he had stacked up a pile of textbooks and put them on the Military Demarcation Line, as if he has cast a powerful fort that could prevent the enemy from invading. Zhao Youyue gave up, he must be crazy! He used to be a normal person. What happened to him? Hes no different from an autistic child, now! Zhao Youyue would collect these small notes every day, and put them inside her jewelry box. She wanted to see how long he could behave like this! Now, Han Leng hesitated after Zhao Youyue increased the price to five hundred RMB. Seeing this, Zhao Youyue smiled playfully, and said: Alright, no more bargaining, one thousand RMB! I would like my speech to be full of positive energy, remaining as creative as possible. Anyhow, it must make me look outstanding on that day! Accept it. You can do it, The Great Scholar Han! She tried to pat his shoulder again, and he managed to avoid her this time. He began to write his answer on his small notes: I do not lack money, but, in exchange for this, I would like to know, how I can be as presentable as you? Zhao Youyue confidently took the note from him and read it. She was dumbfounded, and gazed at him in astonishment, was he a lady boss? He wanted to be as presentable as a girl like her? Han Leng looked at her in anticipation. He wanted to learn from her on how to become a reserved, beautiful young girl, wait, no, a handsome boy! Zhao Youyue was an open-minded person. Other girls would have thought that Han Leng was flirting with them, but, for her, he had awakened her powerful nature From a different perspective, she saw this as a sign to tell her that she could treat The Great Scholar Han like a girl, only that he was even more difficult to approach than any other girl. As an observant person, Zhao Youyue noticed the little changes of Han Leng. His hair was no longer messy, her dark eyes circles had lightened, and even the pimples have reduced. Perhaps he had postponed his training to be an immortal for the past two days? She took out a fashion magazine on teaching a girl how to dress up from her drawer and pushed it towards him. Smiling, she said: You would be as presentable as me if you follow these instructions! Han Leng was dumbfounded, and anxiously, he said, No, what I meant wasGosh, I dont know how to say it! I will write the speech for you, and it is for free, thats it! Could you not talk to me so much, in the future? Zhao Youyue soon realized it, and quickly said, You want to look handsome, dont you? You want to change your image because you have fallen for a goddess from another school and you want to hook up with her, right? You shouldve just said it out loud. You have a pleasant voice, dont you, use it more often? Youre worried that shell get jealous if I keep talking to you, right? That fear is unfounded. Im not interested in romance, in other words; both genders make no difference for me, understood? Han Lengs face blushed immediately. But, he was amazed by her intelligence, how did she guess it? One could call her Zhuge Yue! Also, Han Leng was astonished by her opinion on the equality between men and women. Did this Lady Zhao place herself above all human beings, treating the mortals with the insight of a higher species? A saint who was beyond the human realm? She absolutely was the Lady Zhao who had a powerful sense of superiority! However, one thing that she got wrong was that Chu Luoxun, the goddess in his heart, was living in his literary world, not a student from another school He wanted a new image, mainly because he did not want to disgust Zhao Youyue. He knew that Lady Zhao fond of everything that is pleasing to the eyes. Not only did she pursue the enjoyment of taste, she pursued the pleasure of sounds and sights as well. She would appreciate handsome men and pretty women. For instance, she said before that she enjoyed Gu Yaoyans, her mathematics teacher, class the most, as he was more handsome than other male teachers. For this, Han Leng had always perceived her as a shallow person. How could she judge a book by its cover? He changed his mind now, thinking that there is no wrong in being a face-judger. Was there a person who truly doesnt care about looks? Lady Zhao was merely being honest, being herself! Therefore, Han Leng took the initiative to give himself a makeover As a highly efficient person, Han Leng completed the speech draft on the next day. It was very pretentious, full of the sentences of a full mark essay, and the examples used were not heard by those ordinary students before. Interestingly, it matched Zhao Youyues ability to be pretentious, herself. Han Leng was indeed qualified to become a personal scholar. Well, Zhao Youyue was nice to him too. She brought him a set of Luxurious, Large-scale and Leveled-up mens skincare product, anti-acne products, and some men fashion magazines as well. She asked him to choose whatever clothing that he liked. She promised him that she would turn him into a male god, so that he would be able to hook up with the goddess that he had a crush on! She could be his advisor anytime, as she was very confident when it comes to flirting with a girl. Wasnt she a good friend? Wasnt she a loyal friend as well? She was indeed a bighearted person! The good relationship between her and Jiang Wing Little Angel had proven that her tricks were workable Zhao Youyue also wanted Han Leng to tell her who that Goddess was, so that she could collect information for him and reduce the difficulties he might face. Of course, Han Leng refused to tell her. What a joke. Lady Zhao, you were unable to collect the information in my Beautiful April, regardless of how resourceful you were. Chapter 231 Zhao Youyue receives a love letter With the ghostwriting by the talented, great gifted scholar Han, Zhao Youyues speech under the national flag was a great success. Although Han Lengs academics werent particularly good, he had attained a great deal of achievements under his literary belt. When he was in junior high school, he won the first prize in the New Concept Composition Contest, becoming the youngest ever prize winner in that contest. Such an achievement is much more incredible compared to the gold prize won by Zhao Youyue during the Provincial Violin Music Contest, since the New Concept Composition Contest was at a national level. Therefore, Han Leng certainly had experience in giving speeches under the national flag. His speech was also anti-establishment and straight-edged. The moment he ended his speech, all the students laughed, and the headmaster would be wanting to beat him up However, his ghostwritten piece for Zhao Youyue was not as reckless. It was like the first time when he carefully wrote a remorse letter for her. He would also tailor-make for her, a perfect speech under the national flag. A speech that was full of positive energy, yet interesting. Imitating a females tone to write a speech was too easy for a gifted-type writer like Han Leng. He had been quite successful in acting as the female writer Leng Zi. Excellent writers would be able to switch mindsets and write plots from a different persona. Male protagonists dont always have to be written by male writers, and female protagonists, female writers. That was just what newbie writers and readers thought. If a writer is only satisfied in writing from his own gender perspective, he would be at a disadvantage. Han Leng focused Zhao Youyues speech on how she had achieved such an accomplishment with her own effort, not only in her studies, but also in her violin skills. It was his purpose to make her speech sound like a transference of positive energy As long as you put in the effort, you can be as successful as I am! However, Han Leng did not believe a single word that he wrote there, down to a single syllable. In fact, he felt that this Lady Zhao was actually a genius. She was not the hardworking-type at all. Yet, everyone felt that she was very hardworking, her lifes experience being textbook inspirational. This was something that impressed Han Leng. Which of your eyes actually see her being hardworking? Just because she originally had no sense of existence, and emerged all of a sudden, everyone would start assuming the superhuman amount of effort she had put, in the silence? We can only say that humans are living creatures that are easily deceived. After Han Leng became Zhao Youyues deskmate, only did he notice that Zhao Youyue was even lazier compared to his imagination. She had so many different kinds of miscellaneous books which were not even related to her studies. Is she still a female high school student? Numerous stuffs startled him within her desk, including various snacks, causing him to lose his mental balance Why could she still retain such good results in her studies? He absolutely refused to accept it! Han Leng still firmly refused to talk to Zhao Youyue in reality. He only used small notes to communicate with her. Even so, he failed to always refuse the tasty snacks He would always sincerely thank her on Wechat at night, and indicated, Actually, I like the blablabla, can you bring more, next time? Of course, Lady Zhao was full of promises. She was never afraid to have others asking her for something. She was afraid that they would want nothing from her. Once they are used to her existence, they could no longer escape. This was probably the benefits of being Zhao Youyues deskmate, as if you would receive surprises anytime. You would never know, what Lady Zhao, who couldnt care less about studies, would take out of her bag, during break time. No wonder Jiang Qing the little angel could not focus on her studies. Her attention was clearly on the various surprises Through further observation, Han Leng also noticed that Zhao Youyue became two hundred percent serious during classes. She became totally different, even down to her very temperament! Whats wrong with that extremely obsessed attitude towards learning? The same status would also appear when she does her homework. In the past, she would do her homework and play her mobile phone at the same time. But now, she would finish her homework at the highest efficiency, to buy herself more time to do and learn trivia that is not related to her studies. Han Leng vaguely understood her secret to maintaining good results in studies, but it was almost humanly impossible to emulate. He would be unable to focus during class, constantly being distracted by new ideas related to his writing. If he truly imitates her usual slovenly, leisurely attitude, while only applying such extremely addicted attitude towards learning during classes, when doing homework and before examinations, he would be doomed. For normal students, they couldnt afford a lapse to compromise their momentum. Not unless you also had an Xu Jing card. Zhao Youyues speech under the national flag had inspired lots of students throughout the school. The headmaster was also impressed. After he took back the microphone, he continued to praise her, considering her a very good role model for all students! Thus, no matter what she did, everyone will automatically assume that she was dedicating her life and time to the pursuit of academic perfection. For example, if she played with her mobile phone, it would be to enrich her extracurricular knowledge. Even when she plays KoG, it was also to train her mind and finger flexibility! The more flexible your fingers are, the more incredible your performance would be, when answering tests and playing the violin, isnt it? Therefore, playing KoG is totally beneficial for Zhao Youyue, the elite scholar who could turn anything into a learning experience! It was like the case of the author even called playing mahjong, drawing materials. Anything and everything would give him materials. If he does not draw materials, he had no idea for his manuscript. That was no problem at all! Zhao Youyues sense of existence burst, all of a sudden. Many male students have now noticed her appearance! Nobody would ever expect this elite scholar and talented female to also be a short-haired super cutie! Zhao Youyue finally enjoyed the treatment of receiving love letters in the school for the very first time! Thats right. It was July. The final exam was around the corner. At the near end of the second semester of Year 1 in high school, Zhao Youyue had received a few love letters! Some carried signatures, some did not. Although the number of love letters seemed to be relatively sparse, considering the fact that the school had a strict management, and the fact that they lived in the modern age of digital messaging, love letters would be rather obsolete. Getting a few of them would be a feat in itself. Even Han Leng wrote in small notes, indicating that he was better at writing love letters than writing remorse letters and speeches. If not for the fact that his love letter writing business was practically non-existent, he would never write any speeches for Lady Zhao! Zhao Youyue was pleased, to be able to receive love letters. She did not care who sent her the letters, since she would never fall in love. However, from another perspective, this was strong evidence that she was now gaining more recognition! Come on; she wanted to know, how many bosses would have received love letters as students? There arent many, are there? Therefore, these puerile and tender letters, yet made up of nothing but genuine love, would remain forevermore in her most appreciated care. How could she simply throw them away? These love letters also explained that her efforts until now, was finally bringing forth their harvest. From the first speech under the national flag in her life onwards, she would not possibly remain as a nobody within the students heart anymore, would she? Chapter 232 The time to exit has come When Han Leng saw the way Zhao Youyue handled those love letters carefully, he was disgruntled. He wanted to take a look at those letters that made the dignified Lady Zhao feel appreciated, so he wrote a note to Zhao Youyue, saying that he wanted to have a look at those love letters. Zhao Youyue was completely unabashed, these love letters were like trophies to her, tools for her to increase her sense of presence, so she was willing to share, and of course, show them off. After taking a look at the love letters, Han Leng mocked the standards of the love letters, saying that they were poorly written; he even picked on the errors and grammar mistakes. Then, he scribbled out a draft to show what a love letter should really be, in his standards. He made it clear that he did not mean any of those love sentences to Zhao Youyue; he just couldnt stand people who wrote love letters with such low standards. It was a sacred practice to him, even though he used this sacred thing to earn himself some fast cash. So, Zhao Youyue read how Han Leng showed off his fancy sweet sentences Youre the snow, and Im the street, only the sunrise would separate us. The beauty of spring is no match to the beauty of your smile; one will never understand if one never beholds you. Listening to the wind on a stormy night, dreaming of you. Just like the moon[1] in the sky, I can never reach you by touching the reflection of the moon on the sea. After reading all this and more, Zhao Youyue was very impressed with Han Leng, single lines of him would blow away entire passages of lengthy letters! The last one had even incorporated her name, Yue into the sentence, and he barely had to raise an eyebrow to come up with it! So, such is the power of a naturally talented author! How terrifying! To be able to take the first prize in the new concept composition contest during his junior high school was an extremely rare occurrence! One thing for sure, Lady Zhao Youyue was a girl who welcomed praises, her narcissism could be overbearing at times, she enjoyed being buried under a pile of compliments. This was one of the traits that she had inherited from her mother, and although she did not show off her lady-like temperament, deep within herself, she was ruled by a superiority complex that was probably even stronger than her mothers. Zhao Youyue took out an exquisitely packaged box from her desk drawer, and in the package was an abundance of snacks. As Zhao Youyue was basked in her pride, she had completely forgotten about Han Lengs. She had him eat her snacks as much as he wanted to, as if he was her pet If this was the old Han Leng, his pride would never allow it, Do I look like a dog to you, Lady Zhao? Lady Zhao, you already have so many lackeys, do you even need me? Id rather kill myself than eat snacks from Lady Zhao! But the fact proved that Zhao Youyue had a mysterious, intense form of charisma. By having a deskmate like her, listening to her soothing voice, one would fall deeper into a degenerates, temptation-filled life! Zhao Youyue had demonstrated the power of the conditioning of the subconscious, without any direct orders, she somehow manages to get others to follow and obey her, listen to her every command. So, Han Leng grabbed the snacks and started eating; he clearly enjoyed his role as a lackey of Lady Zhao! Congratulations to Lady Zhao once again, for she has managed to recruit a talented person into her team. Unfortunately, he is not as obedient as the little angel, Jiang Qing. This talented person had some serious writing skills that would surely come in handy, during certain situations. Zhao Youyue has also confirmed her suspicions, that there are no differences between male and female. Zhao Youyue felt that she had opened up the heart of Han Leng by teaching him how to become handsome. This method could be used on a girl as well. Under the influence of Lady Zhao, Han Leng changed drastically. His hairstyle became more fashionable, his skin turned fairer and lesser pimple remained his face, even his casual shirts were more tasteful, as if he had become a rich person with status Han Leng had earned much from his writings, and he did not need to support his family like how Su Li did. Of course, his family was not as wealthy as Lady Zhao, but his father was a cultural bureau officer, and his mother was an accountant, and what little money he earned from writing couldnt be compared with his parents. But Han Leng did not know how to spend his money, so Zhao Youyue taught him how to spend his money. Learning on how to spend money was far more important than earning money, because no one would ever know how much a person earned by outlook alone. But one could show off, if they knew how to spend their money wisely. When a man learns how to dress up, his charm would undoubtedly improve over time. Han Leng was once a night person, but now, he was a person who slept before 11 pm! This was an order from Lady Zhao, of course, so he had to follow it obediently. After all, he wanted to make himself look more handsome. This did not affect any of Han Lengs writings. With more time to sleep during the night, he would not feel as tired during the day. So he would use the time to write when Zhao Youyue is not around the school, because she was a commuting student. Now he had more inspiration on how to write the lovely couple Gu Yuan and Lin Meiyue. Of course, that was all his fantasy. This could effectively soothe the pain of readers after they witness the suffering of Goddess Chu. How could they experience the despair of Goddess Chu if they have never experienced any contrasting sweetness before? Only those who have tasted the sweetest things would understand the bitterest despair. After Han Leng followed the advice of Lady Zhao, he had become more handsome, and had learned how to spend his money wisely. Since he had become so charming, he would draw the attention of the opposite sex. When a girl is bold enough to take the first step, it would not just be a simple love letter that comes her way. Just a day before the holiday, a final exam stood before them. Zhao Youyue was indulging herself in studying; she did not return home during the nights self-learning session, so that she could get hold of the teacher immediately, if she encounters any problems. After all, Zhao Youyue was not an elite scholar that can solve every difficult question; she would still encounter problems during her revision, so she would have to consult the teacher, and she wanted to make sure she was prepared for the exam. Zhao Youyue had even used her recess time to do her revision. A girl in hotpants and a tight T-shirt came to Zhao Youyue class, it was a day before the holiday, so uniforms were not necessary. The girl was looking for the handsome and talented Han Leng. Han Lengs seat was just beside the window, so the girl just opened the window without permission, Hey, junior, can you come out for a sec, I need to talk to you. Her voice had a seductive husk to it, she had to be a second-year student, since she was calling Han Leng a junior, and third-year students should not be around anymore because they had finished their exams on June, it was already July right now. During the night classes, the classroom would be rather silent, and the sexy voice of that girl attracted everyone; almost, instantly everyone stared at Han Leng A well-informed guy said, Isnt that Lin Xuanya from second-year? She was the lead dancer in the art class, a company scouted her, and she might be an idol in the future. Shes the daughter of a wealthy family, what business does she have with Han Leng? The girls were looking at Zhao Youyue who was still busy studying with a pitiful expression, as if she had lost Han Leng. It was all because of Zhao Youyue that Han Leng had changed so much in one month! Now Han Leng is being seduced by another girl! Han Leng retained his cool, but he looked at Zhao Youyue anxiously, and noticed the attention he drew, Make it quick, the hot air is gushing in, I wouldnt want my classmates to be uncomfortable. Can I add you on Wechat? Obviously, Lin Xuanya was a girl with initiative, she seemed to have taken a liking to this talented, handsome, and rich guy. Sorry, I do not know you. Then, lets get to know each other Before Lin Xuanya was done talking, Han Leng had already closed the window and bolted it shut, leaving her smacking on the window angrily He was not bothered by the heat, but he was concerned about Lady Zhao. It could mean trouble if the heat bothers Lady Zhao Youyue who was sitting beside him! He knew that Lady Zhao was very fussy about her surroundings. He did not want Lady Zhao use her soothing voice to question him, it would be terrifying! She would kill him! Han Leng rejected the girl decisively, because he did not want the heat to bother Lady Zhao. Besides, Han Leng already had a girl he loved, and that was Goddess Chu Luoxun. No girls could ever be matched up with her! Err Of course, Lady Zhao was an exception, because she made him feel that she was even better than the main heroine in his fantasies. This day, Zhao Youyue was not in her uniform, she would suffer if she wore her uniform in this hot weather. She wore a knee-length skirt, revealing her beautiful and fair legs. The sandals she wore were not cheap, but she did not wear them to show off, she just picked this pair out of her many footwear. When Zhao Youyue is not in her uniform, finally, nobody would believe that she would be an elite scholar from a poor family. Her dress and lady-like temperament show it all. Her beauty, academic grades, and music talents had gained a lot of attention! The second semester of first-year had finally come to an end, the students in this class would go their separate ways, because everyone was going to the classes according to their choices. Zhao Youyue had used one year to turn herself from a side character who had little to no sense of presence, to a famous person in school, achieving one of her small goals. Next, she would make herself well-known, not just limited to school grounds. After all, compared to real VIPs, she was just a side character Before that, she had put in all the effort, experienced the sacrifice and suffering, just to get the character card, Chu Luoxun. It was about time she reaps what she sowed. The time has come for her to make her departure from Beautiful April. Translation note: [1] Moon C The moon has the same character of Zhao Youyues name, Yue. Chapter 233 : Revealing himself Zhao Youyue was still figuring out on how to exit the novel; she hoped the readers would not be able to guess the fate of Chu Luoxun until the very end. How does one leave a deep and impactful impression to the readers? Probably, the deepest form of despair, after giving them a glimpse of hope The author, Leng Zi could feel Chu Luoxuns emotion and thoughts. She was very fond of Chu Luoxun, so when he is inspired, she would know exactly what Chu Luoxun was going to do next, as if she was communicating with her spirit. Han Leng knew he had completely fallen in love with Chu Luoxun. He could feel the passion and living spirit of Chu Luoxun. She was an optimistic, confident, energetic girl, and no such girl would exist in reality. With Goddess Chu as the role model, Han Leng was no longer interested in any girl in reality, but Lady Zhao was an exception. He felt that Zhao Youyue was different, compared to an ordinary person, she had a saint-like personality, she was not inferior to Goddess Chu herself. Even though he was lucky enough to become her deskmate, he could never actually see-through her. Unfortunately, it was only for this semester; they might enter different classes when they enter the second year of high school. With Zhao Youyues superior grades, she would definitely enter an advanced language class, while he would most likely end up in an average class. Han Leng believed that the luckiest thing that ever happened to him was to become the deskmate of Zhao Youyue! It is most enjoyable, being able to follow Lady Zhao! Chu Luoxun had given him the hint that she will live, her body may be paralyzed, but as long as her fingers could move, she will live on! Leng Zi trusted Chu Luoxun completely; he would respect her will. Of course, he never wanted her dead, after all, Chu Luoxun was struggling with all her strength to live, he would never kill her. As many fans started asking about the finale, most of all regarding Chu Luoxun, Leng Zi had promised them that the Goddess, Chu Luoxun would not die! Her sickness was just there to make her a strong, optimistic character. As the plot thickens, her illness would eventually get cured. It definitely was not because she wanted to make her miserable, or that she wanted to kill her anytime she wished to. Leng Zi was telling everyone to be at ease! The fans trusted her, and she was confident about it too, she firmly believed that there was no possible way for her to kill her own beloved goddess! Leng Zi was not like those old slies who would lie to their readers. They would promise not to kill a character and give them even more scenes on the contrary, even though they have already decided to remove that character. When they give such false promises, their tone would not be as firm. But Leng Zi was different, her persistence and confidence somehow had reached the fans. If she ends up lying, the fans have suggested that she change her novels title from Beautiful April to Your lie in April. Not only were the characters lying to the readers, the author had been lying from the very beginning. Han Leng was confident that Goddess Chu would not do anything reckless, and he decided to leave the choice to her. Just as Zhao Youyue had said, just go with the flow. A perfect girl such as Chu Luoxun wouldnt mess him up, right? A lot of fans supported Leng Zi; they even praised her for getting better at writing a love story. As they watched the lovey-dovey couple twirl about, the readers would feel as if they were experiencing that sweet couple sensation themselves, it was magnificent! Besides that, Lin Meiyue was becoming livelier as well; she had even taken the initiative to kiss Gu Yuan! For the recent chapter updates, Chu Luoxun was nowhere to be found. These chapters had been focused on the main hero and heroine. They finally overcame their awkwardness and broke free from Wang Yan, and they went to the amusement park for a date. During the fireworks display, just as they were about to kiss under a Ferris Wheel, they ended up being interrupted by a child, this had left many readers furious! Then, Lin Meiyue had encountered some problems, because her parents would not allow her to attend a musical school, they did not think that she had the talent. Despite her family being against the idea of her attending a musical school, her love towards Gu Yuan never stopped her from following him. As both of them took a walk together under the sunset, Lin Meiyue decided to take their relationship one step further by kissing Gu Yuan. There was no need for a tragic backstory to build up a character, the gentle Lin Meiyue who never had been synonymous with the word assertive, had become even more developed. Many of her fans were satisfied with her development; their relationship was still as firm as ever! They both proved that without Chu Luoxun, they could solve their own problems, they were the perfect couple who had fallen in love at first sight. But more fans were concerned about the sickness of Goddess Chu! Even a perfect love was no match to a tragic, heartbreaking scene To those who were concerned, the love of the main hero and heroine was no longer fresh to them. They were complaining about the annoying love life of the lovely couple; they just wanted to see their Goddess Chu back in action, her absence was killing them! After knowing that Chu Luoxun would not die, as guaranteed by the author, Leng Zi. The fans of Chu Luoxun once again lifted their spirits, but they did not urge the author to make Chu Luoxun fall in love with Gu Yuan anymore. They only hoped that Chu Luoxun could get back up to her feet Obviously, the fans of Chu Luoxun were firm in their beliefs, that she was the main heroine! The daily topic in Leng Zis fan group was to have the beautiful author doing a face-reveal. When Han Leng could no longer take it, he admitted that he was a male author! He said that there was no need to reveal his photo, as there was nothing to show, even though he had become a hunk, after undergoing Zhao Youyues modifications He believed that everyone had forgotten him using a voice-altering device to cover his identity, and that he was well hidden in reality. Many new fans never got to know if Leng Zi was a male or female, but for some reason, many had assumed this author to be female. He no longer needed to use the female author identity to get closer to Zhao Youyue, because he found that his relationship with Lazy Zhao had improved! So, he decided to admit that he was a male author. The beautiful female author was a fake, non-existent character! But no one believes him at all! Some old fans said that they have heard the voice of Leng Zi before, and guaranteed that Leng Zi was a female author! Chapter 234 If She Ends up Dead, He Will Apologize by Cross-dressing! Of course, Zhao Youyue would not believe that Leng Zi was a male author either. She had spoken to her many times, she was definitely a literary girl in Zhao Youyues mind. They have even talked about skin care recently; there was no way that she was a male author. If Leng Zi is indeed a male author, she would force him to cross-dress! Naturally, Zhao Youyue would never guess that Leng Zi was her deskmate, Han Leng. After being deskmates with Zhao Youyue, Han Lengs good memory would serve him well, after taking some notes off the products she used and recommended. This is how one draws ideas and inspiration as well! Han Leng always believed himself to be well-versed in a rich ladys behavior. Despite Zhao Youyue not being a typical, rich lady stereotype, her low profile yet luxurious life, her intricate, detailed knowledge on particulars, had completely blown Han Lengs mind! Zhao Youyue seemed to be approachable, but she could never truly hide the sense of superiority that was deep within her! This was the reason why the Zhao family often left people disgruntled! But Han Leng was trying his best to adapt He felt embarrassed to eat the snacks of Lady Zhao all the time; he did not take it for granted, like the little angel, Jiang Qing. After a while, he got used to running errands for Lady Zhao, like handing over her homework to the homeroom teacher, or stacking his answer sheet with hers, it brought him great honor. At times, he would snap out of it and think of Chu Luoxun, there was no way he would fall in love with this troublesome Lady Zhao, for he had already walked through the passage of adolescence! With Chu Luoxun in his mind, Han Leng had restricted himself from falling in love with Lady Zhao again and again; he even nitpicked at her flaws, her waste of resources, her laziness, pickiness, hypocritical bias, and ego! Everyone has to follow her orders, but she still puts up a gentle face, like she really cared about them. Her heart was darker than black! Han Leng convinced himself that he has already seen through this flawed and capricious lady! She only pretends to be low-profile, but in fact, loved being under the spotlight! In conclusion, Goddess Chu was the best! Besides running errands for Lady Zhao, Han Leng sometimes would buy a commoners snack with his own money from the canteen to give it to Zhao Youyue. Even though some snacks would not earn a second bite, some snacks made her happy, and she would take the extra bite. On one particular Sundays afternoon, Lady Zhao decided to go shopping, and to show that he was a gentleman, Han Leng followed Zhao Youyue to the shopping mall. Of course, it was not just the two of them, Jiang Qing tagged along too. She was not happy with Han Leng at first, because he had taken her place, but after realizing that he was just as obedient to Zhao Youyue, she changed her opinion about him. She wanted to try ordering him about as well, but it backfired, Han Leng was not interested in a big-titted pleb, he couldnt figure out why Zhao Youyue became such close friends with Jiang Qing. He even started mocking Jiang Qing without any reason. Ever since he had Chu Luoxun, he became a total scumbag to other girls, sealing his fate to be forever alone He thought that Jiang Qing only relied on those in power! He would only obey the orders of Lady Zhao, because he was a gentleman and an information broker! He was not a slave of Lady Zhaos! He would never become a slave to the Zhao family! Long story short, in the process of gathering information, Han Leng had taken note of Zhao Youyues list of hobbies. This was why Zhao Youyue had been getting along so well with Leng Zi; it was because she thought that they clicked! If Zhao Youyue finds out that Leng Zi is Han Leng, it would undoubtedly upset her! Han Leng, how dare you to lie to Lady Zhao? Its unforgivable! Are you trying to rebel!? Cross-dress, only a cross-dressing would quench her rage! In fact, many of the fans had the same thoughts as Zhao Youyue; they did not believe that Leng Zi was a male author. Even if he is a male author, it would not make any difference. But if he ever goes against his promise, then apologize, by cross-dressing! Some fans had already screenshotted his chat history, included the message of him revealing his true gender. If Leng Zi ever kills Chu Luoxun, he would have to post a photo of himself cross-dressing, there was no escape! Han Leng smirked, he knew that he would never kill his beloved Goddess Chu, he wanted her to live in his literary world. So he could always be reminded of her whenever he read back his own writings. And so, he agreed. If he is to kill Chu Luoxun, he would cross-dress! Of course, he was not a pervert, he just loved her, far beyond those dirty desires. Every woman in reality was nothing, compared to her! Every time he gets inspired, he would look down on the other women in reality Finally, he sat down to write a new passage containing Chu Luoxun. Han Leng was excited, as it was the summer holidays, he could now focus entirely on his novel! Thats right, in order to conceal his Leng Zi identity, he had been unable to write at will in the classroom. Lady Zhao only looked like a quiet person on the outside; once she gets familiar with someone, she would ask all sorts of question, out of curiosity. Just like the last time, when Zhao Youyue asked Han Leng for the title of his novel, baiting him to spill it with her money After becoming deskmates, Zhao Youyue and Han Leng became closer. Zhao Youyue was curious about the identity of the girl that Han Leng had a crush on, only remembering him saying that she was far more beautiful and better than her. Even though she felt a little bit offended, but back then she was still a nobody, so she had endured it. But after Zhao Youyue became famous in school and received a lot of love letters, she became cocky, thinking that no one could ever compete with her. Please understand that Zhao Youyue had transformed from a normal high school student, to a mini-celebrity. Of course, she adapted to all of this in a short amount of time, retaining her old saint-like personality on the outside. Of course, Zhao Youyue who was full of self-confidence, was still curious about the identity of that particular goddess. No doubt, Han Leng was not willing to tell at all, but Lady Zhao was not going to give up that easily. Finally, he tells Zhao Youyue that she had a marvelous skill at playing the violin, not even Lady Zhao could match up with her. Zhao Youyue only smiled at him, while she was thinking, Just you wait till I get my hands on the character card, Chu Luoxun. I will definitely win! Ever since the two of them became deskmates, Han Leng could not write his novel in comfort; he had to stop Zhao Youyue from asking what he was writing, and he even had to serve Lady Zhao to appease her! Even though he would always be greeted by her sincere smile and encouraging praises, he couldnt help but think himself a slave to her! No, he was just gathering information and materials, he cant be a slave! Dont look down on him, just because he was a gentleman! At that moment, Han Leng wanted to write the plot regarding Chu Luoxun; his familiar inspiration has returned! At the same time, Zhao Youyue was performing her last act in Beautiful April! Chapter 235 A Beautiful Lie Literary world. The place where Chu Luoxun appeared at was the hospital. Her sickness had left her no choice but to stay at the hospital, which had cost her screentime in the novel. When Zhao Youyue was in control of this body, she experienced the pain of being mortally ill. This sickness would be even more unpredictable, in reality. Maybe in reality, her sickness could not worsen in such a short time. But anything could happen in a novel, when the plot requires it. Every time Zhao Youyue possesses this body; she would miss her healthy body in reality. This taught her to pay attention to her physical condition even more. No one could understand how precious a healthy body was, without experiencing the suffering of a sick person. This was actually the first time Zhao Youyue had endured such torment, Zhao Youyue had already exited the novel when Yu Shengfan was ill, before that, the little fish was still very healthy and energetic. The illness of Yu Shengfan was completely made up by Rosemary. When Zhao Youyue activated Yu Shengfans card, she only felt some stress and excitement, at most, because her body was healthy. This was why a lot of fans could not accept the death of little fish, the plot progression made no sense at all! But Chu Luoxun was different, in order to create an iconic character, her illness had been present since the beginning, many details to her backstory were introduced, much more than Yu Shengfans. The plot progressed slowly, adding to the realism. So when Chu Luoxun was suffering, the readers could only accept it, thanks to a huge amount of foreshadowing that had subconsciously gnawed away at the minds of readers. Zhao Youyue certainly did not expect this illness to put her through this much pain! If Zhao Youyue had not set herself as an optimistic and strong-willed character, she would have chosen the easy way out of this pain. Chu Luoxun still stayed strong as ever, even whenever she needed to cry, she would only cry during the lonely night. Whenever she tries to pick up the violins bow, her hands would give way. Her fingers would tremble, and she could only hold herself and cover her face with those fragile hands This scene mirrored the imagination of the reader, Jiang Qing. Under the detailed writing of Leng Zi, this simple scene was certainly heartbreaking! After losing the ability to play her favorite instrument, the suffering that Chu Luoxun going through right now, was far worse than the pain she felt in her physical body! What that broke peoples hearts the most was not her tragic bouts of pain, but the positive and lively front that she displayed in front of her friends. Her friends were, of course, Gu Yuan and Lin Meiyue. Both of them would come visit Chu Luoxun, and the heartwarming interaction between these three was unbearable. No one knew how much longer could this bundle of joy, Chu Luoxun, live! Chu Luoxun knew that Gu Yuan would be participating in the upcoming national piano competition in December; this would determine his future music career. Chu Luoxun was unable to perform due to her body condition, and she hoped Gu Yuan could spend more time practicing the piano, Gu Yuan suddenly saw the shadow of his beloved mother in Chu Luoxun, of which entire passages were used to describe that dj vu sequence. Those sensitive readers would have noticed that Chu Luoxun was reliving the fate of Gu Yuans mother Most readers would not notice such minor details; they would only think that Chu Luoxun wanted Gu Yuan to improve his music level, and her actions would cause him to pick up the pace. Chu Luoxun asked Gu Yuan to leave, so that she could have some time alone with Lin Meiyue. Deep within Gu Yuans heart, he started to reject Chu Luoxun, he was afraid of seeing Chu Luoxun. He looked at Chu Luoxun who was at the sick bed like his late mother, he even refused to accept any strict advice that Chu Luoxun gave him regarding music. Soon, he realized he loved the gentle and considerate Lin Meiyue even more. He enjoyed performing together with Lin Meiyue as well, because she was playing along with him, not like Chu Luoxun who was playing against him But, he dared not face his own feelings, he could not decide on which girl he would prefer to perform with, or which girl he cared for. Gu Yuan also thought that Lin Meiyue was a talented composer, the original songs she creates made him feel they have known each other for a long time. Now, the room was left with Chu Luoxun and Lin Meiyue, she took out her self-composed pieces and gave them to Lin Meiyue. She told Lin Meiyue happily that she had found inspiration from their sweet love and had created this song. Unfortunately, she could no longer play the violin, so she hoped Lin Meiyue could turn these notes into beautiful music. Lin Meiyue took the sheets unhesitatingly, while asking, Chu Luoxun, are you ok with this? These are your compositions, but you want me to take the credit? Ive never been able to compose anything myself. But Chu Luoxun replied, You always take the best photos of yourself and Gu Yuan for me, and that inspired me, these are the fruits of your labors. Besides, didnt you want the title of genius composer? Youre my best friend after all That has to be a lie? No, this was a beautiful lie. Chu Luoxun did not know that as Leng Zi was writing this scene, he wrote what Lin Meiyue was thinking as well Lin Meiyue was careful and sensitive; she knew very well the gap that stood between Gu Yuan and herself in terms of music. After becoming his girlfriend, she realized she could no longer tolerate the mutual understanding between Gu Yuan and Chu Luoxun. She wanted to keep his heart and mutual understanding to her own, but her talents were limited Ever since she became Gu Yuans girlfriend, she would always send her sweet photos of her and Gu Yuan to Chu Luoxun, as if she was declaring something. But Chu Luoxun only smiled, turning all these into songs and giving them back to Lin Meiyue Lin Meiyue would protect her sweet love carefully, and even though she had officially become lovers with Gu Yuan, she had more dark secrets now. Still, Chu Luoxun was always smiling, continuously supporting her. Chapter 236 : Performing for Her As mentioned earlier, Han Leng had been obsessed with Chu Luoxun, a supporting character in his Beautiful April. Whenever he writes about Chu Luoxun, he would favor her unconsciously. When an author favors a character, they would put down the other characters. Of course, they would not notice it themselves Before this, Han Leng had described the bond between Lin Meiyue and Chu Luoxin as unbreakable, their friendship was steadfast, but that was before Lin Meiyue became lovers with Gu Yuan. He thought that love was selfish; it could change a person, or make a person grow. Under the influence of love, the simple and innocent Lin Meiyue had changed, perhaps for worse. This was not just Lin Meiyues problem; Gu Yuan was at fault too. If only he could focus his attention entirely on Lin Meiyue, all of these would not happen at all. Lin Meiyue had occupied his entire life, except for music, and Chu Luoxun would always be brought up whenever they discussed about music Chu Luoxun was simply too outstanding, she was irreplaceable. Lin Meiyues music level was nowhere close to Chu Luoxuns standard. Gu Yuans EQ was average, but he was determined and decisive. Other guys would sway unsteadily between Chu Luoxun and Lin Meiyue. With his average EQ, he had bluntly told Lin Meiyue that he was attracted to Chu Luoxuns music, and both of he and Chu Luoxun had something in common in music, including the time when he was performing together on stage with her. Things would have been better if he kept his mouth shut, but Gu Yuan felt that he should be honest with Lin Meiyue, because only music was between him and Chu Luoxun. He had a clear conscience on that matter. He would not even acknowledge Chu Luoxun as his best friend, he only thought of her as a competitive partner, and he would try his best to defeat her. This was a mutual understanding between geniuses. As a girl, Lin Meiyue could not allow that, because she loved him, so she chose her own method of protecting her relationship. She would always be plagued by guilt in her heart which cannot be described by words; she knew that Gu Yuan loved her, but what about his music? Sometimes, only music can tell the truth. She always knew Gu Yuan had fallen in love with her because he had mistaken her as the girl who played the violin, or else they would not have even made it this far. What if that time, Gu Yuan had met Chu Luoxun instead of her? Lin Meiyue dared not imagine the outcome She also admitted that she had only ended up with Gu Yuan because of Chu Luoxuns help. This made her feel like, Chu Luoxun was giving away stuff that originally belonged to her. But Chu Luoxun still had the ownership, and one day, she would take all those things back. Women are always overthinking, and in order to portray the greatness of Goddess Chu, Han Leng had made Lin Meiyue even more realistic, making her even more lively. She was no longer innocent and pure like she used to be. Because of love, women would change themselves. And so, to replace Chu Luoxuns music, Lin Meiyue had used the songs Chu Luoxun created, and performed a duet with Gu Yuan, so that she could become closer to him. She even gave off the impression of a genius composer, but all this belonged to Chu Luoxun. Lin Meiyue knew that doing this would cause more harm than good, but this was the only thing she could do. In the end, Chu Luoxun would still help her, right? Everything that Lin Meiyue had done was not wrong, because she cared about him. She gets jealous easily, and her desire to win him over to herself was too strong. Now that Lin Meiyue had exposed her real self to the readers, fans would surely flock to Chu Luoxun. This was precisely Han Lengs intention; he wanted to make a perfect imagery of the goddess, Chu Luoxun. Lin Meiyue was a mere mortal compared to her. Gu Yuan remained clueless about the problems between Lin Meiyue and Chu Luoxun, or to be more precise, Lin Meiyue having a problem with Chu Luoxun. Gu Yuan decided to pay a visit to Chu Luoxun alone. Even though a part of him did not want him to come, but whenever he plays the piano, he would always think of her, and all his worries would come pouring down. On the way to the hospital, he kept thinking about the moments he spent with Chu Luoxun. Although he had spent even more time with Lin Meiyue, the memories with Chu Luoxun were even more vivid! This made him conflicted; he felt that more than music existed between the two of them, and he had been lying to himself. I thought youd never come visit again. Chu Luoxun said to him weakly. Ive brought your favorite snacks. Gu Yuan replied. Do you still play the piano? Yeah. Hows school? Nothing out of the ordinary. Hows with Lin Meiyue? Still doing great? Yeah, the songs she created were great, shes a genius composer! I like the music scores she wrote, and I like performing with her too! Is that so So you came here just to show off your love to me? Chu Luoxun laughed at him while pretending to be angry. What? No! Ive always wanted to come visit you; I just dont know what to talk with you Gu Yuans tone had turned heavy. Just be like how it used to be, let go of the past. Youll feel much better that way. Besides, theres no point hanging on to the past; my music can still be replaced. A violinist who cant even pick up her bow is a violinist without a purpose, Chu Luoxun said, with a plain expression. At that moment, losing the ability to play the instrument was like nothing to her. Why Why do you have to say such words, it was you who brought me back to the musical world, those unforgettable memories How can I ever forget your music! Gu Yuan left the room; he felt terrible. Even though he did not want any of this to happen, but he could not do anything about it. He felt sad and miserable; she had given so much to him, and yet, he couldnt do anything for her! His mind was full of her brilliant image on stage, recalling every detail as she turned around and looked at him in the eyes with that beautiful face and that contagious smile. He had decided to perform for her in the upcoming music fest. He even told his plan to his girlfriend, Lin Meiyue. She hesitated for a moment, and she agreed, but she wanted to perform together for her as well, because Chu Luoxun was her best friend. Through a live video call, the two of them decided to perform for Chu Luoxun Chapter 237 The Awakened Heroine Most interestingly, the song that they choose to perform was the song created by Chu Luoxun, Wings of Piano, a particularly sweet and vibrant piece. Gu Yuan wanted to use this song, to turn his music into wings, and convey the emotion to her, emotions that he could not describe with words. As for his purpose, he was conflicted and confused; he was even afraid of finding out the truth. Has he fallen for her? No no no, it was impossible! He already has a girlfriend, and he was sure that he loved Lin Meiyue! But what was Chu Luoxun to him? He really couldnt figure it out, and only through the music could he understand, and thus, he entrusted everything to the music. Lin Meiyues purpose of joining was not to perform for Chu Luoxun, she wanted to convey her love to Gu Yuan through music, and she also wanted to show Chu Luoxun the result of her violin training. Some readers might think that Lin Meiyue is overreacting. Thats right; ever since she became Gu Yuans girlfriend, she has become even more narrow-minded, and the power of love is not to be underestimated! She knew that her musical talents were limited, so when she is not together with Gu Yuan, she would spend all her time and efforts on music. She was competing with Chu Luoxun, and she wanted to chase Chu Luoxun out of Gu Yuans musical world, no matter what! In conclusion, love was selfish and blind, and when paired together with womens natural, sharp instinct, spurs Lin Meiyue into action. Soon, the music fest was upon them, Chu Luoxun took out her tablet and watched the live streaming on her sick bed. Her expression was plain, she could no longer smile, her body was in agony, the illness was ruthless. It took a while for Chu Luoxun to notice that Gu Yuan and Lin Meiyue were in formal clothing, and they looked just like a perfectly matched couple. The green gown that Lin Meiyue wore drew a lot of attention to her. With her beauty and the purpose of performing, she was no longer a side character, she was now the real heroine! With the power of love, Lin Meiyue had gone beyond her limits in this performance! Gu Yuan was playing the piano accordingly at the beginning, but ever since he got influenced by Chu Luoxun, he became another one of those eccentric musicians. In order to convey his emotions, he had started to play the piano according to his feelings. Of course, Lin Meiyue panicked, she even blamed Gu Yuan for making it so much harder for her to follow up, she started stressing out He did not care about her feelings while he was playing the piano! He only cares about Chu Luoxun But no, not this time, Lin Meiyue was not going to take this lying down! No matter, what, she has to make her stand, here and now! She will lose everything if she lets this pass. When Chu Luoxun heard Gu Yuans music rhythm, she cant help herself but feel worried for Lin Meiyue But this time, Lin Meiyue was not going to let Gu Yuan take the lead! At that moment, Lin Meiyue started to play the violin against Gu Yuan without holding back as if she was possessed by Chu Luoxun, and the audience was shocked to see such a scene! For the first time, she had transformed into the main protagonist on stage! She was not willing to become a supporting character, her status as the main heroine would be gone if she does not do anything! Zhao Youyue was taken by surprise too, but of course, Chu Luoxun remained at east, she just continues listening to the two of them performing. Zhao Youyue was surprised to see Lin Meiyue becoming alive, in other words, she had gained a soul! The character did not turn alive because of her possession, but it was the power of the author, Leng Zi who made it possible! At that moment, Zhao Youyue was very impressed with the author, Leng Zi. Even though Lin Meiyue was forced to be awakened under the influence of Chu Luoxun, this was also the perfect display of Leng Zis writing ability. She had a strong feeling that the two main female characters in Beautiful April, would both become iconic characters! Both of them were awesome, and these two had their own fans, the other would get mentioned when one is brought up Zhao Youyue did not know the fact that Han Leng now understood her better in reality, he had even attended her music competition, so he had mixed in the traits of Lady Zhao, as he wrote about Lin Meiyue! Lady Zhao was like a side character all the time, but she would turn into the main protagonist at the right moment, isnt she similar to Lin Meiyue? This was the reason why Lin Meiyue had turned alive! The Zhao Youyue in reality was not inferior to Chu Luoxun! The awakened Lin Meiyue had turned this performance into a double waltz, not Gu Yuans solo show! The author, Leng Zi further elaborated on what Lin Meiyue was thinking of at the moment. She was thinking, Im not gonna let him go, focus! React properly, grab on to Gu Yuan! I let him do what he wanted to last time because I felt that only she could match up to him in music But Im not satisfied! Im his girlfriend, I want all of him! All the hard work and sacrifices were not in vain, Ive put my life into it while practicing! Chu Luoxun said that Gu Yuan was a genius, one with a heart made of iron. But geniuses dont work so hard! Chu Luoxun does not know him like I do! Thats because the hands I hold are so warm. I will never forget those moments Gu Yuan and Lin Meiyue exchanged eye contact on stage; and he realized his girlfriend had grown. He showed his gentleness, and started to sync Lin Meiyue. The emotions that he wanted to convey to Chu Luoxun were gradually tossed aside. Gu Yuan started to slow down and ingratiate Lin Meiyue, because he knew her personality and habits, so he could guide her, and allow her to improve even further. But he never did any of this for Chu Luoxun. Lin Meiyue blushed, so this is how it feels like to share something in common in music. She recalled the scenes of the both of them going on a date, eating the same ice-cream, walking around the school grounds while holding hands She knew that she had conveyed her feelings, and at the same time, she realized that it was a wonderful thing, to be able to communicate through music. At that moment, Leng Zi did not describe the expression of Chu Luoxun, he only focused on how lonely she was. Perhaps, she should feel happy, because they were playing the song she created? In the beginning, Chu Luoxun was a lucky girl who had the blessing of the whole world, but fate was slowly taking everything from her Suddenly, Chu Luoxun seemed like become the most useless and redundant person in this novel as if she had lost her value and was cast aside. Chu Luoxun forced herself to stand up, and looked at the beautiful and harmonious scene from her tablet. She imagined herself performing with him, but now, she could no longer even hold her violin and bow, she was as good as quadriplegic Now, she could only imagine the scene in her mind. Her physical pain would be nothing, when her soul is getting ripped apart, piece by piece. No human should ever experience such agony. Chapter 238 The Wings of An Angel Thats right. Han Leng had planned this all out. He knew that Chu Luoxun did not have any other motive, and she was sincerely happy for Lin Meiyues advancement. However, instead of writing her actual thoughts, he had cunningly described how lonely she was at that moment, torturing their fans to the maximum. Han Leng is a guileful creator, in nature. In his intoxicated state, that nature would only be amplified! Sometimes, it is not necessary to lie entirely. Instead, one just has to hide part of the truth, and then induce others into believing in their own conclusions. That would be the most brilliant lie! It had been stated before that Han Leng favored Chu Luoxun. Therefore, he knew exactly what to write about this character, in order to stir up a huge controversy, and to garner the most sympathy possible for her He had even taken the risk of placing the star-crossed lovers in the line of fire, or in other words, they no longer concerned him. This would be the aftermath of the intoxicated state. It could quickly destroy the article and completely deviate from the original intention. After the scene of Goddess Chu crying desperately at the hospital while the male protagonist and the heroine were enjoying the affection between them, the number of irrational readers who hated this couple increased. They did not care if both of them knew about Chu Luoxuns illness, all they knew was, because of her, only could they become a couple. Here, they are happily showing off their affection for each other, while Chu Luoxun suffers alone. Isnt this too much? Dont they feel ashamed? When this chapter gets released, without a doubt, Lin Meiyue, the heroine, would be despised by many readers, because of her actions. Her unscrupulous tactics of protecting her relationship would turn her into a controversial character, a villain, perhaps! Some people would think that she did nothing wrong, as love is selfish. All she wanted to do was to own Gu Yuans heart fully, and there was nothing wrong with it. Some people would see her as a mean girl, thinking that her accusations of Goddess Chu intending to steal her boyfriend were completely groundless, what was so suspicious about the musical interaction between her and Gu Yuan? Han Leng truly intended to watch the world burn! As this work was about to be completed, he wanted to write a memorable ending of the ages The plot continued brewing. During the ensemble, the waltz between Gu Yuan and Lin Meiyue had opened their hearts to each other, and their souls became one. Lim MeiyueUnlike others, I was not longing to become a professional musician, neither was I devoting myself to music. But, as he is with me now, and there are songs that I want to play for him, I will become a violinist like no other. This is the reason for my performance! Chu Luoxun intended to bring warmth and joy to the world through music, it would be sufficient for me, as long as my music heals him! I was performing just for him! It is going to end soon. Strangely, something told me to push myself past my limits, even to the point of absolute exhaustion. Performing together with him was truly an indulgence Gu Yuan, why is the sound of your piano so colorful and alluring? It brings tears to my eyes. She did not do so, yet, she gave a smile of victory. Their performance ended. On the other end, Chu Luoxun, who had her head bowed down, as if she was the one who had just finished performing, shed a solitary tear. No one would cheer for her, and no one would ever know that she was the composer of Wings of Piano, as Gu Yuan and Lin Meiyue basked in the standing ovation! Lin Meiyue turned and asked Gu Yuan, Did you receive my love through the music? Of course, Gu Yuan answered happily. At the same time, the other girls intentions were made clear. Even Chu Luoxun could see that. The openhearted Chu Luoxun found a way to be happy for that as well. She cried because of Lin Meiyues advancement, feeling nothing but happiness for her disciple. However, instead of telling readers the truth, Han Leng simply mentioned Chu Luoxun letting tears flow down her cheeks as Gu Yuan and Lin Meiyue laughed, holding each others hands and bowing to the audiences. The starker the contrast, the more upsetting it would be. The readers would definitely feel sorry for her, from the bottom of their hearts. When it was all over, Gu Yuan and Lin Meiyue visited Chu Luoxun. She was on the rooftop, playing with two kids who loved music. She played for them the song Twinkle Twinkle Little Star by using a harmonicaTwinkle twinkle little star, how I wonder what you are The bright, unforced, smile appeared on her face again. She was satisfied, as long as she could cheer these two music-loving kids up. Her face was pale and sickly, her body almost anorexic. When she saw both of them, she smiled and said Both of you are so naughty. Letting a violin teacher who is unable to play the violin listen to a perfect ensemble. Isnt that mean? Why would you guys make me feel even more love for this world, right now? she added in her heart. Gu Yuan earnestly suggested that he would like to have an ensemble with her, while he stared at her beautiful, optimistic smile. He was always trying to keep up with her, as he wanted to be side by side with her. The former Chu Luoxun would say yes, but, now, she crossed her trembling arms in front of her chest and looked carefully at Lin Meiyue, who seemed a little awkward. Both her body condition and the hidden message that was sent out by Lin Meiyue during the ensemble caused her to hesitate Gu Yuan thought that this was the best encouragement for her. He would take it as a rehearsal for the National Piano Competition, which would be held in December, although that would be a solo performance. He had even chosen which song to be played. It was not a serious, classical music, but an in-trend kind of song that was originally written by Lin MeiyueWings of An Angel. It would become a popular song that everyone would know by heart. Seeing her hesitate, Han Leng tried to smooth-talk her, as he eagerly wanted to compete with her. Eventually, Lin Meiyue was the one who made her agree with him. Lin Meiyue wanted her to have an ensemble with Gu Yuan. However, she would join too, as a competitor. She just wanted to find out who he preferred performing with more. She was no less than Chu Luxun, and she would not hold herself back. Her music was only dedicated to Gu Yuan. Chu Luoxun laughed, thinking that Lin Meiyue had grown a lot. However, little did they know what they would put the goddess through They were not even aware that they were forcing her to make that kind of choice. When she has to choose between life and music, she always chooses the latter. Weve been through this, it would be very risky, andeven if it turns out smoothly The doctor advised Chu Luoxun. I acknowledge itand I have told my parents. I am prepared for this, so I would like to undergo the operation. Chu Luoxun stood firm in her position. The doctor sighed, and nodded resignedly, while looked at her sympathetically. Chu Luoxun smiled again. She thought of the melody of the Wings of An Angel, and the lyrics lingered in her head too Wherell the wind send the fallen leaves Whats left is the beautiful sky The once fluttering sound Just like an angels wings My loves like a guardian angel If heres the end of life And I exist no more I will find an angel for me to love you I believe youre still here Never have you left My loves like a guardian angel If heres the end of life And I exist no more I will find an angel for me to love you I will find an angel for me to love you Please do not misunderstand. The you in the lyrics was the music. It was up to the readers now, on how they want to interpret it, as it was not within Han Lengs control. What a cunning twat. Chapter 239 I Chose to Face the Suffering and Frustration with Hope and Optimism I want to undergo surgery, even if I can only buy myself that little bit of time. Even if there is only a sliver of hope, no matter what it is, I want to grab it tight. I met him during April, crying, discouraged, and struggling. But when he went up the stage, he shines brightly like a star. His entire life is like a beautiful melody. Ive promised himWe will have a duet, once more. Therefore, I want to try my best, even if I have to struggle on my last legs. I want to keep struggling until the very end! If I simply accept my fate like that, I wont be able to face my parents Chu Luoxun was still explaining her determination to undergo surgery with a smile on her face. However, her mother could not help crying. The scene was somber. Han Leng had received the lash back of Chu Luoxuns firm bid for survival. Therefore, his mind had been set in stone. He will make the surgery successful, no matter what. After all, this was her last wish. It would be too inhumane not to realize it. Han Leng would never be able to reject Chu Luoxun. Just as it is in reality, he would never disobey any commands from Lady Zhao. There was a scene. It was exactly the reason why Chu Luoxuns max-level strong will characteristic was deeply carved into the readers mind. To keep her promise of one more ensemble, Chu Luoxun put all her effort into her rehabilitation. Her legs were often too weak for her to walk, but right now, she was currently in the hospitals rehabilitation room. Gu Yuan and Lin Meiyue had to bear witness to a disturbing scene. Step forward slowly just like this. Place your left foot said the doctor. Chu Luoxun was holding on the railing with both hands, stepping forward with all her might. She did not want to let her muscles waste away. She wanted to return to the stage to perform with her violin! She kept on walking, and suddenly fell to the ground.It was truly a heartwrenching scene. Lets have some rest. Thats enough for todays training. said the doctor, unable to watch her struggle any more. Its alright. Im a performer. I have good stamina! said Chu Luoxun with a smiley face. She was not forcing herself to smile. It was a smile that was truly filled with hope towards the future. She felt grateful within her heart towards Lin Meiyue for agreeing to have her perform with Gu Yuan once more. When Gu Yuan and Lin Meiyue saw Chu Luoxuns smile, there was a sense of shock within their heart! Right at this moment, Lin Meiyue felt that she was the most shallow-minded person ever. Chu Luoxuns concentration and devotion towards music were all beyond her understanding. Lin Meiyue thought that her love towards Gu Yuan could surpass everything. However, it seemed like a joke when compared to Chu Luoxuns love towards music. Gu Yuan had gained Chu Luoxuns favor, just because of his peerless talent in music. Lin Meiyue suddenly realized that Gu Yuan was not the only one who had gained Chu Luoxuns preference. She had also earned the goddess favor! Even more so than Gu Yuan No matter how she acted pettily towards Chu Luoxun, intending to compete with her in music, Chu Luoxun would always respond with the loving smile of a happy teacher, and shower her with more praises Chu Luoxun had even given all her original songs to Lin Meiyue. Nobody would ever guess that such a musical genius was now struggling to stand on her own two feet, somewhere in the world But she would also be remembered forever, because her music would remain forever within the world, even if she has no signature to offer. However, Chu Luoxun did not care about any of these matters at all. The moment she displays her style, one not aimed for fame and gain, but only to bring happiness to everyone, such a choice would come as no surprise. Chu Luoxun stuck to her rehabilitation with zeal. She fell, she stood, she repeated it all. Throughout the process, her face remained hopeful and radiant. When this was published, many readers instantly cried as they read. The awakening heroine Lin Meiyue, and the male protagonist Gu Yuan were harshly criticized. Chu Luoxun was the only person who exploded in popularity. Her radiance illuminated from the novel to the whole world! Many readers thought that Master Leng Zi would not write Chu Luoxun to death anymore. She had been so strong, she was putting up such a ridiculous fight, how could she possibly die? Even Han Leng himself thought that he would not write like so. He must be out of his mind if he writes Chu Luoxun to death. He wanted her to come back once more! He wanted to see the gorgeous, dazzling goddess Chu appearing on stage again! The plot continued. Gu Yuan and Lin Meiyue went to the hospital to visit Chu Luoxun again. They saw a shocking, heartbreaking scene. Chu Luoxuns condition had deteriorated once more. Many nurses rushed towards the scene. She was lying on the hospital bed, her back arched in pain. Her hands which were clutching the edges of the bedside lost their grip and slipped lifelessly. Right at that moment, Zhao Youyue even felt herself truly dying. But she could not let that happen. She still had an ensemble to complete, and she would do it as a spirit if she has to! Then, Gu Yuan and Lin Meiyue heard the reason why Chu Luoxuns condition had deteriorated was because she had pushed herself too much. Resting should have been the right choice. Chu Luoxun was wheeled to the ICU. Gu Yuan and Lin Meiyue were left dumbfounded. Lin Meiyue was wracked with guilt. She broke into tears and said, I really did not know that her sicknesswould be so serious. Gu Yuan could only comfort her. His heart felt empty. Once again, he remembered his mother. Darkness threatened to overwhelm his soul again. In the end, Lin Meiyue could never admit that all her original songs actually belonged to Chu Luoxun. On their way home, Gu Yuan and Lin Meiyue saw a kitten getting involved in a road accident. It was the very kitten that Chu Luoxun had once fed. They immediately sent the kitten to the veterinary clinic. However, it was too late. Gu Yuan relapsed into his broken state. He no longer had any mood to participate in the most important music contest of his life in December! To be honest, Chu Luoxun was never his lover. She was his best friend. She was also the girl that saved him from the abyss. No matter how hard Lin Meiyue tried, she could never replace Chu Luoxuns help towards him on music. He suffered with Chu Luoxun, but he could only share his happiness with Lin Meiyue. Lin Meiyue found herself being totally useless during this period. Her music could not save him at all! Fortunately, they managed to stabilize Chu Luoxuns condition. Lin Meiyue went to meet Chu Luoxun alone. She knelt in front of Chu Luoxun and begged her humbly, hoping to save Gu Yuan once more. He now detested music, and was blaming music for everything! Music had taken his mother away, and is now going to take his best friend away Lin Meiyue cared too much about Gu Yuan. She truly hoped that Gu Yuans music journey would never end like this. However, she could do nothing about it. Muscling her way up to a sitting position, Chu Luoxun reached out and gave her a weak hug. Even when barely conscious, she still smiled and agreed to Lin Meiyues request. How would she ever refuse her? ActuallyLin Meiyue was the person she was concerned about the most. Even though she did not have Gu Yuans talent, Chu Luoxuns cared for Lin Meiyue far more than she did Gu Yuan. Unfortunately, Gu Yuan was the only person Lin Meiyue loved. Lin Meiyue was treating Chu Luoxun that way for Gu Yuans sake. However, Chu Luoxun did not mind. She only giggled. No matter what happens, she would put all her effort into saving Gu Yuan once more, making Lin Meiyue and him happy. Even if it costs her life. Lovers get married, what a happy ending it will be. She would always remain a third wheel. I chose to face suffering and frustration with hope and optimism. Chapter 240 Song of the Spirit Gu Yuan came to visit Chu Luoxun alone. He had his head bowed down, as depressed as a human can be, as if he was the one dying. If it had not been for Lin Meiyue, he wasnt even sure if he would have the courage to visit Chu Luoxun. Chu Luoxun noticed his saddened look. She cheered herself up, smiled at him and said, Being sent into the ICU was a slight roadblock. That is my first time being in an ICU. The place makes me nervousHey, dont give me that look, youre visiting me! ImIm sorry! apologized Gu Yuan immediately. Oh! You have even brought me my favorite cake. I want to eat it outside. said Chu Luoxun with a wider smile. Its freezing outside advised Gu Yuan. I dont want to stay in the ward! said Chu Luoxun capriciously. Chu Luoxun asked Gu Yuan to carry her on his back to the rooftop. As Gu Yuan was carrying her on his back, he grew all too aware of how light she actually was. He finally realized how much Chu Luoxun was suffering from her disease. At the same time, he felt like he was carrying the whole world. Her smile from the beginning was like a reminder to him that she was a perfect goddess who could kick away any form of disease! He remembered that being his first time being in such close contact with her. He suddenly hoped that he could carry her on his back forever. He recalled all the good times he had with her. He knew her hobbies very well. She loved dolls and sweets. She was a very soft-hearted and normal girl. However, in the past, he never dared get close to her. He always felt that she was too brilliant. She was unattainable, beyond his reach. It was only until this moment that he noticed that she was as much a mortal as he was. That was why she wouldnt be immune to diseases. The two of them reached the rooftop. Chu Luoxun saw the snow falling from the sky. Her smile grew wider. She could not help but praise the beauty of snowflakes. Chu Luoxun was gently placed on the bench. She asked, Still playing the piano? Not anymore. So youve found the abyss again. I cant continue playing anymore. Music has taken those close to me, one after another Dont you still have Meiyue? Besides, Im feeling great as well! You still have me! Chu Luoxun smiled and said, My surgery will be on 18th February. I will recover. I will never stop struggling until the very last moment. This is your fault, all because of you and Meiyue! Why am I so attached to this world? Its all because of the two of you! Thats true. Chu Luoxuns original body, Zhao Youyue, had always been a firm member of Lin Meiyues fan club. She will never stop supporting them as a couple. 18th February would also be the day of Gu Yuans finals. Why dont you struggle a little bit more? Arent we both best at struggling? We have already entered the finals! Lets do it again! Chu Luoxun tried her best to encourage Gu Yuan. The moment Gu Yuan heard the word again, he remembered the picture of his one and only public ensemble with Chu Luoxun. He had been expecting to have a second one. However, due to her health condition, that window has passed. Everytime Gu Yuan thought of the picture; there would be infinite power flowing out from within his body. However, he replied, I have not touched the piano for a week. My fingers have Isnt that the same as our first performance together? At least I was still practicing regularly back then. I wont be able to play it now! It will be a miracle if Im able to do so! Miraclescan be created. The next scene is one of the most iconic scenes within the entire novel. Chu Luoxun showed her unique techniqueThe Air Violin! This was a miracle that Chu Luoxun is showing in front of Gu Yuan right now! She stood up, stretched her hands towards the void and retrieved a violin from among the snowflakes in the sky She started performing with a calm smile on her face. Gu Yuan did a double take in surprise, as if he had actually seen a transparent, dazzling violin appearing in her hands. She threw herself into her performance, and he could actually hear the sound of the violin! Of course, this was all Gu Yuans imagination, but he would not be able to do so if it was not because of Chu Luoxuns lifelike expressions and convincing movements. Gu Yuan felt like seeing the perfect goddess who was shining brightly on stage once again. The girl that he had been desiring but lacked the courage to approach This is her song of the spirit. Chu Luoxun definitely had tried everything to strangle the throat of her destiny. She even used her technique The Air Violin to perform, even though she could no longer lift a real violin up. A strong sense of embarrassment emerged within Gu Yuans heart. A person like him who is always giving up easily, is nothing at all, l compared to Chu Luoxuns determination in music. See, as long as you want it to be, a miracle will happen. Chu Luoxun stood bare-footed on the snow. Not that it mattered, she could no longer feel her legs. Still, she stood up. Her head was full of sweat. It was painful for her to even move by a little. Chu Luoxun finished talking and fell. Gu Yuan immediately helped her up. She said, Youre also within my heart, Gu Yuan. The two of you are the best friends of my life. I actually first saw you ten years ago. I was so lucky that I happened to meet you at that time. Unfortunately, we were never even acquainted. Ive known you for such a long time, and yet I do not know you as well as I do Meiyue. I truly admire her for knowing everything about you. I want to know more about you. Haha, perhaps in future. I will recover! Gu Yuan was a bit dumbfounded. Whats with that ten years situation? He only knew that she looked beautiful as she always did in the snow. Under the miracle performed by Chu Luoxun, Gu Yuan finally cheered up once again. He decided to convey his blessing towards Chu Luoxun through music on 18th February. Not only to Chu Luoxun, but also to all the people he loved and the entire audiences. This day had finally come. Chu Luoxun was being wheeled into the operating room. Before that, she had written a song for Gu Yuan Happened to Meet You. Other than the song, there was also a precious photo, one that was kept by Chu Luoxun. It was Gu Yuan during his childhood. As Chu Luoxun took a selfie, he had somehow found his way into the frame. This was their only photoshoot together. Zhao Youyue still chose to leave, although she did not want to. It was for obvious reasons As Chu Luoxun, she had given it her all. As Zhao Youyue, she had set her other selfs fate in stone. It had to be done. However, she had not yet left the literary world of Beautiful April yet. She went to Gu Yuans competition scene. She would fulfill Chu Luoxuns last wishan ensemble with Gu Yuan. As long as Gu Yuans music reaches that realm, she will be able to appear within the music spiritually and complete the ensemble with him. Gu Yuan would only be convinced that he is hallucinating, unsuspecting to the fact that he would be having a duet with an actual ghost. Chapter 241 It Has Come to the End The climax and quintessential core of the entire Beautiful April was most certainly Gu Yuans piano solo performance at the end. With Han Lengs mysterious confidence, the message that many readers are bound to receive would be Gu Yuan using his piano to transfer power over to Chu Luoxun who was within the operating room, eventually allowing her to make it through The readers took the initiative to pray for Chu Luoxun on the internet. This was also the perfect ending that many readers have been waiting for. Some readers who have been imagining themselves as the male protagonist Gu Yuan considered both Lin Meiyue and Chu Luoxun, the best girls among millions. Wouldnt it be great to get the three of them together? Thats right. Due to Han Lengs troublemaking, the two fan clubs went into all-out war, while another receive-all gang emerged, quietly. The members of this gang first criticized the idea of monogamy. They considered the system as a shackle of love. True love should never be restricted to one on one. A man can have few women. Without a doubt, these members were probably single dogs. They did not understand things at all. Having a woman in reality was more than enough for one to suffer, not to mention two. The two heroines Chu Luoxun and Lin Meiyue were just too perfect. Under Han Lengs intentionally ambiguous writings, the readers would easily envision an amicable love triangle[1]. Many research gangs emerged. The readers who started researching Beautiful April gradually increased. They even claimed themselves as researchers about aesthetics, as if they were explicitly great. Alright. After the appearance of redology[2] and white study[3], there is this thing we call aesthetics. The plot thickened. Gu Yuan faced problems once again. An old problem came back to plague him, he was unable to start playing the piano. At this part, many readers could not help but complain. In the entire book, every time Gu Yuan wanted to play the piano, he would start feeling very uneasy, worrying about the mistakes that he would make. The readers were tired of such a situation. Gu Yuan remembered Chu Luoxun, and her miracles. Then, he looked up. He spotted Lin Meiyue amongst the audiences, along with the others who had been continuously supporting him. Finally, he started playing. It was The First Narrative Song by Chopin. It had great structure, magnificence, and powerful emotions. The moment he started playing, the two other contestants who have always been his rivals and friends were filled with awe. This was not just any connection, but a deep and calm reverberation. The judges were also filled with awe within their hearts. What a rich timbre. It was like a whisper. It was like a lovers embrace. Chopins narrative song was played in a gentle, yet sorrowful tone. Gu Yuan reached deep, and found his utmost peak! He ended up summoning the cherry tree at the beginning. The sky was filled with cherry blossoms, dancing around his piano. All of that was the exemplification of his music. Within literature, it was a must to show everything through such powerful imagery. However, this was just the beginning. The real climax had yet to come! As Gu Yuan performed with all his soul, the medical apparatus in Chu Luoxuns surgery theater beeped away Gu Yuan remembered carrying Chu Luoxun back to her ward, and she spoke in his earThank you. He closed his eyes, continuously chanting within his heart and conveying to Chu Luoxun. When he opened his eyes again, he was in a blue sky with his piano! The sky was blue. The white clouds drifted by. The snowflakes fell. The ground was also blue, reflecting the color of the sky. It was pure and moving Gu Yuan turned his head slightly, and saw a terrifying scene. A beautiful, ethereal figure had stepped into this beautiful, blue musical world. She was wearing a white dress, a violin in her hands. Her translucent figure eventually solidified. She turned back and looked at him with a smile on her face. Gu Yuan almost burst into tears. Was her soul already living within his music? This is the second ensemble between Gu Yuan and Chu Luoxun within the entire novel. Of course, the audiences would never be able to witness it. Gu Yuan alone heard the sound of her violin. It was as beautiful as ever Gu Yuan closed his eyes once more. Fighting back his tears, he immersed everything into the sound of his piano. However, he could still hear the sound of Chu Luoxuns violin, joyful, playful, bearing no respect or regard for the original score. He opened his eyes once more. She was still smiling at him. She was dancing. Her movements were agile and full of life. Every time she played a note with her violin, a ray of dazzling light broke through the clouds. Gu Yuan looked at her. He remembered the past her, at the peak of her life. He closed his eyes peacefully, as if he was simply going to bed, after a long day. It felt so good to have her beside him. However, when he opened his eyes once more, she had stopped playing. She was still smiling, but there was a sense of defeat in her smile. Her figure started to turn transparent WaitDont leave! We can just be friends! Dont leave, dont leave, dont leave, dont you leave me! The sound of Gu Yuans piano suddenly became very rapid, as if he was trying to keep her in this realm. However, her body only shone with a dazzling light, eventually turning into countless pieces of cherry blossom petals! The moment her face disappeared, her tears finally dropped. She wanted to stay Gu Yuans piano performance was finally coming to an end. He returned from the musical realm, back to the stage in reality. The moment he pressed the last note, he burst into tears Farewell, said Gu Yuan. It has come to an end. Han Leng wrote this portion in an intoxicated state, with every sentence, every word, every syllable written to perfection! Words can never describe the power of words! Gu Yuans piano performance was a great success. This piece turned him into a well-known, young pianist throughout the country. However, Chu Luoxuns surgery failed. She never left the operating theater. She gave her violin to Lin Meiyue, together with the countless songs that she had composed, so that Lin Meiyue could keep the title Genius Composer forever. This way, she would be able to stand beside Gu Yuan, the genius pianist. Chu Luoxun only gave Gu Yuan the childhood photo and the song Happened to Meet You. As for whether she ever liked Gu Yuan, it was not clearly stated in the novel. However, those aestheticians could choose to delve into the lyrics Were crying Were laughing We look up to the sky The stars are still shining Were singing The song of time Because I just happened to have met you And leave behind a ten-year-wish If we meet again I think that I will remember you April is truly beautiful. It is coming. The month of April where we will meet you is coming. The month of April without you is coming. Gu Yuan and Lin Meiyue laid flowers on Chu Luoxuns gravestone. Then, they held each others hands and left. The lovers got married. Such a happy ending! The end! At first, the readers thought that Beautiful April referred to Lin Meiyue. After all, her name was in the title. The initial development had met the readers expectations. However, no one expected it to be the most beautiful month of April with Chu Luoxun in it! Chu Luoxun ended up leaving the scene as the heroine. Without Chu Luoxun April will never be beautiful anymore. Beautiful April is a lie. Translation Note: [1] Love triangle C It refers to the love relationship between three persons. For example, if A is a boy, B and C are girls. A loves B and B loves A, yet C loves A as well, this is called a love triangle. [2] Redology C The study of the novel Dream of the Red Chamber, one of the four classic Chinese literary works. [3] White study C Similar to Redology which studies the novelDream of the Red Chamber. White study refers to the study of the game White Album 2, a type of love simulation and adventure game. Tonicquill: The heck? I mean, its good and all, but that last line? Was that like a jab at Your Lie in April? Chapter 242 : Remorse and self-blaming Zhao Youyue stepped out of the Two Dimensional Gate. Her heart felt empty. She found herself crying as if she had just experienced a heartbreaking dream. Chu Luoxun may have been her, but she still could not help feeling sad for her own end. She decided not to create any sorrowful characters anymore, even if its for the sake of obtaining iconic character cards. It caused her so much pain Character cards with high popularity could also be utilized. They could even be sacrificed before running out. Zhao Youyue had suffered way too much for the Chu Luoxun card. She even felt herself not being afraid of any disease in reality anymore. She had endured such a scary disease. What else would she possibly be afraid of, in reality? However, she was very concerned about her current health condition. She asked her parents to be concerned about theirs as well. His father Zhao Jiayi, laughed. Was his private hospital merely a decoration? Besides, his private hospital also emphasized on recuperation, and was full of retired veteran cadres Zhao Youyue considered herself gaining a lot even if she did not obtain Chu Luoxuns card. Goddess Chus life was unbelievably tough. Zhao Youyue could not even determine how much of her tsundere had been worn away. The reason Zhao Youyue fought so hard was because she wanted this goddess card Chu Luoxun too much! If the character cards were to be graded in terms of stars, the Chu Luoxun card would definitely be the rarest of the five-star grades. The person who obtains it would be invincible in the music realm! Of course, it also included the mental state with maximized optimism, fortitude, and self-confidence. Moreover, one would also possess the goddess aura that was released by Chu Luoxun whenever she appears on stage! There was only a small sequela. Goddess Chu loved to smile too much. She would easily smile. There was a little sense of silliness to it. However, compared to this small issue, the abilities and mental state that Zhao Youyue would obtain from this card, washes everything else away. If a character such as Chu Luoxun appears in reality, she would be considered a superbug. Even if general writers tried to construct her image, they would never be able to write in a proper way. She was a Super Marie Su''[1] character. However, Leng Zi was a genius writer. Geniuses have endless possibilities. She used her intoxicated state to write about Chu Luoxun. She made up for the sense of disbelief. Chu Luoxuns disease had also pulled herself down from the goddess altar, showing that she was a mortal like everyone else. If not, the character Chu Luoxun, in all her ridiculous perfection and master-over-all, would be too far-fetched to be conceivable. If an overly-perfect girl like Chu Luoxun is to be well constructed, she must have some serious shortcomings. If not, she would never possibly become an iconic character. The Two Dimensional Gate went into cooldown again, with no visible timer to be seen. We would have to wait until the novels finale enters the market and receives the readers verdict. It is only until then could we proceed to the conclusion on whether Chu Luoxun becomes an iconic character, or otherwise. August was closing in. Zhao Youyue would begin her job as Yu Shengfans VA, very soon. Realistically speaking, as a youth novel with around 200,000 words, Beautiful April would be entirely serialized, by October, at latest. After all, the serial had started in April, producing slightly more than 30,000 words per month, which would cover 200,000 words in six months. However, the Mengya Magazine Agency had agreed to Han Lengs request of increasing the total word count for each issue within July and August. As a high school student, Han Leng was currently having his summer vacation. He would be able to dish out more words than usual. The reason why they had given his case special consideration was because Beautiful Aprils had become too famous. Every time a new issue enters the market; the readers would only hunger for more. They expressed their thirst for more word count in each issue. It was simply not enough! Dissatisfied readers soon quit following the proper channel, which was no longer adequate. They opted for the pirate version on the internet. Or else, they would rather wait for the completion of Beautiful April. Upon completion, the entire novel would be printed on its own. By then, they could directly purchase the original book The Mengya Magazine Agency noticed the situation. Thats not good. The sales volume of the entire magazine had been increasing due to the so-called Best youth novel of the year,Beautiful April. The character Chu Luoxun, was even more popular. Many famous actresses had expressed their intentions to play the character. Thats right. Beautiful April was a youth novel that had all the makings of a great movie, catered for adults. Many directors had expressed their interest to film its adaptation. Many actresses noticed the popularity of this character Chu Luoxun. Even if they did not understand what this character was about, they would still be able to increase their fame via the character. This was a rather rare situation. No youth novel had ever been able to cause such a strong, sensational reaction among readers, let alone a female character within a novel. What sort of tidal wave would occur if its adapted into a movie? As long as the character is played out to perfection, the movie would be a blockbuster! Therefore, the Mengya Magazine Agency agreed instantly to Han Lengs request. They increased the total updated word count for each issue. The sales volume of their magazine had gained further growth as well. It was similar to the online articles. The more substantial the update amount, the higher chances of readers sticking to them. Han Leng had become a significant presence among the contracted authors within Mengya Magazine. His identity would be revealed when his novel is completely published. The famous publisher Lu Jinbo, who had good social relations with Mengya Magazine, had his sights on Han Leng. He intended to make Han Leng the leading figure among youth literature. He happened to be a close friend of the boys father, as well. Han Leng was repeatedly reading through the novel ending he had just written. His heart felt empty. He could always sense Chu Luoxuns presence whenever he reads anything pertaining to her, but not this time. She has left them. He read through the part where he wrote Chu Luoxuns death. Her surgery turned out to be unsuccessful. Han Leng hid his head in his arms. He must have been possessed. How could he kill her off? Why couldnt he stop his own hands from doing something so stupid? Han Leng felt a sharp pain in his chest, as if his heart had just been stabbed. He considered himself responsible for erasing Chu Luoxuns existence from the literary world. He had murdered the girl he cared for the most! He had actually killed his favorite girl! He burst into tears shamefully. He still had a chance to modify the content. After all, it had not yet been published. However, he knew that he would never reproduce such an impact, even if he resurrects her. The character will never be the true Chu Luoxun anymore. It would only be an empty shell without her soul. His love will only belong to her. No girl would ever replace her. Translation Note: [1] Super Marie Su C Super Marie Su refers to the fantasy novels written by females who live in their imagination every day. There is no theme, no proper content, only the exaggerated depiction of a self-created heroine which does not exist in the original novel, yet tangling up with the popular characters of the original novel. Basically, almost the entire vocabulary used to describe a females beauty would be applied into her depiction. The heroine is very powerful, and she wins the hearts of all men. She is the perfect heroine. Chapter 243 Modifying the ending Han Leng sensed an inexplicable anger within himself the moment he realized that he was unable to do anything with Chu Luoxuns plot! He was unworthy of being a writer at all! In the past, Han Leng would be filled with a sense of pride towards everything he writes. He felt himself to be invincible. Even if he felt a little inferior in the face of Lady Zhao in reality, but within the novel, he did not bother much about the Ladies from better family backgrounds, compared to Lady Zhaos. He could easily manipulate them, anyway he wanted to Han Leng had long harbored great self-confidence towards his writings. However, he could do nothing when faced with the situation where he has written his beloved character to death. He could not even sleep well! He had a strong hunch that he might never be able to write out another character like Chu Luoxun anymore. Writers are misunderstood creatures. The general public often develops misconceptions about how they functioned as well. They believed that the more they write, the older they get, and the more interesting their works will be. If that was the case, High Gods would never fall. They would not have lost their popularity, having fallen silent. We only can say that the longer time one spends on writing, the better their writing techniques would become, and the more techniques they would master. The craftiness within their writings will increase as well, but it may never produce the same spirit as before. Beautiful April was a piece of work, full of spirit. Han Leng was not saying this to make himself feel better. He knew so. The plot seemed relatively simple, it had fewer twists and turns than mystery novels. However, every musical performance that took place within it was a classic among classics! Conversely, some aspects of its emotion might have been over-the-top, or naive. Some female readers who have read too many romance novels would consider them shallow and awkward. Love relationships in reality are not like that. However, he was just a high school student. Such was his understanding towards emotions. The emotions of this novel had been fixated on one channel. The idea of a perfect first love between the male protagonist Gu Yuan and the heroine Lin Meiyue. He had fed it various kind of dog foods, satisfying himself in his own writings, after the failure of his first love experience This was the fantasy that had played out in his mind, if his first love had been successful. He had laid it all out on paper. It would definitely seem childish from an adults perspective. However, it was this childishness, his perfect depiction of a first love, that had touched many readers, arousing the feminine heart within. These readers were also the most determined members of Lin Meiyues fan club. He had intended to write a simple, first love story from the beginning. It was just like what he said. It would be an unconventional youth novel. However, he did not expect the male protagonists opponent in music to shine so brightly, to such an extent! This character had destroyed the main storyline of Han Lengs entire novel. She was supposed to be a supporting role, yet she somehow became the true heroine. She was a maverick, a rebel in more than one way! Han Leng was not in his intoxicated state anymore. He regretted creating such a brilliant female character. It would not have been so troublesome if he had written things, according to his original idea! However, he knew himself well. If he were to rewrite, he would still choose Chu Luoxun. She was not his ideal girlfriend, but the Goddess in his heart! Goddesses could only be viewed from afar. They can never be embraced. There is always such a Goddess within a mans heart. This also applied to the opposite sex. Men and women are together in this matter. Even if the so-called God or Goddess truly appears in front of them and takes a fancy to them, they may not necessarily like them. However, writers loved to add such imaginative plot devices to their literary works. Therefore, the male protagonist Gu Yuan had never thought of having any improper relationships with Chu Luoxun. He treated her as his best friend and rival. His heart had been with Lin Meiyue since the beginning. Yet, Han Leng changed his mind during the later stage. He had a new preference! That threatened to shake the very foundations of his novel! Chu Luoxun would of course be blamed for causing trouble In order to portray Chu Luoxuns greatness and her charm, he purposely wrote Gu Yuans doubt and confusion, giving the Chu Luoxun fan club some false hope. He had even utilized ambiguous words when it came to writing Chu Luoxuns feelings towards Gu Yuan. Han Leng knew that Chu Luoxun felt no affection towards Gu Yuan, yet he intended to ship them together. Due to his incredible writing technique, a possibility of Chu Luoxuns great, secret affection which was worth thousands of words emerged within Chu Luoxuns fan club! A ten-year affection! Goddess Chu loved Gu Yuan too deeply, yet she knew that she was not able to live much longer. Therefore, in exchange for his happiness, she chose to This was definitely Han Lengs fault! Han Leng had also ruined the character setting for Lin Meiyue. She was originally an innocent, kind, gentle and considerate girl. She would never make Chu Luoxuns music compositions her own, on purpose. However, in order to show Lin Meiyues true affection towards Gu Yuan, she was willing to do anything for love. Honestly speaking, Lin Meiyues image, in the beginning, was without any distinguishing features. However, thanks to Han Lengs imagination on a perfect first love, she did those things for love, and eventually became her own character. In reality, most women can never withstand a Goddess like Chu Luoxun. She is too much of a threat. She brings out all their insecurities and shines a spotlight on their flaws. All they can do is to falsely discredit Chu Luoxun as the scariest mistress candidate. They hated such women the most. Most men will fall into her temptation. Han Leng was actually very dissatisfied with the happy ending between the male protagonist and heroine. His beloved female character had passed away just like that. They had no right to live happily ever after! At the same time, he was irate about Lin Mei Yues lie about her fraudulent title as the Genius Composer, to remain uncovered. He should have given her a worse ending! Han Leng was definitely one of a kind. From a writer who initially had a high preference for the male protagonist and heroine of his novel, to later start flaming them. We can all see how much pain it is for him to kill off Chu Luoxun. Han Leng almost fail to control himself from separating the protagonist and heroine! However, he managed to calm himself down. He remembered that he had once promised to provide a happy ending He did not separate them. He continued to express his feelings through his writing. He concluded his novel unwillingly. The heroine had inherited Chu Luoxuns violin, hadnt she? Han Leng then wrote that the male protagonist dusted and stared at the violin every day. Of course, he did it in secret. He had even written that Lin Meiyue was suspected of being a fraud and almost exposed as she spoke to other composers in length. In the end, the male protagonist and the heroine lived together happily ever after. Han Leng felt a mysterious power preventing him from modifying the scenes related to Chu Luoxun. The same feeling did not appear when it came to scenes related to the male protagonist and the heroine. He had modified the ending in such a way for his ideas to be accessible, and also to release his anger on Chu Luoxuns behalf! After Han Leng was done, he sent a message to Zhao Youyue via Wechat. Lady Zhao, allow me to tell you the truth. Actually, I am Leng Zi, the author of Beautiful April. Chapter 244 Cross-dress as an apology Every single time Zhao Youyue emerges from the Two Dimensional Gate, which of course, is after a long session of taking possession of another person and carefully leading that persons life, she tends to take some time off to relax and get a good rest. However, in some instances where she has played the troublemaker and has purposefully caused some havoc, there was no need for any rest. A wicked fantasy of that level is somewhat relaxing in itself. Whenever Zhao Youyue takes the literary world more seriously, the world instantly turns into her reality. This time, when she shifted as Chu Luoxun, why did she make such a display of a suffering, pitiful figure? Well, it was to make Leng Zi feel the extent of her pain, so that she would be able to depict Chu Luoxuns sickly condition more accurately and genuinely, and secure the sympathy of the readers. In actual fact, Zhao Youyue could be considered to be something like a messenger. The more information she sends across, the more material that the author of the book could put to use. This could only mean that the more effort she puts into it, the better the book becomes! Howsoever, the fact that a large number of readers have great sympathy towards Chu Luoxuns sickly condition still stands, and this is mostly because they have been entranced, heart and soul, by the sensational writing. If Zhao Youyue had chosen to hide those feelings, then it would have been impossible for the author to experience it. Anyone could write something out of a sickly appearance, but readers will never be able to empathize. Without a doubt, Chu Luoxuns life had been fulfilling and profound. She brought happiness to others, but kept all the sadness to herself. Such a beautiful soul most probably only exists in novels. Zhao Youyue could never be someone like that. She was more selfish than the normal person, and cared about herself. When she did care about someone else, however, it was mostly out of politeness, or as a reward to someone who has gained her approval. As a person who found joy in doing good and helping others, Zhao Youyue always appeared as if she was not expecting anything in return. In reality, however, she acts in that manner, as she had already obtained some form of self-satisfaction throughout the process. Well, in such a world, where even a saint can get too full of himself and project his moral values on others, it is no surprise that Zhao Youyue finds joy out of teaching others a lesson. This summer break, Zhao Youyue was stuck at home all by herself, as she did not go on a vacation. Her dog food parents, on the other hand, had already gone on a vacation together, and were nowhere to be seen. The old Zhao Youyue would have been restless, but now that she had developed a newfound interest in various novels, mangas, TV shows, and movies, paired with the thought that one day she might be able to enter those worlds. It left her filled with nothing, but pure bliss. She would be able to do so many things all by herself, like go on a trip, do some shopping, have scrumptious meals, get a full body treatment, and not feel even a little bit of loneliness, unlike all the other girls who seemed always to need a companion wherever they went. Zhao Youyue was at a high-class beauty parlor when she received the Wechat message from Han Leng. Right after reading it, she raised an eyebrow in disbelief. She instantly replied, The Great Scholar Han, isnt your first book still brewing in a pot? You are a web novelist, why have you decided to write juvenile novels now? Looking at the reply from Lady Zhao, Han Leng almost wanted to reply, saying that he was just fooling around. However, no matter what, he would have to reveal his identity sooner or later anyway, as he would be signing and selling his books later on. Might as well do it now! The reason as to why he started writing juvenile novels, obviously, had something to do with Zhao Youyue. Han Leng could never forget that one fine day which had inspired him to write the story. It was a day in April, right when the cherry blossoms bloomed in all of their beauty, where he had the opportunity to watch Zhao Youyue perform. From the beginning, Beautiful April was only meant to be written, to spite Zhao Youyue. Unfortunately, things did not go as planned, and now Chu Luoxun has ended up becoming the hidden protagonist. However, no matter what happens, considering how much Lady Zhao liked Beautiful April, she would surely be there in person when the signed books go on sale. Since his real identity will inevitably be known, Han Leng sees no point to remain to lurk about in the dark anymore. Moreover, he was just a high school student, and deep in his heart there lay dormant greed, the desire to become well-known for his work. Instead of keeping a low-profile and remaining mysterious, he yearned for a taste of fame and glory. Even so, Han Leng, who assumed he understood Lady Zhao well enough, knew that he had to act fast. As Lady Zhao is somewhat arrogant, and strongly despised liars, he would be better off admitting his mistakes quickly, before she throws a fit. If he willingly admits his mistakes, he will surely have a chance to live on. Zhao Youyue approved of people who carried themselves well and knew where they stood. If Zhao Youyues mother, Wang Hua, appears bossy on the surface, then Zhao Youyue could be said to be the type of girl who does not appear bossy, but is far more nefarious on the inside, along with a sense of self-entitlement and superiority complex, which was actually way worse compared to her mother! Looking at how Lady Zhao is able to retain her composure while dealing with strangers, she had to possess some excellent acting skills. To prove the point, her true self only shows itself in front of certain people. When she is with her friends, like Jiang Qing, or Han Leng, she treats them like they are merely her sidekicks. She is extremely self-centered and very used to the world revolving around her. Zhao Youyues favorite was none other than Su Li, who was great at bootlicking and flattering her, to the point where Zhao Youyue has not only decided to treat her well, but has also considered her as one of her own, and has sworn never to mistreat her. Since the decision to admit his mistakes was indeed a tough one to make, why would Han Leng unnecessarily give up halfway through? After logging into Leng Zis QQ account, he sent a message to Zhao Youyue. Lady Zhao, there is no point lying, it really is me, Han Leng. I have just finished writing the ending for Beautiful April, would you like to have a look? While reading the message from Leng Zi, Zhao Youyue suddenly realized C both of their names had Leng in it! Momentarily dumbfounded, she still found it hard to believe. She went on to consider the possibility that Leng Zis QQ account might have been hacked by Han Leng. However, as a girl capable of rational thinking, Zhao Youyue knew how improbable that would be. Little would she know that after trying so hard to figure out Leng Zis true identity for such a long time, he would actually be the person sitting right beside her in school! Feeling a bit embarrassed that she had been played the fool, Zhao Youyue retorted, Han Leng! You have become so sly. Never in my life would I have thought that you were so capable of acting as a girl and deceiving others. Your acting was perfect, seamless even. What the hell was with the voice in the beginning? I demand an honest explanation! Seeing Lady Zhao lose her temper is a rare sight. Even though Han Leng felt nervous, that emotion was paired with a tingling sense of excitement. There is not much choice when you are dealing with someone like Lady Zhao, her sense of superiority is always overshadowing, and can easily trigger any guys desire to triumph over her. Even so, Han Leng retained his composure and replied, I used a voice changing tool I even purposely bought this QQ account with the name Leng Zi, and emphasized on writing the story from a female perspective. Then, Han Leng went on to tell everything transparently, to the best of his abilities, and sincerely apologized to Zhao Youyue. At that moment, Zhao Youyue felt glad that she was a decent and upright person, one who was without a polluted mind. If not for that, she would have accidentally blurted out indecent things like what Su Li did when she was chatting with Han Leng. How would she have the courage to face Han Leng, then! Zhao Youyue is nothing short of a normal, pure, and innocent high school girl! I suppose you still remember what I told you before this? What? If Leng Zi really turns out to be a guy, I want him to cross-dress! Please dont, Lady Zhao. Please have mercy on me Consider this your punishment for lying to me. You should be glad that I am not ending our ties as of yet. In the meantime, send me the ending of the story, so that I can have a look. Suddenly remembering that he had previously made a promise to cross-dress after he concludes the death of Chu Luoxun, an idea popped into Han Lengs mind. To quell the anger of Lady Zhao, as well the readers, he is bound to cross-dress anyway, so wouldnt he essentially be killing two birds with one stone, and getting over with it, once and for all? Han Leng is the type of person who always manages to keep his promises, unlike Su Li, who was clearly all talk. As someone who despised authors who alter their stories on purpose to defy the fancies of their readers, never would Han Leng have thought that one day, he would face a similar problem. The funny thing is that, for him, it had all been unintentional. The only thing that had droved Han Leng to do such a thing, was none other than his love for Chu Luoxun, which was on a totally different level, compared to what the readers felt for her Chapter 245 Lady Zhao got berated Another message from Zhao Youyue arrived, While you consider your options, I will take the time to have a look at the ending of the story. Actually, maintaining a calm composure akin to that of a saint is how she rolls. Zhao Youyue might have a temper, but it goes as quickly as it comes. At this point, Zhao Youyue could not care less if she does not find out why Han Leng wanted to keep his true identity a secret. It is not the first time she had encountered something like this. In the beginning, Su Li had also put up a facade and had claimed to be a male mangaka; it was honestly not really a big deal at all. According to Su Li, she had to act as a male mainly because her work was more catered towards males. It was an effective way to approach the male readers, so that she could communicate with them, and get a hold of their unreserved opinions. As juvenile romance novels would naturally have a large number of female readers, acting as a female author is actually quite a reasonable thing to do. However, if Han Leng had revealed his identity from the very start, Zhao Youyue might not have put that much thought into her opinions and suggestions before sharing them with him. Even so, it is still unclear whether Beautiful April is more catered towards males or females. Technically, it should be catered towards males, considering how the male protagonist is living such a good life. Not only did he have the perfect relationship with his first love, he also had the luxury of being prioritized by a goddess-to-be who was willing to sacrifice anything for him Fortunately, Zhao Youyue is a tolerant girl. The only people who could rile her up would be those who are really close to heart. An example is her tsundere mother Wang Hua, who sometimes drove her so mad that she just wanted to leave the house for good! At that moment, Han Leng was not really capable of doing that yet. That did not mean that Zhao Youyue would easily let him off the hook, though. When you do something wrong, you have to face the music. In the midst of looking through the ending of the story written by Han Leng, Zhao Youyue started feeling euphoric. Even though she had previously experienced everything personally when she had transmigrated into that world, reading about it was just so much more exciting. Zhao Youyue could not deny that his unique style of writing was worth being praised with every fiber in her body. By being naturally talented with words, all of his sentences would almost inevitably end up being capable of becoming notable quotations. If not for that, why would Beautiful April even be named as April is your full mark essay? Some loyal fans of Beautiful April have even extracted certain remarkable sentences, and have compiled them as Leng Zis Classic Quotations. My world is one that is quiet, and incapable of accommodating the presence of another. That was the mentality of the male protagonist at the very start of the story, before he had the chance to meet Chu Luoxun. After they met, however, his world was slowly but surely filled with the beauty of her music. Inside everyones heart, is a city, where they take refuge in, when life gets too hard. Some people hide for a long time, and some only for a short time, but for me, I have never managed to walk out of my city The city in my heart is nothing more than a dead wasteland in the eyes of others. This fear had been haunting the male protagonist for the longest time, up until he received the help of Chu Luoxun, which helped him overcome it. A lot of people who are in pain merely wish for their pain to be known by others. Nobody in this world can really understand the pain of another. Compared to those who speak loudly of how they seek to oppress the will of others, someone with a soft voice who is able to make the world fall dead silent, just to listen to what they have to say is much more worthy of admiration. When Han Leng wrote this very sentence, the only thing on his mind was Lady Zhao. In juvenile novels, the more charm the writing style has to it, the better it is. Juvenile novels are not the same as web novels. The main selling point about web novels are mostly the parts where they feature things like how great the main character can be or tries to be but fails badly, or action-like plots where the main character gradually becomes stronger with every battle. Most juvenile novels, however, have no interesting parts which capture the attention of the readers at all, its main selling point would lie on how it makes the readers feel, how the story unknowingly resonates through them! Although this sounds stupid, sometimes, the more atrocious a story is, the more readers would tend to like it. If a particular juvenile novel can do so much as to make a reader sigh, or make a reader yearn for more, or even make a reader feel sudden waves of sadness, then it is a success! One way of achieving this is by using sentences with a lot of substance, mainly those that would fit perfectly into a full mark essay. As Zhao Youyue lacked talent in the writing department, it was only natural that she would admire Han Lengs written works. This admiration extended to the point where she would even read his works word by word, and never get bored of them, because she genuinely enjoyed them so much. Zhao Youyue almost literally finished reading the entire ending in just one breath. Any part which involved Chu Luoxun was written precisely to whatever she did when she transmigrated into that world. The quality of his work was simply perfect; it could not get any better than this. However, there was this one thing which did not satisfy Zhao Youyue, and it was the ending for the male and female protagonists. Even though Zhao Youyue was not particularly good at analyzing the works of others, this time she had easily read between the lines and captured the true meaning behind the words. Although the male protagonist, Gu Yuan, showed his everlasting love and affection and continues to care for the female protagonist unconditionally, it all seemed lackluster, giving the impression that he was just going along with the pace. On the other hand, the male protagonists wistful longing for Chu Luoxun could be seen in detail throughout a few small parts nearing the end, which might suggest that the one he truly loved was actually Chu Luoxun. That is so misleading! As someone who had personally gone through everything in that world, Zhao Youyue knew clearly that the one Gu Yuan really loved was Lin Meiyue. Despite that, when Han Leng puts his words in such manner, everything got messed up. Zhao Youyue also acknowledged that anything Han Leng has written was purely based on the events that have occurred in that world, and this cannot be denied Is this how dangerous a scholar can be? Just by the use of different words, or the use of additional words in some parts, or even by totally leaving out some parts, facts could be so easily altered! So, this is what they call Spring and Autumn Annals[1]. To make matters worse, the ending also seemed to suggest that one day, the truth of how Lin Meiyue was only able to become a Genius Composer through accepting the gift of music from Chu Luoxun will come to light. This was totally against Zhao Youyues wishes. When she was Chu Luoxun, she had genuinely wished for Lin Meiyue to be able to live better. She had willingly granted Lin Meiyue with the gift of music, in order to make up for the music skills she lacked. She had hoped that Lin Meiyue would become a better match for Gu Yuan, if she becomes well-known, as a musical genius in the eyes of others. In Zhao Youyues opinion, such information should never be let out into the light. Even if Lin Meiyues future works do not gain as much recognition anymore, she could still bring up and reminisce the good times when she was considered a musical genius. If such crucial information is revealed, wouldnt Lin Meiyues reputation go down the drain? Moreover, Gu Yuan would never be able to accept and forgive Lin Meiyues shameful act of taking undue credit over the works of Chu Luoxun. Their beautiful relationship would be over! Even though Chu Luoxun is dead and gone, she could still be the very thing that undoes this pure relationship The mere thought of this triggered Zhao Youyue. As a loyal supporter of Lin Meiyue, from the very beginning, she had only hoped for the male and female protagonists to end up together and have a happy ending living their best lives, but now, the tables have unexpectedly been turned against her. Now, just because Han Leng had deliberately made some parts more intricate, it had not only made Chu Luoxun appear as a home wrecker, but had also turned Lin Meiyue into a b*tch who was willing to go as far as to take undue credit for Chu Luoxuns original works, just for love. Earlier, as she did not dwell on it too much, but after thinking over it, Zhao Youyue truly realizes how sly Han Leng was! Although the ending of the story appeared to be a perfect one, anyone putting in a little thought would instantly realize that the relationship of the male and female protagonist might not last long at all! Zhao Youyue immediately messaged Han Leng to tell him straight up about how inappropriate the ending was. If it was still Leng Zi that she was talking to, she would definitely have put more thought into it and phrased her words more tactfully. Almost instantly, Han Leng replied. He has no objections to doing something like cross-dressing as an apology, but for the ending, there is no way that he would edit it! I just dont understand why you are so insistent on Gu Yuan and Lin Meiyue ending up together. You have been acting this way since the start! What has Chu Luoxun ever done to deserve such treatment from you? In Han Lengs attempt to defend his beloved goddess Chu, Lady Zhao got berated! Translation note : [1] Spring and Autumn Annals refers to a writing style where the author tends to beats around the bush and does not express his thoughts or opinions straightforwardly, but instead conveys them through the use of euphemism, or by leaving subtle hints using minor details throughout the story. Chapter 246 The big ending is released They are two entirely different people, to begin with. Obviously, there is no way that Han Leng would be obedient like Su Li, who unconditionally gives in to Lady Zhao all the time. Before this, he had only complied with Zhao Youyues suggestions. because he felt like they were useful and would make his story appear more interesting. The prime time for Han Leng to write anything is when he really feels like it, and feels the itch to write, especially when he has to write something about Chu Luoxun. This was because Chu Luoxun had her own unique interpretation of the story, and getting the right feeling before he starts to write really helped him portray it more accurately. However, when Zhao Youyues suggestions clearly went against the storyline that he had already decided on, he would never even consider accepting them! Allowing Zhao Youyue to have a look at the ending of the story prior to its release was actually a pre-emptive measure that Han Leng is taking because he was aware of his promise not to kill off Chu Luoxun He was already mentally prepared and ready to get scolded by Lady Zhao, though, because in fact, he had already broken the promise and penned down the death of Chu Luoxun! The depressed look on Lady Zhaos face when she found out about Yu Shengfans death was not something he could easily forget. Judging by how skillfully he had portrayed Chu Luoxuns character, could it possibly fall short of Yu Shengfan? One thing caught him off guard. Zhao Youyue was not even a tiny bit affected by the death of Chu Luoxun. What Zhao Youyue emphasized more was on the relationship between the male and female protagonist instead of the death of Chu Luoxun. It made it seem like she had expected, or even wanted for Chu Luoxun to die. How could this be! Han Lengs favorite part of his own story is how he had shaped Chu Luoxuns character. If even he, as the author, had been captivated by her beautiful heart and soul, how could Zhao Youyue possibly not feel anything for Chu Luoxun throughout the story? Han Leng feels that Zhao Youyue is just penny-wise and pound-foolish, as she had totally missed all the salient points of the story, and is undoubtedly appreciating the wrong things. There could only be one reason as to why Zhao Youyue was acting this way. When she reads any part of the story involving Chu Luoxun, it is clearly something that she had personally experienced when she had traveled into that world. Thus, unless the alterations to the story have anything to do with Chu Luoxun, expecting a reaction out of her would be pointless. To Zhao Youyues horror, Han Leng did not make alterations to any parts involving Chu Luoxun, but had instead messed with the relationship between the male and female protagonist. Unfortunately, if things are this way, there is nothing Zhao Youyue can do to stop it. Naturally, as Han Leng had zero knowledge as to why Zhao Youyue is acting in such a weird manner, so conflicts are bound to arise between them. After Han Leng had rejected her suggestion about the ending and thrown it out of the window, Zhao Youyue was left speechless. Knowing that Han Leng is a guy who was assertive, and had high self-esteem, Zhao Youyue had to be clear about where to draw the line. If she continues to insist and push her views onto Han Leng, it might potentially provoke him, perhaps to the point where he would totally leave out and not write the part of all the characters in the story having a big reunion Whatever. Zhao Youyue had decided that she did not feel like enforcing her views on Han Leng anymore. A lot of authors in this world have their own stands as to how they wanted their stories to progress, and wanting them to change their mind is not something that can be done by coercion alone. Moreover, when it comes to authors like Han Leng, who is always over-ambitious and tend to get high all by themselves over insignificant things, it is pointless to even hope for a change. The money that he gets through his work is just a bonus. If he had to choose between money and ambition, he would definitely choose the latter. Truthfully speaking, authors like these are usually the ones who get all the recognition. They are normally the ones who are capable of coming up with amazing pieces of work that people are willing to die for. The quality of their works are generally far more superior than that of the works by authors who only focus on profiteering. The ending that Han Leng had written was clearly directed towards Chu Luoxuns loyal fans. As the fan club had gradually been increasing in size and power, and had become way more influential nearing the end of the story, the ending could be considered as something like a master plan. Knowing that the death of Chu Luoxun would certainly trigger the fans and cause an outrage, the story would inevitably become a hot topic, and thus, his novel would naturally become more popular and well-known. If anything, Han Leng still managed to keep his promise, as the male and female protagonist did end up becoming husband and wife. At the end of the story, their love for each other was still unchanged. The only problem that remains is that nobody knows what the future holds for them. Also, at the very beginning, before he had even started on the story, he originally planned for the male and female protagonist to get married and have their own child, but unfortunately, after that Do whatever you want with the ending, I wont bother anymore! About the cross-dressing, do not think you can just wear a dumb school girl uniform and get away with it. I am telling you now that you will have to wear anything I buy for you, and, in addition to that, I will also personally get your makeup done. I will be in charge of dolling you up into the prettiest boy ever! With your tall and slim figure, as well as your fair and smooth skin, you have already provided me with all the fundamentals I need to create the perfect look. Zhao Youyue replies. After reading her message, Han Leng lets out a sigh of relief. Finally, he is free from the grasp of this crazy, stubborn, loyal Lin Meiyue fan. Still feeling a hint of nervousness from the earlier conflict, Han Leng felt extremely lucky that he had made it through without that much challenge. Judging by how he had blatantly berated Lady Zhao earlier, he thought that there would be no possible way to persuade her into listening to him To his surprise, Lady Zhao gave in to him instead. Zhao Youyue realized that it is impossible to make Han Leng change his mind at this point, therefore she had decided to stop. Furthermore, with a big ending like this, the story is bound to gain more attention and will undoubtedly soar in popularity. Even so, looking at how tough and tedious his cross-dressing experience is going to be because of Zhao Youyue, Han Leng suddenly felt as if he had just fallen into a big, big trap! Originally, Han Lengs skin was not in good condition. He had a lot of pimples, and blemishes had clogged up his skin. However, with the help of Zhao Youyue, he had unexpectedly turned into a pretty boy! A pretty boy, perfect for cross-dressing! To make it worse, he somewhat resembled a certain live streamer called Baby Xuan Mo in a parallel universe, who was known for his naturally youthful, cutesy look. Well, at this moment, there is nothing that Han Leng can do but trust Lady Zhao. There is no way to affirm whether her makeup skills are up to par though. If he has to pull off a flowery, flared look with absolutely no makeup at all, then he would rather die than do it! In this modern age, lady bosses are actually really common. Boys who have more defined features and are prettier than girls are not rare anymore. A lot of live streamers today that look like girls are actually guys, and some of them looked so flawless that they could easily triumph over about 70 percent of the other girl live streamers. If they imitate girls, or learn how to talk with a girly voice, or simply use a voice changing tool, they could totally pull the trap off, and nobody would even be able to tell. If, at the crux of the live stream, they use their real voice all of a sudden, it will be absolutely insane! Luckily for Han Leng, he had already mastered speaking in the voice of a girl. Even without the use of a voice changing tool, if he were to send a voice message on QQ, nobody would even doubt its legitimacy. Since the voice changing tool can only be used with a computer, he would have to fake one, when hes with a phone. Even so, as Han Leng had zero experience on cross-dressing, and had no clue about how to put on makeup at all, the fact that Lady Zhao had offered to supervise and do everything for him personally makes him feel a little excited about it Han Leng did not think of himself as a pervert, but an artist. The pursuit of beauty is not an endeavor limited to just females. Furthermore, isnt this a really great opportunity for him to get more inspiration? Like, to see the world in a females perspective, or something Maybe Code Cross-dress would even boost his work efficiency? Therefore Han Leng, under the duress of Lady Zhao, had hesitantly agreed to meet up with her during the summer break in August. The plan was that they would go to school during placement day, deal with school stuff, then proceed to hunt for the perfect costume. At the same time, Han Leng had forwarded the ending of Beautiful April to the editorial department of Mengya. In exactly three days, the big ending will be released! Another good news worth bringing up is that Su Li, The Mighty Mangaka Su, had just been confirmed as the illustrator for the Beautiful April manga booklet. In celebration of it, she had happily produced another exquisite piece of artwork featuring Chu Luoxun in the midst of a performance. This time, Chu Luoxun is not seen with a violin. Beneath the vast and endless starry sky, right next to the boundless ocean, she is seen playing the piano. As a swarm of seagulls incessantly encircle the air, tears roll down her face All in all, this illustration of Chu Luoxun is so magnificently filled with a mixture of beauty and sadness that it cannot possibly be accurately described merely by the use of words. Though the artwork received a lot of recognition on the internet, and had been liked and shared countless times, a lot of readers felt very uneasy. Although Leng Zi had already promised not to let Chu Luoxun die, when Su Li suddenly trolls and presents such an ingenious piece of artwork right before the release of the big ending, everyone would lose sleep! Su Li was just, such a notoriously wicked girl. Finally, after three days, the big ending of Beautiful April is up for grabs! Almost all the readers bought the magazine as soon as it was released! Chapter 247 The cunning fabricator Su Li has been deceived The only reason Su Li could become the illustrator for Beautiful April was because the head of Mengya had contacted her in the first place. Considering how Su Li and her artworks have recently become a hot topic, which had taken over the whole manga world, her taking on this job would put her fame and popularity to good use and effectively increase the sales of the manga booklet. Besides, before even becoming the illustrator for Beautiful April, Su Li had been uploading many of her artworks on Weibo, which mostly featured Chu Luoxun. Her artworks had captivated many, and was deemed to be very praiseworthy by the fans of Beautiful April, as it had a special touch of beauty which gracefully brought out the quirkiness of Chu Luoxuns character. Her artworks gained so much attention that even the people working in the editorial department of Mengya soon saw it, and naturally, they were so impressed that they had forwarded suggestions that Su Li be hired as an illustrator, if there are ongoing plans to release illustrations together with the manga booklet. The Chief Editor naturally had no objections. With Su Lis talents, she was undoubtedly perfect for the job, maybe even too good for it. It is just that luck was not really been on Su Lis side at all. As the death of a few characters, like Xu Jing, and Yu Shengfan, had closely followed the release of her well-known artworks, some fans who tended to expand their imaginations too much and come up with their own illogical conclusions. They have claimed that her artworks are filled with a mysterious, unimaginable power, which always brings some kind of misfortune to any female protagonist she draws Of course, some loyal fans have protested and cried out about this injustice towards Su Li. They claimed that none of the deaths of the female protagonists had anything to do with Su Li. Well, maybe except for Xu Jings death, but now Su Li is forced to take the blame for everyone elses deaths as well, and she has become the Pan of This Generation. What a pity. Any fan who has been following Su Li for some time would naturally know that she is an avaricious person. To reinforce this notion, she is still very much unwilling to let go of the income that she is getting from the manga world. In addition to that, the mangaka named Wang Li is still so insanely famous that she continues to be featured every single time in the biannual world book exhibition Su Li is no doubt one with a solid mentality. She could literally endure and accept anything bad that people say about her. This is purely because she only looked up to things that are related to money and only aimed to garner more profit. Recently, Lady Zhao had been added to the list of things she looks up to. Even though Su Li quietly accepted blame after blame, the amount of money she earns on a daily basis has increased significantly. Moreover, Lady Zhao has also recently started to favor her a lot more. When you take all these into account, does it even matter if Everything is Su Lis Fault? Also, because all the rumors about Su Li that are currently circling the internet stemmed from her previous mangas, like Pure Romance and The Strongest King, many readers who have just recently found out about Su Li and her various works, were unknowingly directed towards it and have subsequently become hooked by it, because all of them were so worth the read. Coincidentally, the big ending for the Pure Romance anime was also released. The anime had been airing for about three months since its first release in April, and many of the people who were watching the anime have not previously read the manga. Thus, when the big ending was released, they were literally shocked to the core, because the anime ended up being nothing like a harem! This is the first time ever for a harem to be written in an Urobuchi Gen style! The mangaka Su Li, is really unbelievable! No wonder the rumors about her in the world of otakus are innumerable! Su Li had clearly reaped many benefits through the massive success of Pure Romance, which not only sparked numerous debates, but also helped her gain so much more attention, that it even promoted the sales of The Strongest King. Those who do not know much about mangas, and had utterly no idea that The Strongest King was a novel, are the ones who tend to mistake Su Li as the author of that manga. Therefore, Su Li was naturally bound to get blamed for drawing Xiao Yu to death. Just when Su Li had mastered the art of taking all the blame, a new catalyst for discussion came about. Nearing the end of his story, Leng Zi had promised loud and clear about how she would not allow Chu Luoxun to die, and that her surgery would surely be a success. She had claimed that the only reason she made Chu Luoxun fall ill was so that she could shape her character into becoming a strong, positive thinker who would be more even appreciative of the little things in life At that point in time, most of the readers had believed in her with all their hearts. Further, Su Li had conveniently uploaded an artwork featuring Chu Luoxun happily playing the guitar and singing away, which perfectly portrayed the strong, cheerful characteristics of Chu Luoxun. It totally seemed like Chu Luoxun was given the chance to live a new life! Now, everyone is blaming Su Li once again. They claim that she had cunningly fabricated the idea and tricked them into believing that Chu Luoxun would not die. Su Li was just an innocent soul who genuinely liked Chu Luoxun, which is why she had voluntarily done so many illustrations of her and uploaded them. How could anyone blame her for Chu Luoxuns death! To be honest, Su Li only did so many illustrations of Chu Luoxun in order to get on Lady Zhaos good side, because Lady Zhao had always been encouraging her to do so. There is just one thing that really makes Su Li confused C Lady Zhao is clearly a Lin Meiyue fan What Su Li did not know was this, Zhao Youyue was only encouraging her to do more illustrations of Chu Luoxun, so that the character can gain more attention and leave a more significant impact on the general public. This way, the probability of Zhao Youyue achieving the status of an iconic character is going to be a lot higher. Whether Lin Meiyue is popular or not did not matter to Zhao Youyue. As long as the character ends up happily with the male protagonist, Zhao Youyue is more than satisfied. When Su Li received the job proposal from Mengya to become the illustrator for Beautiful April, she had almost immediately decided to take up the job, once she heard how much they were willing to pay for her artworks. For Su Li, doing illustrations are actually much easier compared to drawing a manga, because illustrations are usually still images paired with still backgrounds. The delicate touch that was needed to bring out still life into detail was her specialty! If Su Li still had time to spare after drawing her mangas, why would she not have the time for illustrations? Before this, she had even taken the initiative and asked Zhao Youyue to share some opinions about what she thought of her illustrations. Of course, Zhao Youyue said that it was perfectly fine. When it comes to anything related to aesthetics, if it is Sister Li holding the brush, there would surely be no problem at all! Thus, Su Li had accepted the job offer without hesitation. Then, she got overexcited and went on to draw a teary-eyed Chu Luoxun, filled with deep sorrow, in order to share her excitement with her fans. Together with the drawing, she had announced that she would meet up with Leng Zi, the author of Beautiful April, once the big ending was released. Su Li had also promised to take note of how pretty the so-called goddess-like author really was, and made sure that she would spread the news! Just like that, all the readers were content. The only thing on their minds was how after Chu Luoxuns successful surgery, she would perform together with the male protagonist for the second time throughout the whole story, and the big ending of Beautiful April would then end on this beautiful note. This time, Su Li had also bought the magazine as soon as it was released. It was the last edition anyway, she would not have to waste any more money on it after this. Nothing else matters as long as she can quickly get the big ending over and done with! A two hundred thousand word juvenile novel like this is just so easy to read, unlike some web novels, where the introduction to the story alone would already take up two hundred thousand words Su Li was not prepared for anything depressing to happen in the story, this time around. It was not like when she was reading The Strongest King, where she had already been weary and was ready for something bad to happen, especially after Old Sly Rosemary had dropped the pan on her. In this story, however, even the author, Leng Zi, did not think that Chu Luoxuns surgery would fail. Further, the words he used, and the light, witty way he phrased his sentences had totally prepared the readers for a happy ending. Even right before Chu Luoxun entered the operating theater, she was full of confidence Even after being struck with disease, Chu Luoxun had been able to hold onto the last string of life for so long. It was so admirable that she was given the nickname of Chu The Strong. Normally, these type of characters would survive for a long time! But this time! The cunning fabricator Su Li, had been deceived, had been tricked, had been fooled! In the end, when the male protagonist was in the midst of a piano performance, the beautiful music which resonated the room created a separate imaginary dimension. In that dimension, Chu Luoxun had appeared out of nowhere, and starts to perform together with him. Su Lis heart begins to ache. Isnt this their very last performance? Sure enough, Chu Luoxun died Never once in her life had Su Li considered the possibility that one day she would be played the fool. It almost made her cry out loud! Why! Why do all you stupid Old Slys like to play with peoples feelings! Leng Zi, you damned Old Sly, you are no different from Rosemary! No, in fact, you are way, way worse than Rosemary. Only at the very last moment, do we get to know that she dies! Chapter 248 Iconic character card has been successfully obtained! This time, Su Li had unknowingly fallen into the trap of deceit together with many others, as she was also a normal reader of Beautiful April, who would never see what comes next. She was not prepared for all the blame that would be pushed onto her by the no-lifers, but considering the fact that she had willingly made an announcement about her new illustrators job, who is to be blamed but herself? Well, if it makes things any better, at least many other readers would feel exactly the same right now and can relate to Su Li on an emotional level. A good example was Jiang Qing, as she had always been overwhelmingly passionate about Beautiful April since its release, and was also a proud die-hard Chu Luoxun fan. Considering how brutally Leng Zi concluded Chu Luoxuns death right before the story ended, how could anyone not be mentally scarred by it? Jiang Qing had been alone at home, crying all day long. Whenever she thinks about how she would not be able to be in the same class as her best friend, Zhao Youyue, in the following school year, she began to cry even more Frankly speaking, when you are not mentally prepared enough to cope with a tragedy of this sort, it could leave a huge destructive impact on you the moment you put the book down. If even someone as mentally strong as Su Li can be affected by it, what would happen to Jiang Qing? On the internet, the big ending of Beautiful April had sparked an uproar of responses from the readers! Mister Leng Zi, you better stop hiding and show yourself, didnt you promise not to let Chu Luoxun die? How do you plan to explain yourself now? I genuinely liked the story, and was actually enjoying it very much, because I thought the surgery would be a success. I even went on to imagine their future on my own and was in the midst of guessing how the three of them would get along after this, but Goddess Chu just died like that. My feelings have been toyed with! Now I might just kill the author! Dont mind me, Im just here to ask if anyone knows where Mister Leng Zi lives. Ive already placed an order on Taobao[1], and once I get his address, the knife will reach his doorstep in no time! Nowadays, you just cant trust authors anymore, it has come to the point where you even have to be skeptical about the punctuations they use. Every single thing you read must be thoroughly scrutinized, and you have to always expect the worst. I used to be so naive, so extremely naive. Once again, I have learned a valuable lesson, thanks to Mister Leng Zi. Right after I finished reading the ending, I tore the whole magazine apart. I just dont feel like talking to anyone right now. My heart aches for Goddess Chu Hey Mister Leng Zi, havent you already admitted that you are a male in front of the whole world? Youd better show yourself and cross-dress as an apology, as you promised. Stop fooling around and trying to hide. If youre daring enough to do something, but not be daring enough to face the consequences, are you even a man? What an insidious plot! Even though the ending sort of amounted to a big reunion, the fact is that Goddess Chu still died. My life suddenly has no meaning! Goddess Chu had always remained cheerful and strong even when things got tougher and tougher for her, but she still ended up being the one with a twisted fate. Without a doubt, someone this ill-fated can only exist in novels. Currently, the internet was filled with angry comments from the angry fans of Beautiful April who have permanently lost their trust in Mister Leng Zi. He is just too evil, way too evil to be an author, and most of the comments were focused on bashing him, because a lot of fans are dissatisfied. The reason was obvious. Up until the very last moment, they still could not tell for sure if Chu Luoxun will live or die. Furthermore, most of the readers were light-heartedly anticipating a happy ending, but when everything fell apart in the big ending, the intense dissatisfaction that dawned upon them was sure to become sudden outbursts of emotion! Also, as Mister Leng Zi had not logged onto his Weibo account for quite some time, nobody has been able to reach him. Thus, all the dissatisfaction had been piling up, but there was nowhere to let it all out! Some fans even claimed to have completely seen through everything right from the start. They claimed that Mister Leng Zi had already planned to make Chu Luoxun die from the very beginning, even before he started writing the story. He only made her die at the very end because he was so afraid that he would get bashed by the fans, therefore he had tried to drag it on, as long as he could Leng Zis fan club had been in a state of hustle and bustle for a few days already, ever since the release of the big ending. It had unknowingly become a place for people to gather in order condemn Leng Zi together to their hearts content. There was a lot of spam, which resulted from fans continuously mentioning[2] Leng Zi, and also from password red packets[3], which were mostly taunts in order to make Leng Zi come out and cross-dress as an apology, if he was really a male author, that is. If Leng Zi is indeed a female author instead, then, of course, the fans would want to see some of her photos, and hear her voice! Anyhow, there is no way that the fans will continue to let her retain a low-profile and be mysterious. An author like this that strikes when you are totally unprepared is too dangerous for a normal human being to handle! Nobody could have possibly predicted that it would be a tragedy. The story had progressed seamlessly in a positive manner, and there was no single hint that Chu Luoxuns life would end like that. Even though the disease which had affected Chu Luoxun was not revealed throughout the story, it was very much curable. It was not similar to Yu Shengfans case, where she was the only one who had contracted that weird and mysterious terminal disease, which inevitably caused her death. Additionally, Yu Shengfan only died because Rosemary decided to give her a bento. Chu Luoxun, on the other hand, was destined to die the moment she appeared in the story. Due to this, Chu Luoxuns death is clearly more associated with wickedness, carrying the aim of toying with the feelings of the readers, and is on a totally different level from Yu Shengfan. Therefore, as the readers were all caught off guard, they were incapable of thinking rationally before they spoke their minds, which was why Leng Zi got bashed mercilessly, and is currently even getting bashed for creating Chu Luoxun in the first place. At this point, Chu Luoxuns fame and popularity had reached its peak! The one who benefited the most out of all of this, of course, is none other than the perpetrator who had been hiding behind the curtains all this while C Zhao Youyue. This time, her trip into the Two Dimensional Gate was a tough one. Not only did she have to put in a lot of extra effort, it had also taken up a lot of her time! However, when a girl that Zhao Youyue was waiting for finally appeared at the mysterious Two Dimensional Gate, she knew that all her effort was worth it! The girl had waist-length hair, was in a long, flowy dress, and held a violin. Various musical notes and instruments were hovering all around her, and she was just a beauty. Zhao Youyue has successfully obtained Chu Luoxuns iconic character card! Now, even in music, Zhao Youyue can finally say with confidence, that she is unbeatable! Even though Chu Luoxun was just a Mary Sue in the novel, now that she has been brought into the real world, how amazingly will she do? Once again, as Zhao Youyue has successfully obtained another iconic character card, her knowledge as to how the Two Dimensional Gate determines whether someone is an iconic character has naturally expanded. Although popularity is the most important determining factor, Zhao Youyue now realized that the impression the character leaves on the public was also important. Currently, a large number of readers were still greatly affected by the death of Chu Luoxun. When they start to cool down a little, and begin to think more rationally, Chu Luoxun will still remain as a catalyst for discussion, which will continue to stir various analyses and predictions about her. Thus, in the midst of debates and open discussions, she will inevitably leave a mark in the minds of everyone involved, and be remembered, as long as they live. Frankly speaking, anyone who has read Beautiful April would definitely agree that Chu Luoxun ha left the most unforgettable impression on them. Even things like the perfect love between the male and female protagonist, and all their lovey-dovey dog food scenes, are now functioning as multipliers which made Chu Luoxuns miserable ill-fated life appear much worse than it is! Undoubtedly, tragedies are the type of stories that affect the readers the most. Thus, an easy way to get an iconic character card is to plan a really, really tragic death for the character way beforehand, and execute it right when the characters popularity is soaring at its peak, and there you have it, a super easily obtained iconic character card! It was not as if Zhao Youyue cannot survive without iconic character cards, though. She did not really need them that much. If she has to make a character die every single time, she would probably cave in under the blood and tears. Zhao Youyue had only been trying extra hard for the Xu Jing and Chu Luoxun iconic character cards. The Yu Shengfan character card, on the other hand, was just an unexpected surprise. Now, Zhao Youyue can proudly tell the world that she has three wives! Since she had her hands on Chu Luoxuns iconic character card, Zhao Youyue finally decided that she wanted to fully enjoy being a musical genius and utilize it to her hearts content, for now. She was a healthy Chu Luoxun, after all! Translation note : [1] Taobao is a Chinese online shopping website, headquartered in Hangzhou, China, and is a subsidiary of Alibaba Group. It is one of the worlds biggest e-commerce websites, as well as one of the worlds top ten most visited websites according to Alexa. [2] Mentioning here refers to the act of tagging someone else, here, it is on the China chatting platform QQ, but it is also commonly used on any other social media platform. (e.g C @LengZi) [3] Password red packets is a function available to users of QQ, where they are able to attach passwords onto red packets and send it out to their friends (usually in a group chat). If anyone in the group chat manages to guess the password, they will automatically open the red packet receive the amount of money placed in the red packet by the original user. Chapter 249 : There is no need to worry about being deceived anymore Zhao Youyue had lost count of the number of times she had done the same thing over and over again. She used to obsessively imagine how her life would be, how she would feel, after she successfully obtains Chu Luoxuns iconic character card, and once she gets a hold of Chu Luoxuns musical talent as well as her mentality. Currently, she is sitting all alone, in front of a piano. She obviously had no idea how to play it, the real Zhao Youyue was only good at the violin. However, the moment she placed her fingers on the piano, it was as if she was one with Chu Luoxun, right there and then. She instantly felt an intense wave of familiarity, one that sort of resembles a strong, age-old friendship! As expected, all of the musical instruments were Chu Luoxuns best friends. As the God of Music was always watching over Chu Luoxun, she could easily set foot into the heart of any instrument! The piano in front of Zhao Youyue actually belonged to her mother, Wang Hua, who still played it very often. When Zhao Youyue was young, she would always sit back and watch her mother with admiration, as her mother played the piano quite gracefully. Now, she could finally do it by herself! Other than the fact that Zhao Youyue is now automatically familiar with various instruments, she is now in a much better mental state than before! At this moment, Zhao Youyue was none other than the cheerful, strong, and confident Goddess Chu. Moreover, now that her hair has grown out a little, and although not yet waist-length like the hair of Goddess Chu, merely chest-length, it was sufficient enough to set off the kind of unique temperament associated with Chu Luoxun. If you think about it, a long hairstyle would actually suit Zhao Youyue a whole lot more. A short-haired Zhao Youyue might look cute, but it cannot really define her face and enhance her features, and it does not bring out her own unique aura. Only with the right amount of makeup, would she look pretty and be stageworthy. However, a long-haired Zhao Youyue would naturally be amazingly gorgeous, and would easily capture the attention of many people. If paired with makeup, Zhao Youyue would definitely be overflowing with a goddess-like presence! Like they say, beauty can only help improve a girls reputation up to a certain extent. Once a girl has reached the peak of beauty, then things like her temperament, or talents would come into question. Of course, fame is also important. A famous, celebrity-like girl would naturally have a better reputation. If the old Zhao Youyue was someone with a dull temperament, and almost devoid of talent, then she has transformed tremendously. Now, be it intelligence or music, she is unbeatable, and no normal human being would easily get to her level! Throughout the novel, Chu Luoxuns biggest regret was not being able to perform anymore. Due to her sickly condition, her hands were not even stable enough to hold a pen, what more play an instrument. Now, however, she was a happy owner of a perfectly healthy, lively body. At this moment, she has been reborn! Zhao Youyue begins to play the piano randomly. Most of the songs are from Beautiful April, like Sweet,Leave All The Sadness To Me,Angel Wings,I Just Happened To Meet You, and more. As there are insufficient to be praiseworthy pieces of music in the world she lives in, Zhao Youyue shall use her talent to fill in the gaps. Chu Luoxuns original works were somewhat classical, and her works may be far inferior when compared to works of various other well-known historical musicians. However, in this modern age, a classical piece of that sort would be more than enough to captivate the general public! Classical musicians do not get much recognition nowadays. Most of the people just learn classical music so that they can pretend to be geniuses. Consequently, the number of classical musicians have significantly decreased throughout the years, as the general public did not know how to appreciate it. Musicians nowadays would very much rather focus on producing low-quality music for famous celebrities, or get involved in producing original soundtracks for movies, TV shows or even animes. When graphics are accompanied by music, they would create a bigger impact! However, Chu Luoxuns music is full of mysterious power. With a musical talent like hers, the standard of her performances would be so otherworldly, that some people would immediately enter a world of fantasy when they hear her music. Of course, to be able to do that, they must first be willing to open their hearts to her music. If they resist her music, and close the door to their hearts tightly, then they would never be able to see the mysterious world of fantasy. In reality, it is highly unlikely for someone would be able to resist her music. This would be an absolute, when Chu Luoxun puts her heart into performing. Chu Luoxuns godlike talent in music is not that difficult to understand. It is similar to some novel characters and their superhuman abilities, but in a different context. It is close to how some authors describe their characters cooking talents through the fact that they are able to make light-emitting or even aphrodisiac cuisines. How else would the author portray a characters talent in music, or their talent in cooking, if not by such a hyperbolic method? Now that Zhao Youyue can finally bring this godlike talent into reality, all the people that listen to her music might think that they have entered a world of fantasy, but little would they know, that this is just Zhao Youyues special powers! Being able to control the spiritual wills of others should count as a power, right? Perhaps in the future, when Zhao Youyue gets the opportunity to gain a cooking talent from a manga or novel, she might really be able to prepare light-emitting cuisines, but people would then think that they are hallucinating As she played the piano, a smile creeps onto Zhao Youyues face. Ever since she activated Chu Luoxuns iconic character card, she had been in a jovial mood. Chu Luoxun had a great love for the world she lived in, but unfortunately, she was ill-fated and destined to die. Now that she had been reborn into the real world, and owned a perfectly healthy body that was capable of helping her achieve anything she wants, her love for the world has become greater. All in all, Chu Luoxun was just a really strong, positive ball of energy. In the novel, she had almost zero complaints, even when misfortune after misfortune constantly dawned upon her. Only after a few unexpected circumstances when life suddenly struck her too hard, she cried a little. Following that, the smile on her face would return, and she would never cry again. Now that Zhao Youyue was fused with Chu Luoxun, she was filled with a friendly aura. An aura which implored others to get close to her, and befriend her. She would light up the world of others, and bring them warmth C just like the Sun. Chu Luoxun was the type of person who would reach out to anyone who loved music as much as her, without hesitation. Her character card was not like Xu Jings, or Yu Shengfans at all. Xu Jing was just a silent, expressionless and inhospitable girl that liked studying too much. The aura around Xu Jing was one that always made people around her weary. It was a little scary and people knew that they were better off not disturbing her. She somewhat gave off an if you disturb me, you shall die! kind of feeling. Yu Shengfan, on the other hand, is just so full of negative energy that people would not dare to approach her. Filled with loneliness and depression, and paired with a sharp tongue, Yu Shengfan would ultimately be the type of person that everybody would hate if she existed in the real world. This is why Zhao Youyue does not really activate Yu Shengfans card often in her daily life. The only time she would need Xiao Yu to showcase her skills is when she feels the need to scare off some no-lifers which tend to bad-mouth others. The reason why Ah Yu was always expressionless during her live streams was because she did not feel the need to be friendly with her viewers. Even so, she was undoubtedly an intrepid gamer, and is the best in her region. Soon, she will be participating in a King of Glory competition, and will definitely emerge as the best King of Glory player in the country! If Zhao Youyue wants to become the best player in the country, she must activate the Yu Shengfan card. Her own skill level can only bring her rank up to diamond in her region, at most. However, whenever Zhao Youyue activates Yu Shengfans character card, she often has to deactivate it halfway through her live streams, so she can be her true self again and give some explanations to the viewers. She has to make it seem like she was a perfect Yu Shengfan cosplay, to not let anyone find out that she was indeed the sharp-tongued girl herself Well, now that she has Goddess Chus iconic character card, everything will be fine. Zhao Youyue could just mesmerize the viewers with her music, and her music would do its work of healing the pain of those viewers who had previously been hurt by Yu Shengfans words. Thus, when viewers enter Zhao Youyues live stream room, none of them will ever be able to leave After she had finished playing a few songs on the piano, Zhao Youyue was filled with nothing but happiness! This is the best part about being Chu Luoxun. As long as there is music, nothing else matters. She can momentarily forget about all the frustrations in life and just drown in happiness. The sad thing is that life took it all away from her, to the point where she could not even perform anymore. Zhao Youyue had nothing to worry about anymore. If she is tricked by an Old Sly, or whenever she feels sad, she can just activate the Chu Luoxun character card and charm away the pain with the beauty of her music. Therefore, Zhao Youyue would not have to worry about being deceived anymore! Maybe now, with her beautiful music, she can even go ahead and try to charm away the pain of the readers who were still sad about Chu Luoxuns death? Someone like Su Li could really use some of her music right now. Considering how she was already depressed due to the death of Chu Luoxun, while carrying half the burden of the blame. Well, who told her to draw that magnificent illustration of Chu Luoxun out of excitement, right after accepting the job offer to become the illustrator of Beautiful April, only to have Chu Luoxuns death conveniently popping up subsequently? This surely cannot be a mere coincidence. The deceiving mangaka Su Lis touch is clearly poisonous! The truth simply cannot be denied! Chapter 250 It is now time to showcase my true skills Su Li had been complaining about her life to Zhao Youyue. Su Li had been going on and on about her bad luck and why her artworks featuring her favorite characters would always lead to the characters death later on. Was her touch really poisonous? An innocent girl like Su Li is bound to be brainwashed. Recently, her Weibo had turned into a platform for the fans of Beautiful April to let out their anger. The fans claimed that every time the mangaka Su Li drew an illustration of Chu Luoxun, it would add more poison to Chu Luoxun. In the end, Chu Luoxun was unable to bear with the amount of poison she had been given and inevitably died. Even the previous illustration of a happy Chu Luoxun was claimed to be a mere facade which reflected a Chu Luoxun that was reminiscing her old happy memories. When it all boils down to the source, everything would just be Su Lis fault. A persons willing act of accepting blame after blame is not dangerous. The true danger arises when that person gets too used to accepting all the blame, and she would feel like she truly deserved it There are some things in this world that even science cannot explain. A good example of this involves the web novelist Ma Boyong, who is also known as Prince Ma. He was the creator of the Meteorite Escape''[1], and it is said that misfortune will inevitably dawn upon anyone who gets in touch with him. To avoid such misfortune, any time Prince Ma is mentioned, everyone around has to say the exact words of Auspicious, apologies, may my family and home be safe and sound[2]. If someone does not say it, then they are asking for trouble. Now, Su Li was slowly trending as the Prince Ma of the manga world. Her mysterious powers were a little different though, as they are only conveyed through her drawings. Even though her drawings also carried some kind of misfortune, it only applied to any female protagonists that she draws! Currently, the death count of female protagonists who died under the hands of Su Li is three. Three unquestionably popular, well-liked characters which were way more well-known than many other female protagonists. Three unbelievably charming female protagonists that a large number of otakus would claim as their waifus[3]! All three of the otakus waifus were similarly ill-fated. Naturally, as Su Li had illustrated all three of them, and she was the one who had given the otakus an idea of how the characters actually looked like, isnt there an obvious problem with her? Every year, there would be various leaderboards in different aspects involving 2D characters. One specific leaderboard is for the Top 20 most ill-fated female protagonists, and this year, it would be no surprise if Chu Luoxun tops that leaderboard After all that has happened, Xu Jing and Yu Shengfan would be voted up into that leaderboard as well! Thus, many internet users have been diligently compiling valid, logical and evidential points, with the aim of brainwashing Su Li - - The truth is in front of you, you just have to accept it. Accept that your touch and your drawings are filled with poison, and that you specialize in killing the waifus of the otakus. You are just a good-for-nothing waifu murderer, you are just a good-for-nothing waifu murderer, you are just a good-for-nothing waifu murderer! Important things have to be said thrice! That is right, you are all right, I am just a good-for-nothing waifu murderer This has been the only thing on Su Lis mind lately. Whether it came to drawing for the manga of The Strongest King, or becoming the illustrator for Beautiful April, Su Li had only taken up both of the jobs because Zhao Youyue had recommended it to her. Although Zhao Youyue was the reason behind Su Lis acceptance of both of the jobs, Su Li had completely forgotten about it. Although Su Li ended up liking both of the works anyway, she had only accepted the jobs initially, because she wanted to please Lady Zhao Nobody would have ever thought that the person behind all of this was no more than a normal reader of the books. Someone who was not only purely a reader, but was also not in any way related to the author of the books - - Zhao Youyue. Nobody could have possibly thought about it. There was no reason as to why the death of a well-known female protagonist would have anything to do with a normal reader like Zhao Youyue. She was clearly a victim of the authors trickeries as well! Han Leng, the author of Beautiful April would not have thought about it as well. He had finally taken up the courage to explain himself. In an explanation made to all the fans, Han Leng had stated that he himself had no idea as to why he allowed Chu Luoxun to die. He had originally planned for her surgery to be successful, but the moment he started to write the story, a mysterious energy guided him to write otherwise! Therefore, he had penned down the death of Chu Luoxun Han Leng had shared that he had felt sudden impulses to change the results of the surgery. However, as he subsequently experienced a writers block, he decided that he should just leave the story as it is. Even if he changes the storyline and revives Chu Luoxun, he would not be able to bring back the initial touch and flow of the story. The part where Chu Luoxuns spirit appeared in the imaginary dimension of the male protagonist and they performed for the last time together, was Han Lengs best depiction about music, to date! Anything that he writes after this would never be able to be better than that. Even if he tries, his effort is bound to go to waste. Han Leng had also shared that he was his own victim, and he had cried the moment he penned down the death of Chu Luoxun. He went on to say that his heart is aching uncontrollably, to the point where he is now unable to feel anything anymore. To him, Chu Luoxuns various emotions are as dead as she is, and she no longer existed in his world. Han Leng also felt that everything is his fault. He got possessed! Overexcited! Thus, Han Leng had also told all the fans not to worry, as he is not someone who likes to push the blame on others. If he dares to do something, he will accept the consequences. He admitted that he was wrong and therefore, he shall keep his promise and cross-dress as an apology! Some fans have said that they still find it hard to believe that Leng Zi is a male. Han Leng had asked the fans to be patient, because everything will eventually come to light on the day he sells his signed books. Just like that, the frustrated fans could do nothing more but wait patiently for his cross-dress pictures. Considering how Han Leng had apologized so sincerely, as well as how he showed that he would accept the consequences of his actions like a real man, a lot of fans have cooled down and stopped harassing him. Since tragedies are actually common in juvenile novels, it was not really a big deal. At least in Beautiful April the male and female protagonists did end up together happily It was still a story that brought happiness to many throughout its course. After all that, everyones attention has been diverted towards the innocent Su Li once again. Su Li had been complaining about how all the fans were acting so unfairly. She was just an illustrator, why would the fans blame her for Chu Luoxuns death? With fans being fans, none of them were actually capable of thinking rationally when their favorite character dies. To make it worse, a lot of otakus were also pleased with the misfortune that has dawned upon Su Li. They find it very interesting that Su Li has now been shaped into a mangaka with a poisonous touch, and they were even more excited to see who is next female protagonist to die under her hands The public had successfully brainwashed Su Li! Zhao Youyue was of course very patient in comforting Su Li, and has even promised to bring Su Li to a new western restaurant she recently found for a treat. According to Zhao Youyue, the food is delicious, so Su Li would feel a lot better once she tries it. Also, as there is a piano in the restaurant, Zhao Youyue will play a song just for Su Li. Su Li was obviously very touched, and truly appreciated Zhao Youyues efforts. In this cold, cold world, where society is just so unbelievably cruel, only Lady Zhaos love No, only Lady Zhaos thoughtfulness and care for others can warm peoples hearts! As for Zhao Youyues piano performance, although Su Li was not expecting anything at all, she will still clap loudly with all her might once the performance is over. To her surprise, Zhao Youyue could actually play the piano pretty well. To be able to play both the violin and the piano so well, it is no wonder that she is a precious daughter. Tomorrow, Zhao Youyue would have to go back to school for class placements. The whole class will probably have a meal together, to commemorate the good times of being classmates for a year. Today, Zhao Youyue unexpectedly received a call from Old Qiu. Zhao Youyue, werent you the gold medalist of the regional violin competition? Since everyone will be going their separate ways after tomorrow, you could play a short song for the whole class to commemorate the day, as they say, the music remains even though everyone leaves. Zhao Youyue felt like telling Old Qiu that for a violin performance, setting was key. She wanted to suggest playing the guitar instead, because it would fit the setting more, and would make the atmosphere more cheerful. However, now that Zhao Youyue had obtained the Chu Luoxun iconic character card, she has nothing to worry about. Even in a bad setting, the beauty of her music would still shine through, and her performance will still be perfect! Do not forget that, Chu Luoxuns best instrument was none other than the violin! Zhao Youyue could not wait to see how Han Leng will react once he hears her music Tomorrow, she is not only Zhao Youyue, but also Chu Luoxun! Translation note : [1] Meteorite Escape is a horrifying event where a large meteorite had suddenly dropped from the sky and killed everyone in existence (in the book). It originated from a book by Ma Boyong. [2] Auspicious, apologies, may my family and home be safe and sound is something that must be said if Ma Boyong is mentioned in order to avoid misfortune. Auspicious is Ma Boyongs favorite term. [3] waifu is a fandom slang, and refers to a fictional character that an anime fan considers a wife. It is commonly used by otakus. Chapter 251 Fresh Campus The school uniform would become an unnecessity when students visit the campus over the summy break to be informed of their new assigned classes. One would crazy to wear it Before Zhao Youyue could explain that she was not a top student from a poor family, the school holidays have already started, as it was already the end of the semester. Therefore, whenever people thought of her, the image of Xu Jing would still come to their minds. Those who spend that little bit of time thinking about it would soon realize that things did not add up, after all. Zhao Youyue won the gold prize of the Provincial Violin Competition. A poor student could not possibly afford music lessons, right? Nonetheless, great minds would come up with great stories to great lengths and create some convoluted stories about how her family was rich when she was little, and her skills are a result of her dark history. That once well-off family could no longer even afford to buy extra clothing now Well, it is impossible to derail delusions so easily. After Zhao Youyue realized this, she no longer cared about how people thought of her. She just had to live her life as usual, and she did not have to prove herself to anyone. Before this, people had thought that she was merely pretending to be rich, when she bought the drinks and magazines for all her classmates. This had left her speechless. It didnt matter much, as her true motive was to hard-sell Beautiful April. It was up to her classmates to decide on whether she was rich, or not. Still, Zhao Youyue believed that majority of her classmates were able to make a clear judgment about her familys financial situation. However, Chu Luoxun was now written to death by Leng Zi after she had been hard-selling the Beautiful April to her classmates. A cold shiver ran down her spine when she remembered Jiang Chao being renounced by his friends, as a result of his brainless recommendation. She was not going to face the rage of the whole class, right? She knew that the effects of her hard-selling had been good. Other than those top students who emphasized on studying, others would be keen to read it, and most of them would be easily cheated by it, based on the quality of this work But Chu Luoxun was now dead! Suddenly, Zhao Youyue thought of how Chu Luoxun dressed in the novel. She would wear the custom-made, elegant, long, flowing dress when she goes on stage. This was her definition of formal attire, just like those female celebrities who walked down the red carpet when they attend a movie premiere screening and award ceremonies. Anyhow, she was not going to dress like this tomorrow even though her dressed were high-class than Chu Luoxuns dresses. After all, Goddess Chu was not a missy who was as rich as her. Her familys background was just at the well-to-do level. Chu Luoxuns favorite style was a plain white shirt matched with a blazer, and a short pleated skirt. As for her shoes, she favored female campus-style oxford leather shoes or canvas shoes. This was her refreshing campus style that was repeatedly depicted in the novel. Zhao Youyue has never dressed like this before, as the typical male author created this, based on their mental imagery of the Campus Goddess, who was an extremely innocent high school student. When Zhao Youyue does not have to wear the school uniform, she would wear luxurious brand female clothing which gave her a matured and extravagant look. This was why she seemed more like an undergraduate to Su Li, Ye Hai, and the others In fact, she was far more matured than most of her peers. Lets not forget that she had been experiencing other lives in the Two Dimensional Gate besides living her own life. Her actual experience would not match her chronological age. This time, she chose to wear the refreshing campus style as she had decided to play the role of the Goddess Chu perfectly. Her hair was long now, and she would not tie it up into a ponytail tomorrow. Instead, she would just put it down and pin on a hair clip. This matched the appearance of Chu Luoxun. Undeniably, Chu Luoxun was already dead in the novel. But, I will bring her to life in reality this was what Zhao Youyue thought. The second-day cometh. Zhao Youyue dressed herself up as aforementioned and was looking at herself in the mirror. It mildly embarrassed her, as she was trying to act young. However, this was actually how a sixteen years old female high school student like her should look like. Then, she noticed that her handbag did not match the clothing. Well, it is not possible for a high school student to own a designer handbag which would cost over ten thousand RMB. So, she replaced it with a small backpack and picked up her violin. She smiled at the mirror and said Alright! The three dimensional Chu Luoxun is here! Her driver, Liu Zhongcheng, was dumbfounded when he saw the sudden change of her style, thinking that Lady Zhao finally looked like a high school student today. Nevertheless, he did not speak his mind, but conscientiously opened the cars door for Zhao Youyue as usual. Today, instead of asking the driver to stop her luxury car which cost about three million RMB a certain distance from school, she asked him to stop right in front of the schools main gate. The weather was hot, going past thirty Degree Celsius. It was not as hot July, however. After all, her car was not as eye-catching as Zhao Haos sports car or as intimidating as a tough-looking SUV. It was just a typical black colored passenger car with a very low-profiled design, just like the other worlds Mercedes Benz S600. Therefore, not many people paid attention to it. Everyone was rushing into the air-conditioned classroom, due to the hot weather. Zhao Youyue came out from the car and opened her parasol. After she thanked Uncle Liu, she walked towards her classroom. The short pleated skirt that she wore today was shorter than the one she wore previously. This one was above the knees, revealing her flawless thighs. The shape of her legs were perfect too, and no one could stop themselves from looking at them. Instead of wearing the over-the-knee socks which were uncommon in the Three Dimensional World, she wore the black colored knee-high socks. This too, perfectly matched the description of the novel. As she walked into the classroom, she bumped into Zhu Ran, the class monitor, who was distributing some sort of document. He was stunned when he saw Zhao Youyue, who had let her hair down. Then, he said to her: Excuse me. Are you entering the wrong class? Then, he realized that he was wrong, as he could still recognize Zhao Youyue face. However, the short-haired Zhao Youyue would not be as striking as this long-haired one. The visual effect was vastly different! Also, her style today induced the feeling of love at first sight in all the male students, she simply looked too approachable Zhao Youyue smiled, and with her gentle and soothing voice, she said, Class monitor, I am Zhao Youyue. I am not in the wrong class. After that, she walked towards her seat. A pleasant scent breezed past Zhu Ran. He caught a whiff of it, and he could not resist from looking over his shoulder, at her back. He could not help but gaze at her fair, beautiful legs Silence fell, as soon as Zhao Youyue walked in. Chapter 252 The Form of a Heroine Such a reaction would be perfectly understandable. Well, this was because her face score was soaring, and her outfit was otherworldly! Like Zhu Ran, the class monitor, many of her classmates were unable to recognize Zhao Youyue at first glance. In fact, they were curious to know who was this school babe, and why did she enter the wrong class? They have been in this class for one year, but they have never seen such a beautiful chic before! Then, they gazed at her more intently and were shocked. It was her, right? Thats right. She was Zhao Youyue! That girl who could compete with Huang Zhongchao for the top students spot in school. Various trains of thoughts started up in the minds of her classmates This is impossible, right? Zhao Youyue is such a beauty? This is amazing. Keeping long hair is enough to turn her into a super beautiful young girl?! How could she become a goddess overnight, she was practically invisible? An ugly duckling turning into a swan, mayhaps? Gosh! Why do I only realize now that I have been in the same class with this super cute and beautiful Zhao Youyue for a year? Sadly, we are going to be assigned new classes soon. This whole year had been a waste! Her outfit today.is really awesome, and this is what is called by utmost innocent! Most of the male students were astonished by her appearance. Perhaps, this is what a gorgeous school babe should look, like from a mans perspective. A girl who wears a plain white shirt and matches it with a short skirt, coupled with knee-high socks and a pair of leather shoes. Everything was so unpolished and raw. Her outlook on that day would remain an eternal memory for her male classmates. Chen Haoran, the class representative of the mathematics subject, who had a crush on Zhao Youyue, was gawking at the appealing, long hair version Zhao Youyue. He felt that as if she had conquered his youth! Regrettably, he would not be in the same class with her next year, as he wanted to enroll in the science stream and major in Physical Chemistry, while she would definitely choose art class and Historical Politics as her major. Her performance in art subjects far surpassed Huang Zhongchao. Even, Lao Qiu, their class teacher, had recommended that she enroll in art class. He even thought that she was capable of becoming the number one scholar in art subjects. Therefore, she would rank the first when the ranking of the art and science streams are determined, as Huang Zhongchao was going to enroll in the science stream for sure. In China, there is this stereotypical belief that science students would earn more in the future. Thus, around eighty percent of the excellent students would opt for the science stream. After all, they could find a job easily in the future. However, Zhao Youyue was not good at solving difficult science questions, and she was reluctant to participate in the Maths, Physic and Chemistry Competitions. These were not her expertise. That is, unless she is able to obtain a female scientist character card, someday. On the other hand, she was able to patiently memorize the intricacies of arts subjects because of Xu Jings Card. Moreover, her reading experience that surpassed her peers made her invincible in the field of art, and she personally preferred art subjects. Perhaps, she had been influenced by her mother, Wang Yan. After all, she is a professor of her Universitys Chinese Language and Literature programme and a pure literature author. At that moment, Chen Haoran had the urge to confess to her, yet, he did not do so. He was worried that their studies would be affected by it. Anyway, as a high school student, he would not involve himself in a romantic relationship Nonetheless, he felt that he must do something. Otherwise, it would be impossible for other people not to make the first move based on her beautiful looks now, right? The chances of this happening were low. Chen Haoran was slightly regretful over his prior inaction. Actually, he could have taken the opportunity to be close to Zhao Youyue through Han Leng, and the short hair version of her was not as eye-catching as she was now Unfortunately, it was all too late. Zhao Youyue was no longer a side character. She had transformed into a heroine! Only after she was seated, did the previous noise resume. She could feel all eyes on her, and even Wang Yang who sat in front of her, turned his head to the back frequently, trying to talk to her. However, he held back his words back, in the face of her stunning makeover. Sometimes, the men do not dare to talk to gorgeous girls, fearing that they might offend the belle by mistake Han Leng was the only one in the class who was not aware of her entrance. Maybe he was practicing being immortal again, or, he was still feeling low. This was why he was bent over his desk, sleeping. He could sleep as long as he liked, since there would be no classes today. No amount of noise would stir him. He was in the pits of despair. He could not pick himself up for a reasonhe had written Chu Luoxun to death! Han Leng knew that her image would be imprinted in the readers minds after her death, and she would become an iconic character. By this, Beautiful April would become a memorable, iconic work too None of that gave him any comfort. He would rather have her still be alive, so that he could still be moved by her reactions and feel her emotions. Undeniably, she had left him. Unlike Han Leng, Rosemary Ye Hai had consciously written Xiao Yu to death. He knew exactly what he was doing. However, Han Leng had been cheated by a mysterious energy. Since then, his favorite Goddess Chu was forcibly removed from his literary world What did this indicate? A break-up, of course! He had been dumped! This was far more miserable than his crush on Zhao Youyue which ended up in vain! Han Leng was a very lonely creator. The existence of Chu Luoxun had been a miracle to him, and she swept away his loneliness! He was blessed by the Goddess of Literature! Whenever he wrote about Chu Luoxun, he would hear her pleasant voice which lingered around his ears, telling him her stories. He had listened to her music many times over. Unfortunately, he could not write all of them, and could only write selectively. He knew that all of this was only happening in his head, and yet, they were such vivid memories! He had even suspected that he had transmigrated into a parallel world and had witnessed all of this, recording it in the process All in all, he never had a lonely moment when Chu Luoxun was still around. He loved her wholeheartedly. He had even disobeyed Lady Zhao because of her! Han Leng knew that he loved Chu Luoxun the most. She understood his loneliness and always stayed by his side when he wrote his work Zhao Youyue did not take the initiative to talk to Han Leng who was beside her, instead, she played her phone to distract herself from the awkwardness of being observed. At that moment, she missed the time when she was just a side character, where she could be one of the onlookers too, unlike now, when she is the one being watched. Eventually, Lao Qiu, their class teacher, entered the classroom and started to arrange the days activities. Han Leng woke up. He took a glance at Zhao Youyue who was sitting beside him from the corner of his eye. His head quickly followed, his eyes bulging out of their sockets. Chapter 253 Do You Think That You are Chu Luoxun? When Han Leng saw this long-haired, beautiful young girl, he thought that he was seeing things. Wasnt this what Chu Luoxun would wear on a daily basis, as she had so often appeared in his mind during his intoxicated state? Was he having an episode of intoxicated state again? Or did he miss her so much that he was losing his senses? He quickly rubbed his eyes and slapped his cheeks. However, his antics caught Teacher Chus attention. He just glared at him and went on with his speech After a while, Han Leng managed to recollect his thoughts, and realized that the girl beside him was not Goddess Chu, but Lady Zhao who he especially did not want to meet! Soon, he lost interest. No one could affect his love for Goddess Chu, not even the long-haired version of Zhao Youyue! In other words, his heart had died along with the death of Chu Luoxun. He was even more obsessed with her now, thinking of her every day. Besides that, Han Leng had seen this Lady Zhaos stunning appearance on stage before. That time, she looked really amazing with her makeup on, even though she had short hair. Although she had long hair now, her bare face could not match up to the effects back then. In summary, Han Leng was amazed by Lady Zhao before this, and was therefore less affected compared to everyone else. He was only shocked, as he had mistaken her as Chu Luoxun, because of her outfit. He was reluctant to face Lady Zhao as she had sided the male protagonist and the heroine in the novel, while disregarding Chu Luoxun. Thus, he felt some anger towards Lady Zhao. He was unsure if this created a thorn in her heart, and he regretted it. Also, Lady Zhao wanted him to apologize by cross-dressing. She even wanted to choose the clothing for him and to do his make-up. To him, this was no doubt something new and exciting, which could serve as fresh idea for his writing. However, he was a straight guy, cross-dressing might just be A conflict raged within Han Leng. He hoped that she could be merciful and even forget about it, so that he could get away. He would just wear a female school uniform, which was female clothing too, for those readers who wanted a picture of him wearing female clothing. After all, the female and the male school uniform of this school hardly differed. If Lady insisted, Han Leng would just have to accept it while pretending to refuse it. Han Leng started to write on a piece of small note to her again. He wrote, Looks like Lady Zhao has long hair now. I was almost unable to recognize you. It doesnt suit you. You dont have the personality. She raised her eyebrows after reading it, and she wrote, Whats wrong with my personality? Han Leng continued to provoke her, as if he still had a grudge against her for treating Chu Luoxun so indifferently. He replied by writing, You are too aggressive! You are just pretending to be gentle. You are so used to giving orders to other people, and you think the world revolves around you. After all, you are that high and mighty Lady Zhao! Zhao Youyue wrote down two words for himhe he. She thought that Han Leng was feeling ill again, and she wrote, It doesnt matter if long hair suits me or not. I think that you will look nice in female clothing. Wait and see. After he saw the two words, female clothing, he immediately grew uneasy. However, he was unwilling to back down. Therefore, he wrote, What is so difficult about a guy wearing female clothing? Why do I have this feeling that you like to be a Lady Boss? Nonsense! I am just looking for more ideas for my writing! That is really a good excuse. By the way, I would like to suggest I am a Lady Boss or The Secret of Me and Skirts as potential titles for your next book. How is it? I will tip you a Silver Sect Master! EmmmI do not plan to publish a new book for the time being! Besides that, you look odd with your outfit today! It does not suit you at all! Oh. It looks like you have done your research on female fashion. As for you, it is mainly because your temperament does not match the outfit! Lady Zhao, dont pretend to be innocent by dressing up like a high school kid! You are so good at manipulating people! Everyone is your chesspieces! You stooge! Zhao Youyue felt that Han Leng loathed her today, but, she remained as calm as usual. She knew that guy would behave girlier than an actual girl at a certain time of the month. Such was the attitude of a hipster youngster. So Zhao Youyue did not bother to pay any more attention to him. Nonetheless, Han Leng became even more aggressive. He continued to write, Chu Luoxun was the only one who carried this style effectively! Her soul was truly innocent, she always wanted to bring warmth to other people, and she was the most selfless person!You are the complete opposite! This time, Zhao Youyue remained silent and replied him with a smile. She was so aloof. Thank you for the compliment, Goddess Chu would play a song for you. Be good~ Time slowly ticked away. Finally, Lao Qiu finished his speech. All the students in the class now knew their future classes. Suddenly, the classroom was filled with a depressive atmosphere, as they knew that they were going to be separated soon. Almost half of the class would pay to enter the class that Zhao Youyue was in. Some of them who did not do well in the senior high school entrance examination managed to get good results, performing even greater than those who did not pay after a year of hard work. Zhao Youyue was one of them. She was now a top student. Zhao Youyue got in the 11th class, which was the most intensive class among all the other art classes. All the top students who chose to enroll in the art stream would gather in this class! After Han Leng knew that he was in the 14th class, he pumped a fist into the air and wrote happily, Finally, I dont have to be in the same class with you anymore. Oh, I am so at ease now! It was a nightmare, being your desk mate. Zhao Youyue rolled her eyes. Jiang Qing Little Angel, who was sitting in the first row, turned back and looked at Lady Zhao tearfully. She made a gesture, telling Zhao Youyue that she was in the 14th class too. Han Leng saw it. He wanted to write, expressing his surprise of being in the same class as that social climber, but he did not do so. He knew that Zhao Youyue would tolerate his nonsense, but, she would not lay back anymore if it involved Jiang Qing. Han Leng could not deny that despite Lady Zhaos pretentiousness, she was a loyal friend! He knew that she would stand up for him too, if he is the one getting picked on. By this time, Lao Qiu made an announcement, saying that Zhao Youyue would play them a song, and the whole class would go for a dinner gathering after that. Han Leng laughed, and he did not write any note this time but said, Lady Zhao, dont you feel ashamed to perform in the class by using a violin which is specially crafted to be used in the competition? Do you think that you are Chu Luoxun? I have already foreseen the outcome where everyone would not be able to point out the good and bad about your performance. However, out of courtesy, I would be the first one to give you a round of applause! I fear that you would be greeted by silence, otherwise! Chapter 254 A Miraculous Music Han Leng had little knowledge about the classical music before this. However, he managed to gain some insight through his novel, Beautiful April. He attributed all of this enlightenment to Goddess Chu. Of course, he did his fair share of research, in the process of his write up. He may appear as an idiot and hipster, but, he was quite the perfectionist. Therefore, he has managed to create an iconic, juvenile novel, Beautiful April. Based on his vague knowledge of the classical music now, he had marked down Zhao Youyues style as strictly competition based. It was tailored for impractical, stiff marking systems, similar to the type that their education employed! Thus, everyone would soon be treated to a show of her pretentious, soulless grace in all its glory. After all, she had simply blown people away by turning up in non-uniform attire. For Han Leng, there was no way that Zhao Youyue could compare with the Goddess Chu in term of music! He kept using Chu Luoxun as a form of self-encouragement when he faced Zhao Youyue to prevent himself from being eroded by her. He was worried that he would be unconsciously influenced by the uniquely charming personality of Lady Zhao. Unlike Han Leng, the other classmates were still looking forward to Zhao Youyues performance. It was not a big deal if she could play well or not, as everyone had been labeling her as a formidable being, after she won the Golden Prize of the Provincial Music Competition! After all, winning the prize was everything. If one is not mistaken, she has obtained the 10th grade for her violin test. This was the highest grading for the violin test, right? Apparently, they did not know how to differentiate an amateur from a professional violist Even the top students thought she was impressive, as the Gold Prize of the Provincial Music Competition carried same weight as the First Prize of the Maths, Physic and Chemistry Competition. This could earn them extra marks for their college entrance examinations. How could one not be amazed by her, if she was able to acquire this skill while maintaining her good results? While carrying her violin, Zhao Youyue went to the front. As she was walking to the front, she activated the Chu Luoxun Card. A beautiful smile of confidence appeared on her face! Chu Luoxun, a musical genius in the novel, turned out to be very imaginative in her own right. She instantly imagined that her outfit had turned into an elegant long dress, just like the transformation of a Magical Girl! Actually, she was a musical Magical Girl! She even imagined the dais as a grand stage with thousands of audiences sitting in front of it! She was about to use music to create a carefree type of happiness for the soon-to-be-separated audiences, in order to comfort their depressed spirits The entire body of Zhao Youyue started releasing a powerful aura! This was exactly as described in the novel. When Chu Luoxun starts her performance, which was the height of her existence, her body would seem to release a myriad of colorful light! Han Leng was completely dumbfounded. At that moment, the more he looked at Lady Zhao, the more she would look like the Goddess Chu in his heart. She even got her smile spot-on. The optimism and confidence gave him a strong sense of familiarity! How could it be? Was he crazy? He thought that Lady Zhao had been possessed by the Goddess Chu! The reason why he had such a profound feeling was because he had experienced Chu Luoxuns magical Spiritual Music firsthand, in his first intoxicated state. He was also the one who could come up with a storyline easily Zhao Youyue appeared to be an extraordinary person now, in the eyes of the other classmates, giving out the legendary Aura of An Ambitious King. Their knees were begging to meet the ground, so that they could worship this being! The song that she decided to play was not a famous classical music, but a song created by Chu Luoxun, the genius composer The Song of Youth. One would certainly know that this was a very vigorous and uplifting song. It would easily find its way to its listeners hearts! After silently reciting To the God of Music, please heed my call, she began to perform! Initially, everyone simply enjoyed it as any normal person would, for they knew little about classical music, let alone the song she was playing. It did not take long before they were absorbed in her music, which tickled and teased their imagination! Even Lao Qiu was no exception! He felt that he had traveled back to the time when he was a student. Who wouldnt want a wonderful period of youth? Who wouldnt hope that his first love could sing the song of youth with him? Everyone seemed to have traveled back to their freshman year. They could feel again the anticipation and anxiety that they had when they were about to enter senior high school. The next year would be just as exciting now Some found themselves back on the basketball court, playing happily with their best friends; some had returned to the schools library and were reading their favourite books alone; some walked hand in hand with their crushes, strolling around the school; some were earnestly cleaning the classroom which seemed to filled with the colourful rays of the sunset Under the influence of the melodious violin sound, everyone recalled their most joyous and sweet campus moments, for the past one year. Some laughed, while some cried as unrequited love was a thing of sweet sorrow. It was a pantomime that could turn into a tragedy after the confession is made. For most people, the school uniforms would be their couple shirts, and the graduation photo would be the only photo of him and her. There would be several regrettable moments in everyones wonderful youth. However, after many years, one would realize that they were a part of the song of youth, the pieces that formed the soul of the song. Han Lengs eyes glazed over and he stared intently at Zhao Youyue. Affected by her penetrating music, he recalled the thoughts that he had already given up He now realized that he never gave up, all this while. It had only been strengthened during the period when he often spoke about Chu Luoxun being the one he loved the most. Nonetheless, he knew that she would forever see him as a friend. Even though he was not her friend, he still wanted to own the one he had sincerely admired before, after looking at her for many times. He had never once given up his love for her. It had only been the illusion of absence, brewing and churning with the intensity of the tides, under cover of dark clouds(1). Eventually, Han Leng laughed, as he realized all this. All the anger that he had accumulated for the past few days disappeared in the flawless sound of the violin! He utterly indulged in the world shaped by her music The outside of the classroom had become crowded too, and everyone was blown away by the song of youth. None of them made a sound! Everybody was listening to it in silence This was a miracle. This was a scene which would only appear in the novel, but, now, it had manifested in reality. Chapter 255 Unbelievable The two classes next to Zhao Youyues class were dismissed earlier because they did not have any other special events, and they were attracted to the sound of the violin. At first, they came to see out of curiosity, but, this caused them to be drawn into a brand new musical world! Their reaction towards this spiritual music was the same as when they first ate the miraculous illuminating feast. They simply let it smother them completely! Even after Zhao Youyue finished her performance, the inside and outside of the class remained silent. The proverb, music lingers in the air for three days after the performance ends, was never more apt. It was no exaggeration at all! This was Chu Luoxuns music which was blessed by the God of Music. Its effect was even more astonishing when manifested in reality! Even Zhao Youyue felt that she was moved such powerful music. However, what she had recalled during her performance were the three of her wives Xu Jing, Yu Shengfan, and Chu Luoxun. Chu Luoxun was her favorite now, and she felt that her music had seduced her. This made her like the Goddess Chu even more! Zhao Youyue then came back to her seat. She put the violin back into the case after cleaning it. Then, she waited quietly for those who were there were enjoying the aftertaste of The Song of Youth. She could see the expression on their faces constantly changing, as if they had encountered angels and demons in the musical world. After a while, those whose souls seemed to be out of their body and lost in the world built by Zhao Youyue music and those who were still stared blankly woke up from their dreams A person started clapping for her, but it was certainly not Han Leng, as he was still lost in limbo. All the people there followed soon after. Their hearts cheered when as their speech had abandoned them! Although they did not express it verbally, their minds were racing The violins sound was amazing. I felt my soul being pulled in to a new world! That was incredible! At first, I thought that I was not going to understand the meaning of this song, but, I managed to hear the meaning of youth from it. How does that even happen? Is this the charm of music? No wonder she managed to win the Gold Prize of the Provincial Music Competition. With skills like that, she deserved it! I think I am intoxicated. I wish I could indulge in this type of music and never wake up from it This music is like music from the heavens. Would it be heard again? All the students that had been influenced by the music applauded sincerely. They did not need Han Leng to take the lead to applaud, just like what he had imagined before this. Han Leng awoke from his stupor. He noticed tears rolling down his cheeks, and he wiped his face. Then, he applauded vigorously as if to make up for the applause that had left him behind, while he was still lost in that musical state! He too, clapped for Zhao Youyue sincerely! It was truly amazing! His face blushed when he suddenly thought of the comment he had for Zhao Youyue. He was so ashamed of himself! Not only could her violin help her win the competition and gain recognition form the judges, it could turn around by 180 degrees and steal everyones souls Wait a minute. Something is off. Isnt this Chu Luoxuns music style? Han Leng realized it now. How did she know of Chu Luoxuns style? He looked at her in disbelief! The music was so nice to hear just now that he could not think much and was swept away by it. Now that he has escaped its clutches, he realized that he heard it before, during his intoxicated state! He was familiar with this music style. He admired the Goddess Chu because of this, and had taken her for his emotional anchor He always thought that this music style would only exist in his imagination, unless a Chu Luoxun existed in reality! But, that was impossible, right? It was impossible for a perfect Mary Sue like that Goddess to exist in reality, right? Even if the person does exist, why would it be her? This was inconceivable. He never expected that Zhao Youyue knew how to play the violin in Chu Luoxuns music style! Zhao Youyue did not deactivate the Chu Luoxun Card immediately. She was addicted to it. It set her mind free and introduced her to a new level of euphoria. She felt that she was the most optimistic person in the world, and she could walk on clouds She would usually be cold-faced and stoic, but now she could not stop smiling, as she knew that her music had brought them happiness. Shouldnt she be happy about this? Chu Luoxun always brought people great happiness, at the expense of leaving her lonesome to deal with all sorrow and loneliness. Then, Lao Qiu made an emotional speech, It was regrettable that Zhao Youyue did not perform at our schools New Years Eve party. She could have brought glory to our class! This is all my fault for not discovering her talent earlier. I would like to apologize to her for this major oversight Actually, who did not ignored her in the class besides Lao Qiu? She was ignored by the class, even though she had passed the major examinations with flying colors, for so many times. However, no one should be blamed for this as she carried the halo of the side character, didnt she? After Lao Qiu came up with this conclusion, the class was officially dismissed. They were not going be classmates anymore, after lunch. Han Leng could not help but ask her, How did you do that? How did you know her style? He has dumbfounded again after seeing Zhao Youyues bright smile. It made him think of Chu Luoxun from his novel! Nonetheless, he would never relate Zhao Youyue to Chu Luoxun. For him, it was just a fluke shot, unless she plays it again This is all because of loveI must perform with the zeal to move my own heart, only then can I move the audiences, and try my best to express emotion through music. That would be enough. Zhao Youyue answered him with a straight face. In this state, she was far more vocal and open about giving musical tips. Of course, Han Leng would never take such a convincing role-play seriously Chapter 256 Why dont you just act as your own girlfriend, if you dont have one? After all, within Han Lengs heart, he was still resisting Zhao Youyue. He had enough experience of crushing on someone. It was so uncomfortable. It turned him into someone he was not. He had always considered himself a free-spirited and prideful person. No strings could hold him, until the period of time when he had a crush on the Zhao Youyue of his imagination. He would end up hesitating for almost half a day to even send her a message. That wasnt him! He had managed to overcome the situation with the help of Goddess Chu. He recognized the true colors of Lady Zhao, and the mist was cleared from his eyes. His love for her vanished, only respect remained. However, when he noticed the shadow of Goddess Chu from Lady Zhao, his first reaction was not that of ecstasy and the desire pursue the Goddess Chu in reality. His heart naturally fought against those emotions. He thought that he was once again looking at the Lady in his own, biased perspective Perhaps Han Leng was fated to forever fall in love with 2D characters. He would never get anywhere close a 3D girl. He was destined to be alone forever. The other classmates did not share his distrust and inner conflict. After the official dissolution of the class, some outgoing classmates sent their praises in succession to Zhao Youyue about her well-played violin performance. Zhao Youyue who had the Goddess Chu card switched on, responded passionately to them. She was glad that they liked her music. Han Leng observed her in silence. More questions arose in his heart. Since when was Lady Zhao able to respond to others in such a sincere and passionate way? In the past, she did carry a courteous, pleasant expression at all times, but was limited to giving extremely perfunctory responses to others. Finally, Zhao Youyue switched off the Chu Luoxun card. Her expression turned icy again. She spoke to Han Leng, Follow me today, fulfill your promise. Han Leng slightly shivered. The sliver of doubt within his heart vanished with a poof. His mind was now flooded by the word drag. There was nothing much to talk about during the dinner party. Although everyone came from different classes, at least they were from the same school. No one drank alcohol. They were still minors. After the dinner, some of them suggested to go for karaoke. Some of them suggested to play KoG at places like KFC or Mcdonalds. Some wanted to go home, thinking that it was more comfortable to stay in an air-conditioned room for the day. However, Zhao Youyue left the scene, lugging along Han Leng. She had a grand scheme planned out ahead. Only one person noticed them leaving. That person was Chen Haoran. Zhao Youyue led Han Leng to a beauty salon that she frequented. She had her personal VIP room there. Every time when she has something interesting to do, she would be full of motivation. For now, turning Han Leng into a girl was something that interested her very much. It satisfied her desire to engage in things. Han Leng was like a lamb sent to the slaughter. Yet, he felt responsible for lying to Lady Zhao about his identity and more importantly, his gender. Moreover, the Goddess Chus temperament exuded from Lady Zhao. It stopped him from resisting, because he felt similarly guilty towards Goddess Chu. If Goddess Chu wants him to crossplay, he can never refuse it Zhao Youyue started working on the makeup. All the necessary equipment was available for her disposal, and not one of them wasnt a flagship product. She helped Han Leng throughout the makeup process, from applying sunscreen isolation cream, to the rest of the steps. In short, Zhao Youyues actions were very professional, as one would expect from a good-looking senior complex[1] who apparently has been conducting thorough research on fashion and beauty. Han Leng was dumbfounded throughout the whole process. Staring helplessly, he actually saw himself turning from a delicate, pretty boy into a cutie! Zhao Youyue finished Han Lengs makeover with a black, straight long wig. She looked at her finished work with satisfaction. Then, she took out her phone and snapped photos of the cutie Han Leng who was still in mens clothes from different angles. Han Leng was in a daze, while Zhao Youyue took out an EGL style[2] high school girl uniform for Han Leng to wear on. It was a uniform that imitated the 2D-style, with a short skirt, knee socks, and the rest of it. She personally disliked such styles, but her instinct told her that Han Leng would probably rock it. Cutie Han Leng would look ravishing in it. Zhao Youyue left Han Leng alone and left the room, trying not to laugh as she went. Cross-dressing is the best punishment towards writers who have lied to their readers about their own gender! Fortunately, a delicate, pretty boy like Han Leng could actually pull it off. He was a talented rarity. Zhao Youyue did not expect Han Leng to turn into such a cutie, when all was said and done! Han Leng was certainly gifted. Puberty had yet to find him, so his legs were hairless and smooth. His legs were straight and slim, dazzling and fair. Boys usually have straighter legs than girls He looked at his drag self. He took his time staring. His heart was deeply moved by his own cuteness in the mirror! Something seemed to have been awakened within him. He quickly put on the EGL style high school girl uniform. After that, he looked into the mirror once again. At that moment, he felt all the other girls disappearing from his mind, even Lady Zhao and Goddess Chu! He suddenly remembered a sentence that he had once ignoredWhy dont you just act as your own girlfriend, if you dont have one? Han Leng finally realized that the perfect female in his mind, the one that he had been searching in vain for, was actually right in front of him! It was not Lady Zhao, but himself! Thats right. Han Leng could fall in love with his drag self without any reservations. He will never need to worry about his female self rejecting his feelings. He need not worry about him ignoring himself. He would never again need to hesitate sending a Wechat message to himself. He is the greatest person in this world, he is perfection incarnate! Compared to Leng Zi, Lady Zhao is nothing! Right at this moment, he suddenly burst with inspiration. He wanted to write something to praise his perfect self in the mirror right now. This was a very successful and insightful burst of inspiration! He might have to consult Lady Zhao further on makeup techniques. Thisis definitely for his writing inspiration as well! Thats right. Material extraction is something essential for all writers. To produce better work, writers would have to do what ordinary people would never even consider. Han Leng had already prepared himself for such petty sacrifices. Han Leng felt lucky to be living in a time where freedom of speech is supported, and minds were far wider. He believed that there would be more traps in the future. Theres nothing abnormal about this. Its called fashion! It was also a symbol for gender equality. No one ever criticized female cross-dressers. What right do those old-minded people have, to criticize male cross-dressers? These old-minded people must probably consider females the inferior race, as if males would be putting themselves down when they cross-dress. Such prejudice had no place in this world! Were now in the era of gender equality. Males can become females, and vice-versa! Han Leng felt a halo of enlightenment hovering over his head. Leng Zi grew even more pleasing to his eyes. By this time, Chen Haoran was in a coffee shop outside the beauty salon. He stared at the beauty salon anxiously. He saw it with his own eyes. His good brother Leng Zi had entered the beauty salon with Zhao Youyue What were they up to? Chen Haoran, the innocent, straight-minded male, was clueless. He could only observe the situation and act accordingly. Translation Note: [1] Good-looking complex C Complex refers to a person having a great preference towards something. The Good-looking complex refers a person who has great preference in being good-looking. [2] EGL style C Acronym for Elegant Gothic Lolita, a style popularized by the teens in Harajuku and Mana, the guitarist for the band Moi Dix Mois and Malice Mizer. Typical EGL clothes consist of things worn hundreds of years ago (such as petticoats, frilly shirts, stockings, etc) only in more dark colors and styles. Tonicquill (ED): Ah. Visual Kei. I did not read the Translators note when the term came up and left it as it is in the chapter. Tell us what you think. Keep it as EGL, or go with Visual Kei which is IMO, more widely known? Btw. I love Miyavi. Chapter 257 Time to put some pressure Zhao Youyue looked at Han Leng once again. No, Master Leng Zi, to be frank. Her eyes glimmered. She has just given birth to a great evil! He was wearing a high school girl uniform which belonged to the 2D world. His straight long slender legs were covered by a layer of black silk knee socks. An absolutely white and smooth surface was exposed at the void between where the short skirt ended and knee socks began. No one will ever feel tired of playing with such a beautiful pair of legs! The only unfortunate part was that his chest was too flat. So what? His cute face and slender legs would still lure men into the ultimate trap! Great gifted scholar Han, I meanMaster Leng Zi, I certainly did not expect you to turn out so cute! Your fans will be thrilled! said Zhao Youyue happily. She circled him a few times, surveying her work. She took out her handphone and snapped pictures of him from different angles. Unfortunately, she did not bring along a single-lens reflex camera. It could have captured the images with life-like quality. With some editing, this Han Leng would turn into a Goddess for the otakus! Han Leng stood on the spot nervously. Cross-dressing was most certainly a private affair. The last thing you would want happening is to get exposed. Yet here he was, being scrutinized from head to toe by Lady Zhao. He felt so shy, yet excited Lady Zhaos beautiful appearance seemed to suddenly turn mundane and mediocre. It was Han Lengs almighty ego speaking once again. He thought that the prettiest person in this world should be him in drag, Leng Zi, not Han Leng. This is Han Leng, forever, changing his mind. Sometimes extremely arrogant, sometimes his harshest critic. In the past, I always see statements from other male writers, saying theyd rather die than cross-dressing. Some would be deep in debt, yet they would refuse to pay up by dressing in drag. How foolish! Such writers deserve to stay penniless! I think its time to put some pressure on them. Ill take a cross-dressing selfie for each holiday and festival, and have my readers share them to other readers groups. I feel so excited just imagining it! said Han Leng proudly. No one knows since when, but there is this common practice among social groups of books, where the groups hosts would be asked to cross-dress. Han Leng used to ignore these requests. But now, his cross-dress photos were definitely qualified to be shared to other groups, with the intent of putting pressure on the other groups hosts! Han Leng realized that he was not against cross-dressing at all, without getting addicted to it. He was not obsessed about cross-dressing. He belonged on a higher level. He truly understood gender equality! Anyone who opposes male cross-dresser is definitely looking down on females. His head should be caved in! This is Han Lengs view towards cross-dressing. Zhao Youyue was slightly disappointed to see Han Leng being so receptive towards cross-dressing. She was actually expecting to see a very abashed and reluctant Han Leng, eventually left with no choice but to relent. However, she felt that Han Leng had always wanted to cross-dress. He just never had the opportunity or a person to guide him. Zhao Youyues appearance had helped fulfill Han Lengs deepest, darkest intention. She made his dream come true with both her hands Zhao Youyue loved to mess with skin care products and cosmetics, reading all sorts of fashion magazines. She had become quite the skilled makeup artist. Like many other aspects of her, it had remained largely unknown at school. Youve totally ruin Master Leng Zis image the moment you speak, and you cant possibly bring a voice changer along. Zhao Youyue started to satirize Han Leng. Little did she know that Han Leng had already mastered the pseudo voice technique. Its just a matter of choice. Voice? How do you think about my voice now? said Han Leng with his pseudo voice. Zhao Youyue was amazed! If she did not know him as a boy in the first place, she would have been fooled on the spot. Such a sweet and cute voice had to be the voice of a typical cute girl! Of course, if you knew that he is a boy, you would be able to distinguish the flaws. Anyway, if Han Leng were to speak on the phone with his pseudo voice technique, he would fool the entire world! Even if I had not forced him, he would have started cross-dressing on his own accordeventually. I wonder what he had experienced in the past.. Zhao Youyue suddenly remembered a sentence. Boys who become cute have nothing to do with girls. Girls who become handsome have nothing to do with boys as well. Zhao Youyue considered herself very handsome. How could she not be handsome, after such a violin performance? She had even decided to completely restore and project Chu Luoxuns original music from the literary world into reality. This was also Chu Luoxuns wish. Han Leng was content with Lady Zhaos surprised reaction. He continued to speak in his pseudo voice, As a writer, I really like to extract materials from any source of inspiration possible. Learning the pseudo voice technique was a kind of material extraction. Theres no need to be so surprised. Zhao Youyue truly admired Han Leng. She somehow felt that even if he were to go on a patronage date[1] one day in future, he would refer it to material extraction as well, experiencing a more exciting side of life Lets go out together. Ill buy a few more sets of suitable womens clothing as a present for you, and snap a few more sets of photos for my personal collection, said Zhao Youyue. Oh, let me change my clothes first. Theres no need to change, lets just go out like this. What? How can I possibly go out in such clothes? Im not an idiot, you know. People seldom wear 2D style clothing like this, unless were at Comic Fiesta[2] Tsk, lost your balls? I thought that you truly did not care about how others view you. It seems like youre the bedroom-only type of cross-dresser Hahaha, I know that youre trying to provoke me, but Ill still bite the bait! Im not like those mortals! Im a writer, an artist that can create and destroy worlds! I truly need not care about how others look at me! I just realized that youre a fake hipster and real adolescent! Whatever. Im just living a life more honestly and frankly than others. Fine, Lets goOh, right, how about some perfume? Give me the best! Are there any 82s? Stop joking! Be cooler! Han Leng always dons a pair of pure white sneakers. The sneakers still seemed to be a good match to his stockings. Zhao Youyue had forgotten about the shoes, but she could easily purchase one on the spot. She personally disliked wearing high heels. Somehow, she felt that Han Leng might rock them. This was also a form of material extraction Han Leng would definitely look like a model once he puts a pair of high heels on! Han Leng sounded very confident. However, the moment he walked out from the beauty salon, the nervousness took hold of him. He could the breeze beating about his lower portion. This was his first time wearing a skirt! It was also a liberating, new sensationHe vaguely remembered that be it skirts or knee socks, they were initially mens clothing. When did they get classified as womens clothing, instead? The matter left him greatly disgruntled. By this time, Chen Haoran was staring at them blankly. He could see Zhao Youyue He saw no Leng Zi Translation Note: [1] Patronage dating C Patronage dating is a noun phrase that originates from Japan, which refers to females promising to go out with males on dates in exchange for money, not necessarily having sexual behaviors. [2] Comic Fiesta C Comic Fiesta or CF for short, is Malaysias longest-running convention that focuses on animation, comics and games (ACG). Their focus is to celebrate all aspects of art and creativity (and the ever popular ACG culture). It is the biggest non-profit ACG convention in Malaysia, organized by a group of volunteers to bring the comic convention experience to the Malaysian audience. Tonicquill (ED): In short, a cosplay convention. I couldnt reach the Translator of this chapter at this time, so I do not know if the author specifically used Comic Fiesta, otherwise we would adopt the universal term cosplay convention. Chapter 258 Declining his Confession Euphemistically Chen Haoran had been addressing Han Leng as Leng Zi, yet he did not know that Han Leng had actually used Leng Zi as his pseudonym, when creating Beautiful April. He did not read youth novels at all. He did not even read ero mangas such as Pure Romance. That was why he believed in the rumors about Lady Zhao from the start. Currently, he believed that Zhao Youyue was not from a poor family. On the contrary, she was quite rich. She must be someones precious daughter, taking rides on luxury cars, wherever she went. His previous misjudgment gave him great stress. Moreover, when Zhao Youyues studies improved so drastically, he felt that it was gradually harder for him to like Zhao Youyue. He considered her to be out of his league. Chen Haoran was a devout believer in the practice of marriage between families of equal social rank. His parents have brought him up that way. A marriage between families of unequal social rank would have no happy ending. It was also partly why he had insisted on not starting a relationship at a young age. If he likes a girl, he would always take a step back to see whether he is worthy to be her match. He would never spare girls he considered beneath him a second glance. Besides, he took his love relationship very seriously. He aimed for marriage. Although he came from a village, his family owned a fish pond of his own. He was not poor, although his wealth would be incomparable to Lady Zhaos. Chen Haoran felt that this was the day to confess, as he and Zhao Youyue will not be in the same class soon. Her inspirational music had also spurred him on. While he has the courage, he should strike while the iron is hot. If Zhao Youyue turns even more bedazzling in the near future, he would lose this opportunity. He felt depressed, not knowing why Zhao Youyue and his best brother Leng Zi chose to leave together. He even suspected that they were dating, and were perhaps watching a movie together or something. However, the moment he saw them entering a beauty salon, he became dumbfounded. What are they actually doing? Nobody dates there. They were definitely not a couple. Whats the relationship between them then? Chen Haoran did not want to think anymore. He had always been a very straight-laced person. Zhao Youyue was the only object in his eyes at that moment. He immediately stood up, left the coffee shop, and ran towards her. He managed to stop her before she got into a low-key luxury car. Then, he finally noticed the girl beside Zhao Youyue. She totally threw him off his determined train of thought. How can someone be so cute? This girl who had makeup on, was way prettier than a Zhao Youyue without makeup! Who is she? Is she Zhao Youyues bestie? Whatever, but why does she look so familiar? Why is she so shy? She had hidden herself behind Zhao Youyue, like a frightened rabbit, the moment he approached them A slight ripple surged through Chen Haorans heart. Some guys might prefer little girls more. It was unfortunate that Lady Zhao seldom appeared like that. She was always so calm and tolerant, carrying herself like a noble. Chen Haoran did not recognize her true gender, let alone relate her to Han Leng. A village boy like Chen Haoran who totally focused on studying, would not even be aware of such a thing as cross-dressing. From his limited experience, he had an idea about the existence of females cross-dressing into males, and that they could be easily uncovered. He had never heard about males cross-dressing into females. After all, he knew nothing about the 2D world Han Leng was this close to a nervous breakdown. His best brother Chen Haoran has suddenly appeared, out of nowhere. He would have no qualms about cross-dressing in front of strangers, but he would never be able to maintain that composure in front of a familiar face! Han Leng would be able to take flak from anyone and anything, but not his own blood brother! Zhao Youyues face was filled with joy when she saw Han Lengs reaction. This is exactly what she wanted to see. The totally horrified face, the fear of being recognized after cross-dressing, especially by someone he knew well. It looked like Han Leng was more concerned about Chen Haoran more than her. In Zhao Youyues eyes at this moment, Han Leng no longer had principles at all. He cared nothing about his image anymore. A shameless guy like him would have the most powerful heart. Chen Haoran, is something the matter? asked Zhao Youyue, taking the initiative. Due to his appearance, Han Leng had been jumping about like a jellybean, behind her back. Lady Zhao was pleased. She has a good mood. Her tone was ever so gentle and kind. Yet, she never saw Chen Hao Rans next actions coming. He suddenly knelt on one knee and shouted, Zhao Youyue, I like you! Ive always liked you at first sight He talked a lot, mainly about how great eyesight he had in the past, to be able to realize her beauty when she was merely a passerby. In general, girls may be touched by his sincerity, and yet reject him straightforwardly, despite being so touched. Who the heck comes up with such a sudden confession to someone he is completely unfamiliar to? Zhao Youyue was not touched at all. She only felt ice creeping up her back. Not even the slightest ripple surged within her heart. However, as polite as always, she waited quietly for Chen Haoran to finish his confession. Then, with a bow, she declined his confession euphemistically, saying, Thank you for liking such a normal person like me. But I have no intention of starting a love relationship, be it in the past, present, or future. Youre a good guy; you deserve a better girl than me. Although Chen Haoran had already expected such an ending, he still felt despondent for being friend zoned. Is this how it feels to be lovelorn? Well, at least I received an actual reply, and avoided possible further damage from ambiguous situations in future. This was probably the best ending Chen Haoran soon limped away, distraught. His back was visibly twitching. Han Leng frowned. He pitied his brother. He asked with some dissatisfaction, Lady Zhao, dont you think it was a bit too direct to reject people in such a way? I was just being honest. Or do you think that I should give him some hope and let him sink deeper? replied Zhao Youyue calmly. Han Leng found her reply reasonable. He disliked girls who chose not to reject a suitor explicitly. He actually preferred Zhao Youyues truthful, explicit kind of way. But Chen Haoran was also his best brother Im worried about him. Allow me to excuse myself, said Han Leng. He then left Zhao Youyue alone and chased after Chen Haoran. Zhao Youyue was actually curious to see what will happen between the two of them. This should be interesting. According to her understanding on Han Leng, he would most likely pretend to be his own sister. It would make sense for a sister to be concerned about her brothers best brother. Zhao Youyue sent Han Leng a Wechat message, Dont you dare forget that you owe me a few sets of cross-dressing photos. Dont ever try to repudiate. Next, Zhao Youyue had another pressing matter to deal with, that was to voice act as Yu Shengfan of The Strongest King. Chapter 259 The Quarrel Amongst the Aestheticians. The internet was currently being swept away by two matters. One of them was Beautiful April which had just finished its publication. Many readers had finally walked out from their sorrow following Goddess Chus death. Now, it was the analysis and quarrel amongst all kinds of aestheticians stage. The first person to cause an uproar was an aesthetician, a Doujinshi writer from the Chu Luoxun fan club. He had written something about the so-called True Ending. It could also be considered as a fanfic continuation of Beautiful April. His writings would be incomparable to the genius writer, Leng Zi. However, his had treated the male protagonist and heroine far worse than Leng Zi. It could have been said to achieve what most members of Chu Luoxun fan club was hoping for! He made a direct deduction of the true ending, according to the original. The male protagonist and the heroine would never ever be together! It was too early for the Lin Meiyue fan club to be happy! Within this True Ending, the heroine Lin Meiyue was exposed for usurping Chu Luoxuns original works. Even though she had insisted that it was Chu Luoxun who entrusted them to her, she had no proof. She ended up losing all her standing and reputation. The title Genius Composer belonged to her no more. Gu Yuan did not care if the heroine Lin Meiyue was not a genius. He was simply very disappointed. She had actually kept such a secret from him The male protagonist Gu Yuan increasingly missed Chu Luoxun. He started sorting out all her compositions. Through these music compositions, he finally realized that Chu Luoxun had loved him deeply. As she was too ill to finish a journey together with him, she had chosen to send Lin Meiyue in as a substitution of herself. She had allowed Lin Meiyue to love Gu Yuan on her behalf. Only then could she rest in peace. Her feelings had already been exposed through the song Angels Wings. Only Gu Yuan had been dense about it. Even the song Sweet, was a love song dedicated to Gu Yuan. It was certainly not written according to the sweet first love between Gu Yuan and Lin Meiyue. Chu Luoxuns heart had always been experiencing endless pain, yet she was too strong for her own good. Therefore, she had composed the song Leaving Sorrow to Myself. The song Happened to Meet You, she left to Gu Yuan, was actually her confession, in the form of dying message. She had loved him for ten years, yet eventually, The wind blew, the flowers dropped, tears like raindrops. She never wanted to be separated from the male protagonist, yet she was forced to leave In short, this True Ending had been written entirely according to the analysis of many members of Chu Luoxun gang on her original songs. It was further analyzed according to the foreshadowing left by Leng Zi. This was extremely uplifting to the Chu Luoxun fan club. The Lin Meiyue fan club was understandably furious about this matter, You guys are too much. Youre all mad because the male protagonist and the heroine ended up being together! You guys even destroyed Chu Luoxuns image entirely. She sincerely hoped for the two of them to be together. She was totally selfless! Thanks to your imaginations, she has become a female supporting role who had loved the male protagonist. Whats the point of her being Chu Luoxun? Are you saying that she would be the antagonist mistress, had she been healthy? Lin Meiyue fan club harbored its own aestheticians. They started to retaliate with their own Doujinshi articles. It had been a hypothesis, according to Chu Luoxun fan clubs analysis. It was about how the plot would have developed, if Chu Luoxun was not sick Undoubtedly, Chu Luoxun had become a mistress who had the appearance of Madonna, while hiding an insidious heart, eventually managing to destroy the perfect first love between the male protagonist and the heroine. She had successfully become the mistress, at the cost of her perfect image! In short, even if the Lin Meiyue fan club dies off or gets nailed shut in their coffins, they would still cry out the name Chu Luoxun, the mistress! The Chu Luoxun fan club would never let go of the matter of Lin Meiyue usurping Chu Luoxuns original compositions. They kept repeating the phrase Meiyue B*tch, ignoring the fact that it was Chu Luoxun who gave all the songs to Lin Meiyue, willingly. It was all-out war. Beautiful April soon attained great fame. After all, there have been so many lurkers on the internet. They needed to make some preparations before joining the battle. Therefore, they must read the novel. Among these lurkers, there were some Weibo big Vs[1], Douban[2] bosses, and high Gods of Zhihu[3]. Su Li was not the only person who knew how to gain attention. Since this youth novel was now so famous, it was evident that a movie adaptation would soon follow. How will they be worthy of their own public identities, if they do not take the opportunity to share the spotlight? Beautiful April had been wonderfully written. Its depictions of classical music were incredible; it was as if the readers could actually hear the music from words! With the inclusions of so many bosses, the flames of war would turn into rapid nukes. For example, a certain famous literary critic soon wrote an article with a grand theme C what is true love?. It had been written according to Beautiful April. The conclusion was that only Chu Luoxuns forever selfless dedication could be considered as the true love. Lin Meiyue would only be expressing a secular desire of possession. The literary critic was eventually categorized into the Chu Luoxun gang. Why not just admit being a fan of Chu Luoxun? There is no need to take things by such a roundabout fashion. Dont you ever think that the Lin Meiyue fan club is so easily fooled! Some aestheticians were ever more outrageous. After conducting some analysis, they concluded that Chu Luoxuns true love was actually Lin Meiyue. She had written those songs to Lin Meiyue, not Gu Yuan, since the beginning. She actually hated Gu Yuan for stealing Lin Meiyue away from her! A number of readers actually found such an analysis reasonable. Master Leng Zi is the one to be blamed. He had never clearly stated Chu Luoxuns innermost thoughts, only her actions. Perhaps only Leng Zi himself knew Chu Luoxuns thoughts. Such ambiguity is destined to bring forth various readers analysis on Chu Luoxuns intentions, resulting in different conclusions. After all, there are a thousand Hamlets in a thousand readers eyes[4]. Therefore, it is not an exaggeration at all to have a thousand Chu Luoxuns as well! Such is the charm of an iconic character. Even if she died within the literary world, she would live forever within the readers hearts, always receiving their support. As Beautiful April experienced a spike in sales, another matter rose, causing similarly great waves. This matter was closely related to Zhao Youyue as well! It was a headliner on the media, mentioning that the VA for the most well-known female character Yu Shengfan, chosen by the animation production group of The strongest King, was not the experienced VA Ding Hui from the rumors, but an unknown, completely newbie VA! The Xiao Yu fans took up arms. They asked the production group to justify their reasons for choosing a newbie as Xiao Yus VA. Wouldnt she ruin the character instead? Translation Note: [1] Weibo Big V C Weibo Big V refers to the authenticated users on Weibo. There are two types of authenticated users, the orange and blue. The orange ones refer to personal authenticated users, whereas the blue ones refer to institutional authenticated users. [2] Douban C Douban is a community website that provides information about books, movies, music and other works. No matter the descriptions or comments, they are all user-generated contents. Douban has been aiming to help urban population discover useful items in life. [3] Zhihu C Zhihu is an online Q&A community that connects users from all walks of life. Users share their knowledge, experiences and insights with each other, providing a variety of information for the Chinese internet. [4] There are a thousand Hamlets in a thousand readers eyes C An inspirational quote by Shakespeare, meaning every reader has their own perspective towards something (a character). Chapter 260 Let Actions do the Talking The hottest work on the internet was currently the recently completed youth novel Beautiful April. Many aestheticians have been born due to this controversial piece of work. They would continuously comment on the relationship of characters within the novel. The most absurd forms of fan-theories and flame wars would come out of nowhere. Master Leng Zi was also being requested, strongly, for a face reveal. If Master Leng Zi is truly a male, I want to see him in drag, and I want his address. Dont even think we wont forget to send you blade pieces, even if we ever get over Chu Luoxuns death. However, within the field of webnovels, The Strongest King which would appear as a new anime series in October, was still the most newsworthy work, as its issues were still widely published. Its ranking has been among the top 5 every month. With minimal management, it could become the number 1. But Rosemary was a lazy slob. Although Yu Shengfan had left the scene, countless readers were still concerned about her. This is the influence of an iconic character. All iconic characters shared a similar trait. They will never be forgotten. Whenever there is a topic of a series related to an iconic character, the character would be the first to appear within everyones mind. Yu Shengfan was not the heroine of The Strongest King, yet she was undoubtedly the most outstanding female character during the early stages. She had even led to the key effect of inheritance. She led Lin Feng one step further into his journey towards becoming the strongest king. Many readers were touched by their strong bond of finding each other in their realm of loneliness. Now that the anime for The Strongest King is to be produced, how could they simply pick a newbie to voice act for such an important, iconic female character? Many netizens who had quite the insight in the field of animations expressed their opinions one after another Is Tian Yi animation production company actually taking this work seriously? Are they dismissing the importance of Xiao Yu, just because she doesnt appear for long? Is it due to the lack of production costs? How could they treat such a valuable intellectual property like The Strongest King this way? Tian Yi is not worthy of owning its animation adaptation rights! I think the most worrying matter should be Rosemary, the original author of The Strongest King. He has always been very responsible towards his own works. I wonder if hell blow up when he learns of this. The quality of a VA will greatly affect the outcome of a character. Frankly speaking, the VA is the soul of a character. The difficulty of being the VA of a character like Yu Shengfan is not something that a newbie VA can handle. It looks like those classical venomous phrases will most probably lose their flavor! I cant help but remember what happened to Xu Jing, the iconic female character of Pure Romance. She was totally ruined by the VA in the anime. I have a feeling that Yu Shengfan will probably end up being the same. Wait, this shouldnt be Su Lis fault, right? Even such a thing can be related to that cheater mangaka Su Li? As expected from The Pan of This Generation! This time, even Xiao Yus most loyal fans jumped out to express their opinions. Some people ran out of patience, and tagged the experienced VA Ding Hui who had been involved in rumors. Ding Hui replied that she had actually received an invitation from Tian Yi to become Yu Shengfans VA. She had such a desire as well. However, Tian Yi changed its mind not long after the invitation, saying that they had found a more suitable candidate. She initially thought that it might be a VA who was more experienced, but it turned out to be a newbie. Obviously, Ding Hui was a bit emotional towards the matter. The character that once belonged to her had been stolen from her. She had not actually read The Strongest King yet. However, this character, Yu Shengfan was so popular. There were so many fanmade video clips related to her on B-station[1]. Judging by that alone, Ding Hui could already see how popular this character was! She believed that her VA career would have been able to enter a higher stage, as long as she manages to voice act this character perfectly. Therefore, she did not mind adding more insult to injury. She was only one step from explicitly exposing the fact that Tian Yi had carried out some shady deals. A newbie VA getting involved in such a major role was definitely the product of questionable maneuvers! Her Weibo was immediately shared and liked in all kinds of ways. The netizens started applying human-flesh''[2] onto the mysterious newbie VA who had yet to show herself. Yet, they were going in the wrong direction! Zhao Youyue was not even considered as a VA, yet the netizens tried to search her info from all kinds of VA Offices. This was like searching for a needle in the haystack, when it is actually in the ocean. The big and small VA offices were very curious as well. Who was this newbie VA, having obtained such a classic character? Even if she gave up her body for that, she was still worthy of their admiration! These days, as long as it is an entertainment related industry, unspoken rules are highly common. There have been so many good characters. Why choose you, if you are not of a higher professional standard? Those who knew how to take action from the dark will certainly be able to step ahead. Zhao Youyue remained very calm towards the public opinions on the internet, as she was full of confidence! No matter how incredible the other Vas are, they can never be compared to the real Yu Shengfan snapping about into a mic. Zhao Youyue did not want to ruin her favorite work and character as well. Therefore, she had been very well-prepared. She believed in actions more than words. Therefore, she went to the capital. Then, she went to the voice acting studio, under the accompaniment of Rosemary and his wife. Of course, before that, as capital dwellers, Rosemary and his wife had brought Zhao Youyue on a tour around the capital. This helped Lady Zhao obtain more material for her fame, as she loved to take all kinds of photos and share them onto her social groups. Seeing Lady Zhao chatting and laughing with Rosemary, the High God level webnovelist, the students who had added Zhao Youyues Wechat expressed all kinds of envy, jealousy, and hate. Lady Zhao has always been so magnificent! Rosemary Ye Hai had noticed the oppositions about the VA candidates for Yu Shengfan on the internet. He decided to remain silent. Matters such as this one will only drift further away, the more one explains. Everything will depend on Zhao Youyues personal capabilities! If Zhao Youyue is not competent, she would undoubtedly be substituted production delay wasnt a big deal. However, Ye Hai was full of confidence towards Zhao Youyue, as she was absolutely the Yu Shengfan within his heart! Instead, Dong Yang, the animation supervisor of The Strongest King felt that the VA who had been chosen by Rosemary would definitely be substituted. The other VAs had doubts towards this matter as well, such as Song Gang, a VA who would be working with her more than anyone else. He was the VA for the male protagonist Lin Feng. The moment this VA started speaking Translation Note: [1] B-station C B-station refers to a software called Bilibili. There is the mobile version and the PC version. You can submit videos, audio, live, etc. It is a paradise for the 2D fans. [2] Human-flesh C Human-flesh, also known as human-flesh searching. It refers to some kind of mass movement. It is an internet-based medium, partially based on verifying manually the authenticity of information provided by search engines one by one, and is partially based on information provided by anonymous informants to search for a person or the truth of an event. It is mainly used to find a person or information related to a person, such as QQ ID, address, etc. Chapter 261 : Becoming One Song Gang was the voice actor for Lin Feng. He was a skilled actor in his right, and could alter his voice in many ways. The public knew this, and celebrated it with much enthusiasm. He was a very hardworking person, taking several roles over the course of each year. By chance, several of his roles would involve characters from adaptations of novels. He carried the nickname of Harem King, because he voiced several male protagonists in the harem genre. However, he had missed out on the opportunity to voice the main character in Pure Romance, as his schedule was already full. Many netizens believed that Song Gang was the perfect person to voice for the character, Scumbag Ming, and he totally deserved it In fact, most of Song Gang fans were male. Even though he voiced several male protagonists in the harem genre, he was not that good at communicating with girls in real life. Rather, they terrified him. He used to get so nervous working with female voice actors, that he would mess up his lines. Time soon alleviated most of his unease, and he could restrain himself with more skill now. He carried himself with a fierce passion, even among other professional voice actors. He had once even avoided conversing with a certain female voice actor, as he did not believe that their respective characters in the anime were close enough to carry out a casual conversation Without a doubt, Song Gang was a role model in his field of expertise. Even though he often gets criticized for accepting too many low-grade jobs, his level of method-acting was second to none. Basically all harem kings on screen would carry his voice. To be honest, when he heard that he was going to be working with a fresh fish, he had his qualms about it. Rumors were circulating on the internet, saying that this person had not even gone through a proper audition If his partner does not perform well, her lack of experience would drag him down with her. He enjoyed working with voice actors who had real potential, so that he could motivate himself even more, especially when they are interacting. Before he accepted the role of voicing Lin Feng, he had delved into deep research concerning the character and its premise. He soon realized that he shared many similarities with this character. Lin Feng had a problem socializing as well, so he had placed all of his soul on the line in the name of gaming. Song Gang had a fear of socializing with others, so he voice acting was his only refuge, and his raison detre. Song Gang was not so stuck up as to refuse working with a newbie. It was the fact that this particular newbie had not gone through any form of training that worried him so Working as a voice actor would appear simple enough, but appearances would always be deceiving. Amateurs would usually take minor roles to gain experience, slowly and steadily. Handing over a protagonists role to them too soon would only ruin their future prospects and the immediate work. Song Gang finally laid eyes upon the voice actor of Yu Shengfan, he felt a thump in his heart. Somethings not right, someone as beautiful as her, being a voice actor? Voice acting was a rather popular job these days, but they were still far beyond compare to actresses or models. When a voice actor is just starting his or her career, they would experience more hardship than anyone else, while being paid peanuts Many people dreamed of becoming voice actors, but they would always end up giving up the career in the face of harsh reality. So, why would a girl who was gifted in her looks take up such a rough journey? It did not make any sense, voice actors would only need their voices to earn a living. Even though she was cute, it would not get the job done! Song Gang was afraid that the rumors on the internet were indeed true, but he did not let that judgment show on his face. He only needed to do well in his role; an established studio would wisely replace her if she does not perform up to par. When the animation supervisor, Dong Yang saw Zhao Youyue, he did not hide his disapproval. He had requested for a pre-recording audition session earlier on, so that he could immediately eliminate her to prevent any future delays. She was just a newbie, but she had disregarded his request, earning his absolute ire! Dong Yang was waiting for this amateur to mess things up, he could not trust an amateur to simply produce the voice of Yu Shengfan, a notoriously challenging character who was a bundle of expressions and unbridled passion! Zhao Youyue was concerned for her studies, so she wanted to finish up all of Yu Shengfans lines in one go, if possible. Dong Yang actually approved of that sentiment, because in his perspective, she was eagerly digging her own grave. He would settle for nothing less than perfection. Zhao Youyue politely greeted the staff and introduced herself to every other voice actor in the room. Other than Song Gang who voiced Lin Feng, the voice actor for Tang Yongkai was also present. After all, Yu Shengfan would be seen messing around together with Lin Feng and Tang Yongkai in the new server. The male voice actors looked like your passing average Joe; they were voice actors, good looks would not give them extra credits. Song Gang did not reciprocate Zhao Youyues friendly approach, he even barely took note of her name, no thanks to internal turmoil. He was not good at socializing to begin with; and a pretty girl like Zhao Youyue only made matters worse. If possible, he would have her keep her distance. Finally, the recording session commenced. Zhao Youyue activated her Yu Shengfan card habitually. Everything else would come naturally. She would not even need to read the script, for she would be Yu Shengfan! It cannot be helped. She was so familiar with Yu Shengfan, for Yu Shengfan was a part of her! There was no way that she wouldnt be able to speak for herself! This act of self-confidence left everyone in the room dumbfounded! Most importantly, she was becoming one with Yu Shengfan! At that moment, she was Yu Shengfan in the flesh! Song Gang stared at her with his jaw gaping open. Her temperament had changed completely. All forms of discrimination and prejudice he held vanished into thin air, only to be replaced by a fiery, competitive spirit! He must not fall behind an amateur, and judging by her looks, she had to be a university student. This Zhao Youyue was perfect beyond anything else! The professional and strict Song Gang who had fully prepared himself for the role was performing way beyond his typical standards, under the influence of Zhao Youyue. Unexpectedly, it was the voice actor of Tang Yongkai who was the weak link The animation supervisor, Dong Yang almost dropped to his knees in front of Zhao Youyue when she opened her mouth. This was not just a person simply voicing Yu Shengfan, this was the actual Yu Shengfan manifested in reality, playing as herself in the form of an animation! Rosemary master, where did he find such a mysterious voice actor! Chapter 262 Wife and Lover Zhao Youyue may not be reading the script, but neither was she ad-libbing or going off track. That would surely derail the other voice actors. She was merely intimately familiar with the role. She had firsthand experience of everything else in the novel; those memories have all been branded on her mind! As she spoke each line, she felt herself entering the literary world once again, speaking in place of Yu Shengfan. The mysterious, intoxicated feeling emerged once again, drawing out the best in her! Of course, part of it was Zhao Youyues own great efforts, but most of it had something to do with the mysterious power of the iconic character card. She performed the role to perfection, using a method that can never be emulated by anyone else, by being the character in the flesh! The same rules of logic of an average voice actor could not be used to measure Zhao Youyues abilities. Nobody can ever claim that it is that easy to step into the shoes of a particular character and be the character, because nobody had iconic character cards of their own. Zhao Youyues voice acting, not only conquered the heart of her fellow voice actors and the animation supervisor, Dong Yang; she also made the original author, Ye Hai lean back in contentment. He felt that he had made the right choice, a wild card like Zhao Youyue had brought out the authentic essence of Yu Shengfan! That night, Ye Hai invited Dong Yang and the few main voice actors for dinner, to officially introduce Zhao Youyue to everyone and nurture a friendly working environment. Ye Hai knew that Dong Yang had his initial doubts about Zhao Youyue, but her acting skills today had shown that she could play the role of Yu Shengfan without any problem. Would this change things with Dong Yang? Dong Yang was not a particularly strict animation supervisor, and neither was his heart small. Ye Hai hoped that this meal would break the ice, so that the animation crew could work together as a team, and let them know that this mysterious voice actress had what it took to stand amongst them. He had not made his choice because of a personal bias or because a deal was made under the counter. With this misunderstanding cleared out, they could turn the release of The Strongest King animation in September into an effective way of promotion. They could simply lure the enraged audience into watching the animation, and with the perfect voice acting of Zhao Youyue, they would be convinced! All questions would be cleared up in smoke! Thats right, this was all the scheme. Even though many had taken this the wrong way, if promoted right, would set them back on track! Zhao Youyue was all too familiar with these sorts of meals which served to improve relationships between humans. Her family practiced this all the time. So, she hoisted her cup without much deliberation and toasted Dong Yang. Of course, it contained nothing but fizzy soft drinks. The prejudice that Dong Yang had previously was already gone when he saw her amazing acting skills. He did not know how to describe her technique, all he knew was that she was a wild card. She was unlike all other voice actors. Unorthodox as her methods may be, she brought Yu Shengfan as close to real life as she could be! If only Zhao Youyue could reproduce such effects when it comes to every other animated character, animation companies would definitely compete for her. Dong Yang even wanted to have her teach other voice actors, so that they could perform as well as her Of course, Dong Yang was just fantasizing all of this. Zhao Youyue could only perform so well due to her iconic character card, and with the help of that mysterious power, little fish could easily voice herself in a dramatization of her lifes story. Also, the world would gain a new level of respect and push the character to new heights of fame. In a way, Zhao Youyue would be helping herself, boosting the effects of her Yu Shengfan card. When the animation is aired, and her role is well-received, Yu Shengfans popularity would undoubtedly increase, and she might unlock even more of the iconic cards hidden ability. Even though iconic character cards had no expiry dates, they would perform differently in different situations. Iconic character cards were very versatile indeed. Lets take little fish for example. When she was at the peak of her popularity, Zhao Youyue would have flawless gaming skills upon activation. But when she is experiencing a usual quiet day, Zhao Youyues gaming skill would become average; this was a dynamic equilibrium. Zhao Youyue now had a better understanding towards the Two Dimensional Gate and Iconic Character Card, and she did feel the need of acquiring more iconic character cards. Of course, if opportunity allows it, she would not blame herself for having too many wives, more lovers are always welcome! Wives are meant for one to spend time together for the rest of their lives, lovers such as high popularity character cards, were meant for a short-lived but fulfilling fling. She has never earned a high popularity character card before as a disposable item, but they definitely had their own uses. Despite the presence of a time limit, she would be able to treasure every single moment with them. Yu Shengfan had initially started off as a high popularity character card, but Rosemary had turned it into something else entirely. Zhao Youyue couldnt do anything about it, if a lover decides to marry her as a wife. Naturally, it did not cost her any loss The dinner went off well. When Dong Yang and Song Gang found out that Zhao Youyue was just a first-year high school student who was about to enter her second year, they were shocked! A high school student who knew how to mingle with adults, was amazing. Of course, her voice acting skills were even more so When Song Gang saw how easily Zhao Youyue got around the others, he felt that he had wasted all his years living, he was really abysmal at socializing! Dong Yang had even asked Zhao Youyue if she was interested in building up her career on voice acting, and offered her roles for his next animation project. Her performance had blown him away, body, mind and soul. Zhao Youyue turned down the offer, saying that she was only willing to voice act for Yu Shengfan because she (was her wif) liked the character very much. Ye Hai had created Yu Shengfan character upon her request as well, so she was willing to voice act her favorite character(s), and no other. Zhao Youyue also hoped that they would write the cast for the voice of Yu Shengfan as Yu Shengfan herself This request earned an incredulous stare from Dong Yang, but when everyone around the table learned of Lady Zhao Youyues identity, they quickly understood. When the lady intends to keep a low profile, they would do their best to cooperate. If they can no longer hide the truth, they would just say that the mysterious voice actor for Yu Shengfan was a female streamer from Douyu. It could be considered as a form of advertisement for her not-so-popular live stream, because she has never once displayed her face. As the session went on with eerie fluidity, everyone soon discovered yet another talent of Zhao Youyueher singing! Chapter 263 A Time to Relax In the novel, The Strongest King, Yu Shengfan had sung a song titled South Mountain. Zhao Youyue had also sung this song during one of her live streams, and had blown up the internet for a period of time. Her singing skills aside, it was the fact that it had only appeared in the form of an excerpt in the original material. Those words came with no melody nor complete lyrics, but the live Douyu streamer, Ah Yu had sung the song like it was a daily good morning greeting. Not only was the music soothing to the ears, she had also filled up the missing lyrics as well. If this was an original composition of the female streamer, she was one of a kind! Rosemary, Ye Hai knew that Zhao Youyue was an extraordinary person for her musical talent, but little did he know that Zhao Youyue had the ability to enter the realm of a literary world, that was simply too absurd! He had grown to believe that Zhao Youyue had always been talented in music since young. Because she loved his book that much, she had taken the extra step to complete the song C South Mountain. When Zhao Youyue first sang the song South Mountain, she was using Yu Shengfans card, that was why she was not able to sing the song perfectly. She felt that it was flawed and so she never sang it again. But things were different today; she had the Chu Luoxun card. If she uses that iconic character card to sing South Mountain, the effects would be awesome! When The Strongest King animation is officially on air, the audience would surely be conquered by her singing voice. In fact, the singing voice would not be carried out by Yu Shengfan, but by the talented musician, Chu Luoxun who was simply imitating Yu Shengfan. Once again, this had left Dong Yang highly impressed, and so he had Zhao Youyue sing the ending theme song for The Strongest King, as the spot was still vacant. The opening theme song was sung by a male singer while a female sang the ending theme song. Of course, Zhao Youyue agreed without hesitation. For a music lover like Chu Luoxun, she would gladly offer a helping hand when it comes to music. The animation crew of The Strongest King was happy to have Zhao Youyue on their side. They believed that Rosemary had great insight, he had found them an incredible cast member, and it had saved them a lot of trouble. Zhao Youyue was definitely the biggest surprise they have ever had in their lengthy professional careers! Dong Yang had also said that if Zhao Youyue ever intends to press on as voice actor, she would definitely climb to the top as one of the most successful voice actors ever. Her looks will only make it all the more easier. However, Zhao Youyue knew herself too well, letting her voice the character she had possessed before was the key piece to all of this magic. She had already grown familiar with this literary world, especially when it came to the character, Chu Luoxun. She had almost spent her entire semester getting this awesome card; she knew everything about Chu Luoxun like the back of her hand! It would be difficult for her to voice for another character that she was not familiar with Her work progressed with great, fluid efficiency and she soon completed every line by the end of August. Her summer holiday was coming to an end, but she felt that this was the most fulfilling summer holiday she had ever had. During the process of recording, she had learned many other things; she could still activate her Xu Jing card in her free time to indulge herself in learning. Zhao Youyue had learned many things from the experienced and talented voice actor Song Gang, even though he had trouble socializing with the opposite gender that frightened him so. When he saw Zhao Youyue learning with enthusiasm, he was very pleased and glad to impart his knowledge in the field to her. In summary, her work at The Strongest King was complete. If she ever stumbles upon the chance to voice act one of her wives again, the process would be smoother than ever. Her experience would only accumulate. Zhao Youyue had earned her first paycheck with her own hands. An amateur would usually get paid between 500 to 700 per episode, but due to Zhao Youyues outstanding performance, that value raised to 800. They also considered the fact that Yu Shengfan was a particularly talkative character, she would have a long list of lines per episode. Luckily Yu Shengfan was killed off rather early; if she ever lived to see the finale of The Strongest King, the voice actress for Yu Shengfan would have a load in her hands! Yu Shengfan appeared in 25 episodes, so Zhao Youyues pay soon totaled up to 20,000RMB. That amount of money was tremendous, compared to an average high school student, and they could show it off by buying all sorts of things. To Lady Zhao who still had a few hundred thousand in her personal vault, this 20,000RMB was nothing to her. But it was meaningful to her; it proved that Lady Zhao Youyue could earn her own money without the help of her parents! In fact, Zhao Youyue was still earning some income through her Douyu live streaming channel, but it was not even close to ten thousand. She had almost forgotten about it, as it had little to no sense of presence at all. Unfortunately, Zhao Youyues parents were not at home, or else she would have showed it off to her parents. But soon after that she hesitated, realizing that it would be difficult to explain the level of skill she displayed with Yu Shengfan After much consideration, Zhao Youyue decided to lay low; feeling that this small achievement did not justify for a bragging session. The real professionals would wait for others to uncover their exploits. The effects of showing off unintentionally would be much more significant. Zhao Youyue was not willing to become a side character at first, but she couldnt help it, as she had no special abilities of her own. She had always been uncertain of herself, trying to prove herself by stirring up negative attention. But now, after everything that she had been through, including the acquisition of a skill that nobody could learn, she realized that it is fine being a side character. She could always morph into the main character any time she chose, this was her true form! Zhao Youyue had just returned from the capital; she did not want to do anything at all, she just wanted to lay back and relax. To be honest, being able to obtain the iconic character card, Chu Luoxun, was an exciting event for Zhao Youyue. So when she gets the chance to use Chu Luoxun card, she would not hesitate to use it. She wanted to show it off to the whole world. After she had inducted Goddess Chu into her harem, she could always draw attention to herself, be it by carrying out a violin performance at school or by singing the ending theme song for The Strongest King. But in reality, for her to acquire the Goddess Chu card, the mental stress and suffering that she had to endure was all too intense, and she still had not yet recovered from it. So it was time to relax, and enjoy the little things in life. Zhao Youyue suddenly realized she was still short of a character card. This card would need the power of the Salted fish[1]. It would have to be a character card specially made for relaxation. Upon activation, she would turn into a salted fish and relax, while being able to turn everything into an act of leisure As Zhao Youyue did not actually know how to enjoy herself fully, she only knew how to fiddle with her phone. That definitely could not ease the tension of her last death. Thats right, the deaths of Xu Jing and Chu Luoxun, Zhao Youyue had experienced their deaths firsthand. Xu Jing was less severe, as her death was never explained in detail, but Chu Luoxun was practically dead from the beginning of the book, and she had to suffer throughout a good half of the novel! If she does not shake this phobia off, the fear of death would prevent herself from working to acquire any other iconic cards. This is why she was keen on enjoying herself in the next literary world, no matter what Translator note: [1] Salted fish C It means a person who does nothing or slacking off a whole day. Chapter 264 Continuation Zhao Youyue loitered at home for the rest of the day; she even cooked herself a meal. Or rather, this meal was prepared by her wife, Xu Jing. It was a scrumptious one. As Zhao Youyue ate her homecooked meal, she felt the need of obtaining a character card with maxed out cooking skills, it would be great. Other than playing her phone, a delicious meal was one of the things that Zhao Youyue would care for the most. Zhao Youyue wanted to eat an aphrodisiac meal that would literally glow before her eyes There is a saying that made perfect sense; everything can be forsaken, except for love and good food. The other fantasy was the Empress dream that Zhao Youyue once had, but unfortunately, the random nature of the Two Dimensional Gate had to put a wedge between her dreams. Zhao Youyue had entered the world of anti-Russian warfare with a reckless abandonment that tore it apart within itself. So now, before Zhao Youyue enters the Two Dimensional Gate, she would not dare to wish for a specific world. Keep her expectations low, and she would be spared the disappointment. Before that, she had sought to enter an entertainment world, so that she could acquire a singing skill. What she expected least was to finally acquire the powers of a stronger and more talented musician. It was Goddess Chu who came to her in a romantic novel that involved classical music! With Goddess Chus card in hand, Zhao Youyue would not have to worry about not accomplishing anything in life. Chu Luoxun had the ability to compose great pieces. With this ability, she could write lyrics and compose music on her own. She could easily choose to earn a living with this musical talent of hers. In her mind, many forms of good music had yet to exist in the current world. If she lacked the ability to compose or even gain her bearings in the realm of music, she would never be able to even copy or emulate a Jay Chou song. If only she is the main protagonist of a particular novel, she could get hold of a professional to listen to her singing, and allow that professional to compose a song for her. It was a cheap stunt, and one that would draw suspicion with ease. How could an unknown pull out such a masterpiece from her pocket? But now Zhao Youyue did not have to worry about such problems; she did not want to use these songs to gain profit, she simply wanted to share her love of music with the world; just like Chu Luoxun and her music, she wanted everyone to feel happy. Only Chu Luoxun had such an amazing talent; she could create her original song, and Zhao Youyue could only take the reference from the soul that she has taken in. Zhao Youyue decided to broadcast a live stream that night, since playing games was one of her many ways of reducing stress; although it wasnt any different from playing her phone. Lady Zhao gave off the vibe of an otaku, even when she is out traveling, it would just be akin to her changing the location of her phone, while taking photos of herself and posting it on social network to make it appear as if she had a fulfilling holiday Zhao Youyue was prepared to let her wife, little fish come out for a breather; and now she was at the point of being a contender of the top. She was getting more viewers visiting her live streaming room to see her gaming skills. Now, she needed more time to find a suitable or new game to play. At times, she would turn off her Yu Shengfan card and start communicating with the audience; she found it all rather interesting. To become a streamer, one must be an eloquent speaker. Theres no way that a streamer can just remain quiet and play games, right? In order to become a popular streamer, one must have their personal flair and quirk. Zhao Youyues soothing voice was very popular among the crowd, many of them would even ask her to stop playing LoL, and talk to the audience instead! Becoming a big sister for everyone would be nice However, Zhao Youyue had to activate her Yu Shengfan card to play, or else her subpar standards would be a hindrance to everyone else, she would never become the number one national player without the help of her iconic character card. Whenever she activates Yu Shengfan card, her behavior would change, drastically! Some audience enjoyed this jarring switch, but some audience did not approve of this Ah Yu whenever she plays a game, as she would treat her opponents harshly. A venomous tongue is not a moe trait in the reality, it only made people furious but if little fish does not chatter or hurls out her characteristic verbal abuse, her stream could end up dull, this was an unsolvable, endless loop. Just like the elite scholar card, Xu Jing had different configurations, such as her Tri no mode, and her Poker face mode. Only Goddess Chu was full of positive energy, and she had many ways of laughing, a girl who enjoyed laughing would be more likely to become popular, compared to a girl with a poker face, right? For todays live streaming, Zhao Youyue decided to send Goddess Chu out as well; and sang a few songs for everyone, including South Mountain a perfect rendition of it this time. With the help of Chu Luoxun, she was not afraid of not doing the songs justice She had a feeling that her channel would soon go viral. After all, this room had a gaming professional, Yu Shengfan, a talented musician, Chu Luoxun, and the gentle and heartwarming Lady Zhao who was good at socializing with the audience. It would be peculiar if this channel does not go viral. Zhao Youyue usually started her live streams at night, but it was still evening at that moment, the weather was rather warn, so she decided to stay in her room with the air conditioner turned on. She felt like doing something because she could not sit still, but there was nothing that she could do at that moment. Suddenly, Han Leng had sent a text via Wechat. He seemed most agitated over something -Lady Zhao, my best friend Chen Haoran, he is being ridiculous! He had just lost his love, and I went to comfort him with good intentions, but he, he. When Zhao Youyue saw this message, she imagined the scenery of the straight guy, Chen Haoran meeting up with the lady boss Leng Zi. A broad, nefarious grim formed on her face. Yes, she needed to know how this best friend/romantic encounter plays out. Han Leng was loyal to his friend, and he would look down on every woman. After realizing that his female appearance would cast aside almost 70% of womankind, he had grown even more full of himself! However, he had forgotten a very important factor, if he found his other self beautiful, how would other males feel about it?! In this modern era, gender is not a problem, as long as the person is beautiful! If you were given a choice to pick a pretty boy and an ugly girl, an average person would surely pick the pretty boy! What happened? Scholar Han, dont leave me hanging here. Im very interested to know what happened to the both of you over the past few days Zhao Youyue replied him almost instantly, bolting upright in anticipation. A cat seemed to have caught this eloquent writers tongue, or he was simply overwhelmed at the moment. He simply could not find the right words to describe the events that have unfolded between Chen Haoran and himself. Chapter 265 I treated you like a brother, but you Zhao Youyue was no fujoshi, but her mind couldnt stop itself from running wild when it came to cooking up all sorts of images of Han Leng and Che Haoran in each others embraces. Unfortunately, they would not be in the same class anymore. Chen Haoran specialized in science subjects, while his language subjects were his weak points, so there was no way that he would succeed in a specialized language class. This could potentially affect his future; as he might actually follow Han Leng into his specialized field. In the end, he was transferred to the first class, the most advanced science class in the whole school. Naturally, Wang Zongchao was in this class as well. Most of the students in this class had once participated in science subjects competitions, but not many of them ever took home the trophy. Chen Haoran was one of the students who could, because he truly excelled in these subjects, and the more difficult the exam questions were, the more he would shine. Many of the top students would participate in competitions, but they only did it for the sake of following the crowd. They knew that they were not capable of taking the trophy home, but in order to show that they were not inferior to other students, they would persist on remaining in these competition classes, only to realize that it was all a waste of time. The elite scholars who grabbed the first-grade prize in the provincial science subject competition while still being able to participate in the winter camp stood on a different level where hard work alone could not keep up. This would be a question of innate brainpower. Unfortunately, most top students were not willing to accept this fact. Zhao Youyue would be the butt of jokes made by the other top students when they heard that Zhao Youyue has never participated in any of the science subject competitions. However, when Zhao Youyue earned the gold medal for the provincial level music competition, they were speechless. Just like the difference between brains, musical talent was also something that hard work can never emulate. Whenever Zhao Youyue participates in the national violin competition; she would still revert to her Humanoid Metronome mode. If she is to take the stage as a performer, she would flip her Goddess Chu switch and blow the audience away! She remembered a certain art student from her school who called himself, Hang Yongming. He had always said that he intended to prove to her what real music was, but Zhao Youyue had decided to show him what real music was during the next school festival night. Her closest opportunity would most likely be the new years eve party. Han Leng finally replied with a massive wall of text. He very much needed Zhao Youyue to listen to his problems. On the day when he had chased after Chen Haoran to comfort him, he did not realize that he was still in drag, until he had caught up. Fortunately, Chen Haoran did not immediately recognize him, he only thought of her as fleetingly familiar, but he never once took her to be his best friend, Han Leng. Chen Haoran was not good at dealing with girls, and anyone would know that by looking at his reckless confession to Zhao Youyue, it was plain awkward! But Zhao Youyue could not sense any sincerity from Chen Haoran; and neither could she be upfront with this person as they barely knew each other. She had a feeling that he was gambling on his luck as he threw out the confession Zhao Youyue was clearly unaware of her growing beauty. It had bloomed in the faces of her classmates, especially right at the point before the class gets disbanded. He was afraid that others would beat him to the punch when confessing to her, because who wouldnt? Why not seize the opportunity and confess to her first, so that he could get this over with, even if he never stood a chance? What if he had the slimmest of chances? The happiest thing in the world is to realize that the person you loved actually felt the same about you Chen Haoran probably thought that he might lose his chance if he did not confess to her, but the truth demonstrated that it was all playing in his head! There is no such thing as your crush liking you at the same time, it happens only in dreams! Many girls would be conflicted between money and love when it comes to marriages, only to realize that without money, there would be no love. When they arrive at a certain age, they would just have to make do with it Everyone was just like Zhao Youyue, they were either side characters, unless they were famous or great figures. They would be destined to spend their entire lives busy doing something without ever getting noticed. In the eyes of an average person, they would treat those who chase after their dreams as adolescent-like delusions, because this world had a harsh reality. When Han Leng realized that he was still in drag, he quickly adjusted his voice to a cute, girl-like voice. Chen Haoran fell for her immediately; this cute girl was not inferior to Zhao Youyue! After that, Han Leng introduced herself as Han Bing, a cousin of Han Leng. She knew him from her cousin, Han Leng. When he heard that she was the cousin of his best friend, he instantly felt a connection to her. He knew that she was comforting him, which only served to bolster his feelings for her. They parted ways after having dinner, and with the help of Han Bing, Chen Haoran had quickly gotten over his slump. He was not a literary guy like Han Leng. He knew that Zhao Youyue did not like him, so he did not get hung up over it. He would just find a better person. He only wanted a relationship that contained mutual love. But, where should he start looking? Of course, at the one right in front of his very eyes! Thats right, Chen Haoran had fallen in love with Han Bing, but this time, he had learned from his past experience. He had grown more mature and even knew to give presents to Han Bing, knowing that he should take it slowly and steadily Han Leng did not sense anything amiss, he had thought Chen Haoran was only doing this because he wanted to take care a certain best friends cousin like he would a little sister. Chen Haoran did not risk his chances by asking for the contacts of Han Bing directly; he knew that he had his best friend, Han Leng backing him up. When Han Leng reached home, he received a text from Chen Haoran. He wanted more information on his cute little cousin, Han Bing. He also blamed Han Leng for hiding such a beautiful little sister. Han Leng finally realized, his best friend had a crush on Han Bing! I treated you like a brother, but you want to f*** me? Han Leng wanted to tell him there and then that Han Bing and him were one and the same, but what if Chen Haoran has no problem doing with a guy? What should he do, if that really happens? Didnt you like Zhao Youyue? Han Leng had no other options but to divert the topic. But Chen Haoran replied that he no longer had a crush on her, as she had rejected him, so he could move on without any qualms. Arent you a playboy now, how can you say that you liked her? Han Leng asked. Chen Haoran said that he was serious, and that he was aiming for marriage based on true love. He hoped that Han Bing would wait for him, and he would chase after her when he enrolls in a university, and get married after graduation! Han Leng almost went crazy; he could now only seek help from Lady Zhao, asking for her opinion Meanwhile, Zhao Youyue was laughing so hard that her sides were hurting. Of course her suggestion to him would be; to get together! Chapter 266 Choosing to forgive her Zhao Youyue entertained that thought in her mind, but she never said it out loud. She suggested that Han Leng keeps it a secret. When Chen Haoran realizes that once again, his feeling is one-sided, he should move on like before. So he only needs Chen Haoran to know that Han Bing did not have a crush on him. But this would all depend on Han Leng, as he was an extremely loyal brother. In order to save Chen Haoran from further despair, he would probably maintain the white lie Han Leng had decided to come to Zhao Youyue for this, as he knew that she was a great listener. That grumpy temperament of his would be gone when talking to her; she would always respond with a soothing calmness. After getting the approval of Han Leng, Zhao Youyue had posted his female photos in the chat group; the readers were getting impatient because Leng Zi had not fulfilled his promise. Zhao Youyue had made it a point to explicitly state that Leng Zi was a male author, but the readers were not having any of it! The photos of Leng Zi that were posted by Tycoon Youyue caused an uproar in the chat group! I certainly did not expect Master Leng Zi to be such a beauty! Such a beautiful high school student, and Tycoon Youyue is saying that she a guy? I dont believe it. Stop lying, this is definitely a girl, why do you want to be a reverse-trap? Are you drunk? From this day onward, I am a loyal slave of Master Leng Zi, whoever who dares oppose Master Leng Zi, I shall crush his head! I will give up on avenging Chu Luoxun after seeing the photos of Master Leng Zi. Lady Youyue youre amazing, you could always make friends with the authors, I envy your contact list! Master Leng Zis legs are life-threatening, eh, how did my screen get dirty? Absolute territory was great, prprpr[1] Zhao Youyue realized that gender did not matter when the end result looks good. Look at all these testosterone-fueled male readers! How would they react when they learn of Leng Zis true gender? They might not believe now, but this was the fact! Han Leng would not possibly wear his female outfit to meet his fans. The magazine company would surely build him up as a (male) idol to sell his books better. Zhao Youyue did not post the photos onto Weibo, but that did not mean that others would do the same. Without a doubt, Han Lengs photo became a trending result in Weibos search bar. Beautiful April was still a hot topic in Weibo; there were a lot of aestheticians who dwelled on the topic The original songs from Beautiful April themselves became popular. Unfortunately, there was no actual melody or music to represent them. If that were the case, the aestheticians would analyze Chu Luoxuns thoughts from the music, down to every syllable and pause. Meanwhile, the rumor of Master Leng Zi being a beautiful female author had been proven. Without a doubt, it was an encouraging piece of news, people were more willing to forgive a beautiful author these days, Su Li excluded. Even though Su Li was a good looking mangaka, she loved to gossip, appear on headlines and stir up controversy, which only caused more readers to frame her. Her fame was already more than what her abilities were capable of, but her strength as a painter was the real deal, she was just not as good at thinking up a story. Besides that, how Su Li despised pirated readers and how she worshipped tycoon readers left a great many disgruntled about her. According to statistics, the pirated readers would usually be ten times more than the readers who supported the original So, it made sense as to why Su Li would often get framed; she gave people the impression that she would bow down to any rich beneficiary. Master Leng Zi was a mysteriously low profile author, and had unintentionally caused a stir. With everyone wanting to know who she actually was, her name was also a frequent hit in search engines. Now that her photos have circulated around the internet, everyone decided to forgive her! Such a beautiful female author could easily appease the grudge of the crowd by exposing her photos, so that everyone could rest easy and shift the blame to Su Li. Everything was Su Lis fault, under the mysterious influence, it made Master Leng Zi kill Chu Luoxun in the novel One must admit that Master Leng Zi was brave, because she was willing to apologize and take responsibility, she had won the readers favor, the readers could also sense the remorse and heartache of Master Leng Zi as she killed off Chu Luoxun in the novel. This was unlike some authors who would try to shift the blame after messing things up, without intending to apologize to the readers, or even reflect upon themselves. Some netizens insisted that Master Leng Zi was a guy, but they were drowned out by voices who sang praises of Master Leng Zis beauty. Gender did not really matter, as many netizens had resigned to the fact that they might never even have the chance to see Master Leng Zi in person, they only need take in his beauty without doing anything. Thats why everyone would be alright with a big-cock cutie and even call them the cutest, because they knew that this was only available on the internet, it is no easy task to meet such a cutie in real life Under these circumstances, a few hundred thousand copies of Beautiful April was sold out in a short time! The piracy issue was severe in this world, especially when it came to cyberpiracy. The pirated version of Beautiful April had already flooded the internet like a viral outbreak. With the advanced technology of the internet, the sales of real books had taken a dip over time, but this novel enjoyed decent sales, thanks to many aestheticians and those who supported Master Leng Zi! The editors of the magazine company were confused, was this Han Leng really a beautiful female author? The data shows that he was indeed a male Han Leng saw his female outfit photos going viral on the internet; he felt excited and uneasy at the same time. Most of them were praising him for being beautiful, which blew more hot air into his head. He felt that he was the most beautiful person in this world After killing off Chu Luoxun, he has finally found another true love! Naturally, everyone would see as clear as day that he was lying to himself. He knew that he felt a familiar feeling as Zhao Youyue plays the violin, but he was too afraid to admit it. He would only admit it after she takes him to wonderland a few more times. Falling in love with himself would not be as pathetic as Chen Haorans case, getting rejected by Lady Zhao in the face. Translator note: [1] Prprpr C peroperois an internet slang used by the Japanese otakus to describe licking something vigorously. Chapter 267 Live streaming while the Chu Luoxun card is activated Night had fallen, and Zhao Youyue finally kicked off her live stream. At that moment, Su Li tuned into Ah Yus Live Stream. After Su Li had found out that Ah Yu was actually Lady Zhao, she had developed a new interest in watching live streams, even though she was not even interested by the slightest bit before this. As a loyal follower of Lady Zhao, she had unknowingly been mesmerized by Lady Zhao and is now a hopeless Zhao Youyue addict Before Zhao Youyue departed for the capital city to record Yu Shengfans lines, she made sure to bring Su Li out for a big treat. That unlucky girl is once again taking the blame for Chu Luoxuns death in Beautiful April. At the dining table, Su Li had exclaimed that her current situation could perfectly be described with the words Death is like the wind always by my side[1]. No matter which well-known female protagonist she draws, they would all end up with great misfortune. No one else is capable of doing such a thing but her! Zhao Youyue had of course been very kind and was very patient in comforting Su Li and calming her down. Su Li was extremely touched, and felt that Zhao Youyue was the one and only perfect reader of Beautiful April in the world. Zhao Youyue had always been there for Su Li, at her best and worst. Even when Su Li truly started doubting herself, and genuinely believed that she had a cursed hand, Zhao Youyue had assuaged her fears and affirmed that she would definitely win this battle! Uh, no, actually, Zhao Youyues so-called reassurance was more of a request for Su Li to stay focused on her goal. Then you might ask, what is Su Lis goal? Of course, her goal is to be able to unleash all of her potentials through the drawing of mangas. Su Li is neither an overambitious person nor did she expect much. All she wanted was for her various work to gain more recognition and garner a high sales volume, so that she is prepared for the day when she decides not to draw ever again. When that day comes, she hopes that she can just sit and wait for the cash to roll in, while being able to live a comfortable life. A money-minded artist like Su Li is actually a big threat to Zhao Youyue and her attempts to collect iconic character cards. It just so happens that Su Li is the closest artist friend that Zhao Youyue has. Life is really unpredictable sometimes. However, money is not the only important thing to Su Li right now. Lady Zhao had completely stolen a portion of her heart. Su Li was now a devout follower of Lady Zhao, and she was determined to do whatever it would take to make Lady Zhao happy. She went so far as to make sure that whenever she finds Lady Zhao liking a particular book, she would take the initiative to get on Lady Zhaos good side, by drawing an illustration of her favorite character for her Considering the fact that Lady Zhao was not even a tiny bit furious after Su Li drew Chu Luoxun to death, Lady Zhao had to be an astute person, who was capable of rational thought. Lady Zhao must have realized that the one to blame is, in fact, the author of the novel, Leng Zi, not Su Li. Anyway, since Su Li is so good at drawing, she could easily finish everything that is assigned to her in the blink of an eye. Sometimes, she would have so much time to spare that she would even draft out a few sketches and keep them for future use. If not for this, why would Su Li even be free to meet up with Zhao Youyue on weekends? As a result of her overflowing spare time, Su Li had recently got to know more about the King of Glory, and had been addicted to it ever since. Of course, even in the King of Glory, she is a loyal follower of Lady Zhao, who was extremely good at the game and could easily carry her team. Su Li could lay back and still win the game if she teams up with Lady Zhao. Obviously, victory came easy, considering how Lady Zhao would play her favorite champions like Luna, or Li Bai with extreme familiarity and skill! What a professional! If someone were to say that Zhao Youyue is the best King of Glory player in the country, would anyone even dare to object it? Su Li had also suggested that Zhao Youyue should stream King of Glory instead of League of Legends, so that Su Li could learn more about the game. For a non-gamer like Su Li, the controls and mechanics of League of Legends are way too challenging. She preferred King of Glory, as it was much easier to play, compared to League of Legends. It is no wonder that all the elementary school kids preferred King of Glory! After hearing Su Lis suggestion, Zhao Youyue thought that it was quite a good idea and that she might really consider doing it. Recently, the masses have been more inclined to playing mindless games that provided little challenge. An example is King of Glory, which had been getting a lot of attention lately. Every Tom Dick and Harry is playing and getting addicted to the game, ranging from people as young as elementary school kids to old aunties and the like, to the point where the media has been forced to give out advice on how to prevent gaming addiction. Without sufficient warning, everyone might just keep playing game after game after game This is why everyone says that King of Glory is dangerous! Since King of Glory is the center of attention now, and a prevailing hot topic, the amount of live streams revolving around the game had naturally increased. This is why Zhao Youyue agreed that live streaming King of Glory might be a good idea. Su Li was currently in the midst of watching Zhao Youyues live stream. Her favorite part of the live stream is when Zhao Youyue speaks to the viewers or does some little performances in between her games. Clearly, if anyone were to take a look at the bullet curtain, they would realize that Su Li is not the only one who lived for the moments between Zhao Youyues games - - Since your game is finally over, please play a song on the violin! Ah Yu, didnt you sing Parallel Galaxies the last time you streamed? Sing it one more time Listening to Ah Yu speak to her viewers is way more meaningful than watching her play! When will Ah Yu turn her camera on, just listening to her voice is boring! It is impossible for a female live streamer to become famous without turning her camera on! There are no ugly girls in this modern age. There are only girls who do not care about how they look and do not use makeup. Ah Yu what are you waiting for, there is nothing to worry about, just turn your camera on! This was just another normal day in Zhao Youyues live stream. Viewers requesting for her to turn on her camera have become a daily occurrence, as they believed that the moment Ah Yu turns her camera on, the live stream will go insane! If Ah Yu continues to be mysterious, all the rich viewers who donate heavily would surely stop watching her live streams. Even though Boss Hao had donated a big amount of money last time, nobody else fought with him to be the top in the donation list. If she would just turn her camera on and let everyone have a look at her face, she might be able to attract more affluent viewers. In an attempt to top the donation list and get Ah Yus attention, the rich viewers might just engage in a fight to see who donates the most amount of money to Ah Yu. Of course, the viewers also knew that when rich viewers start to compete, more people would join the live stream to see what is going on, and naturally, Ah Yus popularity will also soar Zhao Youyue usually ignores the viewers on her bullet curtain who request for her to turn on her camera. It does not matter anyway. Even if she turns her camera on, she can be a headless being, C asking Su Li to draw a cartoon portrait of her face so she can use it as her head. In a parallel universe, there is a live streamer called Xiao Yuan that does this during her live streams. She even has a Yuans classic emoji pack that contains her various cartoon portraits with different emotions. She is also good at singing and is widely known as a 2D live streamer. Unfortunately, in Zhao Youyues world, there was no one like that yet. At that moment, Zhao Youyue activated the Chu Luoxun card, as she confidently spoke to her viewers, Now, I will be singing Sweet, I hope that all of you will like it! The viewers were suddenly hyped up - - Oh oh, is Ah Yu finally going to sing? I cant wait! Can anyone tell me who is the original singer of Sweet? Correct me if I am wrong, but I think Sweet is an entirely fictional song from a certain juvenile novel. Is there also such a song in the real world? Ive just looked it up on Baidu[2], and there seems to be no such song. In fact, it is a song from Beautiful April, written by Chu Luoxun as a gift to the male and female protagonists! Wow, Ah Yu would become the original writer of Sweet in this world then, is she trying to cosplay as Goddess Chu now? Just do it, start singing already, it doesnt matter what you sing, I would still like it anyway! Ah Yu is just way too talented. If I remember correctly, the lyrics of Sweet are not even completed in the novel, let alone the melody. If Ah Yu can do so much as to complete Parallel Galaxies, she would definitely be able to complete Sweet as well, melody or not! The bullet curtain is instantly filled with comments by excited viewers, for Zhao Youyue had not sung for them for quite a while. Moreover, this time, as she will be singing a song that has only ever appeared in a novel, the anticipation threatened to kill them! While listening to Zhao Youyue sing, Su Lis admiration for her has once again increased. If Su Li could be said to be slightly talented in drawing, then Zhao Youyues talent in music is definitely out of this world! There is just one thing that Su Li could not wrap her head around she simply could not figure out why Lady Zhao preferred to do covers of songs from novels that do not exist in the real world. Why would she go so far as to purposely write the melody of the songs herself, when she can just conveniently sing a song that already exists. Translation note : [1] Death is like the wind C always by my side is a quote from a League of Legends champion, Yasuo. Yasuo says that line when he is picked during champion selection. [2] Baidu is the first Chinese search engine to receive such a license. It provides users a query-based searchable community to share knowledge and experience. Chapter 268 A voice that conquers everything I gently tasted the love you said which was for me The moment Zhao Youyue, or rather, Chu Luoxun, started singing Sweet in her delicate voice, a large number of viewers suddenly learned the definition of being mesmerized! Is this what they call the jaw-drop effect? Other than her voice, Zhao Youyues skill with the guitar also woke something deep within their hearts. When paired together, they just so amazingly complimented each other! In the novel, Chu Luoxun also loved to play and sing very much during her spare time, just like this. No matter how much pain she was in, as long as she starts singing, she would instantly feel as if everything was fine. Music was something that not only helped her forget her pain, but also brought her a lot of happiness. Currently, the fact that she can sing something like Sweet, which helps bring back her childhood memories, in front of approximately seventy to eighty thousand viewers, made her extremely happy! She was more than willing to bring happiness to everyone, to the whole world, through her music! Zhao Youyue has never felt better. Nothing she has ever felt could top the happiness she felt now, and this happiness made her music even more powerful than it already is Zhao Youyues live stream bullet curtain was currently being spammed with 6666666[1] while also gaining fish ball and thumbs up stickers by the awestruck viewers. As a result, the amount of viewers tuning into her live stream had also increased. A lot of viewers have also expressed their determination to help Ah Yu advertise her live stream once she is done with this song. If they advertise it well enough, more people will be able to watch the live stream and be blessed by her beautiful voice! Su Li was once again mesmerized. Su Li had assumed that Lady Zhao was only good at playing the violin, but as it turned out, Lady Zhao is also good at singing and insane with the guitar! Su Li could even imagine how Zhao Youyue looked right now, happily singing away with a microphone in front of her. It was a pity that her camera was not turned on, it would have been a very beautiful view. How unfortunate! Since Ah Yus live stream has been gradually gaining more views, the other live streamers who normally showcase their singing skills when they stream have naturally lost a portion of their viewers, especially those who were not that popular, to begin with. Tang Lu[2] is an example of one of those female live streamers who sing during streams. Even though her live streams are interesting, she would only get up to around twenty to thirty thousand viewers at a time, which is a considerably small amount. There are probably a lot of fake viewers in her live streams, but the owners of Douyu were actually fine with this, as they treasured live streams that appear busy. Tang Lus live stream was clearly affected by Ah Yus sudden popularity. The number of viewers watching Tang Lus live stream took a sharp dive. There was originally twenty to thirty thousand viewers, but now there were only less than ten thousand viewers left. Someone in Tang Lus live stream also kept commenting on the bullet curtain about how Ah Yus Sweet is the best thing ever. To make it worse, it was not just some random viewer, but a rich viewer who had previously donated thousands of dollars. Tang Lu was obviously not happy with this and grew frustrated. Thus, she decided to join Ah Yus live stream as a viewer as well, to see what was so great about it! She excused herself from her viewers, saying that she was suddenly not feeling well and had to sign off earlier. Then, she proceeded to open Ah Yus live stream, and managed to join the stream right as Ah Yu was singing the last few lines of the song - - I gently tasted the love you said which was for me I reluctantly ate the smiling candy I gently tasted it, even though there isnt much left Ill eat all of your love Although Tang Lu only heard the last few lines, she was more than impressed. Ah Yus singing was way better than what she had expected, she could probably start off a career as a professional singer! Tang Lu had initially thought that Ah Yu was only able to gain such a large amount of viewers through singing as well as flashing her looks, but now that she was there as a viewer, she knew it now, but could not believe that Ah Yu was really attracting all the viewers by the use of her voice! This led to Tang Lus realization that Ah Yu was actually quite worthy of admiration, therefore she had unknowingly clicked on the subscribe button At the same time, a lot of donations from rich viewers came rolling in. Even Su Li could not resist Lady Zhaos charm. She had willingly donated about a thousand dollars in the blink of an eye, which made her become part of the top donor list! Su Li is known for being stingy, but now that she had been unknowingly charmed by Lady Zhaos sweet voice, she completely lost control of herself, and the need to donate had suddenly taken over her mind! Other than Su Li, people like Ye Hai and his wife, Li Mengyao, were also watching Zhao Youyues live stream. Their only impression of Zhao Youyues musical side was when they had watched her play the violin long ago. However, the moment they heard Zhao Youyue sing Sweet, they began to reminisce about their sweet old times together, long ago when they just got together. Actually, Ye Hai and Li Mengyaos relationship is somewhat similar to the relationship between the male and female protagonists in Beautiful April. From the moment they met each other right up to their marriage, they had never really encountered any obstacle that would affect the closeness of their relationship. In addition to that, they were now living a very happy life together as well This is why the song Sweet, which was written as a gift from Chu Luoxun to the male and female protagonists, resonated with them so perfectly. As a result, they fell victims to Zhao Youyues charming voice just like everyone else, and went gone on to donate quite a bit of money to show their support. Zhao Youyues beautiful voice had also awakened Boss Hao from his long slumber. Boss Hao had disappeared for quite some time, after his unhappy experience of not getting the kind of attention he wanted, even after donating a large sum of money to Zhao Youyues live stream channel. Even after he had spent so much money, Zhao Youyue still had not turned on her camera! Zhao Hao had randomly clicked on Ah Yus Live Stream Channel for fun and was not expecting to hear such a beautiful voice upon entering the channel. Charmed by Zhao Youyue, he had completely forgotten about his mistreatment and once again could not resist the urge to donate a huge sum of money. To him, it did not matter anymore if she still insists on not turning on her camera, her voice would suffice! What Zhao Hao did not know was that Zhao Youyue had already signed a contract with Douyu. If Zhao Hao would just use his identity and look into things, he would definitely find out that this live streamer, which he is so interested in, was actually his younger cousin sister! If Zhao Hao ever finds out that it is actually Zhao Youyue behind the live stream, he would also be able to understand the reason as to why she refuses to turn her camera on. No one would want their private life exposed out in the open. Zhao Hao decided that he might as well stop requesting for Ah Yu to show her face, he would be more than contented if he is able to watch her play games and listen to her sing. The moment Zhao Youyues song came to an end, the bullet curtain was once again flooded with comments. The live stream channel which was originally quiet had immediately became chaotic. As a result of the rich viewers donating uncontrollably to the live stream channel, many others were attracted and had also clicked into the channel to see what was going on. The viewers who had just joined the channel had absolutely no idea what had just happened, but they followed the crowd and spammed 666 anyway. Since the bullet curtain was still being spammed, it was hard to make out what the viewers were saying in their comments. Only the comments of the rich viewers could be seen, as they had a special status and their comments were given priority over the normal viewers. They clearly wanted Ah Yu to sing another song. Well, it was their lucky day, because Zhao Youyue had already planned to sing two songs today, anyway. The next song she had in mind was I Left the Sadness to Myself. Will you let me walk with you This was not a song that belonged to the jaw-dropping series. Instead, it is a slow song that gradually builds up its tempo as it goes on. When it reaches the climax line of I left my sadness to myself, the song pierced right through to the hearts of the viewers, which brings back all of their sad memories and makes them cry! With just two songs, one sweet, another sad, Ah Yu, and her complete control over the viewers feelings, brought the room crashing down! Even though some of the viewers who had just joined the channel had not been able to hear Ah Yu sing Sweet,I Left the Sadness to Myself was more than good enough to conquer their hearts! However, the ones who were the most shocked by Ah Yus musical talents were the aesthetic researchers and also the fans of Beautiful April. They could not believe that a 3D Goddess Chu actually existed, and is even live streaming on Douyu! Can anyone explain what is happening? Translation note : [1] 666666 is an internet slang widely used in China. It is commonly used to express admiration for something someone else has done well. In simpler terms, it just means good or thumbs up. [2] Tang Lu is a famous live streamer in China that frequently streams on Douyu. Chapter 269 Steady Ascension After singing two songs, Zhao Youyue decided that it was enough for the day. Although she still had yet not sung Angel Wings and Just Happened to Meet You, she decided to save them for another time. If she continues to sing, it would be too shocking and too much for the viewers to take in. The viewers definitely needed some time to digest everything. However, as some of the viewers kept on insisting that she should sing Parallel Galaxies again, she finally gave in and did it. Of course, the bullet curtain was once again flooded with comments! Im not sure why, but I somehow feel that Ah Yus singing skills have suddenly improved by leaps and bounds! The last time I heard Ah Yu sing Parallel Galaxies, I really admired her talent, but now as I hear it again, I feel like she can just go ahead and go pro already! Why not just quit gaming and focus on being a live music streamer, with a powerful voice like that, you can completely triumph over those famous Douyu girls like they are nothing Im becoming more and more curious as to what is Ah Yus true identity. With a musical talent like that, is it even possible for no entertainment company to recruit her yet? If Ah Yu just gets some prep time, she can definitely become a real singer and sweep everyone off their feet with these songs! What a pity, these songs should be produced in an album, instead of being randomly sung in live streams. Zhao Youyue had of course seen all the compliments that appeared on the bullet curtain. However, she had already decided earlier on that she would not make a profit out of these songs. She would use them to bring everyone sheer happiness Although the number of viewers watching her live stream had increased to about two hundred thousand people, her follower count remained at slightly more than hundred thousand people. Therefore, right after she finished singing, Zhao Youyue called out to the viewers and requested for them to follow her and subscribe to her channel. Almost immediately, her subscription count started to increase! Emboldened by her increasing popularity, Zhao Youyue could finally say with confidence that she is now a well-known live streamer. Although she was not the type of live streamer who became an overnight success, through her gaming and musical talents, she had slowly but surely attracted more viewers and gradually built her reputation up. Turning her camera on would not change anything! Viewers who only paid attention to the looks of live streamers are known to be disloyal fans. Many of these viewers tend to jump ships when they get bored of a particular streamers face. This was understandable, as there is always a variety of choices, since many other live streamers flash their looks to gain views. Thus, whenever a new, prettier live streamer appears, the disloyal viewers will naturally move on to become new fans of that channel. However, a live streamer that gains views through showcasing their talents and skills is very different from those who merely flash their looks for views. Their unique talents and skills that no one could ever replicate would be a key selling point. They would be inimitable and irreplaceable! This was why their fanbase would be undying! Zhao Youyue is exactly the kind of live streamer that had a distinctive selling point, which was why she was steadily ascending the steps to becoming a famous live streamer. Thankfully, her fans were also very loyal to her. Even though she did not really capture the attention of many rich viewers who tended to donate a lot of money, she had earned the respect of a large number of regular viewers. Even if the normal viewers can only give her free fish balls and thumbs up stickers, it pleased her. Other than the 3 songs that she has already sung, Zhao Youyue had also sung covers of a few currently trending songs, all while the Chu Luoxun card is still activated. In fact, a lot of the viewers felt that the cover songs were better and more mesmerizing. As the songs actually existed, most of the viewers had essentially heard them before. Thus, the songs carried a huge sense of familiarity, and made it easier for the viewers to become immersed in it! Some viewers had even compared Ah Yus cover version of the songs to the original. They realized that her covers were by no means less brilliant than the originals, but they also could not say that they were better than the originals. They could only conclude that both the originals and the covers had their own unique charm. Male singers originally sang some of the popular songs that she covered. Even so, Ah Yu had heartily sung the songs with her vibrant and pleasant ladylike voice, which made her covers amazingly beautiful. It was like her music had turned into a gush of clear fountain water, which seeped through the hearts of the viewers and cleansed their souls There were a few suggestions by the viewers who commented on the bullet curtain that Zhao Youyue thought were worth taking into consideration. They wanted her to create an account on NetEase Music[1] and make her own channel there, so that they could easily get access to and listen to her music whenever they feel like it. There were also other viewers who suggested that she create a Weibo account, as they were really interested in knowing more about her daily life. Moreover, if she ever produces new music, it would be a lot more convenient if she uses Weibo to let the fans know about it, or to post subsequent updates. Zhao Youyue almost had a slip of the tongue C she almost revealed her Tycoon Youyue Weibo account, which was the account of a well-known reader on Qidian who had read a long list of books. However, before it slipped through her tongue, she believed it inappropriate to identify herself as Tycoon Youyue, mainly because she had previously posted pictures of herself on that Weibo account. Furthermore, Zhao Youyue had a feeling that Ah Yu would become even more famous than Tycoon Youyue, and would get way more attention in the future. Since she was a frequent user of Weibo, it was better if she did not reveal the Tycoon Youyue account. Because her follower count might experience a tremendous growth, the fans would definitely track her every movement and invade her privacy. She would never be left in peace. In the end, she decided to create a new Weibo account and attempted to name it Ah Yu, but the Weibo name was already taken by someone else. After giving some thought to it, she decided on the name of Small Fish Ah Yu[2] instead, and thankfully, it was available. At this point in time, some viewers who were attracted to her live stream channel by her music had suddenly realized that Ah Yu was also a top League of Legends player in her region, and that she was even about to become a top player in King of Glory as well. Such news shocked them to the core! Judging by her current rank, it was not possible for Ah Yu to be the best League of Legends female player in the country as of yet, but she was very close and definitely had a safe place in the top ten! Most importantly, she was not the cowardly type of player, but a highly skilled player who could easily carry the whole game! Not many female players are ranked this highly in the game. Also, most of the female players at such rank can only do so much to maintain their rank. None of them are good enough to carry the whole game! Thus, the mere fact that Ah Yu is able to carry the whole game, coupled with her regional high rank, it simply means that she is undeniably, a highly skilled player. It was clear that she had what it takes to be a top player, and her skills are probably nothing short of a professional player! Even so, Zhao Youyue had never received a single invitation from any professional gaming teams, to-date. This might be due to the fact that Ah Yus real gaming skills were still under great scrutiny, as it was entirely possible that she is not the one playing it. Since she never ever turns on her camera, the professional gaming teams were afraid that there might be a professional gamer playing the game for her, as she speaks to the viewers Zhao Youyue could not care less about the lack of invitations. She did not want to become a professional player anyway. As long as she is able to constantly beat professional players in ranked mode and taunt them after that, she would be more than happy. Moreover, in this world, a Korean server for League of Legends did not exist, thus all the top Korean players were in the same server and would automatically get mixed in with the top players in China. Due to this, Zhao Youyue would sometimes get queued into the same game as the top Korean players, but they were obviously no match for her as well! This is how scary it can be when the powerful talented gamer Yu Shengfan comes into the real world, which was very much similar to Chu Luoxuns unbelievable talent in music When Zhao Youyue wanted to sign off her live stream on that day, many viewers were sad and reluctant to let her do so, as they wanted her to sing a few more songs for them. There were even a few rich viewers who threw a load of money in order to prolong the live stream. As Zhao Youyue was still fused with Chu Luoxun at that time, she happily sang two more songs before she signed off. This day might just have been a key turning point in her live streaming career. Since there were still a few days left before her summer holidays ended, Zhao Youyue had decided that she will go to an authorized recording studio and make a recording of all the songs from Beautiful April. Then, she would upload all of them onto NetEase Music, so that they would be able to reach all the people who had a love of music. Other than that, she would also record some violin songs, since there would always be a niche group who went after them. Translation note : [1] NetEase Music is a music and video streaming service in China. Users are able to download music, comment on the music, create playlists and follow artists. [2] Small Fish Ah Yu C Since the Yu in Ah Yu means fish, this Weibo account name is like a pun made out of Ah Yus name. Chapter 270 : Second Year of High School Begins The whole of Zhao Youyues latest live stream had been recorded by a loyal fan who was subsequently uploaded to Bilibili[1], which of course, went viral! This was mainly because Bilibili was filled with fans of The Strongest King and was somewhat a platform for the die-hard fans to share information about the novel with each other. Now, since a live streamer had popped up from nowhere, who could not only perfectly imitate the gaming skills and playstyle of Yu Shengfan, the main character in The Strongest King, but also sing the song C Parallel Galaxies in the real world, even though it was a song that only existed in the novel, who wouldnt be surprised? Some crazy fans were constantly uploading and sharing their fan artworks and renditions of Yu Shengfan, but the only thing that they could not get a hold of was Parallel Galaxies, originally sung by Ah Yu herself. Now that there is finally someone able to recreate the song in the real world, and so flawlessly at that too, can there possibly be any other fanmade material that can top this? Today is the day the live streamer Ah Yu becomes known to the group of fans of 2D characters. However, this time, Zhao Youyue did not advertise herself as Douyus Yu Shengfan in order to gain more attention. Due to her increasing popularity, the 2D fans became inclined into thinking that she was the 3D version of Ah Yu Previously, no matter how many times she claims to be the 3D Yu Shengfan, her follower count would not really increase, and nobody would go so far as to deliberately record her entire live stream. Evidently, her popularity and influence on the general public were both experiencing a gradual increase. However, the aesthetic researchers of Beautiful April were not smitten by this live streamer who became a hot topic, all of a sudden. Even though Bilibili was not the main platform for the fans of Beautiful April, as they tend to gather on other platforms like Weibo, Douban[2] and Zhihu[3] instead, they were still up to date and aware of what was trending. The news had spread like wildfire across various platforms. Therefore the Beautiful April fans obviously got to know about the live streamer called Ah Yu who sang songs from the novel which were written by Chu Luoxun, like Sweet and I Left the Sadness to Myself. Initially, when the aesthetic researchers heard of such news, they immediately gave a snort of contempt, as they only harbored one school of thought - - It would be very much appreciated if no one attempts to tarnish the reputation of the perfect, musically talented Goddess Chu, how could anyone in the real world possibly recreate the work of Goddess Chu? However, the moment they finished listening to Ah Yus version of Sweet and I Left the Sadness to Myself, they were speechless! Which planet is this magical being Ah Yu from? Could it be, that she is a professional composer? Or is she an expert singer-songwriter that specializes in making original pieces? Considering how difficult it is to be able to create original pieces that sound this pleasant, and are even very capable of becoming hit songs, why would she proceed to randomly sing them during a live stream like it means nothing to her If she is not the one that made the songs, why would the original maker allow her to simply use the songs as she liked. Wouldnt this be a total waste of the true potential of the songs? Wouldnt she want to profit from these songs? Is she just like Chu Luoxun, one who finds the most joy in sharing her music? This is simply inconceivable! Consequently, a lot of Beautiful April fans soon developed a new interest in this particular female live streamer. When they heard that she was also good at playing the violin, they grew even more surprised! Could it be that Chu Luoxun, who died on the operating table in the novel, had been revived in the real world? If so, what did this female live streamer Ah Yu look like, is she flawlessly beautiful like Goddess Chu? It was a pity that Ah Yu had never turned her camera on, ever. Nobody had any idea on how she looked like at all. All that is known is that she was exceptionally talented, and had a beautiful voice with an extensive vocal range which allows her to easily switch between various types of voices, mature, lolita, you name it. However, there were still some Chu Luoxun extremists who were unwilling to admit that Ah Yus version of Sweet and I Left the Sadness to Myself were pure perfection. Although deep in their hearts they knew it was the truth, they did not want to accept it. To them, there will never be anyone in the real world who can have the musical talent of Goddess Chu! Someone as perfect as Goddess Chu can only exist in novels Howsoever, there is no doubt that the female live streamer Ah Yus popularity had recently risen at a shocking pace, on Douyu. When the Douyu officials saw that she had great potential, they went on to advertise her everywhere, causing her followers and subscription count to increase rapidly to the point where it reached more than a million people. It was obvious that the Douyu officials were aware of how much power Ah Yu had over the viewers. She could captivate such a large number of viewers through the mere use of her own talents, even without turning her camera on. The day her camera flickers on, to what level would her popularity possibly rise to? Within a few days, Zhao Youyue had already settled everything in relation to her new Weibo account, as well as her new NetEase Music account. Even though she did not purposely share any information with the viewers at all, her follower count on the newly created accounts still managed to reach thousands in the blink of an eye. This was evident of the huge influence that Ah Yu had on the general public. The author of Beautiful April, Han Leng, had also heard about the female live streamer Ah Yu. Fortunately, he did not know that Ah Yu was, in fact, Zhao Youyue, or else he would definitely harbor great suspicion towards her! The moment he heard the songs of Sweet and I Left the Sadness to Myself, Han Leng was startled. It was just like how Ye Hai felt when he first heard Parallel Galaxies. If Han Leng were to have an in-depth discussion with Ye Hai about this, they would definitely realize that there was a serious problem! However, Ye Hai, on the other hand, did not give much thought to it. He thought that it was purely coincidental, and was in awe of Lady Zhaos musical talents Even so, Han Leng decided to subscribe to the female live streamer Ah Yu, and planned to wait to see what happens next. Only one thing has really bothered Han Leng recently. The thing is, he had assured his class teacher Old Qiu that he would not make Chu Luoxun die in his book, but he had not kept to his words. Old Qiu was of course very unhappy with this, and said things like Han Leng being naughty. Just because he was not going to be teaching Han Leng anymore in the next school year, Han Leng decided that he could toy with his feelings? Han Leng obviously did not know what to say to that, thus he once again brought up the old excuse of how he did not want to make Chu Luoxun die, it was not deliberate, and it was only because he had unknowingly lost all control of his mind Old Qiu, being a nice, good-tempered person, was quick to move on from the frustrating topic, and went on to ask Han Leng about what was with his impressive cross-dressing pictures. Han Leng could only say that he did it to apologize to his readers, it was the only way. Old Qiu was in awe of how fast the world is changing; it was completely out of human expectations. Nowadays, male authors would be so willing to cross-dress without reservations, and end up looking better than real girls. The world is truly ever-changing, therefore Old Qiu had requested for Han Leng to give him a copy of all his cross-dressing pictures. Han Leng, without hesitation, had happily handed his pictures over. Old Qiu can slowly admire the pictures as much as he wants to. In the end, Han Leng had successfully kept the promise which he had made to Zhao Youyue. In high spirits, he had tried on various types of girl costumes, and took a lot of pictures. Although he insists that he is definitely not into cross-dressing, his body language spoke otherwise Zhao Youyue did not upload any of Han Lengs cross-dressing pictures on the internet. However, Han Leng, on his own accord, had logged into the Weibo account of Leng Zi, and shared all his eye-catching cross-dressing pictures there. Due to his amazingly beautiful appearance, his subscription count had immediately increased by a whole lot. Thus he got a little overexcited, and went on to tell everyone that he would crush the hopes and dreams of all his fans in the near future, because he was actually a guy! Someday, he will definitely be beaten to death! Time flew, and it was almost time for Zhao Youyue to start her second year of high school. Now that Zhao Youyue had the Xu Jing card with her, she was not afraid of the challenges that she might face in school anymore. In fact, she was jubilant about the new school year, as she would be able to experience a new environment and meet new classmates. The Two Dimensional Gate was still in cooldown, and there is no clue as to when it would activate itself again, or what kind of world it would take her to next Zhao Youyue really intended to possess the cooking skills so that she could make light-emitting cuisines, or to have the leadership skills of an iron-willed empress, so she could enjoy the lazy life and do nothing all day long. However, she had a feeling that the Two Dimensional Gate would definitely trick her once again and throw her into a world full of difficult obstacles, the kind of obstacles that were almost impossible to get through, just like last time. If she could sacrifice an iconic character card to be able to choose the kind of world she transmigrates into, Zhao Youyue would definitely do it. Translation note : [1] Bilibili is a video sharing website themed around anime, manga, and game fandom based in China, where users can submit, view, and add commentary subtitles on videos. [2] Douban is a Chinese social networking service website allowing registered users to record information and create content related to film, books, music, recent events and activities in Chinese cities. [3] Zhihu is a Chinese question-and-answer website where questions are created, answered, edited and organized by the community of its users. Chapter 271 Zhao Youyues Velvety Long Hair The second-year high school student Zhao Youyue is an entirely different person when compared with the first-year high school student Zhao Youyue. Her sense of presence had certainly increased! This simply meant that her past year of hard work, be it in the real world or in the Two Dimensional Gate, had not gone to waste. Also, as she had been growing out her hair, they flowed over her shoulders. Neither did she tie her long hair up into a ponytail, as it felt a little restrictive and uncomfortable. Now that she had long hair, she could finally go for hair treatment sessions along with her mother, Wang Hua. Zhao Youyues inherent hair texture was a lot better than her mothers. The feeling that comes with having a head full of long, velvety hair is none other than one of pure delight, so Zhao Youyue had decided that she would keep it this way for at least another year. When she is in the third year of high school, and in the event that things get too hectic to the point where she no longer has time to take good care of her long hair, she would eventually cut it away once again. It did not really matter though, hair will always grow back. Perhaps, when she advances into university, she would have more free time by then, and she can keep her hair long for as long as she likes. It was a fresh school year, but for Zhao Youyue, some old habits die hard. For example, she still would not permit Uncle Liu to drive the luxury car right to the front of the school gate to drop her off. She would rather walk a little, if it helps avoid giving everyone the impression that she was deliberately showing off and emphasizing on how her familys wealth was on a totally different level. Zhao Youyue never appreciated having others focus on things like her looks or family background. To her, it is the inside that counts, which was why she had, and still is, worked so hard to become a more talented, influential and independent girl than she already is. Isnt a girl like this very worthy of admiration? Most importantly, girls like these are the current trend! Another habit that remained unchanged is that Zhao Youyue still preferred wearing the school uniform, as it was convenient, neat and presentable. However, the long-haired Zhao Youyue in a school uniform gave off a completely different feeling, compared to the previously short-haired Zhao Youyue. Now, even in a plain school uniform, her sense of presence is distinct. A head full of smooth, cascading long black hair. A face with refined, graceful features. An undying passion for knowledge. A cherubic temperament that had been nurtured by the love for music. With all these features, Zhao Youyue is no longer a fated to just be a normal-side character. In fact, she could be considered as one of the prettiest girls in the entire school! In reality, however, there are usually next to zero polls conducted to determine the prettiest girls in schools. The only actual way a girl can be edged up to the throne is if she is already popular, to begin with, and had the looks to match everything else. There could very possibly be other girls who are prettier than her, but since they were not as widely known, nobody would know of them, so what is the point? Of course, Zhao Youyue was only known by the people who were in the same school year as her. Her popularity has not yet been able to reach out to the whole school, but this year shall be the year she dramatically expands her social circle and her social influence. During her first year of high school, Zhao Youyue had always been the quiet girl and never once stood out. She was inclined to maintain a low profile, because she did not have the talent to step beyond that position, academically or otherwise. Now, she is one of the top ten students of her year, and she could play the violin amazingly. Most students in her school have also heard of how she had once received the first prize at the provincial level violin competition. In a situation like this, it would be difficult to maintain a low profile, try as she might. It would be much better and easier if she showcased her skills and talents openly, so that more people could look up to her. Zhao Youyues old classroom was on the first floor, but now, her newly assigned classroom would be on the third floor. There are only four classrooms on each floor, so a jump like that isnt surprising. Even the block was different. As every school year had a block of its own, the block for second-year students sat right between the first-year and third-year blocks. Zhao Youyue almost walked towards the first-year block, as she was too used to it. However, when she was halfway there, she realized her mistake and turned towards the second-year block. After climbing the stairs three floors up, she finally reached her classroom C the eleventh class, which was the best intensive liberal arts class in the school. However, when Zhao Youyue remembered that she would not be in the same class as her little angel Jiang Qing anymore, she felt a little upset. She was also not going to be in the same class as The Great Scholar Han anymore. Zhao Youyue had initially wanted him to become a greatly respected scholar, but he had now embraced his cross-dressing talents. Life was truly unpredictable. Zhao Youyue wondered if anyone in her new class would have a talent for writing, but she knew that the chances were low. It would be notoriously difficult to find someone as talented in writing as Han Leng. In this world, you will only find someone as good out of one in a million. Zhao Youyue always had great admiration for talented people. This was because she was also constantly working hard to become more talented, to become a better her. She was not in a hurry to enter her new classroom. Instead, Zhao Youyue loitered at the corridor. While leaning on the railings, she made use of the opportunity to take a good look at the schools surroundings. Directly in front of her was the third-year block, which was where she would be at in a years time. An intensive class like the one Zhao Youyue had been placed in lived by the survival of the fittest concept. At the end of every term, there would always be an evaluation process in order to filter out students who were not performing well enough. Students from the intensive class who performed no better than average students would be mercilessly cut out from the class, and a top ranker from the normal classes would take their place. Since the evaluation, as well as the sorting is fully done by machine, it was an undeniably cruel, rigid and unsparing process. However, it served as an effective reminder for the intensive class students to buck up, to always keep their guard up, and not get overly excited about the fact that they sat in the intensive class The old Zhao Youyue would have never wanted to get into an intensive class. When she was in her first year of high school, she had dreaded the thought of being in a class where a murderous aura would choke up the air, where competition drove everyone to each others throats. Moreover, how embarrassing would it be, if she gets cut from the class due to a lapse in performance? However, the current Zhao Youyue was not the same anymore. Just by looking at her currently amazing academic performance, there was not even the slightest chance of her getting removed from the class. From where she stood, Zhao Youyue also had a good view of the flowerbeds all around the school compound. Much thought and effort had been put into the landscape and aesthetics of the compound. Even a casual walk in a school as beautiful as this would be a relaxing and enjoyable experience. At that moment, Zhao Youyue heard an enthusiastic voice, Zhao Youyue, I am honored to be in the same class as you once again. Zhao Youyue turned around to see who it was, and realized that it was her previous class representative, Zhu Ran. She did not expect Zhu Ran to be here in the same liberal arts class as her, because she remembered vividly that he had taken part in a mathematics competition before. What Zhao Youyue did not know was that Zhu Ran had already given up on trying to be the best in mathematics, as he was just not good enough. No matter how much effort he puts in, he might just only be able to scratch his way up to the third place the competition, at most. What is the point of him trying then? A better choice would be to give up on the mathematics competition and focus on scoring in his final examinations. Although Zhu Ran was not bad when it comes to science subjects, he preferred liberal arts more, thus he would feel more at home if he chooses to pursue liberal arts. Looking right at Zhu Ran, an average-looking boy with black-framed spectacles, Zhao Youyue replied with a smile, Ah, its the old class representative, how are you, Mister class rep? Zhu Ran found himself unable to meet her eyes. This long-haired version of Zhao Youyue was just too dazzling! Considering how he had not contacted Zhao Youyue at all during the whole summer break, he knew that Zhao Youyue would definitely hold a grudge against him. Zhu Ran felt a little frustrated about this. It was not his fault, Zhao Youyue had really changed so much, in such a short span of time! Zhu Ran was the type of person who would never invest any of his attention in an average student who did not stand out. Zhao Youyue used to be a perfect example of the type that Zhu Ran would blatantly ignore, no matter what. Now, it seemed that Zhu Ran was trying really hard to get to Zhao Youyues good side, as he uttered, Zhao Youyue, I have to say, I really liked your violin performance the other time, the one where you played in front of the whole class. It was so good, I was stunned the entire time! Thank you for the compliment, old class representative! Zhao Youyue was still smiling as she thanked Zhu Ran. Zhao Youyue was always so polite and mindful of others, she had the grace that would only be associated with a well-raised daughter. Zhu Ran continued to say a few more things to Zhao Youyue at random, most of which were obligatory compliments. Then, he proceeded to enter the classroom. Zhao Youyue remained at the corridor for a while, so that she could take a last look at her surroundings before she heads into the classroom. The moment she walked into the classroom, she realized that she had walked into a ladies kingdom. There were less than ten boys in the whole class. When you are in an intensive liberal arts class, this was probably to be expected Chapter 272 Old Grievances Everything was unfamiliar to Zhao Youyue. The class was unfamiliar; the faces were mostly unfamiliar. Well, this was understandable. Most of the student in her old class were your run-of-the-mill-trying-to-get-by-day-by-day folk. Lao Qiu would always proclaim in post examination class meetings, that this was the most terrible class that he had ever been forced to teach! Actually, he would say the same thing each one of his classes. It was impossible for him to remember each class distinctively. Of course, he remembered Zhao Youyue and Han Leng. Zhao Youyues results were comparable to Huang Zhongchaos and she brought glory to her class. It was something worth being proud of. On the other hand, Han Lengs talent also deserved note. It amazed him to see Han Lengs first work being published. Han Leng, a freshman produced something that took the nation by storm. There would be no problem for him to make a living now, even if he withdraws from school now. Most of all, he made womens clothing complete! Zhao Youyue sat down by herself. She had no idea that she had inadvertently attracted the attention of many students in that class. She did not know them, but it did not mean that they would not know her either. After all, she was an elite student who had been in the top five positions of the school, and she had once given speech during a flag raising ceremony. Moreover, the long hair version of her was on a whole new level of beauty. Therefore, it was hard for people not to notice her. This was the sense of visibility that she had been yearning for! However, this sense of visibility caused her problems that she would otherwise never even dream of encountering. For instance, envy stares from the same sex. Before this, she was just a side character. Nobody would be jealous of her or conversely, bully her. Everyone would just leave her to her devices. Nonetheless, everything has changed, now. Shen Menglian, who had a grudge against Zhao Youyue, would have never expected her to be in the same class. Well, this was to be expected, as they were evenly matched in History and Politics, and had opted for the same stream. Her friend, Xu Na, who she got along rather amicably, had chosen the science stream. If not for that, they would have been in the same class. Shen Menglian and Xu Na had once underestimated Lady Zhao who came to the top students gathering in her uniform. However, the truth brought shame upon them, serving not to their benefit, but only to expose them as frogs in a well. The Lady Zhao had not been bothered to show off her status as a Lady of the Zhaos. Shen Menglian was afraid of openly offending Lady Zhao, but she intended to cause her humiliation, one way or another. Working behind the shadows would be a good start! Of course, Lady Zhao would never know that she is the one behind the scenes She was a girl with extreme jealousy and a narrow-mind, but her results were excellent and she put up a good show of being the portrait of obedience and subordination before her teachers. To them, she was the ideal student. Perhaps she should get someone elses hands dirty on her behalf. She caught sight of a girl who seemed like she could literally beat Zhao Youyue up. Shen Menglian focused her gaze on the girl who sat at her 1 oclock. She was reading a reference book while the other students were busy talking. She had neat short hair, hair that is even shorter than Zhao Youyues old bob cut. There was no visible fringe which made it rather masculine. She sat with her back straight, looking purposeful and attentive. She was not particularly beautiful. Instead, she had the face of a Heroic Spirit, which somehow worked for her. Such a tomboy had the potential of becoming the Man Boss [1]. Her name was Bai Yunshan which sounded surprisingly feminine. Shen Menglian knew that her background was extraordinary, as they were also classmates prior to this. Her father was a Senior Colonel, if she was not mistaken. This was awesome. An actual second generation soldier! The teacher had appointed this Bai Yunshan as the class monitor. She seemed to have settled into the role, one that she had carried throughout her entire school life. She treated her classmates with no-nonsense strictness, and on herself, even more so! She rarely communicated with anyone else, and couldnt even be bothered to join co-curricular societies like other students. She had been reluctant when it came to joining the Top Student Society too which was organized by Guo Peisheng, even though she was a member of the Student Union. Her attitude could be aptly summed up with two words, coldly arrogant. Shen Menglian started to plan on how to make Zhao Youyue, the rich mans daughter, and Bai Yunshan, the second generation of a militaristic family who was equal in stature to the former butt heads. Based on her instinct, they were completely incompatible existences. She would never forget Zhao Youyues infuriating eating habits, where she would order a wide variety of dishes just to have a taste, not to fill her gut. On the other hand, Bai Yunshan who was born into a different variation of what you call an outstanding family, was a utilitarianist. Whenever she has lunch in the canteen, she would clean her plate, leaving not a single grain behind! It was not an act, it was her way of life. She had been brought up this way. Besides that, Bai Yunshan was a girl who would also wear the school uniform to school during weekends. It was not for convenience, but as an obligation. She obeyed the schools rules to the letter, and if she would have things her way, she would rather have others obey those fundamentals as well. Not many found her likable. If Zhao Youyue was a voice of reason and moderation, who easily appeals to the social side of people, Bai Yunshan was the complete opposite, straight-laced and no-nonsense. In her world, everything is either white or black; there were no grey zones. Finally, their new class teacher entered the class. He was broad around the middle and stern. He taught mathematics, and his name was Yang Liqun. As usual, Zhao Youyue leisurely played her cell phone. She started to miss the handsome mathematics teacher, Gu Yaoyan, the moment she learned that this fatty Yang would be their mathematics teacher. She always wanted to gang up on him to have a round of LoL, but she never remembered to make it happen. Although Gu Yaoyan was a capable mathematics teacher, he was not qualified to teach the intensive class. He could only teach the standard classes. Yang Liqun appeared to be much more dignified, compared to her former class teacher, Lao Qiu. Lao Qiu was a calculative person, while this fatty Yang is rather forthcoming Firstly, Yang Liqun gave the class an admonitory speech, telling them not to take it easy by thinking that everything would be fine after entering the intensive class. The eleventh grade would be the most crucial stage of their entire high school life! The sharp-eyed Shen Menglian noticed Zhao Youyue still playing her cell phone. She quickly nudged Bai Yunshan who was sitting at her 1 oclock. When the soldier turned her head slightly, she whispered to her, Class monitor, there is a student over there playing her cell phone. She pointed towards Zhao Youyue, and watched in anticipation. This was the first time Bai Yunshan had ever gazed upon the long-haired version of Zhao Youyue, who she found remarkably gorgeous. She stood up without any hesitation and said, Teacher Yang, Shen Menglian is not listening to your speech, rather, she is trying to talk to me. She sat back down. Shen Menglian was left stupefied. Translation note: [1] Man Boss is referring to a female who dresses up as a male, and does a good job of it, often appearing as dashing young men. Chapter 273 New Deskmates Yang Liqun had taught Bai Yunshan mathematics the previous year, but he was not her class teacher back then. However, he had long heard of her attitude. He was most impressed by the that she was not only strict on others, but even more so on herself. Thats the so-called definition of leading by example. He knew about Shen Menglian too, and was aware of her solid results. But, was this an excuse for her to disregard the teacher? In order to fortify his position, he immediately asked Shen Menglian to stand up and listen to his admonitory talk attentively. On this first day, she had been subject to humiliation in a class full of strangers. This only intensified her grudge against Zhao Youyue. At the same time, she could not understand why a perfectionist like Bai Yunshan would cover up for Zhao Youyue. Did they already know each other? No, they did not know each other at all. The fact of the matter was far simpler. Bai Yunshan was not as gullible as what Shen Menglian thought. Could anyone simply take advantage of Bai Yunshan? Bai Yunshan had no idea about the story between the two, but, she would not let Shen Menglian use her for her petty revenge. As for Zhao Youyue, she took a mental note about it. She had not taken any action on her, for this was her first timeOf course, Zhao Youyues beautiful face had also played role. Well, she was witnessing the effects of lookism[1]. Zhao Youyue was already born with a face that granted her a pass with the aid of lookism, and her recent exploits had only given it more power. After that, their dignified fatty class teacher, Yang Liqun, ordered the only eight male students in the class to had out and pick up the new books. It looks like the male students in this class are going to experience bitter lives After seeing what happened to Shen Menglian, Zhao Youyue quickly kept away her cell phone. She had a gut feeling that this fatty Yang was not as flexible as Lao Qiu. This would be rather frustrating. The privilege that top students enjoy heavily depended on their teachers. An uncompromising class teacher would not hesitate to confiscate ones cell phone, regardless of how good his results are. Next, it was the ice-breaking session. This wasnt actually necessary for a popular kid like her. Everyone knew that she was the top student whose results had improved notably during her last semester in the tenth grade. Now that they had been divided into Art and Science streams, she would probably rank first among the art class students Zhao Youyues self-introduction was short and simple. She simply stated her name, her former class, and her hobbies C listening to and playing music. Nonetheless, the applause that she got was exceptionally passionate especially from boys with glittering eyes as they gazed at her. After all, everyone is fond of beauty. On top of that, her beautiful face now far surpassed most girls. The faces of the girls in this class were not that bad actually but, they were incomparable to Jiang Qin Little Angel. Therefore, this gap only caused Zhao Youyue to become more outstanding in contrast. Apparently, it is hard to find a girl who had the smarts and looks these days On the other hand, girls like Bai Yunshan and Shen Menglian whose results were excellent yet only had acceptable faces were far more common. After that, Fatty Yang started to elect the class committee members, without going through all the democratic fluff. He was the dictator type of class teacher. Undoubtedly, he chose Bai Yunshan, whom he considered a role model of students, as the class monitor. He was certain that she would manage the class well. As her former mathematics teacher, he knew her better than most. This girl had an unusual background which would serve well in her role. After learning that Bai Yunshan was the class monitor, Zhu Ran, who was the class monitor of Zhao Youyues former class, was disappointed. Although he felt that being a class monitor distracted him from his studies, he took it as a badge of honor. After losing it, he now felt incomplete Then, Zhao Youyue was appointed to be the Commissary in charge of studies. Fatty Yang knew nothing about her, but he knew for sure that her results were good enough to equal Huang Zhongchao and vie for the top spot in their grade. An elite student like her deserved to become the Commissary in charge of studies! However, Zhao Youyue raised a hand. Kindly, Fatty Yang asked her to stand up, wanting to hear about her opinion about this arrangement. Teacher Yang, I dont think that I am suitable for this position. My learning style cant be an example for my classmates, Zhao Youyue said. Oh. So, how is your learning style like? Asked Fatty Yang with interest. Well, I simply focus during class and complete my assignments dutifully. Thats all. I wont do anything more. I spend my free time on music and reading novels. In other words, I dont have much motivation to study for my exams. After listening to her explanation, the whole class was silent, and Fatty Yang was dumbfounded. All this while, he thought that she was an elite scholar who spent most of her time studying. He never expected her to spare no additional time for her self-revision Even so, she had managed to pass her exams with flying colors. Well, this could only be justified with talent! Pretentious, Shen Menglian, who was still standing, murmured. Back in her previous class, she was the Commissary in charge of studies. So, she was unhappy after knowing that Yang Liqun had appointed Zhao Youyue to this position. I would like to suggest Zhu Ran, my former class monitor, to hold this position. His attitude of learning is far better than mine, and he would be a good example for the class. Zhao Youyue did not understand Zhu Ran well, but she knew him enough to suggest that role. Also, he had the aptitude of becoming a class committee member. For a hermit like her, she was reluctant to be bound by anything. In fact, Zhao Youyue lacked a sense of collective honor as well as a sense of duty. All of these have been covered up by her good results, causing people to believe that she was a flawless model student. Well, she was just fooling around with her studies, and she did not have a sense of camaraderie for her class either. She was an ultra-individualist. Bai Yunshan, the class monitor, was her counterpart from the other side of the scale. She was an ultra-collectivist. Eventually, Zhu Ran became the Commissary in charge of studies as he had hoped. It was partly because of the recommendation of Zhao Youyue. His good results, which were not always consistent, helped too. He was extremely grateful to Zhao Youyue for her help. He was now indebted to her, and would never turn away if she is ever in need in the future. Soon, the election process of the class committee members came to an end. Zhao Youyue felt at ease, as she had been left with no strings attached. Finally, it was the time for the seating rearrangement. Shen Menglian prayed in her heart that it would be alright for anyone to be her desk mate except for Zhao Youyue. That woman would be her bane. Moreover, no one wants to be the green leaf to Zhao Youyues rose petals! Shen Menglian was a narcissist, and took great pride in her beauty and talent. However, she was hopeless when compared to Zhao Youyue Shen Menglian and Zhao Youyue, your seats C second set C third row, Yang Liqun was reading from some notes that he had prepared beforehand. Meanwhile, Bai Yunshan and a girl whose name was Qiu Ya were placed behind them. Translation note: [1] [] lit. meaning Facial Recognition is an internet slang means that someone can take advantage of something or get by something just because another party knows him/her or by using his/her appealing face. Here, well adopt the closest English counterpart known Lookism. Chapter 274 Hating Each Other It seemed like Zhao Youyue had already almost forgotten about the minor conflict between Shen Menglian and herself, as well as the other top students during the gathering. In fact, neither party was at fault. The conflict happened merely because of Zhao Youyues overly indulgent attitude when it came to good food, and her carefree attitude towards money. After all, only a handful of students were as wealthy as her. Her pocket money was even higher than the monthly income of actual white-collars, which made it all quite awkward. Lady Zhao, who had put that unhappy incident far behind her mind, began her skillful desk mate teaching plan, also known as the plan of one who touches ink will be stained black. She did not expect to influence her desk mate into someone like Jiang Qing Little Angel, but, at least someone who was easier for her to boss around, compared to Han Leng, the Adolescent delusion hipster, as he would occasionally revert to abnormality and talk about idiotic matters She enjoyed being free of him, but it did not last long. Boredom soon emerged of her not being in the same class as The Great Scholar Han. She had to hunt for a new toy. Zhao Youyue courteously greeted her new desk mate, Shen Menglian. She appeared vaguely familiar, but she could not put a name to the face. Nonetheless, she knew it now. Shen Menglian, it was a good name. Shen Menglian was dumbstruck about the fact that she was now Zhao Youyues desk mate. What a coincidence! This incident brings us the lesson C what goes around comes around. Similarly, this coincides with Murphys Law whatever that can go wrong, will go wrong. This seating arrangement showed the lengths Yan Liqun took in considering the roles of top students like them. Usually, those who sat at the first two rows would have to lift up their heads while looking at the blackboard, which would result in sore necks after a long time. Therefore, the third and the fourth rows had the most excellent views, while those behind them would only have a vision full of hair and the back of heads. Art subjects happened to be Shen Menglian weaker link, albeit only slightly. She could improve easily, if she is willing to learn from Zhao Youyue At that moment, Shen Menglian winced at the friendliness of Zhao Youyue. Has she completely placed all the bad blood behind her? Prior to this, she had looked down on Zhao Youyue, thinking that she had to be a poor student. Oh, how misled had she been! If she is Zhao Youyue, she would definitely take Shen Menglian, that little b***h, down! Shen Menglian was indeed a wily person. Since Zhao Youyue was being so kind to her, she might as well play friends with her. However, she would not hesitate to stab Zhao Youyue in the back when the opportunity presents itself! She could also cause her double the pain by first becoming Zhao Youyues best friend in order to gain her trust, before betraying her. Wasnt this the perfect plan for revenge? If Zhao Youyue could mind read, she would have made a snarky comment, Could this be the legendary Masamune-kuns Revenge? Thus, Shen Menglian smiled and started to chit chat with Zhao Youyue. She too expressed her admiration for Zhao Youyue. She wasnt planning to be sincere on many things, but her respect of this ladys results was actually genuine. As someone who placed great emphasis on her results, Shen Menglian wanted to pick up some tips from Zhao Youyue in the name of friendship. She did not think that she was stupid. Hence, she firmly believed that Zhao Youyue must have her own secrets! Soon, they got along with each other, under Shen Menglians pretense. Suddenly, Zhao Youyue felt that Shen Menglian was much more interesting than Jiang Qing and Han Leng. She seemed to have already mastered the skill of flattery which implied that she knew how the world worked. Nonetheless, Shen Menglian truly believed that Zhao Youyue just wanted to make friends with her. Was that the truth? Well, one could not afford to disregard her superficial charm, right? The moment when Shen Menglian thought that everything was unfolding according to her plan, the voice of Bai Yunshan came from behind: Zhao Youyue, Shen Menglian was the one who told me that you were playing with your cell phone while Teacher Yang was speaking just now. I knew that she wanted me to be the one telling him, and so I granted her wish. After hearing what Bai Yunshan said, the fake smile on Shen Menglians face vanished without a trace. Compared to Zhao Youyue, their class monitor who did not know the ways of the world was far more disgusting! Zhao Youyue tilted her head, and with her usual cute yet kind smile, said, Oh really? Shen Menglian realized out of a sudden that Zhao Youyue was not familiar with Bai Yunshans attitude at all. Those who knew her well knew that she would never say a lie, and was more straight-laced than a computer. She was not even afraid of letting others know that she was the one who ratted them out. So what? Shen Menglian quickly defended herself, saying, There is no such thing! How could I have done so, if I looked up to you? She is just joking. I am not joking. I am telling the truth. Well, it is up to you to believe it or not. Zhao Youyue, youd better be careful, dont be so nave, Bai Yunshan frowned slightly which emitted a mysterious force. Apparently, she was unhappy about the Shen Menglians dishonesty. This was the first time Zhao Youyue had ever been perceived as a nave person. If Han Leng hears of this, he would surely shout furiously, saying that Lady Zhao was a Pure Black, [1] and those who have allowed themselves to be deceived by her apparently navety would definitely be unable to escape from her manipulative hands! Qiu Ya, who sat beside Bai Yunshan, shivered. She seemed like an introvert. She wore thick, black-rimmed spectacles and had her hair done up in a typical plait ponytail. These made her look like an old-fashioned girl. Indeed, she came from a countrysides junior high school. Things must be hard for her. Zhao Youyue smiled gently, and then she smoothed thing over by saying, Well, whats done is done. Lets not make a fuss about it, shall we? We are all good students! That swept away all of Sheng Menglian worries. Lady Zhao now seemed like an idiot to her, and this made her believe that she would have total control over her. Bai Yunshan was discontented with the ambivalent attitude of Zhao Youyue, thinking that she had distrusted the wrong party! Thus, she said, It is far from over. If I see you with your cell phone again, be it during the class or the recess hour, I will tell on you! Zhao Youyue had never met such a bold whistle-blower before. Was she not afraid of being isolated by the classmates? Thats right! She was not afraid of it. The aloof yet righteous Bai class monitor who cared not for a single soul as described by her former assistant. Why Zhao Youyue asked helplessly. Because it is disrespectful to the teacher! Bai Yunshan shot back. Its no big deal if the teacher does not notice, right? Yup, as long as I do not notice it. You definitely will notice it if you are just behind me! Humph. Thats your problem. They were starting to hate each other now! Shen Menglian was over the moon. They were incompatible, as she had expected! The war between the two Missies had been ignited! This was so exciting! This was the victory of Menglian! After this, she must comfort Lady Zhao so that she could become her best friend, and then betray her! Translation Note [1] Pure Black. A Japanese word . A Pure Black person is pure and innocent yet underhanded and two-faced at the same time. Chapter 275 Such a Mischievous Person As thick-skinned as she was, Zhao Youyue did not take the words of Bai Yunshan personally. If she does not get caught in action, the teacher would never be able to take any actions on her, even if Bai Yunshan snitches on her. They could not do anything as long as she does not admit it For Zhao Youyue, there was not much difference between the tenth grade and the eleventh grade. She still leisurely enjoyed the peaceful atmosphere of the school and went according to her pace, as usual. Meanwhile, she waited for the next activation of the Two Dimensional Gate. The wily girl, Shen Menglian, thought that she had fallen into Zhao Youyues best friend graces, because she got to eat her snacks while reading the magazine together with her and discuss the latest horoscope readings. This was what friends do, right? For a petty person like Shen Menglian, a friend was someone who would openly share everything. She believed that she was now considered the number one friend of Lady Zhao! Moreover, she discovered that being able to become a friend of Lady Zhao was a wonderful thing! This caused her to indulge in the role and gave her the idea that it was not a bad thing at all to continue being her friend. Before this, she never understood Zhao Youyue as a person, thinking that she was as aloof as Bai Yunshan. After all, in her eyes, those who wore school uniforms during weekends were either flexing about, or they were dirt poor. She detested both categories in equal measure! Thats right. Shen Menglian is a teenage girl who had been brainwashed by the concept of materialism, even though her family, which could be categorized as a middle-class family, was not actually made of money. However, she would put poor people down whenever she meets them. That was why she deeply longed to become a missy like Zhao Youyue. She recalled the time when she had offended Lady Zhao because she did not yet know her true identity, yet, the bighearted Zhao Youyue did not seem to have taken note of it one bit. Moreover, Shen Menglian was able to please her now, and in return, Zhao Youyue would only grant her some benefits. Initially, the reason Shen Menglian ran errands for Zhao Youyue was to take advantage of her money and material possessions. However, she was now willing to do so without herself even realizing, thinking that she was still the one pulling the strings In exchange for a thoughtful servant, which was her motive, the price of those fishbaits were nothing for Zhao Youyue. Shen Menglian continued being helpful to Lady Zhao, as she would like to form a solid relationship with her to achieve what was in her mind. However, this had turned out to be an unexpected benefit for Zhao Youyue. As Zhao Youyues mind was as clear as a mirror, she had seen through Shen Menglian long ago. Did Shen Menglian really think that she truly did not believe Bai Yunshan? In fact, the word wily was written in bold letters, on her face. What a nave person. This made her kind of cute too. Anyhow, Zhao Youyue decided not to point it out. She would just sit back and enjoy the services of her new toy while calmly observing her, figuring out what was she up to. By now, Shen Menglian was still clueless as to how to maneuver Lady Zhao, even as she lost more of herself in her tenderness, which would cause her to feel guilty, if she ever tries to do her wrong. She had to admit that Zhao Youyue indeed had a powerful, charming personality, yet, her naivety and gullibility made her cute at the same time. This caused her to worry that Zhao Youyue might get taken advantage of! In this world, no one is allowed to cheat on Lady Zhao, except herself! Shen Menglian had the urge to be responsible for Zhao Youyues innocence. As a missy who had been living a rather sheltered life, she was far too vulnerable As usual, Zhao Youyue played her cell phone as well as a handheld game console during her free time in class. Bai Yunshan could tolerate her no more, thinking that she was far too arrogant! Thus, she informed their class teacher, Fatty Yang, about Zhao Youyuess misconducts. At first, he did not take it seriously, even though he knew that students were not allowed to bring their cell phones to school, or even use it in the dorm. But, how could schools fully enforce this ban, since cell phones were such a commonplace in this day and age? Besides that, she was a top student, unlike any other students. Also, he knew that she was an obedient student, from what he had been told by Zhao Youyues former class teacher, Qiu Yingchun. He also knew that she was using her cell phone to search for more information, further broadening her knowledge As for the handheld game consoles, what of it? Perhaps that she wanted to improve the flexibility of her hands, or she wanted to stimulate her mind in order to increase her learning productivity It seemed like the comments of Qiu Yingchun had influenced Yang Liquns perception of Zhao Youyue. Unless the results of Zhao Youyues next exam decline substantially, he would not take any action on her for this moment. Nevertheless, Bai Yunshan took it seriously and insisted that Yang Liqun punish Zhao Youyue as she threatened to disrupt the balance of the school. She cannot risk having other students follow her bad examples. Lady Zhao was the oddity of the class, due to her slacking tendencies. During her free time in class, she would always be trying to find new ways to entertain herself! She had never seen such a mischievous girl before! The problem was, superficially, she looked as pure as an Edelweiss flower What mattered most, was that she still managed to get good results in her exams, and due to that, Teacher Yang would never pursue the matter. Left without any options, Fatty Yang had a heart-to-heart talk with Zhao Youyue, and he asked Bai Yunshan to come along too as a witness. This was to prove that he had this matter in his heart and he was serious in resolving it. Zhao Youyue, Bai Yunshan tells me that you were playing your cell phone during recess time. What do you have to say about it? Yang Liqun asked. Not just cell phone, but her PSP too which she uses to play the tennis game; and her NDSL too, to play Pokemon, Bai Yunshan added. I didnt do so! I was reading my magazine. How could I possibly misbehave? Zhao Youyue replied with a face of innocence. You are lying! Bai Yunshan was unhappy again, thinking that no wonder she and Shen Menglian could get along so well. They were two peas in a pod! Words are no proof. Class monitor, do you have any tangible pieces of evidence? The solid evidence is all inside your drawer, which is fully occupied with weird stuff! Lets go and check, then. I think that you should find another witness to back you up, while were at it, Zhao Youyue said with a cute smile. Chapter 276 A Righteous Partner Unlike the stoic and lurchy Bai Yunshan, Lady Zhao is sure good at winning over the masses. Although it was a well-known fact that the relationship between girls would never be as straightforward as the relationship between the guys, Zhao Youyue treated them all as one and the same. She only had to treat everyone with sincerity. She looked like a pretty flower that everyone could pluck at and exploit. This had actually worked to her advantage, and other girls would do their best to defend the purity of this flower, having fallen thrall to her charming personality. As things were, people would always see her as the one being picked on, all the time. Little did they know that she was actually using her well-placed baits, in exchange of payment, the form of which would be up to her discretion. At times, someone would stand up for her. For instance, Shen Menglian, who was now so protective of Zhao Youyue, would look out for Zhao Youyues welfare against those vile opportunists. Of course, in truth, she was just trying to protect her own welfare. Lets take those snacks, as an example. If Zhao Youyue gives too much of it to others, Shen Menglian would only be left with the embers, which was not an acceptable outcome. Zhao Youyue had yet to realize that she had the potential of a leader. She had grown accustomed to controlling others. Her methods never involved strength or force, though. Her constant, manipulative whispers were so subtle that the girls would be willing to bend to her will and protect her. If Zhao Youyue was studying in a fictional girls school in the Two Dimensional world, she would be the legendary Elderly Sister [1] often escorted by an all-female entourage. Zhao Youyue definitely had the potential to become one. She was the most beautiful girl in sight, with the best results in her class, while also possessing skills that others did not have. Also, she is no longer being mistaken by other people as a poor student, under the propaganda of the self-absorbed Shen Menglian. Everyone now knew that her background was no less than Bai Yunshans. Under such circumstances, one could imagine that it would be difficult for Bai Yunshan to find a witness for her cause Qiu Ya, tell us, did you witness Zhao Youyue breaking the schools rules by playing her cell phone and handheld game consoles during recess? Bai Yunshan asked her deskmate with confidence. In the eyes of Bai Yunshan, Qiu Ya was an extremely dutiful student. She seldom spoke, and always buried herself in books. She was a serious and thoughtful person. Her study notes showed it! She assumed that she had a good relationship with Qiu Ya. Qiu Ya would surely help her, by standing on the right side! The side of justice! Qiu Ya cast her eyes downward, unable to speak a word. Then, she heard the gentle and soothing voice of Zhao Youyue, saying, Just tell it as it is. I believe in you. After hearing it, Qiu Ya said softly, I was busy with my revision during recess, and I did not notice if Zhao Youyue did anything against the schools rules. Zhao Youyue laughed and praised her, Qiu Ya is indeed a hard working and good student. Then, she turned to Bai Yunshan. She raised her eyebrows and said, Class monitor, you were observing me, instead of paying attention to your own notes during recess. Dont you think that youre going above the call of duty? Bai Yunshan was disappointed in Qiu Ya. Was she one of them too, another deceptive liar? You talk about my priorities. What about yours? Why were you meddling about, instead of studying during recess? Bai Yunshan asked in reply. I was studying, but by methods of my own. If not, how could I maintain my results? Your accusation of me playing my cell phone and handheld game consoles are all ridiculous. You must have imagined it said Zhao Youyue with her characteristically gentle smile. Finally, Bai Yunshan realized that a top student would practically be invincible. This entity would be given free reign over its devices, as long as the teacher remains unaware. This was a result-orientated school, where any problems could be covered up by good results. Hence, Bai Yunshan failed to find any witnesses, just as she was unable to find the magazines that were in her drawer Where were the magazines? Zhao Youyue had distributed them to her female classmates. Accepting those magazines would instantly turn them into her partners-in-crime. She could always buy more magazines. This was how capricious Lady Zhao truly was. Even if the teacher confiscates her possessions on rightful grounds, she could easily replace them. Cell phones, gaming consoles, you name it. Naturally, it would earn the ire of the teacher, and she would be asked to write a letter of apology in turn, which came as a struggle for her. She had to maintain her image as a perfect top student in the eyes of the teacher. After all, Zhao Youyue was a woman of many faces. On the other hand, Bai Yunshan had been completely isolated by her classmates due to her action. However, this did not upset her. She firmly believed that she was in the right, and that the truth would always prevail. At this point, Bai Yunshan would already have been impeached, if the classroom worked in the form of a democracy. Her position would be replaced by Zhao Youyue, who was always oh so thoughtful and righteous. Of course, the class would become a mess if Zhao Youyue ever becomes the class monitor. It was a scene too horrible to imagine Zhao Youyue would still maintain her good results, but, it would be a different story for her classmates. Anyway, Bai Yunshan was still in Yang Liquns good graces. He comforted, Dont mess with Zhao Youyue again. You will be more influential in the class if your results surpass hers. The responsibility of a student is to study well, and the only form of benchmark for a students passion would be their academic achievement. Truthfully, he wanted to make her into a person with a flexible mindset, but he did not do so as she would not be the real Bai Yunshan. Does it mean that one can do anything as she pleases in this school, by getting good results? Yang Liqun wanted to apologize to her, as this was how an exam orientated education worked. The school only focused on cultivating the robots of examination. Those who achieved excellent results would stand above all else! If it was not because of Zhao Youyue consistently surpassing Bai Yunshans results, their roles would have been switched. Unfortunately, Zhao Youyue is a rare case. She was now ranked the No. 1 among the art classes of the school. Therefore, she could do anything she pleased. Of course not! No one is allowed to do as she pleases. Everyone should obey the schools rules. The world is fair, so is our school, Yang Liqun said sternly. It was precisely this fairness that Zhao Youyue loved the most! She never held anything against Bai Yunshan who had snitched on her. Their classmates were now isolating that girl. Ironically, this only made Lady Zhao feel more inclined to know her better. She saw Bai Yunshan as a figure of righteousness. She would like to be her righteous partner! Please dont look at me, like Im the dark horse Bai Yunshan treated her indifferently, but, they became closer without her being aware of it. Well, no one would approach her anyway, as they worried that she might tell on themno one except for Zhao Youyue. This was quite an interesting outcome. As if things could not get any better, the Two Dimensional Gate sprung to life once again! What new world would it take her to? Translation Note [1] Elderly Sister the common trope you see in all sorts of media, but mostly anime, where a single female student would act as a queen bee, going wherever she pleases while being accompanied by a full entourage, complete with maids who serve her tea in saucer cups. Chapter 277 An Unexpected New World! Zhao Youyue noted down the cooldown duration of the Two Dimensional Gate. She learned that, the longer she stays within a literary world, the longer the subsequent cooldown would be. Naturally, the longer she stays, she would also subject the author of that world to longer bouts of inspirational states. That way, he would create iconic scenes that are greater in both length and intensity. Therefore we can also say that the total duration of staying in a literary world is proportional to the possibility of creating an iconic character. Obviously, when Zhao Youyue is within the Two Dimensional Gate, some sort of energy would be consumed in exchange. The longer Zhao Youyue stays, the greater the consumption of energy, leading to a longer cooldown duration. Zhao Youyue now knew more about this Gates nature. To obtain as many character cards as possible through the Two Dimensional Gate, she would have to get things done swiftly. If she insists on creating more icons, she would have to spend more time and effort on it. If not, she should wrap things up in speedruns. Spending too much time will be akin to writing slice of life passages in an otherwise fast-paced title. It would be pointless, providing inappropriate details that no one wants or needs to know. That night, Zhao Youyue finally entered the Two Dimensional Gate once again. She shuddered as information of the world flooded her mind. The 4WD[1] God. Was this a story about car racing? If thats so, as long as she is able to create a famous female car racer, she may become an admirable female driver in reality. Of course, in a male-dominated sport, female races would stand out, regardless of how well they performed. The internet and news media tended to shine a bad light on female drivers, implying that they killed far more people in accidents than others, putting the entire gender into question when it comes to driving. Zhao Youyue had no need of driving skills. She decided to simply obtain a high popularity card through this world. After that, she could sacrifice it and choose a literary world which contained an ability that she truly wanted, such as one belonging to the food genre. High popularity character cards could be used for some time. She knew that her cousin Zhao Hao loved car racing. She might be able to show off her driving skills in front of him. His reaction would be priceless. Zhao Youyue sighed. The Two Dimensional Gate was truly random beyond anything, it would never once give her what she truly wished for. After all, she currently had no need for driving skills. Once again, the Two Dimensional Gate multiplied her shock. Originally, she had assumed that this title was all about car racing. The cars would be full-sized, actual 4WDs. Why else would the name contain the word 4WD? But when she noticed that the main characters were all primary students, only did she realize that the 4WD label was referring to mini 4WD toys! Primary students racing with mini 4WDs! This was a Shonen anime! F*ck my life! This Two Dimensional Gate is truly wretched. What kind of ability can I take from a mini 4WD world? This is definitely a work for kids. This was totally out of my expectation, being able to have entered such a work at random. Do you seriously need to joke like that? Once again, Zhao Youyue couldnt emphasize on how she found the random nature of the Two Dimensional Gate simply too wretched. She now felt a deep, dreadful fear. She had the equal risk of randomly entering a legendary adult genre world. What would that mean? Would she end up learning about the styles, poses, and techniques of that world? She was still a virgin in reality. A virgin with the mentality of an experienced b*tch, or something like thatEww, that would be twisted evil! If she ever gets thrown into such an evil world, she would definitely opt to destroy the world. She would become a serial killer or something like that, slaying every pair of adults entwined together! As usual, Zhao Youyue did not choose her character hastily. Even if it was a work for kids, with careful scrutiny, there might still be room for a possible breakthrough. She would also watch all available episodes of the mini 4WD anime and study it like any other material. She finished briefing herself within the Two Dimensional Gate. The main character was Zhang Haolie, who was passionate about mini 4WDs. By his name alone, Zhao Youyue could already tell that he was very passionate. He was fierce and competitive. He loved mini 4WDs very much. Within this anime, the mini 4WD was a very world-wide famous toy. Mini 4WD competitions would be held around every corner. Even the developers of mini 4WDs were all top scientists This was undoubtedly a world that lived and breathe mini 4WDs. The main storyline would probably follow Zhang Haolies progress as he participates in various competitions with the mini 4WD Saber that he had received from a top mini 4WD developer, Qiao Busi. It was a story about how he conquered all the good mini 4WD players and won the victory. By the way, this Qiao Busi was actually a Chinese company. Zhao Youyue finally left the Two Dimensional Gate after taking in the general information. The Two Dimensional Gate seemed to be giving her an opportunity to have an easy win. The 4WD God was an extremely popular anime. The male protagonist within the anime is a highly popular character in his own right. Several other side characters did not trail behind in popularity either. Unfortunately, these popular side characters were all males There were some female characters in the anime. All of them had names and a certain level of presence. Finally, she is no longer troubled by an awkward situation similar to The Strongest King, which had a complete absence of named female characters, causing her to have to approach Rosemary in order to provide her a female side character. Although there were no popular female characters, this was already a highly popular anime for kids, with high ratings to boast. Therefore, as long as Zhao Youyue creates a female character who is pleasant in the kids eyes, she should be able to become a popular female character without much trouble. This time, she did not take into consideration, the possible abilities that she could gain from this. She only intended to obtain a high popularity character card as a placeholder to sacrifice to the Gate, so that she could select a literary world of her choice. What ability could a primary female student possibly have, that gives her an edge in mini 4WD? Zhao Youyue had never played mini 4WD before. It might be very interesting to be able to experience it in the literary world. The mini 4WD within the anime was nothing like the inanimate mini 4WD in reality. It spoke the human language! It would dash about and activate skills when told! Thats right. The mini 4WD within this anime had their ultimate skills as well. Yo-yo players in anime would have their own ultimate skills, so why cant mini 4WDs have them too? Zhao Youyue did not feel like going to bed just yet. She immediately searched for the anime via her laptop and started watching. The OP[2] came as a pleasant surprise, it was rather nice! Look at the sky; the moon is smiling. Look at the ground; the waves are jumping. How tiny we are in this world. As long as we give it our all, our hearts will go beyond the skies. Fast! Fast! Fast! Go! Go! Go! The 4W warriors are taking action, driving courageous racing cars, pursuing their journey towards the championship. Fast! Fast! Fast! Go! Go! Go! The 4W warriors are taking action, following the speeding track, in the enlightenment of mysterious wisdom. Translation Note: [1] 4WD C Four-wheel drive. [2] OP C Opening Theme. Chapter 278 The Acceptance of such a Setting Zhao Youyue did not know that the song existed within another world as well. It was the Mandarin version of the OP of Bakus Kydai Lets & Go!!. Parallel universes were interesting. She had not watched Bakus Kydai Lets & Go!!. However, this did not stop her from enjoying The 4WD God. Bakus Kydai Lets & Go!! was led by a pair of deuteragonists, while The 4WD God was led by a protagonist Zhang Haolie. He was the combination of the deuteragonists in Bakus Kydai Lets & Go!!. This would be a Pseudo-Invincible styled[1] anime. Apparently, Zhang Haolie would never start a race smoothly. He would always fall behind at the start. However, just as Ultraman would only show his strength when his red light beeps, Zhang Haolie would only speed up during the later stages. This would be textbook shonen. The main character would always blow up with passion and claim victory with a bang. In reality, it sounded ridiculous, being able to egg a mini 4WD on by shouting, or to release the ultimate skill Victory Charge Tornado by hollering out the skill name. Yet, it worked, every single time. Whenever Zhao Youyue saw the male protagonists mini 4WD releasing its ultimate skill, her mind would freeze how did this even work? This was the bane of all human intelligence! Yet, she had to admit that such a setting was very sensational. The male protagonists cries would reach her and boil her blood, and she would sincerely hope for him C who would be brimming with positive energy C to win the competition. No wonder so many kids dug this anime. In fact, some works would not require any rationality at all. Once you look past the lack of logic, it did have its appeal. Such genre is similar to those killer sports works. They took different approaches, but reaped equal results. Zhao Youyue remembered once watching an anime that was related to spinning tops. Those spinning tops would be able to summon divine beasts and carry on battling on another level. Wasnt that ridiculous? Not to the kids. They took it all in stride How boring would it be, if mini 4WDs, tops, and yo-yos in anime obediently followed the rules of reality. These anime have all been produced to sell the toys. They were all large-scale, feature-length advertisements. Now that The 4WD God anime is being broadcasted to great effect, all mini 4WD models within the series are being highly demanded. Many kids believed that they would be just like the characters within the anime, releasing ultimate skills and winning competitions. Zhao Youyues purpose of creating a female character this time was not to obtain any sort of ability, but to obtain a high popularity character card as a consumable. Therefore, she did not need to apply a hack on herself, she was not here to create another Mary Sue character, such as the perfect goddess, Chu Luoxun. It would be best to stick to the storyline and obtain a high popularity character card. She chose to toss aside the idea of working for another iconic character. Disasters dont happen in tales for kids. Actually, something could be made out of it. Eva was a good example. After the heroine died, her spirit possessed the male protagonists racing car, becoming one with the machine. Even when the car runs out of battery, it would stir to live at the crucial moment, turning the tables upon the enemy, terrifying all who witness it! Wouldnt that be fantastic? She could always work something out. However, Zhao Youyue did not want to die anymore. This piece of work was meant for kids. Lets spare them the grief and harshness of reality. She did not dare to cause random mess onto such an extremely popular work. If not, her destiny might be reversed, and that was not something funny. The male protagonist Zhang Haolie was extremely popular. The popularity of the work only served to boost his own popularity. He was just one step away from becoming an iconic character. Unfortunately, he was not a female. Or else, Zhao Youyue would be able to her first ever easy win. However, due to the explosive popularity of The 4WD God, it wouldnt be very difficult to create a highly popular female character. She had to be unique in her own way. She had to be formidable. This would depend on Zhao Youyues own imagination. The more the better, without ruining the work. She only needed to possess a female character and conquer the invincible male protagonist once. That would be more than enough for the audience to remember her. However, she sensed that the scriptwriters of the original anime would never approve of such a plot. Ultraman would never be defeated by any monster. Even if he were to be defeated by one, that monster should probably be the ultimate monster which had been lurking about and built up with layer after layer of foreshadowing, not by a little monster that suddenly pops out of nowhere. If there are any flaws in this anime, it would be the fact that none of the female mini 4WD players had left a deep impression on the kids yet. The female players were mostly passerbys. Having a passerby defeat the male protagonist all of a sudden would make no sense. The scriptwriter would immediately notice the oddity, and dismiss the results of that intoxicated state. Zhao Youyue had even done some research on the animes scriptwriter. His name was Tian Jun. This anime was his third mini 4WD-based work. His first two animes had obviously paved the way for this third one. It was also the best in all aspects, among all three animes. The third anime had even adopted a newer, updated art style. The anime would not have been as popular without it. Zhao Youyue is always well-prepared when she resolves herself to take something seriously. She had not yet thought of any breakthrough ideas. Therefore, she chose to finish all the previous content first. She even entertained the thought of not even being a player, but as a competition commentator or a mini 4WD developer. However, the named female characters were all primary school students. They were the same age as the male protagonist Zhang Haolie. It made no sense for a primary female student to be a commentator or a researcher. Moreover, Zhao Youyue did not know the animes scriptwriter. It would be very troublesome to get him to create an elder female side character. After all, this was a long-running anime. It was not so easy to add a new character out of the blue. Besides, the viewers have grown familiar with these primary female students with names. They had accumulated a degree popularity. She would just need to put in some effort and the female character would amaze the audiences! She zeroed in on a particular character. It would be a female mini 4WD player. Now, she had to find a way to make her stand out among the kids and receive her next high popularity card! Zhao Youyue was currently out of ideas. Therefore, she bought a mini 4WD The Last Saber model used by Zhang Haolie on her way to school that day. It was the second generation saber, similar to Victory Charge. She started to assemble the mini 4WD excitedly during recess The class rep Bai Yunshan gazed over her shoulder angrily. This Zhao Youyue is messing about again. Is she a primary student? It was already the middle of September. One of the more recent concerns in school was the coming Autumn Sports event. This was not good news for the Arts intensive class. They did not want to participate in the sports event. None of them were athletic. The last thing they would want is to take part in the scariest sports event the 3,000-meter long run! That event would murder them! Translation Note: [1] Pseudo-Invincible style C It refers to anime that imitates the main characters style of being invincible. Chapter 279 I can Release Ultimate Skills! As one who had no regard for her class, Zhao Youyue made up her mind to be an audience during the Autumn Sports, just as it was in the first semester of her first year in high school. She would be fulfilling her role by cheering 666 for her classmates who participated in the sports events. If she couldnt be bothered about it, she would choose to loiter about, away from the action rather than cheer 666. Zhao Youyue had found a new hobby C the mini 4WD that was meant for kids. She found the mini 4WD very fun to play with. Unfortunately, there were no large, luxurious and high standard tracks in reality that matched up to the ones in the anime. Within the anime, the entire country would contribute in preparing shockingly big projects for the tracks, all for the sake of organizing contests. Conversely, in reality, one would be fortunate enough to have a plastic track all to oneself. Within the mini 4WD anime, the entire world truly revolved around mini 4WDs. Zhao Youyues hands were rather dextrous. She finished assembling the The Last Saber model over the courses of a few classes. She soon realized that it lacked the most important component a battery. She asked her deskmate Shen Menglian to go buy the battery for her, and keep the change as the fees for running the errand. Shen Menglian was at a loss of words. Zhao Youyue had unexpectedly started playing mini 4WD. She eventually decided that Lady Zhao must have had a brain injury. She was plain stupid, now. Shen Menglian thought that she had to bite the bullet and help the mentally disabled Lady Zhao. She had never given up the intention of planning to harm Zhao Youyue implicitly. She considered the upcoming Autumn Sports event a great opportunity! A pampered girl like Lady Zhao couldnt possibly be good at sports. How shameful and foolish would she make herself, if she goes for the 3,000 meters run? As she pictured the imagery, Shen Menglian started getting very excited. When that happens, Lady Zhao will falter. She might even give up out of exhaustion, and eventually, start crying before everyones blameful eyes. Then, she would step up and console Zhao Youyue nicely. In that case, she would become Lady Zhaos best friend, undisputably. Then Lady Zhao will bring her out and play, not that b*tchy Jiang Qing. That Jiang Qing is truly a mistress. Even though she was not in the same class with Lady Zhao anymore, she would come looking for her! However, Lady Zhao would never expect that it was her, Shen Menglian who had been plotting everything in secret! Thats right. Zhao Youyue had forgotten one thing. She was no longer a passerby. With her high profile, comes all form of envy, jealousy and hate. Moreover, things were sour between Lady Zhao and the class rep Bai Yunshan, who was in charge of the candidates selection, regarding the coming sports events. Will she utilize her positions authority and cause some trouble for Zhao Youyue, whove always had a way in class? Bai Yunshan would not do such a thing. She was not that kind of girl who would utilize her authority for her personal revenge. She would only adhere to straight principles and justice. However, the wicked Shen Menglian still considered this a great opportunity. She had been waiting for such opportunity, for a very long time. Zhao Youyue had yet to attend self-study classes in the evening, just like the previous year. Since she had now established a good relationship with Zhao Youyue, she could definitely sign up for the sports event on Zhao Youyues behalf, during that class. Bai Yunshan had always considered Shen Menglian and Zhao Youyue to be working hand in glove with each other. As long as Bai Yunshan does not look into it too deeply, she would directly fill in Zhao Youyues name for the sports event, especially the 3,000-meter run. No one had yet to sign up for this event. Now that there is a Zhao Youyue, why not sign her up? The cheated Zhao Youyue would only think that it was Bai Yunshan who had utilized her authority to take revenge on her. Zhao Youyue would never expect it to be her, Shen Menglian! Shen Menglian definitely intended to make Zhao Youyue suffer! That way, only Zhao Youyue would know how nice she was! Zhao Youyue did not know that there was someone was planning to harm her implicitly on the day of the Autumn Sports event. However, such a trick would be useless against her. After all, Zhao Youyue was an absolute stranger to the idea of collective honor. She could simply refuse to participate in the event when the time comes. At most, Zhao Youyue would only cause Bai Yunshan, who had a strong sense of collective honor to be more dissatisfied with her. The rest of the students would probably understand her decision. After all, it was a 3,000-meter run. Besides, no one would know what to expect next. Zhao Youyue had always been able to come up with more surprises. At that moment, Zhao Youyue installed the battery and pushed the switch on, yet nothing happened. She was a bit dumbfounded. She had installed everything correctly. Why is nothing happening at all? This was a rather a common situation. Either the parts were originally damaged, or something had not been properly connected Zhao Youyue was very patient in such matters. She moved on from hobby to hobby at a relatively quick pace, but the passion and focus during that short period of time would be nothing short of superhuman. She broke down all the parts and reassembled them according to the instructions. She had put in more effort this time, but still only did it during recess. During classes, she would decisively switch on Xu Jings card, in order to move her attention away from the mini 4WD. She would never let her results fall behind, no matter what. The moment she fails to keep herself at the top among the Arts students, she will never be able to continue being arrogant anymore. She would have to lay low, while not giving any chances for Bai Yunshan to gain leverage over her. Zhao Youyue spent almost a full day of recess and managed to finish reassembling the The Last Saber. She tried to switch it on. She finally heard the motor sound! She felt her sense of accomplishment reach the top at that moment. She suddenly felt a desire to seek out a fellow mini 4WD player for a race. Her adolescent soul burned wild. She felt convinced, that she would be able to release an ultimate skill as well Zhao Youyue managed to restrain herself. It was not a good move to play it at school, although she never actually cared about how others perceived her. Yo, isnt this the The Last Saber? You play mini 4WD too? a hearty male voice sounded. The guy held a basketball in his hand. Apparently, he was from the next class, which was currently having their Physical Education. Zhao Youyue looked up and saw a tall guy. He seemed to be rather handsome. He carried himself in a way that suggested that he had a good fashion sense. He probably hailed from a wealthy family. He was one of the ten males in his class. His name was Lu Rui, and he was one of the sports committee members. He had none of the shyness that you would see in a male Arts student. He brimmed with manliness. Something told her that he must be rather accustomed to being surrounded by fangirls. Yet, Zhao Youyue had no feelings towards him. They were just regular schoolmates. I guess so. Its just that I dont know where to play to, Propping her chin up in one hand and staring at the toy in her other, she replied lazily. I know a mall that has a track built for this. Why not we meet up during the weekends? Lu Ruis eyes shined. He invited Zhao Youyue like it was in his second nature. Oh? Theres one at the mall? You mean that place right? Noted. Thank you. replied Zhao Youyue happily. She was quite familiar with all the shopping malls within the provincial city. She took note of the place. So Is there anything else? ErmI think that it will be more fun, if we race instead. Please dont misunderstand. I dont have any other intentions, Lu Rui immediately rephrased his sentence, only making himself sound even more suspicious. No. You dont understand anything about real mini 4WDs at all. I can release ultimate skill, and you cant, said Zhao Youyue seriously. Scratching his head, Lu Rui retreated in embarrassment. But it was not over. He will find an opportunity soon. After all, this girl was gorgeous. Chapter 280 A Silly, Yet Cute Female Character Ever since Zhao Youyue started growing out her hair, her suitors started increasing out of nowhere. She had once felt very excited to receive a love letter, but it was now more of a daily occurrence than anything else. Other than love letters, there were also some small presents. Some remained anonymous. Some were complete with signatures. Han Leng had written love letters to Zhao Youyue as well. Yet, he was writing on other students behalfs. He had restarted his ghostwriting, but only when it involved Zhao Youyue. The straight, long black haired Zhao Youyue was really too popular. Therefore, his business had been bustling. He did not earn much, but he enjoyed himself very much. Among the many love letters, Han Lengs had the highest standards, as it was to be expected from the author of Beautiful April. His book signing would be held at the end of the year. On the other side of things, Master Leng Zis cute photos were spreading on the internet like wildfire Unfortunately, Zhao Youyue was not interested in having a love relationship. Or else, she would definitely be able to enjoy the so-called splendid youth that many others dreamed of. However, she never thought that she would be fed with dog food. She enjoyed feeding dog food to others. After all, she had so many dogs around her. Compared to starting a love relationship, she would rather discover some more interests. The Two Dimensional Gate had provided her unlimited possibilities. She had the firm intention of taking everything in the imaginary world and placing them in reality. Just as she said, to be able to use the mini 4WDs ultimate skill. Zhao Youyue did not have any form of adolescent delusion. She was simply declining Lu Ruis invitation, indirectly. As long as males are not as forthcoming as Chen Haoran, Zhao Youyue would be able to handle them with relative ease. She would only need to play the ditzy dumb damsel, even if she saw through everything at a glance. The high school stage was considered to be the peak time to have a romantic encounter. Even within such a famous high school that focused on results, no one would be able to suppress their pubescent nature. Therefore, those who had any affection for Lady Zhao were destined to have sad endings. She did not share their sentiments. For her, there are way too many methods of having more fun than to be tied down by love. Therefore, she will not accept any form of affection from others. But if they are willing to be her servants and playmates, she would accept them willingly. She would always welcome the prospect of more friends. Zhao Youyue left early on that day again, right after the activity class. She went to a shopping mall and managed to find a track for mini 4WDs. She noticed some primary students playing there, and joined them, shouting the embarrassing names of those ultimate skills together Zhao Youyue was trying to get into her future role, to stimulate her mind and enhance her imagination. After all, the viewers of The 4WD God were mostly kids. The key to becoming a character with high popularity depends on the creation of a character kids could relate to. Admittedly, she felt genuinely happy playing with the kids. She now had a deeper understanding towards mini 4WD. She also realized that it was rather impossible for humans to run alongside their mini 4WDs. However, that group of primary students within the anime were all able to keep up with their mini 4WDs without losing breath, while activating their skills anytime they chose. Some mini 4WDs could even defy the laws of gravity and race in an upsidedown position. How does that even happen? Zhao Youyue then bought several more mini 4WDs in one purchase. No matter who the pilots were in the anime, even if they were antagonists, as long as they appeared in the anime, she bought them all. The villains mini 4WDs even had sharpened, combat-suited wheels, which seemed to make a statement of their own. Zhao Youyue then made some serious consideration. Should she choose to be a villain, instead? In the beginning, this villain would participate in all sorts of confrontations with the male protagonist. She had a great desire of destruction. She did not win with speed. She only sought to destroy her competitors mini 4WDs. However, the male protagonist successfully converted her. She gave up her original destructive way of racing and chose to win the game through speed Thus, this villain naturally turned into a new leaf. That would be something worth remembering. Several popular villains had started out this way. Within Bakus Kydai Lets & Go!!, a mini 4WD anime of another world, there was a villain named Tu Fangling. He owned a mini 4WD with the name The Devils Commander. It had an ultimate skill C Infrared Laser Controlling Sting, which specialized in penetrating the other mini 4WDs rear end. But in the end, was this person a he or a she? He was too pretty. He seemed to be a Goddess, yet he insisted that he was a male. And male he was. Many years later, many netizens indicated that their childhoods had been ruined, after knowing the truth. They had considered him the prettiest girl throughout the whole anime when they were young. He was a noble, cold, beautiful Goddess. The male protagonist Xiao Hao eventually convinced Tu Fangling. He removed the sting. He chose to give up on the championship of the Super Cup, which was already at his fingertips. He waited for Xiao Haos mini 4WD Tornado Charge to catch up to him. He chose to pit his speed against Xiao Hai. He eventually lost. The Tornado Charge took the lead, all the way past the finish line. However, Tu Fangling truly realized the joy of having a fair race. The experience turned him over a new leaf. It would be rather interesting to create such a female villain. Although Zhao Youyue had never watched Bakus Kydai Lets & Go!! before, she had read more than enough books. She was very familiar with this trope. However, such villains already existed in The 4WD God. Moreover, how would those primary female students ever turn into those noble, cool, beautiful female villains? Zhao Youyue spent a couple of days thinking hard but never coming up with anything, not realizing that she had been signed into several sports events by a certain someone, including the 3,000-meters run. Bai Yunshan had even deliberately confirmed with her. At that moment, Zhao Youyue had been lost in thought, trying to figure out on how to create a highly popular primary female student. She had simply nodded to it absent-mindedly. Bai Yunshan had taken it as her consent. Shen Menglian was the only person laughing wickedly in secret Zhao Youyue had grown completely addicted to mini 4WDs. Bai Yunshan had seen her assembling at least four mini 4WDs at school. Her drawer was full of mini 4WDs, other than snacks. Bai Yunshan felt that Zhao Youyue would definitely be ruined, sooner or later. Why would she be fascinated by a primary students favorite toy, at such an age? She did not know that there some adults were deep into the sport. For example, a celebrity named Yu Wenle was an avid mini 4WD lover. After much effort, she finally came up with a way to give the audiences a deep impression! Since the male protagonist Zhao Haolie pursued the power of speed, he would definitely become the champion. She could create a female character who did not care about the racing results at all, often being placed last in every race. However, she would possess the most beautiful and gorgeous car of all. She would also have the largest number of favorite cars. Her father even owned a mini 4WD toy shop It would be a character who races not for the results, but to get involved in things! She intended to show off her gorgeous, favorite car! She would be a hilarious, silly, adorable character! Her ultimate skills would have the most dramatic and convoluted names, causing people to expect cool things from her mini 4WD. Yet, they would all result in comedy. Her mini 4WD would even get snagged away by a passing Husky. That Husky would be the servant of angels. Whenever probed about her reasons for participating, she would reply that she simply loved jogging. She only wanted to train her body Chapter 281 Specialized Goofball Zhao Youyue thought that such a ditzy, adorable character would become a spotlight within The 4WD God. Since the beginning, this piece of work had been continually piling up on the heated, blood-pumping warcry mini 4WD race moments. There had been a severe lack of slow fillers or comedy that would grant viewers a breather. The animes scriptwriter had not placed any attention on shaping up the female characters. They were mostly characters who shouted 666 from the sidelines. There was this particular female character, who was one of the male protagonists opponents sister. She had a zealous form of admiration towards the male protagonist. If the kids start to warm up to her to the point that her mere appearance would cause bouts of laughter, she would most certainly have given them a deep impression. Becoming highly popular from thereon would be a cinch. Lady Zhao had been pretty lucky to have transmigrated into such a popular anime. She would not have to work into making the anime popular. Instead, with some earnest effort, she should turn famous, with the help of the animes already present popularity. After Zhao Youyue polished up her plans, she entered the Two Dimensional Gate once again. She chose to possess a primary female student named Zhou Chun. Her pet name within the anime was Xiao Chun. Her father was the manager of a mini 4WD store. She was also the male protagonist, Zhang Haolies best friend. She would be the one leading the shouts of 666 in every race. She played mini 4WDs a little. The scriptwriter apparently did not intend to have her take part in the contests of the show. Her characteristics had also been vaguely shaped. However, she still stood out a little; she was probably the cutest among all primary female students in the roster, and was also the male protagonists best friend. If the viewer demographic had been slightly older, she might have been paired up with the male protagonist; they could even have ended up as the poster couple. However, kids would not look into things that deeply. They would be satisfied just by watching the male protagonist having reversal wins, one after another. His fans would not be able to help but buy his The Last Saber and have a share of his power. The moment Zhao Youyue possessed her, she realized that this character would easily gain popularity by getting slightly more involved in the events of the anime. After that, she would be able to leave the literary world without any lingering side-effects. She was certain that this trip would be rather relaxing. She would not be satisfied with just becoming a popular character. She would settle for not less than a high popularity character card, so that she could freely choose her next story verse. After Zhao Youyue possessed the character, she started tweaking her settings. She took note of the passionate in sports attribute. It was a pretty neat attribute, as she was rather laidback in reality. Being laidback was not good for her body. It would always be beneficial to love sports and exercise with a passion. Next, she added a new ability. The ability to design gorgeous shapes and appearances for mini 4WDs. But due to the overemphasis of aesthetics, her mini 4WDs would end up useless. She would always end up last among all those who finish. Some players would never be able to finish the race, with some breaking down halfway, some being destroyed by the villains The Destruction Corps. Her originally vague personality grew more detailed as well. She knew that her own mini 4WDs were ridiculously slow, all of them were flashy, yet useless. Yet, she would have the knack of blowing hot air to the point that her mini 4WDs would sound like Gods. Each and every ultimate skill name she utters would be downright intimidating! However, the moment those scary ultimate skills are unleashed, the scene would turn downright comedic. Would the kids enjoy watching such a turn of events, and remember it for a long time? The answer would obviously be, yes. Xiao Chun had now become a classic case of an Idiot Girl with an inexplicable sense of self-confidence. She would be the ultimate show off and drama queen. Yet, every time, she would end up slapping her own face. Her silly antics would only add on to her cuteness. She shouldnt be called Xiao Chun, but Little Silly instead There was another unique quirk about Xiao Chun. The other mini 4WD players only had one mini 4WD each, including the male protagonist. Yet, Xiao Chun would have an endless array of them, as if she was a mini 4WD collector. All her mini 4WDs would be more decorative than functional. In the end, by perhaps being too attractive, her mini 4WDs would always be targeted and whisked off in the jaws of a naughty husky After possessing Xiao Chun, Zhao Youyue immediately took action. Xiao Chun suddenly declared to her dad that she intended to become a mini 4WD player. The moment she said that, something miraculous happened. An additional default setting appeared on her body, Max Stamina. It had been completely out of her hands. She was even worried that the scriptwriter would remove such an outrageous trait. However, after careful consideration, she realized that all mini 4WD players would have this by default. Not just max stamina, players would be able to run as fast as their mini 4WDs. Even helicopters would not be able to catch up to their speed. Zhao Youyue was a little surprised about this. She originally thought that a highly popular character card from this anime would only be gain mini 4WD design-related traits. Such abilities would be useless in reality. She was not going to venture into mini 4WD sales anytime soon. Ever since she learned of Max Stamina and having a running speed comparable to mini 4WDs, this character card might have its uses, afterall! Xiao Chuns dad had no objections to her decision. He even handed her a mini 4WD. Of course, it could not be compared to the male protagonists mini 4WD. The mini 4WDs of the male protagonist and popular characters had all been heavily modified. They were all one-of-a-kind in the entire world. Xiao Chuns mini 4WD was a mass-produced one. Xiao Chun did not mind it at all. She did not consider common mini 4WDs disgusting, other than the appearance. She expressed naively to her dad that the true strength of mini 4WDs lay in its beauty. Therefore, as long as she manages to design the most gorgeous shell ever, her mini 4WD would undergo metamorphosis! Xiao Chuns dad did not even know that Xiao Chun had such drawing skills. Even though this was something as trivial as the drawing of mini 4WDs shell, he found it to be an incredible discovery. After all, she was just a primary student! A mini 4WDs shell would actually affect its speed. For example, the male protagonists mini 4WD had a perfectly streamlined body. Aerodynamics played a very real part in such variables. However, the shell that Xiao Chun drew for her own mini 4WD did not take such things into consideration. She applied the shape of the cars from another world into the mini 4WD world! Since it was just a shell, producing it was a rather simple process. Xiao Chun proudly brought her self-designed, gorgeous mini 4WD along and met up with the male protagonist. Zhang Haolie greatly supported Xiao Chuns decision to become a mini 4WD player. When he saw her self-designed gorgeous mini 4WD, he was instantly overwhelmed with excitement. His morale had been ignited. He wanted to race against Xiao Chun. With inexplicable self-confidence, Xiao Chun told Zhang Haolie that she had developed an ultimate skill for her mini 4WD! In order to enhance the effect, she had given it an English name Angry Crow Takes Flight! Zhang Haolie had a good grasp of the English language, and was even more eager to take on her mini 4WDs ultimate skill Angry Crow Takes Flight! Chapter 282 Human and Car Combined, Crows taking Flight! As Xiao Chun spoke about her special Angry Crow Takes Flight move, she made it sound invincible. She even made a pose for the move, in order to show everyone what she meant by Angry Crow Takes Flight, but all she did was to use both her hands to form the wings of an imaginary bird Obviously, it was just Xiao Chun playing the fool, but it was perfectly normal for elementary school students to behave in this childish manner. If anyone is to complain and say that they were acting like immature middle school students, it would actually become a compliment instead, as they were still in elementary school. It is no surprise for kids this age to have wild imaginations. When the male protagonist Zhang Haolie, who was also an elementary school student, learned of Xiao Chuns new move, he took a step back in caution. He hardened his expression and raised his guard up, as if he had just been introduced to his greatest opponent ever. However, Zhang Haolie did not plan to back off. As the saying went, one tends to become stronger when ones opponent is strong, he decided to see for himself how powerful this Angry Crow Takes Flight move really was. Therefore, the both of them started racing each other. Xiao Chun was racing with her new mini 4WD, which she had named The Worlds Soaring Crow. The exterior of the mini 4WD was similar to Batmans car, Batmobile. Everyone should know how magnificent the Batmobile looked. Even Zhang Haolie thought that his good friends mini 4WD looked cool! Just turning up looking good, Xiao Chun had already gained the upper hand over this race! However, in the midst of the race, Zhang Haolie was suddenly dumbfounded! Zhang Haolie did not expect it to be so slow. A mini 4WD with such an amazing exterior, and a fierce name like The Worlds Soaring Crow, was moving at an unbelievably slow speed. What happened to the legendary Angry Crow Takes Flight move? Why isnt Xiao Chun using it? Zhang Haolie was used to being slow and trailing behind the other racers, especially at the beginning of the race. He would usually wait for the most crucial moment before he unleashes his powers and shouts something like Go, The Last Saber[1]! which unseals a certain curse in his mini 4WD, or acts as a stimulant for his mini 4WD to push itself beyond its limits. Once he unleashes the Last Saber[2], he usually pulls a tremendous form of victory off! This time, however, Zhang Haolie did not expect to be in the lead, right from the start of the race. He had grown rather far ahead, and the distance between his mini 4WD and Xiao Chuns mini 4WD was gradually growing. At this rate, even if he does not shout anything, he would easily win the race At that point in time, Xiao Chun, or rather, Zhao Youyue, was running alongside her mini 4WD, as if she had magical powers. She never felt tired, even after running for quite some time. No matter how far she ran, she did not sweat, pant, and her heart rate never went up. What is up with this superhuman ability? If this magical buff[2] is used in the real world, wouldnt full-length marathons be a piece of cake for her? In actuality, Xiao Chun could not care less about winning or losing at all. She was satisfied with the sight of her The Worlds Soaring Crow, her own mini 4WD Batmobile, move with such determination and grace. Her mini 4WD looked so cool, that it was able to capture the full attention of the viewers, which made her even more ecstatic! Mini 4WD racing competitions are all about whichever is the fastest mini 4WD, but for Xiao Chun, it all came down on whichever mini 4WD looked the best! All Xiao Chun wanted to do was to show off her glorious mini 4WD, not only to the viewers, but also to the scriptwriter, Tian Jun. Tian Jun was a shareholder in a company which produces mini 4WD cars, and he had a knack for designing mini 4WD cars himself. When he gets too carried away, he would surely get out on a limb to ensure that the exterior of Xiao Chuns mini 4WD cars are really the top of the line! The race got boring, and Zhang Haolie grew tired of waiting. Impatiently, he said, Xiao Chun, if you still do not use your special Angry Crow Takes Flight move, I am going to win for sure! Xiao Chuns turned murderous. It seemed as if she was doing everyone a favor and sparing them from the deadly power of her special move. After a deep sigh, she said, Are you really going to force me to use my death-dealing move? The audience could now see that Xiao Chun had a winning temperament, one which would be associated with a professional racer. At that moment, they knew that this female racer, who had such an impressive-looking mini 4WD, had to have a terrifying, deadly move! They were absolutely right. Why would a mini 4WD, possessing an amazing exterior that looked similar to an exquisite work of art have no special function of its own? Only those mass-produced mini 4WD cars, used by those trashy competitors would not have special functions. It was impossible for a mini 4WD car with an extraordinarily beautiful exterior like The Worlds Soaring Crow to not have special functions. Xiao Chun was probably just waiting for the right moment to unleash the Angry Crow Takes Flight and win the race! Xiao Chuns unfaltering confidence had taken Zhang Haolie by surprise. Normally, in any race, Zhang Haolie would encounter a lot of obstacles in the beginning and end up far behind the opponent. However, in situations like that, he would never be worried, as he had his own unique style of racing. Nearing the end of the race, whenever the viewers are convinced of his impending defeat, he would make a sudden comeback that alters the flow of the whole competition! Since Zhang Haolies performance in races are always exaltation after disparage in essence, they were usually very entertaining and a joy to watch. Now that Zhang Haolie is in the lead, such a reversal threw him off his turf, and it made him uneasy. This time, he could easily end up as the insignificant racer who would get overtaken right before the end of the race and lose all his pride! However, as Zhang Haolie was the iconic main character of a shonen manga, he had not been equipped with any cowardly qualities. No matter how slim the chances of winning were, he would bravely take on any obstacle, and not give up until the very end! Without hesitation, Zhang Haolie said, Xiao Chun, my Last Saber is ready to take on any challenge, there is no way that I will lose this race, just bring it on! Right after that, Xiao Chun finally used her special Angry Crow Takes Flight move. However, the audience, as well as the male protagonist Zhang Haolie, found themselves in utter shock Xiao Chun shouted, Look, human and car combined, Angry Crow Takes Flight! Then, she picked The Worlds Soaring Crow off the floor, lifted it up above her head with both of her hands. At that moment, she herself became the wings, while taking a big shortcut, she proceeded to place her mini 4WD right in front of Zhang Haolies mini 4WD. Within seconds, she had successfully overtaken The Last Saber! This was her death-dealing move - - Angry Crow Takes Flight! While everyone was still dumbstruck by Xiao Chuns special move which helped her gain the lead, the flow of the race had changed once again. The Worlds Soaring Crow was once again easily overtaken by The Last Saber, causing the race to end in huge favor of The Last Saber! Zhang Haolie was so shocked by Xiao Chuns special move that he forgot to unleash his deadly Dancing Sabers move, but he still won the race anyway. It was obvious that both mini 4WD cars were not on the same level, to begin with, especially in terms of speed. However, regarding looks, nobody could deny that Xiao Chuns mini 4WD was way too bedazzling After the race, Zhang Haolie talked to Xiao Chun about her Angry Crow Takes Flight move. He warned her not to use it in an official racing competition, or she would definitely get disqualified, as it was against the rules. If something like Angry Crow Takes Flight was allowed, everyone could just grab their mini 4WD cars and run towards the finishing line, and then turn on their mini 4WD right before they cross the finishing line and win the race. Wouldnt everyone be able to win easily? Everyone from the audience was laughing uncontrollably, as they realized that it was actually possible for a common mini 4WD car to have a special function, an example being - - human and car as one, Angry Crow Takes Flight! However, Xiao Chun expressed that Angry Crow Takes Flight was not her ultimate move, there was something deadlier called [4], which she had not yet used, or she would have blown away the results of that race. Zhang Haolie was startled, yet again. As he was unable to comprehend what Xiao Chun had just said, he made a mental note of it as something to look forward to, in the future. After looking it up word for word, he found that this special move was called - - Tornardo Decimates Trailer Park! () [4] How impressive would this special move be? Translation note : [1] The Last Saber is the name of the mini 4WD car of the main character/male protagonist, Zhang Haolie. [2] Last Saber is also used to describe a deadly special move that usually allows the racer to win the race once it is used. [3] Buff is a term used in some video games, especially MMORPGs and MUDs, to describe increases in the power of a game element. There are two main usages. The first describes a permanent (or at least indefinite) increase in power levels as a result of adjustments to game mechanics, usually in pursuit of game balance. The second usage of buff describes an effect (usually cast as a spell) that temporarily enhances a player. In the context of the story at this point, buff relates to the latter usage. [4] The story is originally in Chinese, so when Xiao Chun says Tornado Decimates Trailer Park in English, the male protagonist Zhang Haolie is unable to comprehend what it meant. Thus, he had to go home and check the term word for word. Later on, he learns that the English term Tornado Decimates Trailer Park translates to in Chinese. Chapter 283 Obtained a High Popularity Character Card As long as a special move is silly and illogical, it would definitely become a trend on the internet, no matter what it was or what it does. Even more so when the name of the special move sounds dumb as well, like Angry Crow Takes Flight. Xiao Chuns retarded mini 4WD car would turn out to be the ultimate countermeasure against the The Destruction Corps, C the villains of the anime. These The Destruction Corps were the type who never once raced accordingly to see who had the fastest mini 4WD car. Instead, they specialized in destroying the mini 4WD cars of others during races, and took great pleasure in doing so. However, if you think about it, this is a strategic way of winning a race - - if all the opponents mini 4WD cars are destroyed, wouldnt they be the only racers left and win by default? The Destruction Corps usually had the most high-tech mini 4WD cars. It was normal for their cars to have offensive weapons like air knives and air bombs. Some of their cars were so high-tech that they had needles attached to their front bumpers. These needles would be controlled via infrared rays. With a simple command, some members of The Destruction Corpscould even activate special moves and special suspensions would raise their cars up enough to smash the other mini 4WD cars in the race, permanently destroying them Xiao Chuns retarded mini 4WD car was the The Destruction Corps antithesis, for its specialized shell was sturdy enough to finish any race, no matter what. Moreover, as Xiao Chun had expressed that she still had some deadly moves up her sleeve, she could easily tie The Destruction Corps down and keep them in check, as the male protagonist Zhang Haolie goes on unhindered! Zhang Haolie was persistent in ensuring that he would only stick to the principles of racing to see who had the fastest mini 4WD. He would never do something like what The Destruction Corps did, just to win a race. If he competed in such a disgraceful manner, wouldnt he be considered a worthless vandal as well? Zhang Haolie was resolutely righteous and firm with his beliefs. Xiao Chun, on the other hand, was not as righteous as Zhang Haolie. Since she had various types of mini 4WD cars, wouldnt it be fun, if she specially designs a few mini 4WD cars to destroy other cars? After all, Xiao Chun was the experienced idiot. She would drag others down to her level and beat them with that experience. She was the guardian of all past victims of The Destruction Corps. Naturally, the children watching the anime would find Xiao Chun intriguing and hilarious. This time, Zhao Youyues plan was to make the lively, dorky Xiao Chun, who owned a glorious mini 4WD, turn to a funny and sarcastic character, as well as a strong and respected heroine who would constantly keep The Destruction Corps in check, yet be plagued by the husky running gag. As Zhao Youyue carried out her plan, the scriptwriter C Tian Jun grew intoxicated. Feeling a sudden burst of inspiration, he ended up developing more of the plot and even went on to draw The Worlds Soaring Crow, which looked as dazzling as the Batmobile! Tian Jun was not only the scriptwriter for the anime of The 4WD God. He was also a designer of mini 4WD cars, and had shares in a company which produced them. If not for this, he would not have made 3 animes about mini 4WD cars. When Tian Jun saw how cool Xiao Chuns mini 4WD car looked, he decided that he would not remove it from the anime. It did not matter if it was slow. If it looked this good, it would sell like hotcakes in the real world! Then, he proceeded to review his newly written episode. He did not find it funny at all, but he felt that Xiao Chuns character was progressing rather meaningfully At the end of it, he considered it an acceptable progression. It did not divert from the plot heavily, nor did it affect the main character in any way. Furthermore, he could utilize Xiao Chuns character to slowly and deliberately lighten up the nerve-wracking and tense atmosphere of the story. A character like Xiao Chun could serve as a good outlet. After Tian Jun handed the new episode over to the anime supervisor and the animation department, they started to work on it. As the team was working on the character of Zhou Chun, it was as if they had magically received a buff. Even the voice actress became fully engrossed in her work. It was just like War Heroes, where the entire scriptwriting team got intoxicated. This time, however, it was the whole production team who got intoxicated! This was the power of the Two Dimensional Gate, an existence that was far beyond human comprehension, but nonetheless still existed. It was something like causuality[1], whatever Zhao Youyue did would inevitably influence the creators mind. Zhao Youyue now kept herself updated with anything related to The 4WD God. The newest episode was released fairly quickly, so she had the opportunity to watch the reformed Xiao Chun, who now had a higher sense of presence and a completely different personality. Of course, the general public would not be able to tell that Xiao Chuns personality has changed drastically, because she had always been a vivacious girl. Now, she was not only vivacious, but retarded as well Zhao Youyue felt embarrassed watching herself. If she was not Xiao Chun herself, she might have found the new episode interesting and funny. Now, the only thing she felt was a deep embarrassment. In order to obtain a high popularity character card out of this, acting like a total clown should be good enough. Some people enjoyed the new episode very much, like the sports commissioner Lu Rui from Zhao Youyues class. The fact that he could watch a childish anime about mini 4WD cars with relish proved that he was a true fan of mini 4WD cars. Lu Rui was very satisfied with the amount of screen time that Xiao Chun had in this episode. The anime production crew certainly knew how to seize an opportunity. Although this episode clearly drew reference from those archetypical silly characters found in bishoujo anime[2], it fitted into the story nicely. Xiao Chun was an elementary school student after all, should it matter if she was a little silly and foolish? Moreover, the voice actress of Xiao Chun was also really proficient. Thus, Xiao Chun became a lot cuter and way more appealing. Since her humor was cynical and snarky, she had grown to be the ultimate comic relief! Many children also watched the latest episode. Initially, they were all captivated by Xiao Chuns cool mini 4WD car. However, when they realized that her mini 4WD car only looked good, and was utterly useless in other aspects, they were amused. Xiao Chuns special Angry Crow Takes Flight also made them laugh uncontrollably. This girl was just too cute! As more episodes were released, Xiao Chuns personality finally underwent some gradual form of development. She was now a lot funnier. Also, people were amused by how her silly pet husky, which was her worst enemy, would always snatch her mini 4WD cars away from her! Additionally, it was clear that Xiao Chun was foolish and stupid, but she somehow still manages to give The Destruction Corps a hard time and mess up their plans. All the children found the fact that she was unintentionally protecting the interests of the main character highly entertaining! They also liked Xiao Chun, because she had a wide variety of mini 4WD cars that seemed to come out of nowhere. It was as if she was trying to gain victory by having the most cars or the best-looking cars. Furthermore, she was the perfect assistant who ensures that the male protagonist wins all his races. She wholly deserved to be the real female protagonist of this anime! Some people even took pity Xiao Chun, as she had never won a single race before. She would always be the last one crossing the finishing line. They sure hoped that the production team of the anime would let her win at least once in her lifetime Since this anime was already close to being a highly popular anime, it was only natural that Xiao Chun would become a highly popular character as well. As long as Xiao Chun is molded with care, she would find her spot among other popular characters. Some nosy people had even compiled Xiao Chuns various facial expressions into a sticker pack. When an anime character has their own sticker pack, this can only mean that they have already become extremely popular! Even though it was an anime about mini 4WD cars, a fair bit of adults watched it. These are mostly adults who were still young at heart, and are also the most likely purchasers of such sticker packs. It was now the beginning of October, and Zhao Youyue had just finished her first monthly examination of her second year of high school. The opening ceremony of the Autumn sports competition would be held very soon. At this time, Zhao Youyue received a reminder from the Two Dimensional Gate. The elementary school student Zhou Chun was now a highly popular character! Without hesitation, Zhao Youyue decided to take her leave. Upon her exit, she successfully obtained a highly popular character card! Translation note : [1] Causuality is the doctrine or theory that every event is the result of a prior and adequate cause. [2] Bishoujo literally means pretty girl or beautiful girl in Japanese. Bishoujo animes are animes that are full of pretty girls. ED: Or rather, targeted for young female viewers. Chapter 284 Waiting for Lady Zhao to Make a Joke of Herself As expected, Zhao Youyue did as well as before in the monthly examinations. She was the top scorer for all of the liberal arts subjects. After the elite scholar, Huang Zongchao, decided to take science instead, Zhao Youyue had automatically moved up the rankings, as their respective streams separated the boards. A lot of people believed that Zhao Youyue would end up just like Huang Zongchao in the previous year, all alone in the top student zone Zhao Youyues achievements had left the class representative Bai Yunshan speechless. Bai Yunshan was hoping that Zhao Youyue would flop her monthly examinations. This was because Zhao Youyue would always fool around during lessons, and spend all her free time playing on mini 4WD cars, like a childish elementary school student. This time, although Bai Yunshan had worked extremely hard, she still only managed to place second in the whole grade. Bai Yunshan had originally intended to work her butt off, just so she could beat Zhao Youyue. However, reality is harsh, and it can be cruel and ugly. Even so, she could not sell herself short, she was second in the entire grade, after all! Bai Yunshan could only admit that Zhao Youyue was a true genius. She had to be something like a legendary god of learning. If not for that, how could she possibly waste so much of her time and still get such good results? Fortunately, Bai Yunshan had a strong mentality and was the master of her emotions. Otherwise, she would have been psychologically traumatized after all this. Sometimes, those who truly work hard are still unable to beat those who constantly fool around and take everything for granted. Life is just so unfair. Zhao Youyue riled Bao Yunshan up in more ways that one. She had been working hard ever since that incident. This was because she wanted to beat Zhao Youyue academically. Once she achieves that, Zhao Youyue would fall to hell, and she would finally be respected as a strict class representative! Zhao Youyue will never again cause her trouble! However, Bai Yunshan did not realize that, unconsciously, her tolerance for Zhao Youyue had also grown. As she had been ostracized by the entire class, ironically, Zhao Youyue ended up being the one who interacted with her the most. The two of them had even done so much as to go to the school toilet together Zhao Youyue was great at flattering girls. On the surface, Bai Yunshan naturally acted as if she was indifferent towards Lady Zhao. She tried very hard to show everyone that she and Zhao Youyue were everything but friends. When the class teacher, Fatty Yang spoke to Bai Yunshan again to ask about Zhao Youyues academic performance, Bai Yunshan had thought that she could happily tell him about how Zhao Youyue was childish and was actually indulging in a newfound hobby of mini 4WD cars. However, Bai Yunshan ended up hesitating, and she only managed to say that she had already stopped paying attention to whatever Zhao Youyue was doing. After the results of the monthly examinations were released, the class teacher, Yang Liqun, felt that there would be no need to worry about Zhao Youyue anymore. Based on Zhao Youyues outstanding results, nothing could be said about her. As long as she maintains her performance, she could surely be the source of honor for the 11th class! Perhaps, she can even become the number one scholar in liberal arts! Something else had happened, but this did not come as a surprise. Zhao Youyues deskmate, Shen Menglian, was a girl who had always stayed in the top 20 among her grade. However, this time around, her results had taken a fall. Shen Menglians ranking in the grade had fallen outside of fifty. This was probably the worst she had ever been placed upon entering this school! Students from liberal arts and science streams were now ranked separately, but she still had not been able to place herself within the top 50 in the grade. If this was still the first year of high school, she might not even have been able to be positioned within the top 150, as there were far more science students than liberal arts students in this school. In addition to that, most of the elite students had opted for the science stream. Therefore, logically, Shen Menglian should easily be able to earn a spot in the top ten, or top five, even. When Shen Menglian found out about her results, she was crestfallen. She had never expected to perform so badly She did not realize that this was all Zhao Youyues fault! Lady Zhao was a walking, talking malignant tumor. She was full of mischief and is always fooling around. As the saying goes, one takes on the color of ones company. Zhao Youyues unruly actions had rubbed off the people around her, and had unknowingly caused the hearts of others to drift away from learning. Unless they had Xu Jings cards of their own that allowed them to completely submerge themselves in learning and boost their learning efficiency by up to 200%, they were bound to be infected! Even though Zhao Youyue fooled around a lot, she had always been able to instantly switch into a serious mode whenever she has to study or do her homework. Bai Yunshan only took note of the Zhao Youyue who got high and goofy. She never once noticed the Zhao Youyue who was completely focused and paid full attention during lessons. Furthermore, right before exams, Zhao Youyue would suddenly enter a zealous state of focus and determination. Although it did look like she was intensively cramming at the last minute, youll have to admit that her last-minute cramming skills were exceptional! In the end, Shen Menglian accepted the fact that her unsatisfactory results were a consequence of her own carelessness. Next time, she will do better! She did not carry out any self-reflection. Instead, she eagerly waited for Lady Zhao to become the joke of the year. It was almost time for the Autumn sports competition. Zhao Youyue had been unwittingly thrown into the 800m, 1500m, and 3000m running events. Although the whole event would span over a total of two days, the 800m race appeared to have a preliminary round. Also, the finals of the 800m race would be conducted on the same day as the 1500m race. This meant that, on the first day, Zhao Youyue would have to run a total of 3100 meters. The next day, she would have to run another 3000 meters. Would she even survive that? The long-distance running events have always been the most unpopular events. It was nothing but pure torture. Most would pray hard that these events would not fall upon their shoulders. This time, all of it had been dumped onto Zhao Youyues shoulders! Zhao Youyue was rather popular in the class, especially among the girls. She was like their spiritual leader. Naturally, someone took the initiative to stand up and fight for Zhao Youyue. It was Xie Ting, the girl who sat in front of Zhao Youyue. That evening, during their individual study period, Xie Ting had gone up to Bai Yunshan and asked if she was doing this to exact revenge. Bai Yunshan had clearly assigned Zhao Youyue to all the long-distance running events on purpose. Did she really have to go so far? Of course, Bai Yunshan instantly denied her accusations. She claimed that this was Zhao Youyues own idea, and that it was Shen Menglian who helped Zhao Youyue to sign up for it all. Bai Yunshan had even asked Zhao Youyue for her confirmation, and she had simply agreed with everything. Xie Ting and Shen Menglian were not exactly good friends. After all, the two of them were constantly competing to gain Lady Zhaos favor. Thus, Xie Ting went to ask Shen Menglian about it. Of course, Shen Menglian denied everything, and insisted that the deceitful Bai Yunshan was framing her. That tattletale class representative clearly wanted to sabotage Lady Zhao. Hence, she had assigned all the long-distance running events to Lady Zhao Xie Ting vaguely felt that something was amiss. There must some sort of conspiracy going on behind the scenes. Most importantly, why did Lady Zhao so readily agree to such ridiculous conditions? Now that her name has already been submitted, hasnt she nailed the coffin shut? In actuality, Bai Yunshan was a compassionate person. If Zhao Youyue is truly incapable of running the 3000 meters on the second day, Bai Yunshan had planned to run in her place. Deep down, she was not the type of person who could stand watching Zhao Youyue become an absolute joke, and additionally, she also wanted to do it for the collective honor of the class. Shen Menglian wants to see Zhao Youyue become a joke. Bai Yunshan, on the other hand, is worried about Zhao Youyue. This is all very interesting. For the 3000m female race event, points are given, as long as the participants manage to finish the race. However, more often than not, many participants would give up halfway through At the moment, Zhao Youyue was intently studying her new high popularity character card. The character card would only last for a year. However, it carried another function. The card could be exchanged for an item from the world it originated from! Once again, the Two Dimensional Gate had unexpectedly revealed more features! Chapter 285 Surprising Bad News It was not like Zhao Youyue had never gotten a high popularity character card before. Yu Shengfan was originally a high popularity character card, and Yu Shengfan was clearly of better quality than Zhou Chun. After all, the Zhou Chun card is only valid for less than a year, whereas the Yu Shengfan card was valid for ten years. This made it clear that Yu Shengfan was a lot closer to becoming an iconic character compared to Zhou Chun. The only reason Yu Shengfan could become an iconic character card was because the author Rosemary had dropped the pan. He unintentionally made Xiao Yu an iconic character, and seared her onto everyones memories. However, the popularity of Zhou Chun was far shorter-lived. She was popular during the broadcast of the anime. She still is fairly popular now, but it was clear that her popularity will only last for a short duration after the final episode is released. It would be fairly difficult for her to be immortalized as a face of anime. When Zhao Youyue obtained the Yu Shengfan card, she had also studied the character card thoroughly. At that time, she could not sacrifice the character card in exchange for an item from that world. Now, however, this new ability is available. Was this strictly world-specific? It might be due to the fact that everything in this anime world revolved around mini 4WD cars. The mini 4WD cars in the anime world were very different from those that exist in the real world. This is especially prevalent with regards to the black technology that exists in the anime world. It allowed the mini 4WD cars to comprehend the human language, and have special functions Then, Zhao Youyue realized that if she were to exchange the card, the only items she could choose from were limited to mini 4WD cars. This should be the specialty of that world. This might be due to the fact that a lot of people from the audience were familiar with 4WD cars and the power that these cars have been infused with. However, once they are exchanged and brought into the real world, the power of these cars would remain unscientific. Recently, as Zhao Youyue had grown to truly love 4WD cars, and she almost impulsively exchanged her card in return for the male protagonists mini 4WD car, The Last Saber. However, she could not bear to do it. She realized that even if she brings this black technology mini 4WD car into the real world, there would no opportunity for her to showcase its uniqueness! In the real world, no one would possibly host a mini 4WD car racing competition. Moreover, it is unlikely for any magical racing venues just like in the anime to exist Therefore, if a mini 4WD car from the anime is brought into reality, it would have no justifiable use. It would be like a hero with no place to display his prowess. In the real world, mini 4WD cars were more well-suited for collection purposes. Playing with them once in a while, during recreational hours, is more than enough. Zhao Youyue did not forget her plans. She had aimed to sacrifice this high popularity character card to be able to choose a new world, or directly enter a world with a higher difficulty level so that she could visit the option of obtaining superpowers for real. As long as it happens in the world, she should be able to make something out of it. Howsoever, Zhao Youyue believed that even if she does not sacrifice the character card, the difficulty level of the subsequent worlds will still increase. In other words, the scope of the Two Dimensional Gates randomness would expand. The next world could be a perfectly normal world, or it could be a world where blood sports[1] exist. The latter is of similar nature to the world of mini 4WD cars, where special moves could only be used during competitions, and not in daily life situations. The world of The 4WD God was not a perfectly normal world, no matter how you looked at it. The mini 4WD cars in it had magical powers, which even black technology could not fully explain. The fact that Zhao Youyue had randomly gotten such a world this time might be a sign that the difficulty level has increased. Zhao Youyue tried to use the Zhou Chun card for fun. However, she realized that she should not use it too frequently. If she uses it too often, there was a chance that she might end up being silly and sarcastic. She would end up like those people who try to act cool but end up failing miserably. However, when the character card is activated, it had its uses of transforming the exterior of her mini 4WD cars, or drawing up new mini 4WD car designs. She would grow more skilled at painting the exterior of her mini 4WD cars and turn them into works of arts. Then, she can upload their pictures onto Tieba[2] or any other internet forum, so that people will think of her as a genius. Zhao Youyue took advantage of the Zhou Chun card, and made big changes to all of the mini 4WD cars she owned while the card was still activated. All of her mini 4WD cars exteriors were now magnificent wonders of the world, which made them perfect for showing off. The mini 4WD cars turned out so beautiful, that Zhao Youyue felt she could easily become a mini 4WD car designer if she chose. Xiao Chun was clearly a genius in 4WD design. Even so, her designs were not focused on increasing the track performance of those mini 4WD cars, but on how they looked. The most useful thing about the Zhou Chun card, is without a doubt, the magical physical strength that comes with it. Of course, this special ability which enables the user to have unlimited stamina while running, came with an explanation. If nobody cared enough to carry out a thorough analysis, infinite stamina would be a given in the anime world, especially when you are able to run after your mini 4WD car for a long time during a race and not get tired. However, the card did not exactly grant her that. While running, an energy bar will pop up to indicate your current energy level. It will gradually deplete, but it can be supplemented by ingesting food or drinking sports drinks. As long as the energy bar does not drop to zero, she will not feel tired at all, and will be able to continue running. However, once the energy bar reaches zero, she will instantly get so exhausted that she would flop to the ground. This would be something like that so-called eternal youth. A girl who has it will always have the alluring look of a young lady as long as she lives. At the moment of her death, all of her years would catch up to her, and she would visibly age, complete white hair and wrinkles. Zhao Youyue felt that this ability was not particularly useful, as she did not have much need of running. However, in the event that she has to run, she would just need someone to constantly prepare food and drinks for her. When her energy bar is close to zero, she would have to chomp down on something, and her energy will immediately recover. It would not be a gradual increase, but an instant one. After she eats, all form of fatigue will disappear. Zhao Youyue believed that the Zhou Chun card worked similarly to the energy system of a character in a game. In some games, the characters are usually able to run continuously until their energy bar reaches zero. Once their energy bar reaches zero, they would only be able to walk. However, in games, the characters do not have to do anything to replenish their energy. They can just walk a few steps, and their energy bar would be back to full, then they can continue to run. In any case, Zhao Youyues original plan was to obtain a consumable character card. Now that she has achieved it, the ability of the character card did not really matter. The card is going to be sacrificed, anyway. She was already tired and fed up with the randomness of the Two Dimensional Gate. Now, she plans to start looking for stories that would capture her interest. It is best if she finds something that is of good quality, and already has some reputation as well as popularity. If the work is already popular to begin with, there would definitely be room for Zhao Youyue to operate. These would grant her easy victories However, the class representative had suddenly informed Zhao Youyue that the 800m and 1500m races which will be held tomorrow had been assigned to her. In addition to that, she would also have to take part in the 3000m race on the day after tomorrow! Zhao Youyue was so shocked that she had completely forgotten about the Zhou Chun card. In the back of her head, the Zhou Chun card had already been classified as a single-use consumable product. When she heard the surprising bad news, she was caught off guard and instantly blurted out, Why me? I dont remember signing up for anything. I obviously have not prepared to participate in any running events! Translation note : [1] Blood sport is a category of sport or entertainment that involves bloodshed. Common examples of the former include combat sports such as cockfighting and dog fighting and some forms of hunting. Activities characterized as blood sports, but involving only human participants, include the Ancient Roman gladiatorial games and the modern mixed martial arts (cage fighting). [2] Tieba is actually Baidu Tieba ()(literally: Baidu Paste Bar). It is the largest Chinese communication platform provided by the Chinese search engine company, Baidu. It is an online community bound tightly with internet search services. The website functions by having users search or create a bar (forum) by typing a keyword, and if the bar has not been created before, it is then created upon the search. Chapter 286 Defending against an Injustice Being pampered since young, Zhao Youyue had ended up with a rather unathletic constitution. Today, she had the opportunity to be involved in the opening ceremony for the Autumn sports competition with alacrity. While she was busy thinking on how to spend the next day leisurely, she received an athletes bib from Bai Yunshan, and was told that it was to be attached to the back of her shirt tomorrow for the race What on Earth was going on? There was no way that a pampered girl like Zhao Youyue could run long distance laps. She did not even exercise often, and was not even athletic. She was not being modest about it, the fact was that, she really cannot run! Zhao Youyue had initially been in a pretty good mood, as the opening ceremony had gone well and was rather entertaining. The participants had to parade in front of the stage and shout things out like Good day Chief as well as many other things related to serving the nation and such. At that moment, they were playing as soldiers. The principal of the school had probably dreamed of becoming someone big, like a supreme leader of a country, but he had only ended up becoming a principal. It seemed like he was using the students as substitutes for the citizens that he once dreamt of ruling over. Everyone was in a relaxed mood, as the monthly examinations had just ended. As that disaster had been averted, nobody had hung up over it anymore. Everyone just wanted to relax and have a good time. This sports event would be the best way for everyone to lighten up. A few sneaky couples have even made plans on how to use this time to meet up with each other. Of course, Zhao Youyue had also made her own plans as to how she would enjoy this free time. She had planned to play some mobile games, and surf the internet in order to find another story that she would be interested in. She has been planning to look for a piece of literature which wouldnt be too difficult to handle, as she was definitely not ready to take on something of a high difficulty yet She was prepared to prioritize on works that were already popular, to begin with. This time, as she had randomly entered The 4WD God, which was already fairly popular by itself, the whole process had been really efficient. She was able to transmigrate into that world and emerge successfully, in the blink of an eye. It was so much easier, as long as she does not fool around, she can work the popularity of the book to her advantage. Evidently, she did pretty well. Within a month, she had been able to make Zhou Chun a highly popular character. Rumors have surfaced that a large number of fat otakus had fallen for the dorky lolita Zhou Chun. They were all on board the opinion that elementary school students were just too great, too awesome! Fat otakus. They do their part. Unable to resist lolitas, especially if they were as playful as Xiao Chun. They wanted to hug her tightly and squeeze her so bad! They were more than willing to be victims of her sarcasm! These fat otakus are just that cute! The sarcastic young lady Xiao Chun had become rather famous on the internet, mostly due to her sarcasm, and also because people were frequently using her sticker packs. As a result of her popularity, her mini 4WD cars were also selling like hotcakes. Some dedicated car collectors would instantly buy the newest cars upon its release, and some of them had even claimed that Xiao Chuns mini 4WD cars moved a lot faster in the real world! In addition to that, they could even use Xiao Chuns special deadly move - - human and car as one, Angry Crow Takes Flight! Even side-displays such as pillows featuring her silly pet husky also sold unexpectedly well. The investors of The 4WD God, from the company that produced mini 4WD cars, were of course happy about this news, and went on to praise the scriptwriter, Tian Jun for being so creative in making the character Xiao Chun as well as the ingenious plot. Little did they know, Tian Jun creativity wick was short, and had been completely burned out In the future, whether it comes to designing car models, or coming up with sarcastic remarks, all of it would fall on Tian Juns shoulders, and he would be on his own. This gave him a headache, and he even thought of killing off Xiao Chun right away, but he would never be able to bring himself to do it. Firstly, these kinds of animes that were catered towards children did not permit any sort of killing. Secondly, the investors had already seen how Xiao Chun helped to largely promote the sales of mini 4WD cars, hence she definitely had to be kept alive in everyones minds. Initially, it was still remained unclear as to who the female lead was, but now, without any doubt, it was definitely Xiao Chun! As Zhao Youyue was too shocked, she had unintentionally raised her voice a little, thus drawing attention from everyone else. Frowning, Bai Yunshan said, You signed up for this long ago, alright? I even confirmed it with you, and you had nothing to say back then. The competition is tomorrow, and you suddenly have a problem with things now? Are you purposely trying to make trouble? Zhao Youyue did not remember Bai Yunshan asking her about any sort of confirmation that involved participating in running long laps. At that time, she had been lost in thought over something She could have sworn that she never signed up for the race. Why is she suddenly a participant? At this moment, after hearing Zhao Youyues voice, Xie Ting immediately bobbed up and hatefully said, You must be toying with Zhao Youyue on purpose. She obviously doesnt know anything, yet you still signed her up for this running competition, just because you are jealous that she is prettier, smarter, and more popular than you. If the class is given an opportunity to vote for a class representative, everyone would definitely vote for Zhao Youyue, and not a snitch like you! Xie Ting had truly become her unwavering fan. For Zhao Youyue, she did not care about anything else and would go all out. Her lack of concern for her surroundings notwithstanding, this act of hers still caused the majority of people in the class to take her side. When everyone found out that Zhao Youyue had been pitted to run the 800m, 1500m, as well as the 3000m long distance laps, they all felt that Bai Yunshan was deliberately targeting her. Surely, Zhao Youyue was not the type of person who could run, yet the class representative Bai Yunshan had still signed her up for so many events. This was all a show of abusing ones power to enact revenge! Everyone started to discuss amongst themselves, all talking about how unfair things were for Zhao Youyue. Some sympathized with her, while fearing that they might one day be on the same receiving end, should they offend Bai Yunshan Sports commissioner Lu Rui also walked over to help Zhao Youyue fight this unjust. He said to Bai Yunshan, Did you get things wrong? To compete in so many different races continuously in two days, how could anyone persevere? Why would Zhao Youyue want to torture herself? At this point, Bai Yunshan fully understood how it felt to be deserted by everyone. Even though she was not in the wrong, she felt tears welling up in her eyes. Taking a deep breath, she spoke the truth, It was Shen Menglian who helped Zhao Youyue sign up for this. She proclaimed that they were good friends, and that Zhao Youyue had requested her to help her sign up for the races. Initially, Shen Menglian was gleefully standing at the sidelines and rejoicing. She felt that she finally had the both of them in the palms of her hands. Bai Yunshan pleased her the most, as she had actually believed her words. Zhao Youyue, on the other hand, had been so engrossed in mini 4WD cars that she had not been paying enough attention to anything. Thus, Shen Menglians scheme went entirely according to plan! After hearing Bai Yunshans accusation, Shen Menglian angrily raised a finger and loudly said, Bai Yunshan, you are too shameless! You know that Zhao Youyue and I are good friends, why would I want to sabotage her? First, you refuse to admit that you are exacting revenge, and now you are turning around to malign me? Going as far as to sow discord between us, who would have thought that you were such a scheming b*tch! Shen Menglian still had some standing in class, at least more so than Bai Yunshan. Furthermore, just by being Lady Zhaos lackey, she was able to bask under her shadow and share the glory With that, Bai Yunshan fell into deep trouble! Everyone would believe Shen Menglians words instead of hers! Only Zhao Youyue regarded the star actress Shen Menglian with a contemplative eye. Chapter 287 Im Not Worrying About You Being an experience side character had taught Zhao Youyue to be good at reading people. This resembled the saying that goes, Spectators see the chess game better than Players. As she was used to observing the world as an outsider, she would see through things in a matter of seconds. Nobody could possibly dupe her. However, she was no better than her would-be manipulators; she would not unmask the perpetrator on the spot, as she would be curious to see their game to the end. Although she was no longer a side character, her ability to see through was still there. In the beginning, she had already known that Shen Menglian had her own schemes, while Bai Yunshan was a cute figure of pedantry who stood up against every manner of misdeed. She never told lies, she spoke it as it is. Therefore, Zhao Youyue was fond of Bai Yunshan, thinking that it was worthy befriending this girl. They could even be life-long friends, if this Bai Yunshan ever gives in to her wholeheartedly. Even though Bai Yunshan was the antagonist of her world who persistently attempts to correct her misdemeanors, she had only grown to trust her more. It clicked. Shen Menglian was the one behind the scenes, Zhao Youyue thought to herself. At that moment, the situation did not stand by Bai Yunshans side. She felt so hopeless and wronged, thinking that the world was against her. She had been a remarkably tough girl, but she felt like crying now. Perhaps her menstrual period had a hand in this. Zhao Youyue still had not realized the possible utilization of her Zhou Chun Card which would give her the stamina bar of a character in a video game. Nevertheless, she stood up for Bai Yunshan. With her gentle and soothing voice, she said, I decided to participate in the sports competition this time as I have never participated in one before. I will do my best! So, dont blame it on our class monitor anymore. I am the one who was not careful enough. It was all my fault. Seeing her taking up the responsibility, her classmates believed in her even more, thinking that she had given up defending herself even though, clearly, she had been played the fool by their class monitor, or, possibly, backstabbed by Shen Menglian. What a noble soul! At the same time, Bai Yunshan was moved by the diplomatic methods of Zhao Youyue. She saw her in a new light, thinking that perhaps Zhao Youyue, who seemed to have a great sense of collective honor, was not as bad as she thought. However, she was surely the greatest obstacle she had ever met, the troublemaking top student whom she simply could not get one up on. Disregarding the fact that her menstrual period was yet to be over, Bai Yunshan said with a sense of justice, Let me take the 3000-meters event that takes place on the second day. It would be unfair for you to run two days in a row. I had consulted you on this before, as I felt that something was off about this arrangement, but you never said anything about it. As she was saying this, she glared at Shen Menglian, realizing that Shen Menglian had been egging her to go against Zhao Youyue since the beginning. She had been aware of this since the beginning, but carelessness had gotten the better of her, this time! Shen Menglian was disappointed, as she felt that her plan had failed. Zhao Youyue not only did not argue with Bai Yunshan but chose to let it slide like nothing. It seemed like she had projected her own pettiness onto Zhao Youyue and had expected the Lady to react to things as she would Because of the willingness of Zhao Youyue to take up the blame and Bai Yunshan being fair by sharing the responsibility with her, they were able to put off the great dispute that could have been created. Others were also smart enough to notice that Shen Menglian was the mastermind behind all this! Xie Ting was one of them. She never thought that Shen Menglian would plot against Lady Zhao. She was curious to know what was in Lady Zhaos mind After that, Bai Yunshan approached Zhao Youyue to talked to her in private. Before she could open her mouth, Zhao Youyue smiled and said, I know what you are going to say, and my answer is, I trust you more. Inexplicably, Bai Yunshan was greatly touched by her affirmation, and her despair was alleviated. Nonetheless, she asked her curiously, Why? Because you are an upright girl who holds fast to principles. People like you are one in a million. Keep being yourself; its why I think youre cute. Zhao Youyues smile was as beautiful as usual. Then, why do you still go against me by not obeying schools rules? Bai Yunshan was still confused about it. I did not. In fact, I never broke a single rule. Theres nothing that says I cant play toys during recess, right? See, there you are nitpicking over the details again! Details? Heres what the fact of the matter is. Results speak for the rules of the school. My results are excellent, so I have never broken a rule. Bai Yunshan could not say anything about that. All this while, her upright attitude had worked to her advantage, as she often brought down students who were not performing as well in exams, but, she could not do a single thing against Zhao Youyue who was the top student. However, this had motivated her to improve her results, as she earnestly wanted to correct the Ladys bad habits and set her on her path again. Are you still going to continue your friendship with Shen Menglian? asked Bai Yunshan. Why shouldnt I do so? Zhao Youyue answered. Youre still okay with her being a friend, even after knowing that she was playing you? Thats what you would do, but I will carry on as if nothing had happened. You must be an idiot. You know that she meant you ill since the beginning, yet, you still choose to stick with her. How much ill will can a girl harbor? She must simply be jealous. After all, I take pride in my good nature. I know that, and I also know that you are a big-hearted person. But you are going to get hurt if you carry on with this. Obviously, shes picking on you. I just cant stand by this! Oh. Class monitor, are you being concerned about a bad person like me? No, Im not! You are unable to distinguish between good and bad. Never mind that, we should stop hereanyway, thank you for trusting me, Bai Yunshan thanked Zhao Youyue from the bottom of her heart. Although she denied her concerns about Zhao Youyue, she had made up her mind that she would keep an eye out for Shen Menglian to see if she is going to cause any trouble again. As Shen Menglians results were not as good as hers and she did particularly poorly for her latest monthly test, the teacher definitely would take action on her! Do not underestimate a whistle-blowing class monitor! After Zhao Youyue returned from school, she unconsciously checked on the Two Dimensional Gate which was still in its cooling state. Out of a sudden, she saw that she would not need to worry about the long-distance race, as long as Bai Yunshan hands her a sports drink from the side of the track. This way, she would be able to run tirelessly, and the 3000-meter track would not be a problem to her! This was the power of the Zhou Chun Card. Her brain must have fallen asleep as she panicked earlier on. It never once considered the possibility of using the card for this purpose. All this while, she had seen it as a rather pointless but valuable existence Chapter 288 Is Lady Zhao Really Here to Race? It was finally time for the autumn sports long distance race. After Zhao Youyue had confirmed the wonderful effect of Zhou Chuns Card, she felt at ease, she would turn this into her turf! Although she bore the responsibility on behalf of Bai Yunshan, she had not been confident about it. It was a long-distance race, and she was unsure if she had the perseverance for it. However, she had tested the card by running on the treadmill at home. Even at full sprint, her stamina would remain at a state as if she had yet to even start running. Her stamina bar did drop as she ran, but it would be immediately recharged by a gulp of sports drink. She did not sweat at all during the whole process! She had to admit that Zhou Chuns Card was a mystical character card, but she was no longer confused, after she thinking of the Spiritual Music ability owned by Chu Luoxuns Card which was also beyond scientific explanation. Well, this was how incredible the Two Dimensional Gate was. It encompassed unlimited possibilities! Nonetheless, the Zhou Chun Card seemed to have its own rules. It did not make Zhao Youyue any faster than she could ever be, while at the same time, it adhered to the law energy conservation, where the recharged energy would fully compensate for her own body energy consumption and keeps her body at its best. Zhou Chun functioned just like a game character. After all, the mini 4WD anime was not that all different from a game. In the anime, the Mini 4WD and its owner shared energy from a same source, but Zhao Youyue would only be able to sustain her energy through external sources, as she did not have such a Mini 4WD in reality. After she familiarized herself with the functions of the Zhou Chun Card, she immediately asked Bai Yunshan for a favor, hoping that she could pass her some sports drinks from the side of the track. Otherwise, Zhao Youyue would be doomed if her stamina runs out. She might just collapse instantly, if that happens. Bai Yunshan agreed with her request, as this was an easy job, compared to Zhao Youyue who was doing the running. Moreover, it was her duty as a class monitor to serve participants of her class. Apart from Bai Yunshan, many other classmates volunteered to help Zhao Youyue, as she was rather well-liked. This included Shen Menglian and Xie Ting. All this while, Shen Menglian had grown worried, as she felt that people now knew of her plot, but she did not wait for Zhao Youyue to question her. The more Zhao Youyue remains calm, the more uneasy she would get! Even if Zhao Youyue questions her, she would be able to come up with many excuses to defend herself. She believed that Zhao Youyue would suspect Bai Yunshan before anyone else. After all, she was her closest friend, while Bai Yunshan was her enemy who had subjected herself to self-exile. No one would trust an enemy more than a friend, right? Regrettably, Shen Menglian had yet to fully understand Zhao Youyue. Zhao Youyue simply did not want to fuss about school matters, she merely intended to enjoy her school life. A carefree school life would be ideal. She would give away baits and play with her dogs whenever she gets bored. What a happy life. With this, even her name, Zhao Youyue, emitted a sense of superiority. She would not be affected by Shen Menglians minor schemes. Instead, she was grateful, for it had helped her figure out a method of running. Once again, this would provide her a stage to express herself! In fact, Shen Menglian was eager to see Zhao Youyue making a fool of herself The long-distance race would be held in the sports ground, and the rostrum had become a gathering place for the committee members of the student union. As the president of the student union, HuangZhongchao, along with other committee members, were responsible for announcing the encouraging words written by the classmates of the participants. For instance As tears and sweat vanish in the rain, your hard work will earn victory; your inspiration will earn success. Blood bubbles on the sports ground and Giants rise in the East. Believe in yourself; you will win and create a miracle; Believe that your dream is in your hands. This is your world. When all these come to pass, you will be the champion. Believe in yourself that you will surpass yourself! Believe in yourself and keep fighting. Such words would be written on a small note and handed it over to Huang Zhongchao and his committee members. Then, they would announce it to the respective participants. This was not as easy as it seemed. One would lose his voice after all those nonstop announcements. However, it would undoubtedly bring life to the atmosphere. What? Are you going to take part in the 800 meters and 1500 meters track? Are you Lady Zhao, or are you Crazy Zhao? Han Leng asked the long-haired beauty in front of him. Zhao Youyue smiled confidently. She pointed to her back and said, See the bib? Theres your answer. Of course, Han Leng saw it. Nonetheless, he felt that some form of impending doom would befall her. He could not believe that such a lazy person would ever accomplish anything in sports! As he went on underestimating her, the 800 meters race began. Among the participants, Zhao Youyue brought the most attention to herself. Not only was she beautiful, but she had the most layers of clothing on as well. She even had the schools blazer on, while others wore the short-sleeved sports shirt. Adding on to that, the female students who were from specialized sports classes had running shorts and shoes on, while Lady Zhao ambled about in casual shoes. Fortunately, she did not choose to wear sandals Seeing this, the spectators laughed, wondering if this beautiful girl was really here to race? Meanwhile, Huang Zhongchao was speechless when he saw Zhao Youyue. Even though the spirit of involvement over competition was emphasized in such events, wasnt Lady Zhao looking a little weird? Did she intend to complete the course by walking? Standing beside Zhao Youyue was a sports class student whose name was Yu Jia. She wore a full set of sports attire. She rolled her eyes when she saw the sloppy looking Zhao Youyue. Being seen in the company of such an oddity made her look bad! She was extremely confident that she was going to win this 800 meters race! After seeing Bai Yunshan, Shen Menglian and Xie Ting take their places around the track, Zhao Youyue became determined, telling herself that she had to at least qualify for the finals All the participants were ready in their own starting position, but Zhao Youyue was the only one with her hands on her hips. The judges shook their heads, believing that she was here to mess things up, something that she had grown infamous for. They did not think much of it, as it was not a formal sports competition. As the referee fired the gun, the participants finally started their race! Surprisingly, Zhao Youyue took the lead in the race. She was faster than a Mini 4wd! Chapter 289 This Makes no Sense! Without hesitation, Zhao Youyue activated the highly popular character card, the Zhou Chun Card, transforming herself into Zhou Chun, a primary student who is able to run forever. The only downside of Xiao Chun was that her Mini 4wd was immensely slow, otherwise, she would have been like a gazelle! Once again, Zhao Youyue who ran ahead of the pack became the center of attention. However, this was what everyone had to say about it It seems like that beautiful girl really has no idea what the 800-meter race is all about. She has to run two laps around the field. Well, shell drop out soon enough. Only an idiot would go all-out from the beginning! Youre right! Look at that sports class student. She may be second last now, but she knows what shes doing. She should pace herself, and then sprint at the last moment. Oh man! She is the most beautiful one among all the other participants, but, why is she wrapped up in so many layers? I cant see her boobs! Hey! Dont be such a perv, okay! Dont you know that she is the campus belle of our schools eleventh grade? She has a name, and its Zhao Youyue! Her long hair is so beautiful! She is my goddess, and I never thought that the running style of a goddess would be so graceful! Her starting position with her arms akimbo is a statement! She rocks! Meanwhile, Huang Zhongchao, the president of the student union was astonished to see Zhao Youyue running at full speed. At first, he had thought that the lazy Lady Zhao walks around the track, but, she was actually sprinting from the beginning. This changed how he perceived her. After that unhappy gathering, he had been presuming Zhao Youyue to be an extremely demanding rich mans daughter. She was indeed beautiful, but, it would be torturous to deal with her! She would want everything in her way, or there will be hell to pay! At the same time, Zhao Youyue was receiving a variety of encouraging words from her classmates. Everyone started to write the encouraging words enthusiastically. Besides that, many of her classmates were encouraging her from the sidelines too They shouted loudly. Even the students of other classes were fascinated by her beauty, including her juniors from the tenth grade. Basically, the sports competition had nothing to do with the twelfth-graders, as studying was their main focus. Well, their school was extremely strict on the twelfth-graders! They would not even be seen in the student union. Han Leng, who was not even Zhao Youyues classmate anymore, wrote encouraging words for her too. Instead of being showy, he wrote plainly Stepping on the track is a choice. Leaving the starting point is an act of courage. Running on the track is the beginning of a victory. Zhao Youyue, use your strength and your willpower to reshape the world of the long-distance run into yours! Thats right. Zhao Youyue participating in the sports competition was a precious event for him. One should know that Zhao Youyue was still a side character that everyone had ignored at this time of last year. But, all eyes were on her! Her spirit deserved praise! She wont stay in front for long, and would soon be left in the dust when her strength wanes, but at least, she fought a good fight! As everyone had those thoughts, Zhao Youyue ran with no signs of slowing. She murmured all sorts of gibberish such as Angry Crow Takes Flight. Nonetheless, she kept an eye on her stamina bar at the same time. Noticing that she was about to lose her stamina after she had run for more than a hundred meters, she beckoned Bai Yunshan who was standing at the side of the track. She ran towards her to take the sports drink and glugged it. Then she continued to run with the same speed as it was in the beginning. After her stamina was restored, the fatigue was completely alleviated. She sustained her high speed in this way. This would only be allowed in the informal school sports competition. It was not a marathon after all Zhao Youyue was applying the rules of a marathon run on the 800 meters race. However, this matched the scene in the animated Mini 4WD. The primary school students were marathon runners who rewrote the rules of cross-country, they were like immortals! The difference was that they would not need to replenish themselves with water as they become one with the cars. As long as their cars still work, so would they! After seeing Zhao Youyue sprinting to the front off the line, Yu Jia, the sports class student laughed in her heart, thinking that a layman like her really had no idea on the concept of pacing. Unlike short-distance races, long-distance races would require endurance. If she is able to run 200 meters at such speed, Yu Jia thought to herself that she should just drop out of school, go home, and get married! Then, she saw Zhao Youyue chugging down the sports drink. A cynical smile formed on her face. Shes giving up after a hundred meters? Does she think that shes running a marathon? Never would she know that Zhao Youyue was unhappy with herself too. This was what she thought, Damn it! I would not have to replenish myself with this soft drink if my beloved car, The Worlds Soaring Crow, was with me. I could run until its battery dies! Even so, she could continue her race by changing the battery of the beloved car until the Mini 4WD race is over! Speaking of her beloved car, she thought of her eternal enemy, her husky pet. It would have been great, if it was here. Following it as it runs off with her beloved in its mouth, would give her even more power! Zhao Youyue noticed that the sports drink did not enter her stomach. Instead, its energy was being extracted and injected into the character card. The character card was the fuel tank represented by the stamina bar. Zhao Youyue would definitely suffer if the drink really gets into her stomach, as the liquid would slosh in her stomach as she ran. Actually, any other form of junk food would help her restore her stamina, but she would look weird. Wouldnt it be weird, eating junk food after every 100 meters? It looks like Zhao Youyue has forgotten about the energy bars that one bites into as they run. After all, food can be transformed into energy. The smile on Yu Jias face gradually disappeared. It did not take her long to notice that the beautiful young girl whose stamina seemed to have depleted, start running at full speed again! How could this be? Am I living in a nonsensical game world? Could stamina be instantly restored by drinking alone? This made no sense! Yu Jia was confused now. Betting on the dignity of Sports Students, she increased her speed to keep up with Zhao Youyue She would be able to surpass Zhao Youyue when she slows down to drink, but Zhao Youyue would retake the lead, immediately after that. After going back and forth like this for 500 meters, she was completely exhausted! Zhao Youyue, with all her cheats, had brought a trained sports students down! In the last 100 meters, Zhao Youyue noticed no one beside her. This was why they say that The greatest is always the loneliest. She decided to deactivate the character card and complete the last 100 meters under her own power. As expected, she ran leisurely, as sweating just a little was her goal However, the cheers for her tore through the sky! Chapter 290 Dark Horse The crowd believed that Zhao Youyues stamina had finally caved in, after seeing her finally slow down towards the end. Yu Jia, the sports student, who would never quit was almost catching up to her. Ultimately, she failed, her body having met its limits. In reality, Yu Jia was a sports student, through and through. She had the stamina and athletism to be called one. Because she had been thrown off her tempo by Zhao Youyues cheats, she was out of the running. Otherwise, she could have won the race, even against a Zhou Chun Card empowered Zhao Youyue. The card would never take Zhao Youyue over her limit, she would only be able to perform as well as she usually could, only for a greatly extended period of time. Even that cheat had been greatly depowered, as her beloved car was not with her Therefore, Zhao Youyue did not break any records. She had even broken the rules by drinking water during the race. That aside, everyone was left greatly astonished! Yu Jia who was left far behind Zhao Youyue in the race had given up on even thinking about it. A total layman like Zhao Youyue had left her in the dust. She did not know how to describe Zhao Youyues technique, if any. Is this so-called talent? Talent is the iron rule of sports. All this while, Yu Jia had always believed that she was rather talented in sports. It had not been a problem for her to achieve the title of the national second-class athlete. However, Zhao Youyue had completely rewritten everything she knew about running. She had been beaten to a pulp, and thought that she should just go home and get married! At that moment, Yu Jia felt so wretched. Hua Zhongchao, the president of the student union, who stood on the rostrum had thought that Zhao Youyue was just sprinting cluelessly in the beginning. Who would have thought that this fellow would actually manage to win the preliminary competition and qualify for the finals? Tsk. He was growing curious about Zhao Youyue, and wanted to know her in more detail. Besides that, Han Leng who thought that Zhao Youyue had grown up because of her apparent opinion that involvement is everything was dumbfounded too, after witnessing her reality-defying operation. He never expected that she would enter the finals. He would have been pleased enough if she had not placed last. Zhao Youyues classmates surrounded her after seeing her was the first to cross the finish line. They cheered and applauded Zhao Youyue, you are awesome! I never would have thought that you are good at sports too. You even beat a sports student! Looks like you have been hiding your light under a bushel. Why didnt you participate in the sports competition last year? Missy, would you like to drink some water? You nailed it beautifully, glory for our class! You would probably sweep the finals clean too, right! Zhao Youyue had deactivated the Zhou Chun Card earlier on. After careful deliberation, she realized that Xiao Chun might ruin her image. That girl was stupid and cute, and would laugh out loud, thinking that she was a super talented king of long-distance running! Besides that, Xiao Chun who never thinks before speaking would proclaim that she wouldnt have had to depend on those sports drinks, if her beloved her had been here to run with her. Her arrogant personality did not match the gracious Zhao Youyue at all. Her wonderful acting skills came into play after she deactivated the character card. She pretended to wipe off the sweat and rest on her knees to catch her breath. In truth, she had merely jogged over a distance of 100 meters. If it was not for the sunny weather, she would not have sweated at all. After all, it was Autumn. Among her classmates, Shen Menglian who had bored a longstanding grudge against Zhao Youyue was the only one confounded by her performance, as she had thought the dainty lady to be abysmal at sports. Apparently, it was all a facade! She defeated a sports student in the preliminary competition, and she even seemed to be handling it well. Could this indicate that she would continue her road to godhood in the finals? Shen Menglian noticed the girl who had tried to catch up to Zhao Youyue and defend her dignity as a sports student, was sweating and panting. Her exhaustion was apparent and genuine. Zhao Youyue was as calm as usual, and had not even dropped her gracious, ladylike demeanor After seeing Zhao Youyue becoming even more popular and gaining even more prestige in their grade, Shen Menglian who wanted to see Zhao Youyue at her most embarrassing moment could only sigh. What isnt Lady Zhao incapable of? At the same time, Bai Yunshan, their class monitor, who had a strong sense of collective honor was impressed by her incredible performance. One should know that marks would be given by participating in each category of the autumn season sports competition. Only their classmate, Lu Rui, as well as the sports committee member, had been able to obtain marks for their class. After all, most of them had been so focused on studying However, she was grateful for the courage of Zhao Youyue. Her only hope was that their class would not get the lowest total marks. Next up, was the competition of other categories of sports, and this gave ample time for those who were qualified for the finals to rest. The finals would start after one hour. This time, the rule were now stricter. Participants were not allowed to go to the side of the track to drink water during the race! Affecting the pace of the competition would be the reason! Zhao Youyue was uneasy about it, worried that she would end up walking to complete the 800 meters race! Fortunately, her mind was quick enough to think of a solution. Besides sports drink, food could help in restoring her stamina. There was packaged milk too Thus, she stuffed her pockets with milk, chocolate, and candy. She could have even taken steam buns along, for that matter. After all, the food was not going to enter her stomach. They would be turned into energy that the character card would immediately consume. From there, the energy would wash over her body and produce her amazing stamina bar. The new rules would not affect Zhao Youyue at all. It would be her pleasure to snack on the milk and chocolate and candy as she runs! Eventually, Zhao Youyue turned out to be the dark horse of the 800-meter race. Still, she did not break any records, as she took the lead and then leisurely ran across the finish line, just like she did in the preliminary competition. She would only be able to run like this in a school sports competition. There would be no chance for her to do so in an actual competition She repeated the method in the 1500 meters race, and won! She was the dark horse of their school competition this time. At the same time, it brought severe psychological trauma to other sports students! Chapter 291 In The Face of Absolute Strength Now, Zhao Youyue was not just a dark horse, she was now the hero of the eleventh grade too! Even the marks obtained by Lu Rui, the sports committee member, paled in comparison to hers! Undoubtedly, Zhao Youyue had caused a stir in the sports competition. She was now a known face, not only among the eleventh graders, but among the tenth and twelfth graders too. Everyone knew her now. She not only excelled in studying, but in sports too! Han Leng and her former classmates were astonished. Why havent they noticed this before? If only they had known, they would have asked Zhao Youyue to take part in the long-distance races back then, so that she could earn glory for the class Zhu Ran, her former class monitor, was especially regretful over this collective oversight. As he congratulated Zhao Youyue, he couldnt help but sigh in despair at how well she had hidden this side of hers. Otherwise, he wouldnt have had to go through so much trouble figuring out which girl to send. Not many girls had wanted to volunteer themselves back then. Zhao Youyue smiled and said that she did not hide anything, and nobody nominated her either. If it was not because of Shen Menglian nominating her this time, she would not have had the chance to express herself. It sounded reasonable to Zhu Ran, she was truly a side character who never once stood out back then. At times, he would even forget about her existence in class. However, the entire school now knew her face. She now deserved to be called the high schools cool kid. As everyone celebrating Zhao Youyues victory, Shen Menglian, the mastermind was left utterly disappointed. She now understood what it means to be in the face of absolute strength, where all that seek to hinder would be blown away like floating clouds! She had intended to see how Zhao Youyue would embarrass herself C she had been absolutely certain of this, before the competition had even started. Nonetheless, even fate had gone against her will, and even served as a platform for Zhao Youyue to become even more popular. She was at a loss for words, unable to accept the fact that nothing was going by her plans Their classmates believed that Shen Menglian who secretly registered Zhao Youyue for this competition. As her best friend, it would come as no surprise if Shen Menglian knew of the Ladys secret abilities. She must have pulled this off behind her back, as there were limits to the Ladys modesty, and more of the world needs to know of her might. Thus, they praised Shen Menglian too, as they congratulated Zhao Youyue, saying that she did a great job. If she had not register Zhao Youyue, their class would have been the laughing stock of this sports competition! What else could Shen Menglian do? She could only force a smile out. Never would she have thought that her scheme would turn her into a hero. It had created a stage for Zhao Youyue to unleash her potential Nevertheless, the discomfort was killing her. Zhao Youyue had not even questioned her once. This suspense was torturous! Was Zhao Youyue truly unperturbed by her deception? She simply could not believe that Zhao Youyues big-hearted personality would reach such an extent Zhao Youyue was an unsolvable jigsaw puzzle. On the other hand, Zhao Youyues eyes would be running up and down her body unimpeded, as if she was buck-naked. Another thing that bothered Shen Menglian was how Zhao Youyue and Bai Yunshan seemed to be getting closer. Why was this happening? She was the one who first became Zhao Youyues friend, and these two polar opposites were supposed to hate each other, and continue trying to trip each other up! The truth was simple. Zhao Youyue never actually hated anyone. She would take everything in stride. She had even been able to put up with Han Leng, who would act like an idiot at times. A noble, upright young girl like Bai Yunshan would not be a problem for her. In fact, Bai Yunshan intrigued Zhao Youyue. Such individuals have become a rarity in this world. When Zhao Youyue gets along with her, the former would have the room to be very relaxed, yet unscrupulous at the same time. She relished her helpless expression whenever she tries to correct her lifestyle, as well as her worldview and ethics, all in vain, of course. At this moment, they were together, alone. Zhao Youyue, you have done much for our class. So, as the class monitor, I would like to express my sincere gratitude to you! Bai Yunshan bowed to Zhao Youyue. Zhao Youyue was probably the more grateful person of the two, feeling blessed to have lady luck watching over her back just this once. Never had she thought that the Zhou Chun Card would serve its purpose in such manner. However, she noticed that this card which had been engraved on the top of the Two Dimensional Gate had grown dim, and its lifespan had been reduced by one month. She knew it. Not only were food and sports drink consumed, as she used the card to run. Precious energy from the readers willpower had been burned off as well. If she had not already made up her mind to sacrifice the Zhou Chun Card, she would have despaired in the reduction of its lifespan. After seeing Bai Yunshan bow to her, she smiled happily and said courteously, Class monitor, I have no idea where you acquired such a great sense of collective honor. Dont forget that most of our classmates hate you. So, what is there for you to protect? Bai Yunshan shook her head without hesitation, and said, Youre looking at it the wrong way. I am part of the class, just as I am Chinese. When it comes to the class, regardless of how I am treated, I would only wish them the best, just as I hope that my motherland prospers. Zhao Youyue was thoroughly amazed. She looked at Bai Yunshan, only to see her resolute expression. This girl is truly a soldiers daughter. She could even relate such matters to patriotism This girl would have been the female version of Yue Fei if she lived in the ancient times. She would definitely have been toyed around to death by a villain like Qin Hui! That was how she had played herself into Shen Menglians hands. Are you going to run the 3000 meters for me, or I do have to do it myself? Zhao Youyue thought aloud out of a sudden. She was no longer worried about the race after discovering the use of the Zhou Chun Card. For a distance such as this, she would have to hold back, or else she would have to keep chowing down like a hamster. For once, she would have to pace herself, so that her stamina would decrease at a manageable rate. I gave you my word. You must be exhausted after todays competition, so, Ill run for you, tomorrow, Bai Yunshan dutifully insisted. She could not care less about her ongoing menstruation. She was a woman of her word. Moreover, it would be great if she could pit herself against Zhao Youyue, one way or another. Chapter 292 Change in attitude If youre not having your period now, I will definitely allow you to demonstrate your heroic spirit. But, Ill be running the 3,000-metres tomorrow, no matter what. After all, Im supposed to be the runner. They would certainly spot our swap, and you would only end up running in vain. Zhao Youyue replied after a moment, having pondered over Bai Yunshans stubborn reply. Eh? How did you know?! Bai Yunshan turned red for the first time ever, which was uncharacteristic of her, but surprisingly cute. She had always fought hard to maintain her dignity as a class rep. Bai Yunshan was actually a girl, but she had no clue on how to dress herself up. She had no drive in the pursuit of beauty whatsoever. She could be drop-dead gorgeous, only if she put the slightest bit of care in that aspect. Long hair suited her more, not her unstyled short crop that made her look like a little boy. Natural beauties do not come by so easily. Not everyone was like Lady Zhao. However, anyone ever picked up on Zhao Youyues research and gain appropriate knowledge of dressing up, facial care as well as makeup, they would actually stand a chance. Zhao Youyues knowledge were not just restricted to the straight road to beauty, she had a genderless, or rather, asexual soul. She could doll herself up according to male standards of female beauty and female standards of female beauty. By dolling herself up according to the gender of her target, she could become the height of physical attractiveness in front of either gender. According to her personal experience, Bai Yunshan was a ticking bombshell. She already had beauty above the average person, and that was without a single care being given to her appearance. With the slightest bit of care, she would transcend the world. Such remolding would have much room before University live hardens the clay. When it comes to females, Year 1 and Year 4 photos would share little connection to each other. Even thickset ladies had possible potentials. Once they slim down, everyone has a chance at beauty. I know everything. There is nothing that escapes my eyes, Zhao Youyue proudly stood with arms akimbo, but not for long. This was actually Xiao Chuns signature pose. Xiao Chun would do so every time she makes a proclamation of victory before a race. In her mind, it was the coolest pose possible for a humanoid. However, she would always end up embarrassing herself. Zhao Youyue had applied Zhou Chuns card for a bit too long on that day. There would be some aftereffects left in its wake. As for why Zhao Youyue knew of Bai Yunshans period, Bai Yunshans deskmate, Qiu Ya had told her about the matter. Qiu Ya came from a rather rural area. She was actually a very kind person. Just because she had not cooperated with Bai Yunshan to be her witness, the steadfast enforcer of rules had dismissed her as one of those outlaws and had shunned her ever since. Qiu Ya could only choose to approach Zhao Youyue on that matter. Zhao Youyues spies surrounded Bai Yunshan like an intelligence network. Zhao Youyue would never run short of informants, reporting Bai Yunshans every move. Everyone had positioned themselves against the class rep like so, mirroring her tendencies of being the teachers informant. Qiu Ya soon decided to tell Zhao Youyue about Bai Yunshans period. She did not want Bai Yunshan to insist on making her own life difficult. At the end of the day, they were all girls. They knew about the inconveniences of those few days that came every month. Zhao Youyue had initially remained silent on that matter. She had intended to test Bai Yunshan, to see what lengths she would go to keep her promise. The moment she realized that Bai Yunshan would remain true to her word till the end C regardless of her condition, she caved in. Such a silly and upright girl was truly a concern. On the other side of things, Zhao Youyue did not know that Bai Yunshan considered her silly as well. She would always be taken advantage of by others, get toyed around by others, and still went on her ways like nothing was happening. She was too aloof for her own good. Although Bai Yunshan considered Zhao Youyue a bad person, she could not stand seeing Zhao Youyue get used by worse folk. Therefore, Bai Yunshan had turned both eyes to Shen Menglian. If Shen Menglian still refuses to retrain herself after this sports event, this Master Class Rep with a maxed out snitching skill would service Shen Menglian to her utmost. This time, no matter how persistent Bai Yunshan is, she would never be able to dispute Zhao Youyue. After all, it was Zhao Youyues name that had been noted down. If she runs in Zhao Youyues place, they may not accept it. She would only be running to torture herself. Bai Yunshan felt helpless. She very much hated the idea of being in someones debt. Therefore, she would never take advantage of others, neither would she give the others the opportunity to take advantage of her. If someone approaches her for a loan, she would reply with one solid word Nope! Bai Yunshan considered borrowing from others as a form of taking advantage of others. If it was a small amount, most would not even return it. If it was a big amount, how could she simply agree to lend them the money? Besides, she would never possibly be in a position to owe others money. If thats the case, why should she lend hers? Bai Yunshans theory made sense. Allow metoinvite you fora dinner this weekend, then. Our class success in this event was all thanks to you. It had been my fault since the beginning. I knew that not many would sign up for the long-distance event. Fewer would actually help me. Therefore, the moment Shen Menglian told me that you had signed up for all of the long-distance events, I leaped at the opportunity without thinking much. I double-checked it with you after that, and you actually nodded. Bai Yunshan was sincerely apologetic. She was not completely free of blame. It clearly made no sense, yet she had still signed Zhao Youyue up. Subconsciously, she might be glazed over that glaring abnormality for her own convenience. In retrospect she had been selfish, and it left her feeling extremely uncomfortable, all the more when Zhao Youyue did not appear bothered by at all. She was still treating her so nicely. Fortunately, Zhao Youyue had turned out to be excellent in long-distance running. If not, she would have been publicly humiliated. Bai Yunshan realized that she now owed Zhao Youyue too much. Zhao Youyue who she had considered to be the prime example of one without a collective sense of honor, had turned out to contribute the most to the class! Due to this turn of events, her initial impression towards Zhao Youyue had been shaken to the core. Perhaps Zhao Youyue was actually a good person. She had simply been misunderstood. The moment Zhao Youyue heard Bai Yunshans invitation, she smiled. It was just to be expected. No matter how difficult a girl can be, they were all the same slice of cake to her. Bai Yunshan now approved of her. Taking Bai Yunshans zero-waste dietary habits into consideration, Zhao Youyue replied, Sure, but we dont have to dine at a restaurant. Just buy me some ingredients. Im quite confident in my cooking. The way she ate would only create another world war, if they chose to dine at a restaurant. Bai Yunshan was startled. This Zhao Youyue is also good at cooking? What else is she not good at? As if she had read her mind, Zhao Youyue replied with a knowing smile, I know everything. There is nothing that I do not know. She spun on her heel and left at that, leaving the other girl with a perfect view of her back. Bai Yunshan felt that the omniscient and omnipotent Zhao Youyue was truly a force to be reckoned. Chapter 293 Anime Release of The Strongest King Nothing could be said about the 3,000-meter run on the last day of the sports event. Zhao Youyue simply hacked her way to victory. However, she did not blow away the crowd by sprinting the whole 3,000 meters. She had actually paced herself this time, her stamina outlasting that of others. She only broke off bits of chocolate bars in her teeth every now and then. Once again, Zhao Youyue won glory for Class 11. People looked up to her more than ever. Bai Yunshan the class rep only ended up being despised even further. If one is not mistaken, she seemed to have righteously volunteered to run in Zhao Youyues place. However, Zhao Youyue ended up running the race all by herself Where was the promised class rep who took the guise of a straight-laced girl, exemplifying her principles and ideals? Who would have expected her to be all mouth and no trousers! People are quick to judge. They would only believe in what they see, but fail to look further than that. Zhao Youyue was the only person who knew the truth. Bai Yunshan had intended to keep her promise to the end. It was her who had convinced Bai Yunshan not to do so. Why push herself and risk her health? Zhao Youyue did not have to worry about that. She had the character card. Winning the race would be a cinch, let alone finishing it. Zhao Youyue only needed to work on making her victory somewhat believable. After all, her first run had ended in bizarre fashion However, just like how nobody really would look into the reason of Bai Yunshans absence in the 3,000-meter run, nobody would actually take note of how Zhao Youyue had won the races. Nobody would attempt to investigate the details of Zhao Youyues running. After all, this was only a school sports event that would be of little concern. At the closing ceremony of the school sports event, Zhao Youyue had the honor to speak as a representative. She had won the first prize in three different categories. This was something very incredible. She was stronger than several sports students. It had been an utterly impromptu speech. Evidently, Zhao Youyue was a rather eloquent orator in her own right. She managed to present a modest, calm image. Her upper-class demeanor seemed to come as a second nature, a trait that Huang Zongchao, the chairman of the student council greatly admired. Truthfully, Zhao Youyues performance during this sports event had subverted what most thought of her. She never gave off the image of an athletic girl. Against all expectations, she had claimed the top spot in all of the long-distance events. This could not have been further from any form of projected result! The sports event had raised Zhao Youyue to schoolwide fame. Among female students, an awful few were both pretty and scholarly. No one expected that combination to be incredible at sports as well. She was definitely the Goddess among Goddesses! Thanks to Zhao Youyues excellent performance, Class 11 which she belonged to, was obviously not last in place. The last place went to one of the intensive Science classes. Yang Liqun, the class teacher, and Bai Yunshan, the class rep, were very satisfied with the results. As an intensive class which focused on studying, they would not be good in sports. It was truly surprising for Zhao Youyue to stand out and turn the tide, winning glory for the class. Zhao Youyue was also named the MVP of this sports event. Unsurprisingly, her academic performance played a huge role in her winning the award. The Autumn Sports event ended with a bang. The biggest winner would most definitely be Zhao Youyue, who shone like a star. Others around her became eclipsed by her contrastive radiance. To all students in school, excluding the Year 3 students, this school sports event had been considered the ideal outlet for them to lay back and rest. Lots of colors had been distributed into their nerve-wracking and monotonous study life. Zhao Youyue was just as relaxed. Others seemed to believe that she was fully spent, and for good reason. They saw her run a total of 6,000-meters in two days. In reality, Zhao Youyue only ran for a few hundred meters. When you have a stamina bar, just like an in-game character, you would never tire like a human. Zhao Youyue had greater things to concern herself with. One of them would be the initial release of The Strongest King, which she had voice acted for! Prior to this, many fans of the original The Strongest King were very dissatisfied with Tian Yi animation production company. The company had paid no heed to their vehement objections towards the casting for Yu Shengfan. They had obstinately chosen an unknown and inexperienced newbie VA. This would spell the end of that character, wouldnt it? Yu Shengfan was the soul of The Strongest King, during the early stages of the plot! All sorts of rumors related to the VA for Yu Shengfan started to surface throughout the internet. Some confidently disclosed information that the newbie VA had gotten the position through unspoken rules. This would be a prime example of the VA industrys Pillow Business''[1]. Others said that Tian Yi had done so in order to cut costs. Xiao Yu had many lines, despite her short-lived appearance. A famous VA would definitely request for a salary increment In short, countless rumors related to the VA for Yu Shengfan were scattered all over the internet. Even so, those who took pride in their human-flesh searching skills were unable to find any information regarding the newbie VA. They did not even know her name. Regardless of her voice acting skills, her mystery drew in a great deal of attention! Right before the anime broadcast of The Strongest King, Song Gang, the VA of the male protagonist Lin Feng had suddenly released a post on Weibo to refute the rumors. He had stated that Yu Shengfans VA was not as incapable as rumored. On the contrary, she was a transcendent being, working so much magic that she seemed to transform into the character herself! Therefore, he hoped that everyone would stop spreading rumors. Once they watch the anime in future, everything would come to light. After Song Gangs statement, a number of BigVs stood out and spoke on behalf of the mysterious VA. The official Weibo of Tian Yi animation production company which had been playing dead also rose to support Xiao Yus VA, bringing forth a new wave of sensation! Anyone with bright eyes would notice that it was some sort of promotional method. It is easier to attract attention while being attacked, and if a successful defense is raised, along with solid evidence, they would end up as the biggest winners of the clash. Such a reversal would be far more dramatic. Admittedly, such a form of promotional strategy had called forth great attention to be placed on the pilot episode of The Strongest King. It was time. For the first few episodes, Yu Shengfan had yet to appear. The public opinions remained civilized. However, when Yu Shengfan finally made her appearance, the world blew up! Translation Note: [1] Pillow business The idea of VAs sacrificing their bodies for a role. Chapter 294 : Rigid Stability As an ex-web novelist who dabbled in the gaming genre, Han Leng had always been an avid fan of Rosemarys novels. He would not fail to subscribe any of Rosemarys novels. Now that The Strongest King had been successfully adapted in anime form and was being broadcasted on Bilibili, he had unhesitatingly spent 10 RMB to enjoy the privilege of having early access to the episodes. He loved this Esport novel that much. Of course, Han Leng did not know that Zhao Youyue was actually the mysterious VA for Xiao Yu. It had left him very concerned over Yu Shengfans VAs performance. Although he was not a crazy fan, he was afraid that the overall quality of the entire anime would be ruined, due to the VAs inexperience. There were far too many rumors about Yu Shengfans VA, causing panic among the masses. Even though Song Gang had jumped up to help the VA, the public believed him to be acting at the behest of the company. He had practically been paid to lie with his eyes open. He could have boasted about anything else, yet he had chosen to boast about the voice acting capabilities of the newbie VA. How would those words quench the fire? The greater the boast, the more false hope it gives, and the greater the disappointment. Han Leng was pleased with the first few episodes of The Strongest King. He felt that the established Tian Yi animation company had put much effort into the production. It was a work of caliber, and the VAs had carried out their lines diligently. As long as they could maintain such conditions, this anime might not necessarily satisfy all the fans of the original novel, but would certainly deserve to be referred as an excellent example of Industry Conscience. However, the better the contents in the early stage, the more worried Han Leng grew about the mysterious VA who would be voice acting for Yu Shengfan. His instincts told him that she would be the Achilles Heel of the entire production! If that really is the case, all those exaggerated rumors might actually come true. Everything, from the great start to the decent Vas, would be undone. After all, Han Leng understood all too well how crazy those Xiao Yu fans can get! Speaking of which, Lady Zhao was definitely a veteran Xiao Yu fan. She must be very uneasy by now Han Leng thought. He could never forget how hurt and lost Lady Zhao became, when Rosemary wrote Xiao Yu to death. This gave way to feelings of envy towards Rosemary, as when he wrote Chu Luoxun to death, Lady Zhao barely batted an eyelid. This made him consider his Goddess Chu to be inferior to Xiao Yu. Chu Luoxun was too perfect, to an unrealistic extent. Of course, there would be some form of dissonance when one reads about her. As for Xiao Yu, her monarch with the strongest mouth quirk was rather interesting. Many readers who lacked quick wits and sharp tongue would like Xiao Yu very much, as she would be able to take their place and take a stand against the injustice in their lives, firing back at all who are slighting them. Han Leng was chatting with one of his fans at that moment. This fan went by the alias, Jian Bing. He became a fan after reading his book Conquering the World in an Online Game. The fan was rather loyal, to the point of even sending presents on Han Lengs birthday. These presents usually came in the form of taste treats, suiting his alias. Han Leng treated such loyal fans with relish. Although he had withdrawn from the web novel world and had entered the world of youth novels, he shouldnt forget his old loyal fans, should he? Han Leng was nothing like Su Li, who only recognized her tycoon fans. When he gets along with a reader, he would judge them as equals. If he finds the reader nice, and if the readers comments scratch his itchy bits, he would certainly include them into his inner circle. Jian Bing was such a reader. He was coincidentally a book fan of The Strongest King as well. Thus, the subject of their chat would revolve around the new anime, The Strongest King. I suppose that the new episode of The Strongest King will be broadcasted tonight? It seems that its finally Xiao Yus turn to appear. I am feeling so nervous. Im still afraid that the mysterious newbie VA will ruin the character, typed Jian Bing. Han Leng read the message and replied, Thank God I am not a crazy Xiao Yu fan. I dont have high expectations of this VA. As long as she doesnt ruin the character too much, I would be fine with that. I think the other VAs are doing okay. They did well in the first few episodes. Im just worried that a rat would shit into the entire porridge pot! Song Gang, the VA for the male protagonist Lin Feng, is a publicly recognized VA. He has the skills to back his popularity. Hes one of the few out there who treats his work with a passion. If his partner is a VA who had been snuck in through the backdoor, just because she let somebody use her backdoor, this would definitely affect their overall performance. After all, Xiao Yu would practically be the main character over the next arc or so. We can only believe in the Tian Yi animation company. Their projects have always been well-received, Han Leng comforted him. Track record aside, they really deviated from the norm, even by their standards! They were so secretive this time. Something fishy is going on behind the scenes! Id say, Ding Hui should have been the VA. She is a true veteran. Besides, her voice would be more suitable for the role Looking at the anxious Jian Bing, Han Leng smiled helplessly. He could only comfort him once more. Then, he sent a message to Zhao Youyue, My lady, are you feeling nervous right now? Zhao Youyue received the message, and was confused. She asked, What do you mean, nervous? Still putting up a strong front? Xiao Yu is going to appear in the anime adaptation ofThe Strongest King soon. Nobody has faith in this new VA. As a Xiao Yu fan, dont you feel nervous? Not at all. Im a picture of calm. Just wait and see. The Yu Shengfan Disease will spread like wildfire after this, as more fans beg for Xiao Yu to insult them, Zhao Youyue replied. Han Leng was at a loss of words. Where did this Lady Zhaos inexplicable self-confidence come from? Is it because that she already knows who the mysterious VA is? Oh, right. Whatever it is, after tonights broadcast, the VAs name would come up in the credits. All will be known. Finally, the new episode came online. Han Leng watched it right away. There, Yu Shengfan appeared. Even though he was not a crazy Xiao Yu fan, he could feel his eyes lighting up. This golden-haired twintail loli lady had been drawn rather well. She had the aura and gait befitting of a tycoon lady! All thats left now was her voice When Yu Shengfan spoke, he was stunned. The VA was nothing like the rumors. It sounded like the perfect reproduction of Yu Shengfans voice! Han Leng was totally fascinated by the episode. At the same time, all the doubts within his heart vanished completely. This mysterious, newbie VA deserved the role! He was relieved. Only one question rose in his heart: why did this Yu Shengfans voice sound slightly familiar? Chapter 295 From an Anti-Fan to a Pro-Fan Han Leng was not the only one to catch this pleasant surprise. His loyal fan, Jian Bing, who was also a Xiao Yu fan, immediately shared his excitement with him after they were finished watching the newest episode of The Strongest King.Xiao Yus VA is more than just a pass! Her voice completely encompassed the description in the novel! Her voice was music to my ears. Im going to rewatch it again; I havent heard enough from her! Han Leng could not stop laughing. This Jian Bing was also rather interesting. Has he already been poisoned within so short a time? Getting the Yu Shengfan Disease already? Perhaps Xiao Yus fans liked the Yu Shengfan character too much. Therefore, they became extremely excited about the great performance of the VA Han Leng suddenly remembered of something. He had forgotten to check the credits of the latest episode. The list of VAs would be released there. Han Leng would always skip the OPs and EDs[1] of his animes. Unless the songs are a step above the norm, nothing will keep him there for long. Since the OP had not left such an impression on him, he directly skipped to the actual story. As for EDs, he never listened to any of them. He considered it a waste of time, as the EDs usually paled in comparison to the OPs. However, when he listened to the newly released ED, he noticed that the VA of Yu Shengfan was its singer. It greatly surprised him. The track itself was rather generic, but the singers voice was downright breathtaking! Her voice seemed to possess the magic to reel listeners in and capture their very souls. It had the power to enter the innermost parts of their hearts, much like soul music, which Han Leng was very familiar with. Who was this mysterious VA of Yu Shengfan? Not only was she good at voice acting for the character, but she was also an amazing singer! Was she really a newbie VA? Are you sure she isnt a professional singer or something? Han Leng did not forget to pay special attention to the credits. He was stunned to see that Yu Shengfan had been credited as Yu Shengfan! What is going on here? What a great coincidence? To be able to find a VA for Yu Shengfan, whose name was Yu Shengfan as well? For a while, he sat in silence. Coincidence aside, Yu Shengfan was not exactly a common name. These odds could not possibly exist. Therefore, only one conclusion can be made out of this. Yu Shengfans VA intended to remain completely anonymous! The mystery had only deepened now. Han Leng was now highly interested to know more. It was currently the era of VA idolization. Many VAs would not wait to have a similar amount of exposure that is comparable to celebrities. Some of them had even opted to venture into the music industry, having made a sufficient name for themselves. Yet, this Yu Shengfans VA seemed to have no ambition of becoming famous. Instead, she was trying her best to conceal her identity. Why? Han Leng loved to make use of his cognitive faculties. He would jump at any opportunity to exercise his mind. The term Hunger marketing flashed through his mind. Perhaps this VA intended to make a fuss by enshrouding herself in mystery. Once she has successfully tantalized everyone, only then would she unveil her mysterious veil little by little. During this period of time, she would voice act for other iconic characters, similar in stature to Yu Shengfan and further extend her influence within the VA realm. However, Han Leng was overthinking all this. The VA of Yu Shengfan was Zhao Youyue. She was not even a professional VA. She had been able to produce such results because she owned the specific characters card. At that moment, Zhao Youyue had finished watching the newest episode of The Strongest King. Without blowing any hot air into it, she considered her performance to be impeccably flawless. She had brought Yu Shengfan to life! She had sung the ED amazingly as well, as she had switched on Chu Luoxuns card when it was time to sing. It was not Chu Luoxuns actual voice, per se. Instead, it was Chu Luoxun imitating Yu Shengfans singing voice. It was a piece of cake for the all-encompassing musical genius. The day after the broadcast of the newest episode of The Strongest King, the discussions related to the VA of Yu Shengfan blew the internet up. Many Xiao Yu fans swore that they would find out the mysterious VA. How was she able to voice act so amazingly? Thats true. After finished watching the newest episode of The Strongest King, many Xiao Yu fans who initially thought that the mysterious newbie VA would never possibly pull it off, had their opinions completely reversed! Turning from anti-fans to pro-fans! They now liked this VA exactly as much as they once hated her! There was only one reason for this. This mysterious newbie VAs performance had washed away all doubts! Before watching the new episode via phone yesterday, I was still worried. I kept having the feeling that the VA would ruin Xiao Yu. But the moment Xiao Yu spoke, I got on my knees. This was exactly the Xiao Yu in my mind! My mum even asked me why I was kneeling with my phone in hand. Steady, steady, steady! This The Strongest King anime will be extremely popular. The number of poisoned audiences will gradually increase. That VA has incisively shown Xiao Yus charm! Am I the only person who noticed that the ED was sung by Xiao Yus VA as well? It was obviously just an ordinary song. But why wouldnt I feel tired from listening to the song on a loop? Does this mean that Ive contracted the Yu Shengfan Disease? Objectively speaking, the mysterious newbie VAs performance yesterday was very nice indeed. But I think that we shouldnt jump to conclusions so soon. Everything shall be determined by the subsequent performances The VAs name in the credits was listed as Yu Shengfan. What the hell? Isnt the animation production team being too mischievous? Do they dare tell us that they are truly so Godly-mighty as to be able to summon the real Yu Shengfan and voice herself? As a VA enthusiast, I hereby declare that Im now a loyal fan of this VA. Can anyone out there disclose more information about her? In the past, I have already considered those rumors to be untrustworthy. This VA had earned the role rightfully. Some people actually believed in the existence of whatever unspoken rules and inside stories behind the scenes. If those unspoken rules are the reason why such a talented VA got this role, by all means, keep abiding by those rules! The mysterious newbie VA of Yu Shengfan had taken the world by storm. The key issue now was, no one had been able to look this newbie VA up, no matter how far and deep they dug. Who was she? Finally, a new theory came to birth. It was possible that this VA did not belong to the VA industry at all. She might not even be affiliated with any VA specialized schools! Such a guess instantly enlightened everyone! But, how could a completely untrained VA pull this off? Translation Note: [1] OP/ED In anime, they respectively stand for opening (song & video) and ending (song & video). Chapter 296 Climbing to the Top of the National Server When Xiao Yus fans started expanding their search beyond the VA industry, they hopeful all over again! There are no eternal secrets. Besides, Zhao Youyue had said that she would not mind using the pandemonium as a means of promoting her Ah Yus Live Broadcast Room. Ah Yus Live Broadcast Room grew exceedingly popular. Its number of subscribers passed the million mark. Whenever the live broadcast starts, the viewers would never drop below 100,000. The highest record of simultaneous views would be standing at somewhere around the 300,000s. It was a rather ludicrous amount. But it was no secret that Douyu Live Broadcast Platform would often fabricate view counts of their popular channels and sensationalize matters. Such an amount may be incomparable to the trending live broadcasts in Douyu which had numbers ranging up to a couple of millions. However, the gap was not as big as one would imagine. After a long period of fights, Ah Yus Unpleasant Night Rain Rhythm 001 successfully climbed to the top position of the national server. That position had been achieved via solo, ranked matchmaking, and under various unforeseen circumstances! What sorts of unforeseen circumstances, you say? Situations that included players who actually attempt to sabotage the game, while pretending to have contributed abundantly, players who go AFK on purpose, or players of the opposite team picking her specialized heroes before she could. All of these sought to impede her path, and she forced her way through, crushing the pro players beneath her boots, one after another. As she progressed, Zhao Youyue finally switched her webcam on. Even so, she did not reveal her face, but her hands. She had no choice, as the cyber navies''[1] recruited by some competitors were borderline lunatics. They would start new fires, accusing her of hiring ranking boosters[2] to play on her behalf. Some websites had even started releasing headlines that expressed their doubts. One person could not possibly be this good? After all, from the publics perspective, video games have always been ruled by men, LoL even moreso. No pro female player had yet to step up the stage, let alone an all-female team, which was downright impossible. Such an ideal female player only existed in novels, such as Yu Shengfan of The Strongest King. But now, such a female player had appeared in reality. This had to remain as a fantasy! Ah Yus straight-up increasing popularity also left her competitors restless. It had led to the appearance of several Cyber Navy forces. Even more vicious parties had taken it a step up and called Ah Yu out as a fat otaku who had been using a voice changer software. If not, how else could her voice be so versatile? Others with ulterior motives even stood up to admit being her ranking boosters. Obviously, they intended to gain 15 minutes of fame, as some professional teams might actually believe those words and choose to recruit them. Zhao Youyue couldnt be any less bothered about these attacks. However, she was well aware of the saying, Repeat a lie a thousand times, and it becomes the truth. She would not stand for attacks being made towards Xiao Yus reputation in reality. Thus, to quell all the rumors, she finally switched on her webcam, and a la Xiao Yuanmiao, a streamer of another world, turned into a headless girl. Only her neck downwards could be seen. Of course, the emphasis was placed on her hands At the same time, she had also requested that Su Li design a 2D cartoon face for her. The cuter, the better, in order to bring more fans to Xiao Yu. The moment Su Li learned that Lady Zhao was requesting her services again, she accepted without hesitation. She did not just draw one face, but one whole set of them, enough to create a full deck of expressions! It was a Moe girl with long, pink hair. Zhao Youyue liked it very much, although girls with pink hair are usually evil and sadistic But how could Lady Zhao possibly be evil? She had always been courteous and generous! Zhao Youyue could not be any more satisfied. Su Li pleased her the most, among all others. She now considered Su Li, her true friend. They were now closer than ever. Zhao Youyue switched on her webcam, and placed the face over hers. All at once, her live broadcast popularity achieved 500,000 audiences in a blink of an eye. Her heroics in KoG were hammered, deep into the audiences minds! In that match, she fought in the middle lane against a pro player C Wu Yanzu, who was said to be able to have 50% win rate against another famous player C Demon King from Gao Li. He was also live broadcasting, as he was quite handsome. Eventually, Zhao Youyue bullied him like a baboon being cockblocked. He was reduced to a wreck, incoherently screaming and yelling in all sorts of ways. His mouth was only able to spew an endless stream of vulgarities. What that attracted the audiences the most was Zhao Youyues beautiful pair of hands dancing on the keyboard. The APM[3] of her hands was truly unbelievable! Many audiences knelt down the moment they saw her in action. They ended up watching the entirety of live broadcast on their knees! Ah Yus webcam doused all the flames beyond the point of reignition. Be it rumors about ranking boosters, fat otakus using voice changer, or the rest. After all, her body appeared within the webcam as well. It was as clear as day that she had the body of a slender, slim girl. According to those with a so-called learned eye when it comes to woman-staring, just by looking at Ah Yus body and her perfect pair of hands, her face could never possibly be ugly. She must definitely be a first class beautiful girl! Immediately, someone asked, If thats so, why wouldnt she show her face? She could be far more popular than this now, right? Some loyal fans had jumped out and said, Our Ah Yu dont even need to show her face in order to earn a living. She games so well, shes quick-witted and funny, she can even sing, and she is proficient in all kinds of musical instruments. Why should she show her face after all that? This explanation was truly irrefutable, as Ah Yu was truly talented. She even went on to play the guitar and sing a few songs on that day. It was a most beautiful image! Not only had Ah Yu achieved the first rank in the national server, but she was also able to create a foothold there. As long as there are no unexpected situations, she would always be able to win. However, she said that she would switch to another game after this season, as LoL no longer had anything to offer. She had recently grown addicted to the game, Playerunknowns Battlegrounds, which was affectionately called Chicken Dinner. Whenever a player wins a match, there would be the phrase Winner winner, chicken dinner rewarding them. Some LoL fans were slightly dissatisfied about the matter. They felt that Ah Yu had gotten carried away. Being first in rank within the national server couldnt be called an achievement. The professional competitions and ranking matches were not the same. Not many pro players would put effort into boosting their ranking, not to mention that several pro players were actually more suited for team plays. Yet, they had ignored the fact that Ah Yu had been able to gain the advantage in her lane, every single time. Even the pro player from Gao Li could not fight stand against her! Besides, she performed equally well in team fights as well. She would be able to hold her own against an entire team of enemies! Unfortunately, she did not have the intention of going professional, as there were no Lin Feng in this world. As it was, Ah Yu achieved the top 1 solo ranking within the national server, and became known as the Passerby King. Thanks to her many other talents, the growth of her popularity seemed to have no boundaries in sight! Finally, fresh headlines struck the world again, claiming that the popular female live broadcaster, Ah Yu, who was currently LoLs top 1 within the national server, was actually the VA of Yu Shengfan who the The Uncrowned King of The Strongest King! Is that true? If so, the world was a small, mythical place. Translation Note: [1] Cyber Navies C Cyber Navies, just like their names, their activities have mainly proceeded on the internet. They intend to create a virtual, fast network to grab the publics attention, even to manipulate the direction of public opinions, in order to achieve their own purpose. In common, they create false information, launch defamatory attacks, malicious incitements, illegal promotions, which cause severe damage to citizens personal and property rights. [2] Ranking booster C Refers to the people who are paid to provide ranking boosting services, which is to play service buyers ID on their behalf. APM C Action per minute, meaning the number of operation per minute. Its statistical operations include left-click, right-click, and keyboard strokes each time the mouse is pressed. Chapter 297 The Livestreamer Ah Yu is the voice actress! News about Ah Yu as the best gamer in the country was not even at its peak yet. It was still in an emerging state, and there was much room for growth. Within the gaming and live stream communities, the news had remained as a hot topic and showed no signs of slowing. Recently, when news concerning the anime adaptation of The Strongest King, which was also fairly popular, arose, it was also reported that Ah Yu is the voice actress for Yu Shengfan, the iconic female protagonist. As the live streamer Ah Yu was already highly popular, when paired with such news, would turn waves into tsunamis! In this world, it is a lot more difficult to be the best gamer in the country, compared to any other world. Other worlds would usually have separate servers for the Chinese and the Korean players, but in this world, the two servers would be merged together. With so many skilled players condensed in one spot, the competition would be immense! However, even in such circumstances, Ah Yu was still able to come up as the best gamer in the country. To add on to the magnitude of such an achievement, she was a female player, and was not a member of any professional gaming team. This had escalated her status as a legend, and turned her name into an everyday topic. Some of Ah Yus retarded fans even believed that she could be the star of Chinas lol eSports. This was because the Korean eSports players were so dominant that Chinese players had no room to stand beside them. The sovereign country, China has been on the losing end for too long. This is just too depressing! In his novel The Strongest King, the author Rosemary had actually expressed his hopes and dreams that Chinas eSports would strive for the better. In her live streams, Ah Yu had defeated some Korean professional players several times over. Viewers would always be brimming with excitement. Even so, there were still many other naysayers who commented on how Ah Yu would never be able to qualify as a professional player. Of course, this was not the case. She had no interest in gaming for the glory of her country, none whatsoever. Only one person could subdue Yu Shengfan, and that would be Master Lin Feng. After Ah Yu proved that she was indeed the one playing, and no one else was playing in her place, several professional gaming teams had invited her to join them. Some former professional players even supported Ah Yu, because they had previously fought Ah Yu in her games as she streamed. She had obviously beaten them with ease. Thus, they wholeheartedly felt that Ah Yu was fully capable of becoming the ace of any known professional gaming team. If the team just arranges their strategic planning around Ah Yu, they can win for sure Unfortunately, Ah Yu would have none of that. She was persistent in not wanting to play professionally. Howsoever, it was now clear that everyone is aware of her amazing gaming talents now. They had even started to believe that she was a 3D Yu Shengfan! Now, there are even rumors that say she is the voice actress of Yu Shengfan in the anime. Wouldnt it all make perfect sense? The 3D Yu Shengfan dubbing the voice of the 2D Yu Shengfan. The planets have aligned themselves! When the rumors arose, there were naturally a lot of people that wanted to verify the validity of the rumors. Some people immediately jumped over to watch Ah Yus live broadcast, and compared her voice to the voice of the anime character Yu Shengfan. Of course, there would be a difference. In a 2D world, an anime character would speak very differently from how one speaks in real life However, some sharp-witted viewers identified the similarities between the two voices. They even went so far as to conduct a various analysis which were logical, clear and concise! In any case, many were pleased about this revelation. In the minds of Ah Yus fans, their live streamer was omnipotent. So what, if she did some VA for an anime character? As for whether she did a good job of it, of course she did. Ah Yu is perfect and all-encompassing! Some fans who were crazy about Ah Yu obviously had very little money, but they still insisted on spamming Ah Yu with rockets, just so they could hear her say thank you. However, Zhao Youyue was actually the one saying thank you to everyone. If she was still Yu Shengfan at that point in time, the viewers would be lucky if they could get away without being mocked or ridiculed, let alone get a word of thanks. All the analysis that was carried out has now been rendered superfluous. This was because officials from the Tianyi Anime Production Company soon stepped up and confirmed the news. Of course, the fans soon approached other voice actors to obtain more information about Ah Yu. However, the other voice actors were all very firm and clear on one thing. They will not reveal Zhao Youyues real identity, but they can help advertise her a little here and there. Just like that, Ah Yus Weibo was flooded with comments from enthusiastic fans. Zhao Youyue decided to directly tell her fans about the news. Thus she posted it on the Small Fish Ah Yu Weibo account, which already had around 200,000 followers. She admitted that she was the voice actress who dubbed the voice of Yu Shengfan, and also expressed that she was very honored to be able to do so. Out of her 200,000 followers, there would be no fakes, unlike her cousin Zhao Hao. He had spent money to buy a load of zombie fans[1], so that he could pretend to have a huge following. However, in actuality, his popularity was nothing close to that. On her Weibo profile, it was stated that, Actually, since the very start, my Weibo account name had already revealed the truth. The moment I started live streaming, I was already roleplaying as Xiao Yu. When I was reading the novel, Xiao Yus death affected me very much and made me really sad. Therefore, I wanted to let her live in the 3D world by roleplaying as her! A 2D illustration accompanied the post that Su Li drew for her. Also, Zhao Youyue thanked Rosemary, the original author of The Strongest King, as well as Su Li, who was in charge of the manga adaptation. They had made an intelligent decision in choosing her, which had seemed against all the odds. All the support she was receiving now had proved that she did a great job. The post of her admitting to being the mysterious voice actress understandably went viral on Weibo, attracting a massive amount of likes, shares, and countless comments! Ah Yu, I have been your loyal fan for the longest time. I join your live stream channel every day. How many times do you plan to surprise us? I really didnt expect you to be the voice actress of Yu Shengfan. That dubbing, was absolutely legendary! Talented lady Ah Yu, I hereby worship you! It doesnt matter what you look like, your talent has completely conquered my heart! If I had gotten to know sooner that Ah Yu was the one dubbing, then I wouldnt have been so flustered. Well, whatever, everything is fine now. I feel that no one is better-suited than Ah Yu as the voice actress for Yu Shengfan. Mister Rosemary really has good taste! I just found out that the voice actress who dubbed Yu Shengfans voice is a popular female live streamer. This has really expanded my knowledge of female live streamers! Anyhow, the dubbing is really good, keep it up! Am I the only one that realized Ah Yu has not only roleplayed Yu Shengfan, but also Chu Luoxun? Isnt this a little strange? On a side note, Ah Yu, your portrait somehow looks familiar. Just by looking at it, anyone can easily tell who drew it. You have to be careful! Remember that death is like the wind, always by This is why I thought that the animes ED sounded very familiar to me. I just couldnt remember whose voice it was. Now that Ive seen this Weibo post, I see things clearer than ever. Wasnt this the live stream channel that I have been joining every single day? I have never watched any of Ah Yus live streams, but I came across her recorded live stream on Bilibili. To be so proficient in all kinds of musical instruments, this is real talent! Ill give her that! Are there any new animes coming up? Will Ah Yu have any future roles? I cant wait to see what else Ah Yu can do! Zhao Youyues sockpuppet[2] Weibo account Small Fish Ah Yu went completely viral, and in a short time, her number of followers surpassed a million. When the episode where Yu Shengfan died was broadcasted, her popularity soared even further. The song she sang, Parallel Galaxies, also became the rage! The songs that she had previously uploaded on NetEase Music also became top hits! Translation note : [1] Zombie fans are fans that only follow, but do not share posts or leave comments. They are zombies C without IQ, just like an empty shell. [2] A sockpuppet is an online identity used for purposes of deception. The term, a reference to the manipulation of a simple hand puppet made from a sock, originally referred to a false identity assumed by a member of an internet community who spoke to, or about, themselves while pretending to be another person. Chapter 298 Commenters Convene The songs that Zhao Youyue had uploaded on NetEase Music were not really that popular. She was not a professional singer. She did not have the backing of an entertainment company that could help to edit and enhance her songs. Moreover, she had not attempted to promote her songs through various means. The most she did was to mention it during her live streams. There are always lazy streamers. Some of them would even think this way: Since I have already heard all the songs during the live streams, why should I bother going through all the trouble to get on NetEase Music just to hear them again? However, compared to songs that are sung during live streams, songs that are recorded properly in a recording studio tend to give off very different feelings. The latter would be better-suited for someone to quietly listen to when they are alone. This is why a lot of people would experience all sorts of joy when they listen to Ah Yus songs on NetEase Music! Other than the songs, Ah Yu had also uploaded a few of her violin solos on NetEase Music. The magical, unique way in which she played the violin made her listeners feel like they have entered a whole new world - - was it possible for the violin to be played this way? As we all know, many commenters on the NetEase Music platform always end up creating a lot of interesting threads. One person heard the violin solo, and went on to leave a comment saying This person is quite good at playing the Erhu[1]. Comments like these would always spark furious debates about Chinese and Western musical instruments. However, the original commenter was obviously trolling them. It was not possible for anyone to not know what musical instrument Ah Yu had used. As for her rhythmic violin solos, someone had also left such a comment - - This is directed towards those of you who always comment after hearing Ah Yus violin solos. You talk about how your legs shake so much that they end up breaking, and say things like how you have replaced your prosthetic legs countless times. How fake can you guys get? Can your legs really break just by shaking? You guys are total shams. Well, anyway, thats that. On a side note, doctor, could you please check if you can reattach my head? This was quite an interesting comment. It embodied Zhao Youyues rhythmic violin solos in an exaggerated manner, which showed how her violin solos were capable of evoking intense resonance within the hearts of the listeners. This time, Ah Yu is the voice actress for Yu Shengfan in the popular anime The Strongest King. As the anime continued to air, Ah Yus dubbing slowly got more approval from the fans. Thus, the number of people who became infected with the Yu Shengfan virus also increased proportionately. The Parallel Galaxies song from the anime was so good that many people from the audience expressed that they were still not bored of it yet, even though they had heard it countless times. When they heard that there were more of Ah Yus songs, as well as violin solos on NetEase Music, they all rushed to the platform. They instantly found Ah Yus music station, where there was a variety of covers of hit songs, as well as original songs written by her. When the fans found that the other original songs written by Ah Yu were songs that were originally written by Chu Luoxun in Beautiful April, they were shocked. Did Ah Yu not only roleplay Yu Shengfan, but also Chu Luoxun? At that moment, everyone suddenly remembered that Ah Yu could really play the violin like a Goddess. Her violin songs would draw in the general public like a lighthouse in a dark storm. As they listen to it, their souls would slowly slip into the magical world of music. It was too bad that many people never got to see Zhao Youyue perform live before. This is because the spiritual music contained in the Chu Luoxun card would only be triggered when the music is heard during is a live performance. Regardless of whether the music is played during a live stream, or recorded in a recording studio, a layer would impede the transfer, so listeners would not get its full effects. Even so, Ah Yus talent in music managed to surprise all those who heard her music. They even felt sorry for Ah Yu. It was such a waste. A talented musician like her did not have a company to support her properly. She seemed far too indifferent towards fame and fortune. All of her beautiful songs would just be sung without filters while in live streams. Furthermore, they were uploaded freely on the internet, without any form of monetization. She was not even bothered to release an album! After Zhao Youyue recorded the songs of Sweet and I Left the Sadness to Myself, she had also went on to record Angel Wings and Just Happened to Meet You. Naturally, the beauty of her music left even more fans trailing after her. The aesthetic researchers of Beautiful April had also gone wild! The mere fact that such a talented musician like Ah Yu was also a reader of Beautiful April made them feel very blessed. Although Ah Yu did not declare whether she was a Lin Meiyue fan or a Chu Luoxun fan, it was clear that she has already recreated all of Chu Luoxuns songs from the novel and brought them into the real world. This definitely showed that she is a hardcore Chu Luoxun fan, right? On NetEase Music, all of the songs from the novel that have been brought to the real world were now exceptionally popular. This is mainly because they were already brilliant, to begin with! Various creative commenters had commented on these songs. For example, under Parallel Galaxies, this comment had gotten the highest number of likes, because it managed to express what everyone else thought - - Your heart is filled with snow, while the sun is glaring in the South, whereas I only know of Spring even during the cold nights in the North. This song deeply illustrated how people tended to have self-contradicting thoughts, because there are heaters in the North, but not in the South. Similarly, under Sweet and I Left the Sadness to Myself, various types of comments that contained stories about first love, feelings and the like have appeared, one after another. Some people had even praised Ah Yu for being able to write both songs so flawlessly, even though a vast contrast in emotions juxtapositioned them. One was extremely soft and sweet, whereas the other was extremely gloomy and despairing. This is indeed real talent! However, when there are too many comments, it tends to prompt the use of reverse psychology. For example, someone commented: I just came here to hear some songs. I have no stories, no girlfriend. I did not take the national examination, and I also have no family or friends that are dead. I am not specifically here for the feels, for the dreams, for a relationship, or for my livelihood. I am simply here to listen to some songs [pout] [pout] [pout]. As for Angel Wings, the song had certainly aroused the sympathy of many people. There was a comment that said I typed a whole bunch of words, but I deleted it which had close to 9000 likes. Evidently, it was a song that makes people hold back their words. Lastly, the finale song of Just Happened to Meet You undoubtedly became the hottest one out of all the songs. This was also a song in Beautiful April, which Chu Luoxun had dedicated to the male protagonist after her death. Through this song, the aesthetic researchers have identified that Chu Luoxuns feelings for the male protagonist were not inferior to that of Lin Meiyues! Just when everyone was sure that such a song could only be fantasized about, it had been recreated in the real world by a talented person. Furthermore, it had been recreated so beautifully. There was another comment that went like this: The chorus is poisonous I played the song three times today. The first time I heard it, I was like what the hell is this song the second time I heard it, I thought it was pretty good on the third time I got poisoned, and now the song is on endless repeat! The number of likes on this comment had almost reached 90,000! The songs that initially appeared in the novel have actually become hit songs in reality! At that moment, Han Leng, the creator of Beautiful April, had finally noticed this legendary Ah Yu. When he heard that the songs which appeared in his own novel had been sung with completed lyrics, he was thoroughly shocked! Everyone says that Ah Yu is the 3D Yu Shengfan, but he felt that this Ah Yu is the 3D Chu Luoxun instead! No one will believe him if he says it out. He had actually heard all of these songs, word for word, note for note, when he was intoxicated! Isnt this just too mysterious? Translation note : [1] Erhu is a two-stringed bowed musical instrument, more specifically a spike fiddle, which may also be called a Southern Fiddle, and sometimes known in the Western world as the Chinese violin or a Chinese two-stringed fiddle. It is used as a solo instrument as well as in small ensembles and large orchestras. It is the most popular of the huqin family of traditional bowed string instruments used by various ethnic groups of China. A very versatile instrument, the erhu is used in both traditional and contemporary music arrangements, such as in pop, rock and jazz. Chapter 299 Weibo Interaction Han Leng had suddenly developed a huge interest in the female live streamer Ah Yu. Narcissistic as he is, he feels that when he cross-dresses, he is the most beautiful person in the world. However, before this, he had also been obsessed over Chu Luoxun, a character that he had created. In fact, it is quite reasonable for authors to indulge themselves in the characters they create. In general, when authors portray a character, they tend to beautify the character in their subconscious. Or, simply put, they would shape the character according to what they feel is the perfect character in their minds. There was no doubt that Chu Luoxuns character was a reflection of the perfect goddess in the eyes of Han Leng. She was strikingly beautiful and extremely talented. Not only did she have a perfect personality, she had also experienced an incomparably sad ending. All of these factors had inevitably led to the creation of an iconic character, which will always remain in the hearts of many readers. Han Leng had been so overly obsessed with Chu Luoxun that once, he had almost mistaken Zhao Youyue as Chu Luoxun. He must have been hallucinating at that time. The way Zhao Youyue plays the piano was closely associated with Chu Luoxuns unique music style. However, unless he clearly hears it for the second time or the third time, he will never believe that anything related to Chu Luoxun coming to the 3D world. Therefore, Han Leng did not attempt to investigate further on how Ah Yu managed to recreate his songs from the novel in the real world. He felt that this should be nothing more than a mere coincidence. Perhaps, because his novel was so well written, it had provided the reader Ah Yu with more than sufficient inspiration. Since Ah Yu is already a talented musician, to begin with, she had resonated with the characters in the novel, and got intoxicated. Hence, these songs were created. Indeed, Han Leng clearly knew that not only authors could get intoxicated, readers also do. Once the readers are intoxicated, they would enter the world of works and lose themselves in it. Most of the time, they would reluctant to come out of there. They would stay and finish reading the entire novel in one breath. For this reason, they might even stay awake through the night. If they are still immersed in the aftertaste even after finishing the novel, they may even tip the author excessively on impulse Only a piece of work that is particularly attractive would capable of getting readers intoxicated. All in all, Han Leng was quite satisfied with Beautiful April as a whole. Han Leng would always be elated when various aesthetic researchers come up with their written analyses. This is because their efforts would contribute towards the popularity of his work. With regards to Ah Yu bringing the songs from the novel into the real world, he did not really have an opinion on the matter. He had even said this on his Weibo - - After listening Ah Yus version of the songs from the novel originally written by Goddess Chu, I feel that she did a great job both in composing as well as in filling in the lyrical gap. It perfectly matches the songs I heard in my soul as I was still writing the story. Now that I can hear it in reality, I feel absolutely touched. With this, I must strongly recommend her songs to all my readers. She is probably the most loyal Chu Luoxun fan out there. This Weibo post by Master Leng Zi had once again brought the live streamer Ah Yu to the center of attention. Many Beautiful April readers leaped over to NetEase Music to search for her songs. Once they heard it, they were awestruck! A lot of people had originally thought that Ah Yu was the kind of self-entertaining musician, those who uploaded a lot of songs but never get much attention. Never would they have expected several of her songs to be on the popularity chart! This is especially with regards to the extremely poisonous Just Happened to Meet You, which has topped the charts! This song happened to be the remnants of Goddess Chu in Beautiful April. In a short time, many of Chu Luoxuns fans are once again filled with overflowing emotions. Many emotional articles about Chu Luoxun started to appear frequently on the internet. A lot of them mentioned things like there is a special kind of love, called Chu Luoxun and such. The songs had somewhat acted as a catalyst, which increased the power and influence of the Chu Luoxun fan club. Just then, Zhao Youyue took note of Leng Zis Weibo post which stated that She is probably the most loyal Chu Luoxun fan out there. Then, she shared the Weibo post and responded, Im sorry, but Im actually a Lin Meiyue fan. When this Weibo post appeared, many of the Chu Luoxun fans were startled. You recreated and brought all of Chu Luoxuns songs from the novel into the real world, and allowed her songs to be heard by everyone. You played a big part in helping Chu Luoxun attract more fans, but now you claim to be a Lin Meiyue fan? What is the meaning of this? Could it be that you are an undercover spy? Do we have a traitor among us? This time, Zhao Youyue could not help but point out that everything was the author Leng Zis fault. He had deliberately engaged in messing things up and often used Spring and Autumn Annals in major parts of the story. He had single-handedly directed all the disputes between both the fan clubs. In actuality, the only two people who had feelings for each other, were the male and female protagonist. Chu Luoxun merely played the part of an assistant. As Ah Yu had created all the songs just for the sake of Chu Luoxun, people would obviously think that she is a die-hard fan. Her interpretation is the fact, and it is purely made out of Chu Luoxuns own thoughts. If anyone were to link it back with the story as a whole, they would definitely discover that this seems to be the truth! When Han Leng first saw the faithful reader and hardcore Chu Luoxun fan Ah Yus interpretation of Beautiful April, he welcomed it. He actually welcomed any sort of interpretation of Beautiful April. Comments were also welcomed, as long as they were justified and made sense. However, when he saw Ah Yus interpretation, he was shocked! Someone had laid him bare naked, and had presented him to the world. He could no longer maintain that fulfilling a sense of superiority. Before this, he always had an attitude of putting himself above any interpretations of his book. Some interpretations would even make him feel like I am just so good, I did not ever think that this part could make people feel so deeply. Indeed, some interpretations from the readers would be new to the author himself. When they come, they would make the author feel light-hearted and joyful. It is as if the readers have successfully stepped him up as a genius. Ah Yus interpretation, on the other hand, made Han Leng feel exposed. It was like her being the one who had personally experienced everything in the world of his work! Han Leng could only remain silent and unresponsive, while pretending to be inscrutable just like before. He had to act like Ah Yus interpretation is just another root for imagination. He cannot reveal the fact that he is a Chu Luoxun fan. He originally thought that Ah Yu was his best ally, which helped in making his beloved Goddess Chu even more popular. He did not expect her to be a Lin Meiyue fan! How could Ah Yu have the same beliefs as Lady Zhao! Fortunately, there were other brave people within the Chu Luoxun fan club. They had instantly appeared and directly claimed that Ah Yu, the Lin Meiyue fan, was too naive and idealistic. How could a relationship between a man and a woman be that pure? Moreover, about the songs that you have recreated, is there absolutely no hint of Chu Luoxuns special feelings for the male protagonist within the songs? You are contradicting yourself! Ah Yu was soon besieged by the Chu Luoxun fans, because a traitor is always bound to be loathed At this time, Yu Shengfans fans actually reappeared in support of Ah Yu. They claimed that Ah Yu could only dub Yu Shengfans voice so perfectly, because she had a thorough understanding of Yu Shengfans characterization. On that note, she had to have a similar understanding of Chu Luoxun! In the midst of such disputes, Ah Yu began to receive even more attention. Chapter 300 Continue making trouble Deep down, Zhao Youyue enjoyed all the attention she is getting. If not for that, she would not have attempted to gain more abilities through the Two Dimensional Gate to acquire a sense of presence. Now, especially when she has a sockpuppet identity like Ah Yu, she feels that she can use the identity of Ah Yu to show more things to the fans and get more attention. At this rate, she can also use the identity to promote the works that she will transmigrate to in the future, to further aid her cause. Therefore, she was happy to see the identity of Ah Yu gain more and more attention. She believed that Ah Yu will also need to learn from the opportunist Su Li, who is very good at attracting and capturing attention. If she can just start a new tsunami once in a while to remain relevant, the sockpuppet identity Ah Yu would definitely become more valuable. Furthermore, this sockpuppet identity does not need to be completely unrelated to her real self. Her real self can remain as a passerby while watching from the shadows. She watched the legendary Ah Yu become popular due to her various talents from a spectators point of view, and found it to be very enjoyable. This is mainly because Ah Yu was none other than her. Zhao Youyue probably preferred lurking about in the dark. She would go crazy if she gets too famous to the point where she gets surrounded by everyone when she walks out in public. This is what she realized, after her standing in school changed. After the school sports competition, Zhao Youyues school life returned back to being quiet. However, she has now a real celebrity in her school. She has even been selected as the school flower by some busybodies, and was even named as an all-rounder which was fully-developed in all aspects, be it morals, intellect, aesthetics, as well as physically. First of all, of course, it was because Zhao Youyues academic performance had always been exemplary, and it was not just good in the general sense. In the previous monthly examinations, she was the top scorer in all of the liberal arts subjects. Now that the mighty Huang Zongchao is no longer in her way, she could easily maintain her first place spot among all the other students who took liberal arts. Since she is first in her grade, her name is naturally known to many students. However, many people have not seen her before, and could only imagine how she looks like. They had imagined her as a short-haired girl with black-framed spectacles, forever wearing the school uniform, the perfect stereotype of the perfect model student. In their minds, she probably looked average, at best. How can a beauty maintain such a brilliant academic performance? However, this sports competition had enabled the beautifully long-haired Zhao Youyue, who had the most defined features, to be truly known by many students who had previously only heard about her but never got to see her. Then, of course, these students are shocked to the core! They did not expect the legendary gifted student Zhao Youyue to be so beautiful! No one else could possibly wear the schools sports uniform and still have the look of a perfect, fresh little lady! Moreover, she was not only beautiful, but could also perform well in sports. Queen of long-distance running! Even the athletes could not outrun her! She is just so unbelievably powerful! Give me a moment to take all of this in In the end, when she gave her speech on the stage, she had presented it with poise and utmost modesty, had left a perfect impression deeply engraved in the minds of many students. Right at that moment, she had already become similar to the mighty Huang Zongchao, destined to be remembered by many, for decades and beyond. Whenever they reminisce about their old student days, they would surely think of her. Legends will always be remembered. Therefore, if she is not the school flower, who else would it be? To become the school flower, appearance came second. The first thing that mattered more is fame. When someone is so famous that all the students in the school know her, with decent appearance to boot, then she will naturally be set as the school flower. This is an example of an unofficial school flower, the kind that is only known within small circles. The people who do not pay attention to gossip, might not even know of it. This is why a lot of students feel that there is no such thing as school flowers. How could they possibly not have heard of any school flowers in their school days? Having a sense of presence in school was actually a small goal that Zhao Youyue wanted to accomplish. However, now that she has finally accomplished it, she realized that she would be seen and talked about wherever she goes about in school. Furthermore, all sorts of boys would approach her with varying levels of courtesy. She found it all very troublesome. Zhao Youyue had always been a girl who hated troublesome things. Being lazy is one of the major flaws in her personality. This flaw had made her an ordinary girl, even though she was quite talented, to begin with. Now that she has the Xu Jing card, her defect had been replaced with an excellent attribute. She was an ordinary side character in the beginning, now, she was the perfect heroine in her school! As we all know, the main protagonists in novels are always the center of all contradictions. Some of the protagonists can even be self-gratified when they are merely buying some instant noodles, so that they might get the attention of pretty girls If she had to be like that, she would rather not be a main protagonist! When Zhao Youyue does not have any character cards activated, she is, in fact, inseparable from her original self. She would be the so-called indolent, lazy lady. Even when she is called upon, Lady Zhao would be practicing the ideal form of idleness. When she was still a side character, she had longed for a sense of existence, and had longed for attention. She wanted to surprise the world with the talents she acquired through her own hard work and perseverance, and finally became a heroine. However, now that she is no longer a side character, she found herself constantly worn out. She feels that being surrounded and chased around is a lot of trouble. As she always loved to hide her true self, now she still has to face it all with grace and poise. This image of the perfect heroine that she worked so hard to create, there is no way that she will let it be so easily destroyed, right? Well, it could not be helped, she is just that conceited. When she was still a side character, she could naturally be as unscrupulous as she liked, because nobody had paid any attention to her. Now that she has become a heroine, she had to hold herself back a fair bit, as she would be under the constant attention of others. She had even started to reminisce about her original status of a side character. It all seemed very hypocritical. It is like how rich people would hate the trouble that money brings to them. Well, she had always been a hypocritical, normal high school girl anyway. She could get extremely pretentious at times, so this is actually normal. This is Zhao Youyue, a girl without a firm will. Sometimes, she is able to face every situation indifferently, like a saint, sometimes she is filled with hypocritical emotions and stuck in all kinds of small entanglements. Every time Zhao Youyue is in such a situation, she would always want to do something, or cause some trouble, to vent out her anger. The Two Dimensional Gate had undoubtedly become a place for her to make some trouble, but it still had yet to provide her a good story to mess around with. Indeed, Zhao Youyue had recently been searching for a piece of work that could touch her heart and capture her interest. She intended to create an iconic female character again. Otherwise, if she sacrifices a high popularity character card only to get another high popularity character card in return, it would end up as a waste. As she now has the chance to choose a piece of work at her discretion, this time, it was a precious opportunity. If it is not possible to maximize the benefits, then she would rather wait a little while longer. Since when was an iconic female character that easy to create? Strictly speaking, she had only created two iconic female characters. The Yu Shengfan card came as a surprise; it was Rosemary himself who wanted to shape her into an iconic character. Zhao Youyue was at a loss. She has not yet been able to find a piece of work with great potential, something of similar level. The ultra-popular works that are known nationwide are often at a premium level. Maybe her reading skills are not in-depth enough, and she should expose herself to more types of works. As this is the first time she is going to sacrifice a character card, she can never possibly outdo herself and result in an overkill. Chapter 301 Analyze and Interpret Sacrificing the high popularity character card would not be as simple as casually selecting any world one wants to enter into. Essentially, the chosen world must be of the same energy level as the world the high popularity character card originated from. This brings to question of what energy level did The 4WD God actually have? On the surface, it looked like a slice-of-life world, but if you take a closer look, you will spot the abnormalities. Whether its the magical physical strength of the mini 4WD car racers, or the deadly moves of the cars themselves, such things do not occur in reality. Therefore, generally speaking, such worlds that appear to be perfectly normal as a whole, while actually possessing a mysterious side, should be on equal standing as those blood sports driven worlds. There are such works in this world, such as Captain Tsubasa, The Prince of Tennis and so on, but both of these have been completely released. In the former, the male protagonist, Tsubasa Ozora[1] was unquestionably an iconic character, and the female protagonist in the story would not trail too far behind in terms of popularity. Unfortunately, no one would remember her name. She would only be identified as the captain of the cheerleading team. In fact, everyone would only remember her as the golden partner''[2] of Tsubasa Ozora. Tsubasa Ozora and his golden partner has a special move where they would kick the ball together towards the goal, at the same time. Such an overpowering force would be impossible, for even the best goalkeepers to handle. In reality, can this move really be pulled off? The Prince of Tennis is another iconic piece. Unfortunately, almost all the well-known characters were male, so it became a favorite of many fujoshi readers. As it neared its finale, the work started picking up another name C Blood Tennis[3]. How strange Since iconic works like Captain Tsubasa and The Prince of Tennis already existed, other blood sports stories would be inevitably overshadowed. Of course, Stephen Chows Shaolin Soccer stood in another class of its own. It was a prime example of blood sports. In Shaolin Soccer, all the characters would kick the soccer ball as if they were engaged in lethal martial arts combat. In the final match, a goalkeeper was almost literally pummeled to death by soccer balls that were sent flying in his direction. Only when a goalkeeper with Tai Chi[4] skills, played by Zhao Wei[5] appeared, the situation was reversed. It is said that Shaolin Soccer became quite a hit at the Japan box office. Japan really loves their Blood Sports. This world also has a Shaolin Soccer movie, but it was released many years ago. Regardless of whether it is Captain Tsubasa,The Prince of Tennis, or Shaolin Soccer, they have all been completed, so there is no chance of entering those worlds. If Zhao Youyue wants to, she could enter the various forms of doujins derived from those titles, but how many iconic characters would actually emerge out of a Doujin? In short, worlds that revolve around sports and tournaments are usually dominated by male characters. The female characters in these worlds would remain as side characters. Even if there is a romance in the plot, it would not necessarily be a man and a woman falling in love. The love and relationship between two men might be comparably more entertaining and popular than one between a man and a woman. Recently, theres a Kurokos Basketball that is enjoying a fair bit of popularity. However, it was also nearing completion, and there was not much room for manipulation. Moreover, the environment in Kurokos Basketball is ill-suited for the creation of an iconic female character. In addition to that, Zhao Youyue could not see any ability worth taking from that world. She did not want to enter worlds that revolved around combat and sports. What could she do with those mysterious deadly moves, even if she gets them? Other than the blood sports category, The 4WD God would also be similar to another category of worlds, which was the world of light-emitting cuisines. Works under this category include those like Chuka Ichiban and Shokugeki no Soma. The former was already complete, while the latter had no characters of unique talents. Zhao Youyue started feeling helpless Zhao Youyue believed that Su Li would be the ideal illustrator for Shokugeki no Soma. This work was catered for people who enjoyed immersing themselves in the beauty and taste of each delicacy, and it was well aware of its purpose. Having a clear direction meant that it did its job particularly well. It excelled in the parts where characters would look extremely satisfied after eating the magical, aphrodisiac dishes. Maybe she can be the pioneer of food comics. Purely from a trendsetters point of view, Shokugeki no Soma could be considered innovative. In this world, the character Miss Erina Nakiri has the Gods Tongue. She could be considered a character that Zhao Youyue could use to her advantage. Due to the popularity of Shokugeki no Soma, Zhao Youyue would get a headstart, if she possesses this character, so it would not be difficult to create an iconic character. However, in this world, Shokugeki no Soma had been going on for several years! Well, it could not be helped. A manga as popular as this would be on the same note as webnovels. The longer a series gets, the more popular it gets. Then, the storyline would be milked to its limits, without a conclusive end. Milking here might not be an accurate term, as the plot is really that long Zhao Youyue deeply despised the fact that she neither had a talent for creating works nor did she have an eidetic memory. If she could wholly recall the entire plot of Shokugeki no Soma, she would work together with Su Li and replicate it. Wait, if things are this way, wouldnt this mean that the creator of this manga would be her? If so, can she enter her own work and cause trouble? She suddenly felt like trying it out! After all, when she causes trouble, the changes and fresh information from her efforts would not be transferred to the creator in real-time. The creators inspiration mode is not concurrent to her every action in those worlds. In fact, the creator would only receive the information after she is done making trouble. Only when fed a constant stream of that information, would he or she enter an intoxicated state. What would happen if she is both the creator and a character in her own work? This made Zhao Youyue extremely curious, but the crux of the problem remained. She simply did not have the talent to create works of her own However, she had the Two Dimensional Gate. This would be something worth experimenting with in the future. Considering how difficult it is to make an iconic character, Zhao Youyue earning 3 of them in such a short period of time was quite an achievement. She had been incredibly lucky, yet she was still constantly complaining about how the Two Dimensional Gate was messing with her. Clearly, this illustrated how greedy she is. If she were to make an iconic character without going through the cheap use of a tragedy, the process would take considerably longer. Zhao Youyue did not find such a method cost-effective. Deep down, she would willingly direct the life of a female character to a tragic end, so tragic that it would herald the coming of a comet. This is typical gambling psychology. Even so, with so many ill-fated characters resting in pieces, she would have to be ingenious in her next attempt. Otherwise, the new character would also experience the same, boring fate of being fatally ill and end up dead before realizing the peak of their dreams, just like Yu Shengfan and Chu Luoxun. If the new character dies the same way again, the readers would stare at the outcome blankly, and might even start laughing morbidly Oh, another terminal disease. Oh, another death. Oh, another of Su Lis characters. Why get sad over these ill-fated characters, it is quite the entertainment. When an ill-fated character can only do so much as to draw a chuckle or two, what is so iconic about it? Translation note : [1] In Captain Tsubasa, the main character is Tsubasa Oozora. The name literally translates to Extensive Sky Wings. You can guess how it would sound like when literally translated in Chinese, so we opted for his original Japanese name. [2] In Captain Tsubasa, Tsubasas golden partner is Taro Misaki. Together, they form the Golden Combi. [3] In The Prince of Tennis, many of the characters have special techniques that they can use while playing tennis. The anime is also known as Blood Tennis because these special techniques sometimes hurt or injure the users opponents severely. [4] Tai Chi is an internal (soft) Chinese martial art practiced for both its defense training and its health benefits. The term Tai Chi refers to a philosophy of the forces of yin and yang, related to the moves. [5] Zhao Wei is a female actress in China. Chapter 302 A Niche Among the Niches Soon, it was early November, and the temperature plummeted dangerously. It would be the perfect season for pantyhoses. However, this would be wasted on Zhao Youyues beautiful legs. She was not in the mood to make herself look attractive. She wore the school uniform every day and spent her recess time searching for potential stories to mess around with. Even without makeup, her beauty stood out in the cold. Finally, the Two Dimensional Gate stirred to life again. As Zhao Youyue had yet to find a suitable literary world to manufacture a new iconic character, she decided to bet on the randomness of the gate instead. The popular character card could stay with her for now. Who knows, it may randomly bring her into a literary world as famous as The 4WD God? If so, it would be a walk in the park for her to create another popular female character. Another easy victory. If she does gain another popular character card by going with the flow, that habit will become second nature, and she would gain more confidence in the randomness of the Gate. Highly popular characters were second-rate to her. They only served to be sacrificed as a stepping stone for her to obtain the iconic character card. Only when she is truly aiming for an iconic character card, would she set her mind in planning out the settings and development of the plot. Otherwise, Zhao Youyue would leave the plot to the original author. The only thing that would stand out would be the character she possesses. Having a real soul would give it the power to stand out via unconceivable, unexplainable methods. No matter whose literary world Zhao Youyue transmigrates to, its creator would benefit in a sudden downpour of good fortune. This was what Zhao Youyue strongly believed, thinking that it would help stimulate the imagination of the creator, even if she messes things up. After showering, she murmured to herself before sleeping, hoping that the Two Dimensional Gate would randomly bring her to a world that would grant her a free victory. It would be great if the previous worlds situation repeated itself With brimming excitement, she entered the Two Dimensional Gate once again. The name of the literary world this time was White Clover[1]. She was momentarily confused. The title did not speak much for itself; it sounded like typical classical literature. As this had to be a recent, ongoing piece of work, what was it trying to do, giving itself such a title in this day and age? Was it trying to be a trendsetter, or was it simply trying to be cool, or was it really written in antiquated, niche prose? Do not forget that Lady Zhaos mother, Wang Yan, is an author of such literature. She has won several literature-related prizes that were relatively unknown to people. Even so, her publications were all failures; none of them were ever sold. How many would have the time to read such old-fashioned literature in this impetuous and entertainment-centric era? Even if such a crowd still existed, they would read famous works by famous author such as Yu Qiuyu and Lin Qingxuan. Not only were they famous, but their works had a mysterious charm which Wang Yan never came close to producing. Of course, a lazy missy like Zhao Youyue would shy away from such writing, not even her own mothers, as they were full of pretense and a source of embarrassment. Her mother had never experienced any hardship before, yet, she constantly wrote about such matters like superficial, quack-philosophy In fact, Wang Yan did not want her daughter to read her works either, as she thought that the lazy girl would never understand the depths of her heart. Web novelists would have similar experiences, where their parents and the relatives would be their most enthusiastic fans, despite not knowing anything, and they would scream and cheer, and make a fuss out of it, leaving the authors deeply embarrassed. This was because parents would think that their children were doing amazingly, even if they did not understand a word they wrote. Well, it was not a cool job at all as it was uneasy to earn that tiny bit of money because the Daddy-readers were hard to please Moreover, Wang Yan knew that her daughter would never appreciate the 3Ls of Literature Luxury, Large and Level up. For that lazy girl, such literature would be dull and draggy. Wang Yan had never once thought of letting her vulgar daughter read her works. Thats right! Compared to pure and genuine literature, Zhao Youyue was fond of webnovels which greatly tickled her mind. She found them entertaining and fulfilling. Of course, shallow, insincere, commercialized essays would never get her attention. Zhao Youyue was a veteran webnovel reader with high spending power. Compared to her, others were far more reasonable spenders, thinking that subscribing to those titles was enough patronage, and there was no need for tips. Unlike them, Zhao Youyue would tip generously whenever she finds something good on Qidian. As such, she still remained as popular as ever, affectionately called Tycoon [Youyue] on that website. She would tip authors with Silver Sect Masters out of sudden, scaring the daylights out of other readers. Soon after, another tycoon appeared this time, bearing the moniker Soul-clad Ocean. This person was rumored to also be a fair, wealthy beauty who was still in her teens. She too had been tipping Silver Sect Masters to the left and right. Her latest action would be to tip the work of a Supreme God-to-be author with a Golden Sect Master, which was worth one hundred thousand RMB. With the appearance of missies like Youyue and Soul-clad Ocean, many readers started wondering, where did these underaged, wealthy ladies pop up from? Why are there two of them now? Would more follow? This would be an insult to those who earned average salaries of a few thousands of RMB This taught the others to choose their next reincarnations wisely. Zhao Youyue leaned back and allowed the necessary information to flow in and tell her all she needed to know about White Clover. To her surprise, everything she had presumed about it did not even come close to the mark! It was nothing like classical literature. It was a Doujin novel about social gaming, and Shirotsumekusa[1] was one of the female characters, in it. The pen name of its author was Setsuna. This was the first time Zhao Youyue had ever transmigrated into a Doujin novel. Its all over. She lost all hope there and then. While Doujin novels were prevalent nowadays, they were only popular because of the original work. It would be impossible to create an iconic character out of this. Apparently, White Clover was a Doujin novel, based on a social game that was targeted for a niche market. If that was not the case, Zhao Youyue would have recognized the name When the original source is a niche game, its Doujin novel would be a niche among the niches. Where could one go from there? There goes her hopes for an Easy Victory. After reading through the character roster, she noticed that the only named female character was the heroine, Shirotsumekusa[2],. This had to be a joke, right? If she chooses to possess the heroine, she could no longer utilize the Two Dimensional Gates ability to customize the settings of the character Translation note [1]&[2]: In the premise of the anime RE:Creators, the main villainess Altair is an (in-universe) fan-made derivation of a character named Shirotsumekusa (;literal meaning White Clover), from the social game Eternal Wars Megalosphere. As the author has used for both the title and the character, weve decided to name the book title White Clover, and the character inside, Shirotsumekusa Chapter 303 A Game of Nurturing This time, the randomness of the Two Dimensional Gate had completely let Zhao Youyue down. It would have been much better, if she had been randomly inserted into a Doujin novel of One Piece. One Piece was the love of the nation, and even fan-made, non-canonical versions of the characters would be far more popular than their counterparts in the Doujin of a niche game Inside the gate, Zhao Youyue could only skim over the premise of the work. The name of the social game was not even mentioned, and the plot was ridiculously complicated and only served to confuse her. She could feel her brain short-circuiting. It contained many unknown terms. Apparently, only those who played the game itself would understand the jargon. Faced with a title that was thoroughly self-absorbed in its premise, Zhao Youyue felt powerless. Should she even waste her time working on such a lost cause? She would give it a try. She first withdrew from this other world as usual, and read the Doujin novel of White Clover. Along with that, she would also get her hands on this social game and see what its all about. On the next day, she used her phone to look up White Clover[1], on the search engine C Baidu Baike. Three results stood out among others. Topping the list was a plant named white clover, the second was the name of a song, and third was the name of a female character. She was a female character of a niche social game called Dreamside Maroon. Zhao Youyue continued chasing the trail. As expected, it was not a creation of a well-known game company, but a creation of a small workshop that belonged to a Doujin Association. It was said that only one person was responsible for the original illustration, music composition and storyline. This person was called Lady ZUN [2] Therefore, one could imagine how unrefined this game could be. Strangely, the Doujin circle found it remarkably attractive. This caused Zhao Youyue to reminisce about a certain game from another world, Touhou Project. It started off as a very ugly bullet hell shooter, but soon became a staple piece among Doujin works! Nevertheless, it gradually lost fame after the release of newer video games such as Kantai Collection. Along the way, it had produced an endless list of cute girls some of them immortalized in the eyes of fans, such as the rowdy shrine maiden C Reimu Hakurei, who would do anything for money. Reimu Hakurei possibly the most accurate 2d incarnation of Su Li. Dreamside Maroon was a Nurturing type Social Game with a rather intriguing background setting. At a glance, the games world didnt seem very different, compared to the real world. Once inside, gamers could select a girl and build a setting around them, giving them a daily life that you would monitor closely. This would be a close mimicry of human life. They could gain special abilities, but only by creating interesting stories for them to play roles in. Those abilities would only be validated if their stories are likable, and the characters themselves gain popularity. Heavy spending wouldnt give anybody an edge in this game. Everyone would have to whole-heartedly nurture their girls in order to give them good stories and therefore proper upbringings. Of course, a wealthy person could still keep money relevant by hiring someone to create the story on behalf, but, one could never count on guaranteed results. So, it is important to get a character whose backstory suited the gamer most. A cute, interesting character would become popular with ease, especially if complemented by an interesting story. A solidly built character with sufficient levels and abilities would be able to fulfill the end-goal of the game, defeating the Dream Eater Monster. The so-called Dream Eater Monster would be the main antagonist of the game. It would appear only in the dreams of the characters, but not in reality. If the character has low popularity, as well as no distinctive features, its dreams would get consumed by the Dream Eater Monster, and it would lose a state only triggered when selected by the gamer as the daily life girl, known as the Two-Dimension setting, and return to its untriggered, original form. The game had many obstacles, and the popularity of the character was key to overcoming them. The obstacles would increase in difficulty each time. Unless the gamer nurtures the character properly and turn them into a one-of-a-kind, it would die in the end, for sure. Shirotsumekusa was one of the characters of the game with customizable settings. She had silver-colored straight hair, which one could relate to her name. As for the clothing, hairstyle and so on, it depended entirely on the preferences of the gamer. It was somehow similar to the Miracle Nikki[3] game. Gamers could give different outfits to their characters. They could even draw up their own designs, if they are unsatisfied with the pre-set ones This game would experience frequent updates, as many Doujin authors played it, while at the same time providing their comments, hoping that the game would become much more interesting. It mattered little to them, even though the game had a small but loyal fanbase. A Godly Illustrator, who could not stand the awful artwork of the original game, reimagined some female characters, hoping that Lady Zun would accept them as official art. Unfortunately, Lady Zun took no notice of that. That super talented lady did the programming, artwork, and music of the game all by herself. Such rough, unrefined settings only served to further rile up the passions of the gamers. So, the Godly Illustrator could only post his illustrations on the website.There, they did catch the attention of many Doujin creators, and they complimented it greatly. Dreamside Maroon was far from a user-friendly game, especially for ordinary gamers, as they had to deal with the Two Dimensional setting, as well as create stories for the character. No other game demanded this much brainpower from the gamers. Couldnt one use the money to cheat ones way up? Such a troublesome game was definitely incomparable to the King of Glory, which was easy to navigate inning, while providing rich folks the thrill of buying their way to the top. For the Doujin creators who were well-versed with Two Dimensional creation, this game struck the nail right on the head. The lady Zun was indeed a boss of the Doujin world. She had announced that the copyright of Dreamside Maroon would always be open for them. So, they would not need to worry about it! Doujin creators, who were worried about being charged for copyright infringement, were delighted to hear about this, as they now have a platform where they could express their talents freely. Zhao Youyue downloaded Dreamside Maroon on her phone, as she wanted to experience it herself. Of course, she chose Shirotsumekusa, who had silvery long hair and a happy smile that never seemed to fade away. She wanted to know how lame this nurturing type of social game could be. Games dont become niche without a reason. Translation note [1] Once again, can be read as White Clover or Shirotsumekusa. [2] Lady ZUN () is referring to the creator of East Project, . His pen name is ZUN. He founded the Team Shanghai Alice and he is the only member of the band. So, he is the only one too responsible for the programming, character setting, artwork, and music. Here, Lady ZUN is used because the author had genderbent him as a female. [3] Miracle Nikki is a video game developed by Tencent. Chapter 304 Matters Related to Doujin Work Zhao Youyue opened the game. The first thing that greeted her was some vivacious and gleeful 8-bit music which caused her to bob her head up and down. She found it most interesting. She knew that Dreamside Maroon had been created by Lady ZUN alone, and this person was a boss of the Doujin Circle. She was also a wealthy missy, just like a certain someone. Only a person with so much free time in her hands and produce such work, which would require all of her love and passion. She named her Doujin Association Team Fantasy Shanghai Alice. However, she was the only one in the association, so others called it, Team Solo. Lady ZUN was very famous in the Doujin circle, and as a result, several investors wanted to commercialize her Dreamside Maroon. Of course, she would not accept such offers, as they would only serve to hinder the addition of new Two Dimensional creations, due to copyright matters. Her love for Doujin ran far and wide. Due to her actions, she became the spiritual leader of the Doujin World. Her influential power was something that Su Li could not compare with. After all, the game created by Lady ZUN was suitable for all ages, and every form of content within the game came from her hands alone. How cool was that? Her work served as the golden standard of all other aspiring Doujin authors. On the other hand, the Doujin created by Su Li were all 18+. She would draw only the popular ones, as she cared only for her potential profit and the marketability, with no regards as to how interesting she found them However, Su Li did not create the Doujins of this years popular novels, such as Pure Romance and The Strongest King, as she was the illustrator of these two original novels. If she starts drawing Doujins of them, they would be considered canon, right? People would definitely recognize her work as her drawing style was highly distinguishable! That would be embarrassing. As this would be detrimental to her credibility, she refrained from doing so In fact, Su Li no longer needed to depend on drawing Doujins to earn money. Her greed was that which prevented her from turning a blind eye to such a lucrative avenue. Lady ZUN and Su Li were complete opposites, in terms of their ideology when it comes to creation. Lady ZUN was a hedonist who did it because it was her hobby and, her own happiness as the only concern there, she did not lack money, so its popularity would be of no consequence. On the other hand, making money was the main priority for Su Li, naturally. The only person who could make Su Li draw for free was Zhao Youyue. Zhao Youyue decided to approach Su Li and ask her more about Lady ZUN, after playing the game. She found this genius creator who had no regards for money to be quite interesting, especially after learning more about her eccentricity. Along with the 8-bit music, was the distinctive logo of Lady ZUNs team, which was a cute Lady lo [1]. According to legends, Lady ZUN was a fan of Lolita outfits, and she would wear it on a daily basis Zhao Youyue found it somehow inconceivable. Lady ZUN should not be young anymore, would not it be embarrassing to wear such outfits? Nonetheless, this made Zhao Youyue more curious than ever. So far, she only had a minimal level of exposure towards Doujin. The latest randomness of the Two Dimensional Gate had served as a reminder for her to start including Doujin works into her reading list. Doujin works were rather interesting, actually. The 18+ ones aside, most of the creators created Doujins to realize some dreams that never went to pass in the official canon, or smooth out their apparent flaws. Of course, there were commercialized Doujin works which were all about time-traveling main characters pretentiously hooking up with all sorts of girls. Such work became highly popular among the shallow-minded readers, as it portrayed their fantasies. Combining the creative techniques of a commercialized carefully planned literary work with Doujin, was not a bad idea, after all. Unlike the other mobile games which would offer a tutorial that introduced the basics, players of Dreamside Maroon would have to figure things out by themselves. It was definitely not a relaxing game. Zhao Youyue had the patience for it. She played it not for relaxation, but as preparation for her stint in White Clover by Setsuna. Identifying the authentic author was essential, as there were many Doujin creators within Dreamside Maroon, such as illustrators, novelists, composers and so on. Sometimes, they would collaborate and produce fanmade videos. Even though the effect would incomparable to the animes from animation companies, they would truly enjoy themselves. Regrettably, in the other world, Touhou Project had not produced any animes of its own, not even a complete season of twelve episodes, each having a duration of around twenty minutes. They only had fan-productions, at most. This prevented Touhou from ever expanding its fanbase exponentially. After all, anime often served as an introduction to the game, and expand its influence. Before reading any Doujin work, it would be necessary to have a grasp of the background setting and learn more about the main characters of the original works, or else, the whole message of the Doujin would most likely fly over your head. Some Doujin creators would presume that readers were up to speed with the original work, and would not bother repeating plot details or reintroduce key characters. Laymen would be completely clueless about the premise. Zhao Youyue had been just been as clueless when she was reading the brief introduction of White Clover in the Two Dimensional Gate. Actually, many readers do read Doujin without reading the original work first, and would soon get the hang of things. Zhao Youyue remembered herself enjoying the Doujin version of Twin of Brothers even though she had never read its original work before, written by Huang Yi. To some extent, the plot of the original work would be slowly uncovered to laymen, after long-term exposure to multiple Doujins. Once again, Zhao Youyue spent all of her recess figuring out how this Dreamside Maroon worked. She had even canceled her live streaming on that night and continued on with her experiment She noticed that it was a game designated for the creators, most especially Doujin creators, who tended to look for a space where they could fully express themselves, for their own revelry. Ordinary folk would find such a game hard to appreciate, although there would always be exceptions. As an ordinary person, Zhao Youyue found the female characters who had been nurtured by those high ranking players highly interesting. Each of their stories could be made into highly popular anime series of their own. Dreamside Maroon should be called a miracle world, instead of a game. The most interesting thing about it was its setting, its characters, as well as the stories of the characters. Finally, Zhao Youyue managed to find the unpopular White Clover under the Doujin novel thread, on the official forum of Dreamside Maroon. Then, she noticed that it had a subheading Altair: Divina Commedia[2]. Translation note: [1] Lady lo (lo) is referring to a girl who wears the Lolita outfits on a daily basis. [2] The Divine Comedy (Italian: Divina Commedia [divina kommdja]) is a long narrative poem by Dante Alighieri, begun c. 1308 and completed in 1320, a year before his death in 1321. It is widely considered to be the preeminent work in Italian literature and one of the greatest works of world literature. Chapter 305 Possessing The Heroine For The First Time This Doujin novel was only made up of fifty thousand words, and was only available on the official forum of Dreamside Maroon. Perhaps only players of the game would bother clicking into it. Still, based on the number of replies, Setsuna was the only participant of the thread, and all she did was to reply to her opening post for the purpose of uploading more parts of her story. It was a self-indulgent, single-player game. There was a helpless expression on Zhao Youyues face. The randomness of the Two Dimensional Gate had brought her to the 4WD Gods world which had given her a free victory. This time, it brought her to a Doujin novels world which was a niche among the niche. It was not even remotely popular. It looked like the gate had randomly picked an extreme outcome Zhao Youyue began to read the Doujin novel with patience. Soon, she understood why it had been completely unattended. Because it was too obscure to understand! Normally, Doujin work would be created, to make up for any imperfections of the original work, or the creator merely wanted to realize his or her fantasy of a hypothetical path that the original work could have taken, letting his or her favorite character smash everything up. However, Setsunas story was a cross between a lyrical prose and a travel journal The heroine in this work was the two-dimensional creation of Setsuna based on a female character in the game called, Shirotsumekusa. Here, she had a new name; Altair. In Chinese, that would be Ah Er Tai Er. Inside the Doujin novel, Altair wore her hair in the form of twintails. Each tail ended at her heels. No such hair would exist in reality, but, nothing is impossible in the Two Dimensional world. The pupils of her eyes were blue, rimmed with red, or rather, she had blue irises that were surrounded by red pupils. She was dressed in an old-fashioned military, high-collared outfit. She had a navy blue colored cavalry cap on her head and wore a Spanish style double-layered coat. The words did not provide sufficient information for Zhao Youyue to form an image in her head. Perhaps everything would be made clear when she enters the Two Dimensional Gate again. After she finished reading the content that consisted only of fifty thousand words patiently, she was completely drained. She recognized every word, but, they formed sentences that she could not compute! She could not even understand the ability of the heroine, Altair, because she had such a trait Enigma. Even the creator itself was unsure of her abilities which caused her to be unable to explain it. As a result, she looked like a Little Sister in a baggy military outfit, and wandered around as a traveler. This would be like the Doujin version of a travel journal. Altair wandered around aimlessly and curiously, observing every world that she entered, without interrupting anything she came across. Her experiences in her travels would be turned into those obscure sentences in the Doujin novel. After Zhao Youyue forced herself to the end, she came to know its gist, which depicted Altair walking about constantly, before slowly surveying anything that catches her eyes, before moving on again It seemed like she would store those memories somewhere According to all that had been released thus far, it looked just like the Doujin version of a daily-life travel journal. The only heroine, Altair, had no any special abilities, and she was wrapped up by a mysterious force which was unknown to the creator herself. This setting was nonsensical and full of an adolescents delusion. Perhaps Setsuna wanted her Two Dimensional characters to be different from the creation of others. If the settings are too generic, her creation would be the same as others. Hence, her main character would be a mysterious character. So mysterious, that even the creator did not know anything about her. Wasnt this interesting? B**l s**t! Zhao Youyue was at the edge of psychasthenia, due to this mysterious Doujin travel journal. Why cant the creator just write it like an ordinary person? This creator was too far gone! Also, Zhao Youyue could not identify what kind of energy level this world had. On the surface, it looked exactly like a daily-life travel journal. However, there was something that caught her attention, which was the worlds that Altair traveled to. The imagination of the creator was well-expressed here, but, everything was kind of vague, due to her writing style. Regardless, Zhao Youyue would be able to view those worlds by herself, once she possesses Altair in the Two Dimensional Gate. This may not be a literary world which could help her obtain a character card, but it could definitely help her relax. This was because, as a Lady in reality, there were no places that Zhao Youyue had not been before. So, not many forms beautiful scenery would be able to move her heart. But, now she could experience new, fantastical worlds through the combination of the Two Dimensional Gate and the abilities mystery traveler, Altair. Wasnt this an extremely rare experience? Zhao Youyue had finally calmed down, putting her desire of obtaining a new ability on hold. She now took each passing of the gate as valuable life experience. Ironically, an oddity like White Clover would be able to bring her to a different experience. Well, since she had yet to find a designated literary world, she might as well possess this mysterious Altair and wander about imaginary worlds, observing the people there like a side character. Now that she had dismissed the possibility of gaining a character card from this, Zhao Youyue was no longer disappointed. After all, she could just withdraw anytime from this unpopular work by ruining it, or by committing suicide. There would be no consequences Zhao Youyue had never possessed a heroine before. This was her chance, and it could possibly allow her to tell the difference between the possession of a heroine and a side character. That night, Zhao Youyue entered the Two Dimensional Gate once again, no longer hoping to obtain a character card. This work would never possibly gain any semblance of recognition. Thus, she would not ask the creator for any additional characters. She categorized that the quality of this work was similar to the one from War Heroes, which was a lost cause. Anyway, Zhao Youyue could have her holiday and relax inside that world. Finally, she saw Altair in the literary world. This heroine simply looked dashing, and had the aura of a queen, but at the same time, she possessed a mysterious form of tenderness. She was quite satisfied with her. Without any hesitation, she chose to possess her. Then, she discovered that she could not access the settings where she could customize the ability and personality of the character. Altair was the first ever heroine that Zhao Youyue had ever possessed, and all she could do was to lie down, or to simply roleplay the character according to her preset traits. The problem came when she realized that her personality was unknown, and her ability was a mystery. What could Zhao Youyue do with all this? So, Zhao Youyue decided to go with the flow, allowing Setsuna to take the wheel. She would comfortably lie down within Altairs body for now, enjoying the views of the imaginary world as a Two Dimensional Traveler. Zhao Youyue could not have known that the creator, whose pen name was Setsuna, was in the ICU of a hospital. Her hair had fallen off due to chemotherapy. She was a Doujin creator at the 4th stage of cancer and did not have much time left. She had been unnoticed for her entire twenty years of life, and it would make no difference as her life would still end in the blink of an eye. Chapter 306 Eternal Mystery When a person is about to die, all sorts of insights and fascinating ideas would come to her mind. Setsuna had joined the Doujin circle as a Doujin novel creator, three years ago. However, she was not talented in creating such work, or to put in other words; her works were too delusional. Only those who were on the same wavelength as her would understand what she wrote and what she wanted to express. Unfortunately, such readers did not exist. Setsuna was obsessed with a wide variety of settings that she neglected the three important elements of a novel. Character, Plot, and Lore. She had been trying her best at worldbuilding, but, her confusing writing style had left the readers unclear of anything. That was the reason why White Clover, which she had put her heart and soul into, had been left unattended by people. Her writing was terrible, and her works had little to no plot. All in all, she would insert a lot of plot devices into the mix as Altair, the heroine, travels and visits new worlds. This was all very confusing. After that, the forever mysterious Altair carried on with her journey to another world. After that she would write, see and contemplate further The image of Altair as a mysterious Two Dimensional traveler had been rooted deeply in the readers mind. Everyone would know what she does at a glance now. The only thing was that even the creator could not solve her own characters mystery. White Clover was a Doujin novel full of delusions and wild imaginations. It may not become popular, but, it had its own charm. When Setsuna knew that she had stage 4 cancer, her writing grew even weirder, as she practiced the ultimate form of free expression. Even though readers spoke the same language, they did not recognize a single sentence that those otherwise familiar words join up to form! It was truly unfortunate to encounter such a talentless creator. Zhao Youyue would not have even spared such a story a second glance, if not for the fact that she needed to research on her latest Two Dimensional Gate destination. If Setsuna had any talent at all, her work could have been salvaged. Obviously, she was paying tribute to the poem, Divina Commedia, by the famous poet, Dante. All she did however, was to use the two words, Divina Commedia to complete her title, Altair: Divina Commedia. Dante applied the distinctive, imaginative vision of medieval literature in writing his Divina Commedia. He had imagined himself as a princess, who was still alive, traveling to hell Kingdom of the dead. The poem was divided into three parts which were Hell, Purgatory and Paradise. During his journey from hell to paradise, Dante Alighieri had engaged in conversation with the souls of famous people, which had included the heroes and villains throughout history. He placed the characters he looked up to and the characters he despised into the aforementioned categories, putting some of the Florentines that he and the Pope disliked into hell. Some details, which were of his own creation and not mentioned in the Bible sounded logical. This included his views on Theology, systematically elaborating on the worldviews of Christianity. Likewise, this Doujin novel adopted that format. The difference was, Altair was traveling through worlds imagined by Setsuna, not hell, purgatory, and paradise. As everyone knows, cancer patients suffer a lot. In the midst of suffering, Setsuna would come up with many ideas. It seemed like the closer she was to death, the more information she would receive. She would then put everything into words, using words to describe everything. She seemed to put herself in the shoes of this mysterious Altair under her pen, happily traveling through her imaginary worlds. She would start to take in every detail of her pain and commit it to memory, and express it on paper to the best of her highly limited abilities. She no longer expected to have any readers. Probably the most extraordinary thing about a girl who looked ordinary and had an ordinary background like her, was dying of cancer? Thats right! After all, those who were dying of cancer seemed to be most intriguing. Moreover, she would express her hopelessness when she is at the edge of dying every time in her work, adding to it the mystique of Altair, as usual. Perhaps her despair would reach the heart of another person. Nonetheless, the mystique of Altair never revealed anything about herself. She was forever wrapped up in mystery, and no one could see through her. At that moment, Zhao Youyue was touring a visually geometric world as Altair. It resembled abstract oil paintings. In this world, there were all kinds of fascinating shapes, the likes of which could never be conceived by any human! An ordinary person who enters this world would be frightened by those distorted and strange things, as the living things here were all made out of numbers. Speaking of numbers, Arabic numbers would be the first to pop up in everyones minds. However, this was not the case in this geometric world. Arabic numbers are nothing but the symbols used in calculating in real life. So, what do real numbers actually look like? Zhao Youyue saw it now, through Altairs body, yet, she did not know how to describe them in words Finally, she realized why the writing style of Setsuna was so weird, which distorted the clarity of her writings. Apparently, her imaginary world was too magical to be accurately described in human language! Perhaps she was not talentless. Her world was simply too bizarre and otherworldly, no ordinary person could ever think this up. Only a person who has a Two Dimensional Gate like Zhao Youyue could experience it to its fullest. Zhao Youyue who was now Altair, was not afraid of the strange things of this world. Although she sensed no superpower in Altair, she noticed that she had become stronger for no reason, as if nothing could hurt her She suddenly felt that she was an existence that stood above all others, due to this mystical strength which had seemingly turned her into the Highest form of Existence which could not be named. Of course, there was a possibility that she was a side character, wandering around and enjoying the scenery. If she unleashes her power now, the illusion of her mystery would vanish. Therefore, it would be wise for her to remain observing and admiring everything else in peace. Zhao Youyue was enjoying herself. Traveling around the magical worlds in this Doujin travel journal was indeed fun. As she passed through the different worlds, she took the chance to play with numerous lifeforms, while listening to the stories of their lives. She really wanted to help this work attain the popularity it deserved. Maybe it would just be a waste of her effort, but, at least she tried. Popular works would certainly motivate their creators. Or at least, the possibility of the work being dropped halfway could be reduced Chapter 307 Guaranteed to Satisfy you, my Lady! The main protagonist, Altair that Zhao Youyue possessed in White Clover, had affected the author, Setsuna. Setsuna was now able to perceive her own fantasy even more vividly, which gave her more inspiration to write, but it also drove her novel deeper into the realm of the niche, unappreciated, and obscure. In other words, Setsuna had entered her intoxicated mode. Her current inspired state only made her novel even more complicated, but she was having a blast writing it! Setsuna had worked on this literary work just to satisfy herself and divert the attention away from her cancerous disease. She always hoped to be like the main protagonist she had created, because Altair always looked like she was laid back and happy, as she was free to roam any realm. So, when Zhao Youyue entered this particularly niche novel, she had brought happiness to the author, Setsuna and relieved her of some suffering. As Setsuna was in her inspired state, she had forgotten all about her suffering, and had indulged herself in more writing. Setsuna had grown to love her own creation even more than ever. She knew that she did not have much time left, and probably would not finish writing it. She felt sorry for the main protagonist. She could feel the soul of the main protagonist, shrouded in mystery. The main protagonist now possessed a soul, a life! Do not underestimate the fury of a dying person. What happens if the author dies, would she trap her main protagonist, Altair forever in the literary world? Who knows? Everything was mysterious, unpredictable, and unknown. Obviously, Zhao Youyue had never thought of this before. What would happen if the author stops writing midway in the literary realm she had entered? The same question applied to an author who passes away due to sickness. There were many types of authors in this world, there was Su Li, who prioritized profit over anything else, there was also Rosemary, who had his own visions and standards, and finally Han Leng, who was naturally talented and full of vocabulary. Of course, there was the type of author who was terminally ill, and nobody would know them, even after their deaths. Without a doubt, the last type was the most pitiful; nobody would spare their work a second glance, not even after their deaths. While they wrote no masterpieces, they simply wanted to write something to satisfy themselves. Maybe Zhao Youyue would be unable to push it to fame, even after entering this realm, but at least, she would be able to give the author happiness, and the excitement of writing it while intoxicated. After Setsuna knew that Altair had acquired her own soul, she got far more excited and was spurred on to write even more, but this came at a heavy price, the remnants of her lifespan. She wanted to give the remainder of her life, to the beloved main protagonist that she had created. That weekend, Zhao Youyue invited Su Li for lunch. She knew exactly what Su Li liked, so she picked the perfect restaurant to suit Su Lis tastes. Su Li loved high-class restaurants, even though the dishes were just average, she did not mind it at all. She loved three stars Michelin Restaurants as well; and believed that such ratings would not affect the taste of the dishes. Zhao Youyue did not believe in any form of restaurant rating; she only trusted her own tastes bud. She would even visit a roadside stall if her taste buds approved of it. Unfortunately, Lady Zhao was picky about food hygiene. Usually, low-class restaurants would have poor standards of food hygiene. So what that really attracted her were those small and unique restaurants that are well-kept. Only a few restaurants were like that in the entire city. Of course, Su Li would never turn down an invitation from Lady Zhao; she already treated Zhao Youyue as her BFF, even though she was much older than Zhao Youyue. After all, she had already graduated from university for a year now, while Zhao Youyue had just entered her second-year in high school. But Zhao Youyue was different from any other high school student, and Su Li felt that she had a lot in common with Zhao Youyue. Zhao Youyue would always proclaim that she was just an ordinary high school student, but since her soul had assimilated and acquired the Two Dimensional Gate, she was no longer an average person. Such shamelessness. Once again, Su Li hitched a ride on Lady Zhaos luxurious car, but she no longer had the excitement that she had when she first rode it. But she still loved taking photos with Zhao Youyue, and posted the photos of them having lunch together onto social media. Su Li knew that Lady Zhao always kept a low profile and did not like exposing herself to public, so the photos she posted would only reveal her own face, followed by delicious food photos. Probably only those loyal Sect Masters of Su Li, would have the privilege of witnessing photos of the legendary beauty of Qidian, Tycoon Youyue. These Sect Masters were invited into Su Lis personal Sect Master group, and Su Lis was its most active occupant, bootlicking around as much as she could. This was Su Li, giving her best service to every tycoon reader. Zhao Youyue brought Su Li to a newly opened high-end restaurant. It had the mood and setting to please them. The owner of this restaurant knew about the high standards of this particular lady when it came to food, so he had sent an invitation letter to the owner of a restaurant that Zhao Youyue frequently visited, hoping that she would come to his restaurant to try out some of the dishes. Of course, it would be free of charge. If Zhao Youyue could actually write an essay, she could totally become a food critic. But today, Zhao Youyue wasnt paying attention to the food. Both of them were chit-chatting as they ate, and the mood started turning harmonious. As the great mangaka enjoyed her meal, Zhao Youyue revealed a smile, and said, Ive been reading a doujin lately, Im really interested in the main heroine, but this literary work is not popular at all. It only appeared in a novel forum. I certainly hope that someone could add some illustrations and get it published. Su Li felt a chill running down her spine for no reason, when she saw the gentle smile of Lady Zhao. She had taken Lady Zhao for granted, and now realized that this meal would cost her a fortune. She maneuvered herself wisely, Doujin? I know that stuff! I started with Doujins as well. Actually, I know too well that a doujin novel without illustrations will not be attractive at all. Besides, novels are already less interesting than mangas. So, let me illustrate some stuff, they are guaranteed to satisfy you, my lady! You will watch them until Hehehe. As Su Li spoke, she revealed her evil perverted smile. In her world, only those 18+ doujins, were the top of the line and were worthy of Lady Zhaos interest! Zhao Youyue frowned, thinking that the Master pervert, Su Li had misunderstood something. Chapter 308 Doujin Goddess Sister Li, do you know the game called Dreamside Maroon? How popular is it, among other doujins? Zhao Youyue casually asked. When Su Li heard the name, she gritted her teeth and frowned, A garbage game! I dont see the point of remaking it at all. Judging by the tone of Su Li, Zhao Youyue could already guess that the creator of this game was on the same or even higher level than this 18+ Demoness. The international comic convention happened twice a year, and Su Li could always get the perfect spot for her booth, so she should be no stranger to Lady ZUN and her Dreamside Maroon. Soon, Zhao Youyue realized that Su Li lacked the ability to create her own stories with skill. Forcing her to play a game like Dreamside Maroon which required deliberate setting, worldbuilding, and storytelling, would torment her to death! Su Lis most incredible ability would be her imaginative mind and fantasies while drawing sex scenes. Although the game was garbage and boring, its related doujin works are really popular in the doujin field, because there are no copyright issue. Many of the game characters are quite attractive and popular. Su Li lightened her tone and complimented the game to her best. She held back her grudge against Dreamside Maroon because of Lady Zhao. That lady ZUN, do you know her? Zhao Youyue asked her out of curiosity. Hoho, she and I are irreconcilable! Su Li said it firmly. This made Zhao Youyue even more curious; she hoped Su Li would share her past history with Lady ZUN. Su Li have no intention of hiding it, so she told Zhao Youyue everything. The name of lady ZUN was Zhu Yinzhu, an awkward-sounding name; she had entered the field of doujin at almost the same time as Su Li. But Zhu Yinzhu had made an announcement when she first entered the doujin field; she wanted to make a revolutionary change in the doujin circle! Zhu Yinzhu even said that 18+ doujins were not actual doujin works, they were just ugly, vulgar displays of weak fantasy. She would use her actions to tell the world, what real doujin was! So, Zhu Yinzhu had created the game Dreamside Maroon. Even though it was just a game, it had provided gamers the options of world setting and character designing. Allowing those doujin creators to make use of her intellectual property and create something of their own was its purpose. Without a doubt, the ideals of Zhu Yinzhu and her dissatisfaction towards 18+ doujins was the reason why she had butted heads with Su Li, who was drawing 18+ doujins to earn a living. Su Li was once rather close to Zhu Yinzhu, where she learned that Zhu Yinzhu was an arrogant person. She was friendly on the outside, but she actually loved alcohol like an old geezer. She was always seen wearing lolitas clothing, wrapping her long slim legs up with a pair of black of leotards. Anyone who had seen lady ZUN before would call her the Doujin Goddess What Doujin Goddess!? She never earned any money in the field of doujin, my split identity, Wang Li earned a lot more than her, I hate such idealists! Su Li concluded. Su Li would not say that she was jealous of Zhu Yinzhu because she couldnt care less about profiteering, while Su Li could only use the lowly desire of men to earn money. After hearing the explanation from Su Li, Zhao Youyue was even more interested in lady ZUN; she loved idealists. Finally, Zhao Youyue requested help from Su Li to draw an illustration for the character, Altair. She would even pay a good price for it. Su Li hesitated for a moment, but not because of the unlucky curse that falls onto any character she draws. She just did not want to increase the popularity of Dreamside Maroon, because the character design of Altair had originated from the character, Shirotsumekusa, while Shirotsumekusa was one of the game characters in Dreamside Maroon. But Lady Zhao was her best friend; and she would not turn her down. Even though she said that she would do it for free, she knew that Lady Zhao would still pay her the money. This was the same as accepting a deal for some fast cash. With the power of money, Su Li had set aside her prejudice towards lady ZUN; she even considered drawing the 18+ doujin of Dreamside Maroon. As the game was growing more popular in the field of doujins, she could earn even more if she draws its erotic doujin. Zhao Youyue had told Su Li of the doujin novel of Dreamside Maroon and the authors name. Zhao Youyue had even asked if Su Li knew of an author who called herself Setsuna, and naturally, Su Li knew nothing about it. There were tons of authors in the field of doujin, who would know of an author with little to no fame? Obviously, Zhao Youyue agreed that Su Li was right; this was the least popular literary work that she had ever entered. Even the failed movie War Heroes was much more popular than this. Su Li would always give her best when fulfilling Zhao Youyues requests, so she started to read that doujin novel when she reached home. She was looking forward reading it, as she thought she had a similar taste to Lady Zhao But, after reading a few thousand words, Su Li had lost all the desire to continue reading, what was this rubbish doujin novel!? At first, Su Li wanted to read through this literary work to satisfy Lady Zhao. But she could not understand anything from this doujin novel! When faced with such a predicament, to draw an accurate illustration, she would have to communicate with the original author herself, or else she would never do it justice. Although Su Li was not good at creating original content and screenwriting, her ability to draw manga and illustration was outstanding. As long as Su Li is able to work with an excellent original author, her work would surely gain fame. Without any leads, Su Li had no choice but to contact Zhao Youyue, asking her to communicate with the original author. Of course, Zhao Youyue was not able to help either; she very much wanted to contact the doujin author, Setsuna as well. She decided to contact her after Su Li finishes drawing the characters illustration, she would post the illustration on the forum. Zhao Youyue had a temporary solution up her sleeves, she told everything about Altair to Su Li, from her appearance to her surroundings, and taking Shirotsumekusa, who already has existing character art as a reference to draw Altair. Finally, Su Li was able to start drawing. She was amazed that Zhao Youyue had a unique taste in reading, where does she find the patience to read such a terrible doujin novel? Chapter 309 The final moment of happiness Su Li had to admit, that she was annoyed when she saw Zhao Youyue compiling the description of Altair for her. She was rather frustrated with the writing style of that doujin author, Setsuna, it was far beyond compare to the famous web novelist Rosemary, whom she was currently collaborating with. The talented romantic novel writer, Leng Zi would leave this Setsuna in the dust. At least Su Li could still imagine the character design, Altair through her improvisation. Of course, with the help of the referenced character design, Shirotsumekusa from Dreamside Maroon, Su Li was able to imagine it, or else she would have a tough time figuring how to even start. Even though Su Li was disgruntled with the Doujin Goddess, Zhu Yinzhu, she had to admit that her opponent was a genius. She was talented at drawing, composing music and even programming, or else it would be impossible for her to create such a game that fits everyone in the doujin field. Under Zhu Yinzhus vision, Shirotsumekusa was a beautiful girl with a long, silver straight hair. She looked so fragile that people would want to protect her with all their might. But in Setsunas doujin, Shirotsumekusa became a princess with a cool military uniform, named Altair. She still had her gentle, princess-like temperament, but besides that, she possessed the will of a soldier who would kill without mercy. She was fearless, and she would have a confident, self-assured smile. She seemed to have unlimited powers, named Movement of Cosmos[1], but she would never reveal it in front of other people. She would just watch from the sidelines, like a side character while traveling into different mysterious realms, watching their boring routine like a show. She was shrouded in mystery, but when she was no longer mysterious, what kind of surprise would she bring to everyone? Nobody would know what happens next. But when they do know about it, they would realize that it would be best not to reveal the mystery. Su Li really couldnt understand what Setsuna, wrote on her doujin novel, and she was not interested in it at all, but she was interested in the character design of Altair. She was a person who had a passion for drawing, so she would have her own standards while drawing, plus she knew Lady Zhao would definitely pay her a good price for drawing Altair, so she would draw the illustration of Altair with her full effort. Not only had she drawn the Military Uniform Princess beautifully, she even managed to summon the military temperament out of her, carrying a merciless yet sorrowful expression, while being enshrouded in mystery. For the first time, Su Li hoped that she could produce an art piece, because this character itself was already artistic, and seemed sacred yet profane. This doujin novel did not seem to have any superpowered elements, it seemed to have the same level of realism as a typical slice of life; there was no fighting in this novel, it was all about the main protagonist roaming freely into any realm she liked. If Zhao Youyue is lucky enough to get this character card, she might gain Clairvoyance, the ability to see the world, roaming in any realm, a remote viewing skill. She would never interrupt others, because she would never know what she was capable of, but she knew that there were no limits to her power! A mystery will only give way to higher mysteries! But this was apparently an onlookers card, watching everything from a distance Still, it would be impossible for Zhao Youyue to obtain this card, as she was one hundred percent sure that this doujin novel would never get popular. She only hoped that the nameless author would continue writing and not give up, because this work deserved better. Even though readers would not like this novel, she who possesses the same ability to enter a literary realm definitely found it an enjoyable experience, to be able to roam freely in any novel world. This author had a great imagination, the fantasy worlds that she created never ceased to amaze Zhao Youyue, making her feel like this was the most unforgettable place on earth, and it could possily be the very limits of the human mind. The human mind could not just imagine, there was also a theory called parallel world interference.This theory states that, when an author is creating his literary work, those very events were happening in that other world, and would be transferred to the mind of an author in the form of inspiration, so the author would write down what he sees. This theory was interesting, but nobody could prove that it was right, nor wrong. Zhao Youyue really wanted the ability to write an essay or draw a manga, so that she could turn her traveling experience in the literary work into a novel, and it might get popular. If she had the ability to create literary works, she could experiment with herself, to see if she could enter her own work. She almost had an idea of what she should do, regarding her next transmigration. She started to look for a literary world that could give her the ability to create something creative, something original. She was not particularly eager to look for one at the moment, as she enjoyed possessing Altair, who had the ability to roam in any world. It made her feel extremely relaxed, and she started smiling more frequently in reality. Thats why Zhao Youyue had stayed in this world that she had dismissed as meaningless, had zero potential and would remain as an unknown doujin. What she didnt know was that, the moment she stays in this literary world, it gave Setsuna, who was dying, happiness like she had never experienced before in her final moments of life. It was as if she was walking hand in hand with her creation, traveling through the worlds of fantasy. The pain and suffering in her body suddenly seemed so distant. It turns out, that creating something original was such an enjoyable experience, even if nobody would ever know of their shared existence. Her happiness had flowed into her writing style as well, reflecting the tranquility of the mysterious, main protagonist. On this day, Setsuna had just finished updating the latest chapter onto her forum thread, and something surprised her! There was a reply on the forum thread, which never happened before, the person replying was called Altair. The post also had a remarkable attachment, the illustration of her creation! Setsuna had never expected to receive an illustration from others, because of her highly unpopular doujin novel. Translation Note: [1] Movement of Cosmos C The skill of Altair in the anime, Re:Creators. It has a vast variety of skills that she can utilize, including the ability to roam into any dimension and remote viewing. [Reference from Re:Creators wikia] Actually a part of the many abilities of the Holopsicon, but the author here used Movement of Cosmos instead. Chapter 310 Posting the Illustration on Weibo Obviously, this internet Altair was Zhao Youyue. Not only did she post the HD illustration of Su Li in the forum, she also added, I loved your creation, it allowed me to experience all sorts of amazing fantasy worlds, can I add you as a friend, Im a loyal fan. Zhao Youyue was very satisfied with the illustration that Su Li drew, the silver-haired girl in her fancy military uniform resembles her appearance in the literary world, Su Li had even brought out her conflicted and mysterious temperament in the drawing. Since this illustration would already satisfy Zhao Youyue, imagine Setsunas expression when she saw this drawing. The last sentence in Altairs reply, surprised her the most; she was her first fan ever since she started writing. Setsuna was a writer who was without talent. Her literature would never be on the same frequency as the readers. It would never reach anybodys heart, the reviews and comments on her work would be, obscure, I knew every word, but they do not come together to form meaning in a traditional sense, Weird, Not interesting at all. Many readers did hop in to read her work, but none could ever persist and become her fan, ever! To her, creating literature was a single player game, only for her own entertainment purposes. But today, someone had actually said that she was a loyal reader and a fan, and had even posted an illustration of her main protagonist! This illustration had proven everything. The female character in this illustration was the mirror image of the person Setsunas mind. Even her temperament was strikingly similar! At that moment, Setsuna knew that this was a real fan, a fan who took her literary work seriously and understood the main protagonist. Thats right; it was all thanks to Zhao Youyue that Su Li was able to draw the Military Uniform Princess, Altair perfectly. Other than compiling information about this character, she had even described the character in detail to Su Li. To Zhao Youyue, Altair was her. Of course, she would know everything about herself. As Su Li was drawing this illustration, she kept for real-time input from Zhao Youyue, resulting in the most accurate portrayal ever. Su Li was an efficient worker. The fact that this character originated from another character allowed her to use that as a template. Basically, Su Li just needed to change the characters hairstyle, eyes, and costume. Su Li could already draw an original character from scratch. Drawing a character based on another character would be a piece of cake. This was why it only took her less than two days to complete the character illustration of Altair to near perfection. After Su Li handed over the drawing to Zhao Youyue, she asked for her permission to post on her own Pixiv webpage and Weibo. She was very satisfied with the drawing. This awesome and attractive Military Uniform Princess had a mysterious charm. Her appearance spoke for itself, even though she knew nothing about this characters background, personality, and ability. But, her character appearance alone could attract many fans, even though no one would know whether she is good or evil, under all that mystery. Of course, Zhao Youyue agreed, she also hoped that Su Li could help make this doujin novel a little more popular, what if people actually started liking it? Some author would doggedly pursue in their art, even when the reception isnt encouraging! Zhao Youyue did not know what kind of author Setsuna was, but she knew that she would never change her ways, even if nobody reads her work, what kind of spirit was this? She deserved every form of respect from every author in the same field, from her sheer patience alone! In recent years, most authors would be impetuous, especially those who were just starting off in Qidian website. Some of the authors give up because they were not qualified to sign a contract with Qidian, while some give up because their work is received poorly. The worst kind of author would be those who had a decent subscription and a solid fanbase, yet choose to drop it, because they do not feel like not writing anymore, while being proud of doing so! Setsuna was just an average author whose talent had held back her passion. She would keep writing, even though she did not have a single reader, it was most commendable! Zhao Youyue had successfully contacted Setsuna and was now her friend; she hoped to invite Setsuna out one day, and express the love she had for Setsunas fantasy worlds, because Setsuna had brought her to whole new worlds. As the both of them were chatting, Setsuna told Zhao Youyue that she wanted to turn her novel into a doujin animated video. She knew that her limited talent only allowed her to convey so much, only an animation could express her literary work in its complete form. Zhao Youyue agreed that it would be a great idea. After all, if its just a doujin video, she could use the music talent of Chu Luoxun to provide music in the video. As for additional costs, it could all be settled with money. But Zhao Youyue did not know that it was actually the dying wish of Setsuna. Setsuna, thought that it was a blessing from her beloved mysterious main protagonist, when Zhao Youyue stepped up to fulfill her final wish. Just as Zhao Youyue and Setsuna were discussing about turning the novel into a doujin video, Su Lis Weibo had started another wave of storm, because of the extreme response towards the illustration of Altair! Of course, her illustrations have always been great; combined with the concept of a princess in a military uniform, and her mysterious, refined temperament, it was absolutely stunning! Once again, Su Li was able to present the beauty of Altair in this gorgeous drawing! But the aesthetics would not be the cause of the commotion. Rather, which author would be so unlucky as to get targeted by this accursed Su Li. Isnt she aware of Su Lis curse? Misfortune would soon befall upon this Military Uniform Princess! Su Li had stated the source of this material, she told her fans that this character was the protagonist of a title called White Clover, with the subheading, Altair: Divina Commedia, a doujin novel that originated from a niche game, Dreamside Maroon. Chapter 311 The Author Who Succumbed to Disease Most of Su Lis fans and meme-loving netizens pounced on the post, without even reading that particular doujin novel I wanna know what kind of cancer does this beautiful, young military lady has, and when is she due to die This illustration is great. It might be my imagination, but I feel like theres a great deal of sadness lurking about this character, is this the rumored scent of death? I wonder how this author would react to the curse of Su Li; she might just lose her marbles and kill this main protagonist off. With artwork like that, I would usually go ahead and look into more of this characters novel of origin, but Im afraid of getting hurt. Lets wait for the others to read it first; their screams will tell us if shes going to die. Isnt this character was based on Shirotsumekusa? I never expected Master Su Li to play Dreamside Maroon? Master Su Li was once a leading force in the field of doujinshi. She once carried another pen-name who we shall not speak of. Its now a widely-known secret within the doujin circle. Ive seen many fanmade derivations of Shirotsumekusa, and this probably tops it all. She looks amazing! Im looking forward to reading this doujin novel. Master Su Li, would you be kind enough to reveal the other name of yours Hehehe. Besides the minority of the fans who truly praised the beauty of this illustration, most of the netizens were ridiculing the female character Altair. What sort of unfortunate fate awaited her, and how much longer would she live? Undeniably, Su Li really did a good job of drawing this illustration amazingly, it had piqued the interest of many others, even though Dreamside Maroon was relatively unknown. Many were aware of Qidians fanwork section, which mostly consisted of doujin animations, novels, and other creations. Some doujins were so well written, that one would not even need to visit the source material to enjoy them in their entirety. When everyone realized that this doujin was in the official games forum which required a working ID to access, many were too lazy to go through the process and gave up on it. The platform which one picks to post his or her content played a huge role. In Qidians case, whenever a new literary work gets posted, every major pirated website would follow up without a moments delay, to the point that people could easily be duped into thinking that these pirated websites were created by Qidian officials. If Setsunas doujin novel was posted on Qidian, it would be impossible for it to have zero popularity and subscription. After Su Li read through the comments and criticisms, she smirked. She boldly replied, You guys have no idea what youre talking about! Saying that misfortune would befall upon Altair without even reading the novel, is just unheard of! This female protagonist is insanely powerful; even she isnt aware of the boundaries of her own powers, how could such a mysterious, broken character succumb to misfortune? Even though Su Li did not understand the novel, White Clover, but in the process of putting ink to paper, she learned more and more about Altair. She has done nothing more than cross over dimensions while surveying in silence, but deep within her, something lay in wait. Something terrifying! This military uniform princess, Altair, was nothing unlike a boss. And final bosses dont just drop dead. She was the sole character of this doujin novel, if she ever dies, how else would this novel continue? So Su Li was quite confident that history would never repeat itself here, it could not! Everything that happened in the past was all just a coincidence! Lightning does not strike the same place twice, or in her case, four times C Xu Jing, Yu Shengfan, and Chu Luoxun all died after she introduced them to ink that was because they were mere mortals. But not Altair, she may carry the guise of a mortal, but she was mystery incarnate. She also seemed to be happy as she was at that moment, taking her own life would be inconceivable! After Su Li thought about it at length, she could not see any way that this could go wrong. All this while, the fault was not hers. Lady Zhao was the one who had the tendency of falling in love with ill-fated females. Su Li only drew those characters because Lady Zhao was into them. This time, nobody could possibly accuse her of anything! The next person who calls her Pan of this generation again would only be subjecting themselves to her wrath! Su Li lay back, and let herself go. To her, the deed had already been done. This illustration had already cleared her name. Many saw her reply, but not as many believed her, especially those of the meme-loving variety. Of course, some firmly believed that Su Li would not mess things up, this time, or else nobody would ever dare commission her to illustrate a single thing, again. She had the power to draw everything to death, how terrifying was that! Su Li had done her part in promoting the doujin novel, White Clover, but the effects were lackluster, due to the quality of the original content. The novels thread started flooding up, but most of the comments went along the lines of, Cant understand, Writing is terrible, and Makes no sense. Only those who had nothing better to do, would have the patience to read this novel, but the best verdict they could give was, Unique. The problem therein was that its uniqueness knew no bounds, and no average person would comprehend its contents. This literary work only existed to please its creator. This was the ultimate form of self-gratification, nobody would be able to share its creators joy. Of course, Zhao Youyue was an exception, but even she too found the writing horrendously dull, only being able to enjoy it when she traveled within its worlds, in person. Setsuna too note of those comments, but she only smiled and moved on. She was already used to such comments; she was never popular, to begin with. A month later, White Clover came out as a doujin anime video. Altair: Divina Commedia went viral on Bilibili! Zhao Youyue provided the music of this video; which was no longer than ten minutes. Unsurprisingly, her music was all grand and exciting. The beautiful, fantasy worlds visualized in this video attracted a great deal of attention! We will herald the coming of change unto this world, exacting punishment upon the domain of the Gods[1], Altair had uttered in this doujin video. Instantly, Setsuna the doujin creator attained fame! Then, she passed away due to sickness. Setsuna held on to her phone as she passed away, and before her final breath, she uploaded her final chapter to the internet. She left the world in peace. Naturally, her passing meant that White Clover would remain incomplete, but not before throwing in a subtle hint on the hidden ability of Altair Holopsicon[2]! Altair would constantly gain new abilities whenever someone writes a fanfiction about her, and whatever abilities that are associated with that story would be added to her plethora of powers. As long as her stories continue, she would gain more abilities infinitely. Since Altair had no story of her own, any new abilities would be granted by other authors; it was called Holopsicon. Only one author had written about Altair in her novel, but the video went viral, and inspired many other doujin creators to write more stories about this military uniform princess! The original White Clover never got to reveal anything else, so nobody got to know the true power of Altairs Holopsicon ability. In the final chapter of White Clover, before Setsuna passed away, she wrote Once again, Altair stepped into a new world; only to realize that she was just a fictional character Zhao Youyue, on the other hand, did not know that Setsuna had passed away, due to her illness. She was going to invite her out on a celebration because of the success of her doujin video. Translation note: 1. We will herald the coming of change unto this world, exacting punishment upon the domain of the Gods (. ) The original English subs in the anime failed to fully translate the Princess character-defining statement of warewa ga sekai ni henkaku, kamigami no chi wo seisai wo. Amazon had translated this as: Revolution to your world, punishment to the land of the gods. This leaves out the dual meaning of seisai, which can be written as (sanction) or (holy festival). A more accurate translation would thus be We will transform this world, exacting punishment upon the land of the gods.The Chinese lines written by the author in this novel had been far more accurate, just in case any of you start wondering why we have translated them differently from the Amazon subs. 2. Holopsicon C Described by Altair as omnipotent, giving her a vast array of abilities. (Taken from Re: Creators Wikia.) Chapter 312 An Incomplete Work that Would Never Leave the Palace Setsuna did not tell Zhao Youyue that her sickness was beyond cure, but nevertheless, became the best of friends with Zhao Youyue within that short period. They did not even know the others real name, but Setsuna already felt that she had truly bonded with the girl whose nickname was Altair. Unsure if it was an illusion, Setsuna felt that Zhao Youyue was her written protagonist in the flesh, as Zhao Youyue was so familiar with her work, as if she had firsthand experience of all the scenes that she had created. Setsuna was both familiar and unfamiliar with her written protagonist, and also with the only fan, who was even her confidant. All their communications had only been on the internet. But whenever she wrote, she always had communications with Altair on her soul aspect. Setsuna could not help herself but believe that the protagonist not only had come alive within her work, but had crossed over into reality altogether. Her creation could not stand by any longer, and had to visit this world when the reception of her work had been so dismal. She was now the only reader in her entire life who truly understood her work. At the end of the day, Setsuna was a failure of a writer. She had always been the only reader of her own works. But now, she met a reader who truly understood her, at the end of her life. It was a fitting form of redemption. Setsuna considered this quintessential phase of her life to be the culmination of everything that she had ever done. Perhaps her entire existence was meant for this one moment. Her very concern for Altair had driven her to give her a promising future. After all, this was just an acquaintance made over the internet. Many people were like this as well. After congenially chatting on the internet, they would immediately want to meet up, face to face. But such passion would gradually decrease over time, and they would end up as strangers all over again. Setsuna did not want her death to bring sorrow to those around her. She was actually guilty towards Altair, as she never got to finish the Doujinshi novel. Its final word count would be set in stone, at slightly over 100,000 words. It had become a piece of incomplete work, which would never be able to leave the palace. After all, incomplete works, belonging to living creators still had their chance to go on sale. However, White Clover would remain unfinished for all eternity. Setsuna was afraid that the literary world of her work would die with her. No one would be left to guide her main character on. Therefore, she chose to grant her protagonist an avenue, a path to the world of creators, or from her perspective, The Realm of her God. She had even given the protagonist the ability Holopsicon, so that she would live on till the end of time. Setsuna spoke to her protagonist within her heart, You determine your own path now. Setsuna hoped that Zhao Youyue would help her make a fanmade anime video. She did not want Altair to be forgotten in the passage of time. Wouldnt a character die, the moment the world forgets about her? Zhao Youyue did not know anything about Setsunas idea. She was only trying her best to increase the popularity of her possessed heroine Altair to be higher. This would also increase the popularity of her other ID, Ah Yu, the female streamer at the same time. Due to Ah Yus perfect voice acting performance for the popular female character Yu Shengfan in The Strongest King, she had received great support from the VA community. Her popularity on Douyu Platform had gradually increased as well, turning her into a true, first-tier streamer! The audience were dismayed by only one obstacle. Her insistence on not showing her face, only to substitute it with a pink, long-haired, cartoon face. She soon ended up having another title called, Headless Being. Nevertheless, she conquered the hearts of many, be it with her talents in gaming or in music. Her gentle, caring demeanor was also a key point. Her only disadvantage might be having lesser-than-expected Godly tycoon fans. Apparently, those fans preferred pretty faces over anything. Her concealed visage was a turn-off for them. Many VA fans were demanding to know the next work that would feature her voice. Of course, Zhao Youyue had no answer for that, as this only applied to characters that she had once possessed. Yet, thanks to the production of Setsunas fanmade anime video, Zhao Youyue could finally give an answer. The next work featuring her voice, would be a fanmade anime named Altair: Divina Commedia. She would personally voice act in it, and post it on Bilibili. Zhao Youyue could also be considered to be a regular uploader on Bilibili. Many video clips about her had been posted on Bilibili, ranging from video clips related to various clips of her highlights as she slowly became the top 1 player among the solo ranks of the national server, to video recordings of her singing and playing the violin, etc. All of the video clips were very popular and were filled with comments on the bullet curtains. This would be more than enough to show how much the audiences on Bilibili preferred female streamers who used talent over appearance! Ah Yu had gained quite a significant amount of popularity on Bilibili. Her identity as an accomplished VA was beginning to precede her. Without a doubt, the fanmade anime video that Ah Yu posted this time had once again gained the audiences affirmation towards her voice acting capabilities. Lets not even get started on the BGMs she composed. It was supposed to be a short fanmade video, yet the audiences could not help but immerse themselves in the heroine Altairs grace! After Setsuna finished enjoying the video, she no longer had any regrets in life! She could finally leave in peace The videos fame soon led others to her original novel, but it remained unpopular. These were mostly writers who intended to create Doujinshi works by using Altair as the protagonist. They intended to search for some inspirations from the original novel. Setsuna the writer among the Doujinshi circle, was actually more popular than her novel. After all, she was the real creator of Altair! She seemed to be the first writer who had not encountered any misfortunes after her heroine was inked out by The Pan of this Generation Su Li. Su Li grew smug. She utilized this matter to her advantage, and washed away her previous curses, to great effect. Many people admired the now greatly acclaimed Setsuna. Of course, with admiration, there would be all kinds of envy, jealousy, and hate. However, no one was able to contact Setsuna through any means, and White Clover ceased updating altogether. Eyebrows started to raise. What had happened to this recently famous Doujinshi writer? Was Su Lis curse finally starting to take effect? Zhao Youyue was the first person to sense something amiss; she had a direct channel to Setsuna, but even that was failing to garner any response! Most crucially, she was supposed to carry on with her wonderful travels through the literary world of White Clover. However, she soon faced an unprecedented situation! An exceptional situation! Chapter 313 News of Her Death On the day Setsuna died of illness, Zhao Youyue was still able to traverse the world White Clover, and possessed Altairs body. On that particular day, the world was aquatic in nature. It was a world under the sea. An octopus-like creature had pioneered its civilization. Zhao Youyue felt that she had traveled into an alien planet. This was something that she would never be able to achieve in reality. Now, she was realizing it through the Two Dimensional Gate. The work White Clover might not be able to give her any ability, as it was not very popular, and most readers disliked it. However, as the heroine of this Doujinshi novel, Zhao Youyue was having a wonderful time within its literary worlds. It was like enjoying a one-time, free of charge, grand trip, without even needing to look out for herself, as this Altair, with her maxed out Mystery attribute was almost invincible. However, just as she was beginning to fall in stride and enjoy herself, the oceanic world around her started collapsing in the most extravagant display of visual effects! The literary world of White Clover collapsed, right after its God died. Zhao Youyue could not place the scene in words. It was just too overwhelming, too awe-inspiring. She started feeling that she was no longer within the literary world, but in the real world. Zhao Youyue did not make her exit at that point. She had not yet known that the works author, Setsuna had died. She thought that it was just another insight to this creators brilliant mind. But then, she found herself standing in an urban, Terran world. It gave Zhao Youyue such a sense of familiarity, as if this was not one of those imaginary literary worlds, but one that was similar to the real world where her actual body was, a world that was as tangible as herself. Before she could regain her bearings, she further realized that the strings of the marionette had left her altogether. Usually, when she possesses Altair, she would feel a mysterious force guiding her actions. In those cases, she just had to walk accordingly to the plotline laid out by the writer. She only needed to lay down, since the writer was the one pushing her forward. She would be Setsunasmarionette. But now, she realized that if she did not move at all, Altair would not move as well She now had total control over the actions of this body. Then, through that worlds internet, Zhao Youyue realized that Altair was rather popular. But her nature would always a re-created fanmade character derived from its origin Shirotsumekusa, which appeared within the social game Eternal Wars Megalosphere[1]. She first appeared within Shimazaki Setsunas created video World ?tude[2]. What the hell is Eternal Wars Megalosphere? Who the hell is Shimazaki Setsuna? Is she that Setsuna? Setsuna was supposed to be a Chinese! Why the hell was this world conversing in Japanese? Zhao Youyue jumped to the first assumption in her mind. This might not be the real world at all, but a world within a Japanese anime. This anime might be an iconic work within another parallel world. Zhao Youyue did not immediately exercise her newfound freedom. She only wanted to know what happened to the Doujinshi novel, White Clover, and its writer Setsuna, more than ever. Fortunately, this unprecedented situation had not trapped her within this world. However, when she returned to her actual body, she noticed that the Two Dimensional Gate was in a cooldown state once again, and that she no longer had access to White Clover. Even so, a character card of the princess with military uniform appeared in the Two Dimensional Gate. Zhao Youyue almost screamed out of excitement. Was this an actual sleeping victory? Although Zhao Youyue did not know how powerful this military uniform princess Altair was, but when the world was destroyed, she found herself able to travel through dimensions and enter new worlds at will. If she was truly able to use such an inter-dimensional traveling ability, wouldnt this mean that she would be able to travel to thousands of worlds? Also, she had a maxed-out Mystery attribute. This attribute implied that she had endless trump cards. No one would ever figure her out. She would come up with more and more tricks that guarantee her victory, even when all else suggested that it was over for her Zhao Youyue took a closer look, and noticed the character card Altair was greyed-out, and the name actually said, Altair (incomplete). Her excitement died out. What was going on here? Was there no such thing as a sleeping victory, after all? Nevertheless, this character card had actually appeared on the Two Dimensional Gate. Even though it was still greyed out, this meant that Zhao Youyue might still be able to access her, one day! In other words, this military uniform princess was already one of Zhao Youyues reserve harem players. However, to obtain this military uniform princess, Zhao Youyue would have to expand her influence, or even to use her identity to get involved Zhao Youyue might have to move heaven and earth itself, to acquire this nigh-invincible iconic character card. Some iconic character cards could never be obtained by just experiencing one literary world. This applied even more so to Altair. She was already one-of-a-kind, to begin with She was a re-created fanmade character. Many other writers could pick her up and continue her story. Zhao Youyue started communicating with the Two Dimensional Gate. She wanted to know what had happened. After all, her exit this time was truly baffling. Then, she received message from the Two Dimensional Gate. The Doujinshi novel White Clover was incomplete! Of course, the Two Dimensional Gate would not tell Zhao Youyue why this form of incompletion seemed to have been set in stone. After all, the writer had died of illness. How could she possibly continue writing? Yet, Zhao Youyue believed this to be the far more common form of incompletion. She assumed that Setsuna had totally given up upon this work. After realizing that the popular fanmade anime video had been unable to make her novel popular, she would naturally feel disheartened and give up on writing the novel Abandoning a piece of work was truly a scary thing. Zhao Youyue could never forget the apocalyptical moment the oceanic world within the literary world of White Clover went through. How frightening it had been! Zhao Youyue could not help but send a message to ask about Setsunas condition, but she did not receive any response. Zhao Youyue suddenly felt like one of those girls who had been tossed away by those playboys after they had their fun. Irresponsible authors were truly hateful, and they seemed to be far more prevalent than ever this year! Not long after, Zhao Youyue received a reply from a family member of Setsunas, saying that Setsuna had succumbed to cancer. The new post, without clarifying if it had been written by Setsunas mother or father, explained the situation of her death. The fanmade video Altair: Divina Commedia was still riding upon the waves of fame. Its scripts original author Setsuna was still a hot topic, yet she had ended up dead! This news quickly spread throughout the internet, within the blink of an eye. Translation Note: [1] Eternal Wars Megalosphere C In the premise of the anime RE:Creators, the main villainess Altair is an (in-universe) fan-made derivation of a character named Shirotsumekusa, from the social game Eternal Wars Megalosphere. [2] World ?tude C a.k.a. World Etude, an OST of the anime Re:Creators. Chapter 314 Candlelit Virgil Zhao Youyue was very shocked to learn of the news! Throughout all of her exchanges with Setsuna, she never once noticed that Setsuna was seriously ill. Instead, she had been so lost in her admiration of Setsunas passion in writing and overflowing vitality. How could such a writer possibly fall ill? This Doujinshi novel, White Clover was a work with almost zero popularity. Its popularity had not increased, even with Zhao Youyues heavy involvement. Everyone had expressed that the meaning of those words escaped them completely Yet, Setsuna had been able to continue writing such a novel. Zhao Youyue got to bask in the beauty and wonder of many worlds as she took the heroines spot. She had grown deeply ingratiated towards Setsuna. In a sense, this work existed only for Zhao Youyue. Of course, Setsuna had created this for her self-gratification. Zhao Youyue had always considered herself a somewhat cautious person. However, she had not noticed Setsunas abnormality at all, as if Setsuna was utterly unafraid of death. Zhao Youyue found a new level of respect for this person. Zhao Youyue had also figured out more details. She had figured out why Setsuna had been unwilling to reveal her real name, even though they were getting along nicely. She had been wanting to invite Setsuna for dinner, yet Setsuna would always decline her invitation. Setsuna had been keeping a distance from her one and only loyal reader on purpose, as she did not want Zhao Youyue to be saddened by her death. It had worked. Zhao Youyue was not wracked by a sudden wave of sorrow at that moment. After all, Setsunas death was not some kind of sudden accident. She had already been seriously ill for a very long time. The reason she had been able to keep writing, even as she strode towards deaths door, was obviously due to the intoxicated state. Human desires would always create miracles, under impossible circumstances. This Doujinshi novel White Clover was such a miracle. After all, if Setsuna was in her usual state, she definitely would not have been able to lift her phone up, let alone write. Although Zhao Youyue was not crippled by sorrow, she felt a sense of emptiness. She had always been looking forward to meeting Setsuna. She had wanted to ask Setsuna face-to-face, what inspired her, where did she get such ideas, to be able to conceive such an interesting world. Setsunas imagination reached such a level, her worlds were so well-fleshed out, that they seemed to transcend the suspension of disbelief itself. Everything about them suggested that they truly existed. Setsunas mind was nothing more than a mysterious pocket multiverse that housed all these worlds. Unfortunately, due to her limited writing skills, she had been unable to flesh them out on paper. What made her feel this way? She had firsthand experience of these worlds, with her five senses. The previous fantasy worlds only grew more realistic as they grew more popular. Otherwise, they would feel more like dreams. Zhao Youyue was extremely convinced of what she experienced. These worlds were nothing like dreams, especially the urban world that Altair last arrived. Such a powerful sense of realism even made Zhao Youyue suspect if she had traveled into a parallel universe. Therefore, White Clover was like another portal for Zhao Youyue. Its existence had sent Zhao Youyue into those worlds as a dimensional traveler. The last thing that Zhao Youyue did for Setsuna was to form a group and publish the incomplete Doujinshi novel, White Clover on the forum. The illustration by Su Li would be its cover. To publish such an unpopular novel, it would have to be self-funded, and nothing but loss was to be expected. However, for Zhao Youyue who had become a first-tier female broadcaster, it was a piece of cake to publish with her own expenses. Zhao Youyues monthly salary had reached 70,000 to 80,000 RMB. Her annual salary could easily reach a million. Many would actually think that a first-tier female broadcaster earned more than that. This was simply because Zhao Youyue did not have those super Godly tycoons supporting her. Therefore, she did not receive much in the form of tips. At the same time, she had not created any form of Taobao shop for her related merchandise. She had not signed new contracts with Douyu either. In other words, Zhao Youyue currently had not yet converted her explosive popularity into income. When her stature stabilizes, a 10 million annual salary would be little problem to her. Zhao Youyue came from a powerful family. Money held little sway over her desires. More than anything else, current assets held the greatest value in her heart. Therefore, she would throw out several investments, in the future. She had even decided her future ventures. She intended to build a culture and entertainment company. It was not as a source of monetary profit. It was to expand the influence of female characters that she possesses! For her wives, no price would be too high. After Zhao Youyue figured out how to use Altair (incomplete), her intention to build a company to create all kinds of works especially for her female characters and publish them had grown exponentially. Although this card was still incomplete, with its powers remaining out of reach, Zhao Youyue would be able to utilize Altairs identity to travel into completed works through the Two Dimensional Gate! This opened several new avenues for Zhao Youyue. A Doujinshi work had been manifested in reality, with Altair as its heroine. It was more or less a completed work that was perpetually being improved. Who would its creator be, then? This would depend on Gods decision, anyone in an intoxicated state would be able to write it out. Zhao Youyue only knew so much from the Two Dimensional Gate. Until now, she had not yet understood that those completed, iconic literary worlds could no longer be categorized as fiction. She had to reveal the mystery of those completed literary worlds by herself. The moment Su Li learned that the Doujinshi writer Setsuna had died of illness, her heart did not skip any beats whatsoever. She was just a little writer who had her 15 minutes of fame, thanks to a fanmade video. Actually, it was all thanks to Lady Zhao. She was not familiar with this Setsuna at all, even though she had drawn an illustration for Setsunas Doujinshi novel White Clover. Therefore, it did not concern her one bit. However, not long after that, Su Li found that her Weibo had exploded once again! It had not yet occurred to Su Li, that the moment the masses heard that Setsuna had died of illness, their first thought was, Isnt this the Doujinshi novel writer that Su Li started drawing for? How did she die of illness out of a sudden? Wait. She died of illness? The very moment, everyone remembered Yu Shengfan and Chu Luoxun. Didnt they all die of illness? Oh my God! Su Lis curse had struck once again. The main character was not yet dead, but the writer was! This mysterious power from the East was too scary! The netizens did not ever try to figure out that Setsuna had cancer long before all of this. It had nothing to do with Su Lis illustration. Yet everyone insisted that it was definitely Su Lis fault! Out of all times, why would she die after Su Li drew an illustration for her? Was it related to Su Li? Was Su Li a dumb*ss? In a sense, no other character could find a crueler fate. Even the author had died, and the novel had become incomplete. Was there any character more unfortunate than Altair? Everything was indeed Su Lis fault! The comments in Su Lis Weibo were all neatly filled with candle[1] symbols, not knowing who they were mourning silently for. Translation Note: [1] Candle C A symbol to express condolence. Chapter 315 A Preposterous Allegation! At first, Su Li stared blankly at the screen. It had not yet dawned upon her yet. Her fans were probably staging one of their events again Everyone knew that the great mangaka Su was an artist, one who was very good at causing trouble and attracting attention. She belonged to the kind that had more popularity than capability. It was no fault of hers, as she was indeed beautiful and extremely good at causing headlines. Her star project, Pure Romance had been immortalized as a meme. Sc*mbag Ming was a virus without a cure. Whenever one encounters a Harem anime, comments would always be flooding the bullet curtain, with statements such as Bro. Ming died so soon, This was where Bro. Ming had fought before, etc. Her work was a staple part of the entire culture. Therefore, Su Lis fans were rather loyal. Those who only knew her in passing may not have seen her work, but they would be well-informed on various memes related to her. Her most recent memes included The Curse and The Pan of This Generation. Not many were even into believing it; they simply wanted to give this meme The Curse, more power. A commentator of Starcraft from another world, Huang Xudong, would be a good example. Many people might have never even watched his game commentaries, but they could easily identify him as a Mysterious Power of the East. Su Li was currently in a similar situation as well. As her memes went viral, repeated lies would soon become truths! The latter title, The Pan of this Generation, was given to Su Li by those who felt sorry for her. It was a title meant to paint her in a far better picture, compared to the rumors of her black-handed stigma. Like its counterpart, the more it spread, the more people believed in it! However, those people who felt sorry for the Goddess mangaka Su Li considered her to be truly innocent. Apart from Xu Jing who was her own creation in her very own Pure Romance, be it Yu Shengfan or Chu Luoxun, it was the Godly web novelist, Rosemary and the youth novelist Leng Zi who had written them to death. What did anything have to do with Su Li, the artist? All these were preposterous allegations. Su Li had carried the pan on behalf of the two original authors. Also, unknown if it was by chance or otherwise, Su Li had accepted the offer to have an endorsement for an advertisement about the Super Rice Cooker. For Su Li, it was a good deed. Such a simple advertising job for a few hundred thousand. How could she possibly reject it? As a result, her title C The Pan of this Generation had gained a great deal of popularity after the advertisement. That rice cooker enjoyed great sales as well. It had led more vendors to have Su Li endorse for their products, including products like sanitary pads. Su Li considered making endorsements for sanitary pads a little too embarrassing. Therefore, she could only reject the offer. Su Li did not find herself any manager. She considered it rather unnecessary. After all, she was self-sufficient. Although she lacked the capability for original composition, her illustration skills were widely recognized throughout the industry. Many original writers were more than willing to collaborate with her! Su Li felt that it was a waste of money to find herself a manager. Instead of paying a manager, she would rather transfer the money to her mums card, and provide her two younger sisters a better standard of living. Without a manager, she would have no PR either. Su Li did not know how to guide the flow of public opinions. She could only defend herself earnestly every single time. She carried no curses. She just drew pictures. This time, Su Li would be drawing illustrations for the Doujinshi novel White Clover. According to Lady Zhao, there was only one heroine within this Doujinshi novel. The heroine even had a maxed out Mystery attribute, and she was almost invincible. She felt that it was all at ease. Her latest post was as such You guys have been saying that I will bring forth misfortune to the handsome military uniform princess, if I draw her illustration. I may even damn her to something. How would that happen? Im a professional mangaka! The entire theme of this Doujinshi novel is on her dimension-traversing abilities. Even herself is unaware of how strong she is! Tell me, how could such a final boss character possibly die? She cant die Impossible! Later, when the fan made anime video with the military uniform princess Altair as the heroine became popular, Su Li continued to write a post on Weibo proudly The novel neveras picked up, its writings were too obscure. But I, your Goddess, was able to understand the novel completely. Ive figured out its charm. Now that it has been adapted into a fanmade anime, it has become popular on Bilibili! Ive contributed to the original artwork of the anime. Of course, Ah Yus voice acting and singing are truly very amazing! I enjoyed collaborating with her very much! Did you guys feel the heroines power in the anime? I now ask those who have been saying that the heroine would be cursed to death by me. Does your conscience remain untouched if you keep slandering me? You guys know nothing of power! Obviously, before Setsunas death news had spread throughout the internet, it made all the sense in the world for Su Li to apply the indomitable heroine Altair as an example to prove her innocence. Yet, there were still some netizens expressing Master Su Li is too cunning. She has purposely chosen such a super strong character for her illustration drawing, so that her curse will not take effect. She is really trying very hard! The military uniform princess shouldnt be counted. She looks like a Slice-of-life genre[1] character on the surface, and never got involved in any fights. Yet, no one has expected her to be so strong. She shouldnt be considered a Slice-of-life genre character. No hurries, since youre waving your curse in all our faces, I also feel that the flag''[2] is steadily confirmed. Ignore those masses. This re-created female character is truly very awesome. I hope that the fanmade anime will continue being released. As for the novel, I truly couldnt understand it at all..I admire Master Su Lis reading capabilities. Right at this very moment, Su Li saw many fans lighting candles for her. She thought that the fans were organizing some sort of event for her. But her birthday was not around the corner yet! It was at that moment when she noticed some comments got mixed up with the candle comments, uncovering the truth Su, the Great Deity is truly poisonous! She did not curse the heroine to death, but the author of this Doujinshi novel! This is too scary! Does Su Li have a death pen? Its true that whoever she draws will die! Are there any writers within the comments? Please think twice before commisioning Su Li to draw for you! Dont put your neck to the guillotine Either the main character dies, or the author dies, choose one from the above! The problem here isnt about having Su Li draw stuff. What if Su Li insists on drawing something voluntarily? Would the author have to pay her protection fees, asking her to steer clear? I have always maintained that Master Su Li is innocent. She was only carrying the pan. She was never at fault. But this is the fourth time, and its the author who died, this time! This is truly too scary. Was the character too impossible to kill, that the author took the blow instead? Now that the novel is incomplete, whats the use or such a powerful character? To be honest, Setsunas death was not supposed to cause such a huge wave. After all, many had died of cancer within that year. Setsuna was only an unpopular Doujinshi novelist. But now, her death became a popular search result on Weibo, because of Su Li! Setsuna was never famous during her lifetime, but she had become famous in death! At the same time, her recreated character Altair became hugely popular! This was because many thought that Setsuna had borne the attack from Su, the Great Deity, on her own heroines behalf! A certain Doujinshi author had an inspiration. He came up with a new Altair ability Altair could deflect attacks, forcing others to be her scapegoat! At that moment, Su Li finally figured out the cause and effect of this latest trend. She was dumbfounded. A person dying of cancer was now her fault as well? This was a preposterous allegation! What a tremendously preposterous allegation! Translation Note: [1] Slice-of-life genre C It refers to the type of character who usually has the setting of being the center, surrounded by friends and other characters, being depicted about his or her trivial, lazy and miscellaneous daily life. [2] Flag C From the anime aspect, flag refers to the crucial factors that lead to the change of plot development. For example, Its very late. Let me send you home. (flag spotted), Take care, Im leaving. (no flag). Furthermore, death flag refers to the crucial factors that lead to the death of a character in future. For example, After this war ends, I will be going back to my hometown to get married. (Death flag spotted). He ended up dead during the war. Chapter 316 Weak Refutation Under such circumstances, Su Li could only cry on Lady Zhaos shoulder. She did not know what had actually happened. She had only illustrated the military uniform princess Altair. Why would the Doujinshi novels author, Setsunas death of natural causes, have anything to do with her? Su Li did not blame Zhao Youyue for her current predicament. She knew that Zhao Youyue was utterly unaware that Setsuna had been seriously ill as well. After all, this fanmade anime video about Altair was the brainchild of Zhao Youyues and Su Lis collaboration. Of course, Lady Zhao had taken care of the expenses. Su Li was like a voluntary worker. She only took a small sum as a symbol. She cared more about her relationship with Zhao Youyue. Therefore, she had been trying her best to assist Lady Zhao regarding drawing. After all, Su Li had been very hardworking. She had finished the outline of The Strongest King in a concise time. She was well ahead of schedule. As a result, she had an abundance of free time. But now, Su Li was struck by a different kind of fear. If the rumors about a writers death due to her curse truly pick up, would anyone even risk their lives to approach her? Such a writer might even appear. He could have been planning to write a popular character to death. Yet, he had not dared to do so. Therefore, he had come up with an idea. He would request Su Li to draw an illustration for the character. Then, he would immediately leave that character in its grave. In the end, he would send out a heartfelt plea, claiming that the character had to die in his place, otherwise he would have been the one in its place. Therefore, he would have valid reason to beg for forgiveness! All right. All would be well. But, Su Li who had accepted the order, would carry the pan skillfully once again Su Li was deeply anxious that such a thing would happen! But if they paid well, how would she possibly decline those offers? It was money, and she earned them through drawing. Those were legal sources of income. She was not only a mangaka, but also an illustrator. Therefore, Su Li felt a twang of pessimism about her future. Previously, as the fanvideo was still in production stages, Su Li had learned a lot of information about Setsuna from Zhao Youyue. But, Zhao Youyue obviously did not know about Setsunas illness. She had even felt that Setsunas writing efficiency was quite high. She had considered Setsuna to be a writer full of passion and energy. How could such a writer die of illness? Zhao Youyue heard all of Su Lis complaints. She could only comfort Su Li, telling Su Li that none of it was her fault. Zhao Youyue had figured out that Setsuna had been seriously ill, a long time ago. It was the last stage of cancer. It did not matter if Su Li was involved or not, Setsuna would not have lived long anyway. It was normal for humans to grow old and die of ailments. Besides, Setsuna was clearly pleased and honored that the famous illustrator Su Li was willing to draw illustrations for her work. She could finally see the 2D imagery of her written heroine. She had cast such a beautiful, powerful, daunting image. Zhao Youyues words of comfort were quite effective. Or else, Su Li might have even begun suspecting the validity of her curse. This time, the character did not die, but the author had died instead. This was something too iffy! Yet, the game producer of Dreamside Marron, Zhu Yinzhu made Su Lis curse even more impressive. She had gone ahead and shared Setsunas Weibo page. She even commented, Its so terrifying. If she had not suffered such fate, would I be the one dying instead? But even so, I still encourage Su, the Great Deity to continue on with Altairs story. This recreated character has truly won over my heart! Zhu Yinzhus Weibo was rather niche. Ordinary readers were not very familiar with her. But the Doujinshi writers and those who had some understanding for the ACG culture, knew that she was the Lady Zun who frowned upon commercialization, and left her content out in the open, as free game for all Doujinshi writers. She was a talented and wealthy Lady. Therefore, after she had commented in such a ridiculous, yet low-key encouraging, more people got to know of Su Li. At the same time, Altair gained even more recognition. Under such circumstances, Su Li was still defending herself innocently, I hope that people dont take me as the butt of jokes so casually. Setsunas cancer was an unfortunate, but a natural occurrence. I truly mourn for her as well. But, this truly does not concern me. Why should I be blamed for this? However, Su Lis post on Weibo was soon carpet-bombed. Most of the comments demanded that Su Li own up to the venom of her drawing pen. Any popular character who gets the attention of her pen would never fare well Zhao Youyue had been paying attention to Su Lis Weibo. When she noticed that Su Li had been completely submerged in the saliva of the masses, she could not help but dive in as her sockpuppet Ah Yu, the popular live streamer, VA, Bilibili uploader. Ah Yu then commented, Teacher Su Li was the one who drew my face. It even comes with a variety of emoticons. Yet, I still live. Therefore, everyone, please stop bothering teacher Su Li. Shes so pretty and cute, everyone, please support her! Although Ah Yu was not a LoL streamer anymore, she was still rather popular. LoL was not challenging for her anymore; she was already the top 1 player on the national server. The contents of her live stream had gradually transitioned from gaming to music. The genre had been changed to 2D as well. It was a change for the better. She was now a super popular VA, just because of Yu Shengfan and Altair. The latter was not even an official anime, but only a fan made video. In a way, Ah Yu was currently an extremely popular live streamer, especially among 2D lovers. Her vocal and violin covers often comprised of popular anime songs. She now had a clearer grasp of the direction of her live stream which was initially multifarious. Thats right. Zhao Youyue had decisively changed her image. For her, the amount that her Ah Yu identity could earn was a secondary concern. More than anything, she intended to promote works that she fancied and characters that she possessed. Just like the video she made for Setsunas Doujinshi novel White Clover. If Su Li and Ah Yus names had not appeared in the credits, it might not have even grown popular on Bilibili. Yet, Zhao Youyue had not expected to receive invitations from so many animation studios, including the world-leading companies and their heads. Various producers had expressed their recognition towards her voice acting capabilities. They also acknowledged her fame. In their opinion, as long as she continues voice acting, animes featuring her work would experience the most feverish debuts, ever. However, Zhao Youyue declined all the invitations indirectly. Her perfect voice acting was only applicable to characters that she has possessed. Su Li was very touched to see Ah Yu stepping up to defend her. Lady Zhao was the only person in this cold world who truly loved her. Ah Yu then canceled her live stream that night, and there was no live stream for a week Chapter 317 Party Host Zhao Youyue had no intentions of letting her viewers down. She would be busy for the next few nights, with matters related to school. Her hands were tied on this matter. Many viewers did not actually know how old the live streamer Ah Yu is. Moreover, as she had a wide vocal range, she could easily switch her voice from mature-sounding to a lolis, and her speaking voice could somewhat be considered the voice of a gentle, fresh young lady. Even after hearing her voice, nobody could accurately guess her real age Therefore, the audience would never guess that the leading 2D live streamer Ah Yu, was a high school student. Something told them that Ah Yu should be a university student, at the very least. Besides, Zhao Youyue did not depend solely on live streaming for a living. For her, live streaming was primarily used to bring Yu Shengfans dreams to life, as Yu Shengfan had not been able to express herself during her time in her world fully. Since she has now firmly maintained her position as the best gamer in the country, and would easily stay at the top until the next season, she now had the time to give Yu Shengfan her fix. Yu Shengfan now lived a life with no regrets. Zhao Youyue felt that Chu Luoxun was next to shine in the spotlight. Of course, this did not mean that she would altogether give up on live streaming games. She had decided that she would still stream any other popular game. However, she would no longer play to be the best gamer in the country. As long as she gets to bully some newbies, it would be more than enough. In fact, when you reach the peak in any competitive type of game, the queue for matches would usually take ages. High rankers were scarce as they were. Moreover, some people would even be afraid of dropping down the ranks. Thus they would be very cautious and tend to not solo queue, unless the need truly arises. When Zhao Youyue was playing high-ranked games in LoL, she had to wait for 30 minutes in queue, per match. If other LoL live streamers did the same thing, the number of viewers in their channel would surely drop. The viewers would not want to watch the live streamer play Dou dizhu[1] for the entire duration of the queue, right? Come to think of it, Zhao Youyue also played Dou dizhu during queue times, but she was considered a generous gambler. She would always boast about how good she was at playing Dou dizhu, but when she actually played it, she always ended up losing. Howsoever, this was particularly entertaining. It often left her viewers in stitches. Many would voluntarily upload highlights of her streams, like this live streamer is too good at this game,live streamer gone wild and such. Of course, this was Zhao Youyue herself playing the game, without any character cards activated. However, she realized that many viewers actually preferred to have her live stream in her normal state, as it had the best effect. The viewers would feel that they were interacting with someone close, like their neighbors daughter, as she was much more approachable that way, and treated the viewers kindly. Even with those long queue times, Zhao Youyues popularity did not diminish, because, in the process, she often performed for her viewers. As a result, when the game starts, many of the viewers would comment on the bullet curtain and request for her to stop gaming. Wouldnt it be better if she continued to sing? Due to this, many of Ah Yus viewers were very happy when she decided to give up on LoL, because of her high-ranked solidarity. Of course, many gamer viewers would not accept that. In the end, the majority leaned towards having Zhao Youyue continue playing, but she would use a smurf account. This would make the queueing process a lot faster. Also, she would not limit herself to just playing LoL, and would also play some other games. In fact, viewers did not necessarily enjoy watching those fast-paced, high-end games. On the contrary, they preferred to watch newbies getting bullied. No matter what the game is, everyone would always love to watch the live streamer troll about. Before they even start the game, it would be best if they shared their plans with the viewers. This way, it would not matter if they fail to carry out the plan, as the process was enough entertainment. This was just like the story of the great Sima,[2] who had never gotten much attention when he was live streaming his ranked games, but the moment he started doing stupid stuff for entertainment, he grew more and more popular. It was already late December, and New Years Day was fast approaching. The schools 100th anniversary just so happened to fall on the same day! Therefore, this New Years Eve would be the grandest one, out of all the celebrations in recent years. The party would not only be attended by all the students of the school, but also by many high-profiled alumni! These alumni included people like high officials and politicians, national academicians, socialites and more. It was no wonder that the school was one of the best high schools in the entire provincial capital. The school officials were taking this party exceptionally seriously, but it was justifiable. Previously, when Zhao Youyue gave her impromptu speech at the Autumn sports competition, Headmaster Ge thought that she was full of style and grace, and seemed open-minded and approachable. Most importantly, she looked beautiful and also had a unique temperament. Obviously, she was well-suited to be the host of the schools New Years Eve! Then, Headmaster Ge Jun had also specifically looked into Zhao Youyues academic performance. Her results were so surprising, that nobody would have been able to guess it without first looking. It was a surprise to see that she was the student with the best grades, out of all the liberal arts students. For several final examinations this semester, she had placed first in all of them! In the first year of high school, she was the only student who had been able to move the first place student Huang Zongchao out of his throne! Headmaster Ge felt that Zhao Youyue seemed to have just suddenly appeared out of nowhere. It was as if the heavens had randomly dropped him a gift. How had he not noticed her existence, before this? Anyhow, Ge Jun had handpicked Zhao Youyue as the female host of the New Years Eve. Her partner would undoubtedly be Huang Zongchao. Unfortunately, Huang Zongchao was not particularly handsome. Otherwise, by the appearances of the male and female hosts alone, anyone would be able to tell that the students from this batch were of an outstanding nature. Even though Huang Zongchao was not handsome, he had a lot of experience in hosting events. Every utterance of him carried weight. Paired with his perennial prestige in maintaining his top-notch academic performance, this undoubtedly made him the best candidate for the male host of this New Years Eve. Zhao Youyue was quite surprised when she was selected as the host of the New Years Eve. However, after some consideration, she still decided to accept the offer. After all, this would probably become one of the most long-lasting memories of her high school times. When she starts her third year of high school, she might never come across such an opportunity again. Howsoever, she was still very confident in her hosting skills. After all, she had been a live streamer for a long time. Even without showing her face, she had been able to attract so many viewers. However, this was not achieved purely by relying on her talents. As a live streamer, it was necessary to know how to relax and interact with the viewers openly. Zhao Youyues current class teacher, Yang Liqun, greatly approved of her decision. He was starting to feel that Zhao Youyue really cared about the interests of the class as a whole, and that the class was beginning to give out a sense of collective honor. Being able to host this New Years Eve was absolutely an honorable and impressive opportunity! Zhao Youyue was not only the host. She had another event to attend to, which was, of course, was her solo violin performance! After taking the gold medal in the provincial music competition, she did not stop there, and continued to participate in the national music competition. Of course, she was still invincible, by virtue of the human metronome style of music! In such a situation, to ensure that this party goes perfectly well, all sorts of rehearsals and preparations were necessary. Since attendance was mandatory for classes during the day, the rehearsals could only be held at night. Zhao Youyue was naturally unable to spare some time for her live streams. This, however, made Su Li suffer Translation note : [1] Dou dizhu, literally fighting the landlord, is a card game in the genre of shedding and gambling. It is one of the most popular card games played in China. [2] Great Sima, is a Douyu live streamer. His real name is Han Jinlong. Chapter 318 : Inspection In addition to being extremely busy with school-related things, Zhao Youyue had been inspecting the newly acquired Altair card (incomplete). It seemed like this grey character card could not be activated. What could be the problem? Without a doubt, this character card of a different nature, compared to the cards that had been previously obtained. First of all, with regards to the previously obtained character cards, Zhao Youyue was their true creator. She had gradually transformed them from mere side characters into not only important supporting female characters, but also into main female protagonists, when they were originally not supposed to be. She was very familiar with these female characters that she had personally created. Their actions were all controlled by her. The creators only expressed her actions in those worlds. Nothing about them was concealed from her sight. Zhao Youyue knew everything about them. Some creators had been cooperative, because they agreed with the behavior of the characters, and they thought that their actions were well-suited to the plot. This would also make the work even more interesting. Therefore, they were able to feel that sudden burst of inspiration, or get intoxicated. Only because of that, they could create such interesting stories and illustrate the characters so well. It was just like Yu Shengfan and Chu Luoxun, under the hands of Ye Hai and Han Leng. The both of them had indulged themselves in their female characters, and allowed the characters to play their own parts. They gave the female characters their absolute trust. Zhao Youyue had nearly messed everything up for Rosemary Ye Hai, because she chose to leave the world when Yu Shengfan became a highly popular character. This made Ye Hai lose touch with his intoxicated state, and he ended up not being able to write anything else about Yu Shengfan. This had led to his giving of a bento to Ah Yu, as well as the progression into a new chapter, as he had been helpless even to lift a finger. Han Leng was more fortunate, as Zhao Youyue had accompanied him to the end of his work. Thus, when he wrote about Chu Luoxun, he was always in a perfect state of intoxication. However, he was too fond of Chu Luoxun, and he could not help it. As he was determined to seek justice for Chu Luoxun, with the use of Spring and Autumn Annals, he had single-handedly given birth to the aesthetic researchers, as well as the great dispute between the two fan clubs. Now, there were way more than two fan clubs. There was this yuri fan club that had recently claimed the spotlight, claiming that the one true love only existed between Chu Luoxun and Lin Meiyue. In fact, the fan club had many supporters, as many of them had done some research and discovered that Gu Yuan, the trashy male protagonist, was actually unneeded. The one that Chu Luoxun had feelings for was clearly, Lin Meiyue. Su Li, on the other hand, was now caught up in another tough situation. This was mainly because the useless girl had no integrity, and was not firm in the slightest bit. People like Rosemary and Han Leng always prioritized their works, no matter what. Even if some rich readers tip them excessively, and request for a cameo, they would only add them if they were suitable. They would even completely reject the ideas from rich readers if it interfered with their plot. However, when it came to this good-for-nothing Su Li, to humor the rich readers who have tipped her, she would unconditionally comply. Even if circumstances stood in her way, she was willing to take one step further for them. If a rich reader did something like tip her a million, then propose to make their own cameo role, in order to hook up with a supporting female actress that was already with the main protagonist, she might very well be tempted to follow through with it. If the rich reader raised the price again, she would definitely do it! After Zhao Youyue saw through Su Lis personality, she got rather infuriated. When she was in her literary world, she had really struggled to deal with Su Li. This useless girls persistence in always wanting to give back to the readers was just too much for Zhao Youyue to handle! Under the will of the Big Universe, the male protagonist Zha Ming would try to take advantage of Xu Jing. Fortunately, Xu Jing had managed to defend her innocence in various ways. The appearance of her chastity belt came as a godsend. The only time Zhao Youyue had been absolutely helpless was when the local government officers tore Xu Jings clothes into shreds with a big club, which forced out an extreme amount of fan service. At that point in time, Zhao Youyue had really wanted to strangle the good-for-nothing Su Li to death! However, Pure Romance was close to being a harem, and was similar to the sexual variety of web novels. The fact that Zhao Youyue could turn it into an iconic work and obtain the Xu Jing card was impressive. All in all, Zhao Youyue had to stay until the end of the manga, mainly because of Su Lis bow down to the rich readers no matter what nature. She was afraid that Su Li would shove Xu Jing around, the moment she leaves the story. Other creators would never do such a thing, but Su Li would do it without the slightest hesitation! Su Li never had any feelings for the characters she created. She treated them wholly as money-making tools. In fact, precisely because of this, it was impossible for Su Li to create a work that could move the readers. She could not even move herself! When creators do not devote their emotions during creation, the works that they create would inevitably end up unremarkable and empty. Therefore, Su Li was more well-suited for making adaptations of original works into mangas. This way, she would not need to devote her own emotions into the work. She only needed to diligently transform the original authors plot and emotions into manga form. Altair was different, compared to the previous three characters. Without Zhao Youyue lifting a finger, she was the heroine of a work. Zhao Youyue had not been planning to get her character card. She merely wanted to use her as a tool, to comfortably possess her, to experience a wonderful vacation that would have never been possible in reality. She did not add any settings for this role, and there was no way to do so, because the character was the heroine of the story. Everything was in the hands of the creator. Zhao Youyue could only help the creator to get intoxicated so that they could portray the heroine more perfectly. Thus, Zhao Youyue could not decipher the secrets behind this character, which included her hidden settings, and so on. This is one of the main differences between Altair and Zhao Youyues other characters. The energy level of this character would be another obvious question. Altair was indisputably the kind of super boss who would emerge in the later stages of games. Judging by her character design, she could even belong to the super magical type of world. In those fairytales, she would definitely fit in and not feel out of place. However, the Two Dimensional Gate had classified her as a slice-of-life genre character, because she did possess any high-powered skills. She did not have the power to destroy the world with the flick of her wrist, and did not possess any skills related martial arts, magic, or any other special ability. As she never once showed her hand in her story, she had now been categorized as so. Altair just liked to wander around everywhere and enjoy the scenery. She probably had a space travel ability. However, this ability has been classified by the Two Dimensional Gate to be the same as the maximum running capacity ability in The 4WD God. It was neither destructive, nor capable of causing harm Thus, if Zhao Youyue truly ends up getting this character card, she will only be able to use this card as a travel card. After all, she had to remain obedient to the settings. The crux of the problem was that the creator, Setsuna has died. Moreover, right before she died, she had caused a huge wave of problems. She even wanted Altair to step into the real world! Her wish was a strong one, which had obviously led to the changes of this character card! It still could not be determined if this character card was an iconic character card or a high popularity character card. It seemed more like a character card frame, or a character fragment. In order to activate her, more fragments would have to be collected. Of course, these fragments would have to be created through her various doujinshi works, because Setsuna had given her the Holopsicon ability. Chapter 319 Continues Carrying the Pan The final anomaly of the Altair card was that the novel world she originated from was already in a problematic state, or rather, it was already destroyed, and the novel was not even popular. Even so, her character managed to become popular through doujinshi videos. Of course, her popularity was driven mostly by the popularity of Ah Yu, Su Li, Zhu Yinzhu, as well as the original game of Dreamside Maroon. Strictly speaking, Altairs initial character settings originated from the game of Dreamside Maroon. This was actually a one-of-a-kind of situation, because under normal circumstances, when characters become popular, they would surely drive their works towards popularity as well. However, she had not driven the novel towards popularity at all. Instead, she was boosting the popularity of other doujinshi works This could not be helped. The novel was too obscure and delusional, to begin with. The average person would never be able to comprehend the language. Even if some understood it, they would not be patient enough to read it. Evidently, Altair was no longer a part of that novel. Right before the death of Setsuna, she had escaped her original world through a special operation. This had left her with a future filled with the unknown. All these things contributed towards making the Altair card a unique character card. Her character was simply too different. Zhao Youyue had an obsessive-compulsive disorder in relation to card collecting. If the Altair card had never appeared on the Two Dimensional Gate, and did not have an incomplete on it, she might have just let it pass. She would have just treated the work of White Clover in the same way as War Heroes, as if it was the type of world mainly for her relaxation and enjoyment. However, now that the Altair card had appeared in a state of incompleteness, of course, she could not help but feel the need to complete her and as a result, obtain a character card that was likely to have some unique qualities. The key factor was that this character card was still capable of growth and wielded unlimited possibilities. Do not forget her terrifying Holopsicon ability, which allowed her to continually update her abilities based on the 2D works of others without any limits. Regardless of whoever it is who creates a story about her; she would use it as a commodity and attach it to herself. As long as there was a continuous supply of stories, her abilities could be updated indefinitely! If this were a card collecting game, the Altair card would definitely be the ultra-rare kind of card. Nobody would know how much money they would have to spend on the game just to get her For a girl like Zhao Youyue, such a developable character card with unique qualities was exactly the type of card that would make her itch the most. Regardless of whether the character card was useful, the crazy card collector Lady Zhao would be eager to get her hands on it! However, Zhao Youyue also knew that to obtain a unique character card like this one, things would not be that simple. This was once again, a long-term task. Zhao Youyue also saw that she could sacrifice the high popularity character card in another way. That is, by offering it to the Altair card, she would be able to take the form of Altair and enter works of the same energy levels, even if they have already been completed. All her actions in the world would be expressed in the form of doujinshis. The more exciting the doujinshi is, the more popular it will be, and it would naturally be possible to complete the Altair card further. Zhao Youyue only had a Zhou Chun high popularity character card in her hands at the moment, but she did not expect to be able to sacrifice it in so many ways. This had piqued her interest even further. She could use the Zhou Chun card as a springboard for her to obtain a new iconic character card. It could also become a nutritious meal for the Altair card and play a part in helping her complete the Altair card. Between acquiring a new character card, or completing the Altair card, Zhao Youyue would have to decide for herself. However, all of this needed to pass through the Two Dimensional Gate. Currently, as it was still in an inoperative state, Zhao Youyue decided not think about this complicated matter for the time being. Instead, she decided to shift her focus onto the real world, especially to the upcoming New Years Eve. She hoped for the best of everything. Even so, Zhao Youyue did not expect to have no time to live stream at all. She disappeared without a word, right after she posted a status on Weibo defending Su Li. She had not been live streaming for quite some time, and it seemed like she had totally disappeared from the internet. There was only one way to look at this! Zhao Youyue did not use the popular Ah Yu Weibo account often, as every single time she logged into that account, there was always a long list of private messages and such. It was especially active, and she found it troublesome. Thus, whenever she felt like surfing on Weibo, she would use her own personal Weibo account. Due to this, she naturally would not know that after she had not live streamed for almost one whole week, the latest Weibo status by Ah Yu had been exploding with replies and shares! Miss Ah Yu, please dont scare us, your fans, like this. If youre still alive, can you just give us a squeak? Sigh, she has really committed a sin. Why did Ah Yu get in touch with the mysterious force coming from the East? Now shes done for. She has totally vanished! Ah Yu seemed to have been involved in a serious car accident on the same day of her last Weibo status. Currently, she is still in a state of coma, and it is still unclear whether she will make it Sigh, its a pity for such a talented female live streamer like Ah Yu. I was expecting her to dub more animated voices and to continue creating those super-popular hit songs, as well as create the coolest tunes using the violin. But this time, she couldnt help but die in the hands of the poisonous girl? Guys, stop spreading fake rumors around. Ah Yu is certainly just having some temporary problems with her life. It surely isnt an issue about safety! Ive already gone to kneel down to Su, the Great Deity, and prayed that she would restrain her supernatural powers so that the perfect Ah Yu can be returned to us. Please stop whatever you are doing, you cannot do this to her! Ah Yu, please quickly change the portrait of yours which was drawn by Su Li. Its really poisonous, and it will threaten you for life At the same time, Su Lis Weibo was attacked by Ah Yus huge fan base. All of them were asking her, what had happened to Ah Yu, why had she been gone for so long? All of them who were unable to watch Ah Yus live stream, were close to dying! Other than Ah Yus fans who were genuinely anxious, other netizens who were watching everything did not take it that seriously. Some particularly talented netizens could not help but write a short story for Su Li, which imitated the iconic character Kong Yiji - - You must have drawn someone to death again! Tell us, how did Ah Yu die and where is her dead body? Su Li was so surprised, and with her eyes opened wide, she replied, How can you guys so blatantly blame the innocent What innocent? We have seen you draw the doujinshi author Setsuna to death with our very own eyes! Su Li blushed out of embarrassment, while her forehead started to crease. She was muttering things like, it has nothing to do with me and I dont know anything. This made everyone laugh, and the whole Weibo was filled with a joyous ambiance.[1] Before this, Su Li was still deeply touched by Lady Zhaos bravery in speaking up for her. Now, it turned out that everyone is blaming her for Lady Zhaos sudden disappearance from live streaming! However, Su Li was also quite worried. Was it true that Lady Zhao had gotten into an accident? Burdened with her messy state of mind, she immediately took the initiative to contact Zhao Youyue She could not continue to be misunderstood any longer. It was poisonous, indeed! Translation note : [1] The RAW (untranslated copy of the chapter) did not indicate the end of the short story, but it probably ended here. The story would make more sense like this. Chapter 320 Beethoven Virus When Su Li urgently contacted Zhao Youyue, she was busy rehearsing again and again in the school auditorium. Zhao Youyue initially felt that it would be interesting to be the host of the New Years Eve, but as time went on, when the novelty of that position wore off, all that was left was the insipidness and how unbelievably boring it was. In such a situation, she could only activate the Xu Jing card to let Xu Jing replace herself, in order to maintain the initial patience that she had. Otherwise, she would have soon given up halfway, due to how torturous it was. This made Zhao Youyues partner, who was also the student chairman, Huang Zongchao admire her. He respected Zhao Youyues perseverance, as she was even able to fully immerse herself into being the host, so much so that she did not even need the script anymore. In actual fact, it was not a must to memorize everything. The hosts were allowed to hold placards as well as the event schedule for reference. However, with the focusing power of the Xu Jing card, Zhao Youyue had already remembered everything by heart. When Huang Zongchao saw that even Lady Zhao could memorize everything impeccably, he knew that he could not afford to lag behind. As the school officials attached great importance to this event, the preparation time allocated for the New Years Eve was particularly long. This was to rule out any chances of anything going wrong, all in the pursuit of perfection. Huang Zongchao decided that he might as well memorize the script. In the beginning, he would still stumble from time to time. However, as the number of rehearsals increased, he got better at it, and was now able to perfectly match Zhao Youyue. This made him feel a great deal of satisfaction. Deep down, Huang Zongchao was an extremely arrogant person, but the more he understood Zhao Youyue, the more he could not help but become attracted to her excellence. He was not someone who was easily attracted by good looks, therefore Zhao Youyues appearance did not really affect him in any way. What that caught his attention was Zhao Youyues profound upbringing, talent, and meticulous attitude. At this point, Zhao Youyue was sitting behind the stage, looking at the performances on the stage in utmost boredom. She had watched it so many times, to the point where she was nearly sick of it. She also happened to meet someone familiar. It was Hang Yongming, an acquaintance that she had previously crossed paths with during the provincial competition. It was the same guy who wanted to teach Zhao Youyue what real music was. Hang Yongming was already a third-year art student. However, he was more well-known in school for playing the violin, compared to Zhao Youyue. This was because he had already showcased his violin skills countless times during the schools New Years Eve. The tunes that he played were all his personal adaptations of songs that all the students were very familiar with. When it comes to classical instruments like this, it is a known fact that to resonate with everyone, one had to play tunes that everyone is well acquainted with. If he were to play tunes that were specifically meant for competitions, nobody would be able to truly understand and appreciate them. However, if Zhao Youyue was to learn from Hang Yongming and adapt those popular songs, they would appear shallow and mediocre. This did not mean that Zhao Youyue was inept in adaptations, as a matter of fact, this was her specialty. Do not forget that she is the live streamer Ah Yu, and many viewers loved her violin tunes. She could even use the violin to play various trendy songs, or even square dancing songs. The tunes she played would often give the viewers an incredible feeling, which made them laugh out loud as they admired her music. As a result, various gifts had been sent to her, one after another. Many people were attracted to the way she played the violin. When paired with popular songs, they produced great power. This inadvertently promoted the instrument as well. Many viewers of her live stream channel were impressed with her violin skills and had even decided to allow their children to start learning the violin. However, this time, Zhao Youyue was not planning to be so casual. She had prepared something really grand, instead. She was going to perform a song from a novel, an original by Chu Luoxun, named Beethoven Virus! This particular violin song was adapted from Rondo Allegro, the third movement in Beethovens Piano Sonata No. 8.[1] In this dynamic song, the violin no longer carried a gloomy, sullen whisper. Instead, it brought with it overflowing liveliness and passion. Just by listening to the prelude, anyones train of thought would come crashing down as their blood boiled with passion. In another world, Beethoven Virus had once debuted in an e-sports competition and became an instant hit! It almost became the most famous tune in the field of e-sports! It might be possible that many people have actually heard of this tune, but did not know that it was called Beethoven Virus, or that it was played with a violin. There was no doubt that this tune would evoke a sensational reaction at the party. This tune would not reduce Zhao Youyues standing. If Zhao Youyue activated the Chu Luoxun card while playing this tune, then, the arrogant Hang Yongming with his superiority complex would definitely be able to understand what real music really was. Indeed, Hang Yongming was still very pretentious in front of Zhao Youyue. He also knew that Zhao Youyue would be performing at the grand party. However, he felt that Zhao Youyues style of performing would never appeal to the students and be able to satisfy them. Therefore, Hang Yongming could not help but criticise Zhao Youyue. He vehemently despised her human metronome style that had gotten many awards. He said, As the New Years Eve will be commencing in a few days, I advise you to learn from the live streamer Ah Yu. Her playing of the violin is real music. This is because her music is filled with vitality, and is capable of bringing joy to the audience. Isnt that what our generation of performers are striving for? With your style of music that mainly focuses on getting into the good books of the judges, with all due respect, Im sure it will not even be able to cause a mere ripple at the party! Please wake up, already! Zhao Youyue expressed that she concurred with his views entirely. In fact, she was pretty happy. Little did she know that the schools violin prince would also be a fan of her sockpuppet identity, Ah Yu, and he even respected her so much. However, during the rehearsals, Zhao Youyue still played the violin casually. Obviously, it was not the killer piece of Beethoven Virus that she had already prepared. She only played some tudes[2], which naturally left Hang Yongming disappointed. He felt that Zhao Youyues music was beyond saving, and that she had completely lost her musical touch. Hang Yongming focused his attention on the person he deemed as his mortal enemy, which was Wang Shun. He was just as good as him, but he played the Erhu instead. He liked to tell Wang Shun, Stop with the nonsense, lets play. We need to settle it out between the violin and the Erhu! Upon hearing this, Wang Shuns eyes would blaze with passion, and he would want to confront him immediately. People around them would only feel awkward looking at the two of them that suffered from sophohigh syndrome[3]. Right at that moment, Zhao Youyue received a text from Su Li - - My lady, did something happen to you recently? Were you really involved in a car accident? Im sorry! Im the one to blame! I have let you down! Wuwuwu, Im really, really, stupid. I know I am Zhao Youyue was instantly flooded with questions. This cute Su Li, what was she up to this time, going around making a big fuss, out of nothing. Translation note : [1] Piano Sonata No. 8, fully Piano Sonata No. 8 in C minor, Op. 13, commonly known as Sonata Pathtique, was written in 1798 when the composer Ludwig van Beethoven was 27 years old and was published in 1799. It has remained as one of his most celebrated compositions. [2] tude is a short musical composition, typically for one instrument, designed as an exercise to improve the technique or demonstrate the skill of the player. [3] Sophohigh Syndrome. This word originates from a Japanese term (Chunnibyou), which literally translates to Middle school 2ndyear Syndrome. And the English word is a combination of, you guessed it, sophomore + high school. Chapter 321 : Comforting the Fans Sister Li, whats the matter with you? Zhao Youyue quickly replied. When Su Li saw Zhao Youyues reply, she naturally grew agitated. She started murmuring things like shes not dead and shes still alive. In a sudden torrent of emotions, she poured her heart out to Zhao Youyue about how everyone on the internet was defiling her. Simultaneously, in a querulous tone, she asked what Zhao Youyue had been up to recently, and why she had suddenly stopped live streaming for such a long time. Zhao Youyue was speechless as she listened to Su Lis grievances. She suspected that the netizens have already brainwashed Su Li into thinking that her drawings were filled with evil, and that tragedy would befall upon whatever she drew In actuality, all of this was just a coincidence. Su Li was really the pan-carrier. How could Zhao Youyue possibly be killed by Su Li? Not a chance! She was the mastermind behind the scenes Zhao Youyue replied, Well, like I said, I was appointed as the host of my schools New Years Eve. This party just so happens to coincide with our schools 100th anniversary. This would make it a highly anticipated and important event. Therefore the school officials would not allow any errors. Hence, Ive been spending all my nights on rehearsals and preparations, and it has left me with no time to live stream. After Zhao Youyues explanation, Su Li realized that New Years Day was just around the corner. She unconsciously started reminiscing about her own high school days, where things were uncannily similar. She expressed her understanding towards Zhao Youyues situation, but she still hoped that Zhao Youyue would at least log into Ah Yus Weibo and explain everything to her fans. If not, those fans of hers might really start to wreak havoc. Some netizens were genuinely concerned had also indicated that they intended to contact the police. They could not just stand there and do nothing while knowing that Ah Yu had gone missing, right? Thereafter, Zhao Youyue finally logged into her sockpuppet Ah Yu Weibo account. Upon logging in, she discovered that her Weibo was bursting with activity and interactions. Other than her fans who were concerned about her, many others were gloating over her disappearance. They were saying things like now that youve finally gotten a taste of Su, the Great Deitys mysterious powers, how do you like it Zhao Youyue was at a loss for words. All these netizens must be bored out of their minds. Why do they persist on stirring up trouble, one after another? It was quite apparent that, no matter what Su Li draws in the future, everyone would definitely overthink it. It had become so unscrupulous, to the point that if someone were to meet with an accident after seeing her illustrations, they might even link it to her and blame her for it. The netizens would surely blow things out of proportion and start saying things like how Su, the Great Deitys illustrations have finally managed to kill a reader. Fortunately, the mainstream media would not get involved, under normal circumstances. It was only the netizens who were particularly fond of creating this sort of drama. One fact could not be denied C Su Lis popularity had exploded, due to her being known for terms like poisonous touch and the mysterious force from the East. Many of those who did not even read mangas, were slowly being made aware of her great achievements. This had garnered even greater attention towards Su Lis Weibo. Some had requested for Su Li to draw people that they hated, in the hope that her mysterious power would be able to help them get revenge. As Su Lis influence had extended far beyond the constraints of the manga community, her reputation and net worth grew. Everything she drew would inevitably become a hot topic for discussion. Some content creators were even willing to offer themselves up and bet on how they would be the first creator to be immune to her mysterious powers There were also creators who had bento-giving obsessions, who felt that they should not go overboard with the characters in their works. As long as they worked with an illustrator like Su Li, and give bentos to their characters, the pan would definitely fall on her head. Zhao Youyue was about to post a Weibo status to clarify the mist around her recent disappearance. At the same time, she made it clear that she was still alive. Otherwise, some netizens who did not truly understand the situation would really think that she had been killed by Su Li. However, her focus shifted to the piano on the stage, and something dawned upon her. She realized that if she were to just send out a simple message, it would never be sufficient to calm the worried hearts of her fans. If that was the case, she might as well do some fan service C play a song on the piano and record a video of it for her fans. This would also amount to solid proof that she was still alive and well. Thinking that it was about time for Huang Zongchaos rehearsal of his piano solo performance soon, Zhao Youyue decisively said, Let me play one song later. Huang Zongchao could not help but doubt her, You can also play the piano? Yeah, I can play the piano. Huang Zongchao felt surprised hearing this. Zhao Youyue was already amazingly good with the violin, was she an accomplished pianist as well? No, this was impossible. She was probably only a beginner, and her piano skills had to be mediocre, at best. If not, she would have chosen to perform with the piano instead of the violin at the party. After all, when it came to the expression of music, the piano still did a better job. Violin performances were not as expressive compared to piano performances, unless the skills of the violinist were completely beyond the imagination of ordinary people. Thus, as Zhao Youyue was always casually playing the violin during the rehearsals, she had not yet revealed her true strength. This gave Huang Zongchao the impression that she was just a mediocre violinist, just like a mass-produced factory product. Apart from her familiarity with the violin, she had no other redeeming factors. If her violin skills were only at that level, despite the fact that it was her main instrument, it was easy to imagine how bad her piano skills would be. She might only be able to do so much as to play a few very simple songs However, Huang Zongchao was already a little sick of playing the song that he had prepared. Furthermore, today was the last rehearsal before the New Years Eve party. He had also long been well prepared, hence he happily agreed to let Zhao Youyue play for him instead. He smiled and said, Sure, go ahead and play in my stead, then. Zhao Youyue happily said, The chairman is ever so kind and considerate, thank you! After Huang Zongchao saw Zhao Youyues smile, he realized that she really looked beautiful. A sweet scent breezed past him, and Zhao Youyue was already headed towards the stage. Huang Zongchao could not help but fantasize about how Zhao Youyue would look like, in her gown on the day of the event. In fact, he was even eagerly waiting for it to come. Zhao Youyue had already skillfully started video recording on her mobile phone. As usual, she did not show her face. However, her school uniform was exposed in the video. She went on to explain about why she had not been live streaming recently, while also telling her fans that she would be playing a song named B Comme Brise[1], originally composed by Chu Luoxun. This was a very soft and gentle piano piece. It had a calming effect, which made one feel as if they had been placed right in the middle of Spring, enjoying the sunshine as the flowers around them bloomed most beautifully Zhao Youyue did not hold back this time. She immediately activated the Chu Luoxun card. She had been prepared to play such a piano piece to take away all the uneasiness that her fans had been experiencing lately. Translation note : [1] B Comme Brise, (lit. B for Breeze)RAW:(lit. Spring Whispers) was a piano piece originally composed by Chu Luoxun in the novel Beautiful April. It was composed as a tribute to Richard Clayderman, a French pianist, which is why the title of the song bears a striking similarity to Richard Claydermans A Comme Amour, (lit. L for Love) or(lit. Autumn Whispers). Breeze translates to brise in French. We decided on such a name, because Spring is commonly associated with breezes. Chapter 322 The World of Music in Spring Zhao Youyue stabilized her mobile phone, pointing the camera right at her flawless pair of hands. Many of her fans envied her hands, not only could they control characters and kill anything in the game, they also played smooth and mesmerizing music. If the hands were so delicate and elegant, the appearance of their owner must be beautiful as well. They did catch the attention of a few hand lotion companies, prompted them to attempt hiring Ah Yu as their ambassador. Perhaps Su Li would not reject this five-figure offer from these small companies, but Zhao Youyue had no interest in them. Not many were left in the hall, those who were done rehearsing had the permission to leave, some were too lazy to attend night classes had remained seated, enjoyed the laidback role as audience. Wang Shun, the sworn rival of Hang Yongming, was one of the audience. He packed a bunch of snacks, and had planned to stay until the end of the rehearsal. His eyes were on his phone all the time, bored of those same performances on stage during every rehearsal. The next piano solo would be done by the president of Student Union, Huang Zongchao, with the track, Marriage DAmour. If he were to judge that performance, at most, it would be on point, words like beautiful and soul-touching were impossible to match with it. Despite it, Wang Shun knew that Huang Zongchao always put in his full effort in his studies, the piano was merely his hobby. He should be praised for achieved the on point level, but you would never expect to get Richard Clayderman out of him. The unfamiliar track diverted Wang Shuns attention from his phone to the stage. Instead of Huang Zongchao, there was a beautiful young girl with silky long hair, dressed in a school uniform. That was clearly the uprising star in school, supposedly the prettiest girl in school, Zhao Youyue! Even Wang Shun, a Grade 3 senior heard of this Grade 2 juniors name, Zhao Youyue. She excelled academically, and she had performed exceptionally well in the previous school sports competition. Her speeches under the national flag in front of all students were solid and inspiring, striking close to heart. Someone had finally matched Huang Zongchao as a remarkable individual as a Grade 2 student, while being far more beautiful and elegant, to boot. This young girl was supposed to play the violin, wasnt she, why was she playing the piano, now? Wang Shun could not wrap his mind around it. Wang Shun might be an art student, but he was aware of Zhao Youyues achievements. She was the champion of Provincial Music Competition, and her skills had managed to get her into the finalist of National Music Competition. He was jealous to learn that she had such attained such an achievement before she was even out of Grade 2, while he had only managed to get bronze in Provincial Music Competition. Yet, after a few times of watching her rehearsal, he only had one word for it. Perfunctory. There was no passion, her performance was just like a puppet with strings, but without soul. A glitch-free, bland performance like this would only impress laymen. Wang Shun also knew that his sworn rival, Hang Yongming often vigorously defended this young girl Zhao Youyue to great lengths It was a pity Hang Yongming wasnt here, his expression while indulging himself in Zhao Yongyues performance would be entertaining. Hang Yongming always left right after he rehearsed, he would never be a minute too late. Wang Shun did not pay much heed to it at the beginning; he had his doubts about this violinists skill on the piano. Furthermore, he could not tell which song she was playing; it was difficult to judge the performance. B comme Brise was written by Chu Luoxun, a character in a novel, as a tribute to Richard Claydermans A comme Amour, which portrayed the warm romance of a fairytale in autumn. B comme Brise was an expression of Spring by Chu Luoxun. It was soft and soothing, a song you would listen right before going to bed, just like a cradle rocking our minds into neverland. Zhao Youyue activated the Chu Luoxun card within her, playing the song with so much emotion, that it released the mysterious aura of spiritual music. Those who were listening with their hearts were dragged into her Musical Reality Marble. [1] Wang Shun propped his body up all at once; his ears perked up. He almost could see Zhao Youyue and the piano being surrounded by beds of flowers, as the notes of the music materialized as she pressed each key on the piano. They shimmered briefly in the air before they morphed into pink petals of a flower, and billowed across the hall! Wang Shun lifted his arms and embraced the wave, all at once forgetting that it was he who had once mocked the descriptions depicted in Beautiful April. Such a scene was when the lead male character performed on the piano. Yet now, that thought was fluffed out of his mind. He almost felt the flowers he lay on them in this world of music, a world where blossoming flower beds stretched over the horizon. Spring had transformed itself into a beautiful young girl who looked like Zhao Youyue, humming nursery rhymes to his ears, persuading him to close his eyes, into a neverending dream. Noises clattered around the hall, but as Zhao Youyues music dug deeper to its heart, almost everyone was dragged along with it. Some of Grade 1 students immediately broke off from the idle chatter, and were now mesmerized by Zhao Youyue who had cut herself free on the piano. Huang Zongchao was acting strangely as well. Before Zhang Youyue went onto the stage, he had pulled out his lecture notes of some competition and continued to study the questions, claiming he was not as free as Zhao Youyue. He should be on schedule for competition practice tonight, but he had to postpone it just for rehearsal. Therefore he had to put in some extra effort to remain ahead of the game. That was the plan, at least. Currently, there was nothing related to the questions of that competition in his mind, only blossoming flowers and divine warmth, as he floated to the sky, like a butterfly! Translation note : [1] Reality Marble, from TYPE-MOONs Fate series, is the ability to create and maintain a set of worlds based on their characteristics within a bounded field, anyone within the range will be encased and completely cut off from reality, since the real world had been shrunk and kept into the World Egg. For more information, Google it. Chapter 323 A Leisurely Play The Chairlady of this New Years Eve Party event was the deputy headmistress of the school, named Song Xiaoxia. She was just leaving the hall when Zhao Youyue started to play the piano. After a few days of rehearsal, Song Xiaoxia was satisfied, especially when it came to the flawless presentation of the two hosts, Zhao Youyue and Huang Zhongzhao. The solos were not perfect, but they were good enough. Only the collective performances such as the choir were giving her a headache, like mice dropping from the ceiling into a saucepan of otherwise perfect broth. Song Xiaoxia was a math teacher before being appointed as a deputy headmistress, and she was a math teacher who dearly loved music. She immersed herself into the mesmerizing piano tune played by Zhao Youyue, but a thought came to mind Wasnt Zhao Youyue playing the violin? Where did she pull out such an imposing piano performance? Song Xiaoxia soon found that Zhao Youyue was far captivating with the piano skill than what she could do with the violin! Such a remarkable piano performance! It would be a waste not showcase it on the stage for all the leaders, alumni and guests! Zhao Youyue finished the whole B comme Brise, composed by the avatar of the music God, Chu Luoxun, and ended her mobile phone recording. Even though her Fruit Mobile Phone was the newest model in the market, using nothing but the latest technology among the local mobile phones, it was clear to her that B comme Brises Spiritual power had failed to translate into the digital language. The recording carried none of its power. It was exactly the same as her mastering the recipe of those illuminating cuisine. Others might not be able to reproduce the same cuisine, even if they followed every step, down to the twitching of her fingers. Likewise, her phone could not reproduce it. One had to present as she performed Chu Luoxuns music, in order to experience that ideal form of music. After Zhao Youyue was finished with the track, the hall was pin-drop silent. It was in the middle of chilling winter, yet those few audiences left in the hall were still basking in the peak of spring. A single clap stirred everyone else, and was quickly followed by a thundering applause. That Erhu performer Wang Shun clapped his palms with extreme gusto, his face locked in a frozen mask of awe! How could this violinist bring a piano to life?! Such a beautiful piano piece had to be well-known, yet he knew nothing of it! She couldnt have composed it herself, could she? No! It is impossible! Wang Shun convinced himself to rather believe that Zhao Youyue had been born in a wealthy family. They had to have the connections and wealth to hire a well-known musician to compose a song for her. She could not be that talented, could she? While Wang Shun was deeply affected by Zhao Youyues performance, he was also affected by an overwhelming sense of inferiority. Music was a cruel world, where innate talent determined the limit of a musician at birth! Even with great effort, one might only reach the lower limit of the others. Yet, so many people had failed to do so, just like a short-lived infatuation, while earning a few pats on the back for mastering a few songs. The ugly truth was, ordinary people should not be expected to admire the performance of an artist automatically. They could be considered insincere and fake, or they were just good actors, for when it came to complicated, classic music that consisted of different levels of emotions, they could comprehend nothing, but get impressed for reasons they could not word out. And that time, Zhao Youyue had created the greatest actor out of everyone else! Huang Zongchao, the president of Student Union who thought that Zhao Youyue was a novice pianist, applauded rigidly, as a thought plagued his mind, should I perform on that night with my incompetent skills? Why not pass the stage to Zhao Youyue! There was no doubt Huang Zongchao had been petrified by the performance of Zhao Youyue, which led him to wonder, why would she compete only in violin music contests if she was so much better with the piano? Deep in his bones, Huang Zongchao was full of himself. He called himself a hard-working genius, always ahead of other academicians. Now he truly understood what real music talent was! For an instance, he compared the difference between his piano skills and Zhao Youyues skills. Finally, he had been acquainted with the emotions of ordinary students as they ponder over his academic achievements Yet, Huang Zongchao could not ignore the fact that Zhao Youyue was almost his equal in academics! She might have even toppled his throne if she had opted for the science stream, but not the art stream. Huang Zongchao could not help but gasp to himself; this girl was talented in everything, not even sports had slipped through her fingers! That impressive yet soothing piano performance by Zhao Youyue had left Huang Zongchao physically petrified, while his heart went wild. It was at that moment when he glanced at his competition lecture notes and broke the spell. At least Zhao Youyue did not excel in math and science competitions; she had chosen the art stream as she was not the best in science. Huang Zongchao felt a little comfort for a while. He was afraid of being bested by an unseemly girl like Zhao Youyue. After all, it was he, who was always beating down his rivals as a hardworking genius. The sudden applause had startled Zhao Youyue. She was just about to upload her piano performance on her Weibo, in order to comfort her fans who were worried about Su Lis curse. Impressing everyone in the hall and earning their most sincere applause had come as a bonus! She stood up, bowed to the scattered bunches of audiences, and went behind the stage. Vice Headmistress Song Xiaoxia walked towards Zhao Youyue with a smile, Zhao Youyue, you displayed remarkable skills with the piano, why not participate as a piano soloist, your violin performance was not as impactful. Zhao Youyue spoke within her heart; if I activated Chu Luoxuns card with violin, the effect would be far more impressive. Yet the words came out from her mouth was I was playing leisurely with the piano, it could not be put on stage but if I express myself with a violin performance, everybody would be satisfied on that night, I guarantee it! These words have amazed Song Xiaoxia and Huang Zongchao, such great performance was out of leisure, if she was serious, would the sky shatter? Nevertheless, the program and sequences had repeatedly been rehearsed and set; there was no room for further changes. They could do nothing but look forward to her violin performance. Zhao Youyue uploaded her piano performance onto Ah Yu Weibo. For once, she was careless, having overlooked the fact that she was in her school uniform. Lucky for her, her school sports uniform sported the common blue-and-white standard styles, perhaps the only differences were on the small details. But, lets not forget that her very own school was awash with Ah Yu fans, they would be far more familiar with her uniform, and find out who she really was! Chapter 324 Almighty Love Letter Quite a number of students in the school actually paid attention to Ah Yus Weibo. Han Leng happened to be one of them, and Hang Yongming, who always acknowledged Ah Yus music, though he disapproved of Zhao Youyues music. However, not everyone who followed Ah Yus Weibo would be notified whenever Zhao Youyue posted something on her Weibo. Han Leng never really closely followed Ah Yu, though it had now become a habit of his to listen to her on Netease Music Wang Yiyun before sleeping. By coincidence or otherwise, her music reminded him of Chu Luoxun, his favorite character to have ever been written on paper. Furthermore, Han Leng was a sluggish person. After he published his Beautiful April, he did not rush to start the next book. Most of the time, his mobile phone would be left in his hostel, be it during lunch breaks, or at night when he would be playing on his phone. Him missing out on Ah Yus Weibo posts was a rather likely and common occurrence, as he did not scroll through her page that often. When it came to killing time, he favored the pen and paper; the cell phone was not his thing, after all. Even though he was putting in lots of effort for his studies, he would still make time for his writing. Such was his commitment and enthusiasm towards writing. As Zhao Youyue was getting more attention as the prettiest girl in school, Han Leng was getting occupied with the rising demand of his love letter ghostwriting business. He was glad to help those souls succumb to Zhao Youyues beauty, because he knew damn well that all those efforts would end in vain. Everybody knew that Lady Zhao would not be moved by merely writing love letters. She treated everyone in the same way, in other words, everybody was nobody, and nobody was worth than an ant! Nevertheless, Han Leng wrote every love letter request for her with great devotion to his almighty method of love letter writing. It was him who had boasted to Lady Zhao when they were sitting next to each other A love letter is love and romance being intertwined with each other in the form of words, especially when it came to high school love letters, where the blanks within sentences would not be filled by words, but by pure feelings of love that were worlds apart from letters. Every time he wrote, he wrote with all his heart. He would not be writing to Zhao Youyue. In his view, another would take her spot. Chu Luoxun would grant him all the inspiration he needed, and he would write the intensity he felt during Beautiful April. He had long been confused with this intangible, yet firm connection between Zhao Youyue and Chu Luoxun. The first commandment when it comes to writing love letters was to describe the first time you have ever laid eyes on the significant other. No matter how dull and boring that scene was, he could inject some romance in, and beautify the whole scene. When I first saw you in that summer, the sun cast itself in the form of violets all over the wall. I stood by the corner, chasing after your shadow. When you finally turned around, your fair and lovely face cast itself into my heart. He would use different forms of adjectives and hyperbole to express how important the girl meant to him If I never trudged up that old road of marble, I would never have found this fire within me to last through countless of frosty, cold nights. You entered this white piece of paper, and gave it color. Years later, this piece of paper would be treasured, as it has you, and you made it art. Without you, it would be burnt, scattered into the air without a trace, because it would be worth nothing but a piece of blank paper. The next commandment would be to start talking about fate. He was certain that all girls believed in fate. It was you who lit up my world in passing, without even knowing of this life you saved. Day by day, my passion and thoughts are a convergence of words and symbols, folded into this small paper plane that is flung into the air, where hopefully, it would find you. Now that it has found your hands, perhaps this is fate. Just like a very, very real dream. Then he would emphasize on the details, praising the girl in every way he knew. I adore how you curl your lips and smile, where that flash of brilliant red warms my heart. I adore how your hair slides through your fingers, where those silky smooth, delicate movements leave me in a world of stars. Most of all, I love the moment when our eyes meet, where I finally understand how it feels when our souls collide. Of course, playing along with meaningless, vague descriptions was Han Lengs favorite part. The ancient moon mourns for the wound in my heart, it was with that cold place, that I am now apart never will I look back and restart. Gazing upon the street, you stood in the shadow, with a face of sorrow, with beauty, one could only hallow. Memories of you would never fade a star in the west was where you once stayed, for all eternity with no mate. Unyieldingly I brace across galaxies, I sought for your face, with the Mandela seed youve placed on sunset of our last days unmarred by my grace In the book of Guardians where the fate of souls thrive, partners for one life blossoming in one life I would never contrite What story would come from these yellowed pages of old? To withhold To be bold Destined to meet at a crossroad One of the many more memories to be told Modern poems are not good enough; we need something older, with stanzas Under the pale moonlight, An unraveled coat sees light, You looked to the skies, I can only guess that you miss the home reflected in your eyes, The entire night saw unceasing snow, From the north doth the wind blow, Thousands of miles apart, two hearts were met by single arrow. Blooming flowers of spring and leaves of autumn go brown; And in sadness do I drown. Your heart I sought, Your rejection I wrought, And the yesterday of me became naught. High school students would never scrunch up such words together in style; Han Lengs writing skills were indeed beyond high school standards. After all, no matter how good the sentences were, or how bombastic the words were, all this served no purpose, as only one sentence carried meaning. How much would he charge from all of this? Pleasure had turned him immune to exhaustion, as he hoped that he could bring a smile on Lady Zhaos face. Han Leng felt that he was doing the same thing that ancient scholars did, writing poems and songs to please their rulers. By being in different classes with Lady Zhao, they were no longer deskmates. Han Leng thought that he could now enjoy everlasting peace and freedom, yet every time he caught sight of that long-haired Lady Zhao in uniform, his mood would take a dive. In all the love letters he wrote to her on behalf of others, never once did he mention the three magical words, I love you. No love letter on this earth was more sincere than uttering these three words, face to face. Its a shame that all these fabricated, romantic, and lengthy sentences could bring the most joy out of people. Without his phone, Han Leng understandably missed out on Ah Yus Weibo update. Hang Yongming left straight after rehearsal, yet he was the one to notice and grew agitated. Ah Yu, the long-lost female anchor, had survived the curse and was back alive! Chapter 325 A Female High School Student Self-proclaiming himself to be a hardcore fan of Ah Yu, Hang Youming would watch every single one of her live broadcasts. He was an art student; time was a luxury he could spare. Sadly, this hardcore fan had been watching the live broadcasts for free. Fishball gifts could be obtained through missions at no cost, yet they were too troublesome for him. His efforts could be seen from those passionately spammed 666 on her live stream bullet curtains, or where he provided the definition of each term and would answer questions asked by random people on B site Channel, a page where some Ah Yu performances had been uploaded. Ah Yus talent was not merely restricted to modern music. She broke down the boundaries of typical Classical Music and planted a bit of herself in them. It all fell on Hang Yongmings shoulders as a hardcore fan to reveal and interpret such sophisticated details to the ordinary audience. Apparently, these classical pieces whetted the audiences appetite much better after tempered with Ah Yus personality; some even thought that was the right way to play those pieces. If those memorable composers knew what Ah Yu did to their masterpieces, they might even jump out from their coffins, who permitted her to mutilate them so? Hang Yongming however, was one who despised those so-called authorities who standardized classic music. She did what Hang Yongming thought was right. Rigid judiciary systems that were based on those standards made music competitions loathsome. Music was supposed to be free and alive, just like Ah Yu and Chu Luoxun! Hang Yongming had placed Ah Yu as the real-life Chu Luoxun in his heart. His musical path was dedicated to Beautiful April. Regardless of how ridiculous it sounded to learn music from a novel, Leng Zis understanding and experiences of music had convinced Hang Yongming that Leng Zi had to be a part of the music industry! Inspired by the descriptions of Chu Luoxuns music, Hang Yongming believed that the musical path prescribed by the novel, had to be exactly like Chu Luoxun, for that was real music! He tried to follow Chu Luoxuns footsteps in the music competitions he participated. Unfortunately, not only did the audience not applause for him, the judges commentaries were harsh and cold As he grew cynical towards almost everything, he started to scorn the gold medalist of the provincial level musical competition, the finalist of the national music competition, that judges golden child, Zhao Youyue! He denounced the musical path of Zhao Youyue, famous Ah Yu was all the support he needed! For some time, Ah Yu stopped her broadcasts and left Hang Yongming anxious, afraid that she would never go live again. The bizarre claim of Ah Yu being cursed to death had never once concerned Hang Yongming. It had to be another of Ah Yus weird roleplays. Besides, the woman viewed live-streams as something else entirely. Ah Yu was not a full-time anchor. She couldnt care less about money, and occasionally went live to top up some money in full view of the audience. Missy was the affectionately given name for a select variety of female anchors, but when it came to the one with the best lady-like temperaments, that would be Ah Yu. She was a very talented young girl, who was born with a silver spoon in her mouth. No matter what she invested her effort, she would always claim the top. Ah Yu also did some part-time VA. Even though that industry was ruthlessly competitive, Ah Yus popularity had still broken through. She would surely end up as an idol voice actress with a decent income! Hang Yongming grew more anxious as he let his thoughts run wild, troubled by the possibility of Ah Yu fading away from the live broadcast scene. Who else could be his beacon of light? The violins track that he had prepared for New Years Eve Party was Happened to Meet You, composed by Ah Yu.This song was well-known by students across the school. He was confident that the first draw of his bow would send the crowd wild with excitement. If Hang Yongmings memory served him right, this pleasant piece of music was broadcasted on campus radio a few days ago. Those who heard of this song for the first time were moved by the rhythm, and immediately asked around the song. Hang Yongming had always been at forefront of the latest trends, and this was the current hit. Who else would be able to compare themselves to him on the New Years Eve Party? Zhao Youyue? That woman thinks that she is Ah Yu. Was she even capable of composing a much more delicate and moving music piece than the one he was going to play? Impossible! Nevertheless, Hang Yongming did come across Ah Yus latest Weibo post, claiming that she had postponed her live broadcast due to her preparations for New Years Eve Party. His panic calmed down, for it was such a coincidence that he was occupied with the same matter. Wait, could Ah Yu be a high school student? No, universities held similar celebrations. Most of Ah Yus followers had anticipated that it was most logical for her to be a university student. Hang Youming found an additional channel in Weibo, one that was recorded by a mobile phone. It was Ah Yu who was apologizing for not being able to broadcast live, while attempting to comfort her fans with Chu Luoxuns song named B Comme Brise. There was no such person as Chu Luoxun. The only way to process this was that she had composed this song by herself. How much it differed from A Comme Amour remained to be seen. Nevertheless, was it possible for this female anchor Ah Yu to play the piano? She had never once demonstrated it before Hang Yongming watched on, and was shocked to see the school uniform she was wearing! Her uniform was from his school! Yet, his mind so too crowded to realize that, for he was reeling from the revelation of Ah Yu being a high school student. He couldnt be mistaken; no university would have such a dull blue-and-white tracksuit uniform! Basically, there were no uniforms in universities, other than those well-known and famous institutions. Even if their uniforms were hideous, donning them on would be a great honor. Still, this did not look like a university uniform. It had to be a high school uniform! She was a high school student! Chapter 326 On Headline! Hang Yongming struggled to believe his eyes. Were all female high school students these days, witches? Such remarkable talent! Through the lens of the camera, Hang Yongming caught sight of a particular pair of hands. At that moment, all doubts that lingered in his heart vanished into thin air. Ah Yu was known for her flawless hands, and those hands were enough to prove that she was Ah Yu! He wanted those pair of flawless hands, in so many ways. Just by looking at them stirred up strong emotions in his heart. Such beauty was truly irresistible. Yet, he was astounded that Xiao Yu was still a female high school student. In his heart, he had always respected Ah Yu as an elder who shared his aspirations. He never expected her to be about his age, or even younger, possibly. Xiao Yu was unlikely to be a senior year student; she would not have the time to perform in live broadcasts. Hang Yongming was unable to accept this newfound discovery, and grew embarrassed by all those praises he once gave to Ah Yu. Apparently he was in a race with her, however, when he realized that this winner was younger than he was, he felt incredibly awkward. He was looking forward to Ah Yus piano performance live; now he was lost in thought Violin was Ah Yus specialty, and her guitar ballads were incredible. How good was her piano, then? He remained frozen after long finishing the video, till the Spiritual Music lost its mysterious effects on him. B Comme Brise was almost as beautiful as A Comme Amour; Ah Yu was undeniably, a marvelous pianist. As bold as it sounded, Ah Yus skill as a pianist had to be the best of the best! Such an elegant scene flashed across the screen, as the fingers waltzed across that black and white keys! Awful regret flooded Hang Yongmings mind, the moment he thought of having missed the opportunity of seeing this live. This piece would have had far more power when played live, compared to an online recording. Even though the mobile phone was not a professional recording device, it conveyed her powers well enough; Ah Yus skill as a pianist had to be exemplary. Wait a second, live? Feeling a sense of Dj vu out of a sudden, Hang Yongming thought he saw something familiar. If only he could find out what its source was! He replayed the video over again and again, and noticed that the background was oddly familiar. All of a sudden, he slapped his thigh and burst out, Isnt this school auditorium? Consequentially, he inspected Ah Yus uniform. Didnt this uniform belong to his school? Ah Yu was attending his school! Hang Yongming reeled as the world left him behind! He had always wondered where Ah Yu came from, but never once did cross his mind that she would be from the same school as he was! It was totally mind-blowing! Hang Youming did not immediately link the dots between Ah Yu and Zhao Youyue C that rigid violinist. On this coming New Years Eve night, it was destined for all to understand; this celebration was not just a musical competition. Music would only gain meaning, once revered by the audience! Zhao Youyues performance might impress judges, but hardly anyone else would appreciate it. He had stayed back a few times just to hear Zhao Youyues performance; all of them had ended up with him laughing in his heart. Was she expecting them to applaud for her robotic performance? She should know the sole reason the audience would clap for her was because of her good looks. Wasnt this a musicians greatest form of insult? A musician who impresses people not with her performance, but her looks was nothing more than a vase! Every time, Hang Youming left after watching Zhao Youyues performance. For this rehearsal, he had departed immediately after his part. Ah Yus piano solo should have been after Zhao Youyue Hang Youming was vexed over his own actions. Why couldnt he be patient and stayed a little longer? He would have known who Ah Yu was, and how she would be looked like! Ah Yu should be rather plain and ordinary in appearance. If she had Zhao Youyues pretty face, why would she conceal her face? If she appeared with such beautiful figure and performed with such remarkable talent, it would have started a war among the brat packs. Think about how much more popularity she stood to gain! Hang Youming leaned back and waited patiently, everything would be revealed on the night of New Years Eve Party. Comments. Lets read the comments. The numbers of shares and comments rose exponentially, right after this video was posted on Weibo. Such amazing popularity! Most of the comments were expressing their relief that Ah Yu did not go out of the ashes and into the fire. Nevertheless, some grumbled over her sudden disappearance. If she had notified them ahead of time, they would not have been so worried over nothing. Others expressed shock and awe. My jaw formed a crater in the ground when I saw Ah Yu in a high school uniform. I never thought she is still a high school student! Finally, you have lifted the mysterious veil, Ah Yu! Which school does this uniform belong to? Cmon guys, dig it up!! You play so well with that piano too, how many instruments have you actually mastered? Searched B Comme Brise through the internet and Ive got nothing, theres only A Comme Amour which was entirely different. This is another one of her original compositions? Respect! A high school girl going live after being missing, with billions of dollars of income! Shocking! A famous VA, singer, two-dimensional live streamer Ah Yu turned out to be a female high school student, and she is resisting The Curse of Master Su! What is the hidden story behind this Ah Yu was on headlines once again, after revealing herself as a high school student in one of her Weibo post. Most of the people thought that it was due to her surviving Su Lis curse, and some of them believed that curse actually worked and had delayed her broadcast. Who knew how much money has Ah Yu lost Chapter 327 New Years Eve Party Commences Even though Ah Yu did not get affected by Su Lis curse, but it had been a long time since her last live streaming video. This would definitely have caused her popularity to decline. Although it had nothing to do with Su Lus curse, most of the netizens would think otherwise In the end, the most helpless person was Su Li. She finally understood that no matter how hard she tries to argue for herself, even having Lady Zhao prove it to everyone, all of it had been in vain. This was a meaningless struggle, so she simply drew a comic of herself being poor, and posted it on Weibo with a caption that went Ill admit it, my drawing has a mysterious power, from this day forward, I hereby curse myself that all of the manga I draw are destined to fail! I shall become poor and no future! ()[1] The poorly drawn comic of Su Li was most amusing. It was cute to see herself transforming into a manga character. It only made people find her more interesting, and egged them on to tease her even further. The moment she stopped defending herself, she only drew more attention. Naturally, her fame gradually increased as well. More and more companies and authors wanted to collaborate with her, and the sums they offered rose proportionally. Without a doubt, her curse and the title of Pan of this generation had been implanted into the hearts of people, which gave her even more money It looked like Su Li was struggling to get rid of her cursed title, but actually, she was making a fortune without anybody knowing of it. This tiny chink in her fame would not matter much, as long as she was making money. After Su Li posted it on Weibo, many of the netizens already knew that Su Li was only promoting herself. It was all a gimmick; for the effects were quite the opposite! Some netizens would investigate on the curse of Su Li to prove its validity, and find them they did, in full detail as well. This demonstrated the popularity of Su Li, and her income only grew But many people were amazed at the great deity, Su Li herself. After discovering her own mysterious power, she had only learned how to promote herself in such a dire situation. It was such an ingenious use of her own infamy! But then, the attention Su Li had was no match for a high school girl who had nearly exposed her real identity, Ah Yu. After all, Su Li was just an author, no matter how much she got into trouble, or how popular she became, she was far beyond compare to the popular live streamer, Ah Yu. Ever since Ah Yu took the first place on the national ranking in League of Legends, she became a Pubstomper[2]. She gained many subscribers, and several professional teams tried to recruit her. Unfortunately, she had no intention of playing the game as a professional. Many people felt like it was a waste of her talents, or else they could have witnessed her glory in the professional arena. At that moment, some medias promoted her in exaggeration, causing her fame to grow exponentially in Douyu. Soon after, everyone realized that not only she had an amazing talent for gaming, her musical talents were astounding too, and finally, she had revealed herself to be a voice actress as well, as the voice of Yu Shengfan in the highly popular novel-adaptation anime, The Strongest King! So, other than her gaming fans, musical and otaku fans soon came pouring into her live streaming channel, and all this had turned her into one of the top live streamers on this platform, a female live streamer who used her sheer talents to attract her audience! Under such circumstances, many more yearned to see her face and learn of her name, but unfortunately, she did not intend to reveal them at all But now, Ah Yu had unintentionally revealed that she was a high school student, throwing a hint among the starving fans, giving them inhuman levels of motivation! Which school was she from, and what year was she? It appeared that she would be performing during the New Years Eve party, so could they sneak into that high school and find out? Some passionate fans might go overboard and cross certain boundaries, but this would not be all that surprising Luckily, the high school uniform that Zhao Youyue wore was rather universal; it would be quite difficult for others to look for the right school in such a short time, except for the student who attended the same school. Except for art students like Hang Yongming who had the time to watch live streams, while other students from the same school focused on their exams and academic results. They even banned the use of mobile phones in school, and there were no charging docks in the dorms This actually delayed the actual uncovering of her identity, but it was inevitable. Zhao Youyue herself was not aware of this problem, she felt that it would be better if her sock puppet identity, Ah Yu became even more popular, so that she could promote her future possessees literary worlds easily. Ah Yu caused a commotion on the internet when she accidentally exposed herself as a high school student, it had caused a wave of rumors and gossips among her fans. While all this circulated on the internet, the high school that Zhao Youyue attended finally commenced with their New Years Eve party. It was the schools anniversary as well; and it was the first time the students were actually experiencing a carnival just like any other private noble schools, or, more aptly, those School Festivals in Japanese schools. Unfortunately, the class rep of Zhao Youyues class, Bai Yunshan was too strict, and she did not allow the class to organize a Maids caf. Every male in the school hated her for rejecting that idea. The reason was simple enough; many male students were looking forward to seeing Zhao Youyue in a maid uniform, and enjoy her service, even she only served them a cup of coffee, it would be worth dying for! Han Leng, the ex-deskmate who knew the real Zhao Youyue, was looking forward to it as well, for he was always getting bullied by Lady Zhao, and wanted to regain his honor In the end, Zhao Youyues class organized a scary house. It had turned out to be rather interesting, without being inferior to a Maids cafe. Zhao Youyue had a blast, as she was able to scare a lot of people while pretending to be a ghost. She was fortunate enough to get away from it all without a beating. Long story short, the once-in-a-lifetime nature of this school anniversary event had given everyone in this school an outlet to relax and enjoy themselves. After all, a strict high school such as this rarely ever organized events to celebrate their school anniversary. It was as if the lid of a chest that had been used to trap all the youthful spirits in the school had been blown off its hinges Of course, besides relaxing events, several VIP alumni had returned to give speeches and even publicly donate to the school. Some entrepreneurs may not have been rich back then, but that was no longer the case, of course they would return to their old school and flaunt it. It would be a waste if no one learns of their net worth. Evening finally fell, and the grand New Years Eve party officially kicked off. The grand hall was full of people, and those who were placed strategically as to provide them the best views ever, were those popular alumni. Translation note: [1] () C this flipping emoticon was in the RAW (untranslated copy of the chapter), expressing Su Lis rage. [2] Pubstomper C A name for someone who usually goes in alone or with a group of people to a public server on a game and completely trashes them. As the RAW term is not even close to this term at all, s lit. translation, Passer-by King. Chapter 328 The brilliant sparkling female protagonist Among those popular alumni, there was this popular author in particular C Ou Yang, who had the full attention of the spotlight. Many mistook Ou Yang as his surname, expecting it to be tailed by additional names. In actuality, his surname was Ou, and a single name Yang. Ou Yang was already in his forties; he was a popular author who wrote thrillers. He came from an average family, and had an ordinary student life. After university graduation, he became an electrical engineer, and wrote after his working hours. During his time, the internet was not commonplace yet; there were no suitable places for web novels to thrive. Fortunately, there were many literary prizes in this worlds China, especially detective novels, which sold better than others. They also carried heavier price tags, which was why many publishers were willing to publish such novels, as they were far easier to sell. Ou Yang spent five years to finally make his appearance in the thriller domain. Finally, when he was 29 years old, his novel, Prisoners earned him the famous newcomer award. From thereon, his career as a novelist kicked off. However, his career as a professional novelist was not an easy one. For ten years, his works did not sell well; he barely made a living out of it. At one point, he felt lost, and started doubting if he should continue writing novels His thriller novels did not have any plot twists, delicate layouts, nor were they full of mysterious and suspicious hints. He only focused on the morality and ethics of mankind in his thriller novel, which had always been his main focus. He did not only know how to write pure literature, but still, he loved to describe characters who were haunted by self-conflicted ideals as they wrestled with their humanity. This author gave his all in making sure that his readers would be struck with shock as they read his novel Ou Yang failed as an author for ten years; but his fame finally grew after a great selling of his novel, Winters Journey. This had also heated up the sales of his previous novels, and his royalties shot up. His following novels all sold rather well, and some of them were even adapted into movies. He finally attained fame as a legend. Now, whenever he started a new book, filmmakers would be willing to stake their careers on their adaptations, even if nothing else but the title had been released. This was Ou Yang, an ordinary author; he had persevered for more than ten years to become a famous author. Last year on the authors wealth rankings, he entered the third place, earning a royalty of thirty million. His income could not be compared to these new web novelists, but his status in the literary field was at a legendary status. Of course, he found some web novels interesting, but traditional literature occupied his heart before all else. Ou Yang was truly reputable, even among web novels; he gained genuine respect from students, as he gave his speech in Lu Xun College. He was a minority. Most traditional authors still looked down on web novelists, and vice versa. The sales of books had been dwindling over the years, most conventional authors still had to depend on national subsidies and work part-time to make a living. If one were to approach Zhao Youyues mother, Wang Hua, another traditional author, and ask how much she earned, things would quickly get awkward Ou Yang was an alumnus of this high school. During his years as a student, he had been a quiet student, and still remembered getting caught by his homeroom teacher whenever he wrote novels during classes. More often than not, he ended up getting severely scolded by his teachers. His teachers did not believe that novelists had bright futures. Graduating from a university and getting a decent job was the correct thing to do. Ou Yang never opposed his teacher, but he did not give up on his dreams either. Today, he saw his teacher who was now an old man. The elder man had congratulated him for being the most successful person in his class. Obviously, the old man had already forgotten the events of the past lifetime. Many of his classmates congratulated him as well; they were also considered successful VIPs of this event, but their accomplishments momentously paled in comparison to what he had achieved. Of course, it was a most enjoyable experience. During the old days he was just a nobody, but now, he was one of those main characters in the spotlight. He had even been invited to give a speech. Life was indeed unpredictable, thought Ou Yang, as he sighed emotionally. He was well aware that he lacked talent. He was average at best, having no ability of dishing out bombastic words nor sentences, but his books were always known for raking through the hearts of those who read them. He did not have any remarkable experiences to share either; as a high school student, he had already decided to spend the rest of his life writing novels. Ideally, he had hoped that writing alone would be able to place food on his table, but if he couldnt make it, then he would just pick up another job as he continued writing. He was still single, and was without any lovers. His writings were his wives, his lovers, as long as he could write, that would be sufficient. Ou Yang sat among the audience, feeling the nostalgia of returning to his high school era, but this New Years Eve party was on a much larger scale than it once was. When he saw the male and female emcees on stage and hosting the party with passion, he was just like all the other males, focusing their gazes on the long-haired female emcee. Makeup had turned the long-haired Zhao Youyue into a Goddess. The gorgeous evening gown only completed the image! The school had originally intended to rent a gown for her, but she had one of her own. So she prepared the gown herself, and even put on the makeup herself. The makeup artist hired by the school was not a professional either, it would have only made it worse. Zhao Youyue was a person who emphasizes on looks; she would not allow a tiny flaw to blemish her appearance, on this grand events stage. If things go as planned, this would be the biggest chance for her to really increase her sense of presence during her career as a high school student Today is the day for her to transform into the main protagonist! Zhao Youyue claimed the stage in her gorgeous gown. Without a doubt, she was the spotlight of this venue. She couldnt care less about her partner, Wang Zongchaos feelings. In fact, when Wang Zongchao saw the beautiful Zhao Youyue, he felt nothing but honor, to be able to be Zhao Youyues partner. This would earn him the envy of every other male student, because they were not even qualified to stand beside her. When Ou Yang came back to his senses, the first performance was already in play, but he only found it dreary. He would rather have the female emcee continue talking. Such a young and beautiful female high school student. The very sight of her seemed to restore his very youth. For the first time ever, Ou Yang felt a tinge of regret. Most of his youth had been burned off by his obsession with writing. He quickly remembered that he could not be blamed for that. During his time as a student, there were no brilliant, sparkling female protagonists. Chapter 329 : Not So Simple I only thought that something like a School Flower would only exist in novels, but after watching her perform on stage, now I understand that she totally deserved that title. That female emcee is the legendary Zhao Youyue? This look, this body, this temperament! Tsk tsk tsk I heard that she would be playing the violin later. Even if she plays badly, as long as I can see her one more time, my life would be complete. This is certainly unexpected, Im so used to seeing Zhao Youyue in her uniform without makeup, now look at her, shes totally a different person! Just end this boring segment already, I just wanna see the perfect and beautiful female emcee! Many of the students were praising her or muttering to themselves. All this proved that the female emcee, Zhao Youyue had successfully captured the attention of every single audience member. Her appearance and poise had already won over the hearts of every single person! Even a middle age guy like Ou Yang could not escape, he was deeply immersed in her unrivaled beauty. His novelist mind stirred into action, as inspirational ideas started flooding his head. The average students were completely enthralled by her beauty. In schools, there would always be students who were slow the uptake or had problems communicating. Late to the party or not, even such individuals were now aware that a beauty walked through the halls of this school! Such a discovery was most definitely a pleasant surprise C Han Lengs love letter business would undoubtedly grow. Han Lengs love letters were different, compared to the others; his standards were above average, so Zhao Youyue always treated his love letters with extra care, which further motivated Han Leng. Those who admired Zhao Youyue would know who to approach if they wanted love letters written One day, Han Leng realized that someone had requested him to write a love letter to a girl named Lin Xuanya, and the requestor was Lin Xuanya herself. Those love letters he had grown so accustomed to writing could no longer help him here. This third-year senior, Lin Xuanya was also a rich mans daughter, she had a sexy body and was skilled at dancing But now, this whole school only seemed to know Zhao Youyue, and not knowing this Lin Xuanya who intended to debut as an idol after school graduation. Lin Xuanya felt helpless in the face of a near perfect girl like Zhao Youyue; she could only be a side character when placed with Zhao Youyue. Lin Xuanya was to perform an ethnic dance during the night party, but after witnessing the outstanding performance by Zhao Youyue, she almost planned to drop everything, there and then. At that moment, Han Leng was sitting among the audience, but he was probably the calmest person in the room, because he had already seen Zhao Youyue in her beautiful gown, only this time, she had long, flowing hair. How the long hair worked truly baffled Han Leng. Just by stacking up some dead proteins on her scalp, her charm had totally blown up, and people were admiring her at first glance!Her short hairstyle only made her cute, like a famous sword hidden in a scabbard, her long hair made her fabulous! Han Leng somehow felt that Lady Zhao would only use her appearance to win the audience over If he was not mistaken, her violin style would never rise up to this occasion, the calm and accurate Humanoid Metronome that she was At the same time, he could not forget the one time she played in the classroom, as if Chu Luoxun had possessed her Han Leng had always convinced himself that it was just a coincidence. Only if she actually repeats that performance, would he be convinced of the opposite! How would that be possible? Han Leng started doubting himself, but he could only continue watching the performance for now. The New Years Eve party was going on well, but most of the audience remained unimpressed. Instead, they placed their entire focus on the female emcee after each segment; she was really good looking! The first performance of note was the singing of the little angel, Jiang Qing. She sang really well, she looked the part, and managed to grab the attention of the audience from Zhao Youyue for a moment. After she was done singing her song, everyone requested for an encore; this was unexpected because they had not prepared any other backing track. But then, Jiang Qing could not bring herself to disappoint her fellow students, so she prepared to sing a cappella of Sweet Zhao Youyue used to be envious of Jiang Qing because of her ability to sing, but now she had Chu Luoxuns card, she was already beyond that level. Even so, she would not snatch the spotlight from Jiang Qing. She would even help Jiang Qing. As everyone was still cheering for Jiang Qing, Zhao Youyue went to the piano and started playing for Jiang Qing; this gave her singing much more power! The beautiful figure of a poised Zhao Youyue at the seat of the piano became deeply engraved into the minds of every student. Most of them suddenly became aware that Zhao Youyue knew how to play the piano as well, and was doing a wonderful job at it! How many instruments could this Zhao Youyue play? Jiang Qing also never knew that Zhao Youyue could play the piano. After her performance, she gave Zhao Youyue a passionate hug, and left the stage happily. If Lady Zhao had not stepped in, she wouldnt have been able to sing at such a level If the audience werent lost in the aftertone of the sweet voice and the sound of the piano, they might have had the clarity of mind to request for more, so that they could hear another song played by Zhao Youyue. After Zhao Youyue played the piano, one particular person was left particularly nervous. That person was Hang Yongming. He even checked on the list of performances and discovered that there was only one piano performance, and it was going to be performed by the student council president, Wang Zongchao, so, wheres Ah Yu? He had been bothered by this until Zhao Youyue started playing the piano Was Ah Yu actually Zhao Youyue? Hang Yongming could not bring himself to believe it; hed rather accept the possibility of another girl hiding somewhere between the curtains. However, he was forced to cast all other thoughts aside, for it was his turn to perform. Despite his nervousness, he still managed to play the song Happened to met you flawlessly. Of course, it stirred up a fuss, as several students were familiar with the melody. They were not applauding the violinist, they were applauding the hit song Unfortunately, Hang Yongming was no beauty, or else the audience would have definitely requested for another song. After Hang Yongming was done performing, he locked his gaze upon Zhao Youyue. Because of her piano performance, he knew Zhao Youyue was not as simple as she looks on the outside! Finally, it was time for the most anticipated event C Zhao Youyues violin solo, her original songBeethoven Virus. Chapter 330 Upsurge of Passion Zhao Youyues previous piano performance had left every audience eager to see her violin solo. Some people were concerned, for the previous performer, who also happened to be a violinist carrying the title Prince of Violins C Hang Yongming had already played the song Happened to meet you, which was quite entertaining and got a positive feedback from the audience. His competitor, Wang Shun who was an Erhu performer could almost rival him, but the song he chose, The moon over a fountain, was not as popular. Now, it was Zhao Youyues turn to perform. The emcee; Wang Zongchao briefly announced that she would be playing a song title Beethoven Virus, a modified version of one of Beethovens famous song. Wouldnt it be awkward if nobody even knew what she was playing? But most of the students did not think too much of it; her song choice was damned, as long as they could admire her beauty! Such was the privilege of being a beautiful young lady, no matter how she screws things up, every single one of her shortcoming could be turned into something moe, equivalent to how people aww at a cute child throwing a violent tantrum This world was truly superficial. Zhao Youyue held a uniquely shaped, claret red violin. Upon arriving on stage, she activated the Chu Luoxun card, and the goddess aura of Chu Luoxun instantly overwhelmed the audience! At that moment, every audience acted just like the audience of Beautiful April, they had all been assigned one particular role, to cheer for Goddess Chu like unhinged fanatics! Without realizing it himself, Han Leng bolted straight up like a man possessed, what was this strong sense of deja vu? What was with this Beethoven Virus, did it not only appear in the mind of Chu Luoxun to expose the musical talents of Chu Luoxun, what was it doing here in their real world? Zhao Youyue was smiling. Obviously it was the smile of a goddess, and she muttered, Dieu de la musique, sil vous plat coutez mon appel Then she unleashed herself! The violin Zhao Youyue used was not a normal violin, it was an electric violin, capable of surging with passion unlike any other! Many of the audience had thought that the elegant Zhao Youyue would play a classical song, her very appearance seemed to suggest it. She looked like an elegant, intellectual goddess. But the performance of Zhao Youyue surprised them! When the prelude of Beethoven Virus started, many people were shocked by this passionate electric violin song; it was electrifying, and rocketed off with a huge jolt! Zhao Youyue did not remain in a single spot for long; she strutted on stage, playing the violin in a way that could not be considered elegant C it was a style never seen before! She seemed to be playing a rock n roll! Thats right; this was exactly how it felt like! When she reached the climax of the song, she swayed theatrically; turning the hall into a trailer park in the eye of a tornado! No matter what the mood was, this Beethoven Virus would make people feel that life is beautiful and filled with hope, they could feel the positive energy of this song even in a bad weather! Many audiences were troubled by the same question, can violins be played in such a way? That intellectual, elegant Zhao Youyue was exposing her passion, a side that no one would ever expect, this came as a huge surprise for the masses! Of course, no one was more shaken than Hang Yongming. He had once even mocked Zhao Youyue for being too rigid and failing to understand what real music was In fact, when he saw Zhao Youyue taking out an electric violin, he knew that something big was happening she had always practiced with a normal one. So when the song of Beethoven Virus started, washing over his soul with intense rhythm and passion, he was dumbfounded. This music style was highly popular among young people; this song was perfect for a games background music! If one listened to this song while driving, they might start to speed up unintentionally and even break through red lights. There was no way for them to stop, because this song would not permit them to do so! Hang Yongming stared at her with his jaw open; he never thought that a violin could be played in a rock and roll style. This woman had to be on some heavy stuff, violins dont work that way! Was this really how she played the violin? Was this a valid technique? As a violinist who was constantly in the pursuit of freestyle, Hang Yongming never expected Zhao Youyue to go this far, it was totally beyond his imagination! He did not know how to describe his feelings of that moment, but he knew that he would never forget her performance on this day ever His brain had entered into a feverish state of frenzy, he had started analyzing if he could play this song, and the conclusion he got was It was too difficult, way too difficult! The precision of the chords, the high cross chord frequencies, the sheer, frantic tempo! Zhao Youyue had completely dominated him with her violin skills He could only admire her fast and flexible pair of hands! His once bloated sense of superiority vanished in a puff! He finally realized that, Zhao Youyue was not just a prize-winning machine, like he had thought. She was a terrifying monster that could change its style at the flick of a switch, according to the occasion. She was playing such a youthful song for the New Years Eve party! When the violin transcends the realm of classical music, it would reveal its true potential; this was the quintessence of the violin. She wielded it like a weapon of mass joy and passion! As Zhao Youyue performed, her Musical Reality Marble tore through the fabric of reality, reached out, and pulled every single audience into her magnificent world of music! It was a living, breathing world, with far more life than anything else! Fiery waterfalls cascaded from the skies, torching the entire area up! Zhao Youyue was not performing on a stage either; she was dancing in flames, the music notes were no longer dancing flower petals, but orbs of flame that ignited the human heart! Chapter 331 She Came to The 3D World This was undoubtedly the scariest part of Chu Luoxuns card. There was not a single live audience who remained unaffected by her performance Zhao Youyue could never create such an effect if she had performed it herself without the character card! The Chu Luoxun card was already a Mary Sue in itself. She was extremely beautiful, had a disposition that stood out, and was a perfectly pleasant soul, while also possessing unbelievable music talent. If she had been born a noble, she would be the perfect woman! Even her name Chu Luoxun was befitting of a Mary Sue Any girl would want to become a shining Mary Sue like Chu Luoxun. Mary Sues were the center of the world. Everything else revolved around them! Now, Zhao Youyue was indeed the center of the world! People love criticizing Mary Sue characters. Such characters made no sense, much less so in reality. It was nave, and impossible to relate to. If a writer with insufficient writing skills wrote such a character in a novel, there would be nothing but awkwardness. Fortunately, Han Leng was a genius writer. His Beautiful April had successfully created a Goddess character that was almost perfect, and had received recognition from many. This was exactly what people meant, when they call a person a genius writer. He had been able to come up with something that other writers could not. When such a character appeared in reality through Zhao Youyue, her music became downright contagious. It sent people off into stupors. Not a single person could resist its effects The audiences were no longer listening to just any music. It was music that had seeped into their hearts and spirited them away to another world! In this world, the sound of music was not the only thing present. Music also came in the form of images, fragrance, tactile sense, etc. This was a superpower, and it was a spiritually fuelled one. Everyone else thought that had everything to do with her skills! However, if only their minds were clear enough, they would have noticed something strange. Why wouldnt they have similar feelings when listening to other masters live performances? Music doesnt simply pull people into different worlds. Unfortunately, everyone could only subconsciously ignore such logic. It was worth mentioning that only those who were at the scene of Zhao Youyues performance combined with the influence of the Chu Luoxun card were able to feel these mystical effects. Such feelings would not emerge within those who were merely watching the videos on the internet or listening to the recording. Therefore, those who listened via her uploads on the internet, would only be emotionally touched by Ah Yus talent. They would not be unconsciously sucked into her reality marble[1]. Zhao Youyues performances could only be experienced to its fullness, if witnessed live Thus, researching her videos or sound recordings would never raise any suspicions. Everyone was lost in Zhao Youyues passionate performance, except for Han Leng. He stared at Zhao Youyue with a perplexed look. He had never been so confused in his life. He now knew that Zhao Youyue was Chu Luoxun, yet she was also not Chu Luoxun. His written Chu Luoxun never had such a healthy and energetic body. She could never play the violin like Zhao Youyue, breaking out in such vigorous motions, as if she was playing rock music But This was always Chu Luoxuns long-cherished wish! Chu Luoxun was an eclectic violinist. Countless breathtaking moves took place in her mind. However, due to the limitations of her body, she was never able to express them With a healthy body, and a stage all to herself, she would have done precisely what Zhao Youyue was doing now! The moment Chu Luoxun was given control over Zhao Youyues body, nothing would stand in the way of her music, not her health, not her stamina. She could fulfill all her long-cherished wishes! This was a scene that Han Leng had been longing to see. But his hands had been tied he could not simply write a sentence saying Chu Luoxun had recovered from her illness. The further he wrote, the more he became aware of his uselessness. He was unable to take control of Chu Luoxun. He could only watch her each and every move helplessly, and write them down. If he did not write according to what he saw, it would not have felt right. It was most uncomfortable! As a genius writer, he relied on his own writing instincts the most Han Leng stared vacantly at Zhao Youyue, who was on stage. He finally confirmed it with his own two eyes, that she was not Zhao Youyue. She was Chu Luoxun in a healthy state. Only his Chu Luoxun would perform in such a way! Within the literary world, her body condition had held her back for too long. Now that she had the chance, she was now able to express herself freely! But there came a problem. Why would Chu Luoxun appear in reality? Why would she appear in Zhao Youyues body? Mostly, in his heart, who was more important to him? Zhao Youyue or Chu Luoxun? Han Leng was unable to answer the question. He rather believedthat he was simply seeing things. What was he thinking, dreaming of the healthy Chu Luoxun being on stage? Zhao Youyue was Zhao Youyue. Chu Luoxun was Chu Luoxun. But, what should he do when both of them were in one body? He was once crazily in love with Chu Luoxun. It had been a most effective vaccine against Lady Zhao. Right now, he felt completely damned, as Chu Luoxun was also Lady Zhao! What on earth was going on? Be it his first love, or his second, she was both! Forget it. At least there was still the crossdressing Leng Zi This was probably Han Lengs one and only consolation. Zhao Youyue finally finished performing Beethoven Virus[2]. The hall became overwhelmed by a deafening, eerie, short silence, but it was quickly remedied by a crazy applause, and all sorts of screams. The atmosphere set the climax of the entire New Years Eve! Almost all the audiences had a fire burning within their hearts. Understandably, they demanded an encore. Zhao Youyue, or rather Chu Luoxun, could never resist such passionate audiences. She agreed to perform another song, albeit something slightly subdued. She had chosen Beethovens Violin Sonata No. 9 in A major[3], also known as Kreutzer Sonata. Readers who were familiar with Beautiful April should know that it was the designated track of Chu Luoxuns performance within the novel. However, she had performed the track in her own style, which was considered by the judges as messing around, while blowing away the audience. When Han Leng heard the track that he was so familiar with once again, he could not lie to himself anymore The girl on stage was not Zhao Youyue at all. She was his written iconic female character, Chu Luoxun! She had come into the 3D reality! Translation Note: [1] Reality marble C It refers to a magic to realize ones mental image, a spatial change of ones surroundings. [2] Beethoven Virus C It was originally adapted from Beethoven Pathetique Sonata 3rd movement [3] Violin Sonata No. 9 in A major C The Violin Sonata No. 9 of Ludwig van Beethoven, commonly known as the Kreutzer Sonata, was published as Beethovens Opus 47. It is known for its demanding violin and piano parts, unusual length (a typical performance lasts slightly less than 40 minutes), and emotional scope while the first movement is predominantly furious, the second is meditative and the third joyous and exuberant. Chapter 332 A Successful End If Zhao Youyues performance of Beethoven Virus had been extremely unrestrained, passionate and rebellious, her performance of Kreutzer Sonata had exemplified the classical violin performance. It was also what any passing layman would expect from classical music. Graceful and pretentious. Zhao Youyue did not exactly go by its original composition. She played it just as she did in the novel, giving it a twist of her own. The audiences enjoyed her performance just as much as they did in the novel. Everyone had their full attention to the music, thanks to the power of her soulful music. If not, it would have been impossible to attract the attention of the audience with mere classical music. Too few people listened to such music. Many did not even have such preferences. If it had been a regular classical musician, the music would have a much harder time reaching their hearts. Only Hang Yongming and the bunch of Arts students would have listened to such music ecstatically Hang Yongming had read Beautiful April. He was very familiar with this Kreutzer Sonata. He had always been imagining renditions of it through the hands of a music Goddess like Chu Luoxun in reality. Now, he was bearing witness to that very image. This was precisely a Kreutzer Sonata in Chu Luoxuns style! Hang Yongming was struck hard by a new revelation. He had considered Zhao Youyue a violinist who only cared about winning prizes. This was truly too ridiculous! Zhao Youyue was clearly an all-rounder type. Not only was she able to please the judges, but she was even better at pleasing the audiences! As the audience went crazy after the first piece C Beethoven Virus, he had been shell-shocked like a lifeless statue! And now, New Years Eve had turned into a large and luxurious classical concert No ordinary person could have pulled this off. Zhao Youyue had become a music Goddess within Hang Yongmings heart! As for Han Leng, the author of Beautiful April, Zhao Youyues previous performance, Beethoven Virus did not touch him much. But he was extremely touched by her performance C Kreutzer Sonata. It blurred his vision with tears. The music had brought back memories of his Beautiful April. They even brought back memories of his Chu Luoxun He stared at the stage. In his eyes, it was not Zhao Youyue performing, but Chu Luoxun, whom he had never forgiven himself for killing. Han Leng was her murderer. His novel had received a great attention and sales, at the cost of her life. The Chu Luoxun fan club had rampaged throughout the internet in her wake. Now that he was able to listen to her performance once more in reality, how could he possibly not be touched? This time, the moment Zhao Youyue finished her performance, the audience fell into a deep, peaceful silence, as if the fires within their hearts had been completely quenched. The cold, silent world was all that greeted them. Zhao Youyue bowed to the audience, and finally left the stage. The first person to recover from the shock was Huang Zongchao, as she passed him by. Her fragrant sweat stirred him. He smiled wryly, After your solo violin performance, I have a feeling that the following shows have become meaningless. Zhao Youyue switched off her Chu Luoxun card. She took out some tissue to wipe away her sweat. As she listened to Huang Zongchaos compliments, she only smiled and thanked him, while feeling extremely smug of herself. It was like the time she made up for Yu Shengfans regret. This time, she had also made up for Chu Luoxuns regret. Unfortunately, Chu Luoxuns best friends, Lin Meiyue and Gu Yuan were not in this world. Otherwise, they would have definitely been happy for Chu Luoxun as well, if they saw her being able to perform so passionately on stage. By then, the audience finally recovered. A burst of great applause emerged. Many students were still in shock! I would never have thought that I would ever listen to classical music so attentively. It was as if I had a new outlook on things. When did my taste improve so much? Your taste is still as shit as ever. It was Zhao Youyues Godly violin skills! She can convey everything she wants to convey through music I dont know whether it was my imagination. I have a feeling that Zhao Youyue seemed to be roleplaying Chu Luoxun, the Chu Goddess. She did it perfectly; only Chu Luoxun can perform such touching music! I still think the first song Beethoven Virus, was more powerful. Ive never heard of such violin music, nor have I seen anyone else perform in such a way. It was truly too contagious! Indeed. Its name is very appropriate. The virus would infect even Beethoven! Beethoven would be infected by the virus after listening? More like going on a murderous spree, I think. That was nothing like classical music! How could you compare those two? The second piece was truly classical! Classical music only puts people to sleep. The first piece was more passionate and energetic! With Zhao Youyues level of skill, whatever she plays will be nice! It was just as Huang Zongchao said. The following shows now paled in comparison to Zhao Youyues solo performance which had brought heaven crashing down on earth. This included Lin Xuanyas folk dance. Logically speaking, for a hot beauty like her, any movement she made would cause eyes to bulge. Unfortunately, everyone still seemed to be immersed in Zhao Youyues extremely shocking violin solo performance just now. There was no space in their hearts for Lin Xuanyas performance. This included Han Leng, her very own crush. He was galaxies away from reality. His instincts told him that Chu Luoxun and Zhao Youyue were one, or they were at least connected in ways he could not fathom. The remnants of his sanity suggested that this was impossible. Bu then, why was Zhao Youyue able to perform Chu Luoxuns music perfectly? Nothing made sense! Han Leng needed to get to the bottom of the matter. But if possible, he would not like to get anywhere near Zhao Youyue The stronger his feelings about someone, the farther he strayed, as he knew that she would not reciprocate his feelings, and he might make a total fool of himself, acting like a totally different person in his awkwardness. In the end, Han Leng chose to flee. He felt that accepting more love letter orders for Zhao Youyue would suffice. Having a crush has always been sensitive. It also happens to be one of the most egocentric sentiments out there. It had nothing to do with anyone else. New Years Eve this time finally came to a successful end. Within the hearts of many students and well-known alumni, the most notable thing throughout this New Years Eve was the lovely female host and her violin solo performance. Zhao Youyue was the unique heroine. The rest served as her accessories. They were all passerby. Chapter 333 : Praise Unsurprisingly, such a grand New Years Eve party would be filmed by the school as promotional material for the schools anniversary celebration. Some students had recorded the whole process from the start with their mobile phones. Many more had recorded Zhao Youyues performance. They considered it to be the star of the show. No matter how you chose to look at it, Zhao Youyues performance had caused the greatest ripple among all others. Zhao Youyues performance could be described as no less than a professionals level. A symphony orchestra could easily be assembled around her. The performances by the other students, even those by specialized Arts students, greatly paled in comparison to hers.. With such a vast gap of levels, all else would lose meaning. Even jealousy would be stripped of all meaning. The only available option would be to drop to your knees and worship this entity. Take Hang Yongming, for example. Before New Years Eve, he had contemptuously gazed at Zhao Youyue through the corners of his eyes. He considered her music tasteless and dead. Yet, he eventually realized that he could not have been more mistaken. How was she without taste? The moment she cut herself free, she went far beyond his wildest fantasies of freedom! Her specially arranged song overflowed with spirituality. Her performance was so extreme that she spirited the audience away into her musical world. He could never get such magic out of his mind, having heard it only once. Hang Yongming wholly bowed before Zhao Youyues music talent, due to her performance. He apologized to Zhao Youyue backstage before New Years Eve ended, saying that he had been too quick to judge. He did not realize that she genuinely understood music as he did. She certainly played her cards better than he did, knowing how and when to please the judges during competitions. Hang Yongming knew that he was just blubbering out some excuses. He knew that his current level could only earn him a provincial bronze award. He was just an average guy who knew how to play some music. The moment he realized that he would never be able to get a gold medal no matter how much effort he puts in, he started to find another way. He wanted to get involved in something else to prove himself The attempt backfired. Big time. As if an ordinary student who pursued the academic path. It only demoralized the student even further, and the student chose to abandon himself by writing an essay with 0 marks. The student cursed the essay question for being rubbish. Then, he severely criticized the examination-oriented education system and everything else related. These people were all losers. If one day, they chose to harshly criticize the education after giving them a pass with flying colors, it would be downright ridiculous. Hang Yongming was such a loser. He knew that he might never attain the higher level. Therefore, he chose to cripple himself. A person who knew how to win prizes, while being flexible enough to please the audience like Zhao Youyue, was just too cunning. She was the master of all trades, jack of none. All the benefits, with no drawbacks! After New Years Eve ended, Zhao Youyue had a meeting with those great alumni. It as suggested by a certain writer, Ou Yang. This great writer, Ou Yang was impressed by Zhao Youyues performance. He wanted to know more about this talented girl. He even felt that Zhao Youyues music sent a cascade of inspirations raining upon him Ou Yang had heard from the school leader that Zhao Youyue not only had achievements in music, but she also had flying colors in her studies. Basically, as long as she retains her current momentum, she would easily gain admission into any of the two best universities in the capital. The honor she had earned from the past music competitions could win her extra marks for her college entrance exams. In addition to that, Zhao Youyue blew away the school with her deceptive athletism in the previous Autumn Sports event. Nobody had ever associated sports and her prior to that! All in all, Zhao Youyue is considered the best female student among the current eleventh grade batch in school. She is a true all-rounder! Headmaster Ge Jun boasted actively in front of the great writer, Ou Yang. Ou Yang was certainly amazed upon learning of all that. He had thought that Zhao Youyue was just another Arts student who specialized in music. Yet, he had never expected her to be so good in her studies as well As for her athletism, it was less surprising. His first impression of Zhao Youyue was that she was a girl of energy and vigor. She did not once appear to be bothered by stage fright. She was as graceful as noble as any young lady could be. Had she remained as an emcee throughout the entire event, without once picking her violin up, many would still remember her. Ou Yang did not know why, but he now felt nervous meeting Zhao Youyue. His identity and status were supposed to be way higher than a students like Zhao Youyue. However, Zhao Youyues extremely fantastical track record placed him under a fair bit of pressure Zhao Youyue did not change out of her dress, as the dress belonged to her. She did however, remove her makeup. The two songs had drenched her in sweat. The layer of makeup only made it more uncomfortable. Even after removing her makeup, she still looked as amazing as ever. She truly had too good a foundation. After growing out her hair, people looked at her differently. She was no longer a passerby. But Zhao Youyue had always been a playful person. Someday she would blame herself for standing out too much, to the extent that she had been stripped of her freedom. Then, she might just decide to step down as a heroine and go back to being a passerby, and cut her hair short once again Thus, she would be able to become a passerby once again. She would not be as dazzling as she currently was, with her short hair. People would think of her as a cute neighbor, not a beautiful, generous, elegant Lady. This was already a rather extreme makeover, as her actual body was born with the passerby syndrome. If she had not placed so much effort in getting involved, how would she be the current Zhao Youyue of today? Hello, Zhao Youyue, your performance today was truly shocking. It felt like your music shook my entire body! Im Ou Yang, a writer, also an alumnus of this high school. It was truly my honor to be able to attend the school anniversary celebration this time. Your performance came as a great surprise for me! After seeing the naked face of Zhao Youyue, he could not help praising her beauty within his heart. He remembered his time high school. Why wasnt there such a perfect, dazzling girl, back then? Then, he took the initiative to greet Zhao Youyue. He was rather modest and forthcoming. There was no hint of his arrogance as the famous writer of a best-selling book. Zhao Youyue had never read any thriller novels, but she had once watched a movie adaptation of one of his works. The plot was filled with interconnecting details. The ending was unexpected, but made perfect sense. It was all exciting. Therefore, she responded to Ou Yangs praise respectfully and graciously, demonstrating the full extent of her communicative competence as a noble Lady. Chapter 334 : Making Friends Ive heard about your great name, Teacher Ou! Its my honor to receive your praise. I still remember when I once watched your Winters Journey at a cinema. I couldnt move my eyes away from the screen throughout the two hours. That unexpected ending was something Ive never experienced in other movies! Zhao Youyue kept the praises piling up. Although she seemed earnest, her tone barely fluctuated. Only she knew whether she truly liked Ou Yangs work. But, without a doubt, such compliment, or a mutual commercial extolling''[1] between Ou Yang and Zhao Youyue brought their meeting to a great start. Zhao Youyues ability to communicate according to different people came particularly handy here. After all, not many people were too stubborn to listen to anyone. How could any guy withstand such exaltations from Zhao Youyue? Her elder cousin, Zhao Hao for instance, would turn entirely smug at a flap of her tongue After all, most beauties and talented females in this world were extremely arrogant. They insist that men must sweet-talk them, yet they would not take the initiative to sweet-talk men, as if that very act was a degradation of their own worth. Therefore, when sweet-talked by a girl endowed with both beauty and talent like Zhao Youyue, the damage would be doubly critical. Zhao Youyue seemed to be sweet-talking earnestly on the surface, her heart skips no beats. It was no loss for her to have a sweet mouth. She might even be able to reel in a new contact by this method. Treating people nicely was one of her specialties. Ou Yang had been admiring Zhao Youyues music talent, youth, and beauty. She was a junior who he could even treat her as his daughter. Now that he had been buttered up by her, his heart started leaping about. It was not easy for one to regard fame and gain as more than just tools for attention and wealth. Winters Journey was not one of Ou Yangs proudest works. He had not earned much money from the movie adaptation. However, the movie did make him extremely famous. After all, there would always be more movie-watchers than original novel-readers. Still, audiences who wanted a deeper insight of the novel due to the movie, would be led to purchase the novel. The elite scholar Zhao Youyue and the famous writer Ou Yang had good chat that night. Zhao Youyue expressed her desire to get involved with the traditional literary scene. She hoped to be introduced to more best-selling writers and scenarist within TV, film, etc. through Ou Yang. What plan was this? Only Zhao Youyue, who owned the Two Dimensional Gate knew her own intentions. Ou Yang totally had no idea what he was getting into. He thought that she was a gem of a young girl who truly loved literature! Zhao Youyue even let it slip that Wang Hua, her mother was also a writer, even being a member of Chinese Writers Association, on top of that. She had been brought up around the written word and literature since birth If Wang Hua heard her Little Sloth lying through her teeth so blatantly, she would certainly bare her teeth and set her offspring straight! If Little Sloth liked literature, the Sun would rise from the west! Ou Yang was a middle-aged man who had fought tooth and nail to reach where he was today. He was indeed an honest man. He was extremely addicted to writing. In his work, he could easily write up characters with high IQ. In reality, he was rather obtuse. Ou Yang knew Wang Hua. After all, they were both members of the China Writers Association. Wang Hua was a beautiful writer and a famous university professor. Thus, he felt relieved. No wonder this student Zhao Youyue is so pretty as well, and likes literature so much. Looks like it runs in the family, he thought. Ou Yangs impression towards Zhao Youyue improved drastically once again. He initially had believed that a beautiful girl endowed with both beauty and talent like Zhao Youyue had to be unapproachable. She might be off-putting and arrogant because of her beauty and talent. After exchanging a few lines, only did he notice that Zhao Youyue had a very good nature. If he was a high school student, he would definitely pursue her! Yet, Ou Yang did not know how disastrous it was for boys who liked Zhao Youyue. She never gave anyone any chances, even if she seemed approachable from the surface. She was not exactly cold, and she was rather courteous. She would not shy away from communicating with the opposite sex. Females had their own interesting points, but so did males. Getting to know more people would be helpful in creating iconic characters as well. Han Lengs love letters were rather interesting to Zhao Youyue. She wanted to see how many non-repeating love letters could be produced from the Great Scholar Hans pen. She kept a full collection of his letters and took great care of them. When youre alive, you should not stop searching for happy things. If you think that being an eye-catching protagonist can make you happy, then put effort into becoming one. If you think that being a passerby and watching the clowns performing from your silent corner would give you happiness, then be a passerby. Zhao Youyue considered herself open-minded. Nothing could make her unhappy. Yet, she had been able to bring happiness to others through her live streams and music. By the time Zhao Youyue and the great writer Ou Yang parted ways, she was already calling him Uncle Ou. That really pleased the middle-aged man who lived by his lonesome. He used to hate naughty kids. He considered them the primary cause of him remaining unmarried. Zhao Youyue made Ou Yang looked at children more favorably now. In Ou Yangs eyes, Zhao Youyue was still a high school student. She was certainly a child. Only later did he realize that the primary cause of him not able to find his other half, was because he had placed too much in his pursuit of perfection. He was the odd one out. Those times when he got along with women on blind dates, he would always get straight to the point. He would first admit that he was a virgin. Then he would ask the woman if she was a virgin. He would only be interested in pursuing a relationship if the answer was yes. His logic was flawless. He was already in his 30s, and he had kept himself chaste. Why would he not deserve to get a virgin as his wife? However, the woman would consider Ou Yang neurotic. What era was this guy living in? Go search at a nearby kindergarten, then! This guys still a virgin in his 30s, he had to be bad with women! He had to be abnormal! Back then, Ou Yang had barely picked up as a writer. He was in a tough situation. He had no car, no house. Everything about him was tragic. Of course, he did not see it that way. As long as he adheres to writing for a lifetime, he would eventually find success. Now, Ou Yang looked at Zhao Youyue as if she was his own daughter. Such a good girl. She was so respectful to him, so beautiful and intelligent. She even had such great musical talent, and had a deeply ingrained passion for literature. And so it was. Lady Zhao had successfully built a good relationship with an abnormal uncle writer who did not appear abnormal during this New Years Eve. Ou Yang was not abnormal indeed. His long years of remaining a virgin had entirely killed off his libido. It was because of this that he was able to write such extremely cold, rational characters who never let emotions get in the way. If such a character appeared in reality, everyone would only consider him abnormal Ou Yang actually wanted all his readers to judge his situation. What wrong is there for a male virgin to search for a virgin wife? If they werent, of course they would no longer reserve the rights to ask for virgins as their other halves. Translation Note: [1] Mutual commercial extolling C It refers to a kind of social etiquette and way by extolling between good friends, while also praising the things the other likes. It can bring forth a win-win effect, where one can make both others and oneself happy. It is a necessary skill between friends. Chapter 335 Sockpuppet Exposed! Once again, all was calm in Zhao Youyues life. In the real world, at least. Thanks to the most recent New Years Eve, her popularity in school had reached a new peak. Even students from other schools had been made known of her existence. After all, in the provincial city, there was another premium high school, comparable to Zhao Youyues current high school. The alumni of that high school tended to apply for overseas universities. It took a radical, relaxed approach to learning, and considered itself to provide education of actual quality. The students were open-minded and critical thinkers. In general, its results were not as good as Zhao Youyues current high school. However, in terms of quality, it was hard to say. The students of that high school viewed themselves highly. They considered the students from Zhao Youyues current high school to be bookworms, with no personalities, specialties, or comprehensive development. They would only add on to societys mindless drones, unlike the unique existences that each and every one of them would be. Some nosy people who frowned upon that schools arrogance brought up Zhao Youyues shocking performance. It instantly quelled the voices of many self-righteous students. They had never expected such an all-rounder within a high school that practiced such rigid exam-oriented education, to appear before their eyes! The video clip about Zhao Youyues performance was soon uploaded to the internet. At first, nothing happened. After all, Zhao Youyue was just a student. No matter how beautiful she was, it was hard to see without High-Definition. Only those who had seen Zhao Youyue up close would understand how stunning she was, on that New Years Eve Dont forget it was not long after the popular female live streamer Ah Yu unintentionally exposed her identity as a female high school student, causing many fans to start digging for more information jubilantly. They wanted to find out who this high school Ah Yu was. After almost half a day, they were only able to find a few schools with uniforms similar to the one Ah Yu wore. Yet, they could not determine exactly which school she attended. However, someone happened upon the New Years Eve video. They noticed the audience donning similar school uniforms to Ah Yus. Thats it! This had to be it! Ah Yu was studying at this school. She most probably performed in it! She definitely attended the rehearsal! Looks like even God wanted to tear the veil off Ah Yus identity. The school authorities had uploaded the entire event in High-Definition, on their official website. Obviously, the school authorities intended to use this annual anniversary celebration to promote their facilities in hopes of reeling in more talented students. This era no longer believed in quality, but in eyeball effects[1]. No famous high school remained bashful when boasting about itself An interview with the excellent student Zhao Youyue was also within the uploaded video clip. There was even a narration that listed all the honors that Zhao Youyue had received. She had been chosen as one of the top 10 students within the whole province, as part of the top student cadre, etc. Somehow, these honors had found their way to Zhao Youyue. Her results spoke for themselves. She was not supposed to be a class cadre representative, and she was not in the student council. Yet, her name was on the student councils member list, and she was considered a member of the top student cadre Obviously, the school authorities considered Zhao Youyues appearance to be lovely and photogenic. It would be a waste not to make a promotion around her. She could be the new face of the school! Under such circumstances, there was this one person with the username, Ice Queen of the North. He was a College student from an Engineering College; real name Wu Yihao. A senior Ah Yu fan, who spared no mercy when it came to spamming gifts to live streamers. He would only read the pirated version of novels. This person had even written a post with rigorous reasoning on the TianYa Forum. Its contents were shocking. He pointed out that The mysterious female live streamer, Ah Yus true identity was actually the Goddess Zhao Youyue, who was the officially recognized school flower of a certain high school in Jiangnan province! This school flower was also academically as daunting as she was beautiful. Above all, her musical talent was widely worshipped by those around her. She had once entered the finals of the national violin music competition The thread on the TianYa Forum blew up overnight. It spread like wildfire throughout Weibo, Zhihu, etc. The servers of Zhao Youyues high school soon collapsed due to the overloaded traffic! The school authorities believed that they were under attack by hackers! Although the official website collapsed, the Zhao Youyue in HD outbreak was just starting! No, the Cyber Navies were not trying to market something. It was a carnival of Ah Yu fans. Nope. Not just Ah Yus fans, but also Zhao Youyues fans! Of course, the most popular video clip on the internet by this time was supposed to be the video clips of various New Year Concerts, as televised by several TV stations. Some TV stations were trying their best to invite extremely popular idols from Korea. Even so, those video clips were drowned out by one New Years Eve video clip Even news about Leng Zi, the author of Beautiful April, who did not turn out to be a beautiful lady, but a male, did not cause much reaction. Only male readers who attended his autograph event, felt their perspectives towards world, life, and value collapsing. Why was Master Leng Zi a male? It was true, he was a little handsome, but his cross-dressed appearance was already sear into their minds! Only Master Leng Zis female readers considered this matter interesting. They did not expect Master Leng Zi to actually be a Lady boss. He was definitely born to have such talent. Unfortunately, Beautiful April was old news. Further adaptations into anime, reality TV series, movies would be required to continue expanding its influence. The current, biggest focus on the internet was the matter about the female live streamer, Ah Yus mysterious identity, finally being revealed. Therefore, as a Lady boss, Han Leng was considered to have gotten off lightly. He did not need to face the onslaught of public opinions, while Zhao Youyue had been wholly dissected by the public, due to the exposure of her identity. Zhao Youyue only realized this much later, as she had already delved into the literary world right after New Years Eve. She wanted to search for a new piece of work before the Two Dimensional Gates cooldown ended. It was time to create her fourth iconic character. The New Year of this world was often followed by a seven-day holiday. Zhao Youyue then received a call from her elder cousin Zhao Hao. They had not seen each other for a long time but still keeping in touch. Zhao Hao invited Zhao Youyue to Shanghai to have some fun with him and Zhang Wanjun. He would personally drive to pick her up. After all, Jiangnan Provincial City was rather close to Shanghai. Zhao Youyue did not know why Zhao Hao had spoken to her in such a gentle and careful way. Wasnt he the braggart of braggarts? After all, he was the crown grandson of Zhao family, Zhao Ritian. But now, he was treating her like some sort of VIP Translation Note: [1] Eyeball effect C Generally speaking, it refers to using all kinds of possible ways and methods to create eye-catching, sensational effects, to attract others attention, achieving self-promotion to achieve a certain goal or purpose. Chapter 336 My Wife, Ah Yu Zhao Ritian, no, it should be Zhao Hao, had found out about the true identity of Ah Yu. With how the news flooded the internet, it was hard to miss. The moment he got to know that Ah Yus real name was Zhao Youyue, he did not react much. Instead, he was pondering on why that name sounded so familiar, and where he had heard it before The female live streamer Ah Yu was an exceptional person, in Zhao Haos mind. He could be considered one of the first few viewers who had started paying attention to Ah Yu. Even so, the amount of money he had donated to Ah Yu, when added together, was embarrassingly, lower than a hundred thousand RMB. It could not even compare to how much money he had spent on the book The Strongest King. He had obtained the fan rankings of Silver Sect Master and Golden Sect Master, which totaled his spendings up to 110,000 RMB. However, even so, he was already number 1 on the fan rankings in Ah Yus channel. Not many people were willing to compete with him. It was clear that Ah Yu had not been able to capture the full attention of the Gods of Tycoons. Otherwise, those filthy rich tycoons would have casually fired off 1314 god-class rockets without any hesitation. However, Ah Yu was favored by the masses. She had received tons of airplane gifts, worth 100 RMB each. Her situation was somewhat similar to that of those really popular male live streamers. They may not have the full support of any particular tycoon, but needless to say, they were still hugely popular, and many people still loved watching their streams. As far as Zhao Hao knew, his good friend Ding Yuncong also frequently watched Ah Yus live streams, but he had not really gifted her anything. He had explained himself, saying that this female live streamer, Ah Yu had to be the type who couldnt care less about gifts. Gifts would not please her one bit. Rewarding her with material gifts would be a waste, as she did not really care about money Besides, Ah Yu had no intention of even revealing her face. Judging by his experience of watching live streams for several years, even if Ah Yu was not ugly, she wouldnt be pretty, either. Only pretty girls dared to reveal their faces. If she was pretty, there was no reason for her to hide her face. Since when would girls be afraid of revealing their faces to the world, just because they are too pretty? In short, the nations husband, Ding Yuncong, who was also the son of the richest man in town, acknowledged Ah Yus talents, but did not think highly of her appearance. She was undoubtedly a talented lady who was very worthy of respect, but it was just that. To this end, Ding Yuncong had also specifically posted a status on Weibo, making a thorough analysis. It only served to suppress Ah Yus popularity. However, this was not something new, as his live stream platform had always been controversial and hard-edged. Suppressing the popularity of a female live streamer like Ah Yu was also in line with his objective. If a talented girl did not have a pretty face, then, to men, they would be able to maintain a sensible train of thought and adequately admire her talents. They would not let the bottom half of their body get the better of them, as the ladys visage was not part of the parcel. However, if a girl was pretty, to begin with, while also being very talented, she would be considered premium quality. These girls were the rarest. Many pretty girls tended to lose themselves in their beauty unknowingly. If they could already conquer the hearts of others with good looks alone, what was the point of improving themselves and polishing their talents? Wasnt it pointless? So troublesome and tiring This was also one of the reasons why many pretty girls rarely accomplished anything academically. As these girls had been blessed with the gift of beauty, and they were highly sought after during their school days. Naturally, they would be distracted and unable to concentrate on their studies fully. Respectful ladies like Zhao Youyue were in short supply. She did not care about love and relationships, and she looked down on all guys who were trying to chase her. What she really wanted to tell the boys pursuing her was this - -Please, get on with your performance! I will just quietly watch your act After Zhao Hao listened to Ding Yuncongs explanation, he felt that it made perfect sense. This guy was a Casanova, introducing himself as a confirmed bachelor, so that he could play with more women. He also embraced his internet fame. Thus he changed girlfriends frequently, all for the sake of popularity. Zhao Hao despised Ding Yuncong for his behavior, but he had to admit that this guy was really sharp when it came to women. This was only natural, as he had vast experience in that field. As a result of this, Zhao Hao was no longer as anxious as before in trying to figure out how Ah Yu looked like. Instead, he decided that he should just continue to watch her live stream like he normally did. He felt content to be able to enjoy things like her superhuman gaming skills, or the skilled covers she played between her games. From her music, to her singing, to the cold jokes that she randomly cracked at times. All of these were enjoyable to watch, and it was more than enough. At the same time, this would allow Zhao Hao to retain his fantasies. If he were to really check on her and found her to be ugly, it would definitely destroy the mood. It would be a pity, as she clearly had a melodious voice However, even if Zhao Hao did not pry into her further, it did not mean that the other fans would not. Some fans were still insistent on the fact that Ah Yu was definitely a beautiful girl, and that she would never let everyone down! The university student named Wu Yihao was one such fan who was steadfast in that opinion. Hence, after putting all the loose threads together, he finally inferred that Ah Yu was Zhao Youyue. Upon knowing this, he was so thrilled and elated that he nearly ascended to heaven! Too dazzling! So beautiful! So, it turned out that Ah Yu was really an extremely beautiful girl. Furthermore, she was the kind of girl that excelled in everything. She was academically brilliant, and her musical talents were even more admirable. She had received many awards that only outstanding students were capable of getting. She was truly perfect! When he thought about how the live streams that he watched every single day had been hosted by such a beautiful girl like Ah Yu, he felt that he was too lucky. For that reason, he went directly to Ah Yus live stream channel, which was currently offline, and sent two rockets. They were, in fact, all of his allowance for the month. That did not give him pause for even a slight moment. So what, if he was dirt poor and could only afford to read pirated novels. When Zhao Hao heard that the mysterious Ah Yu was finally uncovered and that her video was circulating on the internet, he felt very uneasy. He prayed hard that Ah Yu was not too unsightly The moment Ah Yu accidentally exposed herself as a high school student, he knew that things were about to go wrong. Those super resourceful netizens with innumerable connections would definitely be able to work together and find out who she was! It felt like he was meeting an online friend for the first time. With an unsettled heart, Zhao Hao opened the New Years Eve party video. This video was recorded by the school officials themselves, and it had been reuploaded on Bilibili, thus he watched it there. At the very start, he had already noticed people from the audience wearing the school uniform that he had grown very familiar with. He would never tell anyone that he had watched the video of Ah Yu playing the piano about a dozen times, the one she posted on Weibo. Of course, he even started to listen to B Comme Brise on repeat The words of be prepared appeared on the bullet curtain right at the start of the video. Then, he saw Zhao Youyue on the stage, in a gorgeous gown. His eyes widened in shock. Subsequently, the video was suddenly spammed uncontrollably with bullet curtains with the words of My wife, Ah Yu. This left Zhao Hao with no choice but to temporarily block the bullet curtains out. Then, he soon decided to send a bullet curtain saying My wife Ah Yu, but before he managed to send it out, he stopped dead in his tracks. He suddenly remembered that Zhao Youyue was his younger cousin sisters name! What the f*ck, Ah Yu was his sister! How could this be?! This was not possible, right?! Zhao Hao was completely shocked, because he had not met Zhao Youyue for a long time. The impression he had of his little cousin sister was just that of a cute, short-haired girl. How was she now this a talented lady? She was even a silky, long-haired school flower goddess! Chapter 337 Various worships Indeed, Zhao Hao had not seen Zhao Youyue for a long time. However, he had not forgotten about how this sister of his, who clearly had a low sense of presence, had showcased her gaming talents the other day. If not for Zhao Youyues humility, he might have been embarrassed to death For a young master like Zhao Hao who lacked nothing, reputation was obviously the most important thing to him. Zhao Youyue had helped him earn his reputation back, and had even treated him with respect. This made him feel that this cousin sister of his was especially sharp-witted. She was way better than his other maternal cousin sister, Zhang Wanjun, who was quite arrogant and hard to get along with. However, it was a pity that Zhao Youyue did not attend school in Shanghai. Shanghai was Zhao Haos home field. Even though he still kept in touch with Zhao Youyue, they did not meet up often. Therefore, it was only natural for them to drift apart. On the contrary, Zhao Hao and Zhang Wanjun were still on good terms. Although Zhang Wanjun disliked him, he would still call Zhang Wanjun every now and then to meet up for a meal or simply hang out. Of course, they would remain close. There was no other way around it. Zhang Wanjun attended university in Shanghai, and he could pick her up easily, as she was only a 10 or 20 minutes drive away. If he were to drive to Jiangnan Province to meet Zhao Youyue, it would take him nearly an hour, and he even had to use the expressway Even if he wanted to fawn over his little cousin, the distance caused him too much trouble. He did not have much free time, as he also wanted to have fun with his bunch of scoundrel-friends, like Ding Yuncong, as well as his celebrity girlfriend Tan Jing, who he liked very much and had a stable relationship with. This gradually caused the drift between Zhao Hao and Zhao Youyue; it was bound to happen. The more Zhao Hao looked at the video of the New Years Eve party, the more he compared himself to Zhao Youyue. Considering the fact that both of them were descendants of the reputable Zhao family, she seemed too distant! Such a perfect, dazzling girl was his sister. This was such a wonderful thing! As Zhao Youyues brother, he could put his identity to good use and act pompously in front of his friend, Ding Yuncong! Didnt Ding Yuncong swear that Ah Yu could not possibly have any semblance of beauty? It had turned out to be a load of nonsense. In the video, this sister of his was not only extremely beautiful; she was practically a goddess. She was indeed from the Zhao family, having such superior disposition and grace! Even though the young master Zhao Hao was very mediocre in all aspects, he carried himself with great sense of honor that stemmed from his familys name. He was also open-minded and easygoing. Those traits gave him the ability to gather a group of competent people to work for him. As to how he utilized his workforce, both his grandfather and father had no qualms about it. As a member of the Zhao family, Zhao Hao favored those who shared his surname. Zhao Youyues surname was Zhao, and Zhang Wanjuns surname was not, thus he naturally favored Zhao Youyue. It was a pity that he had previously thought that Zhang Wanjun was better and more talented than Zhao Youyue. Furthermore, since Zhang Wanjun lived in Shanghai, it was natural that Zhao Hao, being the celestial ruler, could only watch over Zhang Wanjun. However, he now felt that he could not afford another moment of separation from sister Youyue. He had to keep such a talent close by his side. This way, his standing in the family would grow firmer. She was the most reliable assistant that he could find. He almost finished the entire video of the New Years Eve party in one single breath. Of course, he skipped over many other programmes. With his pointer, he could instantly skip to the exciting parts of the video. Zhao Youyues piano accompaniment, as well as violin performance, surprised him once again. He never knew that the violin could be played this way! This also finally allowed him to confirm that Zhao Youyue was Ah Yu. Ah Yus violin skills were already widely known by everyone. Furthermore, when he listened to Zhao Youyues voice whenever she did her emceeing and compared it to her live streams, they sounded very similar. Of course, if it was not for the busybody Ice Queen of the North who exposed everything, no one would explicitly carry out a comparison. However, now that comparison has been made side-by-side, the truth came to light! All this started, the moment Zhao Youyue accidentally exposed her school uniform. When many netizens attempted to track down her high school based on uniforms, they stumbled upon a video of the New Years Eve party. Then, they thought about how Ah Yu mentioned that she had not been able to live stream as she was busy with rehearsals for the New Years Eve party In the end, the dazzling host of the party, Zhao Youyue, had even provided the audience with such a high-leveled violin performance. Her voice gave off an uncanny level of similarity. If she was not Ah Yu, no one else could possibly be Ah Yu! When Zhao Hao saw things such as Worship,Kneeling down for you,My heart is conquered,Genius, and Wife appearing uncontrollably on the video, he felt quite honored. No matter what, Zhao Youyue was still the closest younger cousin sister he had, and was a true-blooded member of the prestigious Zhao family. His father and Zhao Youyues father were siblings. Now that Zhao Youyue was sought after by so many netizens, he could not help but feel proud. The Zhao family was really the cream of the crop! Then, Zhao Hao proceeded to look at some other videos, including interviews with Zhao Youyue held by the school, as well as all sorts of videos which praised her for her excellent performance in school and showcased her achievements. He felt that his little cousin sister was just too brilliant. Unlike him, who spent all of his school days doing inappropriate things Zhao Hao knew that he was not talented in any aspect. The only thing he had was his respectable family background. Acknowledging this, he had learned how to borrow the power of others to boost himself. He was never jealous of the people who had more talent than him. He had the resources, and he could easily bend these talents to his heel! Prior to this, there was a period of time where Zhao Hao liked to show off his wealth, excessively. Now that he had a few more years under his belt, he has matured quite a bit. Thus, when he discovered that Zhao Youyue was way more brilliant and outstanding than he had imagined, he decisively took advantage of the New Years holidays to get in touch with Zhao Youyue, as he wanted to rebuild their relationship. It could be said that deep down, Zhao Hao was a utilitarianist. However, those talents under his employment would always feel that they have received proper recognition, and were willing to keep working for him. Zhao Hao also looked around on the internet to see what the netizens thought about this current hot topic - - I never thought that the live streamer Ah Yu would actually be a goddess-like school flower. Its incredible! Damn, why does she hide her face, even if she is this beautiful? All this while, I believed that Ah Yu would not want to reveal her face because she was ugly. What a lapse in my judgment Shes really a super genius, live streaming had not affected her studies at all. Shes always in the top three positions for all her exams! Shes even in one of the best high schools in the country! Out of all the female live streamers, Ah Yu is definitely something new. I actually hope that Ah Yu will stop live streaming for a while, maybe continue when she gets into university.. Am I the only one who thinks she is the Chu Luoxun in the real world? Those violin skills of hers are overwhelmingly remarkable! You are really thinking too low of Ah Yu, or I should say Zhao Youyue. Do not forget her gaming talents. Shes the best LoL player in the country and can easily beat any professional player! Unfortunately, she doesnt play professionally. Otherwise, she would flip the Korean players over effortlessly! Dont mind me; I just want to know if Ah Yu has a boyfriend, and whether she has been in a relationship before. Shes only in her second year of high school, probably not, right? Shes the school flower, dimwit; boys are the rats to her pied pipe. She must have been in a relationship before! Shut up! I cant hear anything! I wont listen to anything you guys say! Chapter 338 Real mother Of course, Zhao Youyue thought that Zhao Haos invitation was a little abrupt. After all, they have not met each other for a long time. The relationship that they had was just one of courtesy. Previously, even during their long holidays, he had not taken the initiative to contact her. Instead, he usually shared on his WeChat Moments about how he had taken his older cousin sister Zhang Wanjun out to the sea for a yacht ride. It seemed like he only had eyes for his maternal older cousin sister, and not his paternal younger cousin sister. Of course, Zhao Youyue was not really bothered by it. Since young, she had always been a side character. It was normal for her to escape that young masters gaze. No matter how luxurious his life was, at most, he could only play with his yacht in the real world. Zhao Youyue, on the other hand, was the embodiment of Altair. She could travel to various kinds of fantasy worlds. In terms of luxury, she had far more than Zhao Hao. Zhao Youyue could appreciate the sights that ordinary people could never see, even in their dreams! Hence, the feeling she gave off to others was that she was just a bystander, always watching the actions of others, never joining in. For example, when facing the pursuit of suitors, it always seemed as if those boys were not chasing her, but an ordinary person called Zhao Youyue. Her real self would just watch everything from the sidelines, and this left all her suitors depressed. Lady Zhao was just like the clouds in the sky, wonderfully beautiful, yet unattainable. Zhao Youyue actually preferred Zhang Wanjun to Zhao Hao. This was because she acknowledged the fact that Zhang Wanjun was really talented. She was the real top uploader on Bilibili. Black & White Z Mold was relatively popular on Bilibili, and had a solid following. However, even though she was popular on Bilibili, it was not really all that impressive. When compared to the Douyu live streaming platform, which was a national-level platform, Bilibili was quite insignificant. As most of the content on Bilibili leaned towards 2D related things, the user base appeared to be relatively small. Those who did not really subscribe to any uploaders on Bilibili only visited whenever hot news went about. Such viewers would not know of her. Ah Yus popularity was already evident. In fact, her Weibo follower count had exceeded the follower count of Black & White Z Mold. Furthermore, after her mysterious veil was blown off, her Weibo follower count surged uncontrollably. These followers were not like the zombie fans that Zhao Hao bought with cash. Instead, it was a true reflection of popularity made up of real people. Zhao Youyue felt that the videos Zhang Wanjun produced were way more complicated than her live streams which she recorded and posted on Bilibili. Zhang Wanjun invested a lot of time into post-production editing on her videos. She usually put a lot of effort into making her gaming videos. She also paid great attention to the audiences visual experience, which was why her fans were so loyal to her. Zhao Youyue admired people like Zhang Wanjun, who strived towards their passion. If not for her character cards, she would not even be able to hold a candle to this talented cousin of hers. Zhang Wanjun would not go around acting pompously like Zhao Hao, who just loved to tell everyone that he was from a prestigious family and had a reputable background. Therefore, not many people knew about her family background. They only knew that her family seemed to be decently well-off, as her various gaming gears were all of extraordinarily high specifications. However, considering that she was a top uploader on Bilibili, the income that she gets from advertisements was understandably high. Thus, many fans were inclined into thinking that all the money she spent on procuring her top-notch gaming gears were entirely self-earned. Zhao Youyue greatly approved of Zhang Wanjuns behavior, as she was not keen on flaunting her family background. She respected those who made a name for themselves entirely with their own abilities. Unfortunately, Zhang Wanjun and Zhao Youyue did not contact each other often. Zhang Wanjun had her own social circle. She was also a student council leader at a famous University in Shanghai. The students union of this prestigious university was way better than the one in Zhao Youyues high school. If they get lucky, they might even be able to be vaulted into an elite social circle. Reaching greater heights would not just be a dream for them. Whenever they met up, Zhang Wanjun usually took great care of Zhao Youyue. However, after their goodbyes, they would head off to their separate lives. Zhang Wanjun also knew that Zhao Youyues high school placed great priority on studies. Zhao Youyue only had two days of leave each month, hence Zhang Wanjun also felt that it would improper for her to take up too much time. When Zhao Youyue enters university in the near future, Zhang Wanjun might have already gone to the other side of the world to pursue further studies. Clearly, this was not in their hands. Zhao Youyue did not immediately accept Zhao Haos invitation. Instead, she sought her parents opinions. Zhao Youyues father, Zhao Jiayi, said, Well, since Xiao Hao has invited you, just go with him. Let him bring you around Shanghai to play and relax. After all, long holidays are meant for plenty of fun and games. The way you coop yourself at home and just read books every day is unhealthy. When it comes to fooling around and relaxing, Xiao Hao definitely knows what to do best. Wang Hua could not help but worry for her precious daughter, as she knew what kind of character Zhao Hao was. Zhao Hao would probably still be able to take good care of his sister. However, when his scoundrel friends were involved, it was hard to say. Wang Hua usually called her Little Sloth, and it seemed as if she despised Zhao Youyue. In actual fact, she just loved to control her daughter. Wang Hua only wished for her daughter to have a bright future. After Zhao Youyues academic performance and musical talents surpassed the young Wang Hua, she felt that her wish had already been fulfilled. Now, no matter where she went, she could bring up her brilliant daughter and boast about her. She would boast about how her daughters violin skills were really nothing special, oh but it was just that she was crowned the champion in the provincial violin competition not long ago Oh, were you asking about how my daughter is doing academically? Alas, I feel a little embarrassed having to say it out. It seems like she placed second in the entire cohort again this time. She is forever stuck in the second place, what a shame! In actuality, Wang Hua could not be any more smug about it! However, she could no longer say that Zhao Youyue was always second anymore. The liberal arts students had been separated from the science students. The exceptionally hard-working genius Huang Zongchao was no longer in her way. Hence, Zhao Youyue could easily get a clean sweep, and rose in the rankings while maintaining her position as the top student. Anyhow, Zhao Youyues high school achievements had utterly surpassed Wang Hua during her good old days. This made the tsundere mother a tad bit unhappy, because she could no longer act high and mighty in front of her daughter Wang Hua was bittersweet about the whole thing. In any case, she was still very pleased to watch her daughter gradually accumulate her brilliance. She naturally began to care more about her daughter, so she said, Little Sloth, l also agree that you should go to Shanghai to relax and have some fun, but you have to be on guard at all times. Do not easily be fooled by others. You are still underage, and there are some places that you cant go to. Ill specifically speak to that cousin brother of yours later. Since her parents have agreed to it, Zhao Youyue shrugged and went along with it. A country bumpkin like her would finally be able to follow Zhao Ritian, no, it should be young master Zhao Hao, and experience a whole new world. After Zhao Hao received a reply from sister Youyue, he was obviously thrilled. However, he was once again nagged at by Zhao Youyues mother, Wang Hua. How did her mother even find out that he was going to bring Zhao Youyue to have some fun? Anyhow, he ended up getting nagged indefinitely about things like how he had to take care of and protect his little sister with his life. The most important thing was that he, should, never, ever, speed! As her tone was so gentle, Zhao Hao could not help but feel that Wang Hua was his real mother, while his real mother was Zhao Youyues mother instead. Which mother would train her son like a dog? Howsoever, it seemed that the elders still did not know that sister Youyue had become incredibly popular on the internet! Tomorrow, Zhao Hao would drive over to pick Zhao Youyue up. Zhao Youyue felt like live streaming tonight, thus she logged onto the platform. Upon logging in, she was shocked! Why did her perfect sockpuppet identity get exposed all of a sudden? Her whole screen was filled with bullet curtains like Zhao Youyue I love you,Zhao Youyue be my wife,A confession for Zhao Youyue,Zhao Youyue is awesome,Zhao Youyue 666, what on Earth was going on? Chapter 339 Face Reveal! Zhao Youyue did not realize that she had become a hot topic on the internet. Her real identity had been exposed. She was just too brilliant in all aspects. Many fans of Ah Yu never thought that she would be such a legendary grade high school girl According to the evaluation of some of her fans, when it came to Zhao Youyue, as long as anyone was classmates with her, they would definitely never forget such a perfect girl like her, even decades later. She was just too dazzling, and was everyones unanimously appointed school flower. In reality, there really were no such things as school flowers. Everything was just made up by the media. On television, school flowers were portrayed as standard, especially in high schools. However, this was actually not the case. In another world, there was this girl called, Sister Milk Tea[1]. If it was not for her sudden popularity on the internet, she might not have become the undisputed school flower. This was because her academic performance and talents were not outstanding at all. Even so, it was undeniable that she had the best of lives within the female community. In the end, she got married to the CEO of Jingdong[2], who was much older than her. She definitely got a good catch. In actuality, when girls reach a certain level of beauty, it all boiled down to personal preference. There was no single, definite way of comparing beauty objectively. Most students were not even sure of how many pretty girls there were in the school, so how could they possibly vote and decide on who was most deserving of the school flower title? However, Zhao Youyue managed to do it, as she was simply too excellent and had reached the pinnacle of all fields. She completely overshadowed the other girls; they had no chance to shine at all. Her fame had infected the entire school. Even before she captured the attention of the media, she had already gotten the approval of many students in private. No one could nitpick anything about her. Now, as long as the media hyped her up, the school flower title did not seem very unrealistic anymore. She totally deserved it. As other female live streamers would more or less have some flaws or bad rumors going on about them, Ah Yu Zhao Youyue was like a pristine stream of water that flowed through the live stream community. She almost had no shortcomings. She was academically brilliant, and this led to many people having the first impression of her being a well-behaved, docile girl. If she was not that type of girl, there was no way that she would attain such excellent results When viewed in such a conventional spotlight, Zhao Youyue earned a lot of plus points. It seemed like being able to study hard and obtain good results was a sovereign attribute! Doing well academically was also beneficial in a societal context. Good grades were equivalent to good character. This way of thinking was very common, even if it did not seem entirely logical. For a live streamer, graduating from a famous university was also a plus point, as it was another glorious achievement, worthy of great boasting. Not many live streamers had such qualifications. Too many people had suddenly decided to become live streamers. Some ladies had even bravely started to live stream, just because of their somewhat good looks. No wonder some of their viewers ridiculed them for being slutty Since there were many female live streamers, their appearances varied. Some were pretty, some were not, it was really irregular. In such a situation, the fact that Ah Yu insisted on not showing her face, and depended solely on her talents to thrive, seemed even more remarkable. The most crucial thing was that initially, everyone had not really expected much about her appearance. However, she turned out to be a fresh, pretty young lady. Moreover, her beauty was indescribable, and she was even the school flower of a certain high school. This had to be a dream, right? God was really just so kind to her. She must be the heroine of the Earth OnLine[3] game, right? Even if she was not really talented, she could easily rely on her good looks and make a name for herself, fairly quickly. However, all her old viewers knew that she was only able to come so far through her hard work. Step by step, she had ascended the staircase to fame. She was not an overnight success. Instead, she was only able to attract so many fans because she spent a considerably long time live streaming and showcasing her talents. Without a doubt, the unknown that most people feared turned out to be a pleasant surprise instead, it made the delight all the more sweeter. Due to her good looks, those sensible fans''[4] and casual fans''[5] of hers all became her real fans! While many bullet curtains containing confessions to Zhao Youyue filled the screen, many viewers had also sent out various gifts. An uncontrollable amount of aeroplanes were being gifted, so many that she could not even thank the viewers in time. Although the number of rockets being gifted was still not as much as the aeroplanes, they were still much more than usual. Usually, rockets were only gifted by her viewers after she made several cool plays during her games, or when her music sent them into a realm of emotions and madness. It was worth mentioning that those who gifted the rockets were not extremely wealthy. They were not the type of people who viewed money as if it was nothing. They were probably viewers with a small amount of money in their hands. After all, a single rocket cost 500 RMB. However, most of them would still clench their teeth together and send the gift out. As long as they could hear a gentle thank you, it was enough, and they would be content. However, this time, upon starting her live stream, Zhao Youyue was already being showered with so many gifts. She did not really understand what was going on Zhao Youyue was quite a good actress. At that point in time, the number of viewers in her live stream channel had already exceeded half a million people. She said to the viewers, Whats with everyone today? Why is everyone treating me with such enthusiasm? Also, whats with the bullet curtains mentioning this Zhao Youyue? Is she a new live streamer? Its not really nice for all you people of the cyber navy[6] to invade and disrupt another live streamers channel. Is the chat moderator here? Please mute these cyber navies that are spamming Zhao Youyue. Then, a chat moderator with the username Ling Ning sama said, Ah Yu, stop pretending already. Who doesnt know that your real name is Zhao Youyue? These are not people from the cyber navy, they are all your fans. When Zhao Youyue saw what the chat moderator said, her thoughts became muddled. However, she still tried to deny it, Who is Zhao Youyue, why dont I know her? At this moment, bullet curtains with replies filled the screen - - Miss Ah Yu, have you not been on the internet recently? Everything about you is already out in the open! Your voice has already sold you out, there is no point denying it! I have a suggestion. Why not turn on your webcam, and live stream while you read up the news on how your true identity got exposed, so that we can see your reactions and facial expressions. Itll be priceless! Zhao Youyue youre so cute I wanna So just hurry up and reveal your face already. Its not like you dont have the looks to back yourself up. There are so many of your videos and pictures going around on the internet. Theres no point for you to lurk in the dark anymore! When Zhao Youyue saw these bullet curtains, she was shocked. What exactly was going on? She used her computer to log into her sockpuppet identity Ah Yus Weibo account. Upon logging in, she realized that her Weibo was exploding with activity. The most recent Weibo post of hers was still the video that was taken during the rehearsals. However, she realized that plenty was mentioning her on Weibo, and all of it contained screenshots of her performance during the New Years Eve party. There were also comparison videos which were put together by her fans. The fact that she was Ah Yu was simply irrefutable! Zhao Youyue quickly understood what went wrong. She never expected such a small careless act on her part to inadvertently expose her true identity and set off such a massive wave on the internet! Now, everyone was just waiting for her to admit it Zhao Youyue had always been very calm. Since it is clear that there was no point in denying anything now, she decided not to argue further. She then directly turned on her camera, of course, she made sure she included a filter which only beautified her. She has finally revealed her face for the first time! Translation note : [1] Sister Milk Tea is a girl that shot to fame on the internet in China in 2009 from the popularity of a photograph of her. In the photograph she was holding a cup of milk tea in her hand, hence the nickname. Her real name is Zhang Zetian, also known as Nancy. [2] Jingdong, also known as JD.com, Inc. and formerly called 360buy, is a Chinese e-commerce company headquartered in Beijing. It is one of the two largest online retailers in China by transaction volume and revenue. [3] Earth OnLine C ol is a famous large-scale MMORPG game in China. At one point, the game had 7 billion players online at the same time. [4] Sensible fans are fans that are sensible and more matured in the sense that they are willing to accept that their idol is not perfect. They find the existence of haters normal, and are ready to accept criticisms about their idols. [5] Casual fans are fans that know who a particular famous person is, and acknowledge they are good-looking or talented and so on, but do not really follow their activities or attempt to interact. They just watch from the sidelines. [6] Cyber navy is a group of hired network writers who publish specific information on specific content in the network. The cyber navy is often referred to as the navy, also known as cyber gunners. They are usually active in e-commerce websites, forums, microblogs and other social networking platforms. They pretend to be ordinary netizens or consumers and influence normal users by posting, replying, and spreading blog posts. Chapter 340 God of Tycoons appear Zhao Youyue was not one who shied away from stepping out of her comfort zone, not anymore. In a sense, her mental age had already exceeded her real age. After all, she had experienced the many lives of other characters in the process of acquiring her various character cards. These had all been precious experiences. Now, she could confidently say that she was somewhat an elder among her generation, capable of sharing some life advice with the younger generation. This was also probably why Zhao Youyue was getting better and better at socializing with others. As the saying went, A grasp of mundane affairs is genuine knowledge, an understanding of worldly wisdom is true learning. Regardless of the abilities that Zhao Youyue had obtained through the Two Dimensional Gate, after experiencing the life of other persons, she was naturally wiser and calmer. Therefore, Zhao Youyue felt that instead of hiding and staying mysterious, it was better for her to reveal her face on live stream willingly. In any case, her sockpuppet identity had been exposed. Thus, there was not much meaning in keeping up with this facade. She was definitely different from those type of weak girls who had to run to their brothers for help, the moment trouble arose. She had her own independent thoughts and beliefs. There was a slight problem, regarding her father. She had previously promised not to reveal her face. If she revealed her face, she might be bothered by others in the real world, and the disturbance might even spread to her parents. However, now that her identity had been exposed, it would be meaningless to feign ignorance. Instead, she wanted to see how exactly would this disrupt her life. If stalkers or perverts really started following her around, she would undoubtedly have to enhance her self-defense skills. Even if she had the greatest bodyguard in the world, relying on her own abilities was still a more reliable option. She decided that she would personally explain everything to her father. If it does not work out between them, she felt that she could probably move out and live alone. This live streaming career of hers had grown to become so well-known and impressive; she would not let go of it so easily. She wanted to be a more influential person. Speaking of this, she had not tried to live stream outdoors yet. Such content would actually be purposeful and wholesome. Zhao Youyue had always been very assertive. She was already considering how to properly utilize her current soaring popularity the moment she learned that her real identity had been exposed and was now a hot topic. To be honest, Zhao Youyue did not pay much heed to money. The income she received from live streaming was rather substantial. However, popularity was the really good thing. She could use her popularity to promote her future works. She could take advantage of her popularity, and advertise any work that she enters next. The moment Zhao Youyue revealed her face, the bullet curtains of the entire live stream channel subsided for a moment. With the help of the beauty camera, she was undoubtedly more beautiful, compared to how she looked in all the other videos which were circulating the internet! Actually, not many female live streamers looked so beautiful. Many female live streamers would have to put on makeup and make full use of the beauty camera before they appeared beautiful on-screen. However, when some viewers caught sight of these female live streamers in reality, they realized that they were actually not that pretty. Sometimes, they might be fat and flabby! Of course, Zhao Youyue was nothing like that. She genuinely was a fresh, pretty young lady. She had been pampered, all her life. All aspects of her life were carefully monitored and excellently maintained. Now, with her long hair, she had reached the peak state of beauty, and it could be said that she was fully encapsulated by a heroine aura. Paired with the effects of the beauty camera, she had shocked all the viewers to the core! This included Zhao Hao, who was happily watching his own little cousin sisters live stream. The very moment Zhao Youyue started her live stream, Zhao Hao had received a notification. Then, filled with excitement, he immediately went to watch his little cousin sister Youyues live stream. He was prepared to spam her with a huge amount of gifts, as he wanted to maintain his position at the top of the fan ranking board forever! After all, he now knew Ah Yus true identity. If he still did not spam her with gifts, he would be ashamed of it. He treated Zhao Youyue like his real sister, and he wished that this sister of his would follow his lead. This would protect his reputation, and at the same time, he could make use of his sisters talent. Of course, it was too early for Zhao Hao to think specifically about what to do with his little cousin sister. However, judging by how popular she was on Douyu, he felt that her popularity could be put to good use However, Zhao Hao clearly did not truly understand Zhao Youyue yet. In actuality, Zhao Youyue was not the kind of subservient girl who would be willing to work for anyone. Perhaps Zhao Hao thought that he could use Zhao Youyue to his advantage. However, unconsciously, he had turned himself into a chess piece, to be placed in Zhao Youyues mercy. Such was Zhao Youyues advantage as a young and beautiful lady. Her appearance was too enchanting. The fact was that, deep down, she was far more arrogant than anyone else, and she felt that she was far more superior than anyone else. At this moment, Zhao Hao had originally thought that Zhao Youyue was already beautiful enough in her other videos. He did not expect her to reveal her face. When her unique, defined features were paired with the effects of the beauty camera, she was completely capable of being considered a young lady who was beautiful enough to cause the walls of a city to crumble down! One can only thank the great invention known as the beauty camera. Obviously, Zhao Youyues appearance had not yet reached the level of a femme fatale, or rather, she did not have that sultry, seductive appeal. She possessed more of the fresh and innocent kind of beauty. She had a temperament that seemed to be slightly arrogant but was also somewhat majestic. After all, she was a lady that has fully entered into the heroine state. If the long-haired Zhao Youyue dressed in a ladylike fashion, she would be the center of attention, no matter where she went. If she switched back to the short-haired Zhao Youyue and got out of her heroine state, the model side character would reappear. Then, she would become insignificant again Zhao Hao, who was amazingly surprised, began to send gifts adeptly. As the Douyu king Boss Hao, he was clearly a veteran amongst veterans. He obviously understood that by continuously sending her gifts instead of sending all of them in one shot, her popularity would be boosted even more. He felt that he could help his little cousin sisters live stream career attain greater heights. Zhao Haos only regret was that he had discovered her true identity so late. Fortunately, he was also at the top of the ranking board, even though the value of his fan ranking was actually shameful and unbefitting of his identity. However, it could not be helped, as Ah Yu did not buy her fans. She also did not promise to share her WeChat details to viewers who sent her a certain amount of rockets. All her actions made it seem like she did not dare to reveal her face, as she was too ugly. Thus, not many viewers were willing to send her gifts. At that moment, the live stream channel was still being heavily spammed by bullet curtains, all of them worshipping Lady Zhao who had finally revealed her face - - 666666666, Zhao Youyue is too awesome! How could she be more beautiful than in the video, my heart has been conquered! I admire Ah Yus magnanimity in revealing her face so willingly! Hot news! After a certain live streamer bares her face during a live stream, she now has a monthly income of a million dollars! Why do you still bother doing things like gaming, or playing the violin, or singing? Wouldnt it be enough if you just quietly smile at the camera? My wife, Ah Yu! Please insult me in a loli voice, to cure me of my Ah Yu disease Its confirmed, right? The most beautiful girl on Douyu is her. Theres no doubt! Ah, my heart hurts so much. Why did you reveal your pretty face only now? The God of Tycoons will be on the battlefield in approximately 30 seconds! Just as Zhao Hao was about to send some gifts, a God of Tycoons with the username Tian Shenluo[1] initiated the battle first. This God of Tycoons who was considerably famous on Douyu instantly sent her 20 rockets as a small token of appreciation, as it only cost 10,000 RMB, which was nothing to him. Zhao Hao immediately grew frustrated. Someone had unexpectedly attempted to fawn over his little sister before he managed to! Translation note : [1] Tian Shenluo in this story is a fictional character, although references are made to a real platform in existence like Douyu. The character is actually inspired by a real person, and user of Douyu called Luo Tianshen, who is a super rich God of Tycoons in the real world, thus the similarity in the names and presumably, personality or actions. Chapter 341 Most Popular of Them ALL! One of Douyus most prominent Gods of Tycoons, Tian Shenluo, earned his fame by spitting out almost 50,000 RMB worth of presents within three months. His actions earned him the notice of the media, which consequently named him as the richest person in Douyu. CEO Z, one of the names commonly listed in the Top 10 Most Tipped People of Douyu, mentioned that Tian Shenluo might not be the first in Douyu ranks, but his family background was one of the richest in Douyu. His surname alone spoke volumes about him. Still, Tian Shenluo was simply a speck of dust in the eyes of Zhao Hao. Tian Shenluo could not be any richer than Ding Yuncong. This mysterious, low profiled individual was nothing, but a facade. Tian Shenluo wouldnt have had the chance to show off, if it was not Zhao Hao losing interest in spending money on live broadcasts. As everyone was worshipping Tian Shenluo with his 20 rockets flying across the bullet curtain, Boss Hao made his move and sent 40 rockets all over the screen, doubling that of Tian Shenluos amount! There and then, another war of Gods of Tycoons commenced! The viewers were familiar and experienced enough to differentiate between promotion attempts by agencies and lavish gifting by rich tycoons. Tian Shenluo and Boss Hao were authentic private accounts, every penny spent was from own pockets! It was a rare scene in Douyu at that moment. Live broadcasting was no longer a new trend, hence the rich no longer paid as much attention. They were bored of the adrenaline rush experienced when dumping a lump sum of money, as netizens worshipped and cheered their names in rousing cries. Ding Yuncong was commonly seen giving away gifts that added up to millions to female broadcasters, even after he started his own live broadcasting channel. Rumors had it, that he had made certain agreements with those broadcasters to help promote their channel. Nevertheless, Ding Yuncong demonstrated great passion towards live broadcasting. However, that passion gradually died off, by judging from his online activity. He had set his sights on the Entertainment industry. Perhaps the actresses that he met in real life had more appeal. On the other hands, Zhao Hao had shifted his focus to his investment company. Age had affected the interests of these rich playboys. If Zhao Hao never learned that Ah Yus real identity was his cousin Zhao Youyue, his own flesh and blood, he would not be so protective. He knew that Tian Shenluo was a rich and famous playboy, and was more than likely to have never seen a single video of Ah Yus before. He probably happened to have caught sight of Ah Yus beautiful face in the thumbnail, clicked in and became interested, before nonchalantly dumping his customary gifts. Ah Yu had indeed grown rather famous; buying the moon for her in front of all these witnesses was a commendable move! Indeed, Tian Shenluo felt an immeasurable volume of pride when he saw those audiences worshipping him across bullet screen, but his smile soon froze in place. A Boss Hao had sent 40 rockets; a challenge to his face! Without hesitating, Tian Shenluo sent another 60 rockets, quaking the broadcast. In that short moment, Ah Yu had received 120 rockets, almost worth 60,000 RMB! Looking at the 60 rockets flown in by Tian Shenluo, Zhao Hao smiled silently, doubled the amount, and sent out 120 rockets! Zhao Hao would not give away that number one position in the Fans Ranking. He wanted to show Zhao Youyue that one must not succumb to the flapping of a playboys money, the Zhao family could more than hold its own against such a battle. Other than Tian Shenluo and Boss Hao, the other audiences joined in on the rocket gifting and sent their own rockets. Ah Yus channel started to draw the attention of gossip news broadcasters. Ai Ai Ai Young Lady was one of the notable audience members. She was also known as Aichan, [1] the Douyu tycoon. This mysterious young lady had her own Douyu team, in which all of its members carried a glimmering Noble Title, emphasizing on the entrance of Aichans majestic calvary. Aichan had no intention of participating in this war among Tian Shenluo and Boss Hao, and merely dropped off a few rockets in passing. Tian Shenluo was furious when he witnessed the 120 rockets cascading in Boss Haos wake. He did not know Boss Hao well, only knowing that Boss Hao had spent almost 10 million in online games. Yes, he did. So what? He, Tian Shenluo, was not some guy who needed to dig into corporate fund to buy gifts for some broadcaster. He did not have to play the deceptive role of a faux-tycoon. Money was not his concern. Hence he gifted 140 rockets, repeating the same action of 20 rocket-upping Zhao Hao. The audience was traumatized, overwhelmed by the raging war between tycoons. Envious broadcasters who had dropped in only grew with jealousy. This broadcast was daylight robbery! Other female broadcasters would have gone crazy if this had happened to them, but not Zhao Youyue. Within minutes, she received 380 rockets. Along with the gifts from other audience members, it totaled up to more than 200,000 RMB! All she did was show her face, she had not even started her programme! Zhao Youyue remained calm and gracefully thanked the audiences, as if she was totally unaware of the nuclear war between tycoons. What else could she do anyway, cry tears of joy? Money had never attracted Zhao Youyue. Be it one rocket or hundreds of rockets, she treated them the same. Zhao Hao did not stop there. He doubled up with 280 rockets! Tian Shenluo did not gift 300 rockets but 521 rockets, which meant I love you in Chinese a blatant act of flirtation, directed at Zhao Youyue! Zhao Hao, enraged by such an action towards his cousin, gifted 1314 rockets in retaliation! Never before had the history of Douyu witnessed such an amount, as the total RMB spent for that single act was more than 600,000 RMB! Tian Shenluo paused for a few seconds, and gave up altogether when he saw Zhao Hao launching another 1314 rockets! Damn! It was more than one million RMB! Was Boss Zao out of his mind? Boss Hao had broken the record of Douyus Highest Gifts Value Within a Day! Tian Shenluo was unbeknownst to the fact that Zhao Haos father was in Douyus board of directors. His actions had increased the revenue of Douyu, increasing his fathers dividends. He would be the one inheriting all of it! Tian Shenluo had no idea this female broadcaster was Zhao Haos cousin, which was why Zhao Hao would never let go of the top position in her Fans ranking! The war was Zhao Haos! Ah Yu popularity was boosted to 4,000,000, momentarily becoming the most popular broadcaster in Douyu! As Boss Hao and Tian Shenluo were dumping money into Ah Yus channel, other live broadcasts had been prompted with advertisements, guiding viewers who loved to be part of a lively crowd to Ah Yus live broadcast. Translation note : [1] Aichan is a Japanese nickname, where chan is a diminutive suffix to express that speaker finds a person endearing. Ai was a reference to Ai Ai Ai Young Lady. Chapter 342 Protective Cousin The biggest winner of this war was undoubtedly the female broadcaster Ah Yu, Zhao Youyue. Showing her face would understandably increase her popularity, but no one could have expected such levels. The long-slumbering Boss Hao had made a scene in Douyu with his comeback by supporting Ah Yu. The Douyu system rewarded those witnessed a single launch of a rocket with a small token. When Boss Hao and Tian Shenluo were firing at each other indiscriminately, the viewers had been busy clicking the freebies trailed behind. Zhao Youyue was unaware of the real identity of Boss Hao, and she couldnt help but be dazzled by his wealth. If he was utterly unaffiliated to Douyu, that million RMB worth of rockets was an impressive figure to spend in a short time! Nevertheless, Zhao Hao was indeed related to Douyu. His father was a Douyu shareholder, and he was the first tycoon spender in Douyu, hence granting better rates for Fish Fin sales. To a certain extent, Zhao Hao had been the first famous Douyu streamer. Yet, he was skilled at separating his life from his Douyu identity, therefore, he was only known as the great Boss Hao, who was some big shot in Shanghai. Douyu was full of tycoon gods whose total gifts never stopped at the value of one million. However, even they would hesitate to donate such an amount of gifts in such a short time. Money does not fall from the sky. Tian Shenluo would not have spent so much on a broadcaster he was meeting for the first time, if he had not been challenged by Boss Hao. Yet, he felt gratified and proud to be worshipped by millions of audience, which was also one of the reasons why he had dropped such a lump sum on her. Tycoons commonly enjoyed the feeling of spending in bulk, as they could buy anything else with ease. Therefore, they pursued a more spiritual form of satisfaction, earning respect and devotion of ordinary folk. It was part of human instinct. When they are not worried about basic needs; people would want to feel great and superior, be it by a show of talents, or a show of wealth. There was no reason to despise such an exhibition. Even though Tian Shenluo did not win the gifting war with Boss Hao, he was still a real God of Tycoons. He still had a chance of courting this beautiful young lady, as he had spent more than 700 rockets, which was almost 300,000 RMB. Wasnt this enough to gain her attention? Carrying the crown of a Douyu king, his message in bullet screen was distinct. His message rang across the screen, saying Dear Missy, please send me a message in WeChat. The audience was displeased the moment this message popped up on the bullet screen. Tian Shenluo notorious hobby of dating female broadcasters was known to some. He would claim that it was simply a dinner date, but who knows, what happens after that? He had promoted a few female broadcasters in the past. Those ladies were doing live broadcasts for money, and they were willing to fulfill his requests. All they had to do was to keep this tycoon accompanied, and get paid more than 10,000 RMB in return. Why even stop to think? Nevertheless, Tian Shenluo had tasted a few rejections from a few popular broadcasters in the past. Even if he managed to secure a date, there was always a third person present. When Zhao Hao saw Tian Shenluos message on the bullet screen, he immediately deduced the intentions of this upstart tycoon. He grew irritated and sent a message of his own. He thought of referring to her as sister Youyue, but decided on, Ah Yu, showing your face is good enough. There is no need to give anyone your contact information. Whatever price they offered you for it, I will double it, just for you to reject it! Hey you, whatever name you was, change your surname into Zhao! Boss Hao message had led the audience to start leaving messages too. Boss Hao you are truly 666, you love for Ah Yu is pure! Its good enough this way, just quietly watching Ah Yus broadcast is satisfying. Its a rare sight to see Boss Hao protecting a broadcaster, amazing! Ah Yu is just a high school student, she cant be older than sixteen, that was the best way to protect her. Is Tian Shenluo stupid, Ah Yu is from a rich family, does he think he can buy her for himself with that measly sum? Boss Hao is helping Ah Yu reject those tycoons, just like an honorable old general, it sure is good to be rich. . The audience endorsed Boss Hao protection over Zhao Youyue. It was best if nobody learned of Zhao Youyues contact, so as to not disturb her studies. Unsurprisingly, some audience members were skeptical. Perhaps Boss Hao intended to keep her to herself? He was being so nice to her, has he fallen for her? Zhao Hao only did this to protect members of Zhao family, plus she was very talented. He was not a pedophile nor a sister-con, he had a girlfriend of his own! His father would break his legs if he dared have any other intention over sister Youyue! Those audiences who knew the true identity of Boss Hao were amused. It was ironic to ask someone else to change your surname to Zhao since he was indeed a Zhao, a real member of the Zhao family. Coincidentally, Zhao Youyues surname also Zhao, which addressed the elephant in the room. Tian Shenluo was no Zhao Tian Shenluo sat petrified in front of his computer screen. Zhao Hao was right about one thing, Tian Shenluos family was rich, yet he was unworthy to call himself one of the Zhaos. In the beginning, Tian Shenluo was barely interested in Ah Yu. He looked at the screen that was now flooded with change your name to Zhao messages, and at the beautiful Ah Yu finally starting her programme. He now planned to win Ah Yu over to regain his honor and dignity. There was no haste needed for this. Tian Shenluo decided to hide in the shadows and watch her broadcast. After all, he had been away from Douyu for quite some time. He was curious about how Ah Yu had earned her popularity, and how she had won this pioneer tycoon, Boss Haos heart over. Chapter 343 Remarkable Zhao Youyue remained calm and started her programme as usual, not one bit deviated by the actions of the two tycoons. She started with a few Silver Ranked games on her subsidiary account in LOL. The audience loved how she provoked and taunted her enemies while carrying the game and earning MVP title. Zhao Youyues gameplay of slaughtering the noobs was more exciting than anything else. It was more thrilling, as those games had malfunctioning teammates, and horrendous teamwork, yet Zhao Youyue always carried the team, turning the tide and earning the victory. Tian Shenluo was impressed by how Zhao Youyue carried out her broadcasts. Apparently, she was not just about looks, her gaming skill and vainglorious way of talking were humorous in their unique ways. Tian Shenluo left it at there and thought that she was just a game broadcaster. Yet, he dropped his jaw when she started accepting song requests, while picking up a violin and preparing to sing. Ah Yus contact details may be beyond his reach, but a song request should be reasonable. Tian Shenluo prepared himself, and dropped a song request A Little Happiness on the bullet screen. Zhao Youyue was not one bit ruffled after Tian Shenluo had asked for her WeChat contact. Such requests were pretty common, along with rockets, long before she showed her face. Most female broadcasters often responded positively, under such circumstances. After all, those WeChat accounts provided by broadcasters were not private accounts; they were created just to entertain these gifters. What if one of them was an actual God of Tycoons? Besides, Douyu would receive no share of transactions through WeChat. Broadcasters only wanted to maintain the relationship with the authentic wealthy folk. Only these people were worthy to learn of a broadcasters private WeChat account, since they could hand them gifts anytime they felt like doing so. Even hundred rockets were as simple as it sounded to Zhao Youyue. She was awed with Boss Haos spending power. 3,000 rockets cost more than 1,500,000 RMB. Who could Boss Hao be in the real world? Tian Shenluos song request of A Little Happiness did not escape Zhao Youyue. It was a song popular in both worlds, and she accepted it willingly. A Little Happiness was a song performed by Hebe Tien. Lyrics were written by Xu Shizhen and Wu Huifu, and it was composed by JerryC for the movie Our Times.It immediately became everyones favorite and a must-sing song among broadcasters after the movie went on screen. Instinctively, Zhao Youyue activated Chu Luoxuns Card with a great smile on her face. Goddess Chus mind was always vast and peaceful. Music brought the sun in her mind, brightening up her world. Zhao Youyues aura was surprisingly powerful, leaving Tian Shenluo stoned in front of the screen, as he focused on her performance. Zhao Youyue did not use a guitar. Instead, she sang with an easily obtained backing track. It was a popular choice of song for broadcasters. Zhao Youyues audio equipment were the best in the market. She intended to give nothing but a high-quality live show to her audience. With the clear, crisp backing track, she started singing I heard the raindrops plunge onto a green field of grass I heard the recess bell clang in the far distance But I did not hear your voice I was fortunate to have met you But I have lost the right to shed tears for you I just hope that at the edge of the sky that escapes my sight Youre opening your wings Flying to your Mrs. Right She is so lucky Under the effect of the Chu Luoxun card, the song surpassed its original level. Every time she sang, comments saying much better than the original would pop up. Again, she touched the heart of her viewers with her rendition of A Little Happiness. It was a shame that the Spiritual Music effect was not triggered, since the audience was not experiencing it in person. Even so, the audience had no way of saying that it was not well done. They sincerely believed that she did better than the original singer! Beautiful, a big like to you! Ah Yu, meeting you is also a little happiness! Such a sweet voice, it would be good if you make your own album When will you have your own concert? Downloaded, going to repeat it for the whole day! This song was like a drug after going through Yuficication, thats it, Im officially a junkie, I just cant fight it! Tian Shenluo had wanted to launch a few rockets when the chorus was at the climax, if only he had any Fish Fins left to spend. He was still a university student, studying in the United State of America. He would soon graduate and inherit his family business, but as of now, he was still unemployed. It was easy for him to send gifts worth hundred of thousands on a monthly basis, but such hefty gifting in such a short period of time really did take a toll on his account. Of course, it had something to do with the fact that he had recently launched hundreds of rockets for a Korean female broadcaster that he was fond of Everything was now clear to Tian Shenluo. Ah Yus A Little Happiness performance, was all the reason he needed to know why she had attained such a high level of popularity. She was outstanding in every way, she was talented, she was beautiful! There was nothing wrong with the pioneer tycoon Boss Hao. She was worth every penny spent! Tian Shenluo sincerely praised her in bullet screen. Ah Yus gratified response surprised him. Apparently, his message on bullet screen worth much more than hundreds of rockets! Such was Chu Luoxuns nature. She took note of those who loved her music. All she ever wanted was to bring happiness to others with her music. Tian Shenluo had found himself a unique and outstanding broadcaster. He searched Ah Yu on the internet curiously, and was amazed by what he found. This broadcaster was a high school student,and she also excelled in studies and sports! Zhao Youyue, a name that he could not forget. When he returns to China, he would look for her. Who knows, they might even be the best of friends. Zhao Youyue ended her face-reveal broadcast. She was on the breaking news of a lot of media. Within two hours of her stream, she had received more than 2,000,000 RMB! Such an abominable number! Chapter 344 Goddess of The Nation On the next day, Zhao Youyue, also known as Ah Yu, was on the front pages of numerous magazines. Her face reveal was probably the most impactful in the history of live streaming. Such horrifying numbers! A short live broadcast earning gifts worth more than 2,000,000 RMB. Unbelievable! Yet, it happened! UC headline was Shocking! Ah Yu broadcasted for two hours, and received gifts over 2,000,000 RMB, who was behind this This promoted news linked to a page that described this recent hotshot Zhao Youyue in a detailed manner. The report reviewed Ah Yus broadcasting career from the beginning. She was a tepid broadcaster who slowly gained popularity, just like how she made it up to the top of national ranking number one in LoL. Her career shot up a little when she voiced the character Yu Shengfan. Plus, with her different set of talents, she grabbed the title of the most popular female live streamer in ACGN. Still, there was a huge gap between her fame and the top broadcasters. Circumstances changed rapidly the moment her identity was found out by her enthused fans, which left her no choice but to reveal herself. It was her beautiful angelic face that stunned the audience. Tycoons were mesmerized by her beauty, and dumped a huge load of money just to put a smile on her face. Everybody thought the reason that she had kept her face hidden was because her appearance was plain and unattractive. The moment they realized the magnitude of their misconceptions, there was only joy and happiness in their hearts. She had been afraid that her beauty would only distract the audience from admiring her talents. Of course, all these were merely audiences headcanon. There was no other way to explain why Zhao Youyue had insisted on not showing her face, despite her beauty. It was a bad era for the broadcasting industry, yet Ah Yu had managed to harvest millions in the form of gifts from tycoons. Her charm as a broadcaster was indeed powerful. There was once a time when it was impossible to differentiate between fabricated popularity and authentic gifting. It was way back in the golden age of broadcasting, where any broadcaster could become and overnight millionaire. Media headlines and advertisements were all about broadcasters, and investors who willing to pay ridiculous prices to own a popular broadcaster. After a long draught, Ah Yu ended the dry spell. Her Weibo followers broke through 5,000,000 right after she revealed her face! The war of tycoons erupting around her stirred up the heat of her name in the Weibo search engine. The comments from netizens were as divided as they were. Another fabricated news? Why do I feel like we are back to couple years ago? Douyu promoting a new face? Never heard of Ah Yu before. I was there, and every penny spent was real! Boss Hao and Tian Shenluo are not marketing accounts. Im jealous of Ah Yu, just by receiving gifts her income broke through millions. Even a corporate full of people who have worked for ten years would not have earned that much money. Gods of Tycoons are showing off their wealth again, it is so good to be rich! Zhao Youyue is magnificent! There was almost no bad critics over Zhao Youyue, or Ah Yu, except for some envious comments. She did right by the people; people did right by her. However, conspiracy theorists suggested that one man was behind all this. He had delicately planned to have Zhao Youyue accidentally post her rehearsal on Weibo, and synthesize this old trick of gift war on her first broadcast with her face. With a strategist who had executed every step carefully and effectively, Zhao Youyue must have had the support of astroturfers! After this incident, she became famous, with 7,000,000 followers on Douyu. Nobody believed in such conspiracies. A real strategist was watching Zhao Youyue performances. Some of them admired her talent, defending her by claiming that the Zhao Family had never signed with any management agencies, and that she was capable of sparking her own fire, turning herself into such an unstoppable star. The leader of some astroturfers stepped out to clear such accusation, claiming that they had done nothing behind the scenes. It was all the support of the public! She won the heart of the public in every way, hence the support and commendations she received were all sincere. A question soon appeared in Zhihu which caught the attention of all gurus, How to evaluate broadcaster Ah Yu. They searched every dark corner of paparazzi, and yet they found nothing but the vengeful and hateful words she spoke when she mimicked the character Yu Shengfan. However, these sentences which contained no vulgar words carried no value at all. It only served to prove why she had been chosen as that characters voice actress. Some critics praised her voice acting skills, saying that she brought the soul out of Yu Shengfan! Her talent in music was undisputed as well. The music she composed was beyond compare. Every piece of her music was so smooth and beautiful; most people kept them playing in endless loops. The community of classical music recognized Zhao Zouyue as the real life Chu Luoxun. The music she composed did not insult the image of that character, but gave the character more solidity, to the extent that the impression carved itself into the memories of the audience. Some professors affirmed that Zhao Youyues excellent result in high school academically and co-curricular had entitled her a reserved place in the two best universities. It was rare for a student to maintain excellent academic results and to show remarkable talent the way she did. In short, she had impressed every professional critic in different industries; each expressing their admiration in different ways. Zhao Youyues fans were delighted and proud of the idol they supported. She was now known as the Goddess of The Nation. The Paparazzi had their eyes on Zhao Youyue, sniffing around for any rumors, hoping to find something related to romance. It was impossible to make any news out of her; she was as clean as a tulip! Zhao Youyue did not pay these online activities any heed. She had bigger matters to attend to; she was going to tell her parents about her internet fame, and was hypothesizing their possible reactions Chapter 345 Nothing to Worry About Zhao Youyue was thoughtful and considerate by nature. Although the recent waves on the internet had no impact on her life, who could be sure of what that was going to happen next? Under such circumstances, it was only logical to Zhao Youyue to inform and seek advice from her parents. They were close to Zhao Youyue, and they were the most important people to Zhao Youyue in this world Zhao Jiayi and Wang Hao were completely clueless about Zhao Youyues newfound fame. It was not some critical, world affecting news, after all. In Zhao Jiayis impression, his daughters live broadcast was tepid. He was not fond of mobile games at all. He had watched a few broadcasts of LoL, and they bored him, so he stopped watching soon enough. Zhao Jiayi was always lenient to his daughter. He trusted her daughter in doing what she loved, giving no pressure at all. His daughter was ordinary in all aspects. She might not be very smart, but she never did anything extreme or self-harmed herself just for pleasure. A lot of young daughters like her were in far worse shape, notoriously known for actions that left their families with no dignity at all. Zhao Jiayi would be much stricter if Zhao Youyue showed any sign of following that path. It was not like he expected his daughter to be a great deity. He just hoped that she could grow up happily and healthily. It shouldnt be hard to find her a good husband, with her clean reputation and good looks. Zhao Jiayis trust in her daughter grew firmer with the consistent academic excellence achieved by Zhao Youyue. He was proud that she had maintained such a level of excellence for an entire year. She did not disappoint him in after-school activities, either. She brought home the gold medal in the provincial music competition with her violin and made it to the finals of the national music competition. Her confidence and poise during her turn in the competition reaffirmed Zhao Jiayi that the gold medal belonged to his daughter! There was no more reason for Zhao Jiayi to be worried about her daughter. Wang Hua had always wanted her daughter to extraordinary. She was now satisfied and had left her to her devices. The family of three lived harmoniously and gracefully. Such a blissful scene! Dad, just so you know, Im now a superstar! Zhao Youyue blurted out the moment she stood in front of him. Zhao Jiayi took it as a joke. He smiled and said, What kinda superstar, is it prettiest girl in school? Of course, you should be! Youyou is the best! I am proud of you! Zhao Youyues expression was uneasy, and she continued, Im not just famous at school, Im now a superstar on the Internet! Im not sure why, but Ive become an extremely popular female live streamer. I did not show my face, but somehow my fans found out who I really was. So I showed my face in a live broadcast, and I received more than 2,000,000 worth of gifts. Then various entertainment media started to report about me Zhao Youyue described her current situation in a detailed manner. She showed her dad the reports on a few media, together with some Weibo hot search photos. Zhao Jiayi grew more and more confused. His daughter was just fooling around as a broadcaster, how could she become this famous, while earning millions worth of gifts from the local tyrants. How could this happen to his daughter? It was illogical to him, yet the reports on all internet media he was reading said otherwise. He stopped Zhao Youyue and called his elder brother Zhao Jiaren, the father of Zhao Hao and one of the directors of Douyu. Zhao Jiayi learn more from Zhao Jiaren, regarding the live broadcasting of his daughter, only to be bombarded with praise from his brother over the phone. Zhao Jiaren had been closely monitoring Zhao Youyues progress, all this while. He told Zhao Jiayi that the senior directors intended to make Zhao Youyue the Douyu embassador, based on her popularity, along with her impressive talents in games and music. Her choice of content was popular and whetted the appetite of the audience. Games were the content for male embassador and music was the content for the female ambassador. Zhao Youyue was the most popular broadcaster for both. Perhaps she should put some effort into cosplaying, roleplaying as some iconic characters. With her natural beauty, she would easily draw the support fromMAC audience. Her popularity would be horrifying! Zhao Jiayi was left speechless after listening to his elder brother rattle on about his niece. Well, why didnt his own brother inform him about this sooner? Zhao Jiaren presumed that Zhao Jiayi was already aware of it all. Zhao Youyue had a contract with Douyu, and Zhao Jiayi was the guardian in that contract since she was still underaged. Without any funded advertisements, Zhao Jiayi had not expected his daughter to go far in broadcasting. There was no way that she would be the most popular broadcaster in Douyu. Douyu had the largest audience traffic and was the best platform in the industry. He was happy and proud of his daughters achievements, but he was also concerned about the consequences of such popularity. Zhao Jiayi was relatively embarrassed since the beginning of this revelation, for he had such low expectations for his familys younger generation. On that same day, Wang Hao also learned of Zhao Youyues breakthrough. Unlike Zhao Jiayi, she was not worried at all. She rejoiced deep inside her heart, and hoped that her daughter could become truly irresistible. Wang Hao encouraged Zhao Youyue to further invest her time and talent as a voice actress. She was swayed by the idea of hearing her daughters voice from an animated character. Zhao Jiayi soon decided to allow Zhao Youyue do as she pleased. He told Zhao Youyue not to worry about anything. It was alright for her to be famous, as long as she remained unblinded by fame and fortune. She had to be strong and headfast, especially when under fire from the public. The only thing that mattered was that her conscience remains clear. He and Wang Hao would always be there for her. The earnings of the broadcasting were entrusted solely to her discretion. And so, the heavy stone in Zhao Youyue heart was lifted with the blessing of her parents. Her cousin Zhao Hao came and took her to Shanghai for the New Years holidays. When Zhao Youyue got on the car, Zhao Xie exclaimed, Youyou sister, were my thousands of rockets powerful enough? Im a big fan of yours, Ah Yu! Youll have to address me as dear fan! Chapter 346 Confirming the Direction to the next Literary World Zhao Youyues mind went blank for a second after listening to what her cousin, Zhao Hao had said. Soon enough she recalled the actions of Boss Hao. It gave her no surprise, other than thinking that Zhao Hao was a prodigal person. All in all, she had no reason to reject the money he gave, since he was a rich fellow, anyway. So, she smiled, All along, you were Boss Hao? Im really grateful; youve supported me since the beginning, Im really touched! After hearing the genuine, sincere, and expressive praise from his cousin, he felt good. As he was showing off to everyone in front of his little cousin, he wanted to make sure those unscrupulous people stayed away from his little cousin, and of course, he wanted to make her happy too. Except for some weird people, everyone always wanted rewards for everything they did. On the other hand, Zhao Youyue could always call Zhao Hao to heel, because she stroked his pride and ego in the right places. He simply thought that his cousin was cute and passionate. Because of this, Zhao Hao was even more willing to do favors for Zhao Youyue. Slowly but surely, he was turning into one of her pawns He knew that his little cousin, Zhao Youyue was the total opposite of his other cousin, Zhang Wanjun. No matter how hard he tried to please her, he only received her ire, and at times, they would even start bickering. To be honest, Zhao Hao actually enjoyed it. Whatever insult Zhang Wanjun threw at him, he always forgave her, even though he seemed unwilling to back down. This was probably because he was used to being flattered by others. Meeting someone who couldnt care less about him was refreshing. In his eyes, he only thought her to be honest and upfront, if nothing else. Anyway, Zhang Wanjun was a close cousin to him as well, because her mother was his fathers little sister. Zhao Youyue was not deliberately flattering him; she had reacted that way after Zhao Hao did something beneficial to her. Flattering whenever she could, was simply hypocritical. The scariest part of Zhao Youyue, was that her praises were always so sincere and polite. In fact, Zhao Youyue was too good at laying low; she once looked just like an ordinary high school student. Now that she had grown her hair out and was practically covered from head to toe in branded items, she looked like a typical, rich lady. It was not by chance but by design. That way, nobody would know the real her. Zhao Youyue was already a goddess-tier character anyway, so when Zhao Hao got praised by Zhao Youyue with such sincerity, his vanity went off the charts, and he was overwhelmed by the urge of doing something for his little cousin, anything, so that she gets happier and sings him more praises. One had to admit that even though Zhao Haos ability was just average, he knew how to make the most out of what he had. But under his fathers tutelage, Zhao Hao grew as a person who paid attention to family bonds; he took great care of his little cousin Zhang Wanjun. Now that he had another gentle and cute cousin, he treated Zhao Youyue like how he would treat his own little sister. This time, Zhao Hao was driving a limited edition supercar. Not more than ten of it could be found in the whole of China, and it was equipped with a special number plate as well. Whenever it started, the engines purr would attract lots of attention. If this car were to stop by a shopping mall without parking at the parking lot, people would swarm up and take pictures with it. Zhao Youyue knew of this multi-million dollar supercar. It was much more attractive than her low profile luxury car. Zhao Hao was still young at heart; he loved such supercars, they even came with scissor doors that opened upwards. Zhao Youyue did not feel comfortable sitting in this supercar. Zhao Haos driving was a little on the fast side, as he overtook car after car. Zhao Youyue was unable to play her phone or read a novel in the car. Now, the Two Dimensional Gate was in its cooldown state, but Zhao Youyue was still preparing for her next adventure. Instead she turned her attention towards looking for her next literary world, where she could create an iconic character. She had already narrowed her choices down to two paths; one was the ability to cook, so that she could satisfy her own taste buds, while the other one was a creative ability, preferably on writing, drawing consumed too much energy. Besides, she already had Su Li, so she would not have to draw anything by herself. After much consideration, Zhao Youyue felt that creative ability was more important. If she attained the ability to write like a poet, she could experiment and see if she could enter literary worlds of her own creation. That would be interesting; she could literally write up any new abilities she wanted. After deciding her path, Zhao Youyue started looking for suitable novels and mangas. These would fall within the entertainment genre. Among the list of mangas, she encountered Bakuman, The Comic Artist and His Assistant, and Monthly Girls Nozaki-Kun. Lately, Zhao Youyue had been reading these novels and mangas, to see whether they had the potential to become iconic. During her research, she realized that she lacked yet another ability; it was the ability to judge whether a literary work had the potential to become iconic! When she arrived in the next literary world she could probably set herself up for a new ability that allowed her to consume books, whereby after tearing off a page and tasting it in her mouth, she would know how it tasted like, and she would be able to tell whether it had the potential to become iconic. This ability to eat a book was similar to the one in The 4WD God, these were low tier abilities, but they served their purposes. Plus, Zhao Youyue was a foodie. If a books taste was unlike anything that a chef could produce, she would definitely want to have this ability. At that moment, Zhao Youyue was sitting quietly in the passengers seat, thinking of how to create her next iconic female character. At the same time she was listening to a violin song that was being played in the car. It was a song from NetEase Music, titled How do pros play the violin. Obviously, it was Zhao Haos idea. He had purposely picked this song so that his little cousin listens to it. Zhao Hao did not speak a lot during the trip, he only exchanged lines with Zhao Youyue once in a while, mentioning Tian Shenluo, warning her to be careful. He knew that this particular person was exactly decent. If she ever got into any trouble, she only needed to call him, and he would come to teach that person a lesson. Anyways, he just wanted Zhao Youyue to be on her guard, so she would not get cheated by any men. In the eyes of Zhao Hao, Zhao Youyue was a pure and cute little sister. She was an easy target for others to exploit, and it was his job to protect his little cousin. The journey from Jiangnan to Shanghai was uneventful; they arrived at their destination safely. Zhao Hao had reserved an evening dinner, and he had invited Zhang Wanjun, along with his rowdy friends. Chapter 347 Blinded No matter what, Zhao Hao prioritized aesthetics over all else. He enjoyed making a show of himself before everyone else, so he had booked the entire restaurant. This restaurant was not particularly luxurious, as Zhao Hao knew that Zhao Youyue was highly particular with her food. She prioritized food quality over everything else. The Michelin had their stars. The Michelins Chinese counterpart would be Su, and they too awarded stars, up to 5 of them. Su had been created by the descendants of Su Dongpo; it was a system specially created to grade Chinese restaurants. In eastern China, a 5-star Sus rating meant a lot, almost equaling that of a Michelin 3-star. If the restaurant had both a Michelin 3-star and a 5-star Su, it had to be really good stuff. This Chinese restaurant was awarded a 4-star Su, but it was already a decent restaurant. If there were too many 5-star Su restaurants around, then the five stars would lose their value. This restaurant was in a rural area. No paparazzi would be caught dead in this area. Zhao Hao already knew that his little cousin, Zhao Youyue was at the peak of her popularity, ever since she revealed her face. Her pure and perfect image, her intelligent wit and dry humor had already buried themselves in the hearts of many. If paparazzi ever took photos of him being together with Zhao Youyue, that would mean trouble. Zhao Hao knew of his position and limitation. He used to brag about his wealth, not even batting an eyelid when the internet spread news about him crashing a million-dollar supercar, or about his interactions with Ding Yuncong or the funding his own E-sports team. All these had caused headlines back in the day. In the eyes of most netizens, he was just another filthy rich braggart, living his life to its fullest. If he somehow got involved with his little cousin, it would affect her reputation; this was something he would prefer to avoid. It would be better if Zhao Youyue could retain her flawless reputation. Thinking of this, Zhao Hao was envious of Ding Yuncong. He too bragged about his wealth and lived wild and free. Unexpectedly, he had a decent reputation, as a rich 2G with a shameless attitude Zhao Hao could only comfort himself by saying Ding Yuncong had average looks. Zhao Hao was too handsome compared to him. The genetics of the Zhao family were too outstanding, he believed that his little cousin, Youyue would be able to impress the audience as well! This time, Zhao Hao had invited his buddy, Ding Yuncong. Ding Yuncong would definitely bring along his star actor friend, Zhang Hongyu. The latter was an actor with a decent reputation. His acting skills were not bad, and he had acted in several movies. His career was experiencing another rise at that moment, thanks to Ding Yuncong, of course. Zhao Haos second-rated actress girlfriend, Tan Jing had already arrived at the restaurant, welcoming Zhao Hao and his friends. Ding Yuncong arrived early. Besides Zhang Hongyu, he had brought along a few internet celebrities as well, one of them being his girlfriend. As for her name, lets just call her internet celebrity A, since Ding Yuncong would swap girls after a while. It was great to be the son of the wealthiest man in China. Since Ding Yuncong had arrived early, he had nothing to do and was surfing Weibo. He found that many netizens had tagged him, asking how it felt to be slapped in the face. What is this about being slapped in the face? What a joke, who could possibly slap his face? The richest man in China ruled part of the world. China was an East Asia overlord, one of the greatest power to be reckoned with. The richest men often lived by the same few words. Set a target by earning 100 million first. That line went viral around the globe; even foreigners were praising it. Just like the person who created the largest E-commerce company, The only thing I regret was creating Alibaba. Only they were qualified to say such words. Only Ding Yuncong could slap people. This happened to those self-proclaimed Ding associates. He would address every proclamation on Weibo. He used to be very zealous about this matter; he would slap the faces of those rich 2Gs as he revealed their scandals in the circle of entertainment. Ultimately, he earned the support of the public, and everyone was left thinking that he was actually a nice person! Ding Yuncong would also invite his friends to a barbeque buffet; this only made him even more popular, he even gained the title of Nations Husband. Whenever he posted on Weibo, there would be a bunch of female fans saying that they were willing to bear his children This wrought a great deal of jealous from Zhao Hao. What made him the Nations Husband? Even though he was jealous of Ding Yuncong, he was still one of his brothers in debauchery. As time passed, Ding Yuncong became more matured as he grew older, but his taste in women never changed. Soon afterward, Ding Yuncong found out the source of the slap. It was because of the live streamer, Ah Yu. Her popularity was quickly on the rise. He once berated Ah Yu for being an ugly girl, or just an average looking girl Of course, as he criticized Ah Yu, he acknowledged her gaming and musical skills, so it shows that he was an optimistic and reasonable person. No matter how talented Ah Yu was in gaming or music, once she gets the ugly label, it would definitely affect her career as a live streamer. The appearance of a girl was really important; she should at least be decent-looking after the application of makeup. If makeup and photoshop were not able to save her, just how ugly was she? If she did not even dare show her face, it clearly showed that makeup and photoshop could not save her! Just as expected, Ah Yus popularity seemed to falter after Ding Yuncong criticized her. When Ah Yus identity was revealed, and she was forced to show her face for the first time in her live stream. Her popularity had burst through the bottleneck, earning her overnight fame! Under those circumstances, fans who were misled by Ding Yuncong came looking for him; some emotional fans even scolded him for being so blind Ding Yuncong could only chuckle at those comments; he began to search for Ah Yus photos on the internet. When he saw the face of Zhao Youyue, his mind went blank. She was most certainly cute, and more importantly, her face was a natural beauty! It could not be helped, most women he played with were artificial. Of course, he would have the experience to differentiate between natural and artificial. That lady-like temperament he felt from Zhao Youyue, was somewhat familiar. He did not know where this lady came from Ding Yuncong would never have thought that he would soon meet Zhao Youyue in person. Chapter 348 Temperament of a Lady When Zhao Hao and Zhao Youyue arrived at the restaurant, Zhang Wanjun had just got there herself. Zhao Youyue was surprised to see that Zhang Wanjun had brought along two friends, a male, and a female. They seemed to be an item. Both of them were good-looking, and they complimented each other. Zhang Wanjun wore a casual dress, it made her look like a run-of-the-mill third wheel, but it did not bother her the least. Without a doubt, Zhao Youyue became the focus of attention when she came out of the car. Her dressing and appearance made it clear that she was a real rich mans daughter. She had even put on some makeup, out of courtesy. In a way, she was bolstering Zhao Haos reputation. As her older cousin, Zhao Hao had every right to brag about his little cousin, because she was so beautiful. Zhang Wanjun, on the other hand, could not be bothered to doll herself up for Zhao Haos reputation. She could care less about such pesky little details in her life; she would not change herself for a man. Zhao Haos friends stepped out of the restaurant to welcome him, but their gazes were all directed at Zhao Youyue instead! They certainly did not expect the other little cousin of Zhao Hao to be such a cute little girl. Perhaps Zhang Wanjun had sold her short. They just thought his other little cousin was just average looking, and would not be a beauty like those you find in novels or mangas; Ding Yuncong was one excellent example of just being average looking. They had guessed that his other little cousin was just another average looking person, or else she would have been a little more famous in the circle of entertainment. What they did not expect was that Zhao Youyue used to be a side character. Today, she was a butterfly who had broken out of her cocoon. Zhao Youyue embraced the feeling of being the center of attraction; almost every guy was looking at her. While she was waiting for Zhao Hao to introduce her, she realized that the guy who came along with Zhang Wanjun was not looking at her; he was busy comforting his own girlfriend. It was the girl who admired Zhao Youyue; she felt that she could never have the same temperament as Zhao Youyue even though she was a beauty herself, as she felt a surge of inferiority deep within herself. Zhang Wanjun first came up to Zhao Youyue and hugged her, Wow, you really became popular on the internet lately, I did not expect Ah Yu to be you all along, please help me promote my channel as well in the future, Im in your care! Of course, Zhao Youyue agreed without hesitation. She only needed to visit Zhang Wanjuns channel in Bilibili during one of her live streams; it would greatly help Zhang Wanjun increase her videos popularity. Zhang Wanjun was truly amazed by her little cousin. Not only was she beautiful, she had so many talents at such a young age! Meeting her today was like getting to know a whole new Zhao Youyue! Zhao Hao officially introduced his little cousin, Zhao Youyue to his friends, and he was most certainly proud of it. It could not be helped; with a little cousin like Zhao Youyue by his side, his reputation would surely rise. Reputation mattered a great deal to a prideful man like him. Of course, Zhao Hao had warned his friends to refrain from having any silly ideas on his little cousin as she was still a minor, and a high school student at that too. And everyone agreed to it, they were all saying, Your little sister is my little sister, I will protect your little sister, not one animalistic idea on her. The words that ran through their minds were completely different. Whats wrong being a high school student, even primary school students are already getting romantically involved! Zhao Youyue deliberately put up the mighty and cold lady act. To be honest, it was quite effective, it saved her from a lot of trouble. Even though Zhao Youyue had great social skills, sometimes, she preferred to get away from the fuss as it was too troublesome. Pretending to be cold and mighty was an effective repellent. Ding Yuncong was shocked when he saw Zhao Youyue. Isnt she the live streamer, Ah Yu? Why is she the little cousin of Zhao Hao? Was this one of Zhao Haos methods of picking up a new girl? Was he trying to get closer to her by becoming her brother first, before proceeding to tackle her. This was one of the many classic ways of getting girls. Of course, Ding Yuncong kept his composure and greeted Zhao Youyue with a big smile on his face. Zhao Youyue just greeted him back politely; he was no different from the others. This left Ding Yuncong a little displeased, he thought that Ah Yu was holding a grudge against him. With Ding Yuncongs reputation, she should not just treat him like a regular person. In actual fact, this was all a misunderstanding, Zhao Youyue was just unfamiliar with him. Zhao Youyue was more interested in the guy brought along by Zhang Wanjun; he only had his girlfriend in his eyes, not sparing anyone else a second glance. He only nodded curtly and said his greetings to Zhao Youyue, before turning away once again. Zhao Youyue had to admit that this guy was truly handsome. He was not the casanova, playboy type of handsome, he looked awfully young, but people could tell that he was really mature for his age. He did not have any outstanding features, and he dressed up casually. Even his haircut was normal. To capture Zhao Youyues attention in casual clothing spoke volumes of his charm. Everyone has already introduced themselves; arent you going to introduce yourself? Zhao Youyue smiled. The guy replied, Im just a commoner, Im not worthy of standing alongside with them. Besides, even if I introduced myself, youll forget about it soon afterward, milady. Theres no need for a meaningless introduction. Im pretty good at remembering names; I wont forget the names of everyone I meet, Zhao Youyue then proceeds to name every single person who had introduced themselves previously to her. The friends of Zhao Hao were honored to be a part of Zhao Youyues memories, unlike Zhang Wanjun, who could not even remember a single name. Apparently, the guy was shocked by her actions, but he said, Then I really shouldnt introduce myself. If milady can remember my name without me introducing myself, that would be my greatest honor. Arent you quite a smooth talker, fine then Nice to meet you, miss. Zhao Youyue turned to the beautiful girl beside the guy. The girl hesitated for a moment, but she introduced herself in the end. Her name was Lin Shiya. It fit her image perfectly, Not only she was beautiful, she had a pure and elegant temperament as well. She was Zhang Wanjuns roommate; she majored in Chinese Language studies, had many talents, and was president of the literature club. Lin Shiya also introduced her boyfriend to Zhao Youyue, This is Shi Jingnian, hes my Lin Shiya seemed to be shy; she could not bring herself to say the word boyfriend. Then Shi Jingnian grabbed Lin Shiya by her waist and said, Lin Shiya is my girlfriend. Lin Shiya displayed a sweet and relieving smile. Zhao Youyue replied calmly, I can see both of you are in good terms, and your name is quite special, its easy to remember. Please dont remember my name, Im afraid of beautiful ladies who remember me! Shi Jingnian was pretending to be terrified. Zhao Youyue only smiled at him and let bygones be bygones. After they were done introducing themselves, all of them headed towards the restaurant. Ding Yuncong then walked up beside of Zhao Hao, Not a bad move at all, you little chap. So quick to advance on Ah Yu, is she really your little cousin? Zhao Hao was irritated, Of course shes my little cousin, didnt you hear her surname? Shes a Zhao! Her dad was Zhao Jiayi, the younger brother of my father, quit fooling around. Zhao Jiayi? Isnt he the president of a hospital who had a pretty solid military background? Tch, looks like I was kept in the dark, this whole time. Ding Yuncong finally understood why Zhao Youyue had insisted on not revealing her face during her live streams, it was not because she was ugly, but her blood was far too noble Chapter 349 A Display of Skill Ding Yuncong quickly lost interest towards Zhao Youyue after finding out her true identity; he certainly did not expect Zhao Youyue to have such a background Indeed, such a girl was top tier; it would be too stressful to fool around with such an item, because he definitely would have to take the responsibility. Even he dared not provoke a little princess from the Zhao family! After all, Zhao Youyue was Zhao Haos close relative. What that fuelled his endless curiosity was Zhao Hao suddenly saying that he had a multi-talented little cousin, as if she had just sprouted out of nowhere. Anyways, Zhao Youyues charm was not enough to drive Ding Yuncong; he still loved his current lifestyle. Zhao Youyue always viewed herself as another ordinary rich lady. She was not fully aware of her fathers influential power. How much power could the President of a Hospital wield? Zhao Youyue was not interested in gauging the range of her ruling arm. Ever since she procured the Two Dimensional Gate, she had spent most of her efforts on experiencing many different lives, admiring different sceneries, and acquiring more skills. She had grown utterly addicted to that surreal realm. Most interestingly, as she transformed herself, as she slowly claimed the main characters spot, her family background had been heading towards the same direction as well. Zhao Youyue had only remained unaware of it. Zhao Hao enjoyed his meal with the company of his girlfriend. The dishes were pretty decent. Unfortunately, Zhao Youyue was not a food critic from a manga; she could not judge the food quality with a single bite. Food mangas were so ludicrous, that even a side character could become a food critic. As a minor and a lady, Zhao Youyue did not have to drink any alcohol, but exchanging toast was a must, so she took some soft drinks in place of it. She took the initiative to toast with every guest, not because she wanted to get along with them, but to increase Zhao Haos prestige. Zhao Hao had spent so much money for her, it would not hurt for her to return the favor, by showing her sincerity. When it was Ding Yuncongs turn to get toasted by Zhao Youyue, he was amazed at how well-mannered Zhao Youyue was. Her social etiquette was flawless, Zhao Hao certainly had an excellent little cousin. Zhao Hao had gone through all the trouble to invite everyone here because he wanted to show off of his little cousin. That was his real purpose! There was a piano in the restaurant. Unsurprisingly, Zhao Hao suggested that Zhao Youyue play a song when everyone almost finished with their meals. Of course, Zhao Youyue agreed without hesitation; she even asked the guests to pick whichever song they like. Somehow, everyone felt like it would only degrade Zhao Youyue if they request for common songs and anyone could tell that she was really good at playing the piano as her poise and confidence was basically flooding the room. Everyone was in awkward silence, because not many guests knew much about the piano. Shi Jingnian who had remained silent throughout the feast finally spoke up, How about Feux Follets[1] by Franz Liszt, this would not be a challenge for you, yes, milady? Lin Shiya became agitated when Shi Jingnian requested that particular song, she knew that the song Feux Follets, was extremely hard. Not many pianists would dare to perform this song because it required an extreme level of skill; only a handful of people even knew of this song. Lin Shiya knew Shi Jingnian was making things difficult for Zhao Youyue, even though Zhao Youyue was famous for her amazing musical talent on the internet, she had never actually won any prizes for it. Besides, she only achieved something with the violin, so her piano skills level could not be as good as her violin. Shi Jingnian pretended to ignore the visibly agitated Lin Shiya; then he proceeded to explain that Feux Follets was an extremely hard song to play, as if he was warning Zhao Youyue not to be so full of herself Zhao Haos expression became sour, he turned and whispered to Zhang Wanjun, Wanjun, why did you bring this man along? Hes ruining this on purpose! Zhang Wanjun did not snap back at him for once. I only brought Lin Shiya with me, maybe he was worried about Shiya, Zhang Wanjun said awkwardly. Zhao Hao was furious, Do we look like we lack the company of women? Besides, with Youyue Meimei right here, who would bother about your friend? Just as Zhao Hao decided to voiced up for Zhao Youyue, he saw Zhao Youyue flashing a dazzling smile, and her aura seemed to have changed. Her confidence seemed to be spreading out of her, I would gladly challenge that song. She said happily. Obviously, Zhao Youyue had activated the Chu Luoxun card, Feux Follets was nothing to Chu Luoxun, who had the maximum music stats. She made some minor adjustments to the piano and started playing. Even though Feux Follets was a tough song, but without a doubt, it was a song suitable for showing off ones piano skills, and it perfectly flaunted the pianists capability for speed As Zhao Youyue played, her mysterious spiritual music took hold of the mortals once again. The music she played took the shape of a beautiful will-o-wisp that floated around the restaurant. However, unlike its name suggested, it did not give anyone the chills, but wandered about with joy and lightness. Everyone was struck dumb, because it was their first time experiencing such a mysteriously charming song. Ding Yuncong was one of them. His hobbies were common and simple. He enjoyed playing games, watching live streams, and even visiting nightclubs, but going to a restaurant while listening to classical music was not one of them, unless he had a function to attend to. But now, he was really amazed by the musical talents of Zhao Youyue. With the help of spiritual music, he could tell that the piano skills of Zhao Youyue were extraordinary, even though he knew nothing of classical music. Ding Yuncong was impressed. This Zhao princess certainly deserved his full respect. How long have she been practicing to attain such incredible piano techniques? On the other hand, Zhao Hao and Zhang Wanjun were extremely proud, as Zhao Youyue was their little cousin! Even the waiter had stopped delivering the dishes midway; he was staring at Zhao Youyue who continued working her magic. At this moment, she was the center of the universe. Translators note: [1] Feux follets C a.k.a. Transcendental tude No. 5 in B-flat Feux follets (Wills o the Wisp), is the fifth tude of the set of twelve Transcendental tudes by Franz Liszt. Chapter 350 Bumptious Shi Jingnian, the low-key troublemaker who had suggested that Zhao Youyue perform Feux follets, had a brief flash of surprise in his eyes. But soon, he was immersed in the sound of the piano. He seemed to listen more attentively than the others. It appeared that he had the most attainments in classical music among all the others present. Zhao Youyue, or rather, Chu Luoxuns Spiritual music characteristic, sent even ordinary laymen into a daze, even if she performs the most technical, drone-like pieces. Even so, professional musicians would be able to understand such beauty in a more profound manner. Shi Jingnian was embarrassed by the turn of events. To him, getting embarrassed and making a fool of himself in such an occasion, was a bargain in exchange of enjoying such perfect music, while appreciating an even more perfect girl. After the song ended, Shi Jingnian was the first to applaud. Even so, he still seemed to be holding himself back, unlike the others who went crazy, displaying a sharp contrast between them. Some already could not help approaching towards Zhao Youyue to praise her. Zhao Youyue responded cheerfully and generously to these people who had been influenced by her music when she was still in her Chu Luoxuns possession mode. Even Ding Yuncong could not help approaching her and said solemnly, Miss Zhao Youyue, your music made me see the beauty of classical music for the first time ever in my life. Thank you very much! Zhao Youyue flashed a brilliant smile. This was precisely Chu Luoxuns hearts desire, no matter what world she was in. She hoped to bring happiness to more people through her music, showing them the beauty of music, no matter the genre or instrument. Actually, you would get a firmer grasp if you listened to such a symphony in a concert hall. Such effects would only appear during live performances, Zhao Youyue explained. However, Ding Yuncong was unconvinced. He felt that no music at any concert hall could be compared to what Zhao Youyue just played. His eyes and ears had thoroughly enjoyed themselves. Her fingers working their rapid magic on the piano keys had been truly mesmerizing. As per everyone elses unanimous request, Zhao Youyue played another Chu Luoxuns original piano piece. It wasnt as dazzling, but it resonated closer to the heart. But it was as if the music had turned into a motherly figure caressing all her children who were present with love and tenderness After the performance of the two piano pieces, all the guests present had been utterly conquered by Zhao Youyues music. With envy, jealousy, and hate, Ding Yuncong hissed at Zhao Hao, Why did you have such an excellent sister? Wouldnt it be extremely great to be able to listen to her music every single day?! Seeing Ding Yuncong lose his composure, Zhao Hao was utterly satisfied. His sister Zhao Youyue had given his reputation a huge boost. He replied proudly, She still live streams. You should drop by more often. Ding Yuncong replied, How would live streaming replicate this scene Ive just taken with my own senses? How about this? What if I call her my sister as well? Get lost! How old are you? Still aiming for young girls? How shameless are you! Zhao Hao refused decisively. He treasured her sister Youyue very much. Ding Yuncong immediately explained, Dont get me wrong. Shes the little princess of your Zhao family. How will I dare to have any other thoughts? I simply want a new sister! There are actually still people like you who want to steal the brothers position! But my answer is still NO. I am her one and only brother! Pttttf, I didnt expect you to be so stingy, Zhao Ritian. Im too lazy to bother you. Ill go please her directly. Zhao Youyues successful performance made everyone forget about Shi Jingnian. Yet, Shi Jingnian remained unruffled, as if he possessed no self-esteem at all. He remained as calm as ever. He started eating watermelons by himself. However, his girlfriend, Lin Shiya said longingly, That Lady Zhao is simply too amazing. Its my first time meeting such a perfect girl! In my eyes, youre the most perfect one there is. Shi Jingnian smiled warmly, and fed her a piece of cantaloupe. Youve always had such a thick face. That sounded so disgusting sweet! Although Lin Shiya said so, her actions proved otherwise. Howre her piano skills, compared to yours? Lin Shiya asked. Shes definitely way better than me, to be able to please so many people! Shi Jingnian replied as if he knew nothing about pride and self-esteem. But theres one that she can never match me in. Whats that? Lin Shiya asked, curious. This boyfriend who she dearly loved had always been able to give her an endless string of surprises. My piano will only be played for you, Shi Jingnian lightly caressed Lin Shiyas head. Lin Shiyas face turned red again. She smacked him in the chest. Her heart was twisted up in knots, yet her mouth said, Youre also weird. You are extremely talented, yet you dislike showing your talent in front of others. You choose to shut the door and use your talent for self-entertainment. Are you sick? Not only in music, but also in literature. Shi Jingnian gave her a serious reply, I am really sick. A sickness that will kill me the moment I leave you! Glib-tongued! Im going to the washroom. Im risking my life. Hee hee, get lost! When Shi Jingnian came out from the washroom, he happened to notice Zhao Youyue washing her hands with hand sanitizer. He looked at the Zhao Youyue in the mirror, and he sighed. This Lady was truly beautiful. Her temperament was even more perfect. Her current outfit was already enough to send many guys retreating, thinking that she was way out of their leagues. Shi Jingnian obviously realized this as well. Yet, he still could not help saying, A Lady is indeed a Lady, being so exquisite, even when washing hands. It was as if Zhao Youyue had used up all her smiles when she switched on the Chu Luoxun card. With a stern face that exuded a rare coldness and arrogance that repelled people thousands of miles away, she said calmly, Youve intended to catch my attention through that kind of clumsy trick from the very beginning, havent you? It was a rhetorical statement, not a question. She made it clear that she had already seen through everything. Shi Jingnian still had a smile on his handsome face. He replied gently, This is your true side, am I right? How meaningless it is to put on a mask. I feel that you look way better with your cold face, as if you see no person in your sight, rather than you smiling. Youre truly bumptious, Zhao Youyue replied coldly. She considered this guy to be very dangerous. How would I dare? Im just simply saying. Please dont take my words seriously. Actually, my biggest hobby is to hope that pretty girls like you would live freely and happily. Youre so perfect. I can even imagine what you must have suffered early in your life, Shi Jingnian replied sincerely. Zhao Youyue smiled, thinking, You know nothing. But within her heart, she raised her guard up even further. This guy was truly a pick-up master. If she was truly a Lady who had faced all sorts of oppression since young, she might have really fallen for those words, and then step by step Unfortunately, she was a passerby character in the past. Such a character probably would never meet a character who flowed with the protagonists aura like Shi Jingnian. Chapter 351 Unknown background Zhao Youyue could not deny it; she was almost going to hate this Shi Jingnian. This was not a good sign. Under specific circumstances, hate could turn into love. She had this calm demeanor to uphold, treating everyone equally beneath her unyielding, serene gaze. The opposite of love is not hate, but coldness. If you truly hate a person, it only shows that this person had really given you an indelible impression. This guy was clearly capable of arousing girls curiosity. Girls could not help but want to know more about him. Who knows, they might find out something extraordinary about him. Unfortunately, this was useless against Zhao Youyue. Zhao Youyue merely smiled, regaining her composure. She turned on her heel and left. Shi Jingnian seemed unruffled about his failure to accost her. He only became more curious about Zhao Youyue. When night fell, Zhao Hao suggested that the group head for a Karaoke session. Naturally, this was warmly received by the group, as by then, everyone more or less knew of Zhao Youyues identity as the extremely popular female streamer, Ah Yu. On the internet, both her original compositions and her covers brimmed with popularity. She always trended on NetEase Music, to the extent that many fans hoped for an Ah Yu concert in the future. If Zhao Youyue sang during the session, it would be another wave of blessing to hear her wonderful voice. Ding Yuncong was the most eager of the lot. He had even exchanged private contacts with Zhao Youyue, while being cheeky and asking Zhao Youyue to call him brother. Zhao Youyue had courteously agreed to it, and this made Zhao Hao extremely jealous. How dare this Ding Yuncong steal his sister! Ding Yuncong was most delighted. Obviously, he considered having a sister like Zhao Youyue to be the highest form of honor. However, Zhao Youyue had expressed that she was a bit tired today. She intended to return to the hotel and rest earlier. Next time, perhaps. Zhao Hao respected his sisters opinion. However, he was already lightly intoxicated. Therefore, he asked Zhang Wanjun to send Zhao Youyue back instead, as Zhang Wanjun was not the type who would join the likes of Zhao Hao, Ding Yuncong, and the others for some gallivanting. She had already saved Zhao Hao from humiliation by joining them for a feast. Zhang Wanjun had no reason to refuse. After all, it would not take long to send Zhao Youyue back to The Peninsula Hotels[1]. It also happened to be, Ding Yuncongs permanent residence. Its monthly rental was 240,000 RMB. Evidently, Zhao Hao considered The Peninsula Hotels to be worthy of his sisters identity. Besides, it was not an extended holiday. He would never be stingy when it comes to his sister. As Zhang Wanjun had brought along Shi Jingnian and Lin Shiya to the feast, both of them would have to tag along. Inside the car, Shi Jingnian was no longer fixated on his girlfriend. He treated all three girls in the car equally. Despite his repeated claims of being inarticulate, he had only proven himself to be otherwise. His methods of pleasing the opposite sex did not seem to end. It was effortless for him to narrow the distance between him and females. He was clearly a playboy, from head to toe. But he seemed to be more than that. He never asked for any return from females. He did not yearn for money nor sex. He just wanted to treat girls nicely. Was this the so-called sentiment of having a tender heart towards women? Apparently, he considered putting in the effort for girls or beauties to be his greatest happiness and raison detre. If Zhao Youyue still had any reservations for him, those reservations would give way to outright enmity. His actions were truly hypocritical and frivolous. No one understood how his girlfriend even put up with him. However, after Zhao Youyues sage mentality went online, she only submerged deeper into her private zen corner. She was no longer cold and miffled as she was during the dinner party. She responded to Shi Jingnian very normally, as if he did not bother her the least, with a smile on her face. At that moment, Zhao Youyue was invulnerable. Shi Jingnian and Lin Shiya alighted first. He blew his gentlemanly goodbyes to Zhang Wanjun and Zhao Youyue. He did not seem to hold any malicious intent. He appeared to be as forthcoming as one could be. An awkward silence fell, with only the two of them left in the car. The atmosphere quickly died down. Zhang Wanjun took the initiative and turned to Zhao Youyue. Xiao Yue, what do you think of Shi Jingnian? With a smile, Zhao Youyue replied, Hes an interesting person. Hes good at making a girl happy. It was a very objective statement. If Zhao Youyue had not been in her zen mode; she would have voiced out her hatred of that man, and her answer would have been entirely different. Zhang Wanjun did not look too deeply into that statement. She was only afraid to hear Zhao Youyue having a positive view towards Shi Jingnian. Therefore, she started to uncover Shi Jingnians unknown background. Shi Jingnian is an unpredictable person. He comes from a little-known rich family that had their success in real estate. He traveled throughout the world during his three years in high school, eating, drinking, playing. Later, he returned to Shanghai to study for one year in the twelfth grade. He paid to study at a certain private university, which could be compared to the aristocratic universities of old. But you know, private universities in our country are all academies. They cant be placed on the same table. His university is quite close to ours. As for his couple relationship with Lin Shiya, he did not put much effort into pursuing her, and before you knew it, they became an item. Maybe its because they were junior high school classmates. He bought Lin Shiya a million dollar car, and Lin Shiyas classmates admired her so much for it. My other two female roommates admired her as well for having such a nice boyfriend, not only is he handsome and rich, but hes also very gentle and considerate. How about you, sister? Zhao Youyue asked with a smile. Zhang Wanjun almost let it slip that she did not like males. But she replied, If Ive not known of his gravest defect, I might have admired Lin Shiya as well. What defect? Hes not only nice to Lin Shiya. He enjoys being a busybody. He likes to help people. If the person is a beautiful girl with a good character, he would be so motivated, like a man possessed. He simply cant wait to do anything for the girl. He would treat all girls like that equally nicely. Yet, he would not ask for anything in return. It seems to be his meaning of life. Therefore, in addition to his girlfriend, he also has many female friends. Some have left him painfully after theyve seen through his nature, and would search for other guys. Only two remain with him. Theyve even called each other sisters, along with Lin Shiya. He would always bring along these three beautiful girls outside for meals and fun when hes free. Zhao Youyue was thoroughly shocked when she realized the extent of his obsession. Was this Shi Jingnian a Harem Arts male protagonist? Did such a thing even exist? Still, compared to those male protagonists who guarded their girls with a fierce jealousy, he seemed particularly open-minded. He did not mind being cuckolded at all. Girls could follow him if they wanted. Once they clearly see his nature, which he had no intention of hiding at all, they could just leave if they wanted. He would never force them into anything. Was he some sort of aristocratic, non-sexual tomcat? He was simply too much! However, an overly nice guy like him, seemed to put girls at ease, as he never lied to them. Lin Shiya is a talented girl in our school. Shes very famous. She has published many best sellers. Her pen name is Ya Jing. She became rather famous after getting together with Shi Jingnian. I wont jump to conclusion, but this Shi Jingnian is truly not as simple as he seems. Despite all that, he isnt willing to become famous. He just wants to stay around beauties. By the time Zhang Wanjun was finished, her car had almost reached the hotel. Zhao Youyue asked Zhang Wanjun like a spoiled child, to stay with her. Zhang Wanjun could not decline. Besides, she seldom stayed in the top class luxurious suites of The Peninsula Hotels. It was quite a waste for only one person to stay in the suite. When the two of them got down the car and were taking their luggage, they found that Lin Shiyas bag had been left in the trunk. It seemed to contain books and notepads. Translation Note: [1] The Peninsula Hotels C The Peninsula Hotels is the oldest existing hotel in Hong Kong. It is one of the most luxurious and famous hotels in Hong Kong, even in the world. There are Peninsula hotels in nine countries, including Hong Kong, New York, Chicago, Beverly Hills, Tokyo, Bangkok, Beijing, Manila, and Shanghai. Chapter 352 A Novel with no Protagonists Zhao Youyue did not care about the contents of Lin Shiyas bag. Zhang Wanjun and Lin Shiya were roommates. Zhang Wanjun could simply return the bag to Lin Shiya when she heads back to campus. However, Zhang Wanjun was an agonizingly curious person. She brought Lin Shiyas bag into the hotel room. She even dragged Zhao Youyue over to look the contents together, as if she wanted her to be an accomplice. This isnt really nice, Zhao Youyue said hesitantly. A moment ago she was still enjoying the night view of the most prosperous city in the world, Shanghai. It was brilliant, bright colored. It was truly an enjoyment to enjoy such beautiful scenery in the suite of The Peninsula Hotels. Its nothing. Lin Shiya will never know it anyway, Zhang Wanjun said incitingly. Perhaps everyone was a closet voyeurism. Initially Zhao Youyue did not intend to join in. After listening to what Zhang Wanjun said, Zhao Youyue felt that it truly would not harm the owner of those contents. She barely knew Lin Shiya. Even if she learned of Lin Shiyas secrets, she would never be in danger of disclosing it. Zhang Wanjun started violating Lin Shiyas bag. She found quite a few masterpieces, as expected of the president of Literary Society and a famous, talented girl throughout campus. Among all those masterpieces, there was no doubt that the notebook attracted Zhang Wanjun the most. She started delving into it. Zhao Youyue simply read through the masterpieces, more likely due to the fact that famous writers wrote these masterpieces in this world. These great writers did not exist in the other world. Zhao Youyue was more focused on these unfamiliar masterpieces by famous writers. Unfortunately, her taste was lacking. She did not have the patience to finish the masterpieces. Masterpieces rarely provided any entertainment. Zhao Youyue noticed that Lin Shiya had taken every masterpiece seriously. She had even left notes in the books. All of them were her personal reviews. Some of the sentences were profound and deep. Her writing was masterful and well-done as well. The world is a bundle of great dream. How many times has life experienced cool autumn? To forget, in itself is a form of remembrance. The greatest love never dies, while the greatest friendship raises itself from the dead. Loneliness comes from noble bones, and the unwillingness to appear inferior. Lin Shiya could already publish an entire series of Lin Shiyas Quotations. She was so talented! Zhao Youyue seemed to have gotten to know the talented girl Lin Shiya once again. She had truly been low-key during the dinner party, as if only Shi Jingnian was in her eyes. She truly loved that guy dearly. What? Ive wasted so much time reading, and it was just some novel manuscripts. Speaking of which, who writes novels with pens nowadays? Zhang Wanjun read a few pages, and put them aside. It was not like the writings were boring. She had expected to read a few private dairies. Now that she had figured out that it was just a novel, such a disparity between her expectations and reality quickly killed her interest. Zhao Youyue felt at ease instead the moment she heard that it was a novel. She would no longer be party to the violation of ones privacy, but simply appreciating a piece of work. Coincidentally, Zhao Youyue just happened to be short of books. She was still searching for a suitable literary world. She went ahead and searched for Ya Jing with her phone. Apparently, Lin Shiya was a prominent figure within various literary circles. Her works were not just bestsellers, but had also received several weighty newcomer awards. Thanks to her ladylike figure, she was categorized as a beautiful female writer. Several of her fans were in active pursuit of her. They considered her to be a genius writer. No one at her same age could be compared to her. Ya Jings works were indeed beautiful and popular. The commercial and artistic quality seemed to be in perfect unity. The shaping of novel characters, and plot development were all impeccable. In addition to those golden quotes that appeared from time to time, the great sales of her works seemed to be absolute. Most of all, her books demonstrated her wide range of knowledge as well. For example, when came to foreign settings, she was able to portray the details in a very realistic form. Whenever she wrote about some celebrities who existed in reality, she would write them, it was as if she had met them in person Many readers benefited from her works. Not only did they gain happiness, they had also gained knowledge. It also improved their reading tastes. High school students could even take a few leaves out of her writings and quote them in their essays. Ya Jings writings were not gorgeously convoluted. On the contrary, they were clear and concise. It was as if she intended to convey deep meaning through simple sentences. However it also gave the impression that she was a little lazy, as if she couldnt wait to hurry to the next arc. If there was a great writer Hai Mingwei in this world, her writing style would definitely be a nod to Hai Mingwei. Her works always gave people a compact sense of completion. They were full of dry goods''[1]. People considered her books worth buying. One of her books would be the equivalent as several books of other authors. All in all, it was rather easy to read her books. In this era, even literature has also been commercialized, all in the name of putting food on the table. Business writers had to try their best to publish content without actual quality Ya Jing was like not lack of money at all. She despised adding such contents. Her works transcended everything else, which only made them sell better. Those trash business writers who wrote only to market themselves should learn from Ya Jing. It would truly help them sell their books. After all, the eyes of readers were bright. They had a pretty good idea of which books were worthy to purchase and which were not. Only the most generous and noble readers would purchase them all. Zhao Youyue was such a reader. But shamefully, she had never heard about Ya Jing, as her writings were heavy literature. Zhao Youyue shied from such books because of her mother, Wang Hua. These books were like the method of playing the violin that she used for her performances during the competition. They were all specialized at pleasing the judges, not general readers. Obviously, Ya Jings books were not like that. She put the general readers into consideration as well. Just like how there would be cool writings[2] within masterpieces, Ya Jings books undoubtedly belonged to this genre. The protagonists within her books were all strong and bold, as if they could see through everything, and take any form of problem with resolute calmness. Readers who read her books felt a strong sense of familiarity with her protagonists. Disasters only befell the others, as the protagonists surveyed the scene with steady hearts. A protagonist who does not have to struggle one bit had its own form of appeal, as long as the supporting roles were well written. Obviously, Ya Jing had pulled this off. Recently, Ya Jing had declared that she wanted to write a grand work without any protagonists. There would be no protagonist, yet anyone could become the protagonist. This was the so-called Point of View Writing Method. A Song of Ice and Fire had been written in this POV Writing Method. Often when you considered someone the protagonist, that character would drop dead at the very next moment Translation Note: [1] Dry goods C It refers to contents that are more practical, without chit-chats, no fake ingredients. [2] Cool writings C It refers to a type of novel where the protagonist moves smoothly from the beginning of the novel to the end of the story. His level increases at Godspeed. Only he can hurt others; others cannot hurt him. Anyway, wherever he goes, the people there will be unlucky. Chapter 353 Bakuman After Zhao Youyue searched for information related to Ya Jing on the internet, she was shocked by her talent. If Han Leng was a genius writer among high school students, then Lin Shiya was quite possibly one of the most talented university students around. She was the pride, the face of Zhang Wanjuns famous university. Busybodies flattered her, calling her the campus flower. But unfortunately, this school flower already belonged to someone. But no one knew who she actually belonged to, as her boyfriend was doing a good job at laying low. No one knew that her boyfriend had a great deal of influence. Apart from several book signing events, she never participated in the rest of the promotional events. She seldom accepted interviews as well. She had given the readers the impression that she was the kind of writer that focused on writing, having little concern for fame and gain. This only gave her books more appeal. The readers considered her works to have some sort of purity which other writers did not have. Her university teacher was also a big boss in traditional literature. Therefore, she was easily recognized by the traditional literature community. It was why her books racked in awards like no tomorrow. The notebook that Zhao Youyue held in her hands at that moment was undoubted Ya Jings new work. What kind of POV Writing Method novel would it be? If this novel was excellent, it would be worth for her to travel into it via the Two Dimensional Gate. After all, this Ya Jing piece was not on the market yet, but her fans were waiting with bated breath. If she manages to live up the hype, it would easily grow popular. In addition to her connections in literary, along with her great track and sales record, this latest work could be eligible for more weighty literary awards. In that case, its probability of becoming an iconic work would drastically increase. Zhao Youyue decided to look further. She soon saw the name of the novel Bakuman. Zhao Youyue was stunned. If she had not misremembered, Bakuman was supposed to be a manga in theother world, which also known as Bakuman. It was a shonen manga full of positive energy. It also gave a refreshing, realistic insight of the manga industry. Shonen Jump was the center stage. The mangakas and editors in the magazine drew heavy reference from real-life counterparts. Perhaps this novel was the novel version of the manga Bakuman? Was Lin Shiya the legendary main character who plagiarized the articles of others? Zhao Youyue continued reading. She realized that this novel Bakuman by Ya Jing had nothing to do with Bakuman of the other world. Yet, it spoke of a world with the writers as the main characters. It explained the traditional writer industry of this world in general. Undoubtedly, becoming a professional writer, or a traditional writer was not an easy matter. In this era where online literature took the shore by waves, how many writers would be able to adhere to their original literary dreams? This novel Bakuman sought to give those traditional writers a voice to shout. Presumably, readers who had the same literary dreams would be able to relate closely! Could powerful dreams give birth to Bakuman? However, becoming a professional writer was also a gamble in itself. Once traditional writers choose to self-publish their works, they would often end up spending all their little savings Zhao Youyue considered it to be truly interesting. The Bakuman manga of the other world gave a general explanation of the manga industry. The protagonists dream was to become a super popular mangaka, and to marry a beauty VA. The Bakuman by Ya Jing in this world gave a general explanation of the literary world. Apparently, online literature would be involved in the future, as well. There would even be a battle between traditional literature and online literature There were all sorts of writers within, just like it was in reality. Some managed to sell a book or two in bulk. Some adhered to writing unswervingly while working part-time to sustain their living. The cruel fact for these writers is that they might never be able to write something famous, even if they persisted in doing so for a lifetime. Although there were no protagonists in this Bakuman by Ya Jing, there were not so subtle hints on the existence of a main character. The story started off from the viewpoint of an editor of a small literary magazine. The story jumped straight into an in-depth description of the state of traditional literature this world was currently in. Undoubtedly, it was a dying breed. In this era where entertainment was gradually being diversified, high-end, grand, upper-grade literature have been left far behind mass literary works and had grown irrelevant to daily life. Sales were plummeting. Companies were going bankrupt, one after another. The remaining ones were on their last legs. They even needed state subsidies However, this young editor still had dreams keeping his heart alight. He hoped to one day discover a true genius writer, and guide him onto the right path. Then, this genius writer would write an immortal iconic work, and receive the two greatest literary awards in this world The Oriental Literature Award and Saint Laurent Literature Award. The awards were as impressive as their names suggested. The Oriental Literature Award was the highest literature award within the China sphere of influence, which was one of the two poles. The Saint Laurent Literature Award was the highest literature award within the European and American sphere of influence. Unfortunately, the famous Nobel Prize did not exist in this world anymore. At that moment, only three writers have received both the Oriental Literature Award and Saint Laurent Literature Award. All three of them have passed away. The bipolar structure had resulted in everyone playing with their own toys. Why should the Oriental Literature Award be awarded to foreign writers? The judges of Saint Laurent Literature Award thought the same as well In the other world, China had once been very persistent in claiming the Nobel Prize. This was due to insufficient cultural influence. It had no domestic awards that were comparable to the Nobel Prize. As for the China in this world, which was the Eastern overlord, it ruled over much, even Australia. Its cultural influence had to be significant. China had its own series of awards that the world held in great esteem. Therefore, China could not be bothered with the awards within the Western sphere of influence. Even if the polarization of this world did not give rise to big confrontations, they would still fiercely compete on a cultural level. In the simulation game Sid Meiers Civilization, everyones military strength was comparable to each other. Every country had their own nuclear firepower as well. If a war truly started, Earth would definitely be damned. Therefore, they could only pursue victory in terms of culture and territories in outer space. This novel Bakuman obviously used the current literary world as the backdrop, containing many Chinese and Western writers as characters. The plan was to write a depiction of the great collision between cultures. It would be a grand, global series of events, not leaving out each and every writers philosophies, along with the trends through the passage of time, etc. This was entirely on a different level compared to Bakuman, of another world, regarding intention Chapter 354 Selecting a Title Zhao Youyue finished reading Ya JingsBakuman in a single breath. Something caught her curiosity. As she read through the script, she found some written word errors. But these errors had been amended by someone else. Compared to the handwriting in the notebook, the handwriting of one who revised the errors was more of a girls slender and diminutive. Although Zhao Youyue had spent more time reading online literature than traditional literature, she was still an experienced reader, regardless. She was familiar with the writing differences between male and female writers. In general, the writing style of male writers was boisterous and rough, to put lightly. To be blunter, they were horrible writers, their depictions of details were unacceptable, their descriptions of emotional feelings were even more awkward. Readers could immediately tell that they were single dogs, at a glance. On the other hand, the writing style of female writers was rather exquisite. Their writings were better than male writers, in general. They could, however, get excessively hung up over details, or their plot would be developed entirely around a romance. The scope of the setting would seem to be relatively small, always giving a feeling that all the characters in the work cared about nothing, but to fall in love with someone. But of course, this was overgeneralizing matters. Some male writers had delicate writing styles and described details greatly. If they were to create a heroine, they might even be mistaken for a female writer. When they attempt to refute such assumptions, no one would believe them. Even if some believed, they would still project their initial impressions of these writers being Lady bossesWho had asked them to write like ladies? Some female writers spread the settings of their stories far and wide, without getting hung up on the emotional aspect. Such writing styles would often attract male readers, but at the same time, they would lose female readers who preferred plotlines centered around love. It was not easy to be a writer. Adjusting oneself to the readers taste was difficult. No matter how you write, someone would always be unsatisfied. It would be best to write according to your ideas. When male readers read books targetted for females, they would be in constant fear about the appearance of male protagonist. It was a stereotypical belief that when the male protagonist appears, the heroine will receive all kinds of intelligent-reducing attacks. That would be very depressing and distressing. Under such circumstances, there was a type of heroine work written for male readers, which was precisely the gender-bender type novel''[1] which contained no male protagonists whatsoever. Of course, some would say that gender-bender novels were susceptible to being cursed. For example, that somebody would turn out to be the Drug Lord. But in fact, no matter what novel it is, the unexpected always happens. Those readers noble, generous fathers should forgive them once, and give them a chance to turn over a new leaf. Zhao Youyues instincts told her that the actual writer of this Bakuman might be a male. Lin Shiya was the one doing the revisions. But Zhao Youyue did not dare jump to conclusions. If this matter was exposed, Lin Shiyas reputation would come crashing down. It was unacceptable for the practice of ghostwriting in literature circles. But of course, web novels were a different story. Commercial literature such as web novels could really learn from mangakas. Such individuals co-created entire studios, and drew under the same pen name. Someone would be in charge of the outline; someone else would be responsible for the character design. Each arc might even be written by a different person. Work would progress at a breakneck pace. However, such practice was extremely scarce. It was hard to say if such stories would even be popular. Another typical situation would be a particular writer losing his interest to continue writing. Thus, he would have a ghostwriter keep writing in his stead. Such circumstances often occurred in the web novel world. Such an option was not on the table for writers who had a specific form of writing. Readers would be able to tell at a glanceIt would be a hopeless attempt. Whoever it was who wrote Bakuman, Zhao Youyue regarded it very highly, and was confident that it had the potential to create an iconic character. The absence of a protagonist made it ideal for her to get involved. As long as she remains involved in the literary world, and become the unofficial protagonist by decree of the readers, that would mean that she had succeeded! When she obtains the iconic character card, she would gain the powerful ability to create works. Then, she would be able to create her original compositions. She could even become an original author, while collaborating with Su Li, and publish new manga. Undoubtedly, Bakuman had a bright future. Since the Two Dimensional Gate was still in cooldown, she thought that she could make friends with Lin Shiya, and customize a female character. This was necessary, as there were no colorful female characters within Bakuman yet. The vantage points mostly originated from male characters. Something caught Zhao Youyues interest. She noticed the archetype of a character similar to Han Lenga genius high school student writer. This character had become rather famous after receiving the New Concept Composition first prize. But, he soon learned that he could not earn much money by writing traditional literature. Therefore, he switched to online writing, and started to write web novels However, this genius high school student writer still had an unfulfilled literary dream. He amassed knowledge from various web novels to write a piece of work in the future. It did not have to be liked by mass readers, but it needed to be steadfast in its ideals. This genius high school student writer had been given the ability to have a gorgeous writing style and innate word acuity. To accumulate materials, he was willing to do anything. Therefore, he became a Lady boss Ya Jing actually had such high expectations towards a genius high school student writer like Han Leng? Apart from Han Leng, she had also noticed the archetype character of the great suspense, mystery novelist, Ou Yang. It just seemed that Ya Jing was not interested in this great writer Ou. She even considered Ou Yang to be a very conceited person who greatly objectified females and disregarded their values In short, there were various breeds of writers in Bakuman. Zhao Youyue would not be surprised, even if the archetype character of Su Li appeared next. Zhao Youyue even entertained the possibility of earning yet another sleeping victory by possessing Su Lis archetype character. After all, Su Lis curse had given people a deep impression. If she obtained the Su Li card, she might even be able to receive some mysterious power from the East. Of course, she could also end up as the Pan of This Generation. That would be the negative effect Works similar to Bakuman would have a hidden setting similar to The 4WD God. If all the primary students in The 4WD God had maximum stamina, then the readers in Bakuman would have maximum literary appreciation capability. They would have the stomach and palate for any form of writing. At the same time, the top writers in Bakuman would produce works similar to glowing dishes, that sent readers drowning themselves in their contents. Therefore, the novel Bakuman of this world, was a piece of work with the same energy level as The 4WD God. Zhao Youyue could specifically travel into Bakuman by sacrificing Zhou Chuns card. She was already coming up with some ideas about the female character she wanted A bookworm girl who had a refined taste for reading. Translation note: [1] Gender-bender novel C It refers to novels with no male protagonist. In the eyes of most readers, transfiguration is a novel in which a male turns into a female and become the protagonist. The main point that attracts readers is the conflict between a males heart and a females body. The outside world greatly changes their attitudes, the deterioration of friendship and love, and finally lifelong belongings. Chapter 355 Iconic scholarly female character setting Since Zhao Youyue had finally decided to sacrifice a high popularity character card this time, she was, of course, extremely intent on creating an iconic character. To securely succeed in creating an iconic literary female character, she certainly needed a template to refer to. This template was the character in another world called Amano Tooko. She was the heroine of Book Girl[1]. However, because no extended anime versions of Book Girl had ever been released, and there was only the animated film and OVA available, it was not widely known. The differences between an anime and a novel are really quite vast. Even so, it was a truly unique piece of work within the field of light novels. Many people have the impression that the plots of light novels were full of nonsense, as they were mostly about how the male protagonist had a very fine harem. This was not the case in Book Girl. This work stood out from the other light novels, as it was a combination of a light novel and serious literature. In the year 2009, it also won Five Crowns in Kono Light Novel ga Sugoi![2]: First place for best piece of work, first place for best illustration department (Miho Takeoka), first place for best female character (Amano Tooko; while Kotobuki Nanase placed fourth), male character (Inoue Konoha), and first place for overall best character (Amano Tooko). Each volume of the light novel Book Girl was based on an existing iconic novel, which promoted the progression of the story. This made it quite a big deal. Numerous iconic works were involved in the making of the light novel, and all of them passed through the heroine Amano Tooko. She ate the iconic works and explained each of them through a replication of their individual flavors. The plot structure of this work was very sophisticated. Generally, there were four levels in each story, which made pondering on it very worthwhile. It may have lacked in popularity, but its literary nature made up for it. It brainwashed those who took a liking to it into becoming hardcore fans, and even led some of them into grossly overinterpreting its meaning in more ways than one. Even if it was not particularly popular, it was still a work which was remarkably full of connotations, thus it had some redeeming factors. Content notwithstanding, the character setting of the heroine Amano Tooko already had the flavor of an iconic female character. She had the iconic three-strand braided hairstyle, which looked just like a cats tail. Her dark bangs draped over her snow-white forehead. Her long braids fell over her shoulders to her waist. Her skin was extremely fair, which only made her dark hair, eyelashes, and pupils stand out in contrast, glistening prominently. When she remains silent, she appeared very elegant and as beautiful as a doll. Although she had an elegant literary girl-ish appearance, she had a rather lively and naive personality. Throughout the story, she often built castles in the air. After she has decided on something, she would ignore the opinions of others and directly go for bust. On the other hand, she was particularly sensitive towards strange places, thus she was quite good at taking care of others. She was beautiful, just like violet petals. Although she had a miserable life, she never once gave up. Instead, she journeyed towards happiness, throughout the novel. Her brisk pace led the unfortunate people around her; it led them to her pace. They started desiring for true happiness as well. In relation to her appearance and personality, especially personality, she clearly shared some similarities with the iconic female character Chu Luoxun. Her life was miserable, both her parents were dead. Even so, she was strong, cheerful and gentle. Such female characters would give readers an agonizingly bittersweet impression, as long as they are well-written, or appropriately portrayed by genius writers. They would ultimately rob the readers of their tears, which allowed them to inch closer towards becoming an iconic character. The most distinctive trait about her that readers remembered most was that she had to eat books to satisfy her hunger. Ordinary food was unsavory and non-nutritious to her. However, when she ate books, she could taste the flavors of the book. Naturally, the better the book was, the better it tasted. Some books were, of course, dark cuisines[3] Anyhow, Zhao Youyue felt that the ability to eat books was very interesting. This was because she thought of herself as a gourmet and she had eaten most food that was known to man. She had not been able to try light-emitting cuisines in the real world, as she had not found a suitable work that featured food yet. If she could taste the flavor of food by eating books, this ability could surely be a temporary substitute for light-emitting cuisines, in order to satisfy her cravings. In Book Girl, Amano Tooko initially started off as a reader, but she later became an editor. Now that she was using the template of Amano Tooko to enter Bakuman, she could grant her a strong creation ability, and give her a wild imagination, while making it so that she liked to eat her own created works. When such a character appears, it would definitely attract the attention of readers! In Bakuman, she no longer had to use death to create an iconic character. As long as she successfully builds this literary girl character, she could use her to attack the other creators, and become the most dazzling character in existence. Of course, she was by no means a despicable creator. She would also help the younger generation. After all, in the literary world, all sorts of severe seniority complexes existed. The only thing that Zhao Youyue had not yet done was to give this literary girl a name. Of course, the name of this literary girl had to give her the impression of a Wen Qing[4]. Now that the main body of Bakuman was focused on a character created by a domestic writer, she had to give her a Chinese name. Actually, Zhao Youyue was not very good at giving names. The two words Wen Qing just kept echoing in her brain, thus it eventually became - - Wen Qingyu. Zhao Youyue wrote down the words Wen Qingyu. Then, she decided that she would stick with her normal routine, which she was familiar with. That is, to pretend as if she desired nothing more than to be a side character. Only after she enters the world of works, would she start tweaking with the settings of this side character This time, she could directly insert the exciting ability of eating books. In the beginning, she would remain as a normal reader who hollers 666 in the multiverses of works. Later, she would be given inspiration from others. Why not write your own books to eat? Thus a new possibility dawned upon Wen Qingyu, and she embarked on the journey of writing to abolish the predecessors of the literary world Her ability to eat books was similar to Nakiri Erinas Gods Tongue in Food Wars: Shokugeki no Soma. By tasting her own works, she could make vast improvements. In fact, this was equivalent to the modification part of this ability, which was now a part of reality. When writing books, most traditional writers tended to revise their books constantly. Dream of the Red Chamber only became iconic as a result of Cao Xueqins ten years of reading, five additions, and deletions.[5] This was why it was difficult for web novels to become iconic. Web novels were equivalent to rudimentary drafts. For best effects, they should have been uploaded after proper refinement. However, if this was to be done, it would take too long, and the initial excitement would fade away. Thus, because of this, many criticized web novels and claimed that they were trash. However, it did not make sense. If traditional writers were to write web novels, it would turn out even worse. The time needed to create both types of works were not equal. It was an unfair statement to make. Zhao Youyue had already begun making plans for Su Li to draw illustrations for Wen Qingyu. She felt that this wave should be able to wash Su Lis poisonous image away, it was far from tragic. Translation note : [1] Book Girl is a collection of Japanese light novels by Mizuki Nomura, with illustrations by Miho Takeoka. The series contains 16 volumes: eight covers the original series, four are short story collections, and four are of a side story. [2] Kono Light Novel ga Sugoi! (literally This Light Novel is Amazing!)is an annual light novel guidebook published by Takarajimasha. The guidebook publishes a list of the top ten most popular light novels according to readers polled on the Internet. An introduction to each of the works comes with each listing, along with an interview of the light novels author or authors for first place. Many of the light novels that have been listed in this guidebook were later adapted into anime series. Most of the light novels listed contain a series of volumes, but some single-volume light novels also get listed. [3] Dark cuisines are bland foods, usually made by junior chefs or chefs that are not skilled at cooking. [4] Wen Qing () means hipster. The term is not translated here for ease of understanding purposes, so that it can link to the later part of the story, where Zhao Youyue names the literary girl Wen Qingyu. [5] Ten years of reading, five additions, and deletions (,) is a quote originating from the book Dream of the Red Chamber by Cao Xueqin. In writing Dream of the Red Chamber, Cao Xueqin changed and edited things within the book for more than ten years before it was deemed completed. Simply put, it illustrates an authors genuine passion for writing and refers to the hardships involved in creating or writing a book. Chapter 356 Preparation before Approach Yes, although Wen Qingyu had a miserable and distressing life, which made the hearts of readers ache for her, she was not considered a tragic character. On the contrary, her existence was healing and therapeutic. She became an iconic character, not because she was remembered through death, but because of her talent in creating works, and her ability to eat books like it was food Zhao Youyue could not help but add something to Wen Qingyu. This new setting was so that whenever she eats a book, she would be able to remember it completely. This was equivalent to the ability to read books and never forget them. If she had such an ability in the real world, it would be great. When Zhao Youyue had nothing to do, she could just casually eat some books; then she would probably be able to get a nickname like walking library. All things having been accounted for, Zhao Youyue went on to think about how she could get closer to Lin Shiya, or master Ya Jing. Even if Lin Shiya was not Ya Jing, she had to be closely related to the person in question. Otherwise, why would such a talented writer willingly ghostwrite in her name? Zhao Youyue was confident in Wen Qingyu, because the character had been created by Ya Jings creative talent. The novel of Bakuman was of fairly high quality. The content was historically accurate to the literary world of today. It was capable of getting the readers highly interested. Moreover, its POV writing style would leave readers wondering who would end up as the best in the literary world. Such novels produced outstanding depictions of the characters that clans would start forming under various banners once again. Each character would gain strong followings. What Zhao Youyue wanted to do was to make the character that she controlled gain the most supporters, and in extension to that, the most popularity. After Zhao Youyue finished reading the introduction of Bakuman, which only consisted of roughly tens of thousands of words, she went on to search for Ya Jings other works on the internet. Fortunately, on the Qidian novel website, there were electronic versions of Ya Jings novel. Surprisingly, the subscription count of her electronic versions was rather high. All of them had a medal on them, which meant that they all had at least 3,000 subscribers. For printed books like these which were rather old-fashioned to have such a subscription count meant that people approved of it. If not for that, how could its subscription count be so high when the Qidian novel website was clearly a platform catered towards web novel readers? It was a pity that electronic versions of printed books like these would usually only appear on the Qidian novel website after the books are completed, and after the heat of their sales have died down. Readers familiar with the Qidian novel website would all know that such books had little power in the ranking boards. The harsh truth was that many web novel readers enjoyed the thrill of chasing after new chapters. Zhao Youyue decided to add Ya Jings novels to her library, both of which were about 200,000 words long. A novel of this length would probably take up to one day of reading, at most. However, she was a little tired today. She had a healthy lifestyle, and was used to sleeping early and getting up early. Thus, she fell asleep at around 11 oclock. This, in fact, was all thanks to the Two Dimensional Gate, because she always looked forward to entering it to enjoy the otherworldly sights. Zhang Wanjun, of course, did not go to sleep so early on that day. After all, she was a university student. In this era, where would you find university students with proper circadian rhythms? Lets not forget that it was during the holidays. Of course, she had to stay up late. She still had to catch up on some dramas. Even so, she did not stay up too late. After all, she was prepared to take good care of her cute sister Youyue for the next few days. She would definitely not feel at ease if Zhao Youyue was left in Zhao Haos hands. Zhao Hao would sometimes go overboard when having fun. He was like a bear cub. Moreover, Zhao Haos friends were not exactly good influence. That Nations Husband Ding Yuncong was already considered a spotless white horse. After all, he was a public figure, widely known for his approachable, easy-going personality. He was like an untouchable, rich second generation. Although many believed that Ding Yuncongs best achievement throughout his entire life was that he had successfully reincarnated into a good family, he was actually rather successful in his career. His live stream platform even had an e-Sports team, and they were quite a hit. Zhao Haos had already sold off his e-Sports team, because he soon found that his favorite thing was not e-Sports, but spending lots of money on online games. He devoted more of his energy to his basketball team and car racing team. He felt that they were way more interesting, compared to e-Sports Furthermore, after he found out that his very own sister Youyue was Ah Yu, he had been able to mock Ding Yuncong unscrupulously. The professional players you have in your professional gaming team were no match to my sister at all! Whats the point of playing professionally? Pack your bags and go home! Ding Yuncong could not even refute, because Zhao Youyue was indeed a pub stomper in LoL. Some nosy people have even edited and compiled the highlights of her playing against major professional players in ranked games. She had killed almost every professional player out there. If it was just one or two professional players that have been suppressed by her, it could be considered a fluke on her part. However, the key factor was that it was not just one or two of them There were also some superstitious fans of the professional players who thought that Ah Yu was only good at ranked games. If she were to actually play professionally, her various shortcomings would undoubtedly be exposed. However, no one questioned or doubted Ah Yus talents, especially after her true identity was revealed. Many fans felt that it was a pity that Ah Yu did not go ahead and play professionally. However, her response left her fans speechless - - If there was a Lin Feng in this world, as long as he sends her an invitation, she would certainly play professionally. Zhao Hao decided that he would bring Zhao Youyue to visit his car racing team this time, as it so happened that his team had an upcoming race around the corner. Although races on their level were not as interesting as the Shanghai f1 racing competition which was to be held in April, it was of some standard. Spectating a race in person was definitely a lot more exciting, compared to watching it through a screen! If Zhao Haos driving skills were actually decent, he might have gone ahead and sat behind a wheel. Zhao Hao was aware that the so-called underground racing, or death racing, which was held on the mountains, provided the real form of excitement. It was awash with stunts similar to those in mangas, but it was way too dangerous, one mistake and it would be a deadly car crash The next day, Zhao Youyue got up very early. Zhang Wanjun was still asleep. She did not wake her up. Instead, after brushing up, she decided to read both of Ya Jings books quietly. She felt that it was best if she interacted with Ya Jing as a loyal reader; it was the safest option. As a loyal reader, she had to make sure that she knew the books well. Ya Jings creative talent had never been overstated. Her first piece of work, entitled The Way of University, was beautifully written. Zhao Youyue could not help but think of another piece of work written by Jiang Nan called Life as a Juvenile. This was a refreshing university campus story. The language used was simple and concise. The author wrote the whole book as if it was a trivial matter, something not even worth mentioning. However, each small detail shone subtle hints on philosophical arguments, and contained phrases worthy of becoming notable quotations No wonder Ya Jing was a genius writer Chapter 357 A Hidden Bigshot Internal Manager Zhao Youyue had just finished reading both of Ya Jings books, The Way of University and Big Big World. If the former spoke of an interesting university life that was full of philosophical insights, the latter would be an adventure novel. It was separated by several arcs, where small plots followed after other small plots. The protagonist was always indifferent. It was as if he could see through everything, and was simply noting down the joys and sorrows of others. Big Big World was somewhat related to science. After reading, many readers felt that the world was vast and filled with wonders. The protagonist was not actually the protagonist. Instead, he was just a tool that connected everything. All in all, whether it was The Way of University or Big Big World, they were both masterpieces that had achieved a fine balance of commerciality and artistry. They could leave readers in deep thought, and might even grant them new perspectives on life and their worldview. For example, in Big Big World, the author explored some general knowledge in todays society are taken at face value due to their apparent logic. It did not attempt to refute them, but encouraged others to look at it from different perspectives. This would help readers think more critically. Big Big World was considered to be niche and hard to grasp, as the authors knowledge left readers in the dust. After reading, the readers would be instilled with a sense of admiration - - how many books has Master Ya Jing read? How many places had she traveled to? Zhao Youyue admired Ya Jing, but not to that extent. Her desire to enter the world of Bakuman next had only been strengthened. At the same time, she also did some self-reflection. Among traditional writers, true talent was definitely present. She should not be prejudiced towards all conventional writers, just because her mother was one of them However, after reading these two books, she was even more skeptical about Lin Shiyas identity as Ya Jing. Some lines in both books revealed somewhat masculine insights, and the language was edgy in some parts. The language of a female writer was usually more gentle and light. She also learned more about Lin Shiya through her cousin Zhang Wanjun. Although Lin Shiya had traveled overseas before, she had no experience with regards to living abroad at length. However, in Big Big World, the author obviously knew what living abroad was like. Everyone knew that if a creator wanted to write an accurate portrayal about something, it would be best if they had personally experienced it before. If not, their knowledge on the matter would have only been obtained through books, and would come across as superficial. Reading thousands of books and walking thousands of miles were both extremely helpful towards creative writing. Zhao Youyue was most particularly curious about a certain matter. In the review section on the Qidian novel website, concerning The Way of University and Big Big World, a portion of readers were actually slamming Ya Jing for her incomplete works. They were also claiming that they had seen through her When Zhao Youyue saw these comments, she was shocked. So far, Ya Jing had only written these two books. She had also successfully finished both books. Why were they scolding her and saying that her books were incomplete? She saw a number of pen names mentioned in the reviews - - Beacon Towers Wolf Smoke,Tiny Houses,Dumas in the Autumn,, Cardinal Nicotine,Ignorant Life,Concise Hypocrisy,Proud Plum in the Cold Snow, and more. There were about a dozen pen names. Zhao Youyue, who had nothing better to do, looked them up, one by one. She found out that each pen name had single incomplete books under their belts. Moreover, all of these unfinished books carried medals. Judging by how many people have voted for these books as a recommended read, it was easy to figure out why a lot of readers were gathered here. Many of the readers had also rewarded the writer abundantly and obtained high fan rankings. All these books had large followings! However, among the web novels under these pen names, none of them had a word count had exceeded 800,000 words! In this era, if the word count of a web novel did not reach a minimum of 2,000,000, it might be a stretch to call it a web novel? Popular web novels usually had 4,000,000 to 5,000,000 words. The books under these twelve pen names were of various genres, like fantasy, magical realism, heroic, city life, gaming, and even those about sports and competitions They only shared one similarity - - they were all incomplete. The worst thing was, all of them were abandoned abruptly just as they approached the climax! It was not hard to imagine how frustrated the readers would be when such fascinating web novels get abandoned. Many threads in the review section cursed the authors, in the hope that all their family members would die. Initially, Zhao Youyue thought that it was very nonsensical for Ya Jing to dig these pits, but not fill them up. It was not possible for all these incomplete books to be written by the same person. How could an author manage to concoct such a wide variety of novels? Whats more, every book was highly popular. She decided to check out these highly recommended incomplete books; each of them written well enough to earn eternal grudges. However, when she did, she was overwhelmed. To put it in a way, Ya Jing was a creator with a fierce and strong personality. Her language was always concise. This did not mean that she had a limited vocabulary. On the contrary, her writing skills were quite seasoned, as she was able to convey a huge amount of content through the minimal amount of words. For readers who were better at putting things together, Ya Jings books greatly attracted them. After reading, they would subconsciously start to ponder over it She casually looked at the introduction of these books, and found that the style of writing was exactly the same as that of Ya Jings. However, she had written them in a style commonly found in web novels. There were lesser notable quotations that made the readers awestruck, but the plot was still fascinating, extremely compact, and the readers just had to finish it in one breath! After so much trouble, Ya Jing turned out to be the hidden internal manager within the web novel community? What did she take writing web novels for? If the readers were to uncover such behavior and find that those incomplete novels were all written by her, she would surely be hunted down and killed, right? She was worse than other writers who just left their novels incomplete. Every time she left a novel incomplete, she would take on a new sockpuppet identity and act like she was an entirely new writer. Those readers who did not know how to recognize writers through their writing style would, of course, unwittingly fall into her trap! They might even treat one of her sockpuppet identities as their favorite writer, as the writing style was one which they liked! Other authors tend to make up many different excuses to cover up for their acts of not finishing a story. The most common excuses were stuff like how they were not performing well in school and their grades were dropping, or that the income they get from the book was too little, hence the only choice left was to abandon it. After all, authors needed to eat as well. After they have abandoned their books, they would go and find a proper job Among female authors, a common excuse was that they were expecting, and they tended to promise that they would be back once they deliver the baby. However, they would always end up disappearing without a trace. An author who dies before their story was completed was the most frustrating of all. An example was the author who wrote doujinshi novels, Setsuna. For these twelve high-quality incomplete books which were written by twelve sockpuppet identities, all the authors have vanished into thin air, without exception. It was as if the authors just up and left after they had earned a certain amount of money These types were the evilest of all incomplete-type authors. They were just abandon their books without a word. It was apparent that every book was well-received by the readers, and if they were to be completed, they would become works of a god. However, it was as if she did not care about becoming a god in writing. She was just willfully writing away! There was only one way to deal with such evil authors. Lock them up in a dark room, and starve unless they continue with their novels Chapter 358 Obtaining a Side-Character Role After Zhao Youyue started suspecting that Ya Jing was the evilest author in the web novel community, as that she specialized in writing incomplete books, she was suddenly afraid. What if she abruptly abandoned her new book without a word too? Could an iconic character ever emerge out of an incomplete book? This would probably be very difficult to accomplish. A possibility may stem from the fact that the incomplete book was simply too good, and was capable of leaving many readers wanting for more No, such works should not be called incomplete. Instead, they could be regarded in a lighter tone, called - - suspension of publication. Just like in another world, the light novel The Haruhi Suzumiya Series always experienced suspensions of publication. However, no one could deny its popularity. Each and every character in it was iconic in their own right. There was also Yoshihiro Togashis Hunter x Hunter. Needless to say, this manga was certainly not incomplete, but it was clearly not fully completed either. It left the readers hanging just like that, although it was actually a good method of maintaining its popularity. When Old Sly Yoshihiro resumed publication of the manga again, it naturally gave the fans a burst of excitement, every single time. However, not long after the fans got excited, the Old Sly would head back to his Mahjong game in order to seek inspiration again Zhao Youyue had spent the holidays eating, playing around and reading. Whenever she was brought to the car races, she would also use her mobile phone. She even went to a ski resort with Zhang Wanjun, though obviously, she could not use her mobile phone while skiing. All in all, Zhao Youyue had a happy and relaxing holiday. Whether it was her cousin brother Zhao Hao or cousin sister Zhang Wanjun, they both fulfilled the role of being warm hosts and took great care of Zhao Youyue. Zhao Hao was pretty careful, this time. He knew that Zhao Youyue had been exposed as the true identity of Ah Yu, and she would be recognized everywhere she went. Hence, he was very careful in interacting with Zhao Youyue, as he was afraid that his bad reputation would affect Zhao Youyue. Therefore, Zhang Wanjun, who was inseparable from Zhao Youyue, had her pictures taken by the paparazzi. The pictures of the two shopping together were also uploaded onto the internet. There was no doubt this time that Zhang Wanjun became more popular because of Zhao Youyue. She was initially only known as Black & White Z Mold, and her popularity was limited to the Bilibili platform. Now that many were assuming that she was a close friend of the ultra-popular female streamer Ah Yu, her Weibo fans and subscription count had increased by quite a fair bit. Some fans had even sent her various forms of congratulations. All of Zhang Wanjuns fans wanted her to make a video with Zhao Youyue. Zhang Wanjun had actually recorded a video of her playing the horror game Left 4 Dead with Zhao Youyue. Not surprisingly, after she had uploaded it on Bilibili, it became wildly popular. The video had more clicks than all the videos that she had produced before. Due to this, Zhang Wanjun could not help but feel surprised. The popularity of sister Youyue was really quite scary. Further, because of the tacit cooperation and teamwork between the two while playing Left 4 Dead, and the fact that Zhao Youyue acted altruistically towards Zhang Wanjun, someone actually made up some nonsense about the game being Left 4 Marriage instead of Left 4 Dead Some fans even lamented about how Ah Yu should have been the one getting teased as she appeared softer and cuter. However, the fact was that Z Mold, known as a cool girl with a fresh and somewhat pretty appearance, became the one being teased instead. What exactly was the truth behind all of this? At that moment, the fans were all divided, having various opinions. Some fans, on the other hand, wanted to know how these two talented girls got to know each other Tacitly, both Zhao Youyue and Zhang Wanjun did not mention anything about the blood relationship between them. This was mainly because the both of them did not want to expose anything about their family background. If the fans could just sit back and watch their live streams and videos quietly, wouldnt it be enough? With the help of Zhang Wanjun, Zhao Youyue had also succeeded in becoming friends with Lin Shiya, though merely as a loyal reader of hers. However, Lin Shiya did not seem to be very enthusiastic about the loyal reader Zhao Youyue, and was not very warm towards her. Instead, she began to regard her with more wariness. This almost allowed Zhao Youyue to confirm that the real creator of Bakuman was not Lin Shiya, but her boyfriend, Shi Jingnian. Shi Jingnian was undoubtedly a nasty person. However, in recent times, all the genius-like artists always seemed to be somewhat queer. There was nothing much to say about his fondness for pursuing a real harem, as he had never really actively pursued any girls. He would only tease those pretty looking girls a little, here and there. Unfortunately, Zhao Youyue did not fall for his tricks. Although he was still curious about Zhao Youyue, he had given up trying. This was because he had found another lady to tease. It was as if she had become a substitute for Zhao Youyue Zhao Youyue knew this lady, as she was also pretty good at playing the violin. She was Zhao Youyues opponent in the national music competition. It was just that the girl was way more proud and arrogant than Zhao Youyue. Her name was Lu Xue. Lu Xue was an extremely arrogant lady. However, she was not worth as much as Zhao Youyue. After all, her father was only a coal boss[1]. Even so, she liked to order people around a lot, and her temper was really unbearable. She even had the audacity to look down on Zhao Youyue Shi Jingnian had a high tolerance for her. He was clearly not trying to pursue Lu Xue. Instead, he was just treating her habitually, and tolerating her bad temper. However, this probably gave Lu Xue the wrong idea - - she had found her true love. Lu Xue had never been denied anything since young. She wanted the best of everything. She clearly knew that Shi Jingnian had a girlfriend, and that their relationship was going well, yet she felt that she could be better than Lin Shiya. This was because Shi Jingnian was a hidden musical genius. He was obviously more compatible with Lu Xue Hence, Lu Xue forced herself into Shi Jingnians group of female friends. Once Zhao Youyue found out that the hidden genius writer Shi Jingnian could tolerate the bad attitude of pretty girls, she felt that her previous actions of approaching Lin Shiya under the guise of a loyal reader were really unnecessary. Shi Jingnian, add a cameo for me in your new book Bakuman. No, its not mine. Its Shiyas. Stop pretending. Are you going to add it for me or not? Lady Zhao, can you fix your attitude? Could it be that you are like this because Im now pretty close to Xue-er[2]? I know that you guys were opponents in the violin competition, but in my eyes, the both of you Youre really full of nonsense! Ive already sent you my cameo idea. If you do not add it, Ill tell Lin Shiya about how flirtatious you are! Shiya knows about it. I dont hide anything from her. Oh, by the way, I actually wrote a song for you. You can have a look at it. If I can hear you sing it, it would be the greatest achievement in my life! Zhao Youyue was utterly speechless. She thought to herself, the greatest strength of Shi Jingnian was probably his thick skin, or rather, his nonexistent skin! It was as if he realized how Zhao Youyue felt. Shi Jingnian let out a gentle laugh and said, Well, for Shiyas new book, I still have some rights to suggest and sound my opinions. Lady Zhao, looking at how cute you are, how could I bear to reject your request I would do anything just to see you smile, you know. Zhao Youyues felt goosebumps raising all over her skin. At least, in any case, her side-character would definitely appear in Bakuman. Shi Jingnian always fulfilled the promises that he made to beautiful ladies. Translation note : [1] coal boss () refers to the boss or owner of a coal mine or coal mining company. [2] Xue-er here refers to Lu Xue, it is something like a nickname that Shi Jingnian has given to her. Usually, an -er is added to the back of someones name to indicate that they are close to the person. Chapter 359 A Successful Entry into a New World This time, it was clear that Zhao Youyues wish was to obtain the ability to create works through the Two Dimensional Gate. This could save her the trouble of running into unpleasant creators such as Shi Jingnian. With this ability, she could be independent. First, she would get a high popularity character card as a sacrifice. Then, she would transmigrate into a piece of work where she could confidently create an iconic character. The work would be created by herself, it was a brilliant idea. Fortunately, Shi Jingnian was not the type of person who loved stalking others. He was never the one who took the initiative, but neither did he reject any requests, and was all in all, very responsible. Whenever a pretty girl asked him for help, he would try his best to help and did not expect anything in return. Of course, Shi Jingnians standards of beauty were very high. It could be said that all the girls who were capable of capturing his attention were really extremely beautiful and had great temperaments. They were definitely not vulgar in any way. Some girls were just too kind. As they had accepted Shi Jingnians help previously, they would naturally feel indebted to him. They would have trouble sleeping if they were unable to return the favor. Thus, they had unknowingly fallen into his trap. Then, there were those like lady Lu Xue, who was full of confidence, thinking that she could cure him of his flirtatious behavior. Hence, she had temporarily joined his harem, maintaining a low profile, while waiting for a crucial time to stir up some trouble. Zhao Youyue was the smartest. She would not use her kindness on Shi Jingnian. She could secure this genius creator in the palm of her hand without any sort of psychological burden. The moment she successfully created an iconic literary girl character, she would completely cut Shi Jingnian off. Anyhow, judging by how he was always so suave whenever he interacted with girls, he definitely would not care even if Zhao Youyue left. A suave guy like him who could remain unabashed even with thousands of beautiful girls by his side, it was most certainly someone who was familiar with the art of love. However, it was a pity as Zhao Youyue did not fall for his tricks at all. Her side-character aura could completely subdue his harem aura. At that moment, Shi Jingnian finally had a look Zhao Youyues cameo idea. Initially, he felt quite frustrated. To him, Bakuman was going to become a masterpiece in the field of scientific literature. It would touch on not only the traditional literary world, but also the web literary world. He was a senior internal manager in the web novel world, after all. He had already entrapped several million readers. If this identity was exposed, he would most definitely become a street mouse As he had high expectations for Bakuman, he did not want any boring characters to appear in the book. However, after looking at the setting of Wen Qingyu, his eyes lit up in excitement. It did not matter whether Wen Qingyu becomes a creator. The cameo idea of her appearing as a reader that shouts nothing but 666 was actually quite interesting! After all, her ability to eat books and rate them was similar to the ability to taste good food. It could be used to judge the quality of the works of other creators. If the work was of a different genre, it would be similar to indulging in a different type of cuisine. In actuality, all of them were delicious. Shi Jingnian had great knowledge, as he had read thousands of books and walked thousands of miles. Those famous notes that were attached to various masterpieces were all written by him. He did not research much on food, or, to be more exact, did not really have a good appetite. However, he has eaten plenty of good food before, and has read tons of masterpieces. Even so, he had never thought of linking the two together like this. Zhao Youyues cameo idea had given him a huge burst of inspiration! This made him even more interested in Zhao Youyue. It also made him think that although the lady Zhao Youyue was the arrogant kind of girl, and treated him coldly, she dearly cared about him. If not, why would she, without any hesitation, gift him with the idea of such a great character? Shi Jingnian decided that he would make sure this character is thoroughly written, to return Zhao Youyues favor. Obviously, he had no idea that from the beginning to the end, he had been a pawn under the control of Miss Zhao. He was only a tool for Zhao Youyue to achieve her objectives, and he would be abandoned after use. Time went by, and Zhao Youyues first semester in high school came to an end. During the winter holidays, Zhao Youyues Two Dimensional Gate had finally cooled down and reactivated. Bakuman had also been announced as Ya Jings new work. It was to be serialized in the famous literary magazine Harvest. When an article about it was serialized, readers responded warmly. Many creators in the industry had also started paying attention to it. Some people had already started looking up for real people who possibly matched the various characters. The side-character Wen Qingyu who started off purely as a reader was already receiving love from some readers. They felt that this girl who ate books was really cute, but it was a pity that she did not appear to have many scenes. Apparently, Zhao Youyue had a high chance of achieving a sleeping victory this time. Then again, if it was not the work of an outstanding creator, why would she sacrifice her precious, high popularity character card to enter this world? No matter how irritating Shi Jingnian was, his talent was undeniable, and impeccable. Zhao Youyue had also looked at the song he wrote her. Obviously, it was not as good as the songs originally written by Chu Luoxun, so Zhao Youyue had casually tossed it aside. That night, Zhao Youyue instantly decided to sacrifice the Zhou Chun high popularity character card, which had been obtained from The 4WD God. The character card that was originally full of life at the Two Dimensional Gate gradually fell apart. Then, it transformed into a key, which could be used to enter works that were one level higher, at random, or, it could also be used as a tool to directly enter works of similar levels. There was no doubt that Bakuman was of the same level, hence Zhao Youyue entered successfully! This time, Zhao Youyue did not have to work as hard as she always did when thrown into an unknown world at random. She was fully prepared. She decisively chose to transmigrate as Wen Qingyu, and skillfully added some settings for her. At the same time, she requested that Shi Jingnian add more scenes for Wen Qingyu, as usual. If the character Wen Qingyu did not attract Shi Jingnian in the first place, he would have been in a difficult position. However, this character had caught the eye of several readers, as stated in the readers survey. At the same time, he found it really easy to write about her. Hence, he happily agreed to Zhao Youyues request. Shi Jingnian still tried to play around with Zhao Youyue a little. He expressed that he cared about Zhao Youyue too much, which was why he was so fond of this side-character that Zhao Youyue had requested for him to add. Zhao Youyue, who had already seen through everything, just laughed. After she successfully transmigrated as Wen Qingyu, Zhao Youyue decided to look for Su Li. She intended to have her to draw some illustrations for this character, to further build up some momentum for Wen Qingyu Shi Jingnian had recently become addicted to writing. Caught up with being intoxicated, he had unknowingly neglected the demanding lady, Lu Xue. She felt that Shi Jingnian, who was helping his official girlfriend to write novels, was biased! Lu Xue, the genius violinist who was placed below Zhao Youyue in the just-concluded national music competition, could not endure such treatment any longer. Although Lu Xue had only been placed second in the competition, she had also gained popularity on the internet because of her beauty and her family background, as she was the rich daughter of a coal boss. In actuality, she became popular because of Zhao Youyue. After all, Zhao Youyue was way more popular than her. She was inferior to Zhao Youyue, plain and simple. It was quite unfortunate Zhao Youyues musical talent was just too unsurpassable. However, some netizens who did not know the truth truly believed that Lu Xue had a better family background than Zhao Youyue. Did they not know that it was not possible to find out about someones family background through the internet? According to the laws and regulations, if someones family background does not appear anywhere in the search results, doesnt that mean that theyre the real deal? No matter how rich the coal boss was, he was too inferior to be shown in public. Chapter 360 Blazing Female Scholar Zhao Youyue managed to surpass the limits of an authors ability to string words together by interacting with other characters. To become Wen Qingyu, all she had to do was to read books. It was really simple. She only had to eat the book to describe the flavor of the masterpiece. Individuals who ate books were considered to be suffering from a habitual disorder. People, in general, presumed that books were not clean. They were not meant to be eaten, and so, there were concerns that such actions will bring harm to human body. However, Wen Qingyu ate books differently. She would elegantly tear a page from the book, tearing an even smaller piece off it, and slowly put into her mouth. Fragments of the page would break up in her mouth, transforming into conceptual ideas, which was further translated as flavor within her taste buds. Besides, it was quite something to watch a cute girl eating books, compared to ordinary folk. To the fans, MAC characters did not even have to go toilet. Somehow, book-eating was cute in its own way! It was a similar phenomenon akin to that of the Zhou Chun Card. Whenever the Zhou Chun card was activated, Zhao Youyue would be able to refill her energy bar by consuming food and drinks. The moment food entered her mouth; they became raw energy, which refilled her energy bar. Bakuman and The 4WD GOD were formulated at levels that were on par with each other. When unique abilities appeared in these slice-of-life stories, there would be no contradiction or anomalies in the world. Such abilities did not just deal minor damage, but gave the story a lot more life and identity. Shi Jingnian was a talented author. He was the best author that Zhao Youyue had ever encountered. His subtle methods of throwing in plot twists that no one notices yet were simply ingenious. He was also familiar with traditional and internet literature, although he was deeply hated for his control over the internet literature. There had to be something wrong in the brains of those who pursue the dream of having a group of women, only to love and care for them selflessly. Women may also surround wealthy men, but those ladies would only be attracted to his money. Shin Jingnian had composed Wen Qingyu character in such a delicate manner, that Zhao Youyue was able to act out her role with ease. Readers were far more satisfied and entertained after Zhao Youyue requested that Shi Jingnian add more Wen Qingyu scenes in the story. Shi Jingnian was indeed a gifted author. Under the massive influx of inspiration, he sent the characters and stories dancing in the minds of the readers. He brought Wen Qingyu, the book eater to life! Soon, Wen Qingyu made more than just sporadic appearances. One month later, the popularity of this female character had surpassed other archetype writers. She became the readers favorite character! Nevertheless, Wen Qingyu existed only as a reader of books. Readers who were familiar with plagiarism would know that this was a role who did not accomplish much, but interpret novels. These roles were meant to pale in comparison to protagonists and demonstrate just how godly they were. Although Bakuman initially had a distinctive story of its own, it could now be considered as an original masterpiece that took a few bits and pieces of other novels sceneries and style. Every author had their own writing style, and so did Shi Jingnian. His style was concise, and straight to the point. He always used as little words as possible to describe as much as possible, but he would sometimes mimic the style of other authors to write a dialogue. Not even Han Leng, or rather, Leng Zi got away from this mimicry. Han Leng had this characteristic habit of leaving blanks between words while throwing in a dash of convoluted sweet nothings. Shi Jingnian threw in a few Han Leng style paragraphs, created an odd, yet wondrous feeling among the readers. Throwing in cameos and references of characters from other works, while imitating the writing style of their respective authors without their consent, could easily upset a lot of people. Apparently, he did not have any bad intentions, and he did praise Han Lengs fine choice of words. When Han Leng was tagged in Weibo, he clarified that he did not know anything about the Bakuman character Liang Liang, nor had he heard of a Ya Jing. Han Leng could not deny that the writing within certain Bakuman novel lines, gave him an uncanny sense of familiarity and intimacy. It had to be written by someone he knew. He had no hard feelings for this Ya Jing. Ya Jing had to be rather young and inexperienced. They were polar opposites as writers, so it was normal to feel indifferent to each other. Yet, Han Leng was fond of the character, Wen Qingyu. He was impressed by the creativity placed in such an interesting character. Apparently, Qingyu was a plagiarised character, created solely to brag about the novel itself. While others needed to read the same book a few times to be able to interpret the conveyed meaning behind story, she only needed to swallow the entire book, literally. After eating it whole, she would have a complete recollection of the contents of the book, a grasp of its flavor, and an accurate, objective judgment of the novels quality. Most interestingly was Wen Qingyus choice of words when giving the verdict. Han Leng noticed that Wen Qingyu had described his novel as a delicate cake. It was stunning and sweet from the outside, but beneath it lay a sour fruit. Those who ate it would cry, yet the more they cried, the tastier it got, just like eating spicy food. Wasnt that a dig at his Beautiful April? Wen Qingyu commented on a few famous classic novels as well. For First Love by Ivan Turgenev, she had pictured it as a caramelized baked apple, hot and sweet, yet leaving behind a bitter aftertaste. One bite on it, that sweet and sour fruit juice would get mixed up with the aroma of cream and rum. Stealing the spotlight? Forget it; this was a staged heist! Initially, readers were reading about how the writers in Bakuman were striving to achieve their dreams, winning scholarly awards or moving their novels into the top-selling section. At the same time, readers gained an insight as to how messy and dark things were in the writing industry. Wen Qingyu was supposed to be a nobody who bragged about authors. However, at that moment, everybody only wanted to see how she described novels in the language of aromas and flavors. Some readers even wanted Wen Qingyu to be real. Famous novels that have been subjected to her critiques would surely experience great sales! Wen Qingyu soon became widely known as a book eating, young girl. It was at that moment, when Su Li, the famous comic artist, announced that she would illustrate Wen Qingyu! Are you ready for this, teacher Ya Jing? Chapter 361 I Am Ready Teacher Ya Jing was rather low-profile, and she usually rejected interviews. However, she did have her own Weibo. Readers speculated that teacher Ya Jing was a perfect, youthful intellectual. She was the school flower in one of the top Shanghai universities. Nevertheless, teacher Ya Jing did not discuss her work over Weibo. She just loved to show off her photos. Some of them showed her reading books in a library, some showed her painting in an old-school pavilion, and some showed her using her ultra-slim Fruit laptop in a classy cafe. This elegant girl seen in every photo demarcated the beauty of philosophy. Teacher Ya Jing became the most intellectual, exquisite and dignified female author. Its safe to say this, everyone who came across this low-profile, beautiful author quickly became a fan! Some of these fans bought three copies of her book. One was for safekeeping; one was for bragging and sharing, the last one would be left for personal use. To every fan, teacher Ya Jing, Lin Shiya was the perfect woman on earth! As a low profile author who still practiced the act of printing hard copies, the number of fans who followed her on Weibo barely exceeded 1,000,000. The highest follower counts for online authors was around 3,000,000. It was still a big gap from Ah Yus followers. Having entered the realm of the million-followership was still commendable, considering the low profile she maintained. If she followed the path of those typically idolized youth writers, she would easily exceed 10,000,000 fans, with the help of promotional advertisements from a management company. Even though Guo Xiaosi [1] did not exist in this world, those mainstream youth writers no longer just wrote. They did much more than that. The culmination of all their actions had led to each of them having more than 40,000,000 followers on Weibo. Lin Shiya could easily outshine them all, if she followed that path. Her talent and beauty left many others trailing in the dust. Lin Shiya was well aware of the level of her talent. Quoting a few sentences while giving off the image of a young scholar was no big challenge to her. She visited Douban rather often. Occasionally, she wrote reviews for movies, songs, and books. She got to know those men who supported her and viewed her personal photos. She could have written something similar as The Way of University,Big Big World, or Bakuman, but only if she got possessed by some Godly, highbrow spirit! Beauty is all it takes to gain followers. Even her farts smelled fragrant. By showing that one had both beauty and brains, humans would flock to them like moths to flame. There were rumors about female eggheads being easy prey for courtship. They would travel miles just to meet up, or even pay for the hotel room to stay together for one night. This made it seem like female intellectuals did not care about their own integrity, and would drop everything at a heartbeat to pursue a relationship built on an empty void. These were all white lies. Only a handful of people could be considered female scholars. Most of them may not be pretty, but their intellect and thought processes were far more sophisticated and superior, compared to laymen. It would be much more challenging to deceive them. A lack of physical charm was what that silenced these genuine female scholars, remaining obscured by the crowd. Lin Shiya was no scholar, but her facade of one was exemplary. She was willing to be Shi Jingnians girlfriend and condone his unfaithful acts. It was not just because she loved him. It might have started off as love, back when they were schoolmates. Shi Jingnian was handsome and rich. He was good at tugging at female heartstrings. After being together for so long, she was already used to it. Lin Shiya could not let go of the beautiful scholar image which had been fabricated by Shi Jingnians talents. She was used to being praised by her fans. What if he refused to write for her after they break up? Lin Shiya knew that Shi Jingnian would still write on her behalf, but she would not bet on it. She would not risk this guy leaking this secret to his newfound love. At that moment, she was still the girl closest to his heart. She could not imagine what would happen if she lost that status! Shi Jingnian easily yielded to beautiful girls. He told Zhao Youyue that he was the real author of all teacher Ya Jings written work. If Lin Shiya knew about this, she would lose her mind! Where was the promise of keeping this secret for life? Lin Shiya was not aware that Shi Jingnian had offered to compose songs for Lu Xue. He intended to mold Lu Xues image up as a great composer, narrowing her gap between Zhao Youyue. Lu Xue was not tempted by it. This proud, young missy wanted Shi Jingnian to publish those songs for himself and become famous. Only then would he be a matching partner for her. After Lu Xue was humiliated by Zhao Youyue in the final competition, she had lost her interest in closing the popularity gap between her and this reincarnation of Chu Luoxun. Lin Shiyas work had left Lu Xue suspicious. Her works should have been written by someone else. After a lengthy investigation, she uncovered the truth. It was totally unacceptable! How could Lin Shiya accept the misplaced recognition as a beautiful genius author so readily? Lu Xue wanted to make things right for Shi Jingnian. Her rage was not enough to cloud her mind from making rational decisions. After the famous comic artist Su Li announced her intention of drawing illustrations for character Wen Qingyu from Bakuman,Su Li jokes aficionados immediately tagged teacher Ya Jing on Weibo to seek out her opinion. Lin Shiya had no clue about Su Lis mysterious power. Instead, she was amazed by Su Lis followers on Weibo which amounted to more than 10,000,000. It was a great privilege of hers to have such a great artist to draw for her masterpiece, Bakuman. This signified her masterpiece Bakuman had indeed grown viral, surpassing the achievements of her two previous masterpieces. Hence, she replied Welcome, teacher Su Li, illustrator of Wen Qingyu, looking forward to your great art! Teacher Ya Jing was asked if she had prepared, and she replied that she was very much so, this steed was steady and ready! Her response made her fans worried to the core! This mare was crazy! Translation note : [1] Guo Xiaosi was a nickname given to Guo Jingming,(Chinese: ; pinyin: Gu Jngmng; born June 6, 1983) a Chineseyoung adult writer whose Weibo name was Number Four Wei (Chinese: ) In addition to being an author and businessperson, Guo is also a teen pop idol and popular celebrity figure. On the other hand, Guo is a polarizing figure. In 2007, he was voted on Tianya.com, one of the countrys biggest online forums, as Chinas most hated male celebrity for the third year in a row. Yet three of his four novels have sold over a million copies each, and by 2007, he was one of the best selling authors in China. Chapter 362 Disbeliever of Curses Most of Lin Shinya fans followed Su Li. People might not see any relation between Lin Shiya and Su Li, yet it was undeniable that both were talented, beautiful art creators. One was talented in writing, while the other was talented in drawing. Even their ages were not far apart. There was this breed of fans, the type who followed an author based on their appearance. Thats where the similarities ended. Su Li did not act like Lin Shiya, who would always make it know that her fingers were wrapped around some particularly famous novel, while taking photos from a perfect angle. Su Lis fans loved her bluntness. She always capitalized hot topics and material that were currently under the spotlight as the subjects of her illustrations. Some even thought that such egotism suited a young lady, and was quite adorable to look at, in its own way. Unfortunately, things always went wrong when she attempted to go along with the trend. Apparently, her illustrations were mysteriously attached to the wheel of destiny. Su Lis fans brought up Ah Yu to denounce those preposterous allegations. Nothing bad happened to her, right? Of course, that would be immediately shot down by Su Lis jokes aficionados, claiming that it led to Ah Yus unintentional face reveal. Was that merely coincidence? Hell no!! It was Su Lis power that revealed Ah Yus identity. It was obvious that Ah Yu did not want her school life being affected in any way. It had to be Su Lis fault! Defenders of Su Li had no comeback for that. Every shred of evidence indicated that Zhao Youyue never once intended to expose Ah Yus identity. Su Lis illustrations were the only objects left to blame! Zhao Youyues popularity on the internet was beyond compare. Other people broadcasted her performance in the finals of the National Music Competition, held at the Beijing Classical Music Hall. Some people who had no interest in classical music found themselves enjoying her performance. This had changed the presupposed image of female live streamers in a lot of people. Most netizens thought that live streaming was only about some games or sports. It was this female broadcaster Ah Yu, who showed everybody how extraordinary she was with her violin. She managed to casually play almost every song requested by the audience. Even though there were no complicated rhythms involved, viewers were satisfied with her spontaneous renditions. Everybody was certain that she was on par, if not above the standard of a professional. She was the uprising star in the world of classical music. Even some notable individuals considered her a legitimate virtuoso This had boosted Ah Yus popularity. Non-regular viewers started staying quietly in front of their screens, as if they were watching a deity performing. Ah Yu was talented in every way. She excelled in her academic exams and obtained great achievements in music. Ah Yus perfection soon became a globally accepted statement. The hottest topic on the internet at that moment was Su, the great deity, and her announcement of a new illustration of a character. It was Wen Qingyu, the interesting female character who ate books. She was a character from a red spot novel, Bakuman. Bakumans author, teacher Ya Jing expressed her gratitude for teacher Su Lis interest. That had evoked an enormous number of comments on teacher Ya Jings Weibo Such confidence from teacher Ya Jing, you deserve to be called a beautiful genius author! This is a tuck-o-war of luck! My hairs are standing on end! Would teacher Ya Jing survive this? Teacher Ya Jing seems to be unaware of that power, or did her vainglory blind her? If I had to choose where the bad luck strikes, it has to be teacher Ya Jing, instead of Wen Qingyu. Scholar Wen Qingyu is too adorable to resist! From this point onwards, I have decided to monitor the progressing of events. If anything bad happens, Su, the great deitys mysterious power can no longer be called a myth! LOL! Just by looking at you guys make me laughed! Why worry about an absurd claim like the curse of Su Lis illustrations? Last time, it was a Doujinshi author, a final stage cancer patient, who already had both feet in the coffin. Teacher Ya Jing is as healthy as a horse. She would compose more great novels! Bakumans Wen Qingyu might have a tragic background, but thats not her ending! Thats right, a lot of people still remained unconvinced. Zhao Youyue had basically started this rumor, but she was an unbeliever herself. She dated Su Li for lunch, and said to Su Li with great conviction, Sister Li, this illustration of Wen Qingyu is most certainly going to cleanse your name of the stigma. I dont believe that anything could happen, this time. Su Li and Zhao Youyue had been seeing each other rather frequently. Magazines often published sensational articles about their activities outside. However, nobody knew about Zhao Youyue had another identity as a famous tycoon reader. Zhao Youyue looked poles apart with short hair. The short hair version of Zhao Yuoyue carried the aura of a neglected stranger in public. She looked like a completely different person, if one did not give much notice. Su Li clamored for Ah Yus enthusiasm, and they were both mutually comfortable with it. They were like sisters at that point. Su Li had once drawn a set of emoticons based on Ah Yus expressions. It had been very adorable and hard to forget. Su Li was a little unsure if clearing her name of the curse was for the better. After all, it was her curse that boosted her popularity, along with her single column comic sales. That was real money! Nevertheless, Su Li knew Zhao Youyues intentions were good. She responded, No matter what, I will put in my best effort and draw this Wen Qingyu. Bakuman is indeed an interesting novel, and it features an illustrator as a character! Did I inspire it? Its a male character, but the subjects of his works always seem to experience tragedy. Feels awfully familiar Zhao Youyue gave her a stern look, Sister Li, you cannot accept these rumors so easily. You are innocent, dont take the blame on your own! You can slap the face of those who naysayers with the truth! Chapter 363 The Illustration has been Uploaded Su Li no longer gave a damn about being called the Pan of the generation or The Color of Curses.After all, it boosted her fame and income. In the scale of her heart, money weighed so much more than a few gags. Lady Zhaos concerns for Su Lis wellbeing warmed her heart to the core. Hence, she was more than glad to draw for Lady Zhao. Fortunately, this was not as complicated as Altair, where even the original author could not properly convey her intentions. Bakuman was a satisfying read for Su Li. It almost felt as if she was reading a fully illustrated manga. Mangaka were the real Bakuman. They required far more effort to satisfy their readers than writers did. One artist cannot illustrate without the exquisite skill of creative drawing, nor without the fine image of story scripting. How could it be easy to be a Mangaka? Some people did stumble upon fame by a stroke luck. Basic literacy was all one needed to write a novel. Thats how it appeared to be from the outside of the novel writers world. Yet, the reality was not so simple. Except for those who were genuinely talented, most of them had to struggle for some time before they saw the light at the end of the tunnel. Han Leng and Shi Jingnian were both gifted authors. Any of their leisurely scribbles would surpass the lifeblood-letting efforts of anyone else. There were outstanding novel authors in web domain as well. Every first chapter they wrote would earn over 10,000 subscribers. Their income easily went over 100,000 RMB. It was absurd. Yes, consistent hard work was a must. Yet, the most crucial criteria that mattered for an art producer was talent. Su Li finished the latest episode of Bakuman and stepped out of its world. It had struck so close to home that she felt that she had been a part of its world, as an illustrator herself. Teacher Ya Jings outstanding writing had encapsulated the experience. The adorable book-eating female scholar definitely caught Su Lis attention. Of course, the author managed to portray the rest of the characters well. Yet, they seemed to exist only for Wen Qingyu to review and describe. She was the goddess that gave life to all the other characters in the book. Hence, this was an easy task for Su Li to illustrate the character, Wen Qingyu. Unlike Altair who was abstract and distant, every stroke she performed for Wen Qingyu was solid. As they dined, with a crooked grin on her face, she asked, How do you think Wen Qingyu would react to my fanservicedrawings, or some of those 18x adult comics? How would they taste like? Zhao Youyue rolled her eyes. Su Li was still that same dirty minded person she knew. As Wen Qingyu in the real world, Zhao Youyue modestly answered, Wen Qingyu only reads and eats novels. She would only put the most delectable of choices on her tongue. Your drawings are all messed up. They wont even be edible. Zhao Youyue could not even begin imagining what would happen if Wen Qingyu ate porn comics. Would she get horny right after that? Thats a deadly form of aphrodisiac! Su Li sneered and said, It would be fresh and juicy, I guarantee it. I am confident with my cooking. Zhao Youyue was still unable to comprehend Su Lis unyielding attitude towards her work. She had achieved so much, yet she still behaved like Wang Lis sockpuppet. What about The Strongest King by Rosemary? What flavor would that be? Su Li asked at random. Im sure it tastes like ordinary soda. Zhao Youyue answered without a pause. Hahahaha! Su Li burst into laughter. Thats right, The Strongest King contents were undoubtedly too diluted. There was no flavor left for anyone to continue reading. This was common for web novels. A single match between the protagonists team and an opponent could last for over 10 chapters. Due to the minimal details in the storyline, Su Lis comic release soon caught up to the novel. It provided her the liberty to spend a lot of her free time with Lady Zhao, mostly for fun. Dear Missy, what should I draw for my next comic? Should I write my own script, or should I once again search for a partnership? Su Li started to plan her next step. She had earned a lot of cash due to her involvements with Pure Romance and The Strongest King. Yet it was Su Lis nature to make hay while the sun shines. Apparently, she wanted her next project to be a success. Zhao Youyues judgment had never failed Su Li. Her success in The Strongest King had converted her into a worshipper of Zhao Youyue. You have to make up your mind between that first. There is no need to rush. Zhao Youyue thought it would be better if she started her new project after the procurement of Wen Qingyus character card. Su Li was tempted to write her own script. She had a stable funding of her own now. Even if she failed, it was not too late for her to seek for commissions. Su Li was an efficient illustrator. Zhao Youyue sought her help in drawing illustration forWen Qingyu. It only took her two weeks to produce a few remarkable artworks for that character. They were almost mirrored images of the major scenes in the novel. Wen Qingyu looked largely the same. She wore the iconic three-pronged puppet like a cats tail, dark bangs obscured her fair forehead, and silky hair flowed from her shoulders to her waist. Her hair, eyelashes, and pupils seemed darker than normal, due to her fair, smooth complexion. She was not dressed in a generic students dress, as described in the novel. Her outfit had undergone many changes. Su Li had spent a lot of effort putting it together. Of course, the fashionista Lady Zhao had also provided her with some suggestions. Su Lis illustrations of Wen Qingyu was nothing lesser than the illustration of Amano Tooko by Miho Takeoka. They did share a similar style. Perhaps, that was the communal perception of exceptional illustrators. Zhao Youyue had begun her second semester of senior high. Su Li concluded the final touches of her masterpieces. She uploaded it onto Weibo and her album in P station, while conveniently tagging teacher Ya Jing, the author of Bakuman. By uploading these illustrations, she triggered explosive reactions from the netizens. Wen Qingyus popularity had transcended to a higher level! Zhao Youyues efforts had not been in vain. Once she stepped out of the stage, she will obtain the Highly Popular Character Card of Wen Qingyu! A genius writer envisioned it, a talented illustrator realized it! This was not just a sleeping victory, this character had already won in life by simply being born on paper! Chapter 364 A Fan of Novel Characters Other than being promoted by Su Lis exceptional illustration skills, Bakumans repeated plot twists garnered the beam of more spotlights for Wen Qingyu. Wen Qingyu was merely a side character that ate books and promoted them. She was supposed to be just another reader that ate Bakumans works and praised them. Wen Qingyu had now evolved into a unique character who published her own work. Her work was not meant to gain fame or benefits, but to taste the various flavors of works produced by different authors. Her writing style was not hard to picture. Its rendition was fresh and raw. The rawness mostly came from her inexperience. Yet, it was mentioned in the story that she possessed an eidetic memory when it came to the contents of her stomach. After devouring so many books, she had been able to utilize that skill to accelerate her learning progress. Readers were understandably jealous. It was a dream for most to have such an ability. All they needed to do for their exams was to buy a few textbooks and eat all of them. Passing an exam that way was guaranteed, right? Wen Qingyu had also described such books in detail. Educational books were dry and sticky. They were dull and tough to swallow, just like compressed cookies. There was no other way but to gobble them whole for better exam results. That was exactly what Wen Qingyu did for her exam. She forced herself to swallow her textbooks. It was a horrible ordeal! Her chemistry book in particular had been mixed with the taste of fuel and fertilizer. In theory, it sounded like a cheat ability, but it had been torture. This ability was more suited towards literature. It was filled with beautiful artistic words and chapters filled with wonders. That was all it needed to be delicious! Students most likely thought that the act simply involved tearing pages out of books and eating them. She was not just eating paper, she was consuming concepts. Concepts were disgusting in more than one way. Another example of unpleasant food would be online articles. It was like poop-coated candy, or poop that had been marinated in poison. The Strongest King by Rosemary which rated rather highly, had ended up as plain soda. Eating a book was indeed an act that required several safety measures. Only famous classical novels were the safest books to consume. They had survived the test of time, after all. Regardless of that, the ability to memorize the book contents by devouring it was most handy. Zhao Youyue could taste test those seemingly boring articles of literature. Maybe her mother, Wang Huas articles would taste great, who knows? Wen Qingyu did not travel much in the novel, but had certainly consumed a lot of books. All she had to do was to practice writing on a daily basis. With the accumulation of experience, she would unquestionably outperform the ordinary. Wen Qingyu was like the Zhang Wuji who already mastered the art of Godly Power of Nine Men, and was able to master any skill with ease. As a notable senior reader, she knew a lot of authors. Among these authors, there were fresh but gifted ones, those who were struggling in their careers, and those experienced authors who were still chasing their old dreams. Also, some were famous at the moment, and some were stubborn old-timers. Bundle them up together, and they would all shed the same skin. They were all Bakumans! Under the undivided guidance of these excellent teachers, her writing skill improved expeditiously. Her creative skills were beyond compare. After all, she did not taste food, but books. How many possessed such an ability? Wen Qingyus work left readers speechless. She must have descended from a species of higher intelligence. After reading her description of novels that she had ingested, authors asked themselves the same question Could an article even be written this way? Of course, her coarse writing could not express her vast imagination. Just like the late author, Setsuna. Every word written was comprehensible, but when they were linked together, nobody understood what she meant. Only she enjoyed the taste of the book. That sublime aroma was ineffable for her. Perhaps the food only existed in another dimension? Bakuman was much more interesting, with its character Wen Qingyu trapped in such a scene. Shi Jingnian, the real creator, was at the height of his spirits. His thoughts had drifted far and deep into the world of his own Wen Qingyu! Thats right, it was not Wen Qingyu who caught his attention, but his obsession with her work. He precisely described her works throughout Bakuman to every reader He should not be the only one who admired these remarkable works. There had to be more people out there who stood on common ground! Shi Jingnian loved books to his core. He was the only one who made notes about famous novels. A student did that for marks in their assignments and examinations. But he never once stopped this practice, even as he traveled across the world. Nobody would believe that this author, Shi Jingnian, would become a fan of his own book character! A hardcore fan! Shi Jingnian had watched her grow as he wrote more about her. It was just like following an author as he created his account, contributed by subscribing, followed and gifted them until he became a god. Walking alongside a growing God was a most surreal, profound experience. Wen Qingyu was yet to be a goddess. She was still growing. Shi Jingnian strove to create more novels to decorate her stage. One day, she would be a notable character in literature! Wen Qingyu will be a classic character! Shi Jingnian! You have been acting like a possessed person, lately! All you can think of is to write the next novel for her! You dont even care about me, no greetings in the morning, no messages at night. Are you bored of me? Lu Xue complained on the phone. Lu Xue did not believe that Shi Jingnians obsession with the writings of Bakuman was an act of responsibility. He was unfair by being kinder to Lin Shiya. He loved Lin Shiya more than her! Other than Lu Xue, another two pretty girls who were very close to Shi Jingnian also complained that how could Shi Jingnian be so cruel to them? Where was his promise of being fair to all? Was Shi Jingnian once intimately close to Lin Shiya? Thats right, Shi Jingnian had always dreamt of having his own True Love Palace. Other than Lin Shiya, he had never rejected any chance of being mentally connected to other people. That was a common problem for a literature youth. It was completely typical of any protagonist in a novel containing open relationships, set in a city, to simply flirt with girls, but not commit himself to any of them. The same went for manga protagonists who had droves of admirers. Yet, Shi Jingnian had maintained this publicized relationship with Lin Shiya for so many years. He did prove his competence in bed. He enjoyed being surrounded by beautiful girls Just like walking through a forest filled with blossom trees, without getting a single leaf stuck to his body. Chapter 365 Ghostwriting Exposed! Xue Er, Ill be honest with you, you know that I love books, I just fell in love with Wen Qingyus literary work, recently! After all, I cant disappoint a great book and a beauty, so dont overreact about it! Ive always treated you and the others equally; Id never favor one more than another! Shi Jingnian replied Lu Xue candidly; he would never lie to them. It only made Lu Xue even angrier, Quit the nonsense! I know that Wen Qingyu is the most popular character in the novel, her illustration went viral on the internet! Shes your own creation! Is this how youre going to humor me? How lame! Xue Er, you dont understand. Wen Qingyu gave birth to her own soul; she comes to life right inside the pages, shes gained her own will of doing things Scram! Lu Xue used her rich daughter status and cut him off, Ill give you another chance, break up with Lin Shiya within a month, or youre gonna regret this! Lu Xue then hung up the phone on him. But Shi Jingnian did not heed the warning; maybe he thought that every rich lady in this world was as good-tempered as Zhao Youyue. He resumed his indulgences in writing, but not because of Lin Shiya; he just wanted to see the masterpieces of Wen Qingyu. Lu Xue had him pick up the pace unintentionally. He planned to publish it into two separate books when it reaches 400,000 words, and he had already written more than 200,000 words at that moment. 400,000 words were just too brief to be packaged as a web novel, but it was already a long story for an actual book. Plus, Shi Jingnian was an author who wrote simplified and straightforward stories. His concise writing already carried enough depth to match typical web novels which consisted of 2,000,000 to 3,000,000 words. After all, web novels were filled with blank fillers, redundant sentences and ridiculous plotlines. Sometimes, protagonists could even rescue a beauty while out on a shopping trip for cup noodles Shi Jingnian was prepared to finish the remaining chapters in one month time, but if he wanted to publish it by installments on the magazine, it would be left serializing until July. Among all his female friends, his actual girlfriend, Lin Shiya was ecstatic. Obviously, it was because of how Shi Jingnian had lost himself in writing. He had not flirted with other girls as he had been so busy writing, this had left her at ease. She tolerated Shi Jingnians fickle heart due to various reasons, but there was no such thing as a girl without a jealous heart. If she did not love him at all, then it was all about money and other beneficial reasons. As long as she got what she deserves, she did not care whether he had another woman. Shi Jingnian and Lin Shiya knew each other since middle school, and they had explored their romance as a couple of artistic teenagers, but the relationship they had was a fine line between friends and life partners. Shi Jingnian started to travel around the world during his high school years. He walked tens of thousands of miles and read thousands of books. He felt that high school was meaningless, he believed that life had much more to offer. Of course, he had been able to do this because his family was in charge of property business, his parents were wealthy, and he would get to spend their money as he wished. His parents were rather pleased, as their son was not wasting their money as other rich kids did. Until now, his parents did not believe that their son had accomplished anything yet. They were certain that he would have no problems inheriting the family business as he had learned about business administration in a private university. That alone gave his parents a peace of mind. Shi Jingnian was an extraordinary genius, he was talented in writing and musical instruments, but he did not desire for fame or acknowledgments. He would feel satisfied, as long as he pleased Lin Shiya. He chose literature first, only because he intended to flirt with other girls. But now, he only needed one reader, and that was Lin Shiya. As for the web novels that Shi Jingnian had left unfinished, they were merely his flings, just like those who played games to kill time. He would just write something to entertain himself during his leisure time and learn more about web novels as he was at it. They had all given him the experience and insight that led to the fruition of those interesting web novel authors characters in Bakuman. Every half-written novel by Shi Jingnian had almost headed towards the harem route; every female character was so lively and vivid, and he never produced the same thing twice. The moment he got bored of them, he would just drop it, even if it had turned out well and reputable. After all, it was heading towards the harem route, and every book that he had written in the past had the potential of becoming great It was without question, Shi Jingnian completely ignored his readers, or never treated his readers like his children. A parent might be able to provide some parental love, but he could not give two hoots about the emotions of his readers. He was capricious but talented; his half-written web novels were better than those completed web novels containing millions of words. He did not stick to a single pen name. Whenever he created a new sockpuppet identity and wrote a new novel, his writing and content would inadvertently attract many readers. Every time, many naive readers assumed that he was a talented amateur author, and they predicted that he would soon claim the prize title as the king among the amateurs. But he always vanished at critical moments, never bothering about the comment section of his book or even created a group for his fans. All this time, he never cared about his readers. If you love what you see, then help yourself, or else, scram, He would not say such words too, he was simply an irresponsible author. Even he did not treat himself like an author; he was just fooling about. However, when he was writing on Lin Shiyas behalf, he became dead serious; he knew that Lin Shiyas fame was far more important than his. He was fine with being treated as a useless child by his parents or getting bullied in school, as long as the girls and Lin Shiya were happy. Zhao Youyue thought Shi Jingnian was strange, and she was right. She thought he was the type of main protagonist who hid his real potential, but actually, he had nothing to hide from her. To put it nicely, he was an indifferent, aloof individual, in fact, he did not possess any self-esteem whatsoever. He would not care if he received a slap or two; he only cared about girls like Zhao Youyue. If Zhao Youyue ever slapped his left face, he would gladly offer his right face for her to slap. If such a wimpy character became the main protagonist of a harem novel, it would definitely infuriate the crap out of people. Of course, these thoughts should stay with their originators; he only needed to enjoy himself. Recently, Shi Jingnian had grown addicted to Wen Qingyus literary work in Bakuman. It had been a long time since he had been so eager to a certain literary work, but unfortunately, he could only experience it when he was in his intoxicated state. Although he could not finish reading the literary work of Wen Qingyu, he was satisfied with a smattering of knowledge regarding her work. Some author could copy a quote, or even rip-off entire plotlines from other authors, even though they were fully aware that they would get scolded by the fans. This Bakuman was an excellent example of copying other authors stories and altered by Shi Jingnian, except for Wen Qingyu. Whenever Shi Jingnian wrote stories about Wen Qingyu, it was always filled with unknown mysteries. When Lin Shiya showed Shi Jingnian the illustration of Wen Qingyu as drawn by Su Li, he had praised the drawing. He liked it, because it had a spirituality of its own. Theres a rumor circulating on the internet that Su Lis drawing has the power to bring misfortune to the characters she draws, or even bring misfortune upon the creator, what do you think of this? Lin Shiya told this urban legend to Shi Jingnian with a lightness in her voice, as if it was a normal thing. Im aware of it. My No, I mean your Bakuman has a character modeled after her, but shes a guy in this novel. Besides, this was just a joke on the internet; I dont actually believe that her drawings have such power, my head is made out of iron,[1] after all! Shi Jingnian proclaimed. First of all, the character he had created, Wen Qingyu; would never get into an accident because he desired to see her masterpiece in the grand finale. Besides that, as the real author of this book, he had always stayed hidden behind the scenes, how could this possibly affect him? Hmph, I dont believe such things, and so, he continued writing without fretting over it. After one month, a huge headline took the internet by storm! The author of Bakuman, Master Ya Jing, the beautiful genius, Lin Shiya was caught red-handed asking somebody else to write her novel on her behalf! Translation note: [1] Iron head C A Chinese slang used to describe a stubborn person. Chapter 366 Well-Deserved Reputation Before people realized it, May came upon them. At the center of Bakuman, which featured a scholarly teenage girl who eats books. Wen Qingyu was originally a female side character, but now, she had turned into the main character of this literary work. It was a successful promotion! Shi Jingnian had successfully transformed Wen Qingyu from an inexperienced reader into a remarkable author as the plot developed. The process had left a profound impression on the audience, because there was an author in this novel who was very much alive. Wen Qingyus masterpieces positively impacted the readers in many ways. Finally, Wen Qingyu had combined her writing techniques and special ability to write something extraordinary to maximize her full potential. She was at the peak in the field of literature, when she finally obtained the oriental literature award and the Saint Laurent literature award! It was just one final step before Wen Qingyu gained iconic status! This was probably the best way to end this literary work and leave it to spread to even more readers. After all, many readers out there disliked chasing after ongoing series. For this literary work to become iconic, it had to be completed. As long as something similar to Altair does not occur, all would be good. Altair was not a lost cause either, as long as her doujin creations increased, she would become another type of iconic character, but unfortunately, she had already lost her proper home. Bakuman had a well-developed story, the scholar Wen Qingyu had not experienced anything remotely unpleasant, and she was gaining more and more attention in her world, as if she had gained blessing of the entire world. This had let down several fans who had been sitting at the edges of their seats, waiting for Su, the great deity to display her powers. Was this the moment when Su Li finally disassociates her name from the curse? The creator of Bakuman, Master Ya Jing was certainly not going to get into an accident, she had just attended a promotional event because of the popularity of Bakuman not long ago. During the event, she had not spoken one word about her novel, but instead, shared stories of her high school life. Her fans were pleased with it; it was perfect for Master Ya Jing to become a beautiful and talented author in their hearts! Master Ya Jing lived such an artistic life, what accident could possibly happen to her? Many fans who loved Wen Qingyu loved the author as well; they thought that Master Ya Jing was a realistic version of Wen Qingyu, only without the ability to eat books. Since she was able to create the iconic character, Wen Qingyu and went on to create so many more original works through her hands, she was definitely more talented than Wen Qingyu. Thats right, Master Ya Jing not only just created many original works for Wen Qingyu, she also created many original works for other authors who were modeled after real-life creators, and she could even convincingly mimic their writing style. That was simply outstanding! Would Master Ya Jing be the first who to remain unaffected by Su, the great deity? Master Ya Jing had to be protected by some extremely powerful forces! This made Bakuman even more popular, as both its creator and character had withstood the mysterious power of the Orient! Whenever Su Lis curse threatens to strike again, we could always count on Master Ya Jing to repel it! This was the thoughts of the fans who made uncovering Su Lis curse their lifes goal. At least, this was before the ghostwriting of Master Ya Jing was exposed. It was high time they ended this joke and ceased with this tomfoolery. Then, the big news struck. These jokers did not start investigating, or questioned Master Ya Jing in person. They headed for Su Lis Weibo before anything else. It was such an exciting day! Just as expected from Su, the great deity, something bad has really happened! I dont care if this ghostwriting thing is a real deal, but this mysterious curse is most certainly real! The death drawing pen has earned its well-deserved reputation, I must say that Im really impressed! Theres no escape from the curse of Su, the great deity; you know nothing of its power! Worship Su, the great deity! Please draw an illustration of Gen Urobuchis work; Im already fed up with him. Requesting to use Su Lis karmic weapon! Is she taking the blame this time? She cant be taking the blame every time, right? There are way too many coincidences; this must be the real deal Everything is Su Lus fault, because she holds the pan of this generation! Without a doubt, the ghostwriting of Lin Shiya was exposed by Lu Xue who could no longer stand for it. She did not throw out all the evidence like recordings and sketches at once, but instead, she hired a BigV who was skilled at exposing scandals, and used this individual to pose as a warning to Shi Jingnian. This BigV service of exposing scandals was extreme, of course, he offered excellent services to his client. He was a master spin-doctor, capable of twisting truths and turning them to lies, making criminals out of heroes. His biggest hobby was probably to argue for the sake of arguing, instead of exposing fake news. If someone told him that religion had a purpose, he would say that it was opium for the masses. If someone told him that Chinese medicine was useless, he would say that the luxury of being a practitioner of Chinese medicine was advantageous. First, he read The way of University and Big Big World, followed by the popular Bakuman written by Ya Jing; he roughly got an idea about her writing style. Then, he found the blog of Ya Jing and realized that the articles written in her blog shared no similarities to her novels! Even he was taken by surprise, his client never wanted him to frame Ya Jing, after all, Ya Jing actually had someone writing on her behalf! Luckily, he also managed to find the comments of Ya Jing on Douban; he discovered the viewpoint of her remarks was entirely different from her famous novel! Although Lin Shiya and Shi Jingnian shared a common view on literature, both of them have their own differences. It was a fact that men and women had different ways of thinking. Lin Shiya had not yet mastered the ability to write a novel. The writing styles of her short articles were not simple, but neither were they fanciful. If there was a word to describe her style, that would be pretentious. Many fans thought that her previous popular literary work, Big Big World was a casual, leisurely work, filled with divine sentiments, and that it was awesome. This was definitely not a work of pretentiousness, as the author had clearly traveled across the glove. This BigV then spent three days writing an article in Weibo, and he directed his shots at Ya Jing. Starting things off with such a bang was bound to yield him great fame! He was feeling extremely sure of himself, because he was exposing a real scandal for once. Ya Jing was downright fraudulent! As expected, the article went viral, and it was shared among the netizens, just like a wildfire spreading across a kerosene covered wheatfield! Of course, the cyber navies were working behind the scenes as well. Chapter 367 Lets Break Up Under normal circumstances, whenever there is a case of ghostwriting, the ghostwriter would get the most attention. In this case, the person concerned was Lin Shiya. However, Su Lis name struck the headlines! As everyone was wondering how this ghostwriting case came to be, the first line they could draw was Su Li had drawn an illustration of Wen Qingyu, a highly popular character in Bakuman. It was true that the character did not encounter any misfortune, but Master Ya Jing had not been so fortunate herself, she had not managed to repel the attack Su Lis reality-altering weapon! Everyone wanted Su Li to express her concern. Hopefully, she would promise that she would exercise more restraint for a time being! Besides Su Li, who else had reality-warping abilities? When Su Li knew about this, she called Zhao Youyue, as confused as ever, Milady, concerning this Ya Jing, did she really find someone else to write on her behalf? If so, she could have gotten exposed anytime, but why now? Zhao Youyue was equally confused, as this was her first time encountering such an unexpected turn of events. When her senses finally returned, she reminded herself that she had once promised to clear the misunderstandings surrounding Su Li. Yet, Su Li had once again taken the blame for exposing Lin Shiyas ghostwriting Zhao Youyue had never once believed that Su Li had the power to throw misfortune at another individual. They had all been executed at her personal requests. Maybe that mysterious power came from Zhao Youyue all this while, and Su Li was just taking the blame for her? Clearly, Zhao Youyue did not believe in superstitions, but when Master Ya Jing was exposed to a career-ending scandal, she started to have doubts over herself, was she in fact, cursed? Nevertheless, none of this was her business; Su Li was her meat shield. Lin Shiya was only receiving her just deserts if she had been innocent all along, she would have gotten away unscathed. Lin Shiyas response did not help the situation one bit. She deleted all the articles in her blog and deactivated her Douban account as the netizens clambered up to Su Li. She replied on Weibo 1. These were completely made up accusations. 2. My lawyer will handle this. As expected, with the concrete evidence provided by the BigV, her replies fell short, as if she was glossing things over to stay on good terms. Of course, carefree fans thought that being calm was the best response. People would definitely suspect her if she panicked and flailed about in the face of her accuser. She might even be buying time to use her well-known status and make a deal with her accuser. Under the table, of course. Her ghostwriter had to be someone close to her. To protect her reputation, that person would surely lay as low as possible until the smoke clears. Plus, ghostwriting was quite common in the literary field and some authors even shared the same pen name The ghostwriter and the face of the author clearly had the same goals from the beginning. It would not be easy for them to get exposed. The carefree fans of Master Ya Jing did not bother to uncover the truth, because Lin Shiya was much better looking than that particular BigV. In other words, justice would always side with good-looking folk; and that was the absolute truth! Carefree fans were the most unreasonable creatures in this world, even if Lin Shiya had indeed procured the services of a ghostwriter, it did not matter to them. On the contrary, they would only feel angry that her perfect illusion had been ruined. If Lin Shiyas case was brought to the court and she lost, she would still have those carefree fans to fall back on. How could you people still degrade Master Ya Jing, even though she was giving it her best? This was how the world functioned, ye nave idealists. We are all beneath the heel of the elites. Which is why it is crucial to get famous as soon as possible. Popularity gave you the power over truth. As the case of Ya Jings ghostwriting blazed on, Bakuman only rose to greater heights. Those rational fans believed that Master Ya Jing could easily prove her innocence by live-broadcasting herself as she wrote the novel However, Lin Shiya did not have the courage to do so, she remained calm on the outside, but in fact, she was downright fearful. Deep down, she knew that she was not the true author of the novel. She had already gotten used to basking under the glorious light of being a beautiful genius author, while being showered by praise and worship of her fans. If all of these were taken away from her, she would have nothing. Some reasonable, senior authors also posted a long post on Weibo expressing their take on things. They had their reservations about Ya Jing. Even though she was indeed beautiful, she did not behave like an author, for she rarely spoke about her novels whenever she attended events. Every author would treat their works like their children, and would take every opportunity to praise and brag about them. No author could resist the urge to talk and brag about their work, especially if they were well-accepted by the public. Of course, the undeniable facts were the discrepancies between her writing styles Lin Shiyas fans were mostly ordinary people. At first, they would think that Master Ya Jing would never hire someone to write on her behalf, it was impossible! As time passed by, people would become more suspicious of her as more evidence appeared. Lin Shiya anxiously asked her boyfriend, Shi Jingnian to think of a solution, but he never really took this matter seriously, and only continued to devote himself to writing. Hunched over his work, he did not even turn around to murmur that as long as he does not own up, there would be no witnesses, nothing could go wrong. In the end, his passive way of handling this issue not only left Lin Shiya disappointed; he also made Lu Xue furious. She had many recordings and photo evidence, such as the handwriting of the original manuscript of Bakuman, which was nothing like Lin Shiyas handwriting. As Ya Jings reputation took a dip, Bakuman rose to the height of legends. Sister Li, fret not. This whole debacle will blow over. As long as Ya Jing denies the allegations, there shouldnt be any problems, Zhao Youyue replied Su Li. Su Li believed that it was fair enough. Nobody would be stupid enough to own up to the truth and end their jig Just as Su Li was convincing herself of that idea, more evidence appeared! The real author, Shi Jingnian had been forced to face the audience as well, all of his half-written novels had been exposed! It caused an uproar on the internet, because most of the affected readers were reading Bakuman as well! Lin Shiya soon buckled under the pressure, as she was just a university student. She admitted her wrongdoings on Weibo and apologized to her fans. Upon relinquishing all falsehoods, she felt as she had been born anew. She was not destined to take things that did not belong to her Lets break up. Lin Shiya finally said those words to Shi Jingnian, after being with him for as long as she could remember. You really disappoint me, Lu Xue said to Shi Jingnian. Chapter 368 A Slight Mishap Zhao Youyue and Su Li certainly did not expect things to take such an unexpected turn! This seemed unrelated to the girls, but Shi Jingnian had burnt himself because he was messing around with fire, and his fickle heart had caused all this to happen If only he had never messed with Lu Xue, he could still be writing on Lin Shiyas behalf, but there was no point mulling over things, now. There was a saying that personality determined fate. Shi Jingnian only reaped what he sowed. Obviously, Zhao Youyue was responsible for his behavior too. If Zhao Youyue had not provoked Shi Jingnians interest towards rich lady types, he certainly would not have messed with Lu Xue. Zhao Youyue was the siren that had led his ship to its demise. Perhaps when she acquired the iconic character cards, she would also absorb the main protagonists halo, and of course, bring success to that particular literary work. Whenever she possessed a character, she would take charge of the plot, while the corresponding author experiences an explosion of inspirations. As a result, the character would come to life beneath their pens. If the author was mediocre, to begin with, she would turn them into something world-class. Zhao Youyue and the authors had a mutually beneficial link. As for a weirdo like Shi Jingnian, he did not want success; he just wanted to be at peace with his harem. Unfortunately, as Bakuman grew more successful, his aura was vacuumed away, so those cute girls started leaving him, one after the other. Even though Shi Jingnian was typically aloof, Lin Shiyas ending of the relationship had struck him hard. He did not ask her to stay, as he knew that he would only make her unhappy. Even though Lin Shiya was no longer his girlfriend; he still hoped she could be happy for the rest of her life. Shi Jingnian would also choose to let Lu Xue go if her family does not agree to let them both be in a romantic relationship. He knew Lu Xue could be unreasonable at times, but she was extremely filial to her parents, and he did not want to make things difficult for Lu Xue. Zhao Youyue was the only girl that Shi Jingnian could not see through, but Zhao Youyue was clearly not interested in him, so he would not bother her. If Zhao Youyue ever came up to him, he would definitely do it. As long as he makes Zhao Youyue happier, everything that he did would gain meaning. He would not ask for any return favors; it would be his greatest honor to be of service to these beautiful ladies. Both of them had their last meal as a couple. Lin Shiya was crying all the while, but Shi Jingnian was still at his usual attitude, bringing up jokes in hopes of cheering her up. He stated that even though they were no longer a couple, she could always find him for help, and he would gladly offer his assistance. He could even go as far as to become her backup lover. His attitude only made Lin Shiya feel worse. This was all my fault; I will take full responsibility. I was the one who pulled the strings; I forced you into this, Shi Jingnian said with a smile on his handsome face. Even the curses of netizens could not affect his emotions. Thats correct; those affected readers hated him so much they wanted him dead, but when they heard that his Bakuman was truly interesting, they could not help but start reading anyway Those who could affect the emotions of Shi Jingnian were girls like Lin Shiya. You dont have to do this; it was all my selfish vanity! I dont love you at all; I only stayed by your side so that I could use your talents, Im just a bad person! Lin Shiya gushed, being her harshest critic. Bad people arent as honest as you are. I really hope that you can be worse, and use me for the rest of your life. Shi Jingnian smiled bitterly. Lin Shiya remained silent, because she had already decided to let go of the past; it was time to wake up from her dreams! Lin Shiyas mind wandered around as she exited the store with him, she just wanted to be as far away from Shi Jingnian as she could, and hoped that he would just leave her alone. She did not even notice a truck speeding towards her as she started crossing the road. Without a microsecond to spare, Shi Jingnian dove in and shoved Lin Shiya away from harm. He had little regard for his own life, and was unafraid of death. Even though Lin Shiya was not in a relationship with him anymore, he still chose to save her Lin Shiya escaped death by a hairs breadth! Shi Jingnian was not so fortunate. His body had escaped the worst of it all, but his handsome face had scraped across the harsh tarmac, while his long and slim legs were crushed by the truck. Now, he could only spend the rest of his life in a wheelchair. At that moment, Lin Shiya suddenly got reminded of what Shi Jingnian had once told herMy head is made of iron! Has the Great deity Su taken your legs? She shook the thoughts out of her head and quickly dialed for an ambulance, or else Shi Jingnian would really end up dead. When Lin Shiya saw the injured Shi Jingnian on the stretcher, she felt conflicted Shi Jingnian had completely passed out, but she knew he would be happy and satisfied because she was still alive. He no longer had the looks to attract girls, and he might even have lost the ability of his loins. None of it would matter for him; for these beautiful ladies, he was willing to get smashed into pieces. This only set Lin Shiyas decision in stone, for she was afraid of bearing the responsibility and consequences Lin Shiya did not even follow him to the hospital; she kept muttering to herself that Shi Jingnian was no longer of her concern. Lu Xue would never visit Shi Jingnian, because she had already found another person for replacement, a talented, beautiful lady would have an endless trail of followers and admirers. Two of Shi Jingnian close female friends went to visit him in the hospital, but both of them decided to avoid him as well, because his face had been completely ruined, and he had been crippled. One of them immediately ditched him after finding out that his family business had gone bankrupt, and that his father was now serving time. Shi Jingnian, a talented, rich and handsome author who was always seen around beautiful ladies suddenly became an abandoned child, despised by the world, over the events of one night. Shi Jingnians mother lay crying by his side, worrying about his medical fees Mom, this is all my fault, I still have a few hundred thousand in my card, use those to pay the debts. Dont waste it on me Im already a useless person. Shi Jingnian felt truly guilty, because he had broken his mothers heart. Even now, he had never once looked in the mirror or bothered to try wriggling his toes. His looks did not concern him. He only felt loneliness at that moment, because he knew that cute ladies would no longer visit him. Shi Jingnian, are you quitting halfway again? What do you mean by temporarily stopping publication? Zhao Youyue was urging Shi Jingnian to update his novel, not knowing of his current situation. It had been a month since the ghostwriting incident. Shi Jingnian had vanished without a trace, and Bakuman stopped serializing. The internet started spreading rumors about Shi Jingnian quitting halfway again; it made Zhao Youyue uneasy because this was not the first time it had happened. Suddenly, Shi Jingnian no longer felt lonely. Sorry, theres been a slight mishap. Ill continue writing right now! he replied, lightly slapping both sides of his cheeks. He felt euphoric once again, for he had been called. Zhao Youyue had only met him once, and she had contacted him at that moment. It greatly moved him. He was not going to blame those girls, because he knew that he already lost his attractiveness, nothing would be gained from following him. It was their best option to leave him, and he was happy that they had made a wise decision. Chapter 369 Helping Hand The ghostwriter behinds the scenes, Shi Jingnian took most of the flak for Lin Shiyas Ghostwriter Incident. He had blatantly admitted that he was at fault for everything. It was because that he had been too prurient and gotten entangled with Lin Shiya, tempting her in such a way, that caused her to have made such mistakes In addition to his twelve most hated incomplete works and lots of resentment by many web novel readers, and he was judged as the most irresponsible writer throughout the history, and the number one administrator of incomplete works throughout the web novel industry. Some rumors even said that Shi Jingnian was purportedly the son of an evil real estate agent, and had been pampered since young, having his fair share of wine and women. This only made him seem even more detestable! The longstanding Chinese tradition considered morality to be more important than talent. Many individuals may have talent, but their lack of morals and turned them downright despicable. Now, Shi Jingnian had undoubtedly become the epitome of a talent without morals. Shi Jingnian gladly accepted everything without making any justifications. He would rather have fewer people scolding Lin Shiya. Otherwise, he would feel very uncomfortable. However, thanks to his submissive demeanor some conspiracy theorists were certain that he had been shoved out to the front by Lin Shiya to be her scapegoat. There could be no such things as weirdos who gave all the care in the world for others, leaving none for themselves? Of course, Shi Jingnian only cared about the interest of those pretty girls who caught his eyes. Ordinary girls should just forget about falling into his good graces. Anyhow, his decision to be the scapegoat had indeed helped his ex-girlfriend. It had constructed an image of Lin Shiya, painting a picture of a person who knew of her mistakes and was willing to turn over a new leaf, leading to many carefree fans expressing that they would support her next book, no matter how bad it was! If they had known that every part of their beautiful writers body had been played with by Shi Jingnian, they might not remain this carefree anymore. In fact, Shi Jingnian still retained a collection of certain, private videos. It was nostalgic and fun Of course, Shi Jingnian would never disclose to the public about the originally intimate couple relationship between him and Lin Shiya. In the eyes of his fans, Lin Shiya would forever remain pure. She was still their stylish scholarly. She was just confused at the moment. Lin Shiyas Ghostwriter Incident had caused publishers and magazines great headaches. The person that they had signed a contract with was Lin Shiya. It was also Lin Shiya who they had invested in and promoted. They originally thought that Bakuman would bring Lin Shiya one step further. But in the end, such an unexpected lousy situation happened. Lets not even mention the work that Su, the Great Deity had drawn for free, I guess? As expected, free stuff in the world was the most costly ones! It was not difficult for the royalties of the previous two great sale novels by Shi Jingnian, and also this Bakuman to exceed more than 10,000,000. But Shi Jingnian still did not concern himself with that money. He gave them all to Lin Shiya, as he did not lack of money. He only did not expect to encounter such misfortune. Even so, he had no hard feelings. He took it as breakup fee for Lin Shiya. He did not intend to turn around to beg Lin Shiya because of his current plight. That did not fit his character one bit. Something that was out of his hands was that Bakuman currently faced copyright ownership issues. This would even affect the current state of its publications. Shi Jingnian initially had almost finished writing. He would even continue writing for Lin Shiya. However, this title could no longer be published using the pen name Ya Jing anymore, and the magazines had not signed any contracts with him. This issue was particularly complicated! Even if Shi Jingnian had not suffered from an accident, Bakumans future would already be plagued with enough questions. Actually, Lin Shiya only had to insist on not admitting to all the allegations. But her moral safeguards had kicked in. She did not have that sort of resolve The readers were anxious. This work had just reached its last, great climax. Was it going to be another incomplete work, again? Little did they know that the work was not just incomplete, but so was the author. Literally. No one knew if it was due to the many curses from the incomplete books, or Su Lis mysterious power. Not only Wen Qingyu was not dead; she had even intended to reel in an innocent life to take the bullet for her. Therefore, the mysterious power came in so strongly Such an explanation seemed to have no problems at all! As Shi Jingnian took the initiative to take the hit for Lin Shiya, those who were obsessed over Su Li memes were in a frenzy of worship. This Su Li was truly a drawing pen of death. An iconic work that was supposed to make the author a God, had sent them crashing down like the pretentious mortals they were. The fake author had turned from a genius beautiful female writer into a genius beautiful female cheater, while the real author also happened to be a great irresponsible writer within the web novel world. He was a voyeuristic and immoral rich 2G son of a real estate agent, thus he was quickly despised. In the end, Su Li was the biggest winner. The moment everyone mentioned Bakuman, the first to come to mind was undoubtedly the iconic scholarly girl character Wen Qingyu. The next one was the voluntary illustrator, Su Li. She had definitely blindsided fate itself. But no one had expected that the person who was the most concerned about the incomplete state of Bakuman was Zhao Youyue, who was the true identity of Wen Qingyu. She had stayed within this literary world for almost one semester, just to shape this iconic character up. She had spent the whole second half semester of eleventh grade working solely on this iconic character. If all her efforts turned in vain due to Bakuman being left incomplete, she would definitely want to castrate Shi Jingnian! He was obviously so talented. Why couldnt he write books nicely? Why place all his mind on women? Why be a person with no ambition whatsoever?! Zhao Youyue once thought that Shi Jingnian was a scumbag who played with females feelings arbitrarily. She only realized later that he actually just intended to treat girls nicely. What peculiarity was this, exactly?! Were all geniuses this defective? Zhao Youyue truly felt lucky to be normal. Being a passerby character was safe. Protagonists were constantly plagued by disasters. In order to bestow great responsibility upon such people, the Heaven first made them suffered from internal turmoil, and wear their bones out Zhao Youyue did not know of Shi Jingnians current condition, as nobody cared about this ghostwriter. On the internet, everyone was discussing who would be next to fall victim to Su Lis voluntary illustration. Many young novelists, including some famous web novelists, had been expressing their fears. At the same time, they were looking forward to Su Li being able to draw an illustration for them. If things seemed to be going wrong, they could just give the character a bento! After all, if the characters did not suffer misfortune, they had to start looking over their shoulders, instead What? Sister, are you saying that Shi Jingnian was involved in a serious car accident, got disfigured, lost function in his lower body, broke up with Lin Shiya, and is now going to be kicked out from the hospital because he could not afford the medical expenses? Zhao Youyue could not resist asking information from Zhang Wanjun about Shi Jingnians information. Isnt this great news? Shiya should have already left this scumbag long ago. He was holding her up. Zhang Wanjun had never had any good vibes towards Shi Jingnian who had ensnared Lin Shiya. Zhao Youyue went along with it perfunctorily, and ended the conversation with her cousin, before abruptly called her hospital dean of a father, Dad, I need your help on something Shi Jingnian could not die just like that. If not, who is going to finish Bakuman? Among the many authors that Zhao Youyue had been in touch with, Shi Jingnians talent was definitely the best. If it was not for his eccentricity, she would be most willing to strike up a good relationship with him. Chapter 370 Attitude Remains the Same In Zhao Youyues memory, the guy named Shi Jingnian was not supposed to be lacking of money. He had born from a rich, real estate agent family anyway. He may not be the richest out there, but he could have most certainly lived an easy life. He also had the royalties from those two books which were selling well. How had he fallen so drastically? Through further understanding, only did Zhao Youyue figure out that something had gone wrong in his family. On the surface, it all seemed like an accident, as the official who had accepted a bribe to cover the illegal businesses had been exposed and dismissed. As a real estate agent, Shi Jingnians father was undoubtedly involved with crimes such as bribery, gangdom, etc. Real estate businesses were not so clean in this era. This was no accident. It had something to do with Lady Lu Xue. Of course, Lu Xue was unaware of her apparent involvement. It was her father, who had been most disapproving of Shi Jingnian approaching her. There was once a period when Lu Xue had been infatuated over Shi Jingnian. Even while knowing that he already had a girlfriend, she never faltered. Her love had even given robbed her of reason, and she ran from home. Although all this was in the past, her father deeply hated Shi Jingnian. A coal proprietor may seem to be of a lowly caste, but in actuality, they were filthy rich. With money, he could do anything he wanted. Shi Jingnians father was not some great real estate agent. His influence was limited to only a county-level city. In the eyes of great people, he would be referred to as a contractor, instead of a real estate agent. Lu Xues father was an actual, great coal proprietor. He was famous within the province. And so, it led to a series of unfortunate events befalling upon Shi Jingnian, one after another. Fortunately, Lu Xues father did not cause too much trouble. He only caused Shi Jingnians family to go bankrupt. His father went into prison, but would not receive severe punishment. Moreover, by satisfying those officers with money, his father could get out of prison. Many officers made different decisions, according to different situations. For situations like Shi Jingnians family, they only wanted to drain every single penny from them. It would be very exciting if they were able to have fun with a rich agents wife Shi Jingnian had earned a few hundred thousands through his incomplete novels. He hoped that he would be able to put this money to use, and get his father out of prison. His own days were numbered, he was a broken man. His odds of survival outside the hospital were slim. Even so, he still had the confidence to complete Bakuman. Even if his readers were unable to witness the masterpieces within, he would be very satisfied to show it to Lady Zhao. After Zhao Youyue had gotten a clearer image of Shi Jingnians experience over the last six months, she remained silent for a long time. Was Su Lis drawing pen truly capable of damning others to hell? Wasnt Shi Jingnians situation a little ridiculous? Although Zhao Youyues first impression towards him, or the only impression, was not very nice, anyway, Zhao Youyue was still very satisfied to have him as the author of Bakuman. As long as Shi Jingnian continued writing, she would definitely obtain her fourth iconic character card. Regardless of Shi Jingnians peculiar character and eccentricity, his talents were undeniably remarkable! That was enough for Zhao Youyue. Moreover, he had never taken the initiative to pursue Zhao Youyue. Therefore, Zhao Youyues impression towards him had changed. Now that she had understood Shi Jingnians current situation, sympathy rose from within Zhao Youyue. Of course, it was more of what a waste of a good asset, than how she felt as a person. Thus, Zhao Youyue decided to seek her fathers help, to at least allowed Shi Jingnian to recuperate and continue writing. Zhao Jiayi loved his daughter very much. His private hospital was not affiliated to the government, but it boasted the best medical facilities in the entire world. The only problem was that this hospital was opened only to aristocrats. Regular people were not qualified to even set foot in this hospital. Zhao Jiayi agreed to take Shi Jingnian in only after he had made a thorough investigation on him. Frankly speaking, if Shi Jingnian still retained his original female-slayers appearance, Zhao Jiayi might not have agreed so readily. Anyhow, his daughter had reached the age to start a love relationship. As for the partner, appearance and talents aside, had to at least be faithful. His daughter was a gem, so why couldnt she find a good, faithful man? Shi Jingnians entire history from birth had been laid out in front of Zhao Jiayi. Great families usually did better at collecting information. Zhao Jiayi disliked Shi Jingnians handsome face. That pair of deep, mesmerizing eyes were shaped like peach blossoms. Men who were too handsome did not give him much reassurance! After he looked at Shi Jingnians confusing relationship with females, Zhao Jiayi could not resist wanting to scold those life winners. Yet, Shi Jingnians misfortunes later drew a helpless sight from Zhao Jiayi. Besides, Shi Jingnians recent appearance had become unrecognizable, and he probably would have to sit on a wheelchair for the rest of his life Zhao Jiayi instantly felt relieved. His daughter was far too kind. They were supposed to have only met once. Just because she was his reader, she had been willing to lend him a helping hand. Such morality alone was definitely higher than those soulmates who had left Shi Jingnian one after another, after the accident! Zhao Youyue was indeed an excellent Chinese reader! Shi Jingnians mother was already at the end of her rope. But when she heard that a saint was lending her son a helping hand, she could not help but shed tears of gratitude. This was truly her sons savior! Shi Jingnian did not feel any happier about it, but it was always better to be able to live longer. He only regretted not taking a more active role in solving his familys debt problem. He did not need to write for money in the past, but now he had to do so. He was not against such a course of action. He just might be able to get over this defect of his. Those web novel readers who could not wait to curse Shi Jingnian to death were finally blessed. It was in the garden of Zhao Youyues family hospital when Shi Jingnian met Zhao Youyue once again. Shi Jingnian had always been able to see through things. The moment he saw the worker beside Zhao Youyue being respectful and polite to her, he almost instantly understood the reason he had suddenly earned the qualifications to recuperate in this vast and luxurious hospital for free Shi Jingnian only knew that Zhao Youyue was a Lady, without knowing what level she actually stood on. Now, did he understand. Her level was way higher than Lady Lu Xues. At the moment, Shi Jingnian could not restrain his feelings. When all the girls beside had abandoned him, Zhao Youyue, the Lady who had always been vocal about her frustrations towards him, had actually lent him a helping hand. She did not even bat an eyelid at his broken state. Now, he had lost his beauty, his money, and his body. Even so, Lady Zhao treated him just the same Ive actually burned up a lifetimes worth of luck in order to meet you. Chapter 371 As Long As You Are Happy This was the second time that Zhao Youyue and Shi Jingnian were meeting. She looked at the miserable, wheelchair-bound Shi Jingnian. She found this version of him marginally likable, compared to the time when he was still feeling good about himself, pleasing pretty girls in all sorts of ways. Of course, even she could not deny that these winds of change were brought about by one radically different point. Shi Jingnians official self-instatement as the author of Bakuman came as a pleasing development. Without him, there would be no Wen Qingyu who was quickly gaining popularity. As things were, Shi Jingnian was a Bakuman himself. His dream was rather unrealistic, he had this vision of a True Love Harem. Zhao Youyue first dismissed the employee who had escorted her to the ward. She knew her way around her fathers hospital. She used to play here when she was little. Compared to now, things were very different. After all, technology had taken leaps and bounds forward, like the rest of the world. If things happen within expectations, Zhao Youyue would be inheriting this hospital. Of course, according to many drama plotlines, there might be many aspiring young doctors who intended to pursue this hospital deans only daughter. If one succeeded, then the hospital dean position would be at his fingertips. After all, Zhao Youyue did not seem to be studying medicine However, even if Zhao Youyue did not study medicine, she could easily acquire legendary medical skills from the literary world, even skills such as Holy Light. What good would medical studies bring her? Traditional Chinese Medicine in the real world may be regarded by many fraudulent, while constantly being slammed by the medical community as faux-science. However, within novels, Traditional Chinese Medicine was regarded as a skillset of the divine. With the combination of internal strength and the application of acupuncture, no illness would be incurable! As the daughter of the hospital dean, Zhao Youyue thought that it would be surprising if she would be able to show off some God level medical skills during a crucial moment. If Zhao Youyue indeed had such medical skills, her status would quickly rise to the top. After all, everyone was afraid of dying, especially dignitaries. But of course, everything depended on fate. Zhao Youyue was not in a hurry to acquire such medical skills. For now, she added it to her list. Shi Jingnian was still in a daze. Zhao Youyue approached him, and in her forever inscrutable, gentle voice, she asked, How do you feel? Such an expression seemed to show that she was deeply concerned for him. It displayed her kindness in its raw form. Shi Jingnian stirred from his stupor. He could never imagine that this gentle curative Lady in his eyes right now had once given him such a cold, perfect, distant impression, the first time they met. She had looked into the horizon before her that no one else could see, threading resolutely along her own path, so pure in her passion and pursuit for music But now, she was approachable, as approachable as his neighbors sister. Zhao Youyue was the only girl that Shi Jingnian had never been able to fathom. However, at that moment, even if her tenderness was only for courtesy and appearances sake, it warmed him to the core. Thanks to you, my Lady. I feel as if I would be able to struggle much longer. Its just as expected, good people dont live long, while scourges remain thousands of years. Hahaha, Shi Jingnian attempted to quip. If it was the him from before, his smile would certainly have been downright charming. Lethal, even. But now, it was a revolting smile that would frighten most off. Zhao Youyue had always factored aesthetics into her overall judgment. Even so, she felt that the Shi Jingnian at this moment was quite attractive. Perhaps this was the so-called, legendary inner beauty? Not everyone would be able to remain so open-minded after suffering from such a significant change in life. Youre a good guy. Zhao Youyue remained gentle as she spoke, the perfect smile still gracing her face. Woah! Lady Zhao, those are words that you speak to a dying man! Hurry and kick me out of this hospital! I dont want to receive a good mans card. I have never even proposed to you! In no time at all, Shi Jingnian had reverted to his slick man persona. If he was still that very handsome Shi Jingnian, Zhao Youyue might instinctively feel disgusted again. But now, Shi Jingnian threshold was significantly higher. No matter what words he spoke, his body would never be able to live up to them. Why argue with a disabled person? Then again, the Shi Jingnian of old had never once succeeded to follow through his words with actions. He only pleased girls with his glib tongue, but never pursued them. You can focus on your writing. Dont worry about your father or your family debts. Ive taken care of everything. Your dad will come to visit you soon, said Zhao Youyue, clearly understating facts. She wheeled Shi Jingnian out of the ward. For a moment, the whole world fell into silence. Shi Jingnian lowered his head. His glib tongue had failed him. His thoughts took him further away when Zhao Youyue suddenly started singing. It was the very song that he had written for her. Her rendition of it came out as a ballad, calming and ethereal. Zhao Youyue had captured the full essence of the song. It was a most touching performance. All soul, with none of the flourishes. Shi Jingnian had never cried for as long as he could remember, as there was nothing worthy of his tears. He took everything for granted. But now, he was crying. He did not know why. Perhaps Lady Zhaos singing was just that good. Hey, my Lady, youre my entire lifes benefactor. Since Im now a good-for-nothing, what talents that remain of me are at your full disposal, Shi Jingnian choked tearfully. Actually, what Ive done was no different from what Lin Shiya did. She fancied you as who you were. She probably cared more about you than anybody else. Therefore, she could not accept to see you in your current state. I dont care about you at all, but I do acknowledge your talents. I consider your talents worthy of my notice. Zhao Youyue seemed to have completely removed her gentle mask, and was speaking in a calm, controlled manner. Lady Zhao is still so cute, even as a tsundere. I am really, really happy. This seemed to be the only way for me to receive such treatment. It was somehow worth it. Shi Jingnian did not mind Zhao Youyues ice-cold words at all. He only felt that Zhao Youyues singing just now was truly wonderful. More than anything, he wanted to continue writing songs for her. Zhao Youyue enjoyed his writing. Thus, he would continue writing for her. As long as she is pleased with it, anything would be fine. Now, she was the only person who did not care about his disfiguration and disability. He would only trouble the other ladies if he tried to go back to his old ways. He was aware of his current standing. Finally, this was the raison detre he had been looking for. As long as youre happy, Zhao Youyue replied calmly. No, its as long as YOUre happy. Shi Jingnian actually bent down, attempting to bow, albeit with difficulty from where he sat in his wheelchair, and replied very solemnly, as if he had completely submitted to his King. With Zhao Youyues help, the publication process of Shi Jingnians Bakuman should not have any problems. At the same time, Zhao Youyue would also help Shi Jingnian to fight for the full copyright of his previous two books, while exposing the truth to the public. Never look down on the credibility of her perfect popularity on the internet. She was not intending to help Shi Jingnian regain his reputation, nor to make Lin Shiya lose all her standing and reputation. She just wanted to give Bakuman greater influence, a higher popularity, and an explosion of sales. If Shi Jingnian was still covered with a stigma, that would not be good. Besides, as Shi Jingnians creditor, she had to collect a debt. If not, the income from her live broadcast would be used to sustain the loss. This was her first investment ever, and it was on a persons life. Chapter 372 The Liberty of a Servant The novel Bakuman concluded according to plan. Zhao Youyue promptly made her hassle-free exit. Zhao Youyue was very satisfied with how things have ended for the book-eating girl, Wen Qingyu. This would probably be the only character who had gained iconic status without going through death. The character already had enough about her for the readers to remember her for, so death was completely unnecessary. Under Shi Jingnians vigorous inscription, as a pure reader in the early stage, Wen Qingyu left a deep impression of herself, wherever she went. After all, eating books could be equivalent to the partaking of a gourmet. This was truly very interesting. Later, Wen Qingyu turned from a reader into a writer. The transformation was quite natural as well. Applying the ability to eat books onto writing was simply comparable to hacking, to an extent that the work which was originally agreed to be a POV perspective work without any protagonist, had gradually increased with the content from Wen Qingyus perspective. Not only were the readers not disgusted, but they also accepted it with open arms instead. Under such circumstances, sharp readers would realize that Bakuman, which initially started off without a protagonist of its own, had concluded with one and only one protagonist. The other characters who, despite having just as much depth, became foils for the protagonist. Wen Qingyu had transformed from a newbie writer, into an admirable, great writer, one step at a time. This was also a growth process that had given readers a deep impression. It was easy for them to place their feet in her shoes. Generally speaking, characters in the process of growing were usually hard to flesh out. As difficult as it was, if their gaps are well-padded, she would be far more realistic and vivid than characters of static growth. After all, people always changed. If a character within the novel never once changed from the beginning to the end, the readers would easily determine if the character was good or bad, and they would even see through its nature at first glance. Shi Jingnian seemed to have laid out the entire process of Wen Qingyus growth. The most exciting ending part of the novel had ended just as the realism of this character reached its peak. Shi Jingnian, went through a life-changing experience, as if it was trying to validate the saying that people with writing talent were born unfortunate and suffered the harshness of envy. As he slowly recovered in the hospital, Shi Jingnian had totally been indulged in writing, in order to repay Lady Zhaos kindness. He could only pay off his debt in such a manner. Zhao Youyue had alleviated all of his worries. His parents were in excellent hands. What he had to do was to recuperate and apply his talent into writing. Such single-mindedness only led to Bakuman ending with the most splendid conclusion ever. Zhao Youyue was very satisfied with the ending. Readers would come begging for the sequel. There was no tragedy, only eternal glory. It was not like the readers had been left half-hanging. They simply hoped to see what sort of Godly work would Wen Qingyu write With her parents support, Zhao Youyue started off her own publishing company. It was entirely self-funded, all the way from her own pockets. This would make it easier for her to manage the company. She would be able to gather all those excellent writers out there. At the same time, she could also publish her own works. Of course, the scale of her publishing company was not a particularly large one. Nevertheless, it was beneficial, as she had full discretion to all decision-making processes. Shi Jingnians Bakuman would become the first barrel of gold earned by her publishing company. In the future, Su Li would certainly publish her manga booklet through Zhao Youyues publishing company. Losses would be very unlikely when it came to Zhao Youyues publishing company, as all publications, then and in the future, would be terrific masterpieces. Zhao Youyue decided to focus on the cultural industry, first. When she racks up more and more capital, she would definitely set foot in other industries. With the Two Dimensional Gate, endless possibilities were open for her. In the modern society, owning a property was more of a statement of status, rather than wealth. If Zhao Youyue wanted to continue living freely, she had to procure power of her own. Or else, she might be snatched up and taken for a ride by the power of connections and business-oriented, arranged marriages. This was very common among great families. Even though Zhao Youyue knew that her parents would always have her back, Old Grandpa Zhao was still going strong. Elders always meddled about with the marriage affairs of their descendants. Elders from regular families were meddlesome enough, let alone their counterparts from major households. As time caught up to them, they would redouble their efforts and egg the younger ones on. The only method to resist them was to become a person who had the right to speak for oneself. If Zhao Youyue had the social status that surpassed that of the entire familys, no one would have the right to criticize her. Zhao Youyue always mended the roof before it rained. She was not the kind of girl who would stand by and let others pull her by a string. At the same time, she did not trust any other man, besides her father. Real power should be held in your own two hands. Therefore, if Zhao Youyue ever lived in ancient times, she would never remain seated at the back. If she had a choice, she would be a female Emperor who mastered the power over life and death. Zhao Youyue wanted her hands on the wheel at all times, no matter the situation. She had a superiority complex that ruled over everything else. She was definitely not some little, harmless woman. At times, she pretended to be just that to enchanting effect. Using her female charm to make men bow at her feet was not beyond her. She enjoyed the sensation very much, to be respected, loved, pursued. Both the first and second volume of Bakuman would hit the markets in July. Su Li was in charge of the illustrations of both volumes. Her involvement was also ideal for promotional purposes. It would undoubtedly increase the sales. A Bakuman that has been completed with illustrations would even mislead the readers into thinking that it was a light novel. Even those 2D lovers would be willing to purchase the novel. This was Su Lis charisma. Zhao Youyue had already unfurled her plans of promoting Bakuman, long before it was supposed to appear on the market. She would definitely utilize all of Shi Jingnians sufferings and sensationalize its origins. This was the ascension of a rich 2G who had become disabled. His strong will was unlike any other! Perhaps, Shi Jingnian would even become an inspirational figure in high school compositions, and etch his great name in the history! There was also the emotional entanglements with the genius beautiful female writer inhis past, and the despair of a talented ghostwriter who had been abandoned during the lowest point in life There was the climax, there were tears, there was the selling point. In addition to the quality of Bakuman itself, it contained the charm of the scholarly girl Wen Qingyu, and the beauty of Su Lis illustration. Everything was ready! Just play along, understand? Zhao Youyue gently told Shi Jingnian was propped against the hospital bed. She was peeling an apple for him. After Shi Jingnian had finished writing Bakuman, he started to wrap up his previously incomplete web novels. Or else, how else would he earn the money for his debt? Those readers who were once cheated were pleased about this new development. What was it that had changed this master of incomplete works so drastically? This was all thanks to Lady Zhao! I really dont want to hurt Shiya Shi Jingnian was troubled. Then, I will be the one getting hurt. With a wicked smile, Zhao Youyue threw the apple into the rubbish bin. Shi Jingnian fell silent again. He did not dare hurt Lady Zhao. Obviously, she expected him to repay her in such a way. He had no choice. But he was unexpectedly relieved. If not for her decisiveness, he really would not have known how to repay her kindness. Right, listen. Im not here to beg for anything. I just came to inform you something. In the future, youll do what I say. Youre one of my servants. Shi Jingnian gazed up at the majestic Lady Zhao. His life, which was once a fleeting flame without any purpose of its own, seemed to have found meaning. He would no longer be troubled by existential crises. He only had to obey Lady Zhaos commands to the letter. Shi Jingnian had never been dominated before. He had always been the dominant force. Now, here he was, being manipulated by Lady Zhao. However, such a way of life seemed to be far less taxing. His life became tranquil and care-free. Perhaps all this while, the missing piece of Shi Jingnian was a person who could string him up like a marionette. Now, he was the servant. And he was happy with it. Chapter 373 The Fourth Iconic Character Card Zhao Youyue must admit that she had a great psychological advantage over Shi Jingnian. At the same time, she was aware of his innate desire to please beauties. Therefore, she was not that diligent in donning her mask, when around him. It was a delightful experience for Zhao Youyue to expose some of her evil nature, once in a while. That mask of hers was a rather weighty burden. Besides, Shi Jingnian was an extremely wishy-washy character. Being nice to him wont yield any results. He only complied when given commands. He preferred the tough approach, rather than the soft, civilized, customary charades. It was precisely because Zhao Youyue had seen through Shi Jingnians nature, that she often acted like a queen in front of him. Adapting to different situations, giving different individuals specific treatments, was all but one of her basic skills. Under Shi Jingnians meek cooperation, members of the professional media were invited by Zhao Youyue to get involved in things. The first person to take action on the internet was the son of the richest family, Ding Yuncong; who had treated Zhao Youyue as his sister. Besides showing respect towards Zhao Youyue, he was also very keen on stripping off the fake skin of those pretentious females such as Lin Shiya. After all, he had been given the nickname, The Discipline Inspection Committee within the Entertainment Circle. Although Lin Shiya was not considered a figure within the entertainment circle, she was definitely considered one among the literature circle. The Ghostwriting Incident had even rocketed her fame up. However due to her frank attitude, and the forbearance of the ghostwriter, Shi Jingnian, in addition to the other hotspot incidents on the internet, Lin Shiya seemed to be off the hook, this once. With the positive encouragement of the magazine she was contracted with, she began to return to her original style again, after remaining silent for a period of time. She had even written a very long, hypocritical Weibo post Your Happiness is the Sun of My World. This post seemed to express her repentance for her wrongdoings. It seemed to absolve herself and at the same time contain blessings for someone Of course, most of the fans attentions were on the new selfie that Lin Shiya had included to match her long Weibo post. It was a very pure-looking, beautiful picture of her looking up at the sky. It had washed off most of the previous displeasure of the fans. After all, many of her fans cared about her good looks. Her writings were just adornments to her person, giving her another layer of profundity. The magazine company valued her image just as much. They were actually willing to search for more reliable ghostwriters. As long as it benefited them, the option was on the table. This pen name Ya Jing, was indeed a high-quality pen name. It was the symbol of high sales. How could it be given up so easily? Now that the physical book market was waning, magazine companies had to redouble their efforts. Best selling authors were in severely short supply. In another world, Ya Jing would be like writers such as Han Leng, Guo Jingming. Their very image would drive the sales of their works. Ding Yuncong mercilessly started his onslaught through the internet I truly feel sad for your fans. Dont they know what kind of a person you are? Are they stupid, or something? Ding Yuncong often kicked off his criticisms with characteristically indirect hints. He would never speak plainly. That way, he could start stirring up discussions. If he showed hard evidence from the beginning, it would fail to reach the hearts of the people. As expected, Ding Yuncongs weird post about Lin Shiya on Weibo grabbed the attention of many. Even some VIPs expressed their curiosity, one after another The week after that was a heavy punishment to all of Lin Shiyas fans as her unknown side was thoroughly exposed! Shi Jingnian, the real genius writer, was pushed forward to the front of the stage. His sufferings had earned the pity of many netizens. Throughout this great war of criticisms, Bakuman still held the spotlight. Its physical book appeared on the market in the midst of the chaos. The moment it appeared, the sales instantly exploded. There were waves and waves of positive feedback! Zhao Youyues publishing company had just started off with a nuclear explosion! The only ones who suffered from this were the fans of Ya Jing, as her mask had been knocked cleanly off. Those who truly loved books became the fans of the disabled yet strong-willed genius writer, Shi Jingnian who had been pushed on to the stage and sensationalized in all sorts of manner by the paper media and network media The side-by-side comparison of his appearance before and after suffering from the car accident was truly too saddening. Some female fans had expressed their pity. Shi Jingnian had been a dead drop hunk of a man before his disfigurement. But now, his appearance not worth mentioning. Sympathy was one thing. The female fans did not have the hardcore taste to have any intimate contact with the Shi Jingnian in his current state. Enjoying his work would be enough for them. As it was, his talent had always been worthy of peoples respect. If such a campaign had not taken place, many people who were left out of the loop might have assumed that The Way of University and Big Big World were written by Ya Jing. This was truly unfair to Shi Jingnian, who was the real author. As planned by Zhao Youyue, Shi Jingnian had regained his reputation. At the same time, he also became the signature author of Zhao Youyues publishing company, writing all sorts of works, and paying off his debts to Zhao Youyue. Although Zhao Youyue had been treating Shi Jingnian as nothing more than a tool, she had undeniably invested money that she personally earned from her live streams in Shi Jingnian and her publishing company. Of course, without her family background, everything would not have been so successful. For example, her relationship with Ding Yuncong, the son of the wealthiest person. If she was not a member of the Zhao family, or Zhao Haos real cousin, how could she possibly get in the same room as Ding Yuncong and gain his admiration? The war blew up to epic proportions, thanks to Ding Yuncong. His past records had made him appear as a reasonable, honest image. Therefore, his criticism towards a vulnerable public figure Lin Shiya had been extremely effective. Lin Shiya was like an EXP Milking Machine who had become another tool for Ding Yuncong to increase his reputation. Zhao Youyue had originally planned to do it herself. Only then did she notice that Ding Yuncong had done the job. That was one task off the list. As the person who had lent a helping hand to Shi Jingnian during his most hopeless hour, Zhao Youyue had also gained a sizable amount of fame. Compared to the ruthless Lin Shiya, Zhao Youyue was the exemplification of kindness and righteousness. Some people had even addressed her as the National Madonna However, for those who truly knew her nature, such as Shi Jingnian the puppet atop the stage, knew that Lady Zhao was nowhere close to any Madonna-like qualities. She was a manipulative, cunning tactician. Everything had played out to her own benefit. During the wood cutting process, Shi Jingnian had almost given in several times over. Lin Shiya knew Shi Jingnian very closely. Therefore, she had shamelessly begged Shi Jingnian to let her go this time. Shi Jingnian had to admit that those moments were indeed gratifying. Apparently, he did bear a grudge over the fact that Lin Shiya had dumped him, after all. However, he still could not help but ask for mercy on behalf of Lin Shiya. Zhao Youyue had refused to budge an inch. Shi Jingnian actually felt relieved to be in the face of such resolute rejection. He was indeed a person that needed someone to make the decisions for him. Zhao Youyues second-half semester of eleventh grade soon finished. When the holidays commenced, the fourth iconic character card appeared on her Two Dimensional Gate Wen Qingyu. The Wen Qingyu within the card wore extremely simple, student-like clothes while holding a book in her hands, passionately reading in silence. Chapter 374 Su Li is the stable one The tide of public opinion was still focused on everyones feelings of sympathy for Shi Jingnian. Not only had he suffered misfortune, he had also been forced to face Lin Shiyas ruthless rejection. Even so, there was another group of voices that could not be ignored. It was naturally the netizens who were obsessed with messing around Su Li. Originally, everyone else had thought that Su Lis mysterious powers only resulted in the emergence of ghostwriters, this time. But like how Ah Yus real identity got exposed, the real author of Bakuman had been exposed. Everyone soon realized that they had grossly underestimated Su Lis mysterious powers! Some netizens could not help but lament, Looking at Shi Jingnian and his current tragic situation, it is really hard to not acknowledge the great powers of Su, The Great Deity. If it was not for the good-hearted Ah Yu, Shi Jingnian would probably have been done for. The more you think about it, the scarier it becomes! When such lamentations appeared, they were immediately approved by those who had begun to gradually believe in the mysterious powers of Su, the Great Deity, Su Li. Someone agreed and said, Other than Shi Jingnian, isnt Lin Shiya, the author on the surface, also in a miserable state? She was obviously very popular and had an excellent reputation. She was a bestselling author who was also really popular with booksellers. She also had lots of hardcore fans, but now its over for her. Her hidden secrets got thrown into daylight, and her reputation is in shambles I was one of those who started off as a non-believer of the powers of Su, the Great Deity. I had thought that she was just a miserable Pan of This Generation. When she became a hot topic on the internet, I would just join in and mess around for fun. But now, looking at what Lin Shiya and Shi Jingnian have encountered, I am completely convinced of her evil powers! Su, the Great Deity, from today onwards, please make sure you protect me! After her cover got blown, naturally Lin Shiya received a great deal of punishment. However, the money she got from Shi Jingnian was enough for her to live a lifetime of dissipation, and with her beauty, she was probably still able to find an excellent partner. After all, men would sometimes be taken in by outer appearances. When that happens, would they even care about the womans morality? Moreover, this time, Zhao Youyues juxtaposed behavior had undoubtedly helped her attract many of Lin Shiyas fans. After all, she was way more beautiful than Lin Shiya, and on top of that, she was kind. Who would they idolize, if not her? These fans were also creating an uproar, begging for Zhao Youyue to write a book. No matter what she wrote, they would definitely buy the book. That way, she would probably be able to reshape her image as a talented female author. However, in actuality, her musical talents and her achievements in the music field were already more than enough to package her as an artistic and learned young lady, who was not inferior to Lin Shiyas image. Even so, Zhao Youyue had always been too lazy to do such things. Posting pictures of herself was already a chore. This left many of Zhao Youyues fans rather thirsty. Thus, they started digging for pictures of her If Zhao Youyue were to post her beautiful pictures and show some style, then, would Lin Shiya even be relevant anymore? Fans who were genuinely worried for Zhao Youyue said, I know that Ah Yu is very close to Su, the Great Deity, but just in case, I hope that Ah Yu can stay a little further away from Su, the Great Deity, otherwise she would certainly suffer from some sort of misfortune She was pretty lucky the last time. Only her real identity was exposed. What if she gets into a car accident the next time? Is there anyone in this world who is more kind than Ah Yu? When Ah Yu chose to save Shi Jingnian, she was definitely cleaning up Su Lis mess. I feel a wave of sympathy for Ah Yu! Indeed, Zhao Youyue often hung out with Su Li. Su Li loved to post pictures of the both of them having dinner together, or shopping together, to show off. Two fashionable, trendy girls, one matured and one younger, were pretty pleasing to the eye. In a way, Su Li was also showing off her background. If Shi Jingnian only became Zhao Youyues underling because he had no other choice, then Su Li was one who willingly followed Zhao Youyue around as her lackey Through the various pictures posted by Su Li, everyone clearly knew that Ah Yu and Su Li were close to each other. Many people were puzzled. Why did Ah Yu and Su Li have such a good relationship? Someone answered. Has everyone forgotten about Ah Yus voice actress identity? In recent times, mangakas and voice actors were definitely closer than before. In Bakuman, there was even a shonen mangaka who had expressed his determination to get a voice actress to marry him. He had also collaborated with the original author Wen Qingyu, and drew illustrations for Wen Qingyu. Among the many industries that were involved in the making of Bakuman, if a representative had to be chosen from the manga industry, then the mangaka who had the privilege of collaborating with Wen Qingyu would definitely be chosen. The readers have pointed out that the real-life counterpart of this person was teacher Xiao Jian, an extremely skilled artist. He was already a senior mangaka with lots of experience under his belt, but he still maintained a low profile, and never started wildfires on the internet like Su Li. Each time he tried to create his own original works, they kept failing. Thus, he eventually chose to become a mangaka who specifically worked alongside creators. Since then, his career as a mangaka had flourished. Today, he was an important figure in the manga world, and only creators who were excellent could collaborate with him. Even if the works ended up on the streets, Xiao Jian would not carry the pan. If such a thing happened, it was only because the creator was not up to par. His painting skills and unique style were impeccable The relationship between Su Li and Zhao Youyue was relatively good, purely because Su Li was more than willing to obey Zhao Youyue. Zhao Youyue only needed to drop subtle hints, and she would scramble to see to her needs. She was not like the retarded Shi Jingnian, who needed explicit orders from Zhao Youyue. He was not autonomous in slightest. Then there was Han Leng, who would intermittently show symptoms of his sophohigh syndrome, and complain about how the entire Zhao family was evil. Zhao Youyue, you do nothing but go around treating everyone like a dog. I would never let you treat me like a dog. I would rather die, jump down from a building than become your dog! Not long after - - Han Leng, Im so privileged to have the opportunity of being Lady Zhaos dog! Lady Zhao really has spectacular taste, all the female outfits she picked for me are top-notch! When Lin Shiyas true self was exposed, Zhang Wanjun was rather shaken, as she had always treated Lin Shiya as her good friend. She had always thought that Shi Jingnian was the bad one. He was clearly Lin Shiyas boyfriend, but he went around flirting with all the girls. He was a total scumbag! Now that the truth had come to light, was this the so-called When a bitch pairs up with a dog, it is the natural order of things, and everyone would be at ease [1]? Although these words were a little mean, they were somewhat close to the truth. Be it Shi Jingnian or Lin Shiya, they both had their shortcomings. There was nothing much to say about it. Only Shi Jingnian had a more tragic downfall. After Zhang Wanjun found out about Lin Shiyas true nature, she started avoiding her, although she had been trying to do the opposite, all along. It was her own saintly little cousin sister who was truly good. She was always so kind, and she would never have to worry about facing a downfall Zhao Youyues image, which was remarkably similar to that of a White Lotus flower[2] had set itself in stone throughout the course of this incident. However, the only people who knew how she was really like, were probably the content creators who were somewhat close to her. Anyhow, she was nothing like the White Lotus flower, not even in the slightest! Translation note : [1] RAW: ,, (lit. Bitch mates dog, its meant to happen, people will take pleasure from their misfortune) [2] The white lotus flower is symbolic of purity and devotion. Chapter 375 Eating Books in Reality Zhao Youyue could not be any less bothered about Lin Shiyas fate. What she did previously was just to ensure that Bakuman produced an iconic character. After finding out that Wen Qingyu had achieved an iconic scholarly girl image, she laid back in contentment. The efforts she had put in for the entire semester had finally paid off Was everything that transpired between Shi Jingnian and Lin Shiya any of her business? She had once again obtained a new wife, the scholarly girl Wen Qingyu, and it was most satisfying. With her amount of experience in this field, she was bound to succeed! If she did not boost the characters to fame through the death method, she could only rely on spending a long time, as well as riding on the waves of creativity and bursts of inspiration of genius creators. In a sense, this was also a sleeping victory. If the creator was not Shi Jingnian, then Zhao Youyue would definitely have struggled to obtain the iconic character card so easily. Therefore, Zhao Youyue was still grateful to Shi Jingnian. Fortunately, he did not leave the book Bakuman incomplete. Otherwise, all of the efforts that Zhao Youyue had put in would go down the drain. If things were that way, why would she even help him solve so many of his problems? This was actually a fair, equal exchange. Nobody knew if this was because Zhao Youyue had been influenced by the Two Dimensional Gate. She was now a strong advocator of equal exchanges. No one owed anyone anything. Of course, Shi Jingnian still owed Zhao Youyue a lot of money. However, in her eyes, the money was nothing, compared to the iconic character card of Wen Qingyu. After she obtained the iconic character card, the first thing Zhao Youyue did was to buy a lot of literary classics and other books. Obviously, she wanted to roleplay as Wen Qingyu. She wanted to know for sure how the books would taste like with the character card activated. In the fictional world, she would feel slightly disembodied. Although the dreams had been very vivid, it was still, just a dream. Reality, on the other hand, was completely different. For novel characters, the real world was like the realm of Gods. Regardless of color, taste, or whatnots, every level was more abundant. If characters from fictional worlds came into the real world, they would surely be enthralled by the richness of the real world. Their reluctance to leave might even show Previously, when Zhao Youyue was using her iconic character cards, she felt that after the activation of a character card, the experience and sensation of becoming a superhuman was much stronger than it was in the world of works! Of course, for Zhao Youyue, every experience in the world of works was also a form of luxury. If she did not go through such long-lasting experiences, she felt that she would definitely not be able to activate the character card instantly Those experiences helped her to get into the act quickly. Moreover, the works that she had read in the world of works were also stored in her memory. As long as she continued to familiarize herself with them, she might be able to master them, even without the character card activated. In fact, Zhao Youyue has always been pursuing the state of having great power and skill, even without any character card activated. Although she might not be able to match 100% of the characters card ability, 30% to 40% was still possible. That way, even without activating a character card, she would be able to handle some situations through her own power. She would only need to activate a character card during critical moments. If she was able to solve certain problems, even without a character card activated, it would make her feel a sense of accomplishment. It was like playing a game without using any cheats, and depending entirely on her own abilities to secure the victory. At that moment, Zhao Youyue was alone in her extensive study. It was filled with several books, but her father had basically bought most of the books in order to create a decorative facade. She had not touched the books much. Of course, she could not directly activate the Wen Qingyu card and eat those books on the spot. If her parents came back home to see an empty study, it would be bizarre. Thus, she bought a lot of new books and was ready to use them to experiment with the Wen Qingyu card. In addition to the literary masterpieces, there were also some professional and boring academic works, as well as university science textbooks like Mathematical Analysis. The book was filled with theories by Lagrange, Leibniz, Gauss and more. It was particularly good at giving people headaches. Zhao Youyue had actually eaten textbooks before, while in the world of works. They had been tasteless, as if she was eating hardtacks. Hardtacks may be tolerable to eat at the beginning, but too much of them would quickly become revolting! After all, Wen Qingyu was clearly a right-brained person. If she were to be fed science textbooks, her appetite might just disagree! However, Zhao Youyue wanted precisely this to make things difficult for Wen Qingyu! Making things difficult for herself, only a drunkard would do this Zhao Youyue skillfully activated the Wen Qingyu card. At that point in time, she felt as if she had been filled with a scholarly temperament. If she were to dress up like a learned person and wear something like canvas shoes, then go on to take an artistic picture of herself and caption it, she would outrightly overtake Lin Shiya. After all, compared to the so-called scholarly and artistic young lady Lin Shiya, Wen Qingyu was a genuine scholarly girl who lived for books from the bottom of her heart. She had nothing else in her stomach, other than books! She could place a recliner right under the Sun and lay down on it, with her stomach facing the Sun. If anyone asked her what she was doing, she could respond confidently and say, Im basking my books in the Sun[1]! Zhao Youyue then picked up a washed apple, which was on her desk, and took a bite out of it. As expected, she found that the apple had actually lost its taste This was probably the side effect of the Wen Qingyu card. In the novel, she was set to have no sense of taste for ordinary foods. Only when she ate books, did her tastebuds react, but this was obviously a trifling plothole[2]. Since she could not taste ordinary food, how could she possibly be able to describe the various flavors of different cuisines and fruits to draw an analogy? Most of the readers did not explore this book in-depth. In their opinion, this was probably the price she had to pay, eating books to be able to taste ordinary food. If not, why would she like to eat books so much Zhao Youyue put the apple aside, and tried eating other items like candy and chocolate. All of them were tasteless. That finally convinced her. It seemed that the mysterious power of the character card was also acting on the body, and it might even affect her mentally. Of course, her body was still healthy and was free of problems, but the taste of these things were already unable to be conveyed to her soul. Then, Zhao Youyue began to eat Mathematical Analysis. She felt that it was best to do it a bitter first, sweet later order She tore a small piece off the Lagranges mean value theorem page and put it in her mouth. Her face turned pale! It tasted awful. How does she even put this in words? It just felt as if her body vehemently rejected this type of food. If she persisted, she would definitely suffer an allergic reaction and enter a state of shock! Science Mathematical Analysis or whatever, was not fated to be with her! After all, she was much more into literature! Translation note : [1] The term basking books in the sun () originated from a poem written by Du Mu, a leading Chinese poet of the late Tang dynasty. During the reign of the Kangxi Emperor (years 1662-1722), Zhu Yizun, a very knowledgeable author and poet during the Qing dynasty, would bask in the sun while baring his chest and stomach. He was said to have a stomach full of knowledge. He basked in the sun on the 6th day of June according to the Chinese calendar. He called it basking books in the sun, and did it in order to show off the amount of knowledge he had in his stomach. [2] Bug here takes the meaning of an error in a computer program or system out of the words many meanings, but specifically referring to an error in the character settings of Wen Qingyu. Chapter 376 Spiritual Book Eating? After Zhao Youyue found that the literary girls physique was unsuitable for science-based works, she was not immediately convinced. Thus, she also tried eating some scientific papers. It subdued all her doubts. In fact, she could apply some food-based analogy on this matter. For example, some people were allergic to seafood. If it was severe enough, they might even die. Now, whenever Zhao Youyue ate non-literary works with the Wen Qingyu card was active, she would experience a similar form of discomfort. The more profound the scientific papers were, the stronger the discomfort would be! Due to this, she could not even force herself to eat them. There was no doubt that the act of eating these books would not have any adverse effects on her body, but it would surely affect the character card of Wen Qingyu. She might even end up breaking the character card! Zhao Youyue treated these iconic character cards like they were precious treasures. All of them were wives which contributed to her harem income. Since she owned such a superb set of cards, she would never do anything to hurt them. Originally, Zhao Youyue had wanted to expand her knowledge in the scientific field, through the book-eating abilities of Wen Qingyu. Now that she had experimented with it, she realized that she was only being foolish. A girl with a taste of literature, was not an elite, science scholar. Science was indeed the predator of a literature person Zhao Youyue then began to eat the famous literary works. The first book she ate was Sima Qians Records of the Grand Historian[1]. Records of the Grand Historian was an extremely famous work that recollected history with prose. It was assessed by Lu Xun[2] as the peak of poetic perfection, the top of picturesque rhythm. What would such a great book taste like? Zhao Youyue was very curious. All the books that Zhao Youyue had eaten in the world of Bakuman were basically planned by Shi Jingnian. Most of them were Western masterpieces. They were considered to be works that he knew relatively well. Only by this manner, could he perfectly describe the taste of the book Of course, as he was in the process of writing, he felt that all these flavors had been savored by Wen Qingyu herself; because Wen Qingyu was the one living in the world of his work. Then, of course, it was also possible for him, as the master of this world to experience the feelings of Wen Qingyu while in the intoxicated state. Now that Wen Qingyu had appeared in the real world, Zhao Youyue could taste the flavors of various literary masterpieces, through the use of this character card. Records of the Grand Historian clearly did not taste bland. Each part of it had a unique taste. For example, when she ate First Emperors Basic Annals, Xiang Yus Basic Annals[3], Chen Shes Hereditary Houses[4], Bai Qi and Wang Jians Ranked Biographies[5] and so on, it tasted like blood mixed with the smokey smell of war. She did not feel any discomfort when she ate them, but she was not happy either. After all, history was inherently bloody. Which emperor did not live by the rule of ones success relied on thousands of deaths[6]? When she tasted Records of the Grand Historian, it seemed like she had spent a great deal of time researching that rich history, and she could remember all the scenes by heart. If someone wanted to test her on the contents of Records of the Grand Historian, she would certainly be able to answer the questions with ease. This was the good thing about the book-eating ability, but unfortunately, it was only limited to literature-based works. Of course, in addition to the taste of blood and smoke, there was also the taste of fine wine. History has always been like fine wine, long and beautiful. The richer the history was, the more refined the taste of the wine, and the history of China was undoubtedly vibrant. It was possible to earn wisdom by simply reading history Compared to foreign officialdom works, as well as court politics works, Chinas works were a lot more artistic. Only smart authors could play around with politics. In addition to the taste of blood and wine, there were various other tastes, including those that were sweet, sour, bitter and spicy. After all, there were too many characters in Records of the Grand Historian. After spending the whole afternoon, Zhao Youyue only managed to read one-tenth of the book. She deactivated the Wen Qingyu card. At that point in time, the Sun was already setting, and the sunlight shone through her study, creating a beautiful twilight. She originally thought that there would be a huge mess in front of her. This was because she had not directly eaten the entire book in one go. Instead, when she was eating books, she had to tear and eat it page by page. Moreover, she did not consume it page by page. One page had to be torn into a few pieces Now, however, she discovered that her Records of the Grand Historian was actually still intact. Not only the Records of the Grand Historian, even all the scientific papers she had eaten previously had not been affected in any way Even the apple was still in one piece! However, Records of the Grand Historian had been flipped to the page where she last ate after she had activated the Wen Qingyu card. The other scientific works were also flipped open. All at once, it all dawned upon Zhao Youyue. Perhaps, Wen Qingyus card only gave her the illusion that she was eating the book in the real world, but in actuality, she was actually reading it with relish? Was the apple tasteless, because she did not actually eat the apple? She was only eating the concept of an apple. If it was just the noun apple, it was understandable to be completely devoid of taste! How did she appear to others? Just another girl who was completely immersed in reading? She was so focused that she had completely memorized the contents of the book. Was this why she could perfectly recall everything? The Wen Qingyu card was really magical. Wen Qingyu was not just a scholarly girl, but also a girl suffering from sophohigh syndrome. So, did she only eat her books in her imagination? Or, was this the embodiment of the correcting powers of the real world? No, if anyone studied Bakuman carefully, they would find that the creators have long pointed out that Wen Qingyus book-eating was just a concept. When mirrored in reality, it might turn into a spiritual, internal ability. It was like an illusion in which you would immerse yourself into a spiritual sense reading through eating books, so much so that the book could be read through thoroughly, and digested Therefore, Zhao Youyues original idea was to finish eating a whole basket of books this afternoon was rendered impossible. She had only managed to read the one-tenth of the Records of the Grand Historian for the entire afternoon! The Wen Qingyu card seemed to be the kind of card that acted as a support ability for actual reading, but its functions were still limited to literary works. Such a discovery allowed Zhao Youyue to attain a deeper understanding of the character cards. If she receives any superpower cards in the near future, she would see things as if she really had superpowers, but others would her suffering the effects of sophohigh syndrome Of course, her superpowers would also be brought about through a different kind of logical way. The real world would intervene and make the necessary adjustments for her to conform and fit in. However, all this was just Zhao Youyues guesswork. In the future, only when she has acquired a character card with a high level of superpower, could she continue to explore its mysterious intricacies. Zhao Youyue was filled with new questions that she was eager to answer. Owing to the corrective powers that will be working their magic on the Wen Qingyu card, she could now safely use it in front of others. She can even go to the library for book-eating. This would save her from buying every single book, one after another. However, to verify that her book-eating was a spiritual concept, she felt that she should look for someone to test it out. At the same time, from the other person, she could get to know more about the kind of state she really falls into whenever she book-eats. Translation note : [1] Sima Qian was a Chinese historian of the early Han dynasty. He is considered the father of Chinese historiography for his Records of the Grand Historian. The Records of the Grand Historian (), also known by its Chinese name Shiji is a monumental history of ancient China and the world finished around 94 BC by the Han dynasty official Sima Qian after having been started by his father, Sima Tan, Grand Astrologer to the imperial court. The work covers the world as it was then known to the Chinese and a 2500-year period from the age of the legendary Yellow Emperor to the reign of Emperor Wu of Han in the authors own time. In all, the Records of the Grand Historian is about 526,000 Chinese characters long, making it four times longer than Thucydides History of the Peloponnesian War and longer than the Old Testament. [2] Lu Xun () was the pen name of Zhou Shuren (25 September 1881 19 October 1936), a leading figure of modern Chinese literature. Writing in Vernacular Chinese and Classical Chinese, he was a short story writer, editor, translator, literary critic, essayist, poet, and designer. [3] The Basic Annals () make up the first 12 chapters of the Records of the Grand Historian. The first five cover either periods, such as the Five Emperors, or individual dynasties, such as the Xia, Shang, and Zhou dynasties. The last seven cover individual rulers, starting with the First Emperor of Qin and progressing through the first emperors of the Han dynasty. In this section, Sima chose to also include de facto rulers of China, such as Xiang Yu and Empress Dowager L, while excluding rulers who never held any real power, such as Emperor Yi of Chu and Emperor Hui of Han. [4] The Hereditary Houses () is the second largest of the five Records of the Grand Historian sections, and comprises chapters 31 to 60. Within this section, the earlier chapters are very different in nature than the later chapters. Many of the earlier chapters are chronicle-like accounts of the leading states of the Zhou dynasty, such as the states of Qin and Lu, and two of the chapters go back as far as the Shang dynasty. The later chapters, which cover the Han dynasty, contain biographies. [5] The Ranked Biographies () (usually shortened to Biographies) is the largest of the five Records of the Grand Historian sections, covering chapters 61 to 130, and accounts for 42% of the entire work. The 69 Biographies chapters mostly contain biographical profiles of about 130 outstanding ancient Chinese men, ranging from the moral paragon Boyi from the end of the Shang dynasty to some of Sima Qians near contemporaries. About 40 of the chapters are dedicated to one particular man, but some are about two related figures, while others cover small groups of figures who shared certain roles, such as assassins, caring officials, or Confucian scholars. Unlike most modern biographies, the accounts in the Biographies give profiles using anecdotes to depict morals and character, with unforgettably lively impressions of people of many different kinds and of the age in which they lived. The Biographies have been popular throughout Chinese history, and have provided a large number of set phrases still used in modern Chinese. [6] Ones success relies on thousands of deaths () is a famous sentence derived from a poem written during the Tang Dynasty. It means literally that a general achieves goals or benefits (from the wars) while ten thousand of bones rot. It simply means that many soldiers have sacrificed their lives in the wars. This sentence dates back to about 1200 years ago and it has really revealed a cruel and unfair truth that in a group the inferior-hierarchy persons always sacrifice for the superior-hierarchy persons. The inferiors suffer while the superiors gain benefits, honors, and status. Chapter 377 Independent Bookstore Of course, Zhao Youyue called up Su Li again this time. It was the summer holidays, so she had lots of time to dine together and have lots of fun with Su Li. This time, as Su Li was forced to carry the pan once again after she drew Wen Qingyu, she was not as calm as she used to be. Her heart was filled with faint hints of guilt - - Shi Jingnian and Lin Shiyas tragic downfalls were not really a result of her poisonous touch, right? She had been troubled all day long, wondering if she should do something to make it up to them. However, just as she was thinking about this, Zhao Youyue had told her that she did not need to be bothered about such things, as she had already sorted everything out Su Li immediately felt relieved. She was especially grateful to Zhao Youyue. Her mysterious powers had caused so much trouble that Zhao Youyue had to step in and help her clean things up. She felt really embarrassed. Therefore, she decided that she would draw anything that Zhao Youyue requested from her in the future. She would willingly obey every single one of Lady Zhaos instructions. Previously, Su Li did not believe that her illustrations were poisonous. She had believed that everything was just a coincidence. Now, the foundations of those beliefs had been greatly shaken. She feared that her illustrations might actually possess mysterious powers. This power did not only act on the character which had been illustrated, it also acted on the creator of this character. Anyhow, anyone who was in any way related to the illustration, was bound to undergo misfortune On the contrary, she, as an illustrator, was becoming more and more popular. Many netizens did not know that she was a mangaka and had no knowledge about her works at all. Even so, they were familiar with all the drama revolving around her and also knew about all her great achievements. This popularity had fortified Su Lis position in the ACG community. The price of her upcoming illustrations would surely be significantly marked up. However, there was also a problem as to whether anyone would dare let her illustrate of their characters Of course, some of the Old Sly type of authors came forward for that very purpose. According to Su Lis Law that had been summed up by the internet, as long as they cruelly abused the characters who have been illustrated by Su Li, and put the character through some sort of calamity, then the creator would naturally be safe. On the contrary, if nothing was done to the character, and the creator did not proceed to give a bento to the illustrated character, then they had to be extra careful, because Su, the Great Deity was watching them! That was probably the death stare! In order to avoid the befalling of any form of misfortune, they should probably seek help from the kind-hearted female live streamer Ah Yu. Ah Yu was someone who was capable of altering their fate. She would definitely be able to prevent death, but if they lost an arm or broke a leg, it was entirely out of Ah Yus control Shi Jingnians current, devastating state was something known to everyone There was also a separate party that viewed Su Li as an object of ridicule. They felt that Su Li had truly stolen the fate of many other creators. How else would she explain why she was getting more and more popular? Her influence was no longer limited to the manga industry. She had already achieved a whole new level of popularity on the internet. She was probably the most eye-catching person among all other creators. Su Li just happened to be preparing for a discussion with Zhao Youyue about her new original work. She wanted to see if she could get her approval. Thus, when Zhao Youyue asked her to hang out again, she agreed with alacrity. After they finished enjoying their food, they proceeded to enter an independent bookstore, which had newly been discovered by Zhao Youyue. It was located in a very remote area, and so, there were not many customers. It was also largely unknown. The owner of this bookstore obviously did not care much about her profits. It was simply set up for the owner to get to know more like-minded friends. The owner was a female travel writer[1], but apparently, she could not wholly support herself just by writing books. She usually wrote advertorials, or, after visiting a particular tourist attraction, she would write about her thoughts and share her review of the place. Of course, it was all just focused on promoting the location. All the books in the bookhouse[2] were hand-picked by the owner herself. They were of various styles, and were all extremely artistic and literary. It could be said that the owners writing career was a failure, because her works did not sell at all. However, she still qualified as a book-lover. Zhao Youyue almost wanted to learn from the owner. She could also open an independent bookstore, then dedicate it to her friends. After all, she had a lot of friends who were authors and mangakas. Zhao Youyue brought Su Li into this independent bookstore, and removed her sunglasses and mask. She was still a hot topic on the internet. More and more people were beginning to recognize her in reality. In the beginning, she only felt a sense of accomplishment. This was the sense of presence that she had once wanted so much. However, as time went by, she had grown to find it bothersome. Perhaps, once an opportunity appears, she might even feed on the impulse to directly cut away her long hair and revert to the state of a side-character. Only when she had ceased being a hot topic, she would grow out her hair again. After she managed to obtain various character cards, Zhao Youyue grew a lot more emboldened. She was not as keen to be in the center of attention as before. This was because she knew that if she wanted to, she could easily do it. As expected, the owner of the independent bookstore was not in. There was only one shopkeeper in the entire bookstore. She was probably the owners niece. She was already a university student. She came to work, as it was the summer holidays. Not many people were in the bookstore. The air-conditioning was working well. Upon entering the bookstore, they were greeted by a nice, chill breeze. If such a lovely bookstore was discovered by elderly women, they would probably just come here daily to enjoy the air-conditioning. Fortunately, this independent bookstore was quite well-hidden. Moreover, the owner never really advertised it. Other than those who inadvertently came across her unpopular works, not many knew about it. Fortunately, Zhao Youyue was one of those did come across her works. No, it should be said that, Zhao Youyue had accidentally discovered it from Shi Jingnians collection of books. It was an entire book that the author had dedicated into writing about the independent bookstore which she opened, and it contained the address of the bookstore. Shi Jingnian even personally recommended this bookstore to Zhao Youyue. He also expressed his sympathy for the owner, as she was essentially an unmarried female travel writer who was already in her thirties. She was clearly really talented, but unfortunately, the general public did not acknowledge her talents. Zhao Youyue could not help but inquire into about relationship between Shi Jingnian and that female write. As a result, Shi Jingnian candidly stated that all they had was just a pure friendship. This was because her looks were merely average. Considering how Shi Jingnian was such a lustful guy, he was obviously only interested in beautiful girls. To top it off, only gorgeous girls who were of natural beauty and had great temperaments qualified. As to why the female writer became a leftover woman, Shi Jingnian had also indicated that it might be due to the fact that after she got to know him, her standards of what she looked for in a partner eventually heightened Zhao Youyue unceremoniously asked him to look in the mirror clearly, to see if he really had the audacity to say such a thing. At that time, Shi Jingnian took Zhao Youyues instructions seriously. After he looked in the mirror, he still insisted that he was really just too handsome. This was because his inner beauty still existed, and it would not be affected even in the slightest, just because of his outer appearance. Hence, he still had the courage to say such things. Zhao Youyue felt that Shi Jingnian was beyond saving. He would forever be filled with his self-righteousness and his utter love for himself. Zhao Youyue ordered one cup of freshly squeezed juice for Su Li. She also ordered a cup for herself. Well, independent bookstores were perfect for reading books while having a drink. Ive already come up with an idea for my new piece of work. Its called (go j r chng)''[3] Su Li started the conversation. Translation note : [1] A travel writer is a person who writes about places they have visited and their experiences while traveling. [2] Bookhouse is a bookstore that not only sells books but also serves food and drinks. It provides for the customers a place to sit and read the books available in the bookstore, regardless of whether they have bought the books or not. The independent bookstore here is a bookhouse but the author uses the terms bookstore and bookhouse interchangeably. [3] pronounced as (Go j r chng) in Chinese, is actually the Chinese name of the anime Himegoto (lit. Secret), also known as Secret Princess. The Chinese name has to be used here, because the characters were conversing in Chinese. Only by this method would the next chapter of the story make, where Zhao Youyue gets confused about the name and think that it meant something else, as she had misinterpreted it when Su Li said it. Chapter 378 The Demeanor of a Scholarly Girl When Zhao Youyue heard the name, she thought that it was (go j r chng)[1]. She could not help but laugh, Sister Li, are you trying to create a BL manga this time? , really Zhao Youyue was not really familiar with BL works, but if it was Su Lis idea, she would, of course, try to have a look at it. Su Lis drawings were always outstanding. Her drawing style was exquisite, and it closely followed the latest trends. Even without a proper plot, Su Lis manga was always worth looking. Zhao Youyue had nothing against homosexuality; she was only afraid of homosexuality not being depicted beautifully. Zhao Youyue prioritized quality. As long as the drawing skills were up to par, and the drawing style was good, she would attempt to read it, even if the plot was terrible. No! Its another (j). My main characters name has a ji in it.[2] Hes a male. Some terrible people were chasing him while he was working, and was about to face a crisis concerning his chastity. However, he was saved by a female high school student council. After the student council president heard about his situation, the council agreed to help him clear off his debts, but with the conditions that he needs to become the student councils dog and spend his whole high school life dressed as a girl. Thus he was forced to wear womens clothes and be part of a student council filled with older girls This would be a campus comedy type of manga. Of course, there would be erotic scenes, and it would not only involve the girls. The male protagonist himself would also be caught up in those erotic scenes! Su Li finished sharing her idea in almost one breath; then she looked at Zhao Youyue expectantly. Zhao Youyue had never taken Su Lis original works seriously since the beginning, mainly because Su Lis Pure Romance had left a deep impression on her, and not the good types. It could be said that Pure Romance had exposed Su Lis flaws, incisively and vividly. However, her shortcomings, in turn, had highlighted the darkened,cleaver and nice boat ending of Pure Romance, and even turned it Godly. Due to this, it became an iconic work. However, when Zhao Youyue heard that the main character of Su Lis original manga would be a lady boss, she immediately became interested. Without any particular reason, she immediately thought of Han Leng. She excitedly said, Could this manga of yours be based on and inspired by Han Leng? Su Li shook her head and said, No, Im just drawing a feminine guy, but Im also going to draw some content of upskirts and stuff. Wouldnt it make people excited if there was a mysterious bulge within a tiny, cute underwear? Its going to be a fantastic, all-around manga. I hope that I can properly draw out the funny parts, but Im not giving up on my specialty of drawing erotic scenes! Zhao Youyue realized that Su Li has indeed grown a lot through the process of drawing The Strongest King for Rosemary. Perhaps Himegoto would not be able to become extremely famous, but achieving a small level of popularity would not be a problem. After all, she also had a fanbase of her own now, and was also a creator who had many connections and drama revolving around her. Coupled with the fact that the main protagonist of her new manga was a lady boss, it followed the current trend closely. The introduction itself was already a great selling point. Then, I wish that your new manga will be highly popular. If I really find it interesting after its release, I would most certainly tip you generously and become a Silver Sect Master. All the best, Sister Li! Zhao Youyue held Su Lis hand in hers, and genuinely cheered for her. Of course, Su Li was delighted. If it could be said that she had been trying to get on Zhao Youyues good side previously, only because of Zhao Youyues money and status. Now, she was genuinely trying to create a great piece of work to please Zhao Youyue. She had already considered Zhao Youyue her good friend. Someone she would give her bare heart to and gladly entrust to her care. When she saw that many of Zhao Youyues fans on the internet were encouraging her to stay away from Su Li and cherish her life, she panicked. She feared that Zhao Youyue would actually believe what they said However, it was proven, that the friendship between Su Li and Zhao Youyue was unbreakable! Lady Zhao did not despise her at all. Instead, she tried her best to help Su Li ease off her suspicions. She continued to ask her out to play and eat delicious food, just like before. Furthermore, Zhao Youyue would always foot the bill. It was like Zhao Youyue was nurturing her Regardless of whether she was being nurtured or not, Su Li still felt that she was hugely indebted to Zhao Youyue. Hence, she always obeyed Lady Zhao on her own volition. Zhao Youyue then asked Su Li to use her mobile phone to take a video of her while she was reading. She intended to have Su Li help her see if she had the demeanor of a scholarly girl. She even took preventive measures. She told Su Li not to be too surprised if she suddenly started eating the book. It was only because she had been too fascinated by the book. It was just a reflex action. Su Li had made up her mind. No matter what Zhao Youyue did later, she would still say that she a scholarly girl, from head to toe. She was even more Wen Qingyu than Wen Qingyu herself! In actuality, Su Li was certain that Zhao Youyue was nothing like a scholar. Only actual scholars could produce that aura. Zhao Youyues talent was basically all centered around the musical realm This was Su Lis deepest impression of Zhao Youyue. When Zhao Youyue went to the provincial capital to participate in the finals, she had tagged along. Zhao Youyues performance allowed her to appreciate the charm of classical music fully. She also knew that the only person who was capable of showcasing such appeal was Zhao Youyue. However, right as Su Li was on that line of thought, Zhao Youyues temperament seemed to morph before her eyes. With her flawless pair of hands, she caressed the cover of the book. It was as if she had completely transformed into a hardcore book-lover Inexplicably, Su Li felt that Zhao Youyue became another person. If her feelings were spot-on, then this person was Wen Qingyu! Whenever Su Li drew a character, she would carefully try to figure out the ins-and-outs of the character, to adequately portray the characters unique charm. Thus, as she was also an artist of Wen Qingyu, she was able to tell that Lady Zhao had instantly transformed before her eyes, especially into a character that she drew before Su Li did not doubt the possibility that Lady Zhao would really start to tear a page and slowly taste it. She began recording with her mobile phone, but the book-eating scene did not appear. She was wrong. Lady Zhao was just reading a book very seriously. Even her lips were moving, and it looked like she was silently memorizing the contents of the book. Or, could the word chewing be used to describe it? This time, Zhao Youyue was only looking at a small collection of essays. It did not seem to be the works of a famous writer. Therefore, it tasted relatively fresh and minty. In less than an hour, she finished eating the book. In the eyes of Wen Qingyu, only the cover of the book was left. However, after she deactivated the Wen Qingyu card, she discovered that the book in front of her was still intact Su Li had propped up her head with her hands. All this while, she had been watching and watching, just like that. It was as if she had turned into the Amah Rock[3]. Even so, she did not feel bored at all! Lady Zhao looked so beautiful as she read! When Su Li realized that Zhao Youyue had finally returned to her original state, she quickly said, My lady, youre way too scholarly! Then, why didnt I eat the book Actually, this book tasted minty. Zhao Youyue said while smiling. Then, she took Su Lis mobile phone and looked at herself. In the video, she was very focused on reading, and she was chewing the whole time. Now, she finally understood that this was how she looked like when the Wen Qingyu card was used in reality. She would not have to worry about being seen as someone suffering from Pica[4] anymore. Also, she would not have to destroy her book collection Translation note : [1] here is pronounced the same way as , both (go j r chng) in Chinese, although the second character of both terms are different. is the Chinese name of the anime Himegoto. Here, Zhao Youyue thought Su Li meant , as both terms are pronounced exactly the same way. The second character is in the original anime name, but is the second character of the term that Zhao Youyue thought Su Li meant instead. means gay in Chinese. Therefore Zhao Youyue thought that Su Li was drawing a BL (boys love) manga. [2] Here, the male character Su Li is referring to is Hime Arikawa. Hime Arikawa is the protagonist of Himegoto. He is a feminine second-year at Shimoshina High School, and is also a member of its student council. His parents racked up a large amount of debt in his name by traveling all around the world, and although the student council pays off the debt, he continues to live in poverty with his younger brother Kaguya. At school, he is forced to cross-dress in return for the student council paying off his debt. [3] Amah Rock () (lit. the stone gazing out for her husband) is a naturally shaped rock located on a hilltop in southwest Sha Tin District, Hong Kong. [4] Pica is the persistent craving and compulsive eating of nonfood substances. The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, fourth edition, classifies it as a feeding and eating disorder of childhood. Chapter 379 Photographed in a Supercar It was a pleasant afternoon for Zhao Youyue and Su Li. Literacy filled the atmosphere around them. Su Li felt rejuvenated after spending time with Lady Zhao, as usual. No matter what they did together, Su Li was always happy around Zhao Youyue, Su Li even booked Zhao Youyue for her summer holiday after Lady Zhao graduated from senior high. They would be staying at Su Lis hometown, and she would not miss the opportunity to introduce her two adorable younger sisters to Zhao Youyue. On that particular summer holiday, Zhao Youyue accompanied her parents for a few weeks in a foreign country. Feeling particularly adorable, she showed it off to her friends. Being outside the country was merely like changing a spot to play with her phone. Zhao Youyue returned to her country in mid-August. Zhao Hao, her cousin, had left her a message, saying he would be visiting her in Jiang Nan. Cousin Zhang Wanjun and his best friend, Ding Yuncong would tag along as well. Zhao Youyue expressed her delight and arranged their accommodations in a luxurious hotel. Of course, Zhao Hao would have offered such levels of hospitality for her, as well. She planned to bring them to Jiang Nans famous garden monuments and feast on the delicious cuisine that she knew so well. It was a pity that Zhao Youyue had yet to master light-emitting cuisine. She could have showed off her cooking skills, and indulge her dearest friends with a delicious meal until they lose the appetite for other food. During her free time as of late, Zhao Youyue had been enjoying herself, due to the Two Dimensional Gate still being on its cooldown period. It was taking longer than usual, since she had made a classical scholar character and had lingered too long in the novels world. However, she could only let the fate decide her fortune, the next time she enters Two Dimensional Gate. She had sacrificed her high popularity character card C the innocent, adorable youth, Zhou Chun to create an iconic book-eating scholar character card. Without any high popularity character cards, she could not make the decisions on her next destination. It was crucial for her to obtain another high popularity character card for the moment. It was necessary for be sacrificed of world switching. Meanwhile, Zhao Youyue had merely unlocked the skill of eating books of the Wen Qingyu Card. She had yet to master her writing skills, since there was nothing to write about. Perhaps she should directly reproduce Wen Qingyus work from Bakuman in the real world. She had reproduced several of Chu Luoxuns conceptual masterpieces, after all. However, the difference between a manuscript and a book was the time needed for it to be written. There were too many words to copy from a book, compared to notes of a manuscript. Zhao Youyue never wanted to become a writer nor an illustrator. It was too troublesome, especially as a web novelist. They had to post a new chapter every single day, and had no holidays whatsoever. While others rested during the public holidays, they had to work harder to post more contents daily Su Lis tireless dedication impressed Zhao Youyue to the core. She never ceased in preparing extra pieces of sketches. That was one of the reasons why Su Li was always free whenever Zhao Youyue asked her out. She had even convinced Zhao Youyue not to worry about causing her any form of procrastination. In terms of pen-and-ink production, Zhao Youyue preferred to be a reader. She would activate Wen Qingyus card, and write anything when the inspiration came to her. There was one topic that Zhao Youyue could elaborate on, which was the Altair character. It was a character that was full of mystery. Her character card was an exceptional existence in Two Dimensional Gate. If she wanted to access that character card, it would take several other doujins that featured that character. Yet, it was unclear if Wen Qingyus card could help Zhao Youyue create a story with Altair. Without activating this scholarly lady card, Zhao Youyue was too lazy to lift her pen. It was too tiring, and she would rather spend that energy playing her phone! On that day, Zhao Hao brought Zhang Wanjun and Ding Yuncong to Jiang Nan province. It was just the three of them. Zhao Youyue was expecting around twenty to thirty people, like the last time. Ding Yuncong did not even bring any of his internet celebrity girlfriends. The three of them came in two luxury cars. Ding Yuncong drove on his own, while Zhang Wanjun accompanied Zhao Hao. Zhao Youyue settled them down in her pre-booked hotel, and got ready to bring them for a feast. Little Zhao, ride with me, dont trouble your chauffeur. Ah Hao would follow us, Ding Yuncong suggested. Zhao Youyue was as glamorous as usual. She had dressed up to portray the stunning image of a lady from Zhao family. Such a compelling figure! To be honest, Ding Yuncong was not fond of a lady behaving as such. It made him feel like a table fan that was incapable of controlling her. Yet, he never intended to court Zhao Youyue. She was just a sister to him. That way, he felt very proud of having such a sister. Or rather, he wished he had such a sister Zhao Youyues impression of Ding Yuncong was acceptable. He did help out on the internet, previously. Lin Shiya was completely removed from her temple, as a result of Ding Yuncongs efforts. Ding Yuncong had a solid reputation, and he was undoubtedly the most trusted person by the netizens, due to his wealth of insider information. Lin Shiya had been unable to retaliate in any way. Ding Yuncong proved to be an influential person. To Zhao Youyue, that was a huge plus to take him in as a friend, especially when he had no other intentions. Alright, then Ill have to trouble brother Ding. Zhao Youyue flashed a flawless smile. No trouble and all! You did call me brother Ding, you are my sister! Ding Yuncong felt most delighted to be respected by Zhao Youyue. Who is your sister! Youyue sister is my blood-bonded sister, get lost, you shameless dude! Youyue sister, come ride with me, Zhao Hao jumped in on the conversation. Your piece of junk only has two front seats, little Zhao, it is better to sit with me. My cars a convertible, itll be fun! Ding Yuncong bluntly fought back. Zhao Youyue never sat in an open-roofed sports car before. To be exact, she seldom rode in sports cars. Unlike Zhao Hao and Ding Yuncong who loved sports cars, she was often driven about in luxury cars by a personal chauffeur. Other than cars, they loved watches as well. Zhao Hao bought a lot of expensive watch-themed casings for his steering wheel. He was cocky as ever as he took photos of his watch with the steering wheel in the background to show off his wealth. The total cost of all the watches he bought was enough to buy a few sports cars. Zhao Youyue decided to follow Ding Yuncong to his car. She did not think of wearing a mask while seated in a car. Hence, the beautiful visages of Ding Yuncong and Zhao Youyue cruised through the city. They stopped by a red light, and that was when the flashlights started going haywire! Ding Yuncong quickly lifted the roof of the car back on, but it was already too late! Chapter 380 Gossip Oh dear, some guy got a clear shot of us. The internet is going to rear its ugly head. Prepare yourself, little Zhao. The rumors will come. Ding Yuncong shook his head, murmuring to himself, Careless, careless He was deeply sorry. He was notorious for his relationships and his ideology of no marriages. Without a marriage, nobody could lecture him about who he chose to date. Some might criticize his superficial judgment of beauty, yet he admired the typical faces of internet celebrities. He intended to make his own group of celebrities. It was crude to do so, if already married, even if it was a common activity for the wealthy people. Both parties were simply fulfilling the desires of their hearts. After being crushed by his first love, Ding Yuncong has no grudge over the details. There was no need to get serious with women. They were just tools for pleasure. Ding Yuncong never intended to keep his relationships under the cover. Ironically, he was still being happily worshipped as the Husband of the nation. Zhao Youyue was the opposite. She had a fair reputation on the internet. The untainted reputation had forged her an image of a saint. No, she did not need any decorations. She was an angelic saint by birth. Many doubted this fact, and had tried to look for crumbs of her dark side. She feared nothing, as she had done nothing wrong. There were no crumbs at all. Zhao Youyue lived a simple life. Unlike those playful youths from wealthy families, she had no complicated relationships. While others used their time to play about, she used hers to enhance her talents. It was a justifiable explanation, as there was no other way to explain her achievements in music! The truth that nobody knew, was that she loved to play her phone in a quiet corner. Ding Yuncong strongly believed in that well-disciplined persona of Zhao Youyue, and was deeply impressed by it. A few too many girls would say one thing but do the other. Lin Shiya was a perfect example C and she served as a perfect example of that statement. Zhao Youyue was different. He had known her for quite some time, and understood more about her through his best friend, Zhao Hao. Zhao Youyue was an innocent girl who was talented in everything, yet it did not keep her from remaining hardworking. Ding Yuncong often felt stressed in the presence of Zhao Youyue. He did not dare to have any ill intentions on her, and it was most probably because he did not deserve her. But he could feel behave normally if he treated her as a sister. Zhao Youyue had realized about what had happened. She heard Ding Yuncong, and responded with a joke, I have seen a lot of it on the internet, everyone loves rumors! This time the headline might be Surprise! Husband of the Nation found a new love, cant believe its her Ding Yuncong felt bad at first, fearing that he might have possibly smeared Zhao Youyues reputation. After Zhao Youyues joke, he burst into laughter, saying Dont say that, such a headline might just come out I used to bring my girlfriend to BBQ at night, and they would report it as if it was a surprising discovery: Ding Yuncong takes BBQ like everyone else! I can never recognize any of your girlfriends. Zhao Youyue could not help, but complained. Ding Yuncong laughed awkwardly. He knew in his heart; not many girls were like Zhao Youyue. Such beauty and elegance. Comparing her to any girl would be like comparing flowers and vases, where the vases only emphasized the beauty of that flower. Actual ladies have high expectations for their men. Dont be fooled by netizens who call me the National Husband; I know that most of the time they are just being ridiculous. In fact, I really like those greedy girls. They would do anything to please me just for money, and I could enjoy their offer to the maximum Ding Yuncong immediately felt wrong for saying that. How could he speak in such a manner to Zhao Youyue, it was just too candid! Zhao Youyue was still an underaged young girl, how could he treat her like his age, it was terrible! Its better this way, fulfilling the needs of the other. Your methods are not wrong, theyre way better than Shi Jingnian. Zhao Youyue commented lightly. Perhaps thats the difference between a realist and an idealist. Ding Yuncong could not keep the conversation alive. Bragging about his group of celebrities in front of Zhao Youyue would definitely spoil his image. Even though he had no intentions towards Zhao Youyue, he hoped to leave a good impression on her. Zhao Youyue was the type of girl that left every man wanting to look at his best and decent in her presence. Anyway, arent you worried about any outbursts on the internet, you might even lose a great deal of fans. Ding Yuncong thought that Zhao Youyue was being too generous. He had no idea what Zhao Youyue wanted. She seemed okay with a lot of things and nothing really perturbed her. Perhaps it was Lady Zhaos character of being indecipherable that left countless heroes bowing at her feet. Even Shi Jingnian could not figure out Lady Zhao. I was getting bored of this image, Ive decided to cut my hair, Zhao Youyue said, as leisurely as ever. Huh? Ding Yuncong did not understand what she meant. He took a look at Zhao Youyues silky smooth long hair; and could not help but exhort Theres no need to cut it, it really matches you, why would you want to cut it, it would be such a waste! Im going to be in twelfth grade soon; I want to cut my hair to express my determination to focus on my studies, and fight for the chance to enroll in a good university. If not, I can never find a job. Zhao Youyue spoke in a serious manner. I see now that youre a master of telling serious jokes with that straight face. Dont you dare presume that Im not aware of your status as a top student. Also, as a member of the Zhao family, why would you need to find a job, you would be the one hiring others! Ding Yuncong found Zhao Youyues cold jokes particularly entertaining. He had thought that Zhao Youyue was all straight-laced and strict. She had turned out to be an interesting girl, during the trip. Ding Yuncong treated Zhao Youyue as one of his brothers. They were on the same channel when it came to a lot of topics. Yet, Ding Yuncong failed to comprehend why Zhao Youyue had to cut her hair. What he did not know was that Zhao Youyue was tired of being under the spotlight. She wanted to return to being an ordinary, inconspicuous stranger. Only then would she be free of all this attention. As predicted by Ding Yuncong, news spread wildly on the internet. National Husband Ding Yuncong was seen in a limited edition supercar with popular internet celebrity, Ah Yu! Some despicable media groups rushed to conclude that Zhao Youyue was Ding Yuncongs new girlfriend! Some netizens even tagged Ding Yuncongs current celebrity girlfriend A on Weibo. Chapter 381 Not to be Messed With This was an age, where high popularity was often traded off with zero privacy. Zhao Youyue, also known as Ah Yu, invaded the headlines again! Almost everybody called her Ah Yu. Few even knew of her real name. A broadcasters nickname concealed the real-life identity of the person, similar to authors and their pen names. Of course, hardcore fans would know every single trivia about Zhao Youyue. Even so, most of Zhao Youyues identity was still a veiled mystery. Some had deduced that she was some rich mans daughter, but they did not know to what extent This time, Zhao Youyue had been photographed with Ding Yuncong in his supercar. It soon took the internet by storm. Without any plausible explanations floating about, people started commented like so Ding Yuncong was born rich, how could he appear in a photo with Lady Ah Yu? Is he a fan? Ding Yuncong is now Lady Ah Yus chauffeur? Her identity is obviously beyond my imagination! She makes him look like a freaking pedestrian! I knew it; nothing could hold a candle beside our angelic Lady Ah Yu! This is exactly how a toad attempting to get himself a princess would look like. Ding Yuncong is begging the moon for Lady Ah Yu! Lady Ah Yu is completely ladylike. Ding Yuncong may be a rich familys son in name, but he doesnt even look the part! Apparently, Ah Yu had an enormous number of fans on the internet. Fans would always be so defensive over their idols. Most of the time, they would defame others to keep their idols afloat. Ding Yuncong had been praised as the National Husband since the dawn of time; but even such a figure was not impervious, albeit rarely. Lady Ah Yu had earned her popularity and fans with overwhelming talent. On the other hand, who would Ding Yuncong be, without his dad? Ah Yus fans were downright zealots. They worshipped her as a saint. This extreme reaction only raised suspicions, especially among those who used to be Lin Shiyas fans. Some pointed out that Ah Yu could not possibly be as sacred as everyone else made her out to be. She was in the same car as Ding Yuncong, was that not a sign that she had succumbed to the allure of material wealth? A saint? How hilarious! This world did not harbor any innocent beauties. They were nothing but goddesses of the poor while serving as cum-buckets for the rich! Ah Yu was no exception. She was just another female streamer. Her identity of being born from a wealthy family was just a fabrication of the promotional team. Ding Yuncong was the genuinely wealthy young man! Ah Yus fans had long been lost in their own delusions. Who in their right mind thought that Ding Yuncong was not an equal match to anyone at all, for that matter. These Ah Yu fanatics lived in such a tiny hole; they could not even fathom this cruel fact! The circle of streamers was in a particular state of disarray, compared to the rest of the entertainment world. Orgies were an everyday past time for them. Were they not aware of this? Zhao Youyue remained unperturbed by the storm brewing on the internet. She had a great time with her cousin Zhao Hao, Zhang Wanjun and Ding Yuncong. Many other propagative accounts joined in on this gossip hype, and some made a summary of all known girlfriends of Ding Yuncong. They unanimously decided that Zhao Youyue was the highest quality product he had ever dated. Some propagative accounts criticized the uprising of materialism within the society. Their articles would usually be nothing but reflective images of the publics narrative. Otherwise, how else could they draw attention from readers? Those accounts only produced what people wanted to read. They were not much different from web novelists, where the market made all the final decisions. Some thought that online informants were great, while some only pretended to be great. At the end of the day, all of them were simply sharing and repeating the same stories through their own methods. This was especially true, concerning videos of the audience in NetEase Music. Most of them would get reduced into emotional sacks of flesh every time they listened to live performances. It was no easy matter. The truth was of no importance to the irresponsible media. All that mattered was tomorrows great news! Ah Yus fans were calm and rational. As the rest of the internet spiraled out of control, they sat in silence, waiting for the truth! Most fans speculated that Ah Yu was simply discussing business. She might be switching platforms, for all they knew. As a boss of a streaming platform, Ding Yuncong was just trying to sign her over Fans listed down Ah Yus talents, including her gaming skills. She ruled over the matches in League of Legends with an iron fist. At the moment, she was obsessed with Player Unknowns Battleground and King of Glory. She made professionals look like beginners! Gaming was just a sideshow for Ah Yu. It was her music that drew most of her fans. Her vocals and skills in musical instruments were second to none, even among full-time musician streamers! Bluntly speaking, Ah yu was the most talented streamer in the worldwide streaming network, while being one of the most generous people. Sometimes, she would try out new games, not to shy away from spending a huge sum of money whenever other players challenged her. Not every broadcaster could afford to whale like that Several pointed out that some self-proclaimed rich broadcasters were far more stingy. Ah Yu was different. Her generosity as a rich lady must have been cultured since young. This latest wave of gossip only boosted Zhao Youyues popularity. Before this incident, Ding Yuncong Weibos fans had outnumbered Ah Yus by 20,000,000, where Zhao Youyues fans amounted to no more than 10,000,000. One random photograph had boosted that number and broke through the ten million ceiling, for the first time! Just as everyone craved for more gossips, Ding Yuncong made a statement. He said, I have no intention of explaining myself, but I saw too many people criticizing Ah Yu for being materialistic, clinging to me to gain power. I find that notion hilarious, yet terrifying. I was the one clinging to her, and Im not joking. Ding Yuncong statement on Weibo set off a nuke on the internet! That cant be possible, one of the richest guys on the internet was licking the shoes of a random female streamer? How influential was Lady Ah Yus background, exactly? Zhao Hao posted on his Weibo, seconds after that. He explained in detail; Ding Yuncong was merely accompanying him in a visit to his cousin. Why would anyone blow things up to such ludicrous proportions? The netizens were blown away! Ah Yu was the cousin of Zhao Hao, a youth of an established, upper-class family? Ah Yu must be another inheritor of such a family, a real member of the Zhao Family! Shes a deadly force to be reckoned with! The gossips vanished into thin air. Propagative accounts shivered in the dark. This explained why Zhao Youyues background had been so mysterious. The mysterious veil had been removed Apparently, no more fake news concerning this influential lady would be forged, ever. You might just get invited for a cup of coffee in a police station, or find unwanted company knocking on your front door Chapter 382 Return to the Life of the Ordinary Zhao Youyue did not bat an eyelid at as the internet trembled and warped. The number of Ah Yus worshippers remained irrelevant to her. On the contrary, she was getting bored with all the attention. Apparently, she had been robbed of her freedom. She was only having fun with her friends, why did the internet have to turn it into a war zone? Everybody was digging about for her identity and trying to determine how powerful her background was; nobody paid attention to her talents anymore Before this incident, most people thought that Ding Yuncong was one of the finest youths from an established upper-class family. He was a friendly and approachable person. Placing millions of RMB as a reward for a lost dog was a common stuntofhis, no doubt to show off his wealth. People would cynically regret being of less value to a dog. Nobody had ever witnessed Ding Yuncong being humble to anyone. This was the first time he had done so to protect Ah Yus name. It surprised many. Ding Yuncong was an arrogant person. Yet, there he was, admitting to being Ah Yus lapdog. His reasons became inconsequential, she was definitely somebody that must be treated courteously. It would be the worst crime ever to assume that Ah Yu was a broadcaster of insignificant beginnings. Some worried fans were concerned about Ah Yu getting reprimanded over this incident. She was closely related to a boss from another platform. Was her loyalty wavering? Douyu officials had more faith in Ah Yu than the netizens. They divulged a small piece of information, claiming that Ah Yu had the highest level access in Douyu. She even had a say in the board of directors With such an influential relationship, Douyu had given her an exceptionally well-conditioned contract that lasted perpetually. Her crown as the most important broadcaster would never be shaken. Nevertheless, Zhao Youyues background remained incomprehensible for the time being. Some netizen, swayed by the novels that they read, concluded that Zhao Youyue was born in a legendary, hidden family. Rumors had it that Western nations were under the control of some so-called Western Masonic Society, and Eastern Hidden Families controlled Eastern nations. It was a ridiculous conjecture, yet some people believed in it. And so, the extent of the collective intelligence of the internet had been vividly exposed. Even so, they could not be blamed, as this had been caused by the highly uncharacteristic humility displayed by Ding Yuncong in the face of Lady Zhao. Everyone had been left puzzled! The small group of people who scandalized Ah Yus image with evil intentions were left speechless. Ah Yu had turned out to be more affluent than Ding Yuncong. How could she be materialistic? Apparently, someone had been clamoring after her wealth! It would be most fortunate to become Lady Zhaos younger brother! Even Zhao Hao was ruthlessly mocked by netizens when he mentioned that he was Ah Yus cousin! Everybody thought that he was a failure, compared to Ding Yuncong. Who did he think he was, relating himself to Lady Yu? Stop being a joke! Zhao Hao was at a higher rank than Zhao Youyue in Zhao Family, yet to most of the netizens, he showed up merely to seek attention and gratify himself with his family relationship. Did he not notice Lady Ah Yu ignoring him? Zhao Hao went through the comments on his Weibo. He was distraught by the teases of netizens. They jeered of the fact that he was related to Ah Yu, especially at the fact that he was loosely related. He was not an immediate relative of Ah Yu, yet he had the guts to announce it. Such a laughable act! In the eyes of netizens, Zhao Hao was grabbing the opportunity to be a part of the news. Zhao Hao could take these insults no longer. He sent out a photo of Zhao Youyue and Zhang Wanjun when they were children. He pointed out that the smallest-sized short-hair girl was Zhao Youyue. He had to do so. Zhao Youyue was an unseemly ordinary child. Everybody had been focused on that compelling young boy, Zhao Hao. Even Zhang Wanjun had a stronger aura than Zhao Youyue. Zhao Youyue used to be a decorative character before she went to Junior High. She was used to viewing the world from the perspective of an ordinary stranger. Zhao Hao happily displayed his photo to the public. He was certain that netizens would have to acknowledge him, seeing how close he was to Zhao Youyue. Unfortunately, comments from the people were like Ah Yu was in the photo? I refuse to believe it! Ah Yu was supposed to shine like a star since birth, how could that ordinary girl be Ah Yu? In my heart, Ah Yu is always the long-haired goddess. Who is that short-haired stranger! It would be more convincing if you showed us a photo of young Ah Yu playing the piano. Please stop trying to steal the spotlight. If you are so much greater than Ah Yu, why is your identity so much less protected? You dad is only a businessman, but who are Ah Yus parents, nobody knows that! Zhao Hao was disappointed after reading all the comments. Why would nobody think that he deserved to be the cousin of Ah Yu? He was only there to help Youyue out! However, the comment that mentioned the unknown identity of Ah Yus parents was right. Ah Yus background was far too mysterious to be revealed. Netizens could only make stories out of it. Some understanding netizen believed that the ordinary child was Ah Yu. After all, they both shared similar facial features. They sincerely thought long hair suited Ah Yu more than short hair. She would be easily disregarded with short hair, looking just like any other pedestrian on the road! In conclusion, long-haired Ah Yu was the best! Ladylike Ah Yu was the best! Zhao Hao relented to his fate. Ah Yu was indeed a perfect character. After proving that her family was an established part of upper-class, it was clear that she did not have to resort to dirty tricks along the way of her ascension. Zhao Youyues fans increased exponentially. It was most probably due to the fact that Ah Yu had been proven to be authentic and that it was safe to believe in her. She would not be poisoned by some random plebians, and she had no ugly truths to hide. Such dark revelations would only shatter a fans heart Zhao Youyue was a celebrity with none of the stigma. She was envied by those who had been painted a bad picture by the media. In a few days time, Zhao Youyue would spend her first day in her final year as a high school student. She looked into the mirror with her short trimmed hair, and gently smiled at what she saw. She had shed her ravishing figure and stepped over the fallen wraps, returning to her ordinary self. Most of all she had regained her freedom. It all started when Su Lis illustration exposed her identity. Her first sighting had featured her long, flowing hair. Her impression as a long, silky haired lady had brand itself into peoples hearts. Nobody knew of her past as a short-haired pedestrian, or even suspected it. Chapter 383 Where Has the School Flower Gone? Zhao Hao gave out all of his effort to protect the good name of his cousin, yet things had turned out differently, proving his incompetence. He had still ended up better than Ding Yuncong; even if his ending was no less unpleasant. In the eyes of netizens, no matter what he did, he was just another helpless wealthy kid. Nothing more than a snob. This incident had dramatically annoyed Zhao Hao. How had things ended up with him trying to play a part in his cousin-sisters stage Zhao Youyue was notably calm about this whole incident, despite being the main character of the headline. She had nothing to hide, nor had she committed any wrongs. No matter how people attempted to twist the story, they could not find any valid angle of attack. A total waste of effort! The masses interpreted Zhao Youyues calmness as the result of her fearless heart. This only added on to the credibility of her strong background support, even sealing the mouths of those who habitually started rumors. Having the police knock on your doors would not be a laughing matter. Zhao Youyue displaced herself from the incident. She surveyed the unabridged waves of gossips involving Ah Yu, which had all started off with her being in Ding Yuncongs supercar. She had thought she was bound to lose her fanbase. Never had she thought to not only ward off the gossips, but her fans had also increased in numbers and were more loyal than ever. Zhao Youyue being an actual upper-class lady was a rather astonishing revelation. Zhao Youyue scrolled through her Weibo leisurely. Most of the comments were from her worshippers. They praised Lady Ah Yu for managing to take prominent characters such as Ding Yuncong under her wings. It was all too awe-inspiring! Ah Yu was not particularly famous at the moment. She was not in the entertainment circle, after all. Therefore, not many people would want to condemn her. They could fabricate any evil plotlines from within the shadows, even if they wanted to. Zhao Youyue recovered her previous, adorable look, complemented by her bob cut hairstyle. The sense of familiarity as a quiet passerby returned to her. This became a reason for her to once again conceal herself from the eyes of the camera on her upcoming broadcast. No matter what happens, she would never turn on the camera. Most of her audience were left disappointed. After all, they came to watch her beautiful face. They could not understand why Lady Ah Yu had refused to show her face once again. Zhao Youyue adeptly deflected the protest, claiming her family members had forbidden her from doing so. With this excuse, fans began to make use of their rationale. Rumors had it that Ah Yu hailed from a mysterious hidden family that had its fist wrapped around the hearts of nations. Ah Yu popping up on streaming networks would only make such a family look bad. Everybody expressed their understandings of Ah Yus situation. Her broadcasts were still entertaining, even without her face. It was how it all began, was it not? It was just like the days of old, when everyone had presumed Ah Yu to be an ugly swan! The power of imagination was truly astounding. They believed that Ah Yu was an actual elite, the world-ruling type. The truth could not be any further away. To be precise, the Zhao family was a deteriorating, second-rate upper-class family. The actual elites would find such an idea hilariously entertaining. Despite that, Zhao Youyues family was indeed capable of providing her with a luxurious life for the rest of her days. Perhaps what she had was beyond the fruits of anothers entire life. Her decision of turning off camera impacted her reputation. Her inconsistent streams only made things worse. Even though her popularity embarked on its descent, she still received numerous gifts from the Gods of tycoons. Tian Shenluo was one of those who randomly fired rockets off to illustrate his presence. Zhao Youyue no longer placed much stock in broadcasting. She had started her own publishing company. Even though it was small, it had everything. Her company debuted with Shih Jingnians Bakuman. It was not enough, so it was all up to Zhao Youyue to find more authors of exceptional quality. Shih Jingnian had indeed earned Zhao Youyue a large sum of money with his talent in writing. Zhao Youyue appreciated talent very much. She decided to visit a recuperating Shih Jingnian who still remained in her familys hospital. The chimerical power of the short-haired Zhao Youyue took effect, almost immediately! Back when she still had long hair, Shih Jingnians beautiful girl radar often went bonkers whenever she walked into his room. Even though Shih Jingnian was no longer as he was, he would flirt with her in every way he knew. It was a declaration of his will to stay alive. On more than one occasion, Zhao Youyue had sought to greet his cheeks with an open palm. Could he not get acquainted with silence, for even one moment? It was the first time Zhao Youyue had walked into Shih Jingnians room with her short hair. He was reading his book. He threw a glance at her direction, then went back to reading. Short-haired Zhao Youyue was a complete stranger to him. Zhao Youyue walked to his side. Shih Jingnian spoke coldly, Sorry, you are in the wrong room, I do not know you. This was exactly what Zhao Youyue desired. She smiled and said But I do know you. You are the great author! Im your fan, could you sign here for me? A fan, you say? There are no fans here, why I could not see one? Please dont be so thick-skinned. You, an absolute nobody, dare claim yourself as my fan? I only have pretty fans, and you do not qualify as one. said Shih Jingnian sternly. You are such a debauchee! Im truly sorry about my insignificant presence, Zhao Youyue replied just as bluntly. This is my true nature; I never intended to cover it. Dont blame me for not respecting you. I would only bow to the flawless beautiful long hair Lady Zhao, not a short hair forgery. To be honest, your short hair looks really ugly. Shih Jingnian was not joking. Her short haircut infuriated him. She had ruined herself! Every girl on earth hoped to make themselves looked prettier and more compelling. Why would Zhao Youyue transform herself into some ordinary passerby? Shih Jingnian did recognize Zhao Youyue, but he disapproved of her current appearance. She was not the Lady Zhao that he knew by heart. Therefore, he had no qualms denouncing her. It was his style. Ordinary girls had no chance of getting near this alpha debauchee. This is the real me, Zhao Youyue professed. This was her base form, unassuming and low-key. She knew that she could easily acquire Shih Jingnians approval by activating her Wen Qingyu card, but she did not bother to do so. She looked at Shih Jingnian, picked her feet up and left the scene. The summer holidays have ended. Zhao Youyue officially started off her final year as a high school senior. It was the toughest year in high school, while also being the most comfortable. All the basics in high school had been imparted in years one and two. The final year sought to revise and enhance that already-present knowledge. It was tough because of tight schedules and ceaseless homework. It was comfortable for Zhao Youyue, as she was the ultimate student who had mastered the basics. After Zhao Youyue procured Xu Jings character card, she no longer worried about her studies. She had perfect recall, and perfect comprehension. Revision was just another pointless, meaningless past time for her. As Zhao Youyue stepped into the school garden with her short hair, most students were left distraught Where has our school flower gone to? Chapter 384 The malignant tumor, Scholar Zhao Youyue Ever since Zhao Youyue grew her hair out, her fame grew proportionally. It was enough to turn her into a Goddess, and it placed her at the center of attention. Students would always recognize her, even if the recognition was not always reciprocated On rare occasions, Zhao Youyue paid the schools cafeteria a visit. Naturally, a crowd ensued in each occasion. Guys who have finished their meals were far from finished with their trips; they would be pleased to watch Zhao Youyue enjoy her meal from a distance. Whenever Zhao Youyue finished her meal, they would tail behind her like she was the Pied Piper. No rules stated that they could not walk the same path as Zhao Youyue. In short, they simply wanted to look at the most beautiful person in school! Every single second counted! The long-haired Zhao Youyue had the entire world seated firmly in her palms. Every move she made, every laugh she produced, all exuded with elegance; it completed the days of many. But now, Zhao Youyue once again cut her hair short and activated her inborn ability, Zhao Youyue, the side character card. She had already mastered this skill and donned unassuming sportswear. Just like a drop of water in an ocean, she vanished without a trace If the students in school could no longer recognize Zhao Youyue; she could hide in plain sight among outsiders. Zhao Youyue no longer needed to wear a mask or sunglasses in public; her current appearance was the epitome of pedestrian-grade. The long-haired lady, Zhao Youyue had left a deep impression behind. Whenever Ah Yu was mentioned, people would think of her as a goddess with a long, black silky hair and most definitely not a random girl with a short bob cut hairstyle. It had been a long time since Zhao Youyue last experienced freedom, which was the awesome feeling of observing someone from the sidelines. She had left that realm once, and re-entered it as a changed person. She used to be mediocre, devoid of anything spectacular or main protagonist-worthy. Her position as a side-character had left her constantly frustrated over her own meager self. Now, she had acquired four character cards with super abilities. With her frequent usage of those cards, her innate abilities had learned much. So what, if she becomes a side character again? It did not matter; she could now reclaim the spotlight at will! Some people flaunted their non-existent wealth, while actual elites would be too lazy even to let their wealth show, for they found it utterly pointless. Zhao Youyue had acquired the mentality of the latter. She could easily turn herself in a black hole of attention, albeit losing much of her personal space. That price was too much for her to pay. It was also the perfect moment for Zhao Youyue to shake off any form of rumors or gossip surrounding herself. The opinions of others mattered little, all that mattered was her own happiness. Short hair was also far easier to maintain The long-haired Lady Zhao had ascended into legend status. Of course, the first person who noticed Zhao Youyue snipping off her long hair was her deskmate, the person who had the best relationship with her. It most certainly wasnt Shen Menglian. On the contrary, it was the class rap who knew nothing of the human heart, Bai Yunshan. But what of Shen Menglian? Some readers might have already forgotten her; she was the one who tried to sabotage the relationship between Zhao Youyue and Bai Yunshan, only to fail miserably. It would be an insult to all scheming girls around the world to consider Shen Menglian one of them, because frankly, she was bad at it. A true schemer would hide her plethora of masks well and have the world believe her to be an actual saint. Thats right; this person was none other than Zhao Youyue herself. That scheming girl, Shen Menglian performed poorly in every major exam. Her disappointing performance soon led to the demise of her position as an elite scholar, and the class saw fit to oust her She could only blame herself for hanging around with the malignant tumor, scholar Zhao Youyue, she was the one who brought all the misfortune upon Shen Menglian. Shen Menglian was originally a top student. That changed when she started hanging out with Lady Zhao. Her mind no longer focused on studying! Shen Menglian soon looked forward for nothing but weekends, anticipating and wondering where Zhao Youyue would bring her the next time. Studying was definitely not in her mind. Shen Menglians self-discipline was not strong enough, and Lady Zhaos corruption easily took hold of her. Of course, she did not have the Xu Jing card, how could she keep up with the practice hard, play hard game? There was another reason why Shen Menglians results went down the drain. She was in a relationship. She was in a relationship with the sports commissioner, Lu Rui. Obviously, Lu Rui was interested in Zhao Youyue, but he knew that pursuing Zhao Youyue was no easy task, so he intended to gain clues about Zhao Youyue from her bestie, Shen Menglian. Lu Rui had kept his true intentions well-hidden while treating Shen Menglian well, but he never made any actual progress, only to end up winning Shen Menglians heart without actually trying Even though Shen Menglian was of average appearance, she was a girl in her youth. A youth in her prime was considered a beauty, and Shen Menglian had a longstanding crush on Lu Rui. It was really an honor for a guy to have a girl confess to him. Also, Shen Menglian was really close to Lady Zhao, and that status as a Goddess friend gave her a standing of her own. Becoming her boyfriend was the second-best option. To be honest, Shen Menglian was not actually Zhao Youyues bestie; she was just hanging around Zhao Youyue. Another person who hung around Zhao Youyue; her name was Xie Ting. These two were different sides of the same curtain. Men loved hanging out in large groups and goof about together. In a sense, Zhao Youyue was similar to men. She loved adding servants to her entourage. Of course, Shen Menglian and Xie Ting were her servants, so the entire atmosphere was always brimming with life. A real friend like Bai Yunshan would always attempt to discouraging Zhao Youyue from wasting her money on such things Anyway, when Shen Menglian got into a relationship, her homeroom teacher, fatty Yang was disappointed. That man had finally taken notice of Zhao Youyues infectious nature. To prevent another victim from falling prey to Zhao Youyue, he could only place Bai Yunshan beside her. Only Bai Yunshan was capable of resisting the corruption Chapter 385 Your Little Cutie, Zhao Youyue When Shen Menglian lost her place in class, the spot was quickly occupied. The little angel, Jiang Qing had spent the whole year studying because she really wanted to be in the same class as Zhao Youyue. The little angel, Jiang Qing was finally reunited with Zhao Youyue. Of course, Zhao Youyue was delighted, but she did not dare to corrupt her once again. Jiang Qing had learned her lesson as well. She would still hang out with Lady Zhao, but she had to control herself, or else she would end up having terrible results in the final exam. Even though Jiang Qing was fortunate enough to enter the elite class, her grades were considered below average in this class. If it was not for Zhao Youyue, she would not have entered this class by choice. She could easily be a top student in an average class and be proud about it, but ending up as a nobody among this classroom of elites only served to pile up the stress on her. Still, being classmates with Zhao Youyue once again was fun! She could chat with her during her free time and share snacks. This was Jiang Qings ideal student life! All of the efforts that she meted out in the previous year had not been in vain Having learned her lesson, she should be able to maintain a balanced life. Honestly, she was partly to blame for having too much fun with Zhao Youyue. If she had spoken out, Zhao Youyue might not have been so playful. Unfortunately, Jiang Qing did not have the same talents as Zhao Youyue, or else she would not have to bother about her academic results. Jiang Qing was relieved to learn that she would not Zhao Youyues deskmate once again. That trickster would never run out of new methods of corrupting her No ordinary person could sit beside Zhao Youyue and remain the same. Seated beside such a fierce competitor, Bai Yunshan acquired the title of Second child with pride. Previously, she did not have stable academic results, but ever since she became the deskmate of Zhao Youyue, she picked her pace up, as if she was telling everyone that she was the closest person to emulating Lady Zhaos achievements. Bai Yunshan and Zhao Youyue grew closer after the sports event. She had even been to Zhao Youyues house and tasted her homecooked meal. Of course, Bai Yunshan bought the ingredients, because she wanted to treat Zhao Youyue for a meal. Bai Yunshan was grateful for Zhao Youyues initiative the sports meeting, bringing honor to their class. Bai Yunshan was on her period on that day, and Zhao Youyue had helped her out of a pinch. For that, Bai Yunshan wanted to treat Zhao Youyue to a meal as a show of her gratitude. Bai Yunshan had changed her opinion about Zhao Youyue ever since she brought honor to their class; she thought Zhao Youyue was not actually a bad person, only pretending to be one Zhao Youyue accepted her gratitude, but she suggested to cook for her because she knew Bai Yunshan was a thrifty and simple person. If they went to a restaurant and Bai Yunshan got to witness how Zhao Youyue treated the food, they might end up in a fistfight. Whenever Zhao Youyue ate outside, she never ate to satisfy her hunger; she only wanted to taste the gourmet. Su Li understood this the most, and her assistants were lucky to have leftovers, because Su Li would never let such food go to waste. Although Bai Yunshan was a simple and thrifty person, she did not have the slightest hint on the culinary arts. After all, she was also a rich mans daughter. As she went out on her shopping trip, sumptuous was one of the ideas she had in mind, but at the same time, she did not want to cause too much trouble to Zhao Youyue. Zhao Youyue also told her that even though she knew how to cook, but her skills were only limited to home dishes. It would be a tough job to ask of Zhao Youyue to prepare an exquisite cuisine. In the end, Bai Yunshan bought the ingredients for three dishes and a soup. She experienced the fortune of tasting the homecooked meal made by Zhao Youyue, and it was delicious Not a speck remained on her plate; Zhao Youyue nearly thought that she had created some form of shiny cuisine. This meal worked to the betterment of their relationship. Bai Yunshan was the typical cool queen. She had no close friends to call her own, and wandered in the cosmos like a lone comet. Somehow, she looked more like the main protagonist than Zhao Youyue. Even though Bai Yunshan acknowledged Zhao Youyue, she did not know how to express it. She was just that awkward. She would stand up like a justicar whenever she witnessed an act of injustice. She had zero social skills and did not understand human behavior, so what made her the class rep? She had gained the favor of the teachers, she had great academic results with a great sense of honor to boot, and she would report any incidents to the teachers. Most importantly, of course, was her family background. The socially inept Bai Yunshan basked in all this solidarity like a champion. Nothing could faze her, for she was a fighter. However, she maintained the noble practice of persuading people with her words, not her might. Zhao Youyue always thought that Bai Yunshan was a cute girl, and such a pure person was a rare sight. Bai Yunshan was a dense girl, so Zhao Youyue had to take the initiative. Lady Zhao was the typically shameless, heartless person. She might be the only one to have successfully bribed Bai Yunshan. Ever since that meal, Bai Yunshan would turn a blind eye to a select variety of Zhao Youyues actions. Bai Yunshan knew it would be futile even to try reporting it to the teachers. Her academic results were simply too excellent; and teachers viewed her as the model student On the first day of third-year in high school, Zhao Youyue had given Bai Yunshan a passionate hug when she first saw her; even pressing her face against hers! Bai Yunshan had been dumbfounded. If others tried this on her, she would have already punched the daylights out of them! Long time no see, Shan Shan! Did you miss your little cutie, Zhao Youyue? Zhao Youyue said it in an extremely leisurely manner, acting like she was a little bug in front of the other lady. Bai Yunshan took a whiff of delicate fragrance from Zhao Youyue. She did not hate the initiative and intimate Zhao Youyue, rather, she felt the warmth. She knew that Zhao Youyue had an incredibly powerful family; she also knew Zhao Youyue would not have to treat her this nicely to gain something from her. Zhao Youyue was treating her nicely because she wanted to. After all this time, Zhao Youyue was probably the only one who treated her the best, and she still did not know why. Zhao Youyue, you asked me to grow my hair out, so why did you cut yours! Bai Yunshan was the first person to discover the most beautiful person in school, but she felt as if she had been cheated of something Bai Yunshan would only call Zhao Youyue by her name; she would never call her little cutie, not even in death! It was too disgusting! Here, Zhao Youyue was shamelessly calling herself a little cutie. What would she do in front of the others? Of course, Zhao Youyue would never do that in front of others, and that was because the tri-no Bai Yunshan was simply too dense and fun to tease. At that moment, she looked at the gullible Bai Yunshan, and a ridiculous idea struck her mind; which she immediately voiced We can take turns becoming the campus belle! Chapter 386 : Mutual Respect Bai Yunshan always walked about with her cool expression. Students that isolated or hated her thought it stemmed from her pride as the class rep. Such arrogance was not exactly appreciated, and people shunned her as a result. Even so, Bai Yunshan was highly accustomed to being isolated. She did not mind Zhao Youyue hugging her so tightly in private, but she strongly urged her to refrain from doing so in public. She feared that it would only affect Zhao Youyues reputation, as she was quite the popular person in school. If the class practiced voting for their class reps, she would have never earned this spot. Deep within Bai Yunshan, she was highly impressed with Zhao Youyue; she could never turn a blind eye to students mistakes like Zhao Youyue could. Not only was she self-disciplined, but she was also determined to enforce this discipline upon others. On the other hand, Zhao Youyue never took anything seriously. She may have dropped those ridiculous mini 4WDs, but she had started to write some gibberish, and her stacks of nonsensical notes was only piling up Zhao Youyue would constantly mutter to herself like a scholarly girl, and it thoroughly annoyed her new deskmate, Bai Yunshan. Cant we just learn things quietly? It only gave Bai Yunshan more determination to study. She always felt that if she ever surpassed Zhao Youyues academic results, she could force Zhao Youyue back on the right track. Yet, no matter how hard Bai Yunshan tried, she could never surpass Zhao Youyue. Others would have already lost their sanity, working with someone like Zhao Youyue exist. Zhao Youyues extraordinary academic results were not exactly helpful to other students learning experience! Whenever Bai Yunshan inched closer to Zhao Youyues results, she felt oddly satisfied. It was just like the time she received a hug from Zhao Youyue in private; it was all warm, fuzzy and substantial. Bai Yunshan thought Zhao Youyue was a naive and romantic little girl, and she did not hate this sweet-smelling beauty. But at other times, Zhao Youyue behaved like an elegant, rich lady, giving off an aura that eclipsed Bai Yunshans icy demeanor. Why did Zhao Youyue have another personality? Or in other words, how many personalities did Zhao Youyue have? Nobody knew. If only theres a word to describe Zhao Youyue. A close relative to that word might be enigmatic. Bai Yunshan could not seem to turn down Zhao Youyues suggestion, as long as it did not defy her sense of honor, just like how she had kept her hair long because Zhao Youyue had asked her to. Once, Zhao Youyue said to her, Shan Shan, Im your best friend, right? Bai Yunshan had simply nodded her head; she did not know what best friend meant. Zhao Youyue was her only friend. Since she was the only friend she had, she could also be considered her best friend; there was no flaw in this logic. Since were besties, we should have equally long hair, and you must wear the clothes I bought you, and use the things I gave you. Thats how you respect your friends, Zhao Youyue had said. Bai Yunshan was a little confused. Was this how one respected friends? Still, this did not defy her sense of honor. She guessed that it would bring no harm trying. She might be able to please the Lady. Whenever Zhao Youyue was happy, her countenance would shine in turn. It might not change her overall outlook, but that cool face would have something new to it, somehow. Bai Yunshan did not know that Zhao Youyue was changing her discretely. Zhao Youyue knew that Bai Yunshan had great potential, but she did not stand out because she did not know how to apply makeup. Such a waste was simply impermissible! She wanted Bai Yunshan to cast her old self off and take on a new skin. Maybe then would Bai Yunshan realize that this world had much more to offer. When Bai Yunshan transform into a beautiful lady while acting the same, would others still despise her? Her traits of unable to understand the human heart, would it become a moe-dere trait? This world was a world of appearances. Beautiful girls could get away scot-free from just about anything. Zhao Youyue was looking forward to seeing the cool and dense class rep reacting when she starts receiving love letters. Zhao Youyue was transforming Bai Yunshan bit by bit. Bai Yunshan was just doing this because she believed that it was only respectful. Bai Yunshan hoped that it would cheer Zhao Youyue up. Currently, Zhao Youyues homemade dishes was probably one of her favorite meals. She was fortunate enough to eat the bento Zhao Youyue brought her during last semester, and it had been scrumptious. She was also a big eater. Zhao Youyue would happily make food for Bai Yunshan whenever she had time. Zhao Youyue intended to improve her cooking skills, not only because she loved fine food, but also because of Bai Yunshan. Zhao Youyue hoped that they would meet on common culinary ground soon. School soon reopened. When Zhao Youyue saw the perfected Bai Yunshan, she felt a sense of euphoria and accomplishment. Bai Yunshan simply looked outstanding, it only accentuated Zhao Youyues side character status! Together with Bai Yunshan, people would unquestionably notice Bai Yunshan first, and not her! Who would spare the girl with short hair a second glance; she was just like a leaf accompanying a blooming flower, observing the world from the sidelines Without a doubt, long hair had turned Bai Yunshan into a goddess. The goddess of icebergs! She had not done so last semester, it would have been too hot for her to bear. Last semester, Zhao Youyue had been the campus belle, winning the hearts of countless students. She was the one who hogged all the love letters. Bai Yunshan now framed her face with bangs while sporting a ponytail. This hairstyle was far better than her boyish haircut. She looked completely different with it! Her hair aside, her complexion had also taken a sudden turn! She was an obedient child, she had followed Zhao Youyues instructions and used the skin care products that Zhao Youyue gave her. She had never used them in the past as she found them too feminine and it would not fit her rough disposition! Of course, Bai Yunshan never noticed that she was being completely submissive to Zhao Youyue, but the other way round. Whenever she advised Zhao Youyue, Zhao Youyue would always take it seriously! This was mutual respect. As Zhao Youyue always listened to her, she should respond in kind. Even so, Bai Yunshan never noticed that Zhao Youyue simply heard her, but never actually listened Whenever Zhao Youyue took an earful from a teacher, she would simply admit her faults but never change Chapter 387 : The Good Old Days Change cannot be accomplished in a single night; it was a slow and gradual process. When Zhao Youyue first met Bai Yunshan, she instantly knew that this girl had the potential, with an amusing personality to boot. An average Jane would never click with her eccentricity But Zhao Youyue was no average Jane, distinctive and eccentric personalities attracted her the most and that was exactly what Bai Yunshan was. Awkwardly honorable and dutiful. She was just like a pure, little white flower, waiting to be plucked. But this flower was covered with thorns, and turned away many. It did not have the beauty to force people through those thorns. Otherwise, some men would have tortured themselves as they forced their way through the thorns, only for things to end up miserably Bai Yunshan would nitpick their flaws with her cold expression and crush their confidence. She had high standards. Of course, she had a high standard for herself, and that gave her the right to nitpick others. Zhao Youyue was the only exception. She was far superior Bai Yunshan, be it her academic results, musical talents, and athletism! She even had a good reputation and great popularity For this Bai Yunshan felt shame for herself and admiration for the other lady on equal measure. Not only that, Zhao Youyue was beautiful and elegant, and came from a formidable family. Whenever she approached someone, she would never seek for any returns. Bai Yunshan could never bring herself to hate Zhao Youyue, in spite of all her oddities. She was an oddball, but she was a harmless oddball, unless people insisted on getting involved Of course, there were some weirdos like Han Leng. He truly cared about Zhao Youyue, yet he always seemed to avoid her. He would drag himself to write a love letter on the behalf of others and deliver them to Zhao Youyue to satisfy his own love. Han Leng knew how popular Zhao Youyue was on the internet, but he never actually expected the super famous live streamer Ah Yu to be Zhao Youyue! Ah Yus songs were his favorite songs to listen to, especially the original songs that Ah Yu had composed specifically for Chu Luoxun! He had heard those melodies in his mind as he wrote, and it gave him the confidence to think that he could have a good chat with Ah Yu about music, if they ever met up. Even though he did not know much about music, but he was capable of writing lyrics. Evidently, Ah Yu was better at writing song lyrics. Her lyrics had not been present in his novel, and they often left him in shame Without a doubt, Han Leng knew that Ah Yu was a loyal fan of his novel, Beautiful April. Why else would she compose songs for Chu Luoxun, if she was not one? If not for her song lyrics like Sweet, Angels Wing, Happened to meet you, and I left sadness for myself, the character, Chu Luoxun would not have left such an impact on the audience. Most importantly, she never once monetized these original songs, just like the Chu Luoxun in the novel. She simply wanted to share her music with more people and bring more happiness to the world. These songs went viral on the internet then Chu Luoxun and Beautiful April became really popular, and Han Leng gained worldwide acclaim. Han Leng had been really grateful to the live streamer, Ah Yu. Unfortunately, he did not have the time to watch her live streaming videos, so he would never be able to hand her gifts. He knew she was a mysterious person and never made any headlines. It did not bother him, as he was only there to listen to her music. It was already more than enough for a young scholar like Han Leng. It was his ideal romantic experience for him. The video about Zhao Youyue on her violin during the new years eve party was probably his daily viewing, while the music he listened the most to was Ah Yus. He tried to compare these two people, only to make himself more confused He thought that if Chu Luoxun really existed in this dimension, her musical talents would have been possessed by these two girls. He could never forget how the musical world took him in. At first he had been thoroughly convinced that his embellished writing would never be replicated in the real world, only to realize that it had been the opposite Ever since witnessing Zhao Youyues outstanding performance, Han Leng truly believed that novels needed to be logical and rational! Reality would not need it, because everyone would have to accept it, no matter the case. During a weekend afternoon, Han Leng was scrolling his phone in his dorm, only to come upon a most startling revelation That super famous live streamer was Zhao Youyue all along, that same popular Zhao Youyue on the internet and the campus belle of their school The songs that he loved so much, were all written by Zhao Youyue as well? Why does Zhao Youyue keep on appearing in his world!? Didnt Zhao Youyue mention that she was a fan of Lin Meiyue? Why would she put out so much effort composing songs for Chu Luoxun, was her Meiyue fangirl ship a farce? When Han Leng was reminded of how Zhao Youyue was a fan of Lin Meiyue, he felt the slightest of hostility towards her, convinced that Zhao Youyue did not truly understand the meaning behind his literary work Han Leng was certain that Zhao Youyue was not riding upon the fame of that character. She only did this because she liked his work, and admired the character that he had created. Even so, he often found himself thinking that perhaps, Lady Zhao had a crush on him. She was always helping him out, without asking for any favors in return. No other girl treated him this well in his entire life, though he never actually felt any love from her. Her existence gave his life meaning. As the author of Beautiful April, he also became highly popular in school. Thats right, Leng Zi turned out to be a genius high school author. Like any other handsome and young author, he had countless of female fans; and this was probably thanks to Zhao Youyue. Otherwise, with his messy, unkempt demeanor, he would not have any market value whatsoever. Now, magazines easily used photos of him. He was the male version of Lin Shiya, relying on his appearance to sell his books. If his next book was poorly written, people who had been jealous of him would jump up to say that he was a handsome guy with an ugly vocabulary His cross-dressing history also became a recurring meme among his fans. With the power of makeup, he was drop-dead gorgeous. The perpetrator was most delighted to the scene that unfolded before her eyes, as Han Leng was practically her creation The second person to discover the pedestrian Lady Zhao would be Han Leng. For an instant, he felt the nostalgia of the good old days. Chapter 388 : A Familiar Person Approaching you, even on public occasions is an act of deliverance, for when I walk with you, everyones eyes would be focusing on you, iceberg beauty. Zhao Youyue told Bai Yunshan. They held each others hands and walked to the classroom, together. Bai Yunshan was most definitely unaccustomed to being treated so intimately. As it was Zhao Youyue, she had no way of refusing. Neither could she deny the truth spoken by Zhao Youyue. Before she met Zhao Youyue, she had no clue about beautifying herself. She had no such intentions, either. But after she did it, out of respect for her friend, she unknowingly became a Goddess-level girl If Bai Yunshan had any desire of becoming pretty, she might have been ecstatic to be in such a position. Even to most girls, it would be like a shortcut to the counterattack of their lives, to be able to mix with Zhao Youyue. It would change their whole person to be more beautiful, more attractive, and with more temperament. But Bai Yunshan was indifferent about the whole thing. She had only been going through the motions out of respect for their friendship. If Zhao Youyue had not cut her hair short, just like the first half of the semester, Bai Yunshan might not have felt so inexplicably nervous, as if God had cheated her of something. No matter what Bai Yunshan undergoes to become a Goddess, she would still definitely pale in comparison to that version of Zhao Youyue. She would only serve as Zhao Youyues foil when placed beside her. But now, when walking together with Zhao Youyue, she was an MT,[1] taking all the hits meant for Zhao Youyue. Almost everyones attention was focused on her. Zhao Youyue had successfully melded into another surrounding object Zhao Youyue was such a minuscule existence. Bai Yunshan had been perplexed over the change of things. To her, Zhao Youyue had always seemed to enjoy the limelight very much. Why the sudden change in pace? Did you actually cut your hair short to stay close to me in public occasions as well? Bai Yunshan seemed to have figured out something, and the dawning of a new discovery shone in her eyes. Zhao Youyue was slightly stunned. She had cut her hair short to alleviate her weariness of being the heroine. She was way too popular on the internet. The paparazzi would sneak in candid shots wherever she went. This was so annoying. Thus, she switched the passerby status on to seek for a refuge. The heroine status switch would always be within an arms length, to be used whenever she decided to get involved in another wave of affairs. Zhao Youyue heard what Bai Yunshan said, and responded deftly, Thats right. Thats what I was thinking. Shan Shan, you might be worried that your awkwardness around people may affect me. But from now in, you need not worry anymore. Youll be crowned as a monarch, and Ill be hiding in the dark, assisting you. Bai Yunshan faintly rolled her eyes. She wanted nothing more than to have Zhao Youyue restore all that warm fuzz she had been feeling moment ago. Why couldnt she just talk nicely? Zhao Youyue must have read some sort of novel again. Nobody spits out such cheezy, pubescent lines at random. Even so, Bai Yunshan was relieved after figuring out why Zhao Youyue had cut her hair short. Her apprehension died off. She said, Of course Id still be awkward. I wont tolerate anything that doesnt fit my mind, and Im not planning on changing that. Zhao Youyue spoke from her heart, So you do know why people avoid you. Bai Yunshan was not asking for much, but she still would not compromise. If she compromised, she would no longer be Bai Yunshan. Dont worry. Youre now the number one beauty in school. Youre the school flower. A school flower can unquestionably choose not to tolerate anything that doesnt fit her mind. Many would admire you; many would recognize and accept every bit of your character, whatever that is unbecoming about you would turn into the source of your charm. They would be willing to change for you! said Zhao Youyue in a delightful tone. Why? Im still me. Bai Yunshan felt that Zhao Youyue was trying way too hard. This is a world that looks at faces. The value of appearance is justice. You were unrighteous, and now you are! said Zhao Youyue confidently. How shallow! There is so much more to that Bai Yunshan tried to correct Zhao Youyue. Then how do you explain this situation we find ourselves in? Everyone has only spotted you, not me. Im supposed to have superior results and a way with music. Ive only changed my hairstyle, and everyone doesnt recognize me anymore. Now, they all want to know you. said Zhao Youyue, a knowing smile on her face. Bai Yunshan simply could not accept such a fact. But there it was, before her very eyes. Therefore, Bai Yunshan fell into silence. Zhao Youyue surveyed the silent girl, and was pleased. She was particularly proud of her stealth and deceptive passerby status. She continued, If someone really recognizes me at a glance, and totally ignores you, Id eat Yo, Lady Zhao, nice to see you. It looks like youve changed your hairstyle. Han Leng bumped into them. He looked past the beautiful girl Bai Yunshan, and took the initiative to greet Zhao Youyue. After all, they were former classmates and deskmates. Despite the flippant nature of that line, it had been a most strenuous exertion for Han Leng. He had almost worked up all his nerves to walk up to Lady Zhao and greet her. He might have become the super popular youth writer Leng Zi, but Lady Zhao still reduced him into jellybeans and marshmallows. On the other hand, Zhao Youyues smugness was smashed to pieces. It had left her slightly embarrassed, in front of Bai Yunshan, no less. It greatly displeased her. Zhao Youyue saw that Han Leng had changed a lot. He had grown a lot taller. He was not in a school uniform, but some very fashionable, well-matched set of clothes that gave her a Deja Vu. Then, she remembered. These were the very clothes that she had suggested Han Leng buy. Not bad. He finally looked like a human. After all, it was upon her suggestion. Han Lengs innocent, young and handsome appearance was enough to enrapture countless female fans. It did almost no damage to Zhao Youyue. She was the one who had bestowed this power upon him. You see, Lady Zhaos words never bore any ill-will, they were all for your own good. Hello, great scholar Han. Congratulations on your new work, I head its another best-seller! Zhao Youyue bit back her displeasure and replied with an impeccable smile on her face. Standing at the sidelines, Bai Yunshan felt that Han Leng was a rather complex character. He had some good taste, too. Before Han Leng, the two girls had walked past several other former classmates. They had all ended up ignoring Zhao Youyue. Han Leng was the only person who had recognized Zhao Youyue. On top of that, he had even ignored Bai Yunshan. Bai Yunshan still remembered something that happened at the end of last semester. A senior from the twelfth grade pulled off a grand, confession ceremony. She had driven her sports car to school and confessed to Han Leng. Apparently, she was an actual Lady. A professional dancer. She had been contracted to an agency and would be having her debut as part of an idol group. In the end, Han Leng the great scholar, the one who earned the ire of all other male students, rejected her outrightly, Im sorry, but I dont know you. The senior eventually gave up. This matter had even become entertainment news, and once gained the third place on Weibos hot search results. Han Leng gained more fame, and along the way, more female fans. They felt that he was just like his name, so cool, so icy. He was a so-called Clueless Chick Magnet[2]. There and then, many passionate female fans had set a life goal. They coveted for Han Lengs heart The other men only accused Han Leng of showing off. They barked that Han Leng was doomed to have a lonely life. That girl had already taken things to such an extent, yet he still rejected her. She was an absolutely stunning one, too. What a waste! Others asked Han Leng, Who do you actually know, then? The world knows me not. My eyes only know you. And who are you? A Goddess. The one who haunts my dreams and my days, my Aphrodite. Translation Note: [1] MT C MT is an acronym for Main-Tank or Monster-Tank. It refers to a central player in an MMORPG game that draws the monsters aggro towards himself, making himself the monsters target, and withstands all the attacks. [2] Clueless Chick Magnet C A character who is his own worst enemy when it comes to love. In fact, hes pretty much his only enemy in this arena. Wherever they go, it seems that for some reason they attract some romantic attention, in theory there is no reason why they couldnt go on to be with a new person every night. The only problem is they are so unfamiliar with the dating scene they dont realize the girl who is hovering around him, batting her eyes, trying every excuse to make physical contact with them and suggesting they go back to her place qualifies as flirting and not simply being friendly. (quoted from TV Tropes, http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/CluelessChickMagnet) Chapter 389 Not an Ordinary Person Seeing Zhao Youyues response being as gentle as always, he suddenly felt as if he had been transported back to their eleventh grade. She had also borne such short hair, and had been remarkably shameless, casually asking him to write reviews on her behalf, even paying large sums of money for them For no reason whatsoever, his heart suddenly started fluttering. He understood plainly that Zhao Youyue was like the clouds in heaven, unattainable beyond words. He could only look up at her. But he simply could not suppress the urge of wanting to get closer to her, even if he was undertaking a road that led to nowhere. In his private notebook, there were countless pages about her, and in all forms they took, be it poems, essays, or casual literary notes. Her face, and that gentle smile sent his pen into a frenzy. That had once been his greatest motivation in writing. Even his inspirations of Beautiful April had originated from the time when he inadvertently caught sight of Zhao Youyue playing her violin in the midst of the roving cherry blossoms. Beautiful April eventually deviated from his original intentions, which had been particularly peculiar, even by his standards. Long hair, short hair, it made no difference to him. The long-hair Goddess version of Zhao Youyue reminded Han Leng of his mental imagery of Chu Luoxun and Ah Yus songs. The short-hair Zhao Youyue was far more approachable and brought back memories of his first love. Frankly, the long-hair Goddess version of Zhao Youyue had been far too outstanding. She was a black-hole of attention wherever she went. A simple smile blasted the words LADY at you. That pressure was not meant for mere mortals. Any regular man would crumble under that force,where meeting her eyes would become nigh impossible. If we were to speak in Wuxia[1] and Xianxia[2] novel terminology, it would probably be something similar to auras produced by high-ranked cultivators there. Her mere presence would crush anyone who crossed her path. The long-haired, Goddess version of Zhao Youyue had been that terrifying. Han Leng had initially been a guy without any semblance of self-confidence. He was cowardly and off-the-cuff, especially when facing Zhao Youyue. She was his natural predator. When Zhao Youyue turned into a Goddess and had looked past him to conquer the rest of the world, he was left in a far safer ground, hidden in plain sight. It was apparent that he wanted to make out the relation between Zhao Youyue and Chu Luoxun. But, he did not dare approach Zhao Youyue at all. Falling asleep to her music every night was enough for him. Now that he saw Zhao Youyue sporting short hair once again, his courage returned. He managed to piece together parts of his spine and defy her presence. Even so, he truly wanted to please Zhao Youyue. His lack of emotional intelligence had often left him frustrated in previous attempts. The differences in status between himself and Zhao Youyue only made it worse. In short, Han Lengs emotions became a jumbled mess when facing Zhao Youyue. It could not be described by a single word such as, like. After all, there was more than one side within Zhao Youyue. Yet, every side captivated Han Leng. He tried to turn his affection towards Chu Luoxun to set himself free from Zhao Youyue. In the end, reality unrelentingly shoved the 3D version of Chu Luoxun into his face Han Leng could not find any words to describe how he lost all hope when faced with that reality. However, in the face of all that hopelessness, it came as a slightly pleasant surprise. He had considered himself to be faithless, yet ended up being the most single-minded person. Zhao Youyue was his world. Even if he could only spectate this world from a distance, his life would be fulfilled. He was probably the one and only guy who apparently liked or even loved a girl to the ends of the earth, yet refuse to pursue her vigorously, only to prevent the risk of an irrevocable regret, or something for that matter. He had to maintain a suitable distance from her. In his mind, love was not the act of possession, but the act of admiration. Love was to write for her. Ordinary people would never understand the mind of hipsters. The former fell in love and found happiness easily. If you like a person very much, whats with all the roundabout detours? Get to the point. Even if they hurl your heart twenty storeys down in a refusal, it would have been way better than doing nothing, rather than youre your distance, as if the object of your affection was a poisonous tulip. Han Leng was no ordinary person. He did not believe that ordinary people knew anything about love at all. They probably knew how to get married, start a career, and raise offsprings. Therefore, when they reached that age, they would only be going through the motions like a pre-rehearsed play! Such a hollow life! Ordinary people had no talents. Therefore, they could only prove that they had once lived by procreating, hoping that those future generations could worship them after they pass away. Han Leng did not need such things. His works were his children. He had never doubted his skill with a pen, the whole world would remember him. So, why did he have to live senselessly like ordinary people? The more Han Leng thought about it, the stranger he became. He had dissociated himself from the likes of ordinary people. After all, normal men dont embrace their crossdressed selves in front of Lady Zhao. Crossdressing and traps were getting increasingly popular in this day and age, but most men still considered that act highly shameful. It was an abnormal behavior that would cost them their dignity. After all, most men were not as gifted as Han Leng, whose beauty left many other girls in the dust. Such is the power of appearance Thanks to you, my Lady, only you set me on this journey of bestselling production By the way, Ive finished listening to those songs. Theyre truly nice. If you can produce an album, I would most certainly be the first person to purchase it. Han Leng thanked Zhao Youyue with a rather sincere attitude. In the past, Han Leng had always thought that Zhao Youyue was simply using him as a tool. He may have willingly allowed it, but it frustrated him so. In retrospect, he had realized how immature it appeared. Now that Han Leng had figured out that Zhao Youyue was Ah Yu, and that she had even been doing so many things for him from the shadows, he realized exactly how indebted he was to her. He had even placed himself in her shoes, realizing that even the most saintly, patient being on the planet would have grown weary of his antics and stupidity. Han Leng had rid himself of every negative thought concerning her. He decided that he should be far more respectful and humble towards Lady Zhao. He had to do something in return. Zhao Youyue heard what Han Leng said. There was no sense of frustration in his words. Han Leng had grown substantially, and she was pleased. Obedient subjects were a favorite of hers. That music isnt much. Dont worry about it, Zhao Youyue replied kindly. An idea suddenly dawned upon her. With a smile on her face, she asked, Great Scholar Han, how much does it cost for you to write a love letter? There was a subtle, but instant change to Han Lengs facial expression. Zhao Youyue had a love letter in mind for someone? Translation Note: [1] Wuxia novel C Wuxia novel is a central type of Chinese, old popular, novel. It often uses knights and righteous men as their main characters to describe their instinctive Martial Arts skills, courageous behavior, conduct against treason, rebellion. [2] Xianxia novel C Xianxia novel is more illusory and misty compared to Wuxia novel. In Xianxia novel, there will be Gods, immortals, humans, demons, devils, ghosts involving in the characters growth process. The character usually has all sorts of magical and immortal weapons. Chapter 390 Writing a Love Letter in Person How would Han Leng react if Zhao Youyue actually fell in love with another guy? Inaction. He would not stop her, nor would he give her his blessings, even in silence. He would probably just leave in disappointment. If Zhao Youyue really had another man in her heart, she would not be the Zhao Youyue that he knew. She would just be another ordinary person carrying her name. Zhao Youyue would never fall in love with anyone, period. This gave Han Leng a great deal of security. It was his favorite part of her, even if it meant that she would never fall for him. Why had Han Leng been able to discern such traits? He strongly felt that despite Lady Zhaos approachable surface, she was a highly arrogant being. No one could touch her heart, and she felt no empathy for others. This meant that Lady Zhao would be capable of great things. She would not be held back by moral safeguards. As for what great things she would actually achieve, Han Leng had no idea. To Han Leng, love could not be compared to literature and writing. It only threatened to distract him from his career. If he had a lover, he would have to communicate with her every day. He would have to go on dates with her, occasionally, just to maintain their affection levels. He would always have to come up with new methods of surprising her. Besides, almost any festival could be turned into Valentines Day. If a guy did not produce any presents for his woman, he no longer loved. This was most troublesome! The more one thinks about it, the more he feared love, and the more he loathed tradition. Ordinary people could withstand all these for the sake of falling in love and prolonging the bloodline. But Han Leng was unable to do this, as he had never considered getting married and having children. His works were his children. He could always have asexual reproduction. Han Leng was not an ordinary person, not in the slightest. Something was horribly wrong with him. The person he loved could serve as his mental sustenance, and it was definitely Zhao Youyue. But of course, the premise was that Zhao Youyue would not fall in love with anyone, including him. This was exactly what Han Leng was certain of, and it was exactly how he enjoyed this secure, safe affair. Nobody in their right mind would see that this man was right in the head. He loved her. Why not pursue her? Why be a coward? Wouldnt he want to be together with his love? Han Leng could not answer those questions. But when he gave himself a once-over, it all became clear. He was destined to become a great man. Therefore, he did not need to be in love, like the way ordinary people did. This was his definition of love. He had his unique criteria of being in love. My love letters are priceless, Han Leng replied. I wont be lacking fledgling cash at the moment. Zhao Youyue frowned slightly. She could sense that Han Leng had started to stand up against her. A super great sale of his book Beautiful April could at least bring him few millions from royalty alone, in addition to the high demand of the books publishing rights The current Han Leng was no longer the writer that she could offer pocket change to. After all, he was a famous idol in his own right. Zhao Youyue could not help remembering how good Su Li was to her. Su Li was no small-time creator either. But as long as she asked, Su Li would definitely help her, no matter what, even to the extent that of becoming Su, the Great Deity and the Pan of This Generation. Han Leng noticed Zhao Youyue frowning. His heart gave out again. He quickly added, My Lady, if you need my help on writing a love letter, I will definitely help, in any way you want it. Good. Write a love letter to her. I expect the highest quality. Do not write it perfunctorily, ordered Zhao Youyue. Zhao Youyue had always thought that the number of love letters received was the criterion to measure a students charm, especially in this era where love letters had almost disappeared. Bai Yunshan had purposely left Zhao Youyue and Han Leng some private space for them to reminisce. She had taken the initiative to walk a distance, and waited for Zhao Youyue. She was completely unaware of the words that had just been exchanged. Zhao Youyue had always been full of wicked ideas. She had ordered Han Leng to write a love letter to Bai Yunshan. She wanted to see Bai Yunshans response when she received a love letter Indeed, Bai Yunshan had never received any love letters before. Everyone had been trying their best to avoid her. No male would fall in love with her. Things were very different now. Han Leng looked towards Bai Yunshan, and was slightly shocked. When did another beauty appear in their school? Although she was also wearing a school uniform while sporting a simple ponytail hairstyle, but her beautiful face and cold temperament produced a unique, ethereal form of beauty. Uh Who is she? Is she the kind of beautiful transfer student that always appears in novels? Why does it seem like you two are close? asked Han Leng in surprise. Zhao Youyue was obviously very satisfied with her own work. She said, What do you mean a transfer student? She is my Master Class Rep. Of course, well be in good terms. Without me, you wouldnt see that upgraded version of hers. Oh yeah, the same goes to you. Many girls chase after your tail now, am I right? Han Leng understood immediately. Lady Zhao preferred to raise dogs, no, to raise humans. She seemed to be immensely enjoying the pleasure of controlling the lives of others Han Leng could not deny her words. I cant. The highest quality of love letters could only be achieved when writing to the person that you truly love. Or else, you would just be playing around words, Han Leng admitted. Zhao Youyue had truly raised another icy beauty. But in his eyes, Bai Yunshan would never be comparable to Zhao Youyue, even if it was the short-haired Zhao Youyue in front of him now. How is that possible? You have been writing love letters to me on other peoples behalf in the past, havent you? Those love letters were truly well written. Far better than what others wrote. I didnt throw them away. Ive been keeping them. Thats the quality I want. I wont recognize anything else. Zhao Youyue thought that Han Leng was just lazy. Han Leng froze. His ears turned a deep shade of red. He remembered something. If he was not mistaken, when he and Zhao Youyue were once deskmates, she had kept the small notes that he wrote to her Yet, her notes to him had vanished to god knows where. At that very moment, he was truly ashamed. From the beginning to the end, his so-called love towards Zhao Youyue, had just been his self-satisfaction, self-imagination. If thats the case, Ill continue to write for you. Ill give them to you as presents. As for how you deal with them, thats totally on you! Han Leng ran away after he finished talking. He had to nurse his wounds. Zhao Youyue finally realized something. Did the Great Scholar Han like her? Zhao Youyue remained unabashed. Of course he did. Thats completely normal. Everyone should like her. Shameless Lady. But if that was the case, it would really be somehow inappropriate to give Bai Yunshan letters that Han Leng wrote to her. Perhaps she could write it in person? She could use this as an opportunity to take the Wen Qingyu card for a spin. But Wen Qingyu had never written a love letter before. Why not ask Han Leng to teach her some love letter writing methods. She could also taste Han Lengs texts at the same time. If they happen to be delicious, she could ask him to keep writing delicious food Han Leng, you have no clue, do you? Youre just a cook for hire. Chapter 391 A Bright, New Look Bai Yunshan saw Han Leng finally leaving. She turned to Zhao Youyue and gushed, I would have never thought that Han Leng, the legendary, new writer, known for his chilly demeanor and eccentricity would look up to you that way. The media had expressed that he had been particularly difficult to deal with. Rebel and Han Leng are already an inseparable pair. Thats his label! His academical results are horrendous. Even so, he said that he had SUCCESS spelled out for him, in big, red letters! Tell me. Why is that guy still attending school? Han Leng was undoubtedly a controversial topic among high school students. Last semester was when he became very famous, very quickly. His Beautiful April was a hit. He had to deal with various magazines and publishing companies, and was involved in all sorts of promotions. The famous publisher Lu Jinbo, was best at building up genius writers like Han Leng. Not all genius writers that he had built up in the past lived up to the hype, but Han Leng absolutely deserved to be called a genius writer. Beautiful April was originally written by Han Leng through his extraordinary performance in writing. He had even created the extremely iconic character, Chu Luoxun. His story had also received blessings from Su Lis illustration and Ah Yus music. All these divine interventions ensured that Beautiful April remained relevant and popular for a long, long time. Whenever someone mentioned the words music and violinist, the first person that came to mind was not any famous professional, but the Goddess Chu, Chu Luoxun. Han Lengs inexperienced handsome guy appearance, produced by Zhao Youyues artistic efforts also made it particularly convenient for the famous publisher Lu Jinbo, to sell Han Lengs works. Although writers did not often rely on their appearances to earn a living, a talented and good-looking writer like Han Leng certainly had a great advantage. He had even taken quite a few poster-worthy, artistic photo shoots, which certainly ended up having great sales as well. Ever since those photo shoots took the market by storm, his female fan readers increased by droves. If only Han Leng was actually good at hooking up with girls, he could have easily qualified as another one of those Casanovas. That trait was all but absent from Han Leng. He had no interest in ordinary girls. He thought that they simply were too vulgar. The more beautiful a girl, the more superficial she was. Those girls who were not superficial, were not beautiful They could not even be compared to his cross-dressing self. How would he possibly be interested in them? Han Lengs boundless pickiness over women robbed him of all his patience when faced with the female race in general. Sometimes, he would even be particularly surly and invective. He would even get naughty and provocative towards Zhao Youyue. In his mind, Lady Zhao loved to raise and nurture her bitches, more than anyone else. She was self-centered as it was, and other women would be even more so. And there you have it. Sometimes, some people are to be blamed for their own ill-fated. Han Lengs fate being, to remain single for life. In this case, he brought it upon himself. Ordinary people might hate being lonely, but Han Leng was not ordinary, and he enjoyed it. Han Leng did not care to see if he had gained a womans favor, let alone her ire. The frequent business-related activities led to the inevitable collapse of his studies. Lu Jinbo had advised him to leave school and focus on writing. Beautiful April was enough to last him a lifetime, anyway. Why hesitate? Moreover, his leaving would trigger a new wave of sensational headlines, grabbing more attention. If he grabbed the opportunity to publish a new book at that time, the book would surely sell like hotcakes! Now, Han Leng could certainly promote his positive public image and hire a ghostwriter, while releasing new books under his name. They would sell, just as they had in Lin Shiyas case Obviously, Han Leng rejected Lu Jinbos suggestion. He did not want to leave school, and he would not explain. He would rather write love letters passionately during class. He was also extremely close with many male students and best brothers. They could sweat together during physical education classes and activity classes. He enjoyed the carefree school life. The school authority was quite tolerant of him as well. Although his study results were plummeting down an endless spiral, he never violated any school regulations. He had not even gotten into any romantic relationships. He was not rebellious, as the media had promoted. He had a good relationship with many teachers as well It could be said that, despite his poor academic performance, everything else seemed to be fine. He had even accepted the schools arrangement to contribute to the school newspaper, writing articles at no charge whatsoever. His contribution greatly increased the popularity of the school newspaper, of which the school newspaper editors within the Student Council were grateful for. Bai Yunshan did not know Han Leng. Everything she knew about Han Leng, the so-called rebellious, cold, arrogant high school genius writer, had actually been fabricated by the media. It was sensational, it was controversial. People were always arguing about his true self on the internet. Bai Yunshan was most surprised when she saw Han Leng being particularly courteous to Zhao Youyue. Even if it was Zhao Youyue, was there such a need? Speaking of leaving school early, Im sure I qualify as well. As long as Im able to pass the college entrance examination with flying colors, I can choose any top university I want. So, why do you think Im still here? Zhao Youyue asked with a smile on her face. Bai Yunshan was stunned. She realized that she could not refute what Zhao Youyue said. In exasperation, she asked, Then, why didnt you leave school? School life is bliss and joy, and therere beautiful girls like you to look at, Zhao Youyue answered languidly, and looked at Bai Yunshan with a smile. Why is Han Leng still in school? It was certainly because of beautiful girls like Zhao Youyue, and the many good male classmates. Bai Yunshan could not figure out if Zhao Youyue was being serious. The undeniable truth was that students with no study pressure at all truly had heaven on a platter laid out before them. Zhao Youyue certainly did not have any study pressure, and nor did Han Leng. They were not ordinary students. Their talents were traits that others could only look up to. Zhao Youyues twelfth-grade life started off peacefully. She seemed to have become as inconspicuous as she had been, during her first year in high school. Whereas Bai Yunshan who had been pushed to the front stage by Zhao Youyue noticed that the world seemed to have turned into something else entirely. When Bai Yunshan walked into the class with her hair done up in a long ponytail on the first day of her twelfth grade, she seemed to have become the focus of her classmates attention. Those few male students stared at her in amazement Was she really Bai Yunshan? The tomboy who had no idea how the human heart worked? Thats right. The male students had always taken Bai Yunshan as a tomboy, due to her hairstyle and fashion, or lack of it. The most feminine female student in the class was definitely Lady Zhao, Zhao Youyue. As long as she opted for something else other than her school uniform, she would cause a stir wherever she went. She would capture the eyes of everyone present, and they would have no way of escaping! Unfortunately, Lady Zhao always wore the school uniform for her own convenience. They had no chance to feast their eyes on such beauty. But now, Bai Yunshans entire being had taken on a bright, new look. She was not even remotely recognizable! The male students originally intended to feast their eyes on Zhao Youyue. But their long-haired Goddess was nowhere to be found. Instead, they found Bai Yunshan, the icy Goddess with a long ponytail Chapter 392 Zhao Youyues Choice of Her Maiden Novel Zhao Youyue had set up Bai Yunshan as her bulletproof riot shield at school. She was finally at peace. At least, she would no longer suffer from being surrounded, stalked or any of the sorts. As dangerous as they sounded, these actions were not of the malicious sort. They were completely normal behaviors to be expected from adolescent males. Zhao Youyue reverted to her passerby state once again, observing the world in her dark corner, from a passerbys perspective. It felt good. The hot topic about Zhao Youyues true identity on the internet had gradually subsided as well. Many people probably heard about Ah Yu only, not Zhao Youyue anymore. Ah Yus live streams remained as popular as ever, but her peerless appearance seemed to have become the stuff of legends. She had stated that she would never switch on her webcam, and she stuck to it, even if it led to the loss of some fans. But anyway, those that remained were the most loyal fans. They did not focus on Ah Yus appearance, but her epic performances in playing games, how she played musical instruments and sang, how she performed with her violin Whether it was gaming or music, there was no need to open the webcam. Ah Yu was not the type of streamer who relied on her appearances for a living. Whenever short-haired Zhao Youyue walked on the streets, she did not need to hide behind a mask anymore. Many did not know that she had cut her long hair short. In everyones minds, she seemed to be forever the black long straight hair Goddess with a noble Ladys temperament. October came in a blink of an eye. During this period last year, as a student of the eleventh grade, Zhao Youyue had participated in the Autumn Sports event, and had exploited the Zhou Chun card to win the championship in all sorts of long-distance running events, causing those Sports students to begin doubting themselves. The rules had been lax, and it had worked to her advantage. Or else, how would she be allowed to eat and drink during her running? Imagine her eating and drinking throughout an 800-meter event. Zhao Youyues Zhou Chun card could only be used for such informal Sports event. But now, Zhou Chun card had been sacrificed. Even if Zhao Youyue spared it, a high popularity card would still end up expiring over time. After all, it was not an iconic character. It would only be popular for a fixed period, and was destined to be forgotten. Therefore, the best way for Zhao Youyue to utilize it was to use it as a sacrifice, entering into the literary world that she personally wanted, and create a truly iconic character. This was its fate. The school Sports event this year had nothing to do with Zhao Youyue, the twelfth-grade student. As students of the tenth and eleventh grade sweated out on the field, the twelfth graders could only study diligently in their classrooms. But, they could watch the fun during recess, if they chose to. Zhao Youyue had already lost her interest in the Sports events. If Killing Sports manifested itself in reality, her interest might just be piqued. Recently, Zhao Youyue spent most of her time on Wen Qingyus card. She would switch on Wen Qingyus card to eat some books when she had nothing to do. She would certainly focus on eating those books that she originally could never settle down to read. Now, she exuded a bookish scent. But due to her short hair, not many people had noticed. As Zhao Youyues deskmate, Bai Yunshan had clearly noticed that. She felt very relieved. Zhao Youyue would always be bent over, occupied with over something incredibly dull during recess. Bai Yunshan considered it a total waste of time. For example, the mini 4WDs. Wasnt it just a toy that would only be played by primary students? But now, Zhao Youyue would be reading masterpieces carefully during recess. Her mouth would seem to mumble constantly, as if she was chewing those masterpieces! Bai Yunshan considered Zhao Youyues super attentive solemnity as she read masterpieces to be extremely admirable. She felt that Zhao Youyue was the kind of person who had always denied putting in any effort on anything, and made a complete waste of her time, but was a scholar in actuality, through and through! Zhao Youyue was indeed the head student among the Arts students in this school! Bai Yunshan considered herself extremely privileged to be able to become best friends with an elite student like Zhao Youyue Unsure if it was an illusion, Bai Yunshan had a feeling that Zhao Youyue was indulging herself in fancy gourmet delicacies as she read those masterpieces. Were those masterpieces that enjoyable? To improve her own reading comprehension capability, Bai Yunshan would take the initiative to read masterpieces as well. However, most masterpieces were relatively boring. Thats right. Boring was the word. They did not seem to care if people bothered reading them. To an extent, if they had not been given the title C masterpiece, no one would probably read it. Perhaps these masterpieces were indeed well-written. Their ideological implications were simply too profound. As long as one has eaten it thoroughly, he would be able to upgrade his personal taste and style. However, ordinary people often gave up before finishing the whole book Bai Yunshan had certainly encountered such a situation as well. If it was not because of her powerful sense of self-control that allowed her to forcefully finish the book while making some notes afterwards, she would have given up a long time ago. What depressed her the most was that in spite of her vigilance, she never received any new epiphanies, any new outlooks on life, or the dawning of a new aspiration. Only after reading the comments of others on the masterpiece, would she realize Oh, so thats what this masterpiece intended to convey. Bai Yunshan saw Zhao Youyue reading the book Les Miserables[1] by Victor Hugo. She could not resist asking, Zhao Youyue, is this novel truly that enjoyable? Youre actually reading it so attentively and seriously In his book Les Miserables, Victor Hugo demonstrated the cruel reality of capitalist societies enslaving people, forcing women into prostitution through his outstanding artistic charm. This legendary work by Hugo, had etched out the long history that led to the modern social and political life in France. The whole book spanned over nearly half a century. The combination of personal fate and historical themes were magnificent and colorful, which exemplified Hugos outstanding talent in etching out narratives to their maximum. In terms of the richness, depth, and complexity of the content, the book undoubtedly ranked first among Hugos numerous works. At the moment, Zhao Youyue still had the Wen Qingyu card switched on. Wen Qingyu was a quiet, gentle person. She was forthcoming and gentle. It was way more pleasing to speak to her, compared to Zhao Youyue, who was gentle on the outside but had a black heart, and was a total hypocrite. Zhao Youyue, or rather, Wen Qingyu, replied, Les Miserables may be as bitter as coffee, but is rich and refreshing. Only when you have tasted it carefully, would you feel the complexities of its taste, its beauty, its magnificence. I dont know what flavors should I use to describe it. Anyway, its like a great meal thats worth careful, slow savoring. Its a complicated journey. Many people lose their patience and give up before they even reach the rich core. Bai Yunshan could not understand what Zhao Youyue meant, but it sounded incredible. But there was one thing she was now certain of. Zhao Youyue actually tasted the masterpieces like food That sounds interesting. If thats so, why dont you write down more about the flavors of these masterpieces, and share it with everyone else? Bai Yunshan suggested. Such a reminder suddenly gave Zhao Youyue an idea on how she should write her maiden novel. Why doesnt she write about the taste of food? It was worth trying out. Zhao Youyue even notified Han Leng that her literary career was about to set off. Han Leng decided that Zhao Youyue was way over her head. Did she really plan to play about with literature, with that poor writing of hers? She had no semblance of talent, or the soul for literature, and shes the laziest slob around! Lady Zhao, cant you just settle down and remain as a reader? Translation Note: [1] Les Miserables C A long novel by a French writer, Victor Hugo in 1862. Chapter 393 All Talk and No Write Of course Han Leng would think that way. If Zhao Youyue could write well, she would not have asked for his help from the beginning. In addition to her musings, many of the scripts for her speeches given under the national flag had been written by Han Leng. As a result of this, many unsuspecting students believed that Zhao Youyues literary skills were exceptionally good. She had a flowery way with words that was of extraordinary standards. Who would have thought that a ghostwriter lurked in the shadows behind Zhao Youyue? Previously, when Han Leng was in the same class as Zhao Youyue, he had taken a look at her written essays, out of curiosity. One glance at the cover page told him that her essays were far better than his. Everything was concise and conclusive. Her handwriting was beautifully neat. Although her writing style lacked substance, it pleased the eyes of high school examiners Zhao Youyues essay standards had always above average because she relied on creating a good impression with the cover page, and this came as a great advantage. Content-wise, they were plain and simple, if one was being courteous. In more direct terms, however, the vocabulary was poor, and she had no talent whatsoever. It was probably at a level where she could express her thoughts fluently, but nothing more. Even so, Han Leng did not look down on Zhao Youyue just because of this. Everyone had their own areas of expertise. He felt that all of Lady Zhaos talents probably fell into the musical field. However, there was one thing that he could not decipher, and that was her apparent lyrics. Lady Zhao certainly did not have the skills to compose the lyrics herself The moment he thought of how a skilled creator was hiding behind Zhao Youyue, Han Leng felt an impending calamity looming over him. In his mind, two words quickly took form - - Shi Jingnian. Shi Jingnians Bakuman was probably the most popular and topical piece of work as of late. As his personal experiences were especially tragic, it had caused widespread public sympathy for him. Of course, some people felt that this was a typical marketing strategy of sensationalizing his misfortunes to promote sales. It was just like those talent shows, where every contestant there seemed to have a tragic past. However, Shi Jingnian was in a truly miserable state, and everything that purportedly happened were not, in fact, rumors, thus this greatly boosted the sales. No matter what people said, the marketing strategy of using an artists misfortunes to promote sales was still a great idea. Moreover, the genius beautiful female writer Lin Shiya was also involved. All manner of grudges, hatred, as well as gossips about what had happened behind the scenes had wholly allowed Shi Jingnians to rise to fame. Of course, due to this, his Bakuman also experienced great sales. Ah Yu was also a big winner in the popularity game. The public viewed her as the figurehead of kindness, justice, and maturity. Of course, after Han Leng found out that Ah Yu was Zhao Youyue, he had also gotten to know how Zhao Youyue had lent a helping hand to Shi Jingnian through the internet. It could even be said that the only reason Shi Jingnian managed to rise from the ashes was because of Zhao Youyue Han Leng was well aware of how Lady Zhao gave preference to creators. Hence, he could not help but wonder if Shi Jingnian was the lyricist. After all, Shi Jingnians talents were undeniable. Han Leng had read Bakuman, and he had to admit that Shi Jingnian was a virtuoso. The paragraphs were all well-written, and Han Leng admired him interminably. Furthermore, the book was abound with knowledge, and left Han Leng in awe of the great man. There was also the iconic character, Wen Qingyu, who was in no way inferior to his Chu Luoxun. Wen Qingyu was merely a perfect reader and scholarly girl, in the eyes of all the creators. She could treat the various works of creators as if they were cuisines and taste them. Han Leng had valid reasons to suspect things as so. Perhaps Zhao Youyue and Shi Jingnian had already knew each other, a long time back. Since Shi Jingnian willingly became a ghostwriter for Lin Shiya, there was a possibility that he also voluntarily wrote the lyrics for Zhao Youyue for free. After all, rumor has it, that Shi Jingnian was once a flirtatious good-for-nothing Such speculations drove Han Leng to work harder at polishing his skills. At the same time, he also started coming up with ideas for his new work. He could not just live off the past glory of Beautiful April for all eternity. He had to prove to Zhao Youyue that he was the best! Although Han Leng was skeptical of Zhao Youyues writing skills, he still supported her enthusiasm in devoting herself to literature. Even if someone was devoid of talent, perseverance and hard work could rectify that. Perseverance is key. Things are always easier said than done. Ones passion for something would only be prolonged if people did something that they genuinely liked. The act of creation truly required passion and inspiration. Han Lengs new piece of work was still not ready. His official excuse was that he needed to concentrate on his studies, but this was all just a farce. Judging by his academic performance, anyone could tell that he did not concentrate on his studies at all. He devoted himself to writing love letters instead. However, the act of writing love letters was only something like a tether to his addiction. He yearned for the feeling of being intoxicated again. He hoped to be able to create more iconic characters like Goddess Chu. Frustratingly, that feeling had been absent for a long time However, his love for writing and literature pushed him on. His knowledge of Lady Zhaos preference for creators further motivated him. He hoped to become the best creator ever in Zhao Youyues eyes. On a Sunday afternoon, it was a half-day break, as usual. Han Leng and Zhao Youyue agreed to meet up. As he had been given a chance to appreciate her works, he was full of anticipation. Even if Zhao Youyues works were cringe-worthy, it would be an opportunity for him to show some guidance and show her the ropes in turn, for once. However, Zhao Youyue had not written anything. In the novel Bakuman, Wen Qingyu only began writing because she was momentarily tired of the works of others. In the world of works, there were not many works for her to eat. It was only a fictional world, after all. In reality, a variety of literary works existed, and this greatly satisfied the book shortage Wen Qingyu. Even though Zhao Youyue truly wanted to start writing, she had just been book-eating, since the beginning. Thus, she had not even started on anything This left Zhao Youyue in a most helpless situation. In the settings of the novel, Wen Qingyu was more well-liked as a reader. With regards to her identity as a creator, it could only be said that she was deprived of nutrition for so long, that she started creating her own content to offset the famine. This was just like how web novelists started writing their own stories, because of the shortage of books. For Wen Qingyu, eating books was always a priority. Since there were good books to eat, why was there a need to write your own? Zhao Youyue did not experience that urgent desire to create, as there was still no way for her to transmigrate into her own works, for the time being. She also lacked a high popularity character card for sacrificial use. With his royalties, Han Leng had bought an SUV which was priced at around half a million. He drove Zhao Youyue to a coffee shop which he often visited. It was the type of coffee shop that was smelled of books and style. As he drove about, Han Leng could not help but say to Zhao Youyue who was seated in the back, My Lady, is this the cheapest car that youve sat in before? As usual, the cute bob-haired Zhao Youyue was wearing an everyday sports uniform and playing with her mobile phone. Out of everything, only her bag was capable of subtly hinting the casual onlooker of her true identity. Hearing Han Lengs words, Zhao Youyue smiled and said, No matter what, the driver of the vehicle is extraordinary. Hes a top-notch genius writer, you know. This made Han Leng laugh. Lady Zhao was really good at flattering others, but he took it to heart, anyway. Im not even close to being as good as you, my Lady. Other than your identity, youre even a talented musician and violinist Oh right, if you appear in public like this, wont you get photographed? Han Leng interacted with Zhao Youyue in a business-like manner, like how different parties tend to flatter each other, while also expressing some concern. Han Leng did not want any rumors going around about him and Zhao Youyue, as it would affect her reputation and might even decrease her number of fans. He did not consider the fact he would be the one losing fans, instead. After all, his character was that of a clueless chick magnet. A type of guy that all the female fans wanted to chase. Now he was trying to please a noble member of the Zhao family in various ways. Where did the unyielding character of this scholar go? His public image was bound to come crashing down on his head! Chapter 394 Talking Literature As a person who had always silently followed Lady Zhao, Han Leng naturally knew of Zhao Youyues recent scandal. She had caught on camera while, riding shotgun in the nations husband Ding Yuncongs luxury sports car. Some may have believed in this gossip at first, but Han Leng never did. His first reaction was to wonder whether Lady Zhao was related to Ding Yuncong. After that, he discovered that Lady Zhao was in fact, not related to Ding Yuncong. It was her cousin brother Zhao Hao, was a close friend of Ding Yuncong. Others may not have believed Zhao Hao. They might have thought that Zhao Hao was trying to get closer to Zhao Youyue to bask in her glory, but Han Leng believed him, nevertheless. As for those netizens who imagined Zhao Youyue as a member of a hidden family, they have clearly read too many web novels Han Leng was very confident in the morals of Zhao Youyue. If she really took a liking to Ding Yuncong, then her high ratings in his heart would plummet. He felt that Zhao Youyue should not concern herself with men at all. Such a mentality seemed to be a little self-abnegating, as it was like If I cant get her, then others should not even think about getting her. However, this was what he felt, from the bottom of his heart. Who was it that turned him into a deviant in the first place? With my current look, do you think that Id still be stalked and photographed? Zhao Youyue said smugly. She was very satisfied with her current status as a side character. Han Leng did not respond. In his eyes, be it the long-haired Zhao Youyue or the short-haired Zhao Youyue, she was still a goddess. With her short hair, she was even more friendly and approachable. After all, it was the short-haired Lady Zhao who had captured his heart, in the first place. Why not? Whats wrong with you now? Arent you still you? Han Leng asked subconsciously. Im a side character now! Ive almost become invisible in school, and I dont even receive love letters anymore. Why should I still be worried about the paparazzi? They cant recognize me at all. When Han Leng heard what Zhao Youyue said, he felt like an idiot. School had started for more than a month already, but he had not received any requests to write love letters from anyone. Even if he did, they seemed to be for Bai Yunshan. Han Leng was not clear as to who Bai Yunshan was, but he was also too lazy to find out. He rejected all these requests, anyway. He would only accept love letter requests if they were for Zhao Youyue, and write them with utmost enthusiasm. Then Ill write more of it for you, Han Leng could not help but say. To him, Lady Zhao would always be the most popular girl in his high school. How could anyone compare to her? I dont want love letters anymore. You can just hand me your essays, short stories, or something, but make sure that you put your heart into it. If its too difficult for me to eat, I dont want them anymore, Zhao Youyue demanded. She was actually being dead serious about the taste of Han Lengs essays. Eat? Han Leng was confused. Why did he suddenly think of the character Wen Qingyu? Moreover, how could Lady Zhao possibly be a bookish girl? By eating books, of course, what I mean is to read the book, in-depth. Are you not willing to write for me? Zhao Youyue said assertively. Are you roleplaying as Wen Qingyu now? If you really are, then, of course, I would like to write for you, but youll have to evaluate what I wrote in detail. Han Leng could not help but laugh. He knew that Zhao Youyue had a hobby of roleplaying as iconic characters. She was also particularly good at it. Other roleplayers may only go so far as to cosplay the characters. Zhao Youyue, on the other hand, brought things to a whole new level. Perhaps it was not just a roleplay, but an actual act of restoration by God. Han Leng also felt that whenever Zhao Youyue performed music, she was not Zhao Youyue at all. Instead, she was Chu Luoxun, a character that he had created. Therefore, his original infatuation with his own character Goddess Chu had also been projected onto Zhao Youyue. Han Leng could not help but think about how his Beautiful April could be adapted into a movie within these coming years. Deep in his heart, he felt a tiny urge. Could Zhao Youyue play as Chu Luoxun in the movie? An average actress would definitely not be able to showcase the unique charm of Goddess Chu. They did not even understand music well. How would they be able to express Chu Luoxuns devotion and love for music? There was no need to even talk about the process of capturing full-length shots of Chu Luoxun playing the violin. They would probably have to make the actress pose in a position, then take a few clips and make a montage out of it. They would even need to hire someone for the sound effects Han Leng liked Zhao Youyue very much, but with his current status, it seemed that he was not in a position to appoint anyone as an actress. This was because he was not an investor himself, and Zhao Youyue was not a professional actress. Such a revelation had pressured him to start working on his new book again. He felt that he could no longer drag things on. Only by continuing to succeed and rise in position among the community of writers, could he obtain a greater power to speak and make his voice heard. Then, he would be able to appoint Zhao Youyue as Chu Luoxun. Ill evaluate it well for sure. Maybe Ill even compile these materials and write a piece of work featuring delicious cuisines. Im just afraid that your works would taste bad, Zhao Youyue said. Han Leng smiled with confidence. His works would never be unpalatable. Han Leng might not be confident in some other aspects. Some of them even embarrassed him. Only in the field of writing could he lift his head above anyone else. He was not only gifted, but he had also put in an unimaginable amount of effort, way beyond that of ordinary people. This literary and eclectic coffee shop was located in an unassuming alleyway. Several unique bars filled the space beside it. There were people busy singing away. These literature-themed bars started business as early as noon. It was the first time for Zhao Youyue to visit such a place. She found it very interesting. Upon entering the coffee shop, she realized that the decor of the coffee shop was very similar to the independent bookstore she once brought Su Li to. Wasnt everyone here hipsters? Han Leng and Shi Jingnian seemed to have similar tastes. Maybe she should introduce him to Shi Jingnian next time. Of course, she would make Han Leng cross-dress and make him meet Shi Jingnian with his Leng Zi identity Zhao Youyue thought to herself gleefully. The coffee shop had two floors. The moment she entered the coffee shop which was filled with the ambiance of a book gallery, soothing, light music filled her ears. The coffee shop had a modest air. On the second floor, a variety of black and white photos could be seen hanging from the roof. It seemed that all of them were photos of famous writers and musicians. There were also various kinds of book ornaments, glass ball ornaments, and personalized murals on the walls. In one corner sat a guitar, which could be picked up by anyone to play and sing at any time. The yellow plaid ceiling was embellished with green stained-glass, which created a perfectly elegant atmosphere. Han Leng seemed to be in friendly terms with the hipster, no, more like the middle-aged hipster boss of the coffee shop. However, when he saw that Han Leng had brought Zhao Youyue there, his face changed. She somehow looked like his neighbors daughter. The face of the middle-aged hipster uncle which looked like he had gone through many vicissitudes of life suddenly darkened Filled with curiosity, Zhao Youyue asked Han Leng why the middle-aged hipster boss looked crestfallen upon seeing her. Han Leng joked that it was probably because he was still single. The uncle suddenly looked like he had just caught the whiff of something unplesantly sour. Why doesnt he just find a wife? Zhao Youyue asked another question. Perhaps he is an honest person who does not want to be honest, Han Leng guessed. Well, lets talk about literature. Wheres the stuff youve written? Han Leng went straight to the topic. He was not here to date; literature was his one true love. I havent started writing yet. Zhao Youyue said confidently and straightforwardly. She took a look around, touched some random things here and there, and suddenly heard the guitar calling out to her. However, the guitar in the coffee shop was not of good quality, which did not really satisfy her. As far as she was concerned, she was obviously more interested in music than anything else. What? You havent written anything yet? Then what have you been talking about all this while? I brought you here so that I could see what youve written, and then give you some guidance! Han Leng was a little unhappy. He thought that Lady Zhao was playing around and toying with his feelings. Lady Zhao had no respect for literature! Chapter 395 The Two Dimensional Gate Opens Up Again Zhao Youyue has always been thick-skinned, even moreso in front of those she knew better, such as Han Leng. She did not respond to Han Lengs question, but instead chuckled and said, How about I play a song for you? She did not wait for Han Leng to respond. She casually sang Angels Wing. She did not activate the Chu Luoxun card. She performed it through her own power. Her body remembered the guitar to an intimate level, but of course, she could not stimulate Chu Luoxuns unique spiritual music ability. She was unable to pull Han Leng into the Musical Reality Marble. When Zhao Youyue began to sing, Han Leng started paying more attention. Obviously, he wanted to enjoy some of Zhao Youyues music properly. He thought that he would be completely allured by Zhao Youyues music, which was comparable to that of Goddess Chus, and get lost in the musical world However, things fell short of his expectations. Although a non-Chu Luoxun empowered Zhao Youyue was equally talented, the effect of the performance was very different. However, there was no doubt that her music was still delightful. Her performance had dispelled Han Lengs original unhappiness. He looked at Lady Zhao, who was playing the guitar in earnest. He came to realize the depths of his pettiness a moment ago. How could he be so upset about such a trivial matter? Han Leng began to reflect upon himself. He thought that Lady Zhao was a pleasant lady, to the core. If he was Lady Zhao, he might have just left straight away. How could she still be there, calmly singing away to him? Lady Zhao had been remarkably patient with him. He should also do his part and ease up. As Zhao Youyue was singing, the middle-aged owner came upstairs with some coffee. The moment he saw Zhao Youyue singing for Han Leng in her casual sports attire, something took hold of his heart and overwhelmed him. Of course, Zhao Youyue might have reminded him of his teenage years. However, during his teenage years there were no girls like Zhao Youyue would go through such lengths for him. This was undoubtedly an unfortunate thing Only at the end of the song, did the literary middle-aged man place the coffee down on their table. He gave Han Leng a supportive gaze, as if he was encouraging him to make sure that he successfully pursued this talented literary girl. In his opinion, any girl that Han Leng was willing to bring here had definitely gained Han Lengs acknowledgment. She had to be an excellent writer, in her own right. Although this was clearly an assault on single dogs like him, he was already used to it. It was necessary to see other people achieve happiness in life. If he lived his life this way, he would be more eager in pursuing his goals, with a sunnier view on his own life. Of course, Han Leng had no clue on what was in the middle-aged boss mind. This time, he really brought Zhao Youyue here, solely to talk about literature. He wanted to see what sort of works could Lady Zhao create However, Lady Zhaos lazy attitude towards literature was just like how she approached learning in general. She was just like everyone other plebian. Han Leng realized that there was no way he could harbor any expectations for anything of substance from Lady Zhao. The only way he saw her overcoming this was by her talents alone. If by any chance, did she possess the talents only seen in the realm of Gods, she might nonchalantly produce an enduring masterpiece. But how was that possible? She was not a character from a novel who had the ability to break logic. Creation was a gradual process. If anyone could create a great book at leisure, then those ordinary creators who still could not get a taste of fame even after an uncountable amount of years could just drop everything and leave. Therefore, it was necessary to emphasize that anything can be achieved through hard work. Even if someone was born without a natural gift, hard work made up for it. Then, if someone worked hard their entire life, and yet fail to equal the ability of a talented one at the time of their birth, how frustrating would that be? Just the thought of it was enough to make someone feel depressed. Did you like it? Zhao Youyue asked with a smile. She was quite satisfied with her performance. Even without any cards activated, her music skills were weighty. This was actually a long-term learning process. After using a character card, no matter what she did, it would leave a piece of itself in the memory of her body. As long as she had the will to practice without the card activated, the effects of it would be good enough. Han Leng praised her very sensibly, Not bad, the singing was good, the guitar was well-played, it was like the temperament of a literary goddess emanating from within you. In Han Lengs opinion, Zhao Youyues performance was not as good as the one during New Years Day. It lacked some deep-seated, intangible substance. Most importantly, it did not match the style of the Goddess Chu in his mind. As he had initially been eagerly looking forward to it, this left him feeling a little empty. However, this alleviated all his suspicions. Previously, when he listened to Zhao Youyues music, his imagination had expanded to such a degree that he thought that Chu Luoxun had possessed Zhao Youyue. Otherwise, what else could explain the similarities between their temperaments, even down to the expression of a single note Zhao Youyue was still a little surprised when she heard Han Leng praising her. She thought that The Great Scholar Han of impeccably high standards would start picking on her mistakes, or perhaps blurt out some weird stuff and make things awkward. Unexpectedly, he was starting to get better at mutual commercial flattering. Of course, this was a good thing. It showed that she had unobtrusively and imperceptibly changed and molded Han Leng. He was now a far cry from his old self. The old Han Leng was particularly awkward. He often got angry for inexplicable reasons and alienated her in a huff. Zhao Youyue felt that this was a change for the better, because if Han Leng was still his strange old self, he would offend people too effortlessly. Not everyone was as patient and open-minded as her. In that case, you should start writing. Zhao Youyue looked like she wanted Han Leng to start cooking for her immediately. Write what? Han Leng was confused. Just write something, anything. I want to eat books, Zhao Youyue said this, then activated the Wen Qingyu card. Her temperament instantly softened. Han Leng could only casually write a paragraph. It depicted the scene of Zhao Youyues performance just now, and how he felt when he listened to her music. He wrote it colorfully and rhetorically, of course, to hide the tinge of regret in his heart. After Zhao Youyue tasted it, she commented, It was a really delicate and exquisite cake. The cream on the outside tasted good, but the insides were a little disappointing. Yes, it was the kind of disappointment that was associated to not really seeing what you were looking forward to. It seemed like my performance just now didnt satisfy you, so what you wrote conveyed such a taste to me. Originally, Han Leng did not take Zhao Youyues joke about eating books seriously, but after listening to what Zhao Youyue said, it was as if he had seen a ghost. Was this for real? Could she actually taste the thoughts that he had hidden, deep within his heart, as he wrote, just now? That was not possible, right? Zhao Youyue deactivated the Wen Qingyu card and looked at him with a smile, but it only added to his guilt However, Zhao Youyue had no intention to spend more time on Han Leng anymore, because she soon saw that the Two Dimensional Gate was finally making its appearance again, after a long period of absence! This meant that she would be able to enter a new world of works tonight, albeit at random. What kind of world would this random new world of works be? Chapter 396 New World of Web Novel To Zhao Youyue, the worlds of works that she could enter through the Two Dimensional Gate were a lot more interesting, compared to the real world. Those worlds always allowed her to experience different, unearthly landscapes. For example, during the last time when she transmigrated as Altair, she had experienced several different worlds. Unfortunately, the Altair card was currently still in a fragmented state. She did not know when she would be able to obtain such a profoundly mysterious character card. On other days, the unpredictable randomness of the Two Dimensional Gate really rendered Zhao Youyue speechless. It was like a trap. Time passed quickly, and night fell. Zhao Youyue took a shower. She did not let her mind wander off to the possibilities of her new world. Every time she developed a desire or preference of her own, the randomness of the Two Dimensional Gate would mess with her, and shatter all her dreams For example, she had wanted an empress card since a lifetime ago. Now that she had somewhat established a small publishing company, and was also the director of the company, strong leadership skills would really come in handy, leading to an accelerated expansion of the company. When this happens, more outstanding creators could be recruited, and she would then be able to enter any kind of world as she wished. Other than the empress card, there was also the godly chef card that she had wanted for quite a long time. She truly wanted to create light-emitting cuisines in the real world. However, there was not even a single, popular cooking-related work on the market right now. If there was no way to get a sleeping victory, there was no meaning in transmigrating into a piece of work. Additionally, there were also other types of cards like the carefree card, which allowed the user to relax and enjoy life. However, all of these were actually a matter of fate. Zhao Youyue did not dare dream of obtaining them. She could not. Of course, what Zhao Youyue wanted most was a character card that possessed a higher energy level. She was curious to know if she could use superpowers in reality. If she could, then, of course, she hoped to amass even more power. At that moment, Zhao Youyue finally closed her eyes. She skillfully ventured to the Two Dimensional Gate with her soul. She looked at the four active character cards in the Two Dimensional Gate - - Xu Jing, Yu Shengfan, Chu Luoxun, and Wen Qingyu. They bestowed upon her a sense of accomplishment Although these characters were essentially her other selves, she still loved them deeply and regarded them as her own wives, because they would never be separated from her. Spiritually, they were one. Zhao Youyue walked past them and finally entered the Two Dimensional Gate. She had waited for a very long time to do this. Then, she saw a random world appear, and the name of the work was Dog Days[1] Just by looking at the name, Zhao Youyue knew that it certainly could not be popular, or she would have already seen it, considering her current reading volume. After all, in the general introduction of the work, the words web novel were stated. Web novels were Zhao Youyues main battlefield. As Tycoon Youyue, she was still active in the Qidian novel website, as she frequently tipped her favorite works. At the same time, she had also gotten to know many other well-known web novelists. Web novelists were a lot more approachable than traditional writers. Basically, all that had to be done was just to become a Sect Master, look for the author and add them as a friend. Strike up a conversation after that, and you might have already become good friends with the author. As Zhao Youyue was a notable tycoon on Qidian and was also a very attractive young lady, such an identity allowed her to get in touch with any male author easily. It was profitable for the authors, anyway. She was basically the perfect reader in the eyes of all creators If Zhao Youyue also started a book on Qidian, maybe those great authors would, out of friendship, reward her and become Sect Masters to show her some support. She could even casually reward herself with a variety of recommendation ticket red packets and monthly ticket red packets to boost the ranking of her book significantly. This was the advantage of being a tycoon creator. As lowly as it seemed, it was a method that fell in line with the rules. Since its dawn, the novel rankings on Qidian were determined not by the readers, but by capital. So far, Zhao Youyue had only transmigrated into one web novel, called The Strongest King. It was a niche e-Sports novel, but Rosemary and herself had walked hand-in-hand and tore the fabric of its world to bits. Thus, the iconic character Yu Shengfan was created. That was understandably, a rare occurrence. This time, however, the moment Zhao Youyue saw the name Dog Days, she could not help but compare it to The Strongest King. It paled in comparison to it, and was dwarfed in all aspects. Then, she looked at the creators pseudonym. It was called Stop Gambling. Did this author have a gambling addiction? Zhao Youyue did not have a good feeling about this. If the creator was addicted to gambling, then it would really be a big problem, especially if it was mahjong. Mahjong was the mortal enemy of creators! Innumerable creators have said that they were merely seeking a form of inspiration, but ended up falling into the abyss of gambling Zhao Youyue briefly read through the introduction of Dog Days. As expected, it really had the undertones of a web novel. It was a relaxing, warm slice of life novel. The style was similar to a novel in another world called Back in Time When I was a Cat. Dog Days contained superpowers, but it was not the kind of destructive superpower. It was probably on the same level as Wen Qingyus ability to eat books. The male protagonist Shu Qing was a cat lover, and he was terrified of dogs. However, he had unexpectedly obtained the ability to swap bodies with a dog. At first, he could not understand why he became a dog. Then, of course, there was a variety of funny scenes which developed the story. After all, when he swapped bodies with a dog, his own body became occupied by the dogs soul. Thus, when a dog was in the body of a human being, all sorts of mayhem and mischief would occur When he was in possession of the dogs body, however, he became a dog with a particularly high IQ, in the eyes of ordinary people. Then, he discovered that the dog who swapped bodies with him turned out to be the dog of a companys female director. Needless to say, this brought out the distinct feature of web novels. The setting of a female director like her was almost a standard configuration as a romantic interest in web novels. It was just like the overbearing director who often appeared in web novels which were more catered towards girls. Here, however, it seemed that both male and female readers would find this directors identity to be attractive. Zhao Youyue surfed through the pages at speed. From there, she learned that the story was about an ordinary man who had been able to reach the peak of his life through a variety of weird accomplishments after he obtained the ability to swap bodies with dogs. Due to the vulgar settings of the female director, Zhao Youyue did not really have a good first impression of the web novel. She had the feeling that it might be one of those wretched web novels. For example, the male protagonist would use the body of a dog to take advantage of girls and things like that. Male readers would surely take joy in that. However, Zhao Youyue was not quick to conclude matters. Instead, she left the gate for now. She was prepared to read through this web novel, first. She found the novel on Qidian rather swiftly, and realized that it only had a few hundred thousand words. It was not even on sale, yet. However, the number of recommendation tickets had already reached 100,000. This showed that it was fairly popular, and many fans were gathered here. Why had this novel escaped her notice, prior to this? She looked at the latest activity, which turned out to be fifteen days ago! Was this novel already abandoned? Then, she looked at the update log of this novel, only to discover that the fastest Stop Gambling had ever updated his web novel was one chapter every three days It was no wonder that she had not heard of this web novel before. Judging by how slow the updates were, how could it possibly shine? The editors would never recommend such a novel. The most important thing about web novels were the update frequencies! Moreover, he was a novice author. This was his only novel ever! Whenever a new author casually updates his new web novel at leisure, it meant certain death for him! Translation Note: [1] This is not the same Dog Days as the Anime about Antromorphized dogs and cats fighting in Dynasty Warrior-esque battle royales (I wasnt a fan of it, by the way). Just giving readers a heads-up. Chapter 397 Super Evil Creator Zhao Youyues impression of Stop Gambling only got worse. As a veteran reader of web novels, Zhao Youyue certainly preferred creators who updated their novels a lot more frequently. Even if the quality of the chapters were bad, it would be of little consequence. As for a half-dead novel that gave off the eerie vibe of being abandoned at any moment, the chances of things going south for her were high Even so, she chose to read through the novel patiently. She had been able to power through the doujinshi, White Clover. The language of that novel had been ridiculously obscure. She knew each word written in the story. But those words never coalesced to create meaning in a traditional sense. She simply could not understand the meaning they were attempting to convey. Zhao Youyue finished reading Dog Days in almost a single breath. After reading the latest chapter, she was still full of questions, and she had nearly blurted out - - Why werent there any more new chapters? Initially, Zhao Youyue thought that this was a relatively wretched novel. After all, the male protagonist had ended up as the pet dog of a female director. This would indeed trigger several red lights in a rational mind. News had progressively traveled along the lines of absurdity, as of late. There was even one clipping about how a lady and her dog had a long distance relationship. However, they realized that they could not be separated after all. Thus, she had to be rushed to the hospital The pet dog raised by the female director was an extremely cute white Pomeranian. Bo Mei was a small-sized, active toy dog. It had a soft, dense undercoat and rough fur. Its tail was also wrapped with thick fur, and somehow came out at a higher position than usual, and practically sat on its back. It had a vigilant personality, intelligent-looking expressions, light steps and curious nature. Small and cute, it was suitable as a companion dog. These dogs were mostly white and brown. Shu Qing was not a wretched man. He was just an ordinary guy. If he had not body-swapped with a dog, he would probably have spent his entire life unadventurously. He had no aspirations and ambitions. He was not even keen on finding someone to marry. He was apparently only in his twenties, but he lived like an old man. He was laid back and took his time; he took everything unusually slowly. He was a cat lover, but of course, this was only his self-imposed presuppositions, as he did not actually own a cat. However, he often played with his best friends cat. This friend of his was the owner of a pet shop The friend often asked, why not get a cat to care for, since he loved them so much. Shu Qing would reply, he was afraid of causing its death. The friend knew that this guy who claimed he was a cat lover probably did not genuinely love cats. If he truly loved cats, he would, of course, take care of it properly. How could it possibly die? Shu Qing had always been alone, but he was particularly fond of socializing in big events. He always showed the enthusiasm to participate in a variety of gatherings. However, in the midst of events, he would feel a cavernous form of loneliness that seeped through his bones. He lived somewhat numbly in this world. Although he was not passive in any way, he was already old and weary at heart. Zhao Youyue felt that Dog Days was a peculiar web novel. The style of the entire novel exuded decadence and loneliness. The name of the web novel sounded predictably cliche, but after reading, it was nothing like that. Instead, it was rather unique. This turned out to be a refreshing web novel. After the male protagonist Shu Qing became a dog, he did not like it at first, and was in constant denial. However, he was adequately and unconditionally taken care of by the female director Xia Qingqing. Xia Qingqing really loved her Pomeranian. When Shu Qing was a dog, he discovered the beauties of being a dog. Sometimes, he even ate better food than humans! However, what that actually fascinated him most was the fact that Xia Qingqings life was just like his, she was alone and lonely. It was as if she had lost her direction in life and was just drifting along The novel depicted many of Xia Qingqings interactions with her pet Pomeranian, or, more accurately, with the Pomeranian that was occupied by Shu Qings soul. Most of them were very warm and therapeutic. Of course, there was some fan service, but most of them were written blithely, to the point where it was almost unnoticeable Well, it could not be helped. This creators writing style was as such. The writing was not elaborate. It articulated of a very laid back, slice-of-life narrative in subtle, pensive tones. It seemed to be able to go on and on Overall, it had an artistic notion. It was such a warm and straightforward story. Even if the updates were slow and it lacked official recommendations by Qidian, it had still attracted a large number of loyal fans. Some were people who were especially fond of pets, while others were attracted by the warm and refreshing style of the novel. Of course, there were also haters who said the writing style was too plain, so plain, that even the fanservice parts could not be portrayed vividly These haters would never admit that they were expecting the male protagonist to have sexual intercourse with the female director as a dog. Although this sounded a little intense, wasnt it exciting as well? All in all, the work, Dog Days turned out to be a laid-back, relaxed, slice of life web novel. Zhao Youyue had to admit that after she finished reading the novel, her perception of Stop Gambling changed quite a bit. She even felt that this web novel had the potential to become highly popular. It was yet another niche, hidden gem. It could be seen as a transfiguration novel, but the transfiguration, in this case, involved turning into an animal. If this novel could become highly popular, then she would be able to get a highly popular character card from it. This should be relatively easy, but the key point now was that the creator really had a problem with updating his novel. He was too stubborn for his own good! Zhao Youyue began to look for this books reader group, but found that there was no such thing at all In the comments section, Zhao Youyue also found such comments - - Im here because Im angry that there are no new chapters. Can anyone give me the link to the reader group? I beg all of you. As I have not been able to read Dog Days, Im really dying here! This book has the potential to become a work of a god. Why wont you update it properly? There isnt even a reader group, how are we supposed to urge you to haul ass? If this book is left incomplete, I will hunt the author down and make him incomplete! Update update update update, please! Im completely addicted to it. If its not going to updated soon, Im going to be sick! As the readers of Dog Days were wildly urging for new updates, an uncle dressed in a bathrobe was busy smoking a cigarette. When he walked back into the mahjong room of a bathing center, there were only three people left.[1] He had a beard, but an otherwise unremarkable appearance, the beginnings of a beer belly, and fish eyes. He looked like the life had been drained out of him. However, the moment he sat in front of the mahjong table, the energy in him sprung to life! This mans name was Sun Xian. He had a lot of free time. Of course, his favorite thing to do during that free time was to play mahjong. He had other hobbies such as writing, but he would only resort to it when he felt like he was having bad luck, or when he had ran out of money to play mahjong anymore. Writing was his way to not gamble. He did not write for profit; he only did it to curb his gambling addiction. He was a landlord. Every month, he received about five or six thousand from rent. That was enough to cover the expenses of one person. The extra money he had was used to play mahjong. He definitely lived a good life. Everyone should just live their whole lives leisurely like this. Why did they have to think about so many other things? Old Sun, why are you looking at your phone and smiling. Eyes on the board. Were playing mahjong, a mahjong friend drawled. Oh I wrote some stuff on the internet. Now a bunch of grandchildren are urging me to post more of it. I find it funny watching them get this anxious. Well, fortunately, Im a good person. Even though Im busy with mahjong right now, since they want updates that much, Ill just write anything I can think about. Something totally messy and random would be sufficient to fool this bunch of grandchildren, Sun Xian said in a relaxed manner, while sitting with his legs crossed and smoking away. Sun Xian was basically a super evil creator. He fulfilled that role in all manner! Translation note : [1] Four people are needed to start a game of mahjong properly, but there were only three people left in the mahjong room. Chapter 398 A Good, Relaxing Life With one finger stroking a mahjong piece, Sun Xian multitasked by using the other hand to write articles on his mobile phone. Lady luck was obviously siding him. He had been the dealer for multiple roles; he was the biggest winner of the night! After he updated his novel, its comment section filled with turbulent gasps. Readers who had been demanding frantically for updates were left quiescent with satisfaction. Such a dillydallying plod! Finally, an update! At least it had not been abandoned, right? Facing such an author, readers baseline was dropped lower than usual. They would still be satisfied with one update in every fortnight. Sun Xian grinned while looking at the enthusiasm in the review section. These readers were all so adorable. That was his purpose of writing after all. It was not for the fame nor the profits he could make, but the influence over people, tugging at their emotions like the strings of a puppet. That would be a great accomplishment. However, such accomplishment could not be compared to his victories in mahjong. Mahjong was always the main priority in his heart. Writing came second, and he often pretended that it helped in his retirement from gambling. Sun Xian could not care less about his future. He believed that he could feed himself by collecting rental for the rest of his life. Why would he need a well-planned ambition? He had decided to live his life this way after he graduated from university. He has had a few girlfriends before. Apparently, they did not agree with this laidback attitude. Men can be poor, but they must not be devoid of the will to strive for a better life! That was the typical, mainstream perspective. Yet Sun XIan had no motivation to do anything. To him, the most important aspect of life was to enjoy himself. He did not need substantial indulgence on material needs. With a roof to sleep under and a stomach filled with food, why ask for more? It was better to occupy his free time with few rounds of mahjong Sun Xian passiveness towards life was like the casual players in games such as Earth Online. While others fought their way for promotion and better pay, he spent whatever he had on whatever he wanted to. He appreciated every second of his life by enjoying them, not wasting his fire on some monotonous movements in work. Therefore, he would never post an update for his novel on a daily basis. It would be the typical conduct of boring machinery in work. A storyline of sufficient quality would not be produced by such methods. This was exactly what those incompetent writers did everyday! A talented author would only produce two chapters per month. That would be enough to score a higher rank in any popularity board, compared to other authors. Fortunately, he did not share his thoughts in public. That would make him the enemy of several other godly authors and the readers who worshipped them. They produced more than ten thousand authentic words per day, and he defined that as incompetent? In fact, the ability to maintain high-speed, consistent updates spoke of the true capability as an online writer. That was not just hard work, but true talent as well. For the readers, you might be talented, yet you can show nothing more than two chapters Sun Xian indeed lacked such gifts, yet he did not give a damn. Did he ever say that he wanted to be a professional author? That would never happen. He thought that rental collection was the easiest way to live. Writing online articles only led to a dead end! He ended his mahjong session, strolled out of the bathhouse with a cigarette on his mouth. As the autumn breeze gentle embraced his face, he felt a chill of loneliness that crept deep into his bones. It was a cold autumn night. He felt like an old fart who had lost his way in his life, and could do nothing but loiter on the streets. No matter, there would always be mahjong tomorrow He smoked and sauntered back to his small house. It was an diminutive house made up of just one bedroom and one toilet. He was basically living in a motel, yet he was very comfortable in it. His house was always clean and tidy. It was easy to manage, after all. The kitchen was unnecessary in this age where food delivery was convenient. Even fruits came peeled when delivered. Lunch and dinner could be taken outside. The world was big, why be afraid of food hunting when there was money in the pocket? Breakfast was irrelevant for him. He would never wake up before 10 oclock in the morning. Therefore, there was no such word as breakfast in his dictionary. He did not need to bath at home. His house was right beside a bathhouse. After his regular daily session of mahjong, he would conveniently drop by for a sauna. It was tranquil He usually laid on his bed when he was home. Online television provided everything he needed to watch. He had a laptop, yet he seldom used it, since the mobile phone had evolved intelligently. After all, he was not fond of computer games. Mahjong was way better than any of that. He used to live in a brighter house. However, it was meaningless for him to stay there. He had no attachment left in this world. No one would ever care about him. So, he did not need to care about anyone. He just needed to enjoy his carefree lifestyle till the end of time. He tossed his cigarette aside before he entered the house. Even though he enjoyed the texture of a cigarette in his lips, he had no addiction towards smoking. At home, he could go on without any smoke whatsoever. The only reason he smoked while playing mahjong was to avoid breathing secondhand smoke. Hed rather let others be the secondhand smokers. He smiled contently while as he entered his house. It was decorated ala classical European palace, complete with a beautiful oil painting on its wall He might come across as a person without discipline, yet his house was clean and tidy. There was no unusual odor, but a pleasant fragrance lingered in the air. That fragrance was the smell of incense. He removed his shoes, walked to his late parents photograph and wiped the dust off. He lighted up an incense with an apathetic expression. Perhaps losing his parents had been a very agonizing affair. But that was a lifetime ago. He had made peace with it. If they were still alive, they might have forced him to date someone or something similar. He was a full-grown man in his thirties. People around his age would already have a few children of their own. People would find anyone to get married when they reach this age, would they not? It was merely for the sake of family succession, which meant little to him. He did not want any successors, that would not cause human extinction anyway. It was better to live on his own. Nobody bothered him; he did not have to bother anyone else. Because he had lost passion in everything, he could do whatever he liked Sun Xian, the unproductive and unruly weary soul, was unaware that his idleness had caught the attention of a big shot! Chapter 399 The Selection of a Female Character Zhao Youyue did not rush to investigate the identity of Stop Gambling. She was still investigating the possibilities she needed to take to fabricate a character in that world. After in-depth consideration, she made her conclusion. Obviously, the answer was Yes! Dog Days possessed the vibe of an Adorable Pets Transmutation novel. Even though it was an unusual choice of minority readers, with good writing skills, it could become a hot-selling novel. No doubt it would at least gain some popularity, along with some hardcore fans. Strange Life of a Cat was a similar novel in another world. It was not very famous, yet it had a cult following. [1] It was certain that the author of Stop Gambling was talented in writing, in spite of his character. His words emitted an easy-going aura that resonated well with readers. Readers that appreciated such style would be inundated with satisfaction, and could not help themselves but reward the novel with gifts. Of course, some readers could not take in the flavor of such storylines. They thought the protagonist was too relaxed, and lacked the motivation to do anything else. After he morphed into a dog, he went along with his daily life. With different methods of acting cute and cuddly, how could the story be interesting? However, all these proved that this novel had the potential of becoming famous. Its only downside was its sporadic update frequency. Things would be better if it was updated on a daily basis. Even with merely two thousand words per chapter, the number of followers would increase markedly. It would turn famous! Zhao Youyue was a veteran online novel reader. She was familiar with promotional gift packs and monthly gift packs that significantly boosted a novels ranking. There was a not-so-straight method of subscribing to Taobao services such as God of Votes, which repeatedly voted a targetted novel as the best novel, increasing its exposure. This had to be done discreetly and progressively. Once the votes surpass that of some prominent authors, it could be ruthlessly implemented. Of course, this had been forbidden by the officials, but only reports from significant profiles would be taken seriously. Small-fry reports? Those were just out of envious spite! Book writing was actually a game of the wealthy. Money could exponentially increase a books exposure, money could do anything it pleased. Poor authors could only wait for officials recommendations. Even so, those recommendations hardly mattered. For a book with unseemly low view counts, what reason was there for readers to still read it? Hence, Zhao Youyue decided that once Dog Days increased its update frequency; she would fully support it with funds. She would directly manage this novel, boosting its popularity. It had a character that she would like to take control of. A character that had the potential of becoming a highly popular character, which allowed her to collect its character card. Thats right, Zhao Youyue intention was not obtaining an iconic character card. It required a high qualification from both author and novel. Dog Days was a far cry from iconic novels, and its author Stop Gambling did not seem very dependable, either. Zhao Youyue thought Dog Days had the potential to give birth to a sophisticated character. She had to decide which character to possess, and what behavior and abilities to grant her. There were many female side characters in the novel, but each of them had a name. However, their appearances were short and brief, and they lasted no longer than a few chapters. Perhaps as the author proceeded with his story, he had forgotten the names of those characters. It was a common mistake for newbie authors. They did not bother to picture the character in their mind, causing lots of familiar but nameless, faces with unsubstantial backgrounds to exist in the story. It was impossible to remember all of it, as most of them appeared only for a short while. They vanished swiftly, as they were all easily replacable. This actually worked to Zhao Youyues advantage. At least, it was better than Rosemarys The Strongest King which was awkwardly lacking of a named female character. She had to ask Rosemary for a cameo personally Zhao Youyue did not need to ask cameo from Stop Gambling. There were plenty of female cameos, and each of them were easy to manipulate. Nevertheless, Xia Qingqing which almost recognized as the female protagonist, had very little space left for creativity. She had no values to be infused with. As a Chief Executive Officer, her aggression in her stressful career was never portrayed in the story. The only thing that gave any further insight on her characteristics was her warm interactions with her pet Xia Qingqing did not display the imperious personality of a Chief Executive Officer, but a gentle elder sister. She radiated an aura of motherly love. Perhaps, that was how a perfect woman would be, in Stop Gamblings heart? Usually, male and female protagonists created by the author were the mental imageries of himself and his ideal partner. Zhao Youyue thought Xia Qingqing was an ordinary female protagonist who was not particularly headstrong. If she possessed that character, she would never tell if there was a presence of a mans soul inside her pet, nor get close to the pet. She did not have the experience of caring a dog. She had only taken care of grown men, at most Xia Qingqing was a frail female protagonist, a polar opposite of Altair, who was a firm and strong female protagonist. If Zhao Youyue failed to obtain a character card after possessing in Altair, she would have only experienced a marvelous vacation by doing nothing. Zhao Youyue could not foresee any worthwhile experience in Xia Qingqins world. Zhao Youyue was a female chief executive officer in real life. She could buy a Pomeranian anytime she wanted. However, she could not become the mysterious Altair, travel across dimensions. Hence, Zhao Youyue reviewed the brief story, intending to identify any potential female character with unique characteristics. Some authors did not have an outline of their stories. Perhaps they loved to leave blanks and conceal a secluded plot for the future. Even when they did, they would not keep track of the details and soon forget them, as much as their readers did. Nevertheless, it was an era of fragmented reading. Some online novels buried a plot detail only to reveal it after a very long period of time. Authors revealed their hidden plot details with pride, only to be greeted by dumbfounded readers Was that even there in the first place? Alright. Actually, authors sometimes forget them as well. They would sometimes encounter a writers block, and as they flip back and re-read their previous chapters, they would be reminded of such secluded plot details With the help of Two Dimensional Gate, Zhao Youyue intended to do what she could not carry out in the real world. Only the impossible made it all worthwhile. The moment she saw cat girl popping up in Dog Days, a bulb lit up above her head. Finally, a topic she could make use of. The name of cat girl was Hua Xiaomao, with a nickname called Mao Mao. She was an employee in the pet shop that was owned by the protagonists friend. She behaved like a cat in her daily life, as it allowed her to understand cats in a better way. The cats in the pet shop were well taken care of That was all to it. Her description did not even elaborate on her appearance. Zhao Youyue presumed this was definitely a secluded plot device! Hua Xiaomao was not actually a cat girl, she only possessed the ability to morph into a cat. Whenever her soul was in the cat, her body became a vessel for cats soul. That was why she behaved exactly like a cat! Her name sounded just like Cat Morphling! Perfect Logic! Impeccable! Translators Notes: [1] Strange Life of a Cat is an online novel written by Lazy Clich (). It begins with protagonist, Zheng Tan returned to 2003 in the form of a black cat. He was found by the Jiao family and named Charcoal. The mind of a twenty-years-old man trapped in the body of the cat, challenges and adventures were just getting started. Chapter 400 Breaking The No Animal Training in China Paradox Zhao Youyue found the ability to morph into a cat interesting. In other words, with such a character in Dog Days, it would certainly be much fascinating than merely a story with Xia Qingqing. Its popularity might outshine even the male protagonist. Readers would love Hua Xiaomao, but not Su Qing. Cats were living creatures that behaved coldly, under normal circumstances. The rare occasions of their adorable antics only became all the more rewarding, that way. In this era of Cat slaves, not Dog slaves, apparently cats were born to be bosses. Countless men devoted themselves as their dung cleaners. At worst, Hua Xiaomao might not make it as high popularity character. However, Zhao Youyue was interested in the experience of being a cat in the novels world. Would that not be an exciting episode? The Two Dimensional Gate enabled Zhao Youyue to experience different peoples lives. If she used it conservatively without breaking any rules, that would be too dull. To her, rules were made to be broken, and life only mattered when it contained broken rules. It was just like how she dominated the world as Lee Yunlong, a young female Eirei. She craved for the excitement of destroying worlds. It was unlike any other plain old, cliched novel. However, terminating such actions were more frustrating than anything else. They ended like unfulfilled dreams. But such things had to be stopped, or things could cause trouble for the authors. Usually, rational authors would harmonize with her destructive behaviors by assuming that it was an outcome of frenzied imagination or excessive drinking. They treated their work seriously, such abnormal storylines were unacceptable, and had to be altered accordingly to avoid any adverse effects. The only concern was that some authors might just descend into a suicidal state. They would, for lack of a better word, end their novels with an explosion. As Zhao Youyues destructive actions start to fit into the puzzle, or rather, get shoved into spaces that do not fit them, the creators would clamp them in place and move with the flow, ending their own work in a jaw-dropping, sensational way. That was precisely what the creator of War Heroes did. His actions later made him an idol of war-fighting drama series. As a result, characters of this drama became the Bilibili Kichiku All-Stars. The characters designed by Zhao Youyue caused most of the world collapsing incidents. When their abilities started to exceed the power of the authors level of depiction, readers would start to sense the vast disparity. Her destructive acts often had the potential to kill off all the original protagonists Dog Days contained special abilities. But, why would only the male protagonist possess a special ability, while other characters did not? It was only logical for a character with the ability to morph into a cat to show up. Perhaps some other character who could morph into a cockroach had yet to make itself known. That would be disastrous, just like Gregor Samsa, the protagonist in Franz Kafkas novel, The Metamorphosis. [1] Regardless of it being a cat or a dog; they survived by being an adorable pet. Once they became a vessel of a human soul, they could perform various facial expressions and animated antics. These could be used to break the traditional idealism of No Animal Training is allowed in China. Some would love to be the cute animals from Cats Planet or Dogs Planet who were capable of morphing into humans. If, by chance, their owner is some National Husband, they would live a life with no worries, a life that was way better than being a human! However, someone morphing into a cockroach or insect would most likely be crushed by a shoe or something. They could never be a pet Zhao Youyue curiously wondered. If she obtains Hua Xiaomaos character card, and used that card in real life to morph into a cat, what would happen? She could not wait to use this character card in real life Nevertheless, the powers that will be always made modifications for elements of different worlds to coincide. For example, when she activated the character card of a young female scholar, Wen Qingyu, she did not actually eat the book. In other words, she was only imagining herself eating the book. When others looked at her, they would only see a girl, so deeply engaged in her book that her mouth would repeat their contents, as if she was memorizing them. She had managed to achieve the same effect in both worlds. By imagining herself eating famous classic novel, she had been able to memorize the book. Her recollection of it was not simply limited to words, but in every other aspect. Savoring the flavor of various masterpieces had all been a pleasant process. She was able to relive the emotions those authors felt at the exact moment when those words were formed. The young female scholar Wen Qingyu was the perfect reader; she was able to comprehend the messages and feelings that those authors attempted to convey. Zhao Youyue was the perfect reader, in the hearts of professional writers and illustrators. She was far too generous! Now that she had Wen Qingyus ability to eat books, she was an existence that could probably be replicated, only when the planets were aligned. No living human would be able to accept such a combination In a truly advanced technology world, it was possible to use procedural methods to create a phenomenon that was seemingly magic or divine in nature. This was an undeniable truth. Some web novels used science to explain magic and powers. They described the method of walking into the magical world, or the path of becoming a god as if it was a very real phenomenon. If magic, abilities or powers existed in the real world, they were unacceptable and irrelevant. Science just could not explain them. Of course, this was the perspective of those who believed that science could explain everything. On the day when Zhao Youyue conjures up a fireball in the real world; they might even convince themselves that she merely made a unique flamethrower of sorts. They would only accept the most rational, logical explanations. Zhao Youyue was now a firm believer of mythology, as she possessed the Two Dimensional Gate. She did not believe that science could explain everything, or provide her any understanding of her imaginary powers. Yet, Two Dimensional Gate had been able to do that. It could not be helped. She was not a rational thinker nor a scientist. She was not a great, patriotic person who prioritized on the greater good. She would have announced her possession of Two Dimensional Gate, and cooperated with national researchers to analyze and dig into every unknown potential of the Two Dimensional Gate. Zhao Youyue would never do that. She kept this all for herself, hoping to improvise every skill, gradually. Someday, she would fabricate a character card similar to A Great Scientist. She could perform research on herself, by herself! Zhao Youyue picked the passer-by character, Hua Xiaomao. Unhesistantly, she entered the novel Dog Days. She immediately took control of the character, and started to program her behavior and abilities. Translation Note: [1] The Metamorphosis (German: Die Verwandlung) is a novella written by Franz Kafka which was first published in 1915. Gregor is the main character of the story. He works as a traveling salesman in order to provide money for his sister and parents. He wakes up one morning finding himself transformed into an insect. After the metamorphosis, Gregor becomes unable to work and is confined to his room for most of the remainder of the story. Chapter 401 A Passerby and Contingent Worker Each novel world has its personalized style, with an intense spread of unique contents. Each world would always be relative to its authors behavior. Zhao Youyue was very well aware of this, as she had already gone through dozens of worlds. Within Dog Days, Zhao Youyue felt surrounded by a leisurely ambiance. Her whole body was held down by such an immense weight, that she had no desire to lift herself up. She did not despise it. This lazy, harmonious world could serve as a vacation for her mind. Adhering to her original plan; she took control of the passer-by character Hua Xiaomao. She set the characters behavior as an amicable, adorable young girl. What else would boost her popularity if not for textbook cat-like behavior? The male protagonist never ever found out the reason of him morphing into a dog. Naturally, Zhao Youyue followed the same format here. Why is she turning into a cat? Who knows? Such was the advantage of writing fiction. The author was literally the god of every fabricated phenomena, and held the keys to the logic behind it. If she morphed into a cat, so shall it be. No explanations were necessary. In the first place, how could the male protagonist morph into a dog? The bizarreness of his shape-shifting was a clear indicator of this novels energy level. Of course, this meant that there could be others out there, morphing into cute animals at random. Zhao Youyue finished keying in the settings related to this young cat-morphing girl C Hua Xiaomao. The completed vessel was ready for her to occupy. Zhao Youyue, or rather, Hua Xiaomao did not blatantly rush atop the stage. No matter the case, her actions in the novel world had to start off slow. Otherwise, sensitive authors would sense something amiss. This character was just a passerby, arent I writing about her just a little too much? Shes stealing the spotlight She could not risk being spotted. As long as she gave her best effort, readers would eventually take notice of her. She had to move in like a ninja, since she was starting off as a passerby. Novels would most likely collapse if she went in guns blazing. It had been a while since Zhao Youyue took control of a passerby character like Xu Jing and Hua Xiaomao. All of her recent characters had been known to their respective authors. She had more free will, without risk of arousing suspicion. The authors would only presume that they had entered some sort of zone. On the contrary, passerby characters were as good as dead. Thats right, they looked as healthy as horses, but it was their final play. After the one-time show, the puppeteer would cast aside their strings and leave them in the dark, never to be remembered again. Such passerby characters were plentiful in web novels. For instance, a salesperson who took a slap from a protagonist in some passing city. They would never show up for the second time. As for those professional gangster cameos, they only served to elaborate on the bravery of male protagonist. They would generously harass the female protagonist, only allowing the male protagonist to express his stand in the face of injustice in hundreds of ways. A female protagonist earned her chance to be impressed, the hero earned his chance to save the beauty, those gangsters earned their opportunity to take a beating. Nevertheless, the possibilities of such coincidences occurring in reality, were almost none. How could a lady find herself in the middle of some shady business involving some small-fry gangsters, the logic was nonexistent Hence, such small-fry gangster characters would never appear in a novel twice. Even if they did, they would not carry the same names. The author would not even bother naming them in their first appearances. Sadly, such as how every other conventional author out there treated these expendable gangsters. Perhaps they would be all out of fresh ideas, bringing out such gangsters to start a fight each time they attempted to introduce a new female character. As they bought time with a lengthy fight scene and more flirtatious fluff, they would start rummaging about for new ideas. Salespersons, small-fry gangsters, and other passerby roles were disposable renewables. To be cast aside after a one-time usage. Hua Xiaomao was such a character. She was a salesperson in the pet shop, and only served to introduce the variety of cat breeds to the male protagonist in the pet shop just before he made his purchase. After that, she would be completely forgotten. Usually, such a character would not even be left with a name. In this case, Stop Gambling had been generous enough to give her a name. Otherwise, Zhao Youyue would have had no chance of finding a doorway into this novel. Zhao Youyue assumed that it was a good habit on the part of Stop Gambling. Naming expendable characters may confuse the readers, but with a name, such characters had the possibility of surprise re-entries. When readers learn of his intention, they would strongly disagree to such a ridiculous thought So what if they had names? They were still passersby, right? Within entertainment novels, passersby made up a majority of the population. They could be the hypothetical readers, or a random witness expressing their thoughts on the events occurring in the novel from a third person perspective. After an exclamation of This is amazing! they would vanish into obscurity. Smart authors would use them frequently. These simple, efficient-minded authors would throw out a This is amazing! for every new development in the male protagonist, be it character or ability. No matter what people thought of it, its effects were undeniable. Those cheerleaders would vanish soonafter. Who would remember them? They would never be mentioned again. However, their momentary presences would have added an unmistakable flair to the novel. Without them, how else would a novel be appetizing? The genre notwithstanding, such passersby were essential. The protagonist needed an audience, in-novel or otherwise. Thats the point of being a protagonist! There were several types of passersby. Some were meant to be amazed by protagonists actions, while others would blindly hurl praises. The best type of passersby were those ladies who went ooh and aah at about anything Such ladies had the potential of being propelled into actual roles. Apparently, even beautiful passersby had special rights. Reality was also awash with such passersby. They all had names, but they easily passed unnoticed. The world will never revolve around them, so they converged around entertainment sources instead. Every man on the street formed people, and people were the protagonists of all time. And people made history. Of course, there were leaders and heroes among the people. Compared to these protagonists born with gifts that the creator bestowed upon them, most of them became audience members who shouted This is amazing! Chapter 402 Feeling Like a Cat At long last, Zhao Youyue morphed into a cat in the novel world. She was a black Xuan Cat. Xuan also meant mysterious in Chinese, and it aptly described the color of the cat which was pitch dark, so much so that it blazed in a fiery red. Legends told that Xuan Cat, a cat blazed in fiery black, was a spirit cat. From ancient times until now, Xuan Maos were charms that warded off evil spirits. Yet, modern people often mistook them as something else. They were not merely cats with black fur. They warded off evil spirits, and that was why they appeared in times of calamity. Under the influence of modern storytelling and photography, people have been misled into believing that it brought nothing but calamity and misfortune. These cats were nothing but bad omens. In truth, they were holding the wrong end of the stick. Zhao Youyue thought that black cats were cool. Perhaps she had been influenced by Zheng Tan in Strange Life of a Cat. Just like Zheng Tan, she morphed into a Xuan Cat, curled up in a fetal position, fast asleep. At last, Zhao Youyue experienced how it felt like to be a cat! A cats world was a completely different realm! Cats had poor eyesights, similar to short-sighted humans. Almost everything was blurry. On top of that, they were color blind. Everything they saw was in black and white. Fortunately, cats had rod-shaped photoreceptor cells on their retinas. Those cells were highly sensitive to light. They could see in near-total darkness. Instead of color, they saw the light. The brighter the light, the better they saw. It was the same way how black and white pictures were produced with differing densities of black spots. In a cats eyes, these pictures were three dimensional. Despite their poor eyesight, they had extreme reflexes, and could zone in on just about anything, be it something as small as a cockroach or mice. A cat would jump towards it, before a human even registered it being there. Suspended strings drove them crazy. They would curl up on their hunches, prepared to pounce as if they were hunting prey. The cat body gave Zhao Youyue a great degree of discomfort. She pitied those who had involuntarily morphed into animals After all these years of living as a human, it was not easy to adapt to the differences in an animals body. The cats sight threw her off. That was just the beginning of things, she had not even investigated the other senses yet. Coincidentally, it was late at night. Zhao Youyue realized that the cats night vision was incredibly sharp, and with incredible cat reflexes, as she leaped out of the pet shop with ease. The human anatomy had nothing on this Zhao Youyue had always been fond of new adventures and experiences. This was a unique experience for her. She simply needed to focus on her thoughts, and poof! Back to human form again. Very interesting! Nevertheless, it had no practical usage whatsoever. She was merely a cat, and one without any destructive capabilities nor any special abilities. As a Xuan cat, she had expected to see etherial existences such as wandering souls and spirits. How disappointing. Perhaps she could be mischievous and give innocent passersby a fright. Unfortunately, she was not a fully grown cat. She could only remain adorable and behave pleasantly. Zhao Youyue found it interesting to run with four legs. It came in the form of muscle memory, the same way how people walked with two legs easily. Cats were able to run and climb trees with all four legs. The clarity of the night was awe-inspiring. At that moment, she remained indecisive on whether to approach the male protagonist as a black cat. Nevertheless, Shu Qing was the protagonist of Dog days. Along with the Hiromi dog that he constantly morphed into, they made up the core of this novella. The only way of entering the spotlight would be by approaching the male protagonist Web novels were stories that commonly revolved around the main protagonist. They were written in such a way that readers would remain with the main characters throughout the entire tale. Only a few talented authors could write from multiple vantage points, with multiple characters being surrounded by their own stories. Only a handful of authors were capable of writing such drama. Stop Gambling was gifted in writing, but he was far too underdeveloped in many other aspects. He lacked the responsibility of a professional author and the discipline to update his novel regularly. Zhao Youyue went ahead and looked for Shu Qing in her black cat form. The real world may be large, and events occurred far apart from each other, but novels typically took place in far smaller worlds. As Zhao Youyue moved towards the protagonist Shu Qing, she found the world that was out of readers sights C barren and uninhabited Thats right; it was a novella made up of merely tens of thousands of words. There was no substance or large-scale events. With a limited amount of noticeable scenery, few characters had frequent appearances in the novella. Basically, this novella world was a miniature sandbox. If readers were not going to see it, there was no need to write about it. This world felt more like a realistic, lucid dream rather than an alternate dimension. Between the two, it was still inclined towards the real world. When Setsuna sent her in as Altair, to a world of cities; she had almost been convinced of its reality. It had much to offer regarding adventure and exploration, perhaps even moreso than the real world. According to the data she collected from the Two Dimensional Gate, finished novels would have fixed worlds. Perhaps these worlds were real. Their contents were possibly intercepted by authors and converted into words under the guise of inspirations. That was why iconic works had such convincing lore. Zhao Youyue always wanted to visit one of those completed iconic novellas and cause some trouble. She might just gain something from it. The real world was the only one true world in Zhao Youyues heart. A novellas world was merely a hunting ground. Her quarry? More abilities. She would kill everyone in the world to get what she wanted. After all, she held power over everything, their authors included! Authors often played with their creations to produce comedy. It was a proven fact. The more clashes and conflicts in a novella, the more interesting it was to read! Ase Zhao Youyue started her mischief in Dog Days, Sun Xian, otherwise known as Stop Gambling was lounging in his chair, playing mahjong with a cigarette in his mouth. Suddenly, he whipped out his phone and thumbed away like a madman Here comes the inspiration! Chapter 403 Little Youyue Failed, Big Time Inspiration often came without any reason. They did not come upon command, they came as they liked. One could be struck by an overwhelming wave of inspiration as they lazed about. Oftentimes, the wildest form of inspirations came, when one was at his calmest Of course, Sun Xian was languishing about as he always did. Undoubtedly, he lived a leisurely life. Some people might find the fact that he had no more relatives in this world to be really sad. On the contrary, he could not have asked for more freedom. As he was utterly devoid of ambition, he was also free from the stress that commonly entailed. The only exertion on his part would be on how to pass the day by. In addition to mahjong, which was necessary, what else should he play? Around the mahjong table, he was the only one who was without a job or hobby of his own. His mahjong partners could not possibly play mahjong with him all day long. Unemployed social outcasts like him were still rare. He did not even consider looking for a lifelong partner, because this would only mean that he had to bid his leisurely life goodbye. A family only meant more responsibilities. Even if he wanted to rest on his laurels, he would never be left with peace of mind. As a landlord, his income was enough for feed one mouth Naturally, as someone who had no loved ones to nag at him, no one could force him to search for a woman to marry. This was fortunate, as it was never his intention. He did not believe that someone like him C who remained idle all day long was not deserving of any children. If all humans came upon his way of life, the human race would surely face extinction. He desired very little. Moreover, in recent times, the internet had grown rich with resources. He could casually look up for videos of some reputable artists who produced quality work. When these videos are paired with his five girls[1], he would easily be able to enter the kenja time[2]. With the terrifying rate of technological development, there might be a day where men would no longer need real women. Intelligent, pre-programmed robots might one day be able to fill the void of what that could otherwise be someones true love. As long as they had been set according to the users personal preference, and was the glitchless, perfect girl of their users. For loveless slobs like him, women were probably nothing but the fulfillment of physical needs. He was not planning to have children, and he could satisfy his physical desires with his own hands, so why would he still need a woman? Sun Xian had once shared those thoughts with his two best buddies. One of them was Wang Liang, who owned a pet store. He was the inspiration behind the owner of the pet store in Sun Xians novel. Another was Li Ming, a civil servant who had once dreamt of setting up a rock band. Now, he was happy and content with his current job as a civil servant. The both of them have been married for many years. Li Ming had fired off a shotgun wedding, right after he graduated. He had fallen in love on his own accord. Wang Liang only got married after his parents urged him to go on a blind date, where he met his wife. However, his wife had quickly clicked with him. She was a teacher, and they shared a happy life together. The both of them had admitted that they were envious of Sun Xians free and leisurely life. Even so, they certainly could not be like him. They were ordinary folk, with proper upbringings. When they were of age, they were obligated to marry and have children, no matter what. They had to compromise and conform to societal pressure. If Li Ming had not passed the civil servants test, his wifes parents might have separated the both of them. His dreams of forming a rock band vanished, and in its place were his children. However, he never dropped the guitar. When the three of them met up on weekends, he would still play the guitar and sing them some songs. Of course, they also played mahjong together. The only problem was that every single time, they had to find another person to join them. It was a bit of a hassle. Perhaps they should get themselves a regular in the future. The longer Wang Liang and Li Ming were married, the more they envied Sun Xians life. However, if they were allowed to exchange lives with Sun Xian, they would undoubtedly decline. They were content with their statuses as regular, upright citizens. Moreover, deep down, they clearly saw the depths of Sun Xians loneliness. Thus, they collectively did everything in their power to take care of him. At least Sun Xian still had friends. Furthermore, men were not like women. Men did play matchmakers. Besides, Sun Xians age, coupled with the fact that he was an orphan made it difficult for any woman to trust in him. Sun Xian himself did not wish to get married. So, what was the point of insisting on it? At this time, Sun Xian was playing mahjong with his best friends, Wang Liang and Li Ming, as well as one of his classmates that they had randomly called up. When Wang Liang saw Sun Xian whipping out his mobile phone with much gusto, he could not help but ask, Old Sun, whats up with you? Countless scenes flashed across Sun Xians mind. Most of it featured a certain black cat. He suddenly had the intriguing idea of adding in a girl who could swap bodies with a cat in his novel. She would be able to add a new twist to the story, and interact with the male protagonist to comedic effect. He had never been so focused and intent on writing! However, Sun Xians mahjong game had yet to conclude. Playing Mahjong with his best buddies was more important than this wave of non-beneficial inspiration! He calmly slipped his phone back into his pocket and said, I had some ideas about the novel Im writing Then, do you want to write it now? Li Ming asked with concern. Li Ming did not like to read novels, but he was very supportive of Sun Xians hobby of writing novels. He believed that writing novels was better than doing nothing all day long. Sun Xian may seem bright and enthusiastic at times, but his decadence and loneliness did show at times. Li Ming feared that one day, Sun Xian might get disillusioned and end up committing suicide Sometimes, when people lose their loved ones, they lose their anchors. Most of the time, friends were not enough to replace their loved ones. Nah, mahjong is more important! I only write to stretch my mind. Its just another time-burner for me, Sun Xian said calmly. Thus, Sun Xians love for mahjong overpowered even the supernatural draw of the intoxication. He shamelessly resumed holding off his updates. Creators came in all shapes and sizes, and he was another unique individual. The inspiration and imagination threatened to overload his mind, but he had no intention of channeling them! Inspiration. If fail to capitalize on it, it would carry on with its journey Four to five days later, Sun Xian finally got to writing again. By then, he had completely forgotten about the cat-morphing girl. He continued to lazily run his thumb across the screen, prolonging the interactions between the boy who swapped bodies with the Pomeranian and the beautiful female CEO, Xia Qingqing. Inspiration? Intoxication? Nonexistent! Mahjong was his life. If he had to pick between Mahjong and Writing, he would pounce upon the former! He did not write to earn cash, nor did he intend to leave his imprint on Earth via masterpieces. He only did this to kill time. Why should he give it any of his best? He could not care less about what readers thought of his work. If they liked it, they were welcome; if they did not, move along! Zhao Youyue, the young, trouble-making girl who had grown most proficient at her art, found that all her efforts had amounted to naught. The following updates did not feature any cats, any girls, and most definitely none of her shapeshifting abilities! Little Youyue had really failed, big time! Translation note : [1] Five girls () is a Chinese internet slang which refers to the five fingers of a mans hand. When a man is lonely, he will look for his five girls (masturbate). [2] Kenja time (in Japanese: ) (in Chinese: ) (lit. wise mans time) is an online slang, referring to the period after orgasm when a man is free from sexual desires and can think clearly. In the post-orgasmic period when a mans thoughts are no longer impaired by his sexual drive, he is thus likened to a sage of clear mind. In English, it is also referred to as the refractory period. Chapter 404 On the Hunt for Stop Gambling Zhao Youyue was in a foul mood. Nothing had gone to plan. She now realized how vast the world truly was, and there was no end to the eccentricity of creators. They were capable of doing things that often exceeded the expectations of ordinary people. For the first time, Zhao Youyue encountered a creator who had such a blatant disregard over her actions. She had put her back into causing a ripple in this world. However, Stop Gambling did not even bat an eyelid. He did not even welcome the intoxicated state that so many others could only dream of. Was this creator even here to write? Did he have a conscience? Of course not! If someone asked Sun Xian this: Why be a web novelist at all? He would drawl out something that went along the lines of this: Well, I have so much time, I just had to do something to kill that time. Who would have known that his writings would attract so many readers? All he did was to simply write a story about someone turning into a Pomeranian and act cute If creators who were pursuing fame and seeking fortune had been put in such a situation, they would surely rejoice. They would write their novels with renewed vigor and ensure that their readers would be satisfied. It was only normal for a professional writer to act as so. All this enthusiasm, praise and support only made Sun Xian mildly pleasant. The fact that he was receiving so much support from his readers gave him a warm, fuzzy feeling, but nothing more. What else did they want? Constant daily updates? Not possible! He wrote web novels just to kill time, not to torture himself. If he had to update his novel every day, when would he be able to rest? He was devoid of aspirations, and filled to the brim with ideals of a leisurely life. He only lived to enjoy life to its fullest. Mahjong reigned over everything else all the other side jobs and inconveniences. Even if inspiration forced itself upon him, he would never react to it like how other creators would. He would simply allow the inspiration to dissipate in an extremely wasteful manner and continue playing mahjong When he finally decided to kill time, he wrote them, according to his own ideas. He discarded all the inspiration aside. Why would he have to take the more interesting route? He wanted nothing more than to ensure that his work remained as leisurely and carefree as him. Only this way, could he lay back in the process of creation This was his zone, his turf. Why stress himself out like other creators who were slaves to deadlines and stuff. Even editors would often transform into devils before the deadlines and drive their authors like slaves. The pressure and stress were just too much. Such pressure would undoubtedly affect the quality of their work. Zhao Youyue had pulled the shortest straw ever. She had encountered an utterly useless excuse of a creator this time. She never imagined him to be such a person. She had assumed the fault to be hers. She had deliberately interacted with the male protagonist to get a share of his screen time. This probably made the creator very uncomfortable, and did not follow through with it This was the first time Zhao Youyue had found her intervention completely blotted out by the creator. She may be discontented about it, but she could not deny how refreshing it was. If she no longer felt optimistic about this story, she might have shut off every semblance of safeguarding and put her foot down. She could simply murder the protagonist and ruin the entire novel. That way, regardless of the creator writing these scenes out, she would be able to make her exit. Even if that was the case, the next time the Two Dimensional Gate opened, her next world would still be a random choice, by discretion of the Two Dimensional Gate. If the next world provided her no better comfort than Dog Days, she would have been frustrated to no end. The Two Dimensional Gate simply loved messing with her Zhao Youyue quickly made a decision. She would personally contact the creator of Dog Days, and attempt to arrange for her appearance in that world. At the same time, she would use various methods of egging him on, and make known to him the intense resentment that his loyal readers harbored. Then, a problem arose. How could this creator be contacted? Generally, authors would establish their personal reader groups, but Stop Gambling did not. Thus, readers had no way of urging him on. This could be considered a smart move on his part, as he never left the readers any opportunities to urge him for updates Fortunately, this work was contracted, which indicated that the editor had the means of contacting the author. Authors who had their qualms would be added into an author group by the editor, according to different categories. Zhao Youyue suddenly thought of someone. Of course, it was the internal manager C Shi Jingnian, who was still in the midst of convalescence. She paid Shi Jingnian another visit. He looked considerably better. However, when he saw the short-haired, side-character Zhao Youyue, he was not as enthusiastic, considerate, and patient as before. Shi Jingnian was a horny guy. He would only show his best attitude when dealing with top beauties. Therefore, his eyes would only accept the long-haired goddess Zhao Youyue. The short-haired, side-character Zhao Youyue did not exist in his world. No matter what, Zhao Youyue was still his creditor. He could only obey the demands of his creditor. When Zhao Youyue saw Shi Jingnian, she said, Are you in the Qidian city signed authors group? Theres a certain author Im looking for. Shi Jingnian did not feel like saying anything. He wordlessly handed over his QQ account to Zhao Youyue. Zhao Youyue logged onto Shi Jingnians QQ account. She realized that this guy was not only the big-shot internal manager that had abandoned more than a dozen web novels, but was also part of almost every author group and of every possible category. He was part of so many QQ author groups that one would have trouble comprehending what they read Clearly, Zhao Youyues idea had been a nave one. This Qidian City and Workplace Channel contained 999 people. Only some of the creators inside used their own pseudonyms which allowed their works to be traced. The others were simply using their personal monikers. If that was the case, how would Zhao Youyue search for this Stop Gambling? She dropped in a message using Shi Jingnians QQ account, Is Stop Gambling, the author of Dog Days here? She even started asking around for someone who knew Stop Gambling. The creator Stop Gambling was clearly a veteran lurker. On top of that, he was a new author. Naturally, no one knew who he was. Instead, the senior internal manager Shi Jingnian was recognized. While the group of authors who fell into his trap was busy yelling at him, they were also asking him for updates. Of course, Zhao Youyue happily replied saying, The updates for the novels will be resumed, its just a temporary suspension of publication. They have not been abandoned Most of the authors were also readers. Naturally, their passion for reading mirrored their passion for writing. Shi Jingnian was a senior internal manager. As a senior in the field, countless younger authors were his readers, which explained why something like that would happen. Zhao Youyue had always thought that it was easy to contact web novelists. When the cold, harsh truth finally hit her in the face, she soon realized how wrong she had been! Chapter 405 Give Me Some Face Facts have proven that Zhao Youyues small setbacks could easily be solved, because she currently had a good standing in Qidian. As long as she asked someone to give her some face[1], they would surely do it. She directly contacted a certain citys entertainment platinum giant named, Softshell Turtle. He had managed to sign a platinum contract courtesy of his book, All-rounder Superstar. His book was simply put C badly written. Its selling point was the endless streams of shocking plot twists and turnarounds. As long as the readers held their breaths and read on, they would be able to feed off a retarded form of enjoyment and sink deeper into brain death. Ever since Master Softshell Turtle became a god, his updates stopped. However, the popularity of his book remained unaffected. Even though he was constantly ridiculed and berated by countless readers, it did not stop him from making money. Zhao Youyue was also one of his readers. His work was relaxing and easy on the brain. Of course, as a happy reader, she casually rewarded the author and became a Silver Sect Master. Eventually, she successfully contacted Master Softshell Turtle. A famous God of Tycoon on Qidian like Zhao Youyue was acquainted with several other great authors. If it was not for the fact that she was busy with her third year of high school, she would have most certainly attended various fan meetings. Therefore, when he listened to the small request of a God of Tycoons, Master Softshell Turtle complied most affably. Without hesitation, he helped her. Among the entirety of Qidians community, Zhao Youyue probably had the best reputation. With the help of Master Softshell Turtle, they were able to directly contact the chief editor who was in charge of the categorization of groups. Of course, the chief editor also had the information pertaining to all contracting authors. Fortunately, Stop Gambling was a contracting author. He probably signed the contract to prevent wastage from his potential earnings. Zhao Youyue got the contact information of Stop Gambling from the chief editor. Lo and behold, there was both his QQ account and his phone number. She directly added him on QQ, but still failed to contact him, because an uncle-level author like Stop Gambling did not use QQ often. He was more of an active user of WeChat Zhao Youyue was not a shy, introverted girl. Or, rather, after the rigorous training under the Two Dimensional Gate, her maturity was now far beyond her actual age. Thus, she directly keyed in Sun Xians mobile phone number. At that point in time, Sun Xian had just puffed out a cloud of smoke, still indulged in his mahjong game. He felt his phone vibrate, and saw that it was an unknown number. He answered the call out of curiosity. He heard an extremely gentle, charming girls voice, Hello, is this Mister Stop Gambling, the author of Dog Days? Im a loyal reader Zhao Youyue was most certainly skilled at flattering others. In fact, she would make a superb politician. Her diplomatic sway would easily enthrall most. Moreover, she had a charming, pleasant voice. Therefore, the Man Show[2] uncle Sun Xian fell into Zhao Youyues trap, even though he did not believe that women were necessary. Evidently, the desire to communicate and interact with women was merely buried, not absent. Perhaps, the middle-aged Sun Xian caught a full whiff of youthful vibe when he heard that Zhao Youyue was a female high school student. Talking to such a young girl was most refreshing, and he felt his youth returning. Was this why so many uncles were Lolicons? Sun Xian was no Lolicon. He simply had too much time. His life was peaceful but mundane. Therefore, he desired for excitement in controlled bouts. Gambling was undoubtedly a risk. It provided entertainment in its own way. Everyone would be consumed by the thirst for victory as they gambled. However, winning too often was just as boring. The greatest draw of gambling was most precisely the unknown risk that came with it Sun Xian had not been in touch with women for a long time. Only now did he learn that his novel had actually won the hearts of so many. Someone had even taken the initiative to get his contact information and contact him personally. What little interest he had in his work was now replaced with some motivation. He should not disappoint his female fans, right? Sun Xian was equally polite on the phone. He did not sound like the creator who treated his readers as his grandchildren. Perhaps he felt a sense of accomplishment. This female reader had actually taken the initiative to contact him. She was not a grandchild, but a loyal reader who truly understood him! Sun Xians mahjong buddies, Wang Liang and Li Ming soon noticed that Sun Xian speaking politely and carefully. His ordinarily uncle face was suddenly radiant with joy. The both of them exchanged looks. Their curiosity had been piqued, and they wanted to know more. Was this guy, who had always insisted his lack of need for a woman, finally coming to his senses? Wait, but which woman would actually fall for a unambitious, unmotivated, indolent, lazy, unemployed social outcast like Sun Xian? How awful could her taste be? After an extremely pleasant conversation, Sun Xian ended the call with a smile. He opened his WeChat, prepared to add this female fan as a friend. He was actually curious to see how she looked like. As he added her on WeChat, his friends could no longer restrain their curiosity. They started probing. Generally speaking, in addition to the two of them who were best buddies of Sun Xian, the only people who would take the initiative to call Sun Xian was most probably the delivery man. Or maybe, someone who was trying to phish him. It could not be helped. Sun Xians social circle was pathetic. His own personality was the key issue. It did not add up. A guy like him who was not lacking of free time should have lots of time for socializing. Even though he looked really unremarkable and was short, it did not really matter. Men did not care about appearances as much as women. As long as one was not ugly and not unpleasant to the eye, it would be enough. However, if an ordinary man like him did not take the initiative, would a woman come banging down his door? Sun Xian was a living fossil. He was made of pure languor. In addition to that, his set of staying single theories was enough to back him up and allow him to recline with a peace of mind However, men like him could never resist women who actually took the first step of getting to know them. Most especially when the woman was brilliant. However, the chances of such a thing happening were quite low. If Zhao Youyue had not randomly entered Dog Days, she would never interact with an ordinary uncle like Sun Xian. The caller was a female reader of mine. She had a really pleasant voice and was also very polite. Shes still a high school student. High school students these days are really incredible Sun Xian could not help but sigh with wonder. Of course, after listening to what Sun Xian said, his two friends were very surprised. Could it be that Sun Xian has really become a well-known author? If not, why were there already female fans calling him to express their respects? They temporarily stopped their mahjong game and surrounded Sun Xian. They were having a look at Sun Xians newly added friend, Zhao Youyues WeChat Moments. If they did not see it, it would not matter, but now that they have seen it, they were shocked! These WeChat Moments of hers was way too unbelievable. It was simply a showcase of the worlds best foods and sceneries. There were even luxury cars, grand banquets and such. Of course, there were also Zhao Youyues pretty little selfies What is with this female reader of yours? Li Ming, a self-proclaimed, well-informed civil servant, was shocked. Maybe this is the definition of a precious daughter? Sun Xian replied, a little unsure himself. At that moment, Zhao Youyue sent a message, Mister Stop Gambling, would you spare me some face? In the future, could you update your novel on a daily basis? Of course not! However, Sun Xians hands moved on their own. They typed - - Sure! Translation note : [1] Give face () means to show or treat (someone) with respect, honor, and dignity. The phrase is a translation from Cantonese and is used primarily in reference to Chinese people, culture, and business. [2] Man show () is a slang used mostly by the people in China and Hong Kong, which is used to describe someone who is always expressionless or cold on the outside but is actually crazy (has a lot of feelings) on the inside. ED: Middle-aged tsunderes. Chapter 406 Warmth Sun Xian did not know what he was thinking. Or rather, his brain had stopped thinking when he caught sight of Zhao Youyues youthful and beautiful selfies. There was no way for him to refuse her request and let her down It was a pity that Sun Xian did not watch live streams. He was not the kind of person who earned 2000 a month and spent 1500 on rewarding the live streamers, leaving himself with only 500 dollars for living expenses, while eating instant noodles every day. That was what those hardcore fans did. They loved to hear the live streamers call them their loyal fans and praise them with 666. If Sun Xian was into live streams and Weibo, he would have recognized Zhao Youyue as the female live streamer C Ah Yu. Not only that, he would have also learned of her incredible background. Even the nations husband Ding Yuncong had expressed that he could not afford to offend her. Moreover, she also had talent in the music field, which made her even more admirable Of course, an uncle like Sun Xian did not pay much attention to such things. Apart from being obsessed with mahjong, he spent the rest of his time watching movies and television dramas. Zhao Youyue did not star in any movies or dramas. Even if she did, he would not deliberately pay attention to the actors or actresses as he did not chase after celebrity gossip. In addition to that, he would also read web novels. The type of novels that he usually read were those reincarnation trope novels that were based on true stories. He often fantasized of being born again and falling in love during his school days, as that kind of love was the purest. It was precisely because he had read so many novels, that he came up with the idea of trying to write one by himself. However, he never expected to actually gain some loyal fans by writing such a niche story. Evidently, there was a massive generation gap between uncle Sun Xian and the youth. If it had been someone younger, they would have most certainly recognized Zhao Youyue. If that was the case, they would be left with no choice but to spare Zhao Youyue some face. She was the extremely popular female live streamer Ah Yu, a genius musician, and an excellent student! The moment Zhao Youyue saw his reply, she was pleased. She wiped her first impression about this Stop Gambling clean. However, she was still unaware that Stop Gambling was an unremarkable, lazy uncle. On top of that, he had been wholly enslaved by Mahjong. Therefore, the bigger question was, could he even keep his promise? However, Zhao Youyue did not just plan to contact him through the internet. Of course, she had to meet him in person. It would be better if she could find someone who specialized in urging him to update his novel. Such creators had to be met with vicious pressure, or they would never get off their bottoms. They would only look for various excuses to avoid updating their novels and disappoint their fans On that very day, Sun Xian had been stimulated by the legendary precious daughter,fair, rich and beautiful female fan. He did the unimaginable, and produced two new chapters! All of a sudden, the entire book review section went wild! Mister Stop Gambling actually released two new chapters today. What the heck happened? Maybe the fake alcohol has gotten to Mister Stop Gamblings head. He actually released two chapters! Maybe Mister Stop Gambling made an illegal transaction with some big guy. This sudden update is really uncharacteristic! Damn! Today is such a blissful day. I actually lived to see my dear Sir release two new chapters at once! Two chapters! Here, take this reward as a small token of appreciation. I hope that you will continue to work hard, my dear Sir! When Zhao Youyue saw that Stop Gambling had lived up to his word, she reciprocated magnanimously by rewarding Stop Gambling with 1000 yuan, becoming a Sect Master. A rain of petals is falling from the sky. Tears of joy are rolling down the cheeks. I dont deserve such an honor! Youyue has tipped Stop Gambling the greatest 100,000 Qidian coins for writing such a good novel. Thank you for the hard work, and I hope that it will get more exciting! When the readers from the book review section saw that Zhao Youyue had bestowed such a reward upon this author, things became even livelier, even if they could not! This was the legendary Tycoon Youyue. If one was not mistaken, she had previously given out six consecutive rewards, each consisting of hundreds of thousands of Qidian coins. She claimed the Silver Sect Master position for six of these books. 6000 yuan was casually given away C just like that. Besides that, she was also a Golden Sect Master of a certain, godly book! Recently, the Books under the God of Tycoons system had grown rather popular on Qidian. Basically, a random person would be chosen by the God of Tycoons system, where they would receive some money daily. As long as they spent all the money they received, there would be no penalty. Hence, of course, many of these chosen people would go onto novel websites or live streams platforms to spend the money via rewards As a result, if people did not know any better, they would have thought that Tycoon You Yue, who was the most prominent God of Tycoons on Qidian, had been chosen by the God of Tycoons system! However, in Zhao Youyues opinion, all of this was worth it. The market for online literature was huge, and it hosted a wealth of other works. She felt that possibility of the random Two Dimensional Gate sending her in a web novel to be particularly high. So far, she had already come across King of Superpower, The Strongest King and currently, Dog Days. Thus, she really needed to make a name for herself within both the Qidian reader and writer communities. This time, if it was not for Master Softshell Turtle who had given her some face, how could she possibly find Stop Gambling in so short a time? When the readers at the book review section saw that Zhao Youyue had appeared, they immediately replied under her Flashing Red words- - Tycoon Youyue, I worship you! Long live my Lady! Did the double update by Mister Stop Gambling today have anything to do with Tycoon Youyue? If thats the case, we should properly thank Tycoon Youyue! Tycoon Youyue only became a Sect Master. Isnt that a little too miserly? The usual style of Tycoon Youyue is to become a Silver Sect Master C directly! Congratulations, Mister Stop Gambling! Youve successfully received the attention of Tycoon Youyue. As long as you continue to update constantly, that Silver Sect Master following wont be too far away. So, Mister Stop Gambling, please keep the updates up! Even though the creator Sun Xian did not establish a reader group, he still enjoyed browsing the book review section. Perhaps it was due to his absence of loved ones. Moreover, he did not have many friends. The kind words of these readers would appear contrastively warm and friendly. If so, why then did he torture these warm-hearted readers with such a torturous update frequency? Perhaps that sadistic side of him simply loved it. By holding off on the updates, he could vividly envision the readers jumping up and down frantically. So cute. He wanted to see more of it. They would be satisfied, delighted, grateful in equal measure when he lets an update loose The world which was originally filled with people who did not spare him a second glance would suddenly seem a lot more pleasant. Furthermore, if he were to update daily like a robot, would his readers react that still be that dramatically? Obviously not! He did not write for fame or fortune. Perhaps, he did it to feel some warmth emanating from the concern of others towards him. Of course, he was there to kill time, first and foremost. The readers warmth was just a bonus. That warmth grew upon sighting the magnificent reward from Tycoon Youyue. This lady was justifying all that he had previously done! Chapter 407 Walking Onto The Right Path Due to the respect Zhao Youyue bestowed upon him, Sun Xian maintained his daily update for a period of time. The inspiration that he never paid any heed to C finally found its use. He realized how easy it was to write while intoxicated. Words flew by without him realizing it. Of course, for the sake of efficiency, he split the content and stretched them across more chapters. That was his secret in maintaining such a high volume Zhao Youyue remained in contact with Sun Xian. In her free time, she periodically chatted with him about Hua Xiaomao, who had officially appeared within the chapters. In passing, she had described Mao Maos transformation as cute, and how her cuteness was simply irresistible. These subtle words had imperceptibly affected Sun Xian, and drove the poor man to add more scenes to Hua Xiaomao subconsciously. Sun Xian soon detected the anomaly. Whenever he wrote lines related to Hua Xiaomao, his writing became as smooth as butter, as if a ghost had possessed him Sun Xian could turn off his creative desire and urges at will like an electronic switch. If writers like him acted more responsibly and treated their work with a passion, they would be reintroduced to a certain human emotion C remorse. Regret for not having tried harder in the past. If not, why would he wear his thumbs out writing about Hua Xiaomao. This girl had started off as yet another passerby character. However, Sun Xian was not such a writer. There was also no reason to ask this much from a hobby writer who was only in it as a means of burning time. His intoxication did not serve as a catalyst C it only served as a convenience, a shortcut. Nothing about his writing changed, save for the speed it took him to complete his chapters. He no longer had to worry about his writing stealing time away from his mahjong games Whenever he ran into writers block, he would start writing about Hua Xiaomao. The readers seemed to prefer watching this cat-transforming cutie playing about. She even dropped off some tips to the male protagonist on how to be a better dog. Hu Xiaomao definitely struck a chord in the readers hearts, even moreso than the protagonist. Her appearances had been lengthier and more complete, ever since Master Stop Gambling started this daily update streak. She seemed to spring to life within their pages. She had a soul! Under such circumstances, the relaxing, heart-warming slice-of-life title C Dog DaysC rose to prominence. Official recommendations and reviews started pointing directions to it. More readers joined in the viewership. Book lists featured it like the next hot topic. Youyues book list which topped the rankings had included this work as well. She had been quoted as saying so A good, niche title that explores the cute pet transfiguration trope. The whole book exudes a casual, light tone, and is extremely light on the heart. It is almost therapeutic, and grants us a peace of mind. It wouldnt be a stretch to say that reading this alleviates many of the worries that plague the daily lives of readers. Keep an eye out for Hua Xiaomao, a lovely girl who is able to take the form of a black cat. Shes amazingly cute, and simply unforgettable Such was the results of Zhao Youyues lengthy, careful arrangement. She had single-handed bolstered Hua Xiaomiaos popularity. It was not like the character did not deserve her praise, biasness aside. After all, Hua Xiaomao was a character with a maxed out acting cute ability! Even so, she did not have what it took to join the ranks of legends and icons. She lacked the substance. Her cuteness sometimes came across as being false. It was akin to those feel-good anime that only focused on acting cute without any actual purpose. Still, the simple, warm fuzziness appealed to many. It was easy on the heart, easy on the eyes, and brought a smile to your face. Wouldnt that suffice? An iconic character would be considerably weighty and profound. Entire research journals could be written about them alone. They were often accurate portrayals that embodied the complexity of humanity. Having some sort of dark and tragic past came as standard. Throw in a death flag for more impact. Bring in a terrific editor for convoluted, mind-blowing levels of descriptions But lets take a look at Su Lis Pure Romance. On a whole, it was mediocre at best, but among the pile of unpolished gems, the iconic Xu Jing arose. Iconic as she was, she was an off-the-wall, depraved icon. Only Pure Romance could exercise such discrepancies between levels and still manage to produce an icon. Yu Shengfan and Chu Luoxun represented the other end of the spectrum. They complemented the writing of their respective stories. Their backstories contained wholesome, quintessential tales of their own. On the other hand, the scholar Wen Qingyu relied on other excellent characters to serve as her foils. She had appeared within a POV style, nonlinear narrative novel[1]. Such novels were not meant to hone in on any one protagonist. Every character was equally important, and shared the spotlight. Even so, Wen Qingyu had won the position, step-by-step with her charm. The public soon unanimously crowned her as Dream Eaters unofficial lead. And so, she earned her icon status. She claimed her crown over the piles of bones that had been left behind by all the other characters. Zhao Youyue had earned a sleeping victory at that time, thanks to Shi Jingnians perfect, genius-level writing. Han Leng was a genius writer in his own right. His gifts did not end there, his cross-dressing self was way prettier, compared to actual girls. Relatively, he was still immature. He had room for more growth. Perhaps someday, Zhao Youyue could earn another sleeping victory via his work. Genius writer created unforgettable, iconic characters by the droves. Zhao Youyues recommendation left a shockwave in its wake. Dog Days became terrifying popular within the shortest period of time. It made its way into several more lists and favorites. Reviews, scoring and votes followed suit. Judging by the rate, it would reach 5,000 points in no time. Niche stories did not usually earn such recognition. Zhao Youyue had originally intended to vote for and recommend this work. When she noticed such enthusiastic support coming from other readers, she realized that she did not need to artificially mark up its popularity, its popularity was already there. It gave her much relief. The day of reaping was just around the corner. Compared to Icons, High popularity character cards were relatively easy to create, provided that the creator had some skill. It all went down to the creative juice and personal style. Obviously, Dog Days whetted the appetite of a good few number. It almost served like its otherworld counterpart, Strange Life as a Cat. The end of October heralded the beginning of a month-long holiday, Zhao Youyue took the initiative to meet up with the Sun Xian, who happened to be in Jiangnan Provincial City. She was very willing to make friends with this writer who had so courteously fulfilled her wishes. Dog Days was Sun Xians maiden written novel. Even so, Sun Xian had the potential of attaining Godhood through this one book. He certainly had the potential. Zhao Youyue considered it worthwhile to be friends with capable writers. Her little publishing company had room for many more talents Translation Note: [1] Nonlinear narrative novel C It refers to novels that are told from the vantage points of multiple protagonists of equal importance. Chapter 408 My Lady has Arrived Sun Xian was an unenterprising uncle. When he received Lady Zhaos invitation, his first reaction was Were all the female high school students these days so open? It quickly died off, when Sun Xian felt that he overthinking it. He knew himself well enough. He was not particularly good-looking. He had no strengths to speak of. He could never sweet-talk over the internet, let alone reality. Even so, he was highly curious about this Lady Zhao. He had slowly learned more about this spectacular lady. She was widely-known on Qidian for her copious rewards. It was certainly his honor to be recognized by such a Godly tycoon. Now that this mysterious form of inspiration had found its way into his life, he no longer had to worry about update frequency For the first time in his life, he was writing ahead of schedule, piling up on scripts and drafts before meeting Zhao Youyue, so that he would be able to create a safe buffer. He would probably not let Lady Zhao down if he maintained his steady flow of updates. He considered this female fan meeting to be strictly business, but it still called for some preparations. He had not purchased any new clothes since forever. Clothing was another bare necessity. He only required their warmth Despite that, he got himself a new set of clothes for this meeting. He hoped that it made him look younger. He even took some time off for a haircut, as his hair was an unkempt, long mess. Most importantly, he had shaved his stubble off. It turned him a lot more energetic than ever. Although Sun Xian remained as unremarkable as ever, this change had been for the better, if slight. He had even searched the internet for information on what to do when meeting an online friend for the first time. At best, he found tips on how to bait an online friend onto bed, and how to explore a girls mind while seeking for the opportune moment to lay hands on her body. The search results were most embarrassing Was this how internet relationships worked nowadays? He could not remember the olden days being anything like this! Sun Xian sighed. He was most certainly not going to follow the advice. He decided to go with the honest and sincere route. Sun Xian was a mahjong-loving outcast, but he was not a perverted, nefarious man. Women would not stop him cold in his tracks. He has had been through a few girls, and he knew how to interact with the opposite sex. It so happened that he had grown accustomed to being single for a long time, and found it most comfortable. However, Sun Xians concern over his appearance indicated his respect for Zhao Youyue. In the end, he had a decent level of courtesy. Lady Zhao always possessed that mysterious power. Those who got in touch with her to unconsciously wanted to improve themselves. If they did not do so, one would be caught up in an inexplicable, eerie sense of shame when being in her presence. In contrast to the work Sun Xian was putting into his appearance, Zhao Youyue had appeared to be relatively casual. Even so, Zhao Youyues casual was akin to what others considered as a full suit of armor. As long as it was not her school uniform, her clothes would all be branded and pricey. If one quantified luxury with words, her fashion would take up to 500 words. And that would be the writing of an efficient writer who never added meaningless fluff. All 500 words would fulfill a non-redundant purpose. Zhao Youyue donned this Ladys raiment like it was her second skin. This second skin would never be shed, unless she activates a certain character card. In that case, her fashion on that particular day might be affected by the fashion sense of that character. Her wardrobe and shoe cabinet was constantly stocked and updated with all sorts of dazzling choices. It took her no effort to pair up some items at apparent randomness and look amazing in the end Such casualness was unfathomable to others. It was the equivalent of what that would take others hours of meticulous preparation. Of course, a casually dress Zhao Youyue gave others the impression that she had carefully dressed up for the occasion. It made them feel appreciated, to know that she had taken this meetup as seriously as they did. Sun Xian waited for Lady Zhao at a famous shopping district in Jiangnan Provincial City. When he saw a luxury car pulling up, only to have its chauffeur open the door for Zhao Youyue to alight, he felt what Su Li once did This had to be one of those scenes within novels and mangas. So many writers had written it that it had become a clich and commonplace, but none of them had ever experienced it themselves. Nobody would expect such scenes to actually take place in reality. Did art actually originate from life? Or was Zhao Youyue just being a sophohigh, roleplaying as a Lady from some novel or manga? In all actuality, this was true only in part. Zhao Youyue did not start off like that. Ever since opening herself up to more and more souls, some of their vanity had rubbed off her. The settings of her own character, her own soul had been enhanced. And of all traits, the Lady trait tended to impose itself upon others more than any other traits. Now, everyone knew her as Lady Zhao. Zhao Youyue may have discarded her long, beautiful locks, but from Sun Xians perspective, she was nevertheless the exemplification of an iconic Lady character Also, short-haired Zhao Youyue was far more approachable. If she had retained her long hair, If she was still in her long-haired form, it would have been nigh impossible for Sun Xian even to approach her. Zhao Youyue in her long-hair Goddess form was simply bedazzling. Crowds threatened to surround her at any moment. Papparazis would hone in on her like vultures. When Zhao Youyue saw Sun Xian, she flashed one of her natural, sincere smiles. It may be unfortunate to see that Sun Xian was not some handsome uncle. He was unable to satisfy her habit of indulging in the visages of handsome guys and beauties, but at least, he was not ugly. Handsome male writers and beautiful female writers such as Han Leng, Shi Jingnian, Su Li were scarce. Their appearances alone paved most of their way to fame. Zhao Youyue introduced herself with great proficiency, and became familiar with the man in no time at all. Then, she occupied the dominant position, as if everything in this world had been conscripted to obey her every command. She now held the whole world in her hands. Indeed, Zhao Youyue had grown to be such a self-confident and mighty girl. She practically brimmed with self-assurance and decisiveness. People would never need to worry about being awkward when being around her. Her demure, gentle appearance housed a lioness that hid in plain sight. It was not the aggressive, domineering kind of might. She was always very courteous. Courteously giving sincere, good suggestions. How could anyone refuse? No, they couldnt. It was a privilege to obey such a sunny, self-confident, elegant Lady. Sun Xian felt his entire being had been enveloped by a powerful, immense atmosphere. He had been utterly dominated. He looked at Lady Zhaos extreme beauty, and whispered in his heart, Were all female high school students nowadays this incredible? Who said that female high school students these days were cute, simple, rude, gullible and easily baited? Lady Zhao had completely rewritten Sun Xians presupposition of modern female high school students. Chapter 409 No Shortcomings From this Lady When Sun Xian noticed how skillful Lady Zhao was with words, he realized something. She had to be type who often hosted parties and outings, and had friends from all across the globe. Since that was the case, Sun Xian decided to release his tether. He submitted himself to her will. Her wish, his hands. It would also save from all the tip-toeing he positioned himself for, to give Zhao Youyue a good impression. He was certain of something. As long as he listened to her, showed her respect, he would remain in her good graces. From the bottom of his heart, Sun Xian was not a fan of domineering, manipulative women. He preferred traditional, submissive girls. The world today might cry foul over such ideals, but this was how he thought, regardless. Zhao Youyue did not come across him as such a person. She was rich, classy, and beautiful. She could do whatever she wanted. Such an attitude was befitting of her. If it had been someone else, Sun Xian might not have been so compliant. In fact, the easiest way to Lady Zhaos good graces was to listen to her, especially when she spoke about food. Sun Xian considered himself to be pretty knowledgeable about food. After all, he had money and time. Whenever he was not bent over the mahjong table, he would go on food hunting trips. Even so, his taste was of a lower standard. On the other hand, Zhao Youyue tried everything edible. She was certain that she had tasted everything the world had to offer. The only cuisine out of her reach would be of the light-emitting variety that only existed within fiction. In actuality, Zhao Youyue could not be any more wrong. Whenever she brought Su Li out to eat, she would make careful, selective choices. It would only seem perfunctory for her to pick a high-class restaurant. Only her selections seemed to have any meaning. If Zhao Youyue ever wanted to write about something, she could always write about her delectably-laden journey. The problem was that Ladies like herself would never gain the motivation to write, unless her family experienced dramatical changes. As for now, her family was still rich, and far outpaced her ability to enjoy life to its fullest. How would she possibly pick a pen up? Those who sat upon the throne only had others work on their behalf. Zhao Youyue was on her way there, climbing up step-by-step towards the peak. Zhao Youyue was bringing Sun Xian to a place that served Eastern cuisine. A typical family would have to spend around 1,000 RMB there, drinks excluded. The food was nothing special. Yet, the guests were aware of the price, and for that, they would sensationalize and sing false praises, even if the food did not deserve it. They would even recommend the venue to their friends. Those friends might entertain the idea once, or twice, out of respect. If they had been fooled into believing that the food was truly delicious, they might even end up as regulars. The quality aside, the restaurant itself had been well-embellished. It portrayed the classical East rather accurately. As Zhao Youyue had offered to treat him to the meal, Sun Xian took it as a sign of great respect. If Sun Xian had not seen any evidence that Lady Zhao was an actual tycoon, he would not let her foot the bill, no matter what. If she had not been so assertive, he might have attempted to negotiate for the bill. To him, the occasional few thousand RMB for two was within acceptable margins But he had been left without a choice. Lady Zhao had expressed in advance that, whenever she invited a writer out, she would cover all the food and entertainment expenses. It was her duty to do so, as she was the supplicant, and they were the masters. If they did not allow her to do as she wished, it was as good as not saving her any face. Zhao Youyue had also determinedly stated that Su Li, Leng Zi, Rosemary, and Shi Jingnian could vouch for her words Sun Xian may be relatively new to the scene, but he had certainly heard of these writers, especially the mangaka, Su Li. Her drawing pen supposedly possessed immense power. She was capable of literally drawing misfortune to others. Zhao Youyue and Sun Xian chatted as they walked. Of course, Zhao Youyue had retold the story of her revolutionary friendship with Su Li. She had even claimed to be able to have Su Li illustrate his work at the drop of a needle. These claims greatly intimidated Sun Xian. Had he stepped into a new world? At the end of the day, Sun Xian had fallen into Zhao Youyues palm. Since the other writers had received such support from Lady Zhao, with abundant rewards to boot, he chose to accept such treatment as well. Little did Sun Xian know that Zhao Youyue was not actually treating him seriously. She had simply chosen an Eastern restaurant at random, only taking into account its relatively high price tag. As they ate, Zhao Youyue once again expressed her good impression of Sun Xians Dog Days. She hoped that Sun Xian would keep his updates up. It would be even better. Lady Zhaos warm hospitality left Sun Xian rather abashed. He had only gotten into this novel-writing business to kill some time. But now, Lady Zhao had laid her corrosive hands on him. After treating him to such expensive Eastern cuisine, how could he still remain as casual as before? Zhao Youyue had just committed bribery. Compared to holding a blade at the writers throat, it was a far more effective method. Did you expect the creator to take the blade in his own hand, and slit his own throat? No one knew how did such a corrupt practice become so popular. To those shameless, experienced, immoral writers, blades were godsent Sun Xian quickly noticed Lady Zhaos elegant eating behavior. If you could call that eating, in the first place. She was only there to taste a little of this and a little of that. Very little actually made it to her stomach. Even if she found it to be delicious, she would only taste a little of it. Not once did she gobble anything down with relish. Truthfully, Zhao Youyue did not like the food very much. She considered the taste to be borderline acceptable. She had already set her sights on the light-emitting cuisine that was only available within the literary world. Her taste had transcended the realm of human reason. On the other hand, Sun Xian enjoyed the food greatly. He had not tasted Eastern cuisine before. Naturally, he stayed away from the raw dishes. The ones that he ate were delicious. The foie gras[1], fried prawns, crab pot were all exquisite as well. He considered the money well spent, and if he was offered the chance, he would definitely foot the bill without any reservations. This was enough. Both of them enjoyed themselves very much. When the conversation peaked at a fever high, Sun Xian excited blurted out, My Lady, do you know how to play mahjong? We are always short of one player Sun Xian had ingested some plum wine. The buzz had broken through his nerves. He started sharing his love of the game, expressing his passion of it to the fullest. The smile remained on Zhao Youyues face, but in her heart, she was cursing the man. She finally understood why Uncle Sun Xian was so atrocious at updating. He was a slave to this silly board game! Zhao Youyue knew nothing about gambling. One day, when she comes across a gambling story, she might just become the Gambler God, one day. By then, she would turn into a tigress, and wipe the board clean until Sun Xian begins doubting the meaning of his own life. Lets see if he would still keep at his mahjong or update his novel Zhao Youyue courteously declined the invitation, but she bragged about how she once went to the casino in Las Vegas, and had reeled in gold throughout the entire day with her great fortune. Sun Xian was stunned, he really believed that Zhao Youyue was as good as she said. Zhao Youyue had always been inexplicably self-confident. She could not find a flaw in her own personality, as if she was walking on the path to nirvana. Translation Note: [1] Foie gras C The liver of a specially fattened goose or duck prepared as food. Short for pat de foie gras. Chapter 410 Successfully Obtained a High Popularity Character Card The warm hospitality from Lady Zhao had spurred Sun Xian into doubling his update rates. But that wasnt all. A certain something occurred. Despite being an ordinary uncle, Sun Xian actually got the chance to show off a little. Showing off like that was an experience only reserved for protagonists within municipal novels. They had bumped into one of his old university-mates. They were not from the same course, but they did attend the same Physics class in their university, once in a while. Many Science and Engineering students shared such classes. After Sun Xian and Zhao Youyue finished their meal, they came across this schoolmate, by chance. He had stared down at Sun Xian most disdainfully. When he caught sight of the young female student C Zhao Youyue standing beside Sun Xian, he seemed to have relived a horrific experience from his younger days. Thus, he lost control of his emotions and started flexing about like a melodramatic villain C just like those who appeared in novels. He started imposing himself upon Lady Zhao in an attempt to intimidate her, but only ended up being scared away by two huge men who appeared out of nowhere. Thats right. They were Zhao Youyues bodyguards. Zhao Youyue did not exude such a grand appearance in the past. Now, she was no longer the same, unobtrusive passer-by. Her Lady aura left a deep, profound impression upon others. On top of that a celebrity. Of course she had bodyguards. Bodyguards who looked over her and her family members. It was only natural that way. Nobles are not fools. The whole incident made Sun Xian appear highly influential in the eyes of that schoolmate. For some reason, that schoolmate seemed to bear a grudge against him. Who the heck walked about with bodyguards? Not even wealthy folk had them. You would only find bodyguards around celebrities or actual big shots! Evidently, this ordinary uncle C Sun Xian was being treated as a big shot, and he was at the liberty of showing off, because he could. Of course, this was all thanks to Zhao Youyue Of course, the incident piqued Zhao Youyues interest. Did Sun Xian rob him of his wife or something? His hatred for Sun Xian was really something. Even so, Sun Xian had insisted that he was currently single. Sun Xian had nothing to hide. He shared one of his love experiences during his university life. He once had a girlfriend C who happened to be a childhood friend of that schoolmate. Calling them childhood friends might be a little bit of a stretch. Anyway, they came from the same hometown, and had been classmates for many years. That guy certainly had a crush on the girl. The same could not be said for the girl. Eventually, Sun Xian managed to win the girls heart, and their love went deep. They had even opened a room at a cheap inn outside their school on one of the many Virgin Breaking Days It was a most natural and common practice. Their relationship had been ideal. Back then, he had not yet turned into the self-imposed social outcast that he was. He had yet to experience the many setbacks in life. They had beaten him down until he could not even submit, and he limped out of the wreckage as an empty husk. That guy had watched helplessly, as his beloved girl headed into the inn with Sun Xian. He had confessed to the girl after the fact, and was blatantly shot down. He could not understand it. He was way more handsome, richer, and was a better student, compared to Sun Xian. Why would she love Sun Xian instead? There was no answer to this question. Love was simple yet complicated. A single glance might be all it took, compared to the ends-of-the-earth effort delivered by another. An electrifying connection of their eyes was all it took, and her heart instantly knew that he was THE guy. Who knows, perhaps this university schoolmate was unhinged in a certain way. He had actually booked the room next to theirs, and went in there by his lonesome. The last thing one would expect was for him to fall fast asleep. The inn was poorly insulated. Therefore, throughout the entire night, he listened to the heartbreaking noises and utterances that came from the girl he loved Sun Xian had remained clueless about this until much later on. As it turned out, the schoolmate had posted his experience in the form of a long post, and placed it on a Tieba hotspot. That hotspot was also the birthplace of the word C loser. The post became notoriously popular and sensational. Within it, contained the bare, naked contents of his heart. He had crushed on the girl for a full five years. He had done everything for her. In the end, he had been utterly betrayed. What kind of world was this? Why did it take him for? On the other side of the story, the girl had never sensed his effort at all. She even found him downright strange. What did she do to earn his heart? Eventually, she broke up with Sun Xian, and gave the schoolmate all the more reason to hate Sun Xian. Without digging into it, he viewed Sun Xian as a playboy who had toyed with the feelings of the girl he loved! In actuality, Sun Xian was the one who got dumped That schoolmate had tried to approach and pursue her again. He had certainly chosen to forgive her. Once again, he was shot down, and she got together with yet another guy. Zhao Youyue listened to Sun Xians sharing with relish. This was most probably love between ordinary folk. People fell in love and broke up like it was part and parcel of university life. Or else, how to enjoy that pleasant youth? Unfortunately, Zhao Youyue had already left the realm of ordinary folk. She found it more interesting to be a bystander. It was better to observe the life experiences of ordinary people from the sidelines. In Sun Xians case, nobody was actually at fault. Perhaps the love that the schoolmate had for the girl ran a little too deep. That depth was directly proportional to the hatred he had for Sun Xian. He felt that Old Sun from next door had betrayed him For the longest while, he had wanted nothing more than to punch Sun Xian in the face. Clearly, he did not expect to encounter Zhao Youyue, the mysterious observer. Sun Xian was treating Lady Zhao as another of his close friends that harbored no secrets between each other. His heart had already set Zhao Youyue as his new, regular mahjong buddy. Lady Zhao was very beautiful indeed, but he could not understand why he was not treating her as a teenage girl. Her mature outlook on life made her surprisingly easy for a grownup like him to relate with. He excitedly told her that he was looking forward to witnessing her incredible gambling skills in future. Zhao Youyue said that she had little regard for losing or winning, when gambling was concerned. She was just there to enjoy the excitement that came with the risks and high stakes. She even did a demonstration of how she acted and looked like while gambling. Sun Xian was stumped. He had a feeling that she was roleplaying as some sort of anime character. Unfortunately, he did not watch anime. After Sun Xian returned the favor and started doubling his updates, Dog Days reached the height of its popularity. Hua XiaomaoC the cat transforming girl led the popularity polls by miles. The readers affectionately called her Mao Mao 1st December C Dog Days made its way on the shelves. On that day, Tycoon Youyue fired off another barrage. She became the Silver Sect Master of the book, and further propelled the popularity of this novel. Each time someone became a Silver Sect Master, a server-wide announcement would strike the entire website. The Two Dimensional Gate pinged her in response. Hua Xiaomao had been successfully upgraded from a popular character card to a highly popular character card. That had always been her goal. Thus, she chose to harvest the card without hesitation. She had finally earned another raw material to be sacrificed This had been no different from spamming cash in a mobile game to earn a high popularity character card. In this case, she had spent the money on the writer and his work. This method was not surefire, for if she experienced the misfortune of picking the wrong writer and the wrong title, she would not necessarily gain a highly popular card. The moment Zhao Youyue made her exit, she no longer cared about Sun Xians productivity. He could drop to the ground, limp and quadriplegic for all she cared. She had already got what she wanted. Chapter 411 Equivalent Exchange There was actually a method to determine the extent of a character cards popularity. The aforementioned quality would be directly proportional to the duration of a character cards tenure. A character that remained highly popular for a lengthy period only attested for its own popularity. Some highly popular characters were only one step from iconic status. What little they lacked in that aspect C all fell down to the most minute of details from their creators. Yu Shengfan had been an unplanned accident. Zhao Youyues premature exit broke something in Rosemary. He could not bear destroying Yu Shengfans entire image, and was ardent on solidifying her status as an icon. Thus, he killed her off, cementing her fate in fiction and reality. Yu Shengfan would remain germane over the next decade. That duration told much about her popularity Hua Xiaomao in Dog Days was nowhere close to that realm. She only had six months of fame, at most. With time as a unit of measurement, one could tell how much of a gap lay between her and Yu Shengfan. The former could not even be compared to Zhou Chun in The 4WD God.The 4WD God had been written upon a well-thought-out, solid foundation by a hand that carried years of experience, while Dog Days was the main piece of a newbie writers debut. Zhao Youyue had propelled Dog Days to possibly undeserved heights using her influence. She was now its Silver Sect Master. Her real-world efforts had been more effective than anything else she had mustered in the literary world. This was by no means her fault. She did not, or rather, could not place much effort into the settings of the character Hua Xiaomao. The character made little sense to her. Dog Days never had the makings of anything promising. Its writer, Sun Xian was mediocre at best. He had a long way to go before falling under the genius writer category. Moreover, he had been writing this story at a rather leisurely pace. Therefore, Zhao Youyue had to ensure that the character remained consistent to Sun Xians style. Otherwise, the entire story would be thrown off its axis. Zhao Youyue was satisfied to walk out with a highly popular character card. The usefulness of its ability notwithstanding, it still served her for the greater good when the time came to stepping into a new literary world at her discretion. Its sacrifice just might open new paths to the creation of new iconic cards Highly popular cards; they played their roles well enough. What else could she use them for? Act cutely? After Zhao Youyue made her early exit, the writer Sun Xian had been left dumbfounded. When he saw that Lady Zhao was one of his Silver Sect Masters, he grew giddy with excitement, and released a public declaration stating that he would up the ante of his updates frequency to live up to such high expectations. He hoped that he had everyones support! Sun Xian had been on cloud nine at that moment. Everytime he wrote about Hua Xiaomao, his writing became fluid and masterful, as if he had flipped on an illegal assistance program somewhere. At that rate, he had no need to concern himself over the high upgrade volume Therefore, he made such a promise with great confidence. It happened overnight. The assistance program vanished into thin air. Hua Xiaomao came at great, unassisted difficulty! The readers had complimented on her past scenes on its bittersweet cuteness and endlessly fresh dynamics. His abrupt loss of ability to maintain such quality struck him hard. He was no Rosemary. He had no desire or will to shape Hua Xiaomao up into an iconic character. He simply lacked the assertiveness and ambition to go that extra mile. Whenever that intoxicated sensation took hold of his senses, it had never once occurred to him that he could take it as a learning opportunity and further improve the quality of his work. He hitched a ride on the current and allowed the tide to take the wheel In a manner of speaking, everything that he had produced came solely from Zhao Youyue. This particular cultivation of a high popularity character card had been an equivalent exchange. Without Zhao Youyue, his Dog Days would have never even saw the light of recognition. Her departure led to an immediate downfall. He lacked the talent and the ingenuity, but possessed all the ego and arrogance that the world could take. How did he even find fame? Sun Xian certainly did not consider himself to have commited anything inappropriate, as he had never considered himself as a professional writer. Even so, wouldnt the greenest of writers claim the opportunity for fame when it presented itself? Therefore, some people might consider Zhao Youyues early departure to have been insincere. She had cheated Sun Xian of his glory. It was a heartless act. One would only have such thoughts if they do not turn back the pages to the source of it all. Without Zhao Youyue, how could Sun Xian earn fame at all? At most, he would only be somewhat reputable. This was an era where people cared for nothing but entertainment value. Even those who had spilled blood, sweat and tears to produce work to the best of their abilities often wondered if it was not enough for that fame they sought. One had to either be a genius, or endowed with nothing but raw talent, to gain fame without a semblance of effort. Fame was theirs to take, but it was not free. At this rate, Sun Xian would simply fall back to his old ways, resigned to the loss of this intoxication. He was nothing like Rosemary. That man fell into depression and grief when his intoxication abandoned him, feeling as if he had fallen from the good graces of the Goddess of Literature. The laidback and run-of-the-mill Sun Xian took everything in stride with a shrug. He went back to his casual ways, his old leisurely self. The protagonist dog and supporting female president reclaimed the spotlight. Readers inadvertently left, as they were only there to read about Mao Mao. Although Mao Mao remained as a recurring character, she had already lost her essence. She no longer felt the same. Undoubtedly, her descent had just only begun. It would not take long before she gets forgotten Sun Xian actually felt sorry for the Lady Zhao, who was his number one fan. After all, he had promised to amp up his updates for her sake. Clearly, he had failed to live up to his words. However, Zhao Youyue only graciously told him not to abandon the novel. Lady Zhao was far too considerate. He did not expect such a perfect reader to exist in this world. Why were the other readers so fierce? They might just as well call for the heads of his entire family. Whats wrong with his slow updates? He was not pursuing the path of a greater God. Great effort may not necessarily lead to success, but the lack of effort definitely leads to a blissful life. Those words were practically Sun Xians mantra! Of course, Zhao Youyue only forgave Sun Xian because she had already achieved her goal. In terms of reading material, she had many more in her waiting list. Many excellent web novelists put lots of effort into updating their series. She could always opt for better, faster releases. The money she put into sensationalizing his title was considered nothing more than food for dogs, and investments for high popularity cards. She had better things to figure out now, such as what would happen if she activated Hua Xiaomaos card in reality. Chapter 412 Chapter 410: Youyue Meow is now Online Firstly, Zhao Youyue went to the pet shop to buy a kitten. Of course, it had to have a coat as dark as the night. She had a soft spot for black cats. She may not have earned much from this excursion, but she had definitely learned some things of note. Namely, the knowledge on how to raise cats. After all, she had seen the world through feline lenses. She knew the thought processes of cats more than anyone else. Most cats thought the same - - This is bad. Ive gone deep into the enemy territory and have fallen prisoner to these humans. However, I will not give in to them. They will never break my poker face! Even if I am to be touched and caressed every day, I will not give in. Im a mighty, fluffy kitty! My worthless human only exists to serve my every need! How dare he! Today, my owner did not even pet me, because he was busy with work. There is no other way; Ill have to take the initiative. Of course, I certainly dont enjoy being petted by my owner! A majority of cats were tsuns. Tsun as in Tsundere. They did not readily show affection for their owner like dogs, but sometimes, they could not help but tease and play around with their owners. Such actions were akin to them rewarding their slaves As Zhao Youyue was the shopkeeper of a pet shop in the novel, she had gotten familiar with proper cat care. Of course, after that, she became very confident about raising a cat. This also meant that she could select one particular cat to become the target of her body swapping. Once she has set a target, it would be permanent. From the beginning until the end, the novel character Mao Mao could only swap bodies with that particular mysterious cat. When Zhao Youyue sets her mind on something, she would always put her back into it. In no time at all, she found herself an extremely cute, little black cat. It was adorably tiny, and was practically a living vacuum of awwws and oooohs. After she masterfully handled all the necessary papers, Zhao Youyue took her little black cat home. She took the little black cat back to her room. Upon activating the Hua Xiaomao card, she started swapping bodies to with a cat How would this ability play out in reality? Unfortunately, Zhao Youyue did not turn into a cat, but this did not mean that nothing had happened altogether. Her spirit had somehow intertwined with that of this innocent, little black cat! It was as if the little black cat had become an extension of her consciousness. She was practically inside the cats head and could telepathically order the little black cat around So this is neow it works in reality? Meow? Whats with the meows when I talk neow? Meow meow meow? I may neowt have become a cat, but it has definitely affected me-ow. Is this heow this ability works neow? As Zhao Youyue, no, Youyue Meow, meowtured to herself, something lit up in the blank eyes of the cat. A hidden door to new frontier of wisdom Strangely, Zhao Youyue felt the sudden yearning to be petted on the head. When she tried to walk, she could not help but crawl instead. When she talked, the word meow was attached to every line. She was now Youyue Meow! Acting cute was certainly not one of Zhao Youyues habits. She was a lady with style. How did she get into this Youyue Meow state, where she would feel like dying if she did not act cute for a single moment? Youyue Meow lay on the bed lazily, just like a cat. The little black cat, on the other hand, was using its tiny paws to knead Youyue Meows big chest like a big lump of dough The expression on Youyue Meows face was one of ecstasy. If netizens saw such a scene, they would scream out loud - - Get off that girl, let me do it! After Zhao Youyue activated this character card, which seemed to offer nothing except for the irrepressible desire to act cute. She felt as if her soul had been divided into two parts. One part dwelled within the little black cat, which gave it some human intellectual traits. On the other hand, she had reincarnated into Youyue Meow, the Youyue Meow that would die if she did not act cute! Of course, this was markedly different, compared to the ability to change into a cat in the novel. In the novel, the user had exchange bodies with the cat altogether. After the exchange, the user would be unaware of what her original body is going through. Therefore, it would be wise for the user to ensure that their own body was parked at a safe place before using the ability to change into a cat. Otherwise, entertaining things were bound to happen. Of course, in the novel, the one who had experienced such embarrassing and funny things was the male protagonist. Zhao Youyue had possessed Hua Xiaomao, and she was not one to make such mistakes. Now that they were in reality, the powers that would be had placed a hand on the wheel and adjusted it to suit her world. Also, this real-world had long hosted a neverending argument on whether animals even possessed souls. Therefore, would an actual exchange of souls occur? Now, Zhao Youyue had turned into a super cat trainer. With one look, the cat would understand each of her thoughts, albeit at the price of becoming Youyue Meow. Xiao Hei[1], go outside and get me an apple meow. Youyue Meow instructed. Of course, the little black cat that Zhao Youyue had named as Xiao Hei acted more like a human than a cat. She looked at Youyue Meow affectionately, as if she was the master, and Youyue Meow was her pet Rather than calling her Xiao Hei, she should be called the classy lady, Zhao Xiaohei![2] (When Xiao Hei is in the Zhao Xiaohei state, she is referred as she or her rather than it, because shes the human of that moment. On the contrary, Youyue Meow would be referred to as it. LOL)[3] When Zhao Youyues mother, Wang Hua, returned home, she saw a super cute little black cat trying its best to get an apple to Zhao Youyue. She was rolling the apple on the floor It could not be helped. With a tiny body like that, she could only roll it like that. The house was always immaculate. When Youyue Meow receives the apple, she would still be able to eat it, provided she washes it. Wang Hua was shocked! Since when did such a cute little black cat appear at home? She was even rolling an apple with a purpose! This was definitely the doing of her daughter, that Little Sloth, Zhao Youyue! In actuality, Wang Hua did not like pets. Otherwise, it would be no surprise for such an upstanding family to keep pets at home. However, she had been born with a dislike towards them. Perhaps she had a traumatic experience with animals as a child, which left her scarred for life. Moreover, keeping pets was a hassle However, after the cat spotted her, Wang Hua suddenly found this cat to be particularly affectionate. It took the initiative to call out with a meow-meow. It seemed to be calling her mama. At that moment, Wang Hua had to admit that her lifelong scars had been healed. Her motherly instincts went on overdrive. As the Little Sloth Zhao Youyue grew, she was no longer cute as she was a child. Not being able to play with her daughter like before left Wang Hua frustrated. However, meeting this little black cat seemed to have transported her into an illusory realm. She seemed to be staring straight at Zhao Youyue as a child! She really felt like touching it Translation note : [1] Xiao Hei literally means little black. [2] Since one part of Zhao Youyues soul is with Xiao Hei, it becomes somewhat humanly. The author here is trying to say that since Xiao Hei is partly possessed by Zhao Youyue, Xiao Hei becomes part of her. Thus it is like a lady with style (Zhao Youyue). Therefore, it becomes Zhao Xiaohei. [3] The words in the bracket are notes by the original author. Chapter 413 Chapter 411: Kitty Maid Costume Without hesitation, Wang Hua knelt down and stroked it. At that moment, she had totally forgotten to ask Zhao Youyue about this sudden addition of a little black cat to the family. Who allowed this little black cat to be so adorable? She took the apple on the floor first, and deftly picked the little black cat up. She could not believe that she had managed such a thing. Her longstanding impression of cats was that they seemed to be particularly hard to get close to. This was especially true when they were meeting strangers for the first time, such as the first encounter between this cat and herself However, this little black cat seemed to be very human. It graciously allowed itself to be scooped up into her arms, and was willing to be gently touched. It was even looking at her with those beautiful cat eyes, as if it was looking up at its own mother. At this moment, Wang Hua had to admit that her heart had turned into a pile of mush. She truly believed that the little cutie in her arms was a lot more adorable than her Little Sloth daughter Zhao Youyue! How many parents out there threw their children out, the moment they got themselves a pet? There were, in fact, many people like this. It was not like these parents no longer loved their children, but their children were were the ones all grown up and independent. They would have developed their individual opinions and mindset. Sometimes, they would not be as obedient as petshuman pets, that is. Of course, as the bond between pet and owner grew, the pet would pick up more and more human traits. Obviously, Wang Hua was not a patient person. The only type of pets that she could accept were those that were already human-like, to begin with. Clearly, this was a steep hurdle for pets to overcome. Ultimately, pets were not humans. They had no sentience, no intelligence. How could they possibly be affectionate towards human beings from the start? However, this little black cat who had been endowed with a portion of Zhao Youyue was as human as humans went, and it behaved very much like Zhao Youyues. Of course, deep down in her heart, Zhao Youyue loved her mother very much. The problem lay with Wang Hua, who was a tsundere. She expressed nothing but disgust for her own daughter and teased her incessantly. It was probably how she expressed love for her daughter Wang Hua was like a child who could not grow up. She was just like those Loli Mom characters who often appeared in mangas, even if such mothers only appeared in mangas and novels. Wang Hua had lived a sheltered, pampered life. Since birth, she had been treated like a princess. She did not have to worry about anything, and got everything she wanted. Later on in life, she got married to Zhao Jiayi, who absolutely doted on her. Hence, she retained her teenaged mindset and method of doing things. Did she think that she could retain her youth for all eternity if she acted that way? It was true. Wang Hua was nothing but young. Whenever she was with Zhao Youyue, they were just like sisters. Um, Zhao Youyue was the elder sister, and she was the younger one At that moment, Wang Hua had the little kitten in her arms. She went straight into her Little Sloths room, where she found her lazily lying on her back. She was not sure if it was an illusion, but she felt that her daughter had suddenly turned into a huge cat. Meow? When Youyue Meow saw Wang Hua come into her room, she subconsciously meowed. The meow was absolutely natural, and showed no signs of it being an deliberate act. Wang Hua was mildly surprised. She clearly heard her Little Sloth daughter Zhao Youyue say meow. She did not think too much about it, as she thought that her daughter was just messing with her. She was up to another one of her odd roleplays. Little Sloth, are you trying to imitate a cat? Do you want me to bring a kitty maid costume for you to wear? Wang Hua expected her Little Sloth to refuse it furiously. Her daughter was into the ACG otaku culture, but she never seemed to like it in particular. Moreover, she would never cosplay. Wang Hua loved dolling her daughter up, and found this to be absolutely regrettable. Lets not even talk about how her daughter suddenly went crazy and chopped away her long hair, that long hair which had been an object of Wang Huas admiration and was so jealous of. That had left her immensely frustrated! Our bodies down to every follicle and epidermis are bestowed upon us by our parents.[1] Wang Hua had already insisted that Zhao Youyue must keep her hair long. Only the long-haired Zhao Youyue was extremely dazzling and gloriously! Wang Hua truly loved to feast her eyes upon the goddess-styled Zhao Youyue Although Wang Hua was a university professor and a classic literature author, she was actually a senior member and audience of Bilibili. Furthermore, when she was young, she had also dabbled with doujinshi mangas. That past self of her was rather similar to a character named Eriri[2]. Therefore, she was quite familiar with the otaku culture, but she never showed it in school. In school, she was just a genius female elite scholar. Im not imitating a cat meow, I am a cat meow. As for the kitty maid costume, I can give it a try meow The rationality within Youyue Meow seemed to have disappeared into thin air. Now, she was filled with curiosity about everything. She was just like a newborn baby. Wang Hua had been prepared to be rejected. After all, her daughter was recently becoming prouder, and more full of herself. She also seemed especially fashionable now. Her choice of attire was a lot more ladylike and exquisite. Zhao Youyue did dress excellently, and Wang Hua had to admit that her daughters fashion taste had already surpassed hers. Would such a mature daughter possibly agree to wear a kitty maid costume? What did she just hear? Her daughter actually agreed to it! Still, when did her daughter get so good at acting cute? Now, her daughter was even talking with a meow. Was she trying to get on the good side of her otaku mother? Her Little Sloth daughter was really fun to play with. She even knew how to entertain the bizarre ideas of her pathetic mother. Not bad at all! Strangely, the little black cat in Wang Huas arms seemed a little ashamed. She knew that as long as she stopped using the Hua Xiaomao character card, Youyue Meow would revert to regular Zhao Youyue, and then her mothers weird request would be strictly rejected. However, now, be it Zhao Xiaohei or Youyue Meow, they both sensed the joy radiating off Wang Hua. The Zhao Youyue that loved her mother so much could not bear to turn the Hua Xiaomao card off. Thus, she allowed her mother to do whatever she wanted. Nobody knew how Wang Hua produced a kitty maid costume or where she got it from, but it was a perfect fit for Zhao Youyues body. There were also two pure white knee highs, ready to be worn by Zhao Youyue. Of course, Youyue Meow did not know how to put on clothes. All she did was meow and meow and meow as Wang Hua helped her Wang Hua was so happy she drooled sheepishly! A grown-up daughter was supposed to have self-respect and dignity. How could a mother still help her daughter put on some clothes in some weird roleplay? However, her daughter was so cooperative at the moment. Although she was unhappily nagging about her Little Sloth out of habit, her actions were firm and decisive In the house, the heater was at full blast. It may be winter, but the inside of the house was as warm as it could be. Zhao Youyue was in casual attire. Wang Hua almost threw herself upon her daughter. One by one, she unbuttoned the buttons of her daughters top. Lady Zhaos rosy skin was exposed in the open and, of course, her white lace bra was soon revealed. Such purity Then, Wang Hua skillfully took off her own daughters trousers. She never approved of Zhao Youyue in trousers. If only she wore a skirt more often. Zhao Youyue had a pair of perfectly slender legs, unlike her. Her legs were rather short, which was a source of her frustration. If only this scene was being presented in an anime, there would surely be bullet curtains such as this - - Good job cameraman, adding some chicken thighs for you! [3] Translation note : [1] Our bodies to every hair and bit of skin are received by us from our parents. (巢,֮ĸ). Here, the author only inserts half of the full proverb into the story. The continuation of it is һ,Т֮ʼҲ, which translates into We must not presume to injure or wound them, this is the beginning of filial piety. The meaning of the whole proverb is that we should not injure or harm any part of our body, and if we do so, that is a form of disrespect to our parents, as they are the ones that have bestowed us with the gift of life. [2] Eriri (full: Sawamura Spencer Eriri), is a character from Saekano: How to Raise a Boring Girlfriend, also known in the short form Saekano, a Japanese light novel series by Fumiaki Maruto, with illustrations by Kurehito Misaki. [3] Adding chicken thighs is a Chinese internet slang (Ӽ) used the same way as 666, to express that something is good or that someone has done a good job. However, this internet slang is usually used specifically in cases where there are fanservice scenes, and the body of the character has not been censored or covered up. On the other hand, if the body of the character has been covered up, then netizens will say ʦĹǮ,첻ˡ instead, which means here cameraman, this is your pay. After today, you dont have to come to work anymore. Chapter 414 Chapter 412: Moe Point After Zhao Youyue satisfied the teenage girl in Wang Hua, she resolutely turned the Hua Xiaomao card off, which had turned out to be basically useless, as it could only awaken the cat-moe in her. Even so, the cards influence on the little black cat remained, which made it appear really cute and intelligent. Due to this, it was particularly intimate with Zhao Youyue and Wang Hua. And thus, it quickly established itself as a new member of the family. Uncapping the wisdom of the little black cat had brought out great benefits; it was now far easier to care for. All of the cuteness and none of the drawbacks. Even if Hua Xiaomaos character card expires, the little black cat would only get cleverer and smarter at acting cute. The cats wisdom had been uncapped; the possibilities are endless Of course, Wang Hua had recorded that entire incident on camera. Zhao Youyue watched the video of herself in the kitty maid costume, and realized that she was indeed very skilled at acting cute. She was convinced that this was probably the little black cats specialty. Fortunately, this video would remain in Wang Huas private possession. If this were to spread out in public, her majestic disposition would surely be washed out. In the recording, Wang Hua was constantly tutting in wonder [1]. She kept sighing, as her own daughter was just too good at acting cute. She had hidden her talents well. Zhao Youyue could only roll her eyes. She had told Wang Hua, everything was good as long as she was happy. She would never do so much as to lower herself to the same level as her mother, who was just like a manga character. Wang Hua, who had a great time playing around on that day, had forcibly slept with her daughter Zhao Youyue that night. Her attribute of controlling her daughter around had been fully revealed, even moreso after Zhao Youyue started becoming an all-around achiever. Zhao Youyues father, Zhao Jiayi, was left all alone by himself. He could not do anything about that. Wang Hua was the best at doing everything in the family. Moreover, he doted on her with all his life. Of course, his daughter Zhao Youyue was also a pearl in his open palm[2]. Since the two of them were spending such quality time, it was better for an outsider like him to go and play Stellaris[3]. Stellaris was really fun, at least, it was a lot more fun than playing with his wife! Zhao Jiayi felt that if he just played Stellaris for a bit, he could already become a god. Although he was actually not able to gain victory, the point of playing strategic games such as this was the fast-paced progression up the technology tree[4] Furthermore, to men, conquering the whole galaxy was the purest form of romance. Women? Just push them aside, no one could stop him from indulging in Stellaris! Gaming addiction was easy to curb. One could use third-party mods or open the game console, and the game would be rendered meaningless Time moved forward unknowingly. Zhao Youyues first semester of her third year of high school had ended rather placidly. She had completely restored her status as a side character. Not only did the internet fall silent, her presence in school had also absolutely dissipated, other than the brief mentions when examination results were announced. On the other hand, Bai Yunshan, a good friend of Zhao Youyue, was shoved to the front of the stage by the scheming Lady Zhao. In terms of appearance and temperament, Bai Yunshan had transformed radically. Before this, others had often ridiculed her, saying that she was a capricious tomboy who loved to tattle-tale. However, in one semester, she had managed to become the schools iceberg goddess! It could not be helped. After she grew her hair out and received Zhao Youyues expert guidance on how to dress up, it was only natural for an average girl like Bai Yunshan to transform into a goddess. We simply have to believe in Zhao Youyues ability of nurturing others Look at Han Leng, who started of as an above-average young man, with a lot of acne on his face. He used to have severe cases of dark circles, and he always looked tired. Now, however, he has become a teenage idol writer who was a clueless chick-magnet. With a snap of his fingers, he could easily get a fan to hook up with him. If not for the efforts of Lady Zhao, how could he attain idol level? Unfortunately, Han Leng was still as awkward as before, and he still treated others coldly, especially towards the male fans who knew his Leng Zi side. Those fans were the scariest, as they zealously lusted after his beautyDo you remember the promise?[5] However, Han Leng gradually corrected his awkward personality in front of Zhao Youyue. Also, as a result of him always wanting to write things for Zhao Youyue to eat, his new book remained untouched. This often left him anxious. No matter how he wrote, he could not surpass Beautiful April, his previous book. For Han Leng, writing for Zhao Youyue was a way to sharpen his skills and calm himself down. However, Han Lengs popularity on the internet had not yet faded. Although he had not yet come up with anything new, he had already successfully built up a public persona as a known intellectual. He had his hands full, spreading all kinds of hate all around Weibo. Whenever he had nothing better to do, he criticized whatever that moved, in whichever direction. He now carried the image of a rebellious teenager. However, his handsome looks prevented many from hating him. Even if one slandered him, his group of brainwashed fans would always rise up to defend him - - Our Mr. Han is already working so hard. And You guys have the audacity to put him down? Where is your conscience? You have facts, but no conscience! In actuality, Han Leng did not care about any of this. All he wanted was to write something that transcended his former self. If he were to write for Zhao Youyue and have her evaluate his works, there would be much progress for him. Sometimes, he could even play a prank on her and write something that would amount to a dark cuisine for Zhao Youyue. He found this to be fun. Han Leng had already lost hope in Lady Zhao, who was always talking about writing her own book. She was clearly more willing to be a reader. She had no desire to write at all. She always said that she would start writing after she reads this book. However, one book after another, she still had not shown any signs of starting. What else could Han Leng do? Of course, he could only forgive Lady Zhao. As a reader, Zhao Youyue was almost perfect. Her insight and critiques were top-notch. With her taste test sessions, his writing skills had improved substantially. Han Leng had put his love letter writing business on hold. Although many people were requesting for him to write love letters, they were all for Bai Yunshan. In that case, what was there to write? In Han Lengs eyes, no matter how Zhao Youyues appearance changed, her talents remained absolute. However, as everyone spoke about the school flowers, fewer mentioned Zhao Youyues name. Han Leng was most unhappy about this. He felt that everyone in this world were fools. They were blind and could not see the ultimate girl. Zhao Youyue, on the other hand, was happy and at peace. She was glad that she had rediscovered her role as a mysterious observer. She was someone who could observe Bai Yunshan to see how her personality changed, and how she handled all the love letters. There were absolutely no changes to Bai Yunshans personality. She was persistently sticking to her own rules and principles. As a result, some boys found that this ignorance she had towards the feelings of others was somewhat her moe point[6]. The goddess Bai Yunshan was just so cute! Bai Yunshan handled the love letters a lot more cruelly, compared to Zhao Youyue. She would report them to the teachers without a second thought. To those who wrote her love letters, the greatest form of misfortune awaited them! Even so, it did not matter. No one would blame her, because this was yet another moe point! Zhao Youyue realized - - A girl was not cute, only because she had moe points. Instead, only a cute girl had moe points! The fact that a girl could be forgiven an indefinite number of times, was solid proof of her attractiveness! Translation note : [1] To click ones tongue in wonder () means to be so astonished by something to the point where one cannot help but praise its wonders. [2] A pearl in ones palm () is a Chinese proverb specifically used to describe ones beloved daughter. [3] Stellaris is a 4X grand strategy video game developed and published by Paradox Interactive. Stellariss gameplay revolves around space exploration, managing an empire, diplomacy, and space warfare with other spacefaring civilizations. [4] Technology tree (Ƽ) C In strategy computer games, a technology, tech, or research tree is a hierarchical visual representation of the possible sequences of upgrades a player can take (most often through the act of research). The diagram is tree-shaped in the sense that it branches between each level, allowing the player to choose one sequence or another. Each level is called a tier and is often used to describe the technological strength of a player. Typically, at the beginning of a session of a strategy game, a player will start at tier 1, and will only have a few options for technologies to research. Each technology that a player researches will open up one or more new options, but may or may not, depending on the computer game, close off the paths to other options. The tech tree is the representation of all possible paths of research a player can take, up to the culmination of said sequence. A player who is engaged in research activities is said to be teching up, going up the tech tree, or moving up the tech tree. Analysis of a tech tree can lead players to memorize and use specific build orders. [5] These are translated lyrics from a song called Thm M?t L?n ?au by the Vietnamese boy band HKT. With their debut Weibo post, they had attracted a staggering number of followers on Weibo, but their popularity had little to do with their music. Many netizens commented negatively about their appearances. The Weibo account had posted a number of music videos which then quickly became viral hits in spite of, or really because of, how awful they sound. Thm M?t L?n ?au was one of the songs that went viral, as it was a little catchy. Although the song was sung in Vietnamese, it somewhat sounded like Chinese, thus many Chinese netizens compiled the lyrics in Chinese. However, the lyrics were made up with random Chinese words that sounded similar to what the singer was singing, so it did not really make any sense at all. It was compiled just so that the Chinese people could sing the song (almost properly) without even knowing how to pronounce Vietnamese. Here, as the author inserted the Chinese version of the lyrics (made up of random words), it makes no sense if it is translated into English, so the lyrics are translated from Vietnamese to English here. The author probably randomly inserted the lyrics to the song here because he found the song catchy as well, and since it was something which was, or maybe, is still trending in China, the Chinese readers would definitely get his humor. [6] Moe point (ȵ) here actually means cute point. It is usually used to refer to the things cute anime characters do that are attractive. Bai Yunshans ignorance towards the affection of others towards her is a cute point of hers that others find to be attractive. Chapter 415 Chapter 413: To Initially be Attracted to Ones Appearance, but To Fall For Ones Talents After Unlike Han Leng, who had been very unproductive with his new piece of work and had been spending all his time stirring up trouble on Weibo, Zhao Youyues closest mangaka friend, Su Li was not the same. She had already uploaded her new original manga Himegoto. Su Li did not have high expectations for her manga, unlike Han Leng. Han Leng always wanted his works to sell well and have a good reputation to boot. Optimally, he also wanted to grab the attention of many overanalytical readers. An example would be the aesthetic researchers that appeared by virtue of Beautiful April, as well as the debates on what true love was that had set the internet on fire. Was it a long-term form of companionship? Or a short moment of eternity? Or could it be the willingness to sacrifice your own life, without expecting anything in return? Everyone had their own views and perspectives when it came to love. Everyone had different personal experiences and a different understanding of love. Beautiful April had acted as a catalyst for discussion sas to what was love, which involved many readers. This was something that Han Leng was rather proud of. Without the existence of such debates and analyses, how could an iconic character like Chu Luoxun possibly emerge out of Beautiful April? Han Leng clearly knew that no matter what he wrote now, he could easily earn big, as long as he wrote decently. He could ride atop the wave of his Beautiful April. Moreover, he had a lot of brainwashed fans. Even so, he could not bring himself to do it. He had always hoped for his new work to be better than his previous works. Only by repeatedly transcending his limits, he would be able to proceed into a higher realm. This way, he would be able to satisfy a professional reader like Zhao Youyue. He wanted to write a big meal to placate Zhao Youyues appetite. Zhao Youyues cosplay of Wen Qingyu had been pretty good. This actually made Han Leng a little unhappy. After all, Wen Qingyu was an iconic character from Bakuman, and Shi Jingnian was its ghostwriter. Furthermore, he was aware that his current writing skills were not yet comparable to that of Shi Jingnians. Even so, he would never be discouraged. By polishing his skills, he would definitely be able to surpass Shi Jingnian! Su Li was not as ambitious as Han Leng in the field of literature. She only hoped for her works to sell well. Her reputation meant nothing. As long as she was earning some money, it was all good! Even if readers admonished her, it was not a problem, as long as they continued to pay for her works. So what, if she takes a harsh beating? So what if the netizens sensationalized more headlines about the poisonous Su Li and her curse? As long as she made money, everything was good! Su Lis mentality changed extremely swiftly. Before this, she was still worried as to whether her reputation would affect her career adversely. When she discovered that this would only make her more and more famous, she knew that she had nothing to fear anymore. She only grew more reckless than ever. Before Su Li had even serialized her new manga, Himegoto, there was a period when she had quite a bit of free time. This was mainly because the updates of The Strongest King were extremely stable. Su Li was too efficient; she drew too fast. She was way ahead of schedule, and had to wait for Rosemarys originals. In such a situation, Su Li, who was addicted to making money, of course, chose to earn some extra cash. It was not like she was only a mangaka. She was also a famous illustrator. If everything about her identity as the Great Deity was put aside, her illustrations were quite outstanding. The unparalleled beauty of her illustrations was not something that average illustrators could pull off. Nobody knew if the creators that hired Su Li to do illustrations had already on tragedic fates to befall upon a certain character. Anyhow, after Su Li released the illustrations, the character would be quickly handed a bento. Then, the netizens would ravenously jumpstart the Su Li drama again However, Su Li could not care less. No matter what, she had already made a profit. Additionally, she was also on the headlines once again! The Old Sly authors were equally delighted. They could finally kill off their characters as they wished. Before they carried out the killing, they could request for Su Li to draw some illustrations of the character. It was almost like a declaration of death. When the deed was done, they could throw the pan away smoothly - - Dear precious readers, I really did not want to kill this character, I had no choice. He/she had to die. If not, Im the one who would have died. There was really no other way! What? Some people are saying that I privately requested for Su, the Great Deity to draw some illustrations? Stop joking around. Such a thing most certainly did not happen! A successful throwing of the pan! All sorts of joy! Su Lis identity as an illustrator stood out a lot more radiantly compared to her identity as a mangaka Perhaps Su Li was still bad at creating original works. However, regarding drawing, her natural talent, combined with her diligence made her art and drawing style increasingly outstanding. Although people always say that Su Li seemed a little too cold-heartedly commercialized, that she had no resolve and integrity, and that she always compromised with the demands of readers, especially the tycoon, her diligence was unquestionable. On average, she spent at least seven or eight hours a day on drawing. She treated it as an actual job, and she took it very seriously. In recent times, many creators that claim to be professional writers or professional mangakas procrastinated all the time. Only at the last moment would they get started with their work. This was a state of procrastination disorder. Whats more, in the name of going off-course in search for inspiration, some of them would randomly announce the suspension of publication as they wished. Their readers were nothing in their eyes However, Su Li was different; she was now Lady Zhaos best friend. There was always the possibility of Zhao Youyue calling her out for dinner, shopping, watching a movie, and so on, especially when Zhao Youyue had her holidays. Thus, she could not afford procrastinating. The result of her procrastination would only end up in her having to catch up on updates during the weekends. She might even have to reject Zhao Youyues invitation. How big of a loss would this be! Su Li had to admit it. She was now inseparable from Lady Zhao. If she had to go back in time where she hid at home all day when she had nothing better to do, she would feel empty and desolate! After Su Li learned that Zhao Youyue had set up a small publishing house, without thinking twice, she decisively gave Zhao Youyue the copyright of the manga booklet of her new manga, allowing Zhao Youyues publishing house to publish it. The friendship she had with Zhao Youyue had prevailed over the power of money. After all, Zhao Youyues small publishing house was not the strongest, in terms of publishing capacity. The advertising capability of the publishing house was also questionable. This might affect the sales of Su Lis new manga, but Su Li still went ahead with it! Behind all of this, probably lay the meaning of to initially be attracted to ones Appearance, but to fall for ones talents after[1] Some might say that Su Li had definitely earned enough money. However, there ever enough? She only took the initiative to do so because her actions could amount to what that could possibly be timely assistance. She could aid with the development of Zhao Youyues small publishing house! With her participation, Zhao Youyues publishing house already had two heavyweight players, Shi Jingnian and Su Li. Many creators in the industry have started to take notice of this publishing house, called Dimension Culture Company. What was so good about this publishing house that it managed to attract well-known creators such as Shi Jingnian and Su Li? Some major publishers became highly curious about this publishing house, which had appeared out of nowhere. Things shouldnt be so simple Of course, all this was due to the face of a certain Lady Zhao! As expected, Su Lis new manga Himegoto did quite well. She already had a lot of fans, to begin with. Her character artwork sold pretty well - - and she was goddess mangaka and mysterious illustrator! Who would not be curious about her new work? Translation note : [1] Lit. Attracted by ones appearance at first, but fall for ones talents after (ʼֵ,ڲŻ) is an actual Chinese proverb. The author here changed the words of the proverb to fit into the storys context, specifically referring to the friendship between Su Li and Zhao Youyue. Thus it becomes attracted by ones wealth at first, but fall for friendship after. (ʼڽǮ,) Chapter 416 Chapter 414: Intense vividity! Of course, Su Lis new manga would be fairly popular. However, if she wanted it to reach the heights of Pure Romance and The Strongest King, she could only dream of it. Regardless of how well Su Lis own character was selling, the quality of her manga was still an important factor. Her Himegoto was just a brainless piece of work made up of erotic and funny scenes. There was nothing special about the plot. However, if such a manga could do so much as to make the readers laugh, that would be more than enough. Zhao Youyue found this manga to be much better than the previous Pure Romance. Generally speaking, Su Li was only just improving, and had room for more. Since Zhao Youyue found it tolerable, she decided to show Su Li some support, as she always did. She directly rewarded her and became a Silver Sect Master. Their friendship drove half of it. Frankly speaking, the quality of this manga was still not up to Zhao Youyues standard, not at her Silver Sect Master standards, at least. As long as Zhao Youyue found it readable, it was already a marked improvement. Previously, Zhao Youyue could not even bring herself to read Su Lis Pure Romance at all. As for Su Lis fans, they found this manga to be very interesting. As the story was about a cross-dresser main protagonist enrolling into an all-girls school, the setting of various yuri relationships between the female protagonist and some other girls was quite interesting The first semester of her third year of high school had ended, which meant that Zhao Youyue now had her winter holidays. It was a short holiday C just a little over ten days. It could not be helped. The high school that she attended was way too strict. This was especially so for the third-years, as they were not even given the opportunity to participate in events like sports competitions and the New Years Eve Party. All the students who were expecting Zhao Youyue to showcase her amazingly star-level violin skills again were left very disappointed. Since the winter holidays were so short, other than the few days she spent celebrating the New Years at her hometown, Zhao Youyue had, of course, spent what little time she had leisurely in the Jiangnan Provincial City. At the same time, she had also been studying Altairs card, which was still in a fragmented state. Although she never wrote any doujinshis involving Altair, she was always making videos and music related to her. Other doujinshi authors were also not idling. They continued to create doujinshis about her. Of course, Su Li was one of them. She drew many illustrations of Altair. This was all done when she had some free time. She was very conscious and observant, there was no need for Zhao Youyue to request for her to do so. Due to Su Lis diligence in drawing illustrations of Altair, all netizens who loved messing with her could not help but start to ridicule her. You have already killed the actual creator of Altair. Now, you are still drawing and drawing and drawing away. Why are you doing this? It feels like you are trying to prevent that creator from reincarnating However, Su Lis current state of mind was in the pink, and completely free from the influence of these people. To her, Lady Zhao absolutely loved doujinshis related to Altair. She had decided to fully devote herself to whatever Zhao Youyue liked. Thus, whenever she had nothing better to do, she would casually draw some of her for fun. Therefore, under such circumstances of Altair constantly being provided with energy from the general public, Zhao Youyue discovered that a (1/1) mark had actually appeared on the fragmented Altair card in the Two Dimensional Gate. Right at that moment, she knew that continually accumulating doujinshis for Altair was the right decision! However, the information she obtained was still insufficient. She did not know what this (1/1) meant. This was probably due to the fact that the most overlying attribute of the Altair card was its mystery. Hence, she was unsure of what would happen, if she used this character card Zhao Youyue could not suppress her curiosity any longer. On one night, she chose to use the Altair card, albeit its still fragmented state. In her spiritual world, something amazing had happened. Altair used the Movement of Cosmos on the Two Dimensional Gate, and the Two Dimensional Gate which was still in a state of cooling down had actually activated once again! Zhao Youyue understood it at once. Could this Altair card actually shorten the cooldown time of the Two Dimensional Gate? Then, Zhao Youyue saw that the Altair card turned gray again. The (1/1) symbol had turned into (0/1). She more or less understood what it meant now. Had all the accumulated energy been depleted? Zhao Youyue took one more look at the reactivated Two Dimensional Gate. This time, she noticed that the Two Dimensional Gate was giving off a different feeling. Previously, the Two Dimensional Gate gave her an intangible form of tranquility as she wreaked havoc at will. It was as if she was inconsequentially dreaming. She would be the master of her own dreams. She could set the characters in any way she liked. This time, however, she could vividly feel an unknown risk Inexorably, Zhao Youyue once again received some information from the Two Dimensional Gate. If she did not enter it now, then this one-time opportunity provided by the Altair card would go to waste. Zhao Youyue could not resist such a temptation. Perhaps, for her, only the various worlds within the Two Dimensional Gate could make her experience different forms of wonders. Wonders that were different from those in the real world. She resolutely entered the Two Dimensional Gate, even though she did not know what awaited her! As expected, things were radically different! Prior to this, she would immediately obtain some information about the work. At the same time, she could also directly select a female character to possess. It was exactly the same as dreaming. She could decide to possess any character except the heroine. This time, however, it was like she awakened directly. She actually ended up somewhere in the thickly forested mountains. There were various tombstones on the mountains. Fortunately, it was still daytime This world was solid, vivid and carried weight. It felt just like the real thing, unlike how Zhao Youyue could usually differentiate between a world of fiction from the real thing. Previously, whenever she traversed the world of works, she could distinctively feel the difference between the world of works and the real world that she was in. Now, however, she found that this world was not all that different from the real world This world seemed to be experiencing one of its summers. She could feel the glaring beams of the sun and hear the cicadas cheerfully buzzing away. Even for summer, this was hot. However, Zhao Youyue did not know why she felt kind of chilly. Was it because she was now in a cemetery area? Zhao Youyue checked her body. There was no doubt that this was not her real body. She was too skinny, and she felt a little malnourished. Then, she was shocked by the fact that all the abilities from character cards she had previously acquired had been fully integrated into this world. This meant that she could easily use these abilities without any activating any character card - - learning, gaming, music, writing, and swapping bodies with a cat. Of course, this body of hers was not actually able to activate a character card. This body did not possess the Two Dimensional Gate. Zhao Youyue suddenly understood everything. This world that she had entered was probably the world of an iconic work. Or, it could be said that the creators who have created iconic works had inexorably gained inspiration from the contents of this world. If not for this, they would have been uanble create iconic works Zhao Youyue had a bad feeling about this. It would be nice if this was a slice-of-life type of world without any apparent danger, but if it was not Chapter 417 Chapter 415: Iconic Spiritual World Zhao Youyue blamed herself for being clumsy and careless. She should have known better. The energy from the combination of Two Dimensional Gate and Altair was nothing less than an unstable nuclear bomb! However, she quickly felt relieved when she discovered she could come back to reality anytime she wanted. The safety issues that initially bothered her were solved. The condition of the current body was the top priority. Any damage to it would mean the end of her dimensional travel in this world. The world of the novella would be the virtual world designed by its author. A cameo character would not be killed so easily, unless the author had set its fate to end in death. This characters death would force Zhao Youyue to take her bow, never again to show up on this stage It was a common saying, that every fate in a virtual world of the novella has been fabricated and set in stone. However, Zhao Youyue had been gifted with the ability to enter the world of an iconic novel. She could provide various bouts of inspirations to the authors who were still writing their stories. This passerby characters fate had so much potential in store, for Zhao Youyue to explore. Therefore, just about anything could happen to this character. She had to keep herself away from danger. This was the only way for her to secure her return via the Two Dimensional Gate. It would be more apt to describe the vessel that she currently possessed as an anchor to this world. Perhaps this was the function of Altair. By a concentrated focus of her energy, she had created an avatar for her soul to be transmitted into a delegated body through the Two Dimensional Gate. The question was, what type of iconic novel world has she traveled to? Or should it be said, in reality, which author of which iconic novel was bound to be imbued with her inspiration? What did this world hold? What were the benefits for her to reap? These were the questions that had to be solved first. When the nature of the world has been figured out, she could easily gain the advantage of determining the script from her real world. She could not even zone in on a single point of investigation, while being lost in the wilderness of the world. Perhaps, she should find someone to talk to first? Of course, a script might not even exist. Everything might just be happening at random, just like it was in the real world. The seeds of inspirations stemmed from this world. However, the development of this story was still up to the author. This world provided only the faintest of hints If I can not gain anything from this world, my trip here would have no meaning at all. In a common novel world, all I need is the fabrication of a character, the boosting of her popularity, while even becoming an icon in the hearts of readers, to be forever remembered; then I can possess her character card, gain her ability. But in this world, I am a copy of myself; and I could use the abilities I obtained freely. There is no need for me to program myself Zhao Youyue analyzed her situation. She felt she had traveled into a gaming world without any designated missions nor objectives to complete. It provided absolute freedom for her to act as she wished. She now possessed superhuman levels of learning capacity, game, music, writing and the ability morph into a cat. She was faced with only one question. What was the purpose of staying alive? It was an existential question. Everyone would have asked themselves a variant of such a question at least once in their lifetimes. Why would I want to stay alive? What am I living for? Moments later, we determine that staying alive is a difficult task, so why are we even asking Zhao Youyue realized that she was in dire straits, standing on a graveyard, in the wilderness. Fortunately, she did not need to mind about food. She could not possibly starve to death in a novella world, could she? That had to be impossible. She did not have to concern herself with health and hygiene issues of those iconic female characters that she had fabricated. It might be counter-intuitive in reality, yet in a novella world, it was reasonable. Which author would be lame enough to write about some goddess heading to the toilet? Would it not destroy the image of a goddess? It was completely unnecessary for a goddess to use a washroom in a novel world. If she did that, her leftovers had to be pinkish and fragrant. Would she qualify as a goddess, if so? Nevertheless, Zhao Youyue was not in any common virtual novel world. Its level of realism was very close to the real world, a world where almost everything was close to completion. Perhaps her influence over things was limited too. Zhao Youyues first concern was how to survive in this world. Then, she could unravel the mystery of this world. Any unique ability that this world had to offer would be a skill for her to learn and master! In this way, she could attempt to experiment with what she learned in this world, wihle creating wonders in reality! Zhao Youyue examined her surroundings, and noticed that something that could be a village situated at the foot of the hill. The moment she decided to walk down the hill, she heard funeral music from afar. A group of people dressed in black and white marched up the hill. She could not explain the sudden chill that took hold of the environment. The only assumption she could cook up C was that she was in a spiritual world! She spotted a black cat sitting on a branch. Without hesitation, she took control of the cat! It was a black cat. And the black cat offered her insight to an unseen world. All black cats had a special connection with spirits. Through its eyes, she saw countless spirits wandering around the graveyard, among the tombstones. In fact, this whole hill seemed to be a carnival for the dead! Fortunately, these spirits were not evil. They would not provoke living beings, as long as living beings remained unaware of their presence. To those who seemed to sense them, those spirits who cling on like glue! Zhao Youyue was now eighty-percent sure C this was another iconic, spiritual novel world! She believed that the inspirations of iconic horror films such as Ju-On and The Ring had originated from this world! Chapter 418 Chapter 416: A World Full of Trouble Seekers Zhao Youyue decided to take control of a cat in this world. Through its eyes, she finally saw her own body. Her clothes were worn-out and simple. Her face was not exactly unrecognizable. She could not tell if she was hallucinating when she thought that the body was a combination of Xu Jing, Yu Shengfan, Chu Luoxun, Wen Qingyu and Hua Xiaomao. That though, perfectly answered the question as to why she could use all of their abilities. Zhao Youyue was satisfied with the outlook of the body. It was not the typical body structure of beautiful lady in the real world. It was close to aneroxic. The body did not start acting like a cat when she took control of it. Surprisingly, it had dropped to the ground limply. Zhao Youyue could not help but wonder why did such a powerful cat appear coincidentally. All spirits started retreating as she strolled along the tombstones across the hill, as if they feared her wrath. Zhao Youyue almost certain of her place in this spirit world. WIth an identity as a powerful cat, which spirit dare to disturb her? Most supernatural novels included a cat among their pages. Some black cats would be portrayed as an embodiment of a wraith. This had misled a lot of people into believing that black cats brought bad luck. Zhao Youyue suddenly became aware of a certain connection to spirits when she morphed into a black cat. Those dirty things, as described by humans, were able to fuel her by providing negative energy. Perhaps this was why people often suffered from misfortune whenever they ran into a black cat? Black cats loved to mix with spirits, hence they had their methods of deterring spirits. People stumbling upon a black cat would be troubled by spirits that the cat just chased away. Upon learning that this was a spiritual world, Zhao Youyue was greatly disturbed. As soon as she realized that her ability to morph into a cat gave her unparalleled advantage over spirits and spells, this worry quickly fled. Just like the cowardly lion who found his courage, she feared nothing at all. As she was basking in the security of her new found bravery, an athletic man walked towards her. He seemed delighted to see the black cat, running all the way to her. While catching his breath, he said to her, Xiao Hei, finally, Ive found you. I would not dare to enter this village without you As the man spoke, he carried the black cat in his arm, and prepared to walk away. She soon realized, perhaps this man could carry her unconscious body along too? He was a decent looking guy. Thanks to his glasses, he looked like an intellectual. Somehow, his face seemed familiar to Zhao Youyue. That was why she felt that she could trust him. She broke free from the mans arm easily, and led him towards the unconscious young girl. The man looked at the unconscious young without the slightest hint of being impressed by her beauty. Instead, he shivered in the cold. He carefully examined his surroundings, remaining on guard. All he wanted was to hug the cat that saved his ass countlessly He was Zhao Song, a professional writer. His articles were all about the supernatural, written honestly and rigorously. His readers were always able to immerse themselves in his story, hence his work was always in high demand. He came with his adventurous friends to this Feng Men village[1] to gather information. Despite the urban legend that spread across the internet, it was a village that housed a beautiful scenery. A broad span of light-blue sky severed the earth below, surrounded by layers of green trees that stood silently on the mountains. Xiao Yao river curved along the edge of Feng Men village like the subtle sweep of a painters brush, all the way down the valley. Pebbles and rocks squeezed each other, inviting people to step on an even path they formed. Reddish leaves waltzed their way down on each side of the bank, while the jeweled-blue stream rushed its way down the forest. Many of Zhao Song colleagues did not believe in supernatural phenomena and theories. On the other hand, as an author of supernatural articles, he believed in ghosts and respected them. Most importantly, he did not cross the line Even though most his novels started off with protagonists deliberately looking for trouble. Nobody knows why this world was full of trouble seekers, just like his friends who suddenly wanted to perform some spirit-summoning ritual in this Feng Men village, which happened to be famous for supernatural phenomena. Were not they trouble seekers? Every family in this village had placed a coffin in their house. Who knows what kind of culture they practiced? Nevertheless, Zhao Song did not stop these people from being idiots. Where else could he look for writing inspirations if they did not stir something up? After all, he had Xiao Hei. He worshipped Xiao Hei the same way he worshipped his ancestors. He took care of it, as his life depended on it! He could not help it. He had gone through a lot of scenes in his supernatural stories, and believed that ghosts and spirits sustained this world. The best thing he knew was to protect himself by staying away and running away from trouble. Therefore, the unconscious Zhao Youyue scared the living light out of him, and his first thought was to run away as far as possible. A young girl lying unconscious, deep in the wilderness; it was way too eerie, was it not? In his novels, those troublemaking characters would not hesitate to save people. In fact, those people they saved were not humans; they were ghosts! One by one, everybody would die mysteriously as they played the savior! Her pretty face was deadly, it was far too deadly. It was a trap that baited people into saving her. But not him, he loved his life more than hers. This was no joke at all. Zhao Song had witnessed such a scenario many times over. He never understood why were there so many fearless souls who ignored the practice of maintaining harmony with spirits. They often crossed the line and became his source of writing inspiration. His novels retold actual, real-life incidents. Readers often argued about the legitimacy of trouble-seeking actions as described in his novel, eager to prove the existence of ghosts! Ghosts definitely existed in this world, even if one chose not to believe it. Zhao Song could not move away from the scene, no matter how much he wanted to. The cat that he worshipped as his protection did not want to leave, unless he took this unconscious young girl along. Zhao Song could not shake the feeling that he had just became a side character in a novel. All this while, he had been an author who had observed the world savely, omnisciently. There was no way for him to become a character in any supernatural story! However, he had to save this potential ghost magnet to persuade his black cat C ancestral protector. Thats right. He was convinced that he was saving a ghost, and prayed she was, not an evil one. Translation Note: [1] Feng Men Village, Ŵ壩located in the rural area outside Qinyang town of Jiaozuo City in He Nan Province. Since the year 1981, villagers moved out of the village due to its location was not strategic and caused inconvenience to reach outside world. It was completely vacant in the year 2007. Some sports lovers started to spread rumors and ghosts stories about that abandoned village since 2008, which were purely made up stories. Chapter 419 Chapter 417: A Familiar Face The moment Zhao Youyue saw the attire of the conscientious man, Zhao Song, she felt relieved. She was afraid that she had travelled into an ancient or medieval world. That would be a waste for her, since she had no survival abilities. For the Two Dimensional Gate to open a portal of a parallel world, Altairs card needed donkeys years to regenerate its energy. This was a rare opportunity to access an actual reality that inspired the authors of iconic novels. Zhao Youyue could not tell when this blue moon would shine again. Either way, Altair cards energy would have to be refilled before pulling the trigger of Two Dimensional Gate card! At least she was not in a medieval world, and that was good. One must never underestimate the complexity of a medieval novel. It was often customized to favor the protagonist in every way, including the language spoken. The best way to travel in was to either begin ones journey as a child, or modify a soul in a customized body. Traveling with ones body from reality would be a nightmare. Zhao Youyue had undergone an almost complete body transmission to this world. Her body had been fabricated by the Two Dimensional Gate; an orphan in this world without any relatives or friends. As a modern world, things should be slightly simpler. This man would hopefully carry her back to civilization. Otherwise, she would have to play survival games. Zhao Youyue was not afraid of the wild. It would be fun to be Bear Grylls [1] once in a while. Even though this was a world with a degree of realism, she was brave enough to risk her body in certain ways. The worst outcome would be death in this world and retirement to reality. After all, the reality she came from had the power to reconstruct and redefine almost everything. Ghost? Spirits? These were all interpreted as magnetic fields This world was extremely focused on materialism. Science had an answer for anything. The inadequacy of technology was no excuse. Spiritual novels were written, based on made-up fictions. Authors were inspired by the supernatural phenomena which took place in this world. Other than authors, people who experienced nightmares might have appeared as random characters in this world. They would be terrified to the point of soiling their pants, dead in this world and awake in reality. This was why the stories they wrote on the internet would seem real. They would have thought that this was just an elaborate nightmare. The truth might be more disturbing C everything he experienced had actually taken place, and that he has already died in another spiritual world. In dreams, we cannot always control our actions. We would be driven by our subconsciousness, and that was why we tend to play with fire in dreams. Such people would be classified as trouble seekers for natives, such as Zhao Song. They provided writing materials for authors from both worlds, including Zhao Youyue and Zhao Song. It was only appropriate for authors to respect these trouble seekers, while expressing nothing but gratitude towards their deeds. Death in dreams was insignificant, why be afraid of dying indefinitely? Zhao Youyue was very much like the natives, in more ways than one. She had her hands on the wheel, and did not need to depend on her subconscious to move around. She could think like a native, looked like a native, act like a native Her first priority was seemingly, to stay alive. Then, she could unravel the mystery of this world. There had to be a guru somewhere where she could learn of some abilities to use in the real world. Of course, it was just her hypothesis. Nevertheless, being able to live as a different person in another world was exciting and mind-blowing. In this world, she was free to cause any trouble she wanted! Nobody cared if it was a realistic world. She treated it as just another novella world. This time, she did not have to be mindful about causing trouble to a certain author. This world had created itself. The only worry she had was that her antics would be sent out as inspiration to dozens of authors There was a possibility that the moment she gets sent back to reality, she would be mentioned in a few spiritual novel or supernatural movies. She might even become a protagonist! Zhao Song carried the unconscious Zhao Youyue back to the camp. It was in the middle of the Feng Men village. The urban legend on the internet description was Feng Men village languished among the dark woods. Hundreds of Qing dynasty houses stretched deep into the ancient forest. In the middle of the village stood a luxurious courthouse. That was the resting place of a mysterious armchair. Rumors claimed that eerie events happened to those people who sat on it. Other than Zhao Song and a few wimpy girls, most of the group members were keen to try the comforts of the Qing dynasty armchair Unfortunately, sneaking into this luxurious courthouse was no easy task. Of course, Zhao Song tried his best to persuade everyone not to do so. There must be some reason that such stories were found online, right? Reasoning with these donkeys was impossible. They were heavily drugged by their own enthusiasm, lost the very last threads of sanity. While claiming to be atheists, these donkeys insisted that their asses had to make contact with the armchair. In fact, from a different perspective, these donkeys might not be natives of this world. At that moment, they might be having nightmares in their world, which explained the way they behaved Zhao Song finally reached the camp. He was terrified by what he overheard It was just an armchair; I didnt feel anything special about it. This is pointless! Tonight we shall perform the spirit summoning ritual. Ive always wanted to validate the spooky events written on internet Actually, there was a far more horrifying legend about this village. Do you guys know about the story of the ancient village zombie? Whoa, is it related to the death in the village today? Lets not talk about this now. Theres no fun talking about this in daylight. I rather save it for tonight, around the campfire! I concur, I believe in no ghosts! . In Zhao Songs heart, the flag had certainly been placed. Has this crazy inspector, Ou Yang, lost his mind? Surprise, surprise. Zhao Youyue knew all too well, that one of these donkeys was someone she knew in reality! He was the famous author that wrote Winters Journey! He seemed far more ignorant in this world Translation Note: [1] Bear Grylls is a British adventurer, writer and television presenter. He is widely known for his television series Man vs. Wild (2006C2011), originally titled Born Survivor: Bear Grylls for the United Kingdom release. Chapter 420 Chapter 418: Inspiration Transmitter Zhao Youyue had been introduced to the famous thriller novel writer, Ou Yang during last years school celebration. They were much like schoolmates who did not contact each other after the event Zhao Youyue was not a fan of thriller novels. She only watched the movie adaptations of his novel. However, she remembered him as a rational person. He was an influential author that emphasized on tradition. His novels often led readers to contemplate and reflect upon themselves. A man with considerable cultivation. The question was, Ou Yang was an author in her reality. Why would he appear in this world? Did that mean his inspirations came from this world? Of course, he did not need to possess the ability to cross over dimensions. The inspirations he received from this world could be scattered, fragmented. With considerable refining and molding, these fragments could be shaped into a complete novel. Zhao Youyue observed the situation with her keen, cat eyes. She realized that private investigator; Ou Yang was rather good at flirting. He was bold and spirited, and some of the girls in this donkey group admired him greatly. Zhao Youyue was speechless. This was a completely different Ou Yang! The Ou Yang in reality, was a shy introvert. He was not married, even with such accomplishment in terms of fate and wealth. Perhaps all of his playboy-related talents had manifested themselves in this other world, instead? What little she knew of Ou Yang came from the internet and her friends. She was completely unaware that Ou Yang was very particular about the state of a females hymen. The first question he threw during a date always concerned the virginity of his date, followed by his proclamation of being a virgin Perhaps Ou Yang was as virginal as virgins went. But judging from how he flirted with the young ladies in this world, he had to be rather skilled in some forms of exercises. It was obvious, from the way Ou Yang expatiated on courtship and partnership in his novel. One could not convey those actions in details without any experience. Perhaps he has done all of it in another world? Such was an acceptable presumption for Zhao Youyue. While Ou Yang converged all his inspirations into a novels script, he could never imagine that all of them came from another version of himself in another world. If only they could communicate with each other, face to face He had once dreamt of being a private investigator. Even so, he could never recall most of his dream upon waking up. It was a common case for everybody. Who would remember the details of a dream, when they could not even remember what did during the day Most people called it dj vu. They might be doing something, or exploring a place that they had never been to, when suddenly a feeling would wash over them: telling every fiber in their bodies that they had experienced this exact moment before. There were a lot of explanations regarding this phenomena; some even called it the hippocampal effect [1] Who knows, if it was another self from another world who had experience this before? Dj vu occurred at that moment when the two of them were resonating with one another. Inspiration could be classified as a similar process. Most people thought that authors brainstormed and wrote whatever they could think of, especially when they drafted stories where protagonists could tear the sky apart with their bare hands, or shattered three thousand worlds with one slash. Some messed up authors were just trying to be funny, coming up with ridiculous climaxes. However, when famous authors illustrated such storylines, they would portray the genuine actions performed by their counterparts in another world. How else do we explain the flawless portrayal of events from these famous authors, when they were so tangible, so real? Science believed that it was their natural gifts, imprinted within their genetic threads. For example, the author responsible for Dong Ge, [2] which involved a few majestic grand scenes. An average writer would not be able to come up with such plot. He had even made up some his own phrases and proverbs to get some of his grand scenes across. Of course, he had witnessed all these grand scenes in person. Of course, he could write according to his experiences! However, these talented authors were obstructed from determining the origins of these remarkable gifts. The ability that so many envied was simply recollecctions of experiences from another self in another world. No matter how much effort common writers put into their storylines, they would never produce such epic and realistic scripts. Gifts were nothing but connections to a copy of another self in another realistic dimension. Authors who lacked gifts could only follow the trend and write something sellable. Someday, when they find their own copy in another world, they would gather more fragments of inspirations and make their masterpieces! Some famous authors would run out of fire as they worked on new titles. They had probably killed themselves in the other world. They would revert to mediocre writing, unless Zhao Youyue dives in and causes another fuss. Was this set of theories completely absurd? It should be absurd, yet it answered its own questions. This was the connection between iconic novels and reality. Authors communed with their copies in another world. It could be a world of fantasy, a mythical realm, a wasteland, a spiritual world and so on Zhao Youyue had reason to believe Ou Yang was not the only one who had a copy in this realistic spiritual world. It might not be a mirror image, yet they served as information transponders, sending inspiration back to their real selves. She might even meet someone she knew Ou Yang and the rest of the donkey gang watched, as Zhao Song carried a weak young girl on his back. The curiosity in their hearts grew even stronger when the saw her pretty face. They surrounded Zhao Song and started to question the identity of this beautiful dame. Zhao Song could not shake the feeling that these people were being watched. They had their overwhelming courage to blame for that. I have no idea who she is, I saw her lying unconscious on the hill, so I saved her, Zhao Song omitted the fact that he had planned to abandon her. He would not save her, if his cat had stubbornly stayed until he did so. Teacher Zhao, I never would have taken you as a warm-hearted guy. As a hardcore fan, I am proud of you! Ou Yang patted Zhao Song on his shoulder, his face beaming with respect. The hill was littered with tombstones, and you brought an unknown person back to the camp. Isnt that a little inappropriate? a soft female voice echoed in the crowd. Everybody felt a chill running through their bones! - Translation Notes: [1] Dj vu is a French term that literally means already seen. Studies have reported it had occurred in 60-70% of people, most commonly between the ages of 15 and 25. The researchers (from France!who better?) found that synchronized neural firing between the rhinal cortices and the hippocampus or amygdala were increased in stimulations that induced dj vu. This suggests that some sort of coincident occurrence in medial temporal lobe structures may trigger activation of the recollection system. [2] Dong Ge is a nickname given to eldest princess YeheNara clan(Chinese: Ҷ; Pinyin: Yh Nl Sh), which was never mentioned in any of official history. In 1996, a drama named Princess Yehenara named the princess as Singer of the East (Chinese:裩In 2005, the television drama The Secret History of Taizu she was named as Dong Ge (Chinese:磩which was in the language of Manchu that means a beautiful grass that grows on the waters edge. Chapter 421 Chapter 419: Awakening Zhao Song traced her way back to the source of the voice, and saw the side profile figure of a noblewoman. Ever since she joined the group, her expression had been icy cold. It would not be a stretch to think that someone in the group actually owed her money. She had claimed to be a reporter from this village. Her sole purpose of being here was to debunk the urban myths of the internet. Her name was C Li Lina. Of course, you cant expect a mythbuster to believe in any myths on her own. In fact, she was just as much of a skeptic as Zhao Song. She was the only person that Zhao Song trusted in this donkey gang. She maintained a low profile and separated herself from those trouble-seeking young girls. Zhao Song was in complete agreement with her words. It had been too suspicious to find an unconscious young girl in that area. He should have done anything else, save for saving her. Many other kind souls had died saving others, only to end up being tortured by ghosts. He had saved no humans; he had saved something else entirely! In an iconic spirit world, ghosts truly existed. It was the birthplace of all iconic spirit novels; it was the bottomless well of inspirations! Everybody stopped dead. Li Lina had practically sent ice flowing through everyones veins with her words. Another voice pierced through the air, Whats wrong with those tombstones by the hill? Were you going to leave her there to die? This poor little girl is so emaciated; she must be starving. Her death would have been certain if you had left her behind, have you no conscience? Of course, this voice belonged to a female who had dolled herself up with a thick layer of makeup. At a glance, one would have taken her as some smart aristocrat. Surprisingly, this aristocrat did have a kind heart. Zhao Song was not exactly comfortable with the latest unfolding of events. Thats right, every single horror story starts off with a Lady Mary character. It was a responsibility of this character, to bring calamity upon all out of her misguided kindness Zhao Song had sufficient experience of being an observer who had watched other groups getting slaughtered, down to the last member. The wisest choice now was to move away from these donkeys. Having Lady Mary around him was a comfort, but the idea of helping anything and anyone at leisure was horrifying! Her name was Wang Yan; a rebellious young girl who had run away from home. She did not carry a single penny with her. With a young, healthy body, what else did she need? Ironically, the makeup was just a veil that Wang Yan wore to cover her face. Her pure, youthful visage would have sent men down to their knees. Wang Yan was annoyed by the presence of this Li Lina. The dignity of a reporter and a hooker took up equal places of her heart. Li Lina had no intention of arguing with Wang Yan. She stared at Zhao Song, demanding for an explanation. Nothing could hold the truth back forever. Zhao Song said, Actually, my cat Xiao Hei senses etherial bodies. It would not leave unless I took this girl with me, so I Everyone burst into laughter, as if he had just told them the funniest joke ever. A heavyset guy laughed at him. Teacher Zhao, I know that you write horror stories for a living, but I would have never taken you as a superstitious one. A black cat that wards off evil spirits? More like a bad omen for bad things to come! Zhao Song chuckled. There was no need to further explain himself. Deep in his heart, he did not expect Liu Kang, the fatty to last one chapter of this novel! Li Lina adjusted her glasses with a scholarly finger and resumed gaming on her phone. The internet was always there to protect her, was it not? Thats right. Feng Men village had been described as a village that lay deep in the mountains, a home for the ancient village zombies. But it had an excellent network signal! Half of the group would not have been here if the internet had not been available. In this modern society, a vacation was nothing more than changing real-life gaming locations. There was safety in numbers. This ragtag gang consisted of nine people, which ghost would dare approach such a group? Everybody was preoccupied with their own agendas. Wang Yan assembled her besties and started discussing on how to awaken Zhao Youyue. On the other hand, Zhao Youyue was still busy concocting an identity for herself. Could she play the amnesiac card? Memory loss was a painfully common yet acceptable excuse that interdimensional travelers used. However, this group might not buy such an excuse. Why did she have to appear under such eerie circumstances? It was a hill that had literally been covered by tombstones! A jaded guy broke the ice and said to Ou Yang, Oh great inspector, could you please share your speculations with us? In your opinion, where did this girl come from? Ou Yang backhanded the proverbial fly aside, and snapped, Please dont mix our work up with the work of private investigators in Detective Conan! I have never handled any murder cases before. Most of my cases had involved tailing estranged husbands about and taking photos of cheaters Thats so disappointing! It depends on how you see it. Our police are effective as they are when it comes to apprehending criminals. Private investigators still need to procure bowls of rice for themselves. I, for one, do not want to be anywhere close to a murder scene, Ou Yang always welcomed critics generously. Zhao Youyue could not believe in what she heard. Wasnt Ou Yang supposed to be a great inspector in this world? His expertise lay in marriage affairs! Detective Conan sounded awfully similar to the first dimension she had ever traveled to. This story did not exist in her reality! Could this iconic C spiritual C realistic world be parallel to her first reality? If only she had a phone in this world. With it, she could figure out the truth on the internet! Her alibi was almost complete. Zhao Youyue prepared to return to her body She had been abducted by an evil human trafficking agency, and they had taken her to the village, and she had attempted to escape from this place In spite of all that preparation, nobody asked her a thing when she woke up. Everyone moved away from her, except for the black cat. Somehow, she was now the owner of the cat. Zhao Youyue was puzzled by the scene. Little did she know that her body was giving off the scent of decay and death That smell when you walk into the ancient village zombie in the mountains! Wait, was she in a tomb? A nameless tomb? Eternal Flame? In this spirit world, could she be the ruthless murderer that disguised itself as a zombie? Chapter 422 Chapter 420: I Want Nothing More Than To Leave This Place Zhao Youyue was most certainly very corporeal. She was certain of that, at the very least. She also most certainly could not deny the foul stench that she was releasing. She looked like a typical vagabond, so it was understandable if these sheltered modern folk avoided her against their wills. Even if she was a ghost, she would not blatantly take lives. She was content to remain an onlooker Wait a minutesince she had inherited the abilities of those character cards, how could she have forgotten about her innate passerby attribute? This allowed her to steer clear of the spotlight! It was better to depend on that ability. No matter, what she would be unable to explain her origins to the group. Did you expect her to say that she came from another world, and that her soul was just paying a visit? As no one moved in to question her, she pretended to be a silent, expressionless, uncongenial girl, and went with the flow, stroking the black cat in her arms. Fortunately, it was currently daytime and they were all under the brilliant sun. If not, her appearance might have created a very strange atmosphere. Zhao Song was relieved when he saw his black cat being so intimate with this skinny girl. His two eyes confirmed that the girl was not some sort of ghost. How else could she be in such close contact with a black cat? At that moment, Zhao Song decided to give up on the trip altogether. Something bugged him. His senses told him that something would happen on that night. These suicidal guys had already caused trouble, and they had not even carried out their plans of playing spiritualism games and telling campfire ghost stories at night. They were insane He hesitated no more. Using his phone, he sent his sister a signal that was only known to the two of them. Not long after, his phone rang. Upon answering the call, he responded with a volume that was just enough to be heard by everyone, What? Dads sick again, and you need me to go back? Okay, Ill most definitely be back within these two days! On the contrary, Zhao Songs father was in the pink of health. But it could not be helped. He had to find for himself a reasonable excuse to get himself out in the crucial moment. His fathers sickness excuse had worked, every single time After Zhao Song hung up the phone, he gave everyone an apologetic gaze, and said, Something happened back home, I must go. Please forgive me. Are you actually afraid? That well-dressed, rebellious girl quipped. This supernatural genre writer of certain renown was truly a coward. He had been tiptoeing about since the beginning of their journey. Lets not even get started on his superstitions and weird rituals. He was far too deep in this ghost culture! Zhao Song refused to be provoked by her verbal attack. He had driven here by himself. It had already become second nature to him. He packed his luggage up in silence. Of course, he considered the black cat to be his most important possession, which he treated like his own ancestors. If he planned on leaving with the cat, he certainly had to take Zhao Youyue along Zhao Youyue got into the car. She watched helplessly as Zhao Song drove up and down the small road within Feng Men Village, drawing the attention of some villagers. The villagers were old, but they did not age like regular humans. Their faces were riddled with wrinkles. It was a bizarre sight. They stared at the high-end SUV with grins on their faces. It seemed to be a source of great humor, as if they were saying Did he expect to leave after the doors of this village had already been sealed? Zhao Youyue finally blurted out, Hey, if you continue to drive like that, the car will run out of gas. At that moment, cold sweat flowed all over Zhao Songs body. Before the girl had managed to remind him, he had already driven onto the provincial highway. The next moment, it was as if a veil had been lifted off his eyes. He would jolt up from his stupor, only to catch sight of some very archaic houses on both sides of the road. If only they had been well-maintained, this place had the potential of being a nice tourist attraction. But now, they gave Zhao Song nothing but the chills. As one who had encountered several ghosts in his lifetime, he was all too aware of this so-call ghost wall. But the sun was up high above the clouds, and the ghost wall blanketed the entire village. What sort of scary ghost was this? Hes doomed. After all his narrow misses, this might be the one that does him in. The other end of the spectrum would be him producing another piece of interesting supernatural genre work this time according to his personal experience. Even the outline of the entire plot was in his mind. This doorway was not affiliated to Feng Men Village in any way. It was the doing of the legendary Wicked Zombie. The throne was actually the center of the bewitchment. It was also the point where most of the evil energy converged. Therefore, anyone who got in contact with the chair would get affected by the evil energy, and encounter strange things. Maintaining the seal required continuous sacrifices. But with the arrival of the new era, superstitions and the fear of the ethereal was slowly dying out. As a result, the seal had weakened considerably. Due to groups like these who often sought death, travelers were dying gruesome deaths, one after another Wait, when did you get in the car? Zhao Song wiped away the cold beads of sweat. Zhao Youyue sat on the back seat, hugging the black cat. Who knew if she suddenly turned into some faceless ghost and granted him a gruesome death. I followed you when you got into the car, Zhao Youyue answered. It was the whole truth. She even hoped that Zhao Song would be able to transport her back to the civilized world. If you had not said a word, I wouldnt have noticed you being there for the rest of the trip! Who are you, actually? I just want to leave this place. So do I! Zhao Song had the imagination that one would expect of a writer. By then, he had started assuming that this girl might have been caught up in some dirty, human-trafficking business. She was most certainly not some adopted future daughter-in-law either. All the people in this village were basically old people, of the extremely odd variety. Were they actually thinking of using some sort of beautiful virgin as a sacrifice for the scary ghost? It was all for them to extend their pathetic lives of hardship for just a little longer His ancestral black cat was being particularly friendly with this girl. It was enough for him to have a somewhat favorable impression of her. At the same time, her reminder just now had been most helpful. If not, he would have been thoroughly lost in the illusion that he had left this place, and was currently driving on the provincial highway! Zhao Song truly wanted to leave this place. Zhao Youyue shared the same desire, but she was not as worried. She could return to the modern world anytime she wanted. She was not afraid of death at all, not in this world at least. Her black cat clone did not fear ghosts either. Still, she would not spring into action, as she was curious to see what happened next Coming from a world without ghosts, she wanted more than anything to know how ghosts killed humans. She actually hoped that she got to witness such a gruesome scene. Zhao Youyue may seem callous at that moment. It was as if she did not treat the inhabitants of this world as real humans. She treated them just like NPCs. From another perspective, you could say that she had the heart of a lioness! No player was afraid of death. In order to explore the easter eggs, they would stop at nothing! The issue now was that this game had not assigned her any missions, and it had left her momentarily aimless. Now, she did not need to actively seek trouble, while coming upon an opportunity to watch something interesting. It was a win-win situation Translation Note: [1] Ghost wall C Used in superstition to mean getting lost in the evening, and always coming back to the former place. Used as a metaphor to refer to an obstacle put up secretly. (ED: An example would be the Mist in the Silent Hill movie) Chapter 423 Chapter 423: The Invincible Passerby Character Child, whats your name? Zhao Song simply asked. He only seemed to strike up a conversation to alleviate his fears. Whats yours? Zhao Song. Let me introduce myself. Im freelance. I write thrillers and horror. Im a little famous in the industry. I only came here to draw some inspiration. I originally thought that this place just harbored some strange rumors, based on what the internet said. I did not expect Zhao Youyue thought that this Zhao Song should actually be named C Coward Zhao. If he played games like PlayerUnknowns Battlegrounds, he would definitely be one of those who shied from battle while hiding at various safe spots. Eventually, he might earn chicken dinner with 0 kills, thanks to sneaky, cowardly moves such as lying prone, or hiding in the bushes. There was a saying; the more experienced you are, the timider you would be. Perhaps he had been through so many rough patches that he had acquired the habit of fleeing at the first sign of trouble. He had not expected to miss the window on this occasion. There was no way for him to leave the village by retracing his route. Feng Men Village, Feng Men Village. The door has already been sealed, how could you possibly leave via a sealed door? Im just a passerby. I lost my way. I have no idea how I got here, Zhao Youyue replied with a straight face. Zhao Song was convinced that this girl was a true passerby. If not, how do you explain the fact that people basically glazed over her? At the same time, she seemed strangely mysterious He turned around, preparing himself for a Hello, passerby joke. Invincible, onlooker passersby suited the role of narrators, better than anyone. Such passersby were abundant in fantasy novels. Even as the battles between the protagonist and the villain literally shattered the earth, the onlooker passersby could still boast and throw in some commentaries from the sidelines. Naturally, they would look down on the protagonist and say: hes doomed. But in the end, as the protagonist delivers the greatest beatdown ever on the villain, these onlooker passersby would get riled up all over again. They would be terrified. How could this be? This was impossible! Therefore, let it be said that one must never underestimate the passerby. A powerful passerby could be called as Boss Passerby, and he would never lower his head. But right at that moment, what did Zhao Song see? He saw a human in a dark blue robe, that had attached itself to right rear window of his vehicle. She had long black hair and completely white eyes. There was something black flowing dripping from her mouth. It seemed to be blood Then, he heard the sound of a woman singing. It was bloodcurdling, and raised his hair on ends! Her face did not even vaguely resemble a human being. Words simply could not describe it! This undoubtedly had to be some female ghost shit. Zhao Song saw her staring at him with a vicious glint in her eyes, as if she had spotted her prey. She was grinning hideously if you could call that a grin. What the f*ck! Why is she stuck to the rear window? Why is she staring at him? Wasnt the girl just in front of her? Was she blind or something? At that very moment, how Zhao Song hoped for the passerby aura! Zhao Youyue saw Zhao Song turning back, as if he wanted to say something, only to palely gaze at the window behind her in sheer terror. Zhao Youyue raised in eyebrow in interest. What was he doing? Some new form of facial arts? Zhao Youyue cocked her head and curiously gazed at the offending window, but only saw the ancient architecture outside. There was no ghost. Only the mysterious Zhao Youyue would think of doing something directly opening the car window Dont! No! Zhao Song screamed in despair. That hideous female thing was going to suck his blood. He hid his head behind his hands, and waited for his death. After a long while, nothing happened. What happened? Did you see a ghost? What did it look like? asked Zhao Youyue, greatly curious. Only then did Zhao Song reappear behind his hands. He turned back and looked again. There was no female, singing ghost. He saw only the beautiful girl who claimed herself to be a passerby, hugging the black cat, staring at him most curiously. At the same time, the black cat was sleeping very soundly in the girls arms. He heaved a sigh of relief. According to his vast experience with the supernatural, that ghost had not come in person. It was simply playing some sort of hallucinatory trick. The purpose was to increase his fear, and to absorb his fear, gradually decreasing his SAN value. Eventually, he would lose hope, and suffer from a mental breakdown. In his mind, the ghost would have taken his life. But in the eyes of unaffected people, he had commited suicide, and in a most odd manner too, at that. How did he know this? It was certainly because supernatural genre writers often used this theory. Even so, knowing it would not help. When it really came down to such a moment, it would be impossible to remain fearless! In fact, when he realized that his car was unable to leave this strange village, he started feeding that fear. Such fear was an all-you-can-eat buffet for ghosts. This was human nature. The more they thought about ghosts, the more they feared, and their bodies would shiver uncontrollably. What they believed as a strange figure standing outside their window would turn out to be nothing but laundry that have been hung outside. And they not be any relieved or braver after that Mental projections were terrifying. It could endlessly magnify ones fear. The onlooker Zhao Youyue was far more curious than anyone else. Ghosts were sources of entertainment for her. Of course, it was precisely because she was a mysterious observer, much like Altair. She also had powers and abilities of her own. Of course she would not be afraid. Zhao Song hastily opened all his car windows. It was then did he realize that the sunlight outside had vanished. The sky had turned overcast. He attempted to force the fear aside, and decided to strike up a conversation with the heartless, ignorant girl. Of course, the first thing in his mind was his theory about ghosts being able to absorb fear and then kill people InterestingIt would be nice if Im able to absorb fear, Zhao Youyue drawled. Hows this interesting?! People will really die! Are you actually a human or a ghost?! Zhao Song cursed silently in his heart. If only Zhao Youyue had heard him, she would have played her onlooker passerby card. Left with no choice, Zhao Song could only drive his car back to the campsite where the group of outdoor sports enthusiasts awaited. He found them already living in the ancient mansion where the throne sat Zhao Song bit back the string of curses that almost flew out of his mouth at that moment. How could they possibly dig deeper into their figurative graves each time he left them to their devices for a moment? Finally, night fell. Zhao Song could do nothing about it. He could only brace himself and join the others in the mansion. Safety in numbers was a thing. They could also serve as his scapegoats and meatshields. Zhao Songs return came as a huge surprise. One after another, they bombarded him with questions. The entire time, Zhao Youyue slipped by their gazes, completely unheeded Zhao Song certainly would not say that he could not leave the place via the original road anymore, and that he had even encountered a ghost wall, and a female ghost that embraced his car window. What could he accomplish, other than add on to the fear that lingered in the air? At the same time, this omission worked to his advantage. Since he had confirmed ghost activity here, he would certainly be prepared at least moreso than the others. Chapter 424 A Considerable Load of Information Being a coward was one thing. But the adventurous, curious genes were present in Zhao Songs bones. He was the kind of person who would tell everyone left and right that he was downright terrified of horror movies, only to watch them in masochistic excitement Therefore, he had came prepared. Other than his ancestral black cat, he had also brought along many exorcism-based equipment, including Buddha beads, the cross, an amulet, etc. The Buddha beads had been infused with divinity by an eminent monk. The cross had been inundated with holy water. The amulet, had been procured from a highly respected old Taoist. In Zhao Youyues world that was without ghosts, these were just items of connivery and fraud. But in this world that was awash with supernatural phenomena, they would be extremely useful. Zhao Song quickly rummaged about for the cross, Buddha beads, and the amulet close to his person. He had done his homework. Zhao Youyue looked at him in amazement, and spoke within her heart, This Zhao Song has reached a certain realm. His preparations had served him well. That night, the other outdoor sports enthusiasts commenced on their official hunt for death. They were not here to sightsee. They were here to satisfy their curiosity. They were too stubborn for their own good. After all, everyone in this world had grown up indoctrinated by an education that wrapped itself around the belief of materialism. They lived and breathed the belief of seeing is believing, concrete evidence, and scientific studies. However, supernatural phenomena made their appearances then and now. Even so, the world remained skeptical and non-believing. The more they refused to believe, the braver they felt. They wanted nothing more than to debunk those so-called urban legends that plagued the internet. Of the group, the rebellious but kind girl, Wang Yan wanted to debunk them more than anyone else. She was the youngest among the group, but she had grown up playing games like Bunshinsaba, Plate Deity. In the end, nothing had happened. The supernatural was non-existent! This Feng Men Village had been a hot topic on the internet. If one were to play spiritual-heavy games in such a supposedly spiritual location, would something actually happen? If she really encounters something, it would be a most exciting discovery! Unfortunately, Wang Yan did not believe in ghosts at all. While the private detective Ou Yang also fervently expressed his disbelief in the supernatural, he was always there to rile up the group and kick up a fuss. He drove the other outdoor sports enthusiasts to seek for more creatives manner of death, as he stood at the sidelines, supporting, cheering them on, as if he was specifically there to liven up the atmosphere, and get everyone killed by their own impulses The fatty Liu Kang always took the lead in their death marches. He was highly keen on gettting targeted by otherworldly beings. In modern society, everyone lived good lives. Good food and clothing never seemed to run out. He found his life extremely boring. Under such circumstances, only the most obscure and mysterious supernatural phenomena that were mentioned in whispers could grant him a new lease on life. It was no surprise that Liu Kang and Wang Yan got along remarkably well. Playing spiritual games together with the other youngsters only brought more life to the atmosphere. There were five to six people in total. Only Zhao Song, Li Lina and Ou Yang sat out of the games, but they did not stop those youngsters either After Li Lina saw Zhao Song returning, she had contacted him in private. As a reporter, she and the writer Zhao Song often shared similar thoughts. Zhao Song found Li Lina to be calm and calculative. She did not seem to be one of those retards who stupidly sought death on their own accords. She also did not possess the fear that women generally had. Therefore, he told her the truth He had been trapped in this village. He had encountered the notorious ghost wall, and had witnessed a very horrifying female ghost that had been clad in blue. When she appeared, she had sung something to him As expected by Zhao Song, Li Lina did not express any hint of disbelief. She seemed to have expected this to happen, and took everything in stride. She even took her notebook out and wrote everything down, as if she was here to draw forth inspiration, just like him. Do you still want to refute the rumors? asked Zhao Song expressively. Thats for sure. There are no ghosts and supernatural phenomena in this world. Its all just psychosomatic. Li Lina smiled mysteriously. Then, she asked expressively, sarcastically even, I suppose that you would definitely pen a new novel that was loosely or completely based on this place as the background, and the female ghost as the origin, right? Of course. I do this to help readers understand more about the hidden secrets in this world and the dangers, while reminding them to be careful, Zhao Song replied, looking as sincere as one could ever be. Still, from what Ive seen, youve only encouraged your readers, if anything. And then Well, theres no then Li Lina said sardonically. Im not to be blamed. I put everything into making sure it all adds up that the realism levels are off the charts. For them, Ive risked my neck, heading into many dangerous, supernatural sites, and have written the endings of those characters in the most disastrous of retellings, all to discourage everyone from being reckless I suffered this much for their sake. One day, the ghosts might just take me, Zhao Song was no longer able to keep the fear from his voice. But you didnt. Instead, you became quite successful by relying on circulating all sorts of supernatural stories and terrifying ghosts novels. Whys that? asked Li Lina. Im just more careful than most. Speaking of which, you seem to have refuted many rumors about supernatural phenomena, and have even conducted a series C Walking into Science. You definitely know more stuff. But I dont see you working a way out of this. Whys that? asked Zhao Song in reply. Hehe, Im not in the mood to play riddles with you. Anyway, as long as we dont get in each others ways, well be fine. I came here to refute the rumors. No matter how strange this Feng Men Village is, it seems completely normal to me. No one can stop those who are adventurous at heart from exploring to this place. Thats right. Therefore, I will write the upcoming scenes in a more horrifying, frightening way, and let everyone know just how dangerous this place is. I hope that my cute readers will not think that Im fabricating something You better keep an eye on Ou Yang. That guy claims himself to be a fan of your work, but he is not as simple as he looks. He seems to be harboring some ulterior motives. We still dont know which side he belongs to. Is it possible? No matter how I see it, hes just another nobody who would quickly get done in by the owner of this place. Are you implying that such a detective could come to an actual conclusion? Li Lina no longer spoke. She had placed a few cameras around the area. She no longer seemed like a reporter, but more like a secret agent. When Zhao Song learned that the group of youngsters had started to seek for death, he remained most calm, as if they no longer concerned him. Perhaps he had faith in his own preparations. Besides, he had the black cat ancestor with him Wait wasnt he overlooking something? When he jerked impulsively, only did he spot the passerby girl staring at him with interest. Zhao Youyue had overheardnoshe had sat in plain sight and listened openly to the conversation that had been laden with a considerable amount of information. It had taken place between a rumor-refuting reporter and a realistic supernatural genre novelist. Chapter 425 Getting in touch with the Female Ghost The spiritual games had begun. Several people had gathered in the courtyard where that throne lay. Everyone had pricked their fingers, and let a drop of blood drop in the water, and took their sips in turns. In excitement and suspense, they joined hands, stirred up the ignited corpse oil incense, and started the spiritualism. They were actually doing a fine job of being all spiritual. They lit up a bonfire in the middle of the courtyard. They had even prepared a roasted rabbit. The rabbit had been roasted to a rich, golden brown. Grease was dripping off it. The smell was mouthwatering As Wang Yan, Liu Kang, and the others participated in their little game, two out of the three outsiders remained watching coldly from the sidelines. The detective Ou Yang stood with the group, but he did not actually take part in the spiritualism game. He had exclaimed that he was afraid of pain, fooling everyone into believing him. He even offered to be in charge of roasting the rabbit, to everyones delight. Liu Kang did not miss out on the opportunity of mocking Ou Yang once again. He considered him to be as much of a coward as Zhao Song, while proclaiming that ghosts did not exist in this world. The problem was that so many believed in them, that their beliefs had given them the power to manifest themselves in reality. If people stopped believing in them, they would cease to exist! Ou Yang expressed his agreement unreservedly. However, he remained non-commital, as if he wanted to observe this group of people like test subjects, to see if he could figure something out Thes people were doing this in good fun, and did not take it seriously. Perhaps Liu Kang was right. Since they did not believe, they did not feel any fear. After all, ignorance is bliss. At that time, Zhao Youyue had chosen to jump into the cats body, as her human body could not see ghosts. That would have been extremely dull. At most, she would only see this group going crazy as invisible objects started harrassing them. Zhao Youyues human body did have one advantage over others. After all, as a passerby, nothing would get past her sight. Could any pesky ghost possibly affect her with their weak mind games? She would be more than they could handle! Perhaps, when the Two Dimensional Gate and the Altair card created this body for her, they had endowed powerful, hidden attributes in it. At the same time, she also had access to the abilities of all her character cards To be honest, Zhao Youyue liked this body quite much. She was obsessed with that indescribable sense of bottomless power. This world did not seem to limit her powers in an attempt to match it to its level of realism. Such worlds would be her ultimate playground! By now, through the black cats body, Zhao Youyue saw that some ectoplasmic entity had started blanketing the bodies of those who played the game. Even Ou Yang was not completely unscathed, despite standing by the sidelines Zhao Song had also found himself a side character position. He took his phone out and started recording. He had armed himself to the teeth for this. Also, he had his ancestral black cat sitting beside him. He no longer felt any fear! He even hoped to see something that could stimulate his imagination! Just as the group of people started telling ghost stories, indulging in the adrenal rush, a singing voice broke through their murmurs. And there it was, seated on the throne, was a woman in a blue robe. Her face had been completely concealed by that long black hair Zhao Youyue almost did a jig. She finally got to see the legendary scary ghost! It did not frighten her one bit. On the contrary, she felt a sense of familiarity. She could not help herself from directing the black cats body towards the throne. Black cats were often said to ward off evil spirits, but the scary ghost seemed unafraid of this one. She allowed it to approach her without fuss. Finally, Zhao Youyue ended up in the arms of the ghost. Out of her great curiosity, Zhao Youyue used the cats claws to brush aside her long black hair, only to find an extremely beautiful face inside! How was this face horrifying? How was it going to scare anybody?! Zhao Youyue had run out of the energy to criticize the situation any further. The scary ghost did not mind the black cats naughty behavior as well. She only smiled at the black cat affectionately. She even seemed to welcome its company. On the other side of things, the people who had been so enthusiastic and excited one moment ago had turned as pale as statues! Liu Kang just happened to look towards the direction of the throne, only to be greeted by a most horrifying face, to an extent he almost peed! He blurted out that something extremely dirty had actually answered their calling! It was there, seated on the throne! As his words lingered in the air, everyone abruptly fell silent. Some of them claimed that they were not cowards. They still wore smiles on their faces. But within such a gloomy ancient mansion, and with the internet awash with rumors about it, they could not shake off the unease. This was the dragon lover effect. Such people would claim that they loved dragons, and would protect them at all costs. The moment they came across the real thing, they would be terrified to the extent that they would behave contrary to what theyve always maintained. This group was the same. It would still be fine if there were really no ghosts. Lets see them remain calm and collected as a ghost knocks on their door! When everyone finally found the nerves to turn to the chair, they only saw the black cat on the throne. Wang Yan was furious. She admonished the fatty Liu Kang, What eyes do you have?! Thats just the cowards black cat! He even said that it could ward off evil spirits. Wheres the ghost? Liu Kang felt wronged. He spoke truthfully, Ward off evil spirits, my ass. I think that the black cat is getting friendly with that horrifying female ghost. They must be working hand in glove. I think its better if we kill the black cat! At this moment, Zhao Youyue only realized that the female ghost was truly capable. She had deliberately permitted a momentary glimpse of herself, and now, she was completely invisible again. She was still caressing the black cats body. She had even raised an index finger, making a Shhhh gesture. Clearly, she was playing these people like fools Even so, this female ghost was really beautiful. Zhao Youyue simply had to ask for her name. All that came out was a soft meow. My name is Chu Renmei Chu Renmei replied, flashing a dazzling smile. This was just from the black cats perspective. Others would only see Chu Renmeis horribly disfigured face, torn up moments before death. Thanks to Chu Renmeis adept hiding, she had manipulated the group into mutual distrust. Some of them believed Liu Kang, while others were not buying it. Zhao Youyue understood it by now. When scary ghosts wanted to kill people, they could not do it in one fell swoop. They intended to play with their food first, and extract the biggest fear within their hearts. Then, they would slowly torture them to death, for the greatest possible yield! At then, Liu Kang headed to the toilet C alone. Zhao Youyue then saw Chu Renmei place her hands on Liu Kangs shoulders, stuck close to his back, and followed him to the toilet. He was really fortunate in love affairs Liu Kang did not know why, but he was sure that he felt his gut sinking as a chill ran down his entire body! Chapter 426 Roasted Pork Holysh*t! The washroom is really haunted! Liu Kang shouted as he ran into the courtyard, and hid in a corner. He was no longer that fearless, confident man. He had been reduced into a blubbering, nervous wreck Seeing Liu Kang terrified to such an extent, everyone finally started panicking. They had claimed to be very interested in supernatural phenomena, yet they were thoroughly afraid of it. These people had actually been looking forward to such encounters. They wanted to see what a fierce ghost actually looked like. Now that reality had reared its ugly head, their wits have left them. Detective Ou Yang encouraged everyone to investigate the washroom together. With more people, there would be enough Yang energy[1], and they would not need to be afraid of ghosts. Everyone quickly agreed. They entered the washroom together, and were greeted by the sour, metallic stench of blood. Liu Kang lay dead in the toilet. His entire head had been submerged in the old-style toilet pit. It was a disgusting death, if not gory. What a smelly death! Novelist Zhao Song took note of the fattys death. He chuckled. That was why such bravado would never last more than a chapter in his book! Suddenly, someone pointed out, If Liu Kang is already dead, whos the guy who ran out shouting just now? The moment they heard this, a chill emerged from within each of their souls. When they took a closer look, Liu Kangs body was gone. Prior to this, everyone still had their doubts concerning the existence of supernatural phenomena. Now that all of them had taken note of this strange phenomenon, they could no longer deceive themselves anymore. This Feng Men village was definitely haunted, and some murderous evil ghost was here. They had no way of speaking to it. Now, they were in a haunted house! When everyone had gone to the old-style toilet, Zhao Youyue had actually seen a very interesting scene in the courtyard. That totally scared Liu Kang had seemed to have lost his mind, and took his own life. Whats interesting was that he had even substituted himself with the roasted rabbit, and became the roasted pork! It had been a rather visually shocking scene. Zhao Youyue felt as if she was watching some sort of holographic horror movie. Unfortunately, she could not watch it from Liu Kangs first-person perspective. If not, it would have been more exciting What did he actually see? One could only guess. Liu Kang most probably envisioned himself putting up a struggle against the attempt on his life, but he was actually killing himself. Ghosts enjoyed such tricks, more than anything else. They could drive just about anyone to their deaths. Then, Zhao Youyue saw the female ghost Chu Renmei appearing from the body. She brought along the black cat, and absorbed a wave of soul power that lay within the fear. Zhao Youyue finally sensed the Two Dimensional Gate churning about. It took in the power and applied it on the Hua Xiaomao character card. It originally had a time limit, but that duration had now be extended! Zhao Youyue was shocked! So, by observing fierce ghosts kill people within this supernatural genre literary world, she could actually harvest Two-Dimensional Gate related energy? The implications were equally shocking. If she wanted to keep this up, did she have to turn into a black cat, and go everywhere, observing all sorts of fierce ghosts kill more people? By then, she would become the truly ominous cat. Wherever she was, there would be death! By now, the confused crowd had once again returned to the courtyard. They wanted to figure out where the fatty Liu Kang actually was. In the end, they could not find him! They had been mentally stressed, and it had drained them. Then, someone took note of the roasted rabbit that still lay atop the bonfire. Thats right. In their eyes, the thing on the bonfire was still a roasted rabbit, not roasted pork. Somehow, the roasted rabbit smelled better than ever, and their appetites had only been whetted! Thus, under the lead of the rebellious girl Wang Yan, everyone divided the roasted rabbit and tucked in. Zhao Youyue, the black cat who still lay atop the throne, was more entertained than ever. This group of people were really enjoying their meal a little too much! Within many horror novels and stories, all the devils and ghosts basically had the ability to produce human meat, and were able to cast some form of camouflage, to deceive ordinary people into eating it. Now, the group of people found themselves in such a situation, except for Detective Ou Yang, who seemed to have picked up on something. Instead, he ignored his hunger pangs. He continued surveying the area, keeping an eye out for the missing Liu Kang. Then, Zhao Youyue noticed the extremely beautiful Chu Renmei removing the camouflage, and enjoyed watching the ensuing chaos from the group. Zhao Youyue could have done something, but she sat back to watch the scene unfold. And so, she was now officially an accomplice to the fierce ghost C Chu Renmei. So what? She was just a player in the game. This interaction between a fierce ghost NPC and a human NPC was most entertaining. This was probably how others felt while watching a spectacular cutscene in an interactive game. Zhao Youyue was quite something. One day, she might even witness a skilled expert taking on a ghost, and winning! Would she be able to obtain some other interesting information by then? The rebellious girl Wang Yan was glutting herself with delicacies. It was then when she noticed that the rabbit leg in her hand had turned into a smelly pettitoe. Most crucially, it was far from roasted. Her mouth was covered in blood, and she looked just like a cannibal. Eating raw meat and drinking blood! A moment ago, the food had been the most delicious thing she had ever tasted. Now, it was something vile, and disgusting. Wang Yan had still retained a great deal of spine, compared to the rest of the group. Even when she saw the corpse of Liu Kang with his head inside the pit, she had not screamed out of fear. But now, she stared at the open space before her in frozen shock. The next moment, she hurled the pettitoe aside. She vomited her guts out, only to scream and yell her lungs out! She had just eaten human flesh, and that was the last step to the total caving in of her mind! All around them, people started puking their guts out. Ou Yang took note of Liu Kangs separated body parts atop the bonfire. What an unfortunate man. Death had not been enough for him, but his kind had to divide his body into separate parts and dine on him! At that moment, fierce ghost Chu Renmei was laughing heartily. She brought along the black cat and absorbed another wave of fear, which could be quantified in terms of SAN values[2]. These guys had just eaten Liu Kangs flesh. Some of them had even drunk Liu Kangs encephalon. In fact, they were almost finished! All of them had been played into the palm of the ghost All except for those three who had silently surveyed everything from their peaceful corners. They seemed unperturbed and accustomed to the scene. Translation Note: [1] Yang energy C Yang energy has several meanings. In the context above, it refers to the life energy. On the other hand, Yin energy can be referred to death energy. [2] SAN value C It is a concept proposed within the game The Call of Cthulhu, literally translated as a players sanity. To an extent, it can be considered willpower. When seeing a supernatural phenomenon or something utterly horrifying, the players mental state would be stimulated, and the SAN value would decrease drastically. Chapter 427 The Truth Only one life had been lost thus far, and that was Liu Kang. Undoubtedly, the others had been played as fools Chu Renmei was not in any hurry to kill them all. She even intended to let them go. This was not due to her kindness, and she was most definitely not soft-hearted. She had better plans for them. Perhaps Chu Renmei felt that they had more fear to offer. Therefore, she chose to let them return to the city, albeit with contaminated bodies. Such situations often played out in horror movies. A group of people went to explore a particular place. That place was something like The Cursed Land. Basically, anyone who there would be bugged with tracking devices. This group was no exception. Their bodies had all been cursed. Lets not even try to forget that they had eaten Liu Kangs flesh. What chance did they have, now? One thing was for sure. This murderous fierce ghost was rearing pigs. She was preparing for a killing spree. She even told the black cat this, Im tired of staying in this village. Id like to have some fun in the city. Im done for today. You can pass on my thoughts to that clever, wicked novelist. Zhao Youyue heard the lady ghosts telepathic voice. Then, she recalled the conversation between Zhao Song and Li Lina. She suddenly realized something. Zhao Song must have carried out many psy trades with various ghosts through this black cat! This was not some random guess. For those who did not understand anything about ghosts, they might strongly believ that ghosts were irrational and impossible to communicate with, and that they would only kill people indiscriminately. However, within such a supernatural genre world, ghosts might simply be another form of organism. They treated humans as a source of food, or rather, fed on their fear. They did not really live to kill. Killing was just part of it However, under normal circumstances, ghosts could not kill people with their own two hands. After all, they had no physical bodies of their own. For an absolutely fearless human like Zhao Youyue, complete with her insulated body, she would never encounter any ghosts at all. Her body was so special that she could not even seek death if she wanted to. Obviously, this was only exclusive to her. Others might have been born with psychic powers, or Yin Yang eyes. These folk would encounter ghosts the most. Zhao Youyue suspected that Zhao Song was one of them. He had superb acting skills. Instead of calling him a coward, he was more like the butcher who brought meat to the ghosts table! You could also force an encounter through other means. Playing a spiritual game was probably the most common method. Why would these donkeys be playing spiritualism games? More importantly, why were they so proficient at doing it? If you thought about it, it would not be a stretch to say that Zhao Song had inadvertently disclosed the information. Not only would he be good at these games, but he was also good at rituals like Bunshinsaba[1], Plate Deity[2]. It was not easy for ghosts to kill humans. Also, humans did not simply visit ghost-infested areas! Feng Men Village was extremely obscure as thing were. People did not simply visit the place. These ghosts desperately needed to be promoted. The higher the popularity, the stronger a ghost! It was logical, even by human standards. The more popular a ghost was, the more people would grow curious about it, and the more they would want to investigate the matter. As a result, they had to seek for death. Everything would be ready, the moment they established contact with the ghost! In that case, everyone might be able to understand the role played by Zhao Song, the supernatural genre novelist. His very existence only led many others to their deaths. The world was filled with stubborn folk. They did not believe in ghosts, and insisted on courting death. They would do anything to discredit Zhao Songs work! From a certain angle, Zhao Song was actually the ghostwriter for these ghosts. His upcoming novel C A Wicked Zombie would definitely be able propel Feng Men Villages fame. It might even get a movie adaptation! At the beginning, Chu Renmei had not yet made a PY trade with Zhao Song. Therefore, she might have wanted to kill him, as it was part of her nature. However, the clever Zhao Song had proposed a trade in private. At the same time, those prayer beads, the cross, they had all given the ghost enough pause for him to negotiate a deal. Eventually, both parties settled on win-win terms! Zhao Song was able to obtain a lot of real-life samples, along with precious video recordings of ghosts killing people. With such viral ad material, he could create a truly supernatural genre novel, earning profit and fame! His loyals, unsuspecting readers would never learn that these characters who had died tragically were very real, and had experienced very real deaths. Some of his readers might just be among them He would always maintain that his stories were a retelling of true events, and how the spiritual rituals featured were legit. Fierce ghosts actually existed! The readers would laugh, expressing their disbelief. Zhao Song would laugh with them. Its fine if you dont believe. Why not have a try? Challenge accepted! Zhao Song would most certainly turn into a coward when the time came. He would quickly voice his doubts to the readers. They might die! Such cowardice only served as the perfect application of reverse psychology. They might just try it out in private, as Zhao Songs novels were basically spiritualism manuals. Then, the fierce ghosts would accept these sacrifices with gratitude Zhao Songs life took a turn for the better, as generous ghosts existed too. Since he was such a great help to them, they would certainly return his favors in all sorts of manner. But Zhao Song was truly experienced. He knew all too well that humans and ghosts were different. He could not get too involved with them. What if the humans that he had driven to their deaths returned as ghosts? Therefore, he would never establish any contact with fierce ghosts, on the surface, at least. He even stated that he wrote about supernatural genre novels to give readers some early warning, and potentially save their lives. Of course, this would only have the reverse effect. They considered Zhao Song as the biggest coward of all, afraid of something that did not exist. Still, it was this coward who had always been able to fully escape from haunted zones like Feng Men Village. In addition to Zhao Song, Li Lina the reporter was another twisted individual. Her mission had been to debunk various supernatural events. She had often provided reasonable evidence which had inadvertently convinced many people that they made the right call to not believe in ghosts. These reporters brainwashed and indoctrinated the world. Their victims would be wholly convinced that the world harbored no ghosts whatsoever. Science was the way to go! Science for life! Zhao Song and Li Lina were most definitely from the same cut! Zhao Youyue found the world to be more interesting than ever. After she was finished with the visually astounding spitroast scene, Zhao Youyue left the realistic spirituality genre world, for now. She was surprised to see that everything she had observed in this world had turned into a video recording that had been saved by the Two Dimensional Gate. She could even transfer this video to her computer! She had basically shot horror movies at absolutely zero cost, with remarkable special effects to boot! Or rather, instead of special effects, they were actual humans and actual ghosts! Would it be available for sale? Speaking of which, she could turn a chance visit in a fantasy world into an epic movie. Translation Note: [1] Bunshinsaba C It is a type of spiritualism game, that involves communicating through the pen with an energy body, like a Pen Deity.. [2] Plate Deity C When people conducted divination with a plate, they found that the plate would move itself, answer questions, while unpredictably changing. People never found out why, it was as if theres a deity on the plate, thus they called it the Plate Deity. Chapter 428 Watching Horror Movies Back in the Real World Some of you might be confused. How did Zhao Youyue copy a video from the Two Dimensional gate to her computer? This was actually one of the functions of the Godly card C Altair. Altair had a maxed out mystery attribute. She loved to travel to all manners of worlds and places, observing the greatest scenes that played out, witnessing historic events of various worlds. Everything that she had observed and witnessed would actually be automatically recorded down to every detail, including the special effects Zhao Youyue clicked the video file open. The first thing that appeared was actually a logo of the Two Dimensional Gate. Zhao Youyue burst out laughing. Was this a sign that she should start up a movie company? It certainly had potential, as her movies and TV series required no costs whatsoever, and came with its complete set of special effects. Lets not talk about the cast who were not exactly acting the scenes out! In that case, these movies,TV series were 100% realistic. The acting would be A-class. It would be impossible to find any flaws More importantly would be the releasing process of those films. That definitely required powerful connection. Do not forget that Ding Yuncong, the son of Hongda Industry, the son of the richest person had basically claimed her as his sister. Hongda Cinema was a powerful force in the industry. In that case, Zhao Youyues movie company might just stand a chance! Zhao Youyue had reason to believe that the release of these movies would contribute to Altairs cards willpower. The next time this Godly card triggers the Two Dimensional Gate again, it might just send her into an equally fruitful world. We may coin such worlds as Source worlds. Countless writers had drawn information from this such source worlds as they wrote. It had given them the inspiration to produce all sorts of works. Anything that drew essence from such worlds had a chance of becoming an iconic title. After the logo, no credits appeared. Even so, only their actual names would appear. For example, Zhao Youyue would play as Zhao Youyue, Zhao Song as Zhao Song, Liu Kang as the fatty Liu Kang. That would be odd. Zhao Youyue eagerly continued watching the horror movie. First, she saw herself waking up, surrounded by rather ghastly gravestones in the mountains. Although it was summer, the sunlight was blinding, but the appropriate color correction and exposure had actually been applied. It knew precisely what mood to set. Even though it was daytime, there was a dusky tone of lighting to the scene. Zhao Youyue groaned. How could she have known that the events from this supernatural world would be filmed into a movie. Therefore, she had not thought of pushing the plotline, or fleshing out a character. She had only passively observed it from a backseat. Of course, this made the movie rather boring, especially in terms of plotline. But it also had parts that were second to none. The special effects would be one such trait. Rather than calling them special effects, they were actual ghosts. The extremely terrifying Chu Renmei would make a significant impact Of course, the big boom came from the bloody, gory scenes Special effects aside, the actors were terrific. This was especially true for the stubborn fatty, Liu Kang. His acting was beyond epic. His various expressions were enough to garner him a nomination for best supporting actor. No other actor could possibly pull this off. It was no joke! If you ever saw another actor replicating his performance, it only meant that he was dying for real. If not, he was only acting out his personal image of death. Horror movies were not just about how terrifying the ghost was, but also how convincingly the playthings of the ghost played their parts. The bar was a very steep one. No ghosts existed within Zhao Youyues reality. All the supernatural genre works that existed were fictional. The actors have never encountered any ghosts personally. How could you expect them to act out their fears of imaginative fairies? Without that genuine fear, the movie would lose much of its charm. It could not be helped, unless an actor actually experiences such a scene in his dream Then again, very few had complete recollections about their dreams. Those who did were not actually dreaming. They were receiving information from their copies from other worlds. Such information was highly unreliable. They might simply disconnect at any given time. Their next dream would feature an entirely different world. This did not apply to Zhao Youyue. She had the Two Dimensional Gate at her disposal. It gave her the ability to maintain rock-solid connections. Therefore, with the special effects and acting, any film born of such would be worth watching, even if it had a lackluster plotline. Zhao Youyue had thoroughly enjoyed watching this two-dimensional video. The film still lacked background music. That would not be a problem for Chu Luoxun. That musical genius would be able to come up with the perfect score for the mindblowing special effects, epic acting, and bad plot! Music was a very powerful tool. It could turn a scary movie into a heart attack inducing one. Horror movie veterans would be all too aware of this. The music of a horror movie was practically the essence of the entire production. The same applied to live action movies. Without such effects, everything would be dull and dreary Zhao Youyue had acted most oddly in the world. She was just as odd now. She had not felt the slightest tinge of fear as she observed the fierce ghost massacring people at a close distance within the supernatural world. Now that she was safe and sound in the real world, her own video terrified the daylight out of her! Within the supernatural source world, she had acted just like the black cat that she was during the entire process, silently observing the extremely beautiful Chu Renmei commit her murders. Zhao Youyue had remained unperturbed throughout the entire event. But the Chu Renmei within the video was downright terrifying. Her bloodied face was enough to terrify people to death! This film had also contained the first person perspective of the fatty Liu Kang the first victim. What did he actually experience? It was tragic! Chapter 429 100% Real Zhao Youyue could not bear watching Liu Kangs hallucination. At that time, he had completely abandoned his sanity! As Liu Kangs fear grew from his hallucination it had started an endless cycle that infinitely strengthened Chu Renmeis hold on his mind as she terrified him further in return for even more of his neural bandwidth Firstly, he went to that old latrine alone. As he was peeing, he saw a ghost face emerging from the cesspit. Terrified, he had bolted outside. Amazingly, he did not forget to wash his hands. He happened to notice a water tank on his way out. He rushed over to wash his hands, dipping them into the tank. When he withdrew them, only did he realize that it was not clear water, but black blood! At the same time, he saw a girl in blue clothes, singing an opera from inside the tank. Her voice froze him on the spot As you were having fun, I was feeling sad. Only the moon knows of the grievances within my heart. Difficult to meet, yet easy to part. An abandoned woman I am, too late for regrets. Do you still remember the times when we were deeply in love? Do you still remember how you left me for another? Do you still remember leaving your wife with no roof over her head? Do you still remember my son who was without a father? I guess you wouldnt know this, but toiled alone did it, to the point of illness, because of you. Soon, death would take me, a heart shattered into a million pieces, because of you! Liu Kang had completely lost it by then. He ran out, screaming. By the time he hid at the corner of the courtyard, he was already deep inside his hallucination! The scene in the latrine had also been a hallucination. That tasteful scene of Liu Kangs head half flushed down the cesspit. The real Liu Kangs body was in the courtyard. But his mind had been lost in an entirely different world, where he was being hunted in all kinds of ways. While thinking that he was saving himself, his body started killing himself! The final scene in his mind was one of the fierce ghost Chu Renmei using her white hand, black nails to press his head into the cesspit. A most horrible death! As his body struggled, he took a huge fork, and thrusted it down his mouth, not stopping until it came out of the other end. Then, in his final throes, he jumped into the bonfire. His clothes burned off, flying off in the heat as ash. His body eventually became a roasted pork. Undoubtedly, when he turned himself into a roasted pork on the bonfire at the end, he must have been possessed by Chu Renmei. A human might not exactly be able to throttle himself to death, or bite his own tongue to commit suicide. Those were all just hearsay. On the other hand, spiritual possession answered many other questions Ghosts had a blatant disrespect and disregard for physics. When possessed by a ghost, you might just be able to pick yourself off the ground by pulling on your scalp! It might be notoriously difficult to even picture this scene. This was understandable as most worlds did not have ghosts. It would be equally understandable to encounter such ghosts in supernatural worlds. Perhaps ghosts were able to modify the laws of phsyics, or something of the like! They definitely broke the laws discovered by great minds like Newton and Einstein! It was almost downright cartoonish. Gravity was key to everything. Even if one fell from from the sky, her short skirt would obediently remain wrapped around her thighs. No one could ever see what that should not be seen. Videographers should just give up on trying to get lucky. You would never catch sight of them! Undoubtedly, asking an actor to act out a scene like Liu Kangs self-spitroasting was a tall order. The word suffocation simply did not suffice. However great an imagination one had, no one could ever imagine such a scene in their head The scene left Zhao Youyue severely nauseated. She was unable to transform into the black cat in the real world. As Youyue Meow she would be just as terrified, if not worse! In the supernatural source world, the black cat she had turned into had not been afraid of ghosts. It could work hand in glove with them, and even punish them if it desired. The most rational of ghosts would actually show Zhao Youyue due respect. They would even give her offerings after they have harvested from their kills. Evidently, they were afraid of black cats. They would rather please them rather than piss them off. Ghosts might be hunters to humans. But the black cat was one ladder rung up the chain! Ghosts also came in different levels. Fierce ghosts were basically as intelligent as humans. Others might not even be able to communicate, or did not know how to. When these silly ghosts encountered the black cat, they served as nothing but freebie snacks. Zhao Youyue decided to impose a sanction on ghosts, the next time she entered the supernatural source world. Considered it as compensation for the troubles of the Two Dimensional Gate The Zhao Youyue in the real world did not possess that strong, invincible player mentality. Therefore, the movie had left her very uncomfortable. The scene that followed had been more disgusting. Humans eating raw human meat She did not expect herself to pass through this movie unscathed. Perhaps the state of the physical body had an effect on ones consciousness. After all, she had been a supernaturally powerful black cat with supernatural abilities. The black cat might have witnessed far more scenes that were even more tragic and disgusting. This scene was probably peanuts to her The pampered, sheltered Lady who barely even ventured into the horror realm would most certainly be disturbed. Perhaps this was an absolute feast to horror movie addicts. Even if it was bloody and disgusting, so what? All the better for them! Zhao Youyue remembered that Su Li seemed to love such horror movies. Everytime when she had a movie date with Zhao Youyue, she wanted to watch horror movies. The more horrifying, the better! However, Zhao Youyue had never once been interested. Lady Zhaos taste in movies had always been silly. She loved to watch those brainless, popcorn-snacking movies. Celebrations, big ocassions. The bigger the better. Relaxing comedy was also a huge plus. That was all it took for her to enjoy herself Su the Great Deity had heavy tastes indeed. She wanted horror movies at their fullest, biggest, and loudest, in the cinema! This was the real Su Li. Her current work was almost vanilla, despite what others thought of it. Her true nature desired for all sorts of bloody, violent scenes in the future. She considered it a unique form of art. Su Lis heavy taste was one thing, but she greatly respected Zhao Youyues choices each time. Thus, she could only watch those horror movies alone. Admittedly, it was actually more interesting to watch such movies alone, especially during midnight. Zhao Youyue was truly keen on finding out Su Lis verdict when watching a 100% realistic horror movie But first, she had to add the final touches to this movie, and prepare to give the audience of the real world the greatest scare ever! Chapter 430 Watching the Movie Together Zhao Youyue spent almost one month to finish perfecting the background music for the film that she had named Chronicles of the Peculiar Black Cat. The Goddess Chu had been extremely helpful. As a super genius who was proficient in a variety of musical instruments, she could easily apply background music according to the varying scenes and atmospheres. When she was finished, the movie had ended up downright terrifying! During that month, Zhao Youyue had been alternating between the two worlds. Within the supernatural source world, she had met up with Zhao Song, the coward novelist who had PY trades with various ghosts. He had given her a new identity in that world. She had supposedly ended up as Zhao Songs adopted daughter. She did not use the name Zhao Youyue, but changed it into a shortened form C Zhao You. Zhao Song truly did not want to adopt Zhao Youyue, as he considered this girl to be even more abnormal compared ghosts. But he had no choice. He had been able to survive in the supernatural source world all thanks to Xiao Hei. He was positively certain that this black cat had psychic powers. It would keep him alive during critical moments Zhao Youyue had grown extremely close to the black cat. They were almost inseparable. Zhao Song considered having an adopted girl to help him care for the black cat. From to his years of writing, he determined that this passerby character was full of mystery, and was practically invincible. She might even be more powerful than a protagonist. After all, a protagonist would experience setbacks and character development. On the other hand, this invincible side character was already at max level since her first appearance. The protagonist was the player, but this side character was the administrator system. And so, Zhao Song found himself a new ancestor. His novels sold well. His house was rather extensive and luxurious, and it was located in the most prosperous cities in that world. By the way, Zhao Youyue had learned about the history of that supernatural source world through its internet. Its development process was indeed similar to her initial world. While their histories remained largely similar, the historic figures had been very different. The occult in this world also functioned at another level. Thats right. This was a supernatural source world where demons and monsters rampaged about. However, science had buried most of the truth. Denizens of that world were mostly convinced that there were no ghosts at all. They believed in all existing refutations against ghosts. It was this ignorance that had opened them to spirits as free food. Of course, there were also astute individuals like Zhao Song; much good it did him. Perhaps he had started off writing to uncover the truth of the world. God knows how he ended up this way. The more realistic his books were, the less convinced people became of their legitimacy. They only praised his terrific writing and powerful imagery. At the same time, he would inadvertently leak some forbidden rituals and techniques to the public. This was all under the guise of him being a very dedicated, impeccably good writer! Zhao Youyue also learned that her body in the supernatural source world had an autopilot mode. Upon flipping the switch on, her body would act as a real observer and meld into the background, much like how she acted much earlier on in the village. After switching on this autopilot mode, Zhao Youyue could even watch the live broadcast through the Two Dimensional Gate in her mind. Unfortunately, there would be no bullet curtains. Besides, most of her time in the spiritual source world was spent on daily activities. With the autopilot mode function, Zhao Youyue did not have to worry about this unique body from ever suffering trouble. Her first criteria in this world had been fulfilled, which was to survive. Second down the list of priorities was her adventures in this world. This was nowhere as urgent as the first. First, Zhao Youyue had to verify something. If she managed to obtain another character card, would she be able to apply the character cards ability on this body? After all, her body was practically superhuman, as all the abilities of all her character cards were pooled within that one body, without any limitations. In the real world, she could never use all the abilities at once. She could only switch from one character card at a time. It came as a slight frustration. Reality was dull, and tried its best to hold her back. That was why nothing spectacular happened in it. Throughout the entire world, Zhao Youyue was the only unscientific existence. Of course, Zhao Youyue preferred the real world which tended to be more normal. She preferred a leisure, comfortable life, even if her powers were severely restricted. The second half semester of Zhao Youyues twelfth grade life came. Of the three high school years, the twelfth grade was a particularly fulfilling but fast year. Some considered the twelfth grade year to be a passage of hardship. In fact, those mechanical, repetitive days would go flying past in the blink of an eye. The college entrance exams would blindside you from the front, before you even sensed its approach. Of course, Zhao Youyue would never suffer from this. She went on with her daily, carefree life. She was content with teasing the iceberg goddess Bai Yunshan at school. Of course, she did not go overboard with it. It would not be good to affect the other girls studies. After all, not everyone could emulate her abilities. Not everyone could maintain stellar results while lazing about The only person who could live like Zhao Youyue was most probably Han Leng. Han Leng had such abysmal results that he might as well drop out there and then. But he was already well known on Weibo. He had countless female fans. He could write something casually, fans would still line up to purchase it. Studying meant little to him. However, the school did offer him a benefit. He could improve his writing. As long as he continued writing stuffs for Lady Zhao to taste, he could always learn from her verdict. It would be really irresponsible to leave school like that and wander off as a professional writer! Han Leng had to admit that he enjoyed the feeling of being invited by Lady Zhao to go out and have fun during the weekends. They had even gone to various cybercafes, voice chatted while playing LoL, ate chicken dinners together. The college entrace exams did not concern him anyway Han Leng felt that Lady Zhao was probably his best playmate in the entire world. To an extent, he had started to treat Zhao Youyue as a blood brother, rather than a lady! Zhao Youyue had more than enough time in her hands, yet she had been trying to escape from live broadcast sessions by using the excuse of being a twelfth grade student. This soon earned her the title C Number One Pigeon King[1] on Douyu. Obviously, this had adverse effects on her popularity. Such was internet fame. People quickly rose to prominence, but disappeared just as swiftly if they neglected to remain consistent. Of course, that brief moment of fame was enough for them to pull in serious bucks. Zhao Youyues earning had been substantial, to say the last. Her little publishing company was already on the right track. She had also built a self-contained, self-sustaining production house. It was called Source World. Great scholar Han, drop by this weekend. Ive got us a movie, Zhao Youyue sent an invitation. Sister Li, I have a horror movie for you, and its a really horrifying one! They were both great writers; it was only right to invite them! Translation Note: [1] Pigeon King C When one is said to be releasing pigeons, it means that he has not lived up to his promise. Chapter 431 Everything Was Done to Gather Materials The Pigeon sickness was contagious, and Zhao Youyue was the Pigeon Queen. This Pigeoness had spread to those who remained in close contact with her, and one such person was Han Leng. During the winter holidays, which fell just before the last semester of the third year of school, Han Leng had been highly active on Weibo. Every few days, he would post on Weibo saying that he was about to release a new book, and that it would be a masterpiece! Well, even if it isnt one, it would positively be better than Beautiful April! Of course, this riled the fans up as they waited with baited breaths. His beautiful fan girls were practically screaming their lungs out. Some of the ladies had even boldly asked older brother Han Leng C if he wanted to gain more inspiration by getting to know them better Han Leng could not see the appeal. He did not understand that hooking up with the fans would be the greatest gift he could possibly bestow upon them. His standards broke through the roof. If a girl was not up to his standards, he would not lay his hands on her. However, it did not matter, because this was in line with Han Lengs character as a clueless chick magnet. In fact, those beautiful young ladies only teased Han Leng so boldly, because they knew that he had such a personality. If he was like one of those good-for-nothing creators in the community who carried titles such as sex king or hook-up fanatic, the fangirls might not be as daring. This was also why fanboys were typically envious of fangirls. If fangirls idolized one of those sleazebag idols and took the initiative to offer their bodies to them, those idols would, of course, be more than happy to accept it. The fans had willingly offered themselves to him; it would be waste not to accept it Naturally, only female idols would have a majority of fanboys. In this era, did female idols hook up with their fans? Would the real idol please stand up. Youll expand your fanbase in no time at all! It would blow up! Unfortunately, fanboys can only continue dreaming of such a scenario Han Leng had made released such bold statements, precisely to force a great deal of pressure upon himself. His instincts and practiced acumen told him that there was no way he would ever produce something as amazing as Beautiful April, despite how hard he wrote As much pressure as he attempted to impose upon himself, this would end up for naught. Every few days, Lady Zhao would call him out for a gaming session. How is he expected to write anything? It would be a better idea to follow Lady Zhao and forage for some materials! Yes, this was precisely how he gathered materials. Hence, he started replacing those sensational announcements on Weibo with repeated excuses and explanations on how and why the release of his new book might be postponed, for he needed to gather materials! As for the matter of gathering materials, it was, of course, by eating, drinking and having fun with Lady Zhao! In the process, he also got to know Su Li. Unsurprisingly, the two of them had known each other for a long time. After all, Su Li had did some illustrations for Beautiful April. Even so, they remained as strictly one-time business-partners. Thanks to Zhao Youyue, they had got to know each other better. Better was a subjective term, as Su Li thought that Han Leng was a pervert. He had once met Su Li while donning his Leng Zi identity. In the end, Su Li had the shock of her life when his true gender was revealed. The protagonist of Su Lis manga, Himegoto is also a male crossdresser. Is she seriously thinking that Im a pervert? Im just trying to gather some materials (serious face). Su Li thought that Han Leng was a pervert, and Han Leng thought that Su Li was unambitious. Her manga had no content and was too commercialized. In addition to that, she was a little too close to Lady Zhao. After learning that Su Li had allowed Zhao Youyues publishing company to publish her manga booklet, Han Leng felt that he could not afford to be left behind. He too decided to start a web novel off and gave the copyrights to Lady Zhao. He wanted to help Lady Zhao make money! After hearing that Zhao Youyue had also started a book platform on the internet, he decided to share his book on that website. Zhao Youyue was surprised, so say the least. Has Han Leng lost his mind? Her website was not for web novels. Besides, it was just a preliminary version of her companys official website. She had not yet even decided a name for it That was not completely true. She did have a name, but she had not yet officiated it. That name would be C Source World. She even felt like serializing a 100% realism horror series like Chronicles of the Peculiar Black Cat on the Source World website. She was only unsure if this would increase the web traffic of the website. After Han Leng received an invitation from Lady Zhao to watch a movie at her house, he could not help but complain. Could she refrain from using such a tone when she spoke? It made him imagine all kinds of things. And what sort of movie could this be? Naturally, Zhao Youyue remained cryptic, because Han Leng was really afraid of watching horror films. If she revealed it in advance, wouldnt he run off? Of course, Han Leng could not turn down Lady Zhaos invitation. He was willing to do just about anything Lady Zhao wanted. His compliance was why they were on such good terms. On the other hand, Su Li gave a shrill, jubilant yes. She did not really take Zhao Youyues warning about the 100% horror level to heart. Nothing scared her. Su Li had battle-scars to flaunt, and mysterious powers to boot. Why would she be afraid? If anything, she was the scary one. Her pen could end lives and worlds as people knew it. Zhao Youyue did not bring Han Leng and Su Li to her permanent residence. Instead, she brought them to a luxurious villa which had been equipped with a private cinema. It came as no surprise to learn that this was yet another of her familys properties. Her father often brought the big suits here and saw to it that they were thoroughly entertained. Zhao Youyue had learned much from her father. She was also entertaining her batch of big suits. One of them was Su Li, the most popular and talked-about mangaka in the manga and illustration communities. The other was Han Leng, the well-known public intellectual who often started wildfires on Weibo. He also carried other labels such as genius writer, clueless chick magnet, and a highly popular idol who had unintentionally but successfully brainwashed countless female fans. There was no doubt that these two would become legends in their respective fields. Firstly, Zhao Youyue showed the two of them around the villa. As usual, Su Li started taking some selfies at various strategic points. Of course, she would ask for Zhao Youyues permission before she posted the photos. Han Leng suddenly felt inexplicably upset. Despite his relative success, he realized that even if he wrote books for his entire lifetime, he might not even be able to earn enough to afford one of Zhao Youyues family properties. Whenever he thought of this, he felt depressed If he was still the old him, he might have cynically mocked the Zhao family. With the new him however, countless images of Lady Zhao sincerely supporting him flashed through his mind. Hence, he held it back. No matter what, he could not hate on Lady Zhao, just because she was fortunate enough to be born with a gold spoon in her mouth. After that, Han Leng also started taking pictures with his mobile phone. When Su Li saw it, she could not help but say, Tsk tsk, is an arrogant influential person in the literature field like you preparing to post some pictures on your Weibo or Wechat Moments? Han Leng felt his cheeks turning warm. He coldly said, Dont think that everyone is as shallow as you! I was just trying to draw some inspiration. The heroine of my next book is a precious daughter of a rich family! Disgusting! So you can only vent the darkness in your soul through a book? I have no time for your nonsense At such a time, of course, Zhao Youyue had to step in and settle the dispute. She actually did not understand why Su Li and Han Leng could not get along at all. They were both outstanding creators, but it seemed like they had no common ground. This was indeed frustrating. Okay, okay, Im bringing you guys to the blockbuster now. I assure you, that the visuals effect are absolutely amazing! said Zhao Youyue. When Han Leng heard that it was a blockbuster film with great visual effects, names of countless blockbuster films flashed through his mind. His heart grew excited in anticipation. He became absolutely prepared for an upcoming visual feast. This was yet another source of inspiration Of course, those words had also earned Su Lis full attention! Chapter 432 : Tremble Speaking of which, this was actually Han Lengs first time watching a movie in a private cinema. It was the stuff of legends that were scarcely mentioned, even in fiction. Apart from the fact that the seats were a lot more spacious, the rest was not so different from a public cinema. Of course, you could play movies at your absolute discretion, for you owned this cinema. Han Leng adjusted his seat a little, and laid back comfortably. As the movie began to play, the lights in the room went dim. He was now surrounded in total darkness. Of course, Su Li did not intend to sit beside the perverted Han Leng. She sat a few rows before Han Leng, closer to the screen. She could easily turn back to check out on Han Lengs expressions. Zhao Youyue went ahead and started the movie. She had been smart enough to cup headphones over her ears before returning to the room. Some scenes in the Chronicles of the Peculiar Black Cat, when played in a big screen, while paired with godly musical effects courtesy of Goddess Chu could possibly scare people to death! Thus, Zhao Youyue took some precautions. She knew this movie, inside and out. Her focus today was to observe the expressions of Su Li and Han Leng After the movie began, Han Leng became slightly unnerved. Was this really the so-called visually stunning blockbuster? The opening scene already panned over spectacular masses of tombstones within the deep mountains. The atmosphere was eerie. Was this for real? This bus was not headed to kindergarten. He wanted to get off! However, when the heroine appeared, he temporarily held his feelings back. This side-character heroine had no sense of presence whatsoever. It gave him a feeling of deja vu. He was already starting to like her. Furthermore, frankly speaking, he still could not tell where this was going, not yet. However, the image quality was definitely top-notch, and the props were incredibly realistic. There was no way that this was shot at a real location, right? Han Leng continued watching. Somewhere along the way, he had already completely and unintentionally ignored the heroine. All of his focus shifted over to a group of backpackers. The strange Feng Men village was so convincingly real, that he felt as if he was there in person. But it was the soundtrack that froze his blood solid. It was then when the unoccupied neurons in his head came upon the realization - - this was actually a goddamned horror film! Having known the truth, he prepared to flee the scene. He was a gutless person, and he knew it. He did not have the stomach for horror. If he really had to sit through one of these films, it had to be during the day, and his entire room had to be illuminated. Now, he was lost in total darkness. That darkness seemed to be of that world he saw in the screen. Su Li was the total opposite of Han Leng. She loved watching horror films alone, in the middle of the night. In the beginning, she loved watching the type of horror films that had extremely scary images that subliminally flashed through the screen and stimulated the mind. Then, she moved on to those that discussed about analogous psychological placebos, hallucinated transmigrations, and such. She had so many films under her belt that, she was almost numb. She had seen everything the genre could throw at her. Of course, Su Li had started off, spooked like everyone else. However, with experience came impassiveness. She knew that this world harbored no ghosts. Horror stories was just another subsidiary of fiction. There were no Gods, there were no spirits, there were no ghosts. Only creators like her and others could create such things. Su Li felt that the Chronicles of the Peculiar Black Cat was a little boring. She believed that the most important thing about a horror film were the plot twists and the scenes which kept the audience in suspense. Furthermore, all the characters in it had to be pathetically weak, to the point that they were completely unable to defend themselves from the ghosts. If not, how would it impart that sense of absolute vulnerability and mortal peril that came hand in hand with spiritual encounters? Fortunately, the inconspicuous heroine who had first appeared was only a fake heroine. She was just there to set the initial mood. She did not even seem to be involved in the plot at all. She fully embodied the role of an onlooker. The imagery and videography were indeed top-notch. How much money had been invested in the special effects? The extent of the skilled videography was best demonstrated at one scene in particular. It was a full-length aerial panning of the Feng Men village. This horror film suddenly became more like a historical film. The ancient architecture of the village gave off an unusual, otherworldly feeling. The crew had really paid special attention to the filming location The soundtrack was on another level. It was flawless, and Su Li felt that she was in the film, standing among the terrified cast. Suddenly, she was no longer watching a movie. She seemed to have been transported into the world. Naturally, even Su Li would be spooked out by that level of realism. She started looking intently for some loopholes that would often appear in some horror films. It was one of the skills she had picked up when it came to turning her fears into butterflies. If she could convince herself with hard evidence that this was all fabricated, she would no longer be afraid of the possiblity of it being real! However, Su Li quickly discovered that she could not find any loopholes at all. This movie was becoming less and less like a movie, and more like a real documentary! Finally, Su Li started panicking. Fear started to take hold of her heart. She started turning around for Zhao Youyue When she saw Zhao Youyue sitting not too far away from her, Su Li left her seat and went to sit right beside Zhao Youyue. Zhao Youyue took her headphones off. She smiled and said, Sister Li, is there anything wrong? Su Li was a bit embarrassed. Before she came here, she had boasted about her prevailing immunity against horror movies. Now, the ghost had yet to even make its appearance, but she had already caved. This was truly embarrassing! However, Su Li had never been afraid of being embarrassed in front of Zhao Youyue, so she truthfully replied, This film is a little evil-ish, it terrifies people. Im going to have to hold on to you Zhao Youyue had always pampered Su Li. Although Su Li was already an adult, the two of them got along inexplicably well. This was because they truly understood and tolerated each other. Su Li calmly sat next to Zhao Youyue, clinging onto one of Lady Zhaos arms. All of her fears vanished into thin air. When the really scary scenes get going, she would just bury her head deep in Zhao Youyues chest. It was the ultimate asylum! Then, Su Li saw that Zhao Youyue had headphones on. She could not help but ask out of curiosity, My lady, why are you wearing headphones? Ah, Im just listening to some music. This film isnt that scary if you get rid of the soundtrack. Zhao Youyue replied. Su Li thought that Zhao Youyue was really smart, but she would not learn from her. Zhao Youyue was right beside her, anyway. She was even holding on to Zhao Youyues arm. She wanted to experience the horror at its fullness, while being able to retreat to her sanctuary when things got too perilous. Of course, none of this had gone past Han Lengs attention. However, he was a big man. He could not possibly go and huddle up beside Zhao Youyue, right? So, he decided to clench his teeth and persevere. He began to mutter words like harmony, prosperity, democracy and the like. All of these were probably chants to ward off the evil spirits When the ghost finally appeared onscreen, her evil aura basically spewed out of the screen. It gave off the same feeling prey often felt as an unseen predator stalks them. It paralyzes people with fear. It was surreal and on an entirely different level! Su Li wrapped herself around Zhao Youyues arm. Her head lay on Lady Zhao, but her eyes remained glued to the screen. In her heart, she could not help but wonder if ghosts were real. If it was fake, that actor had to be unhinged or something, right? Chapter 433 The Power of Realism Han Leng wanted to make a run for it. Or, he could immediately turn into Leng Zi and ask Lady Zhao for help. Looking at how beautiful he was when he cross-dressed, Lady Zhao would definitely save him, right? There was no other way. This film was simply too horrifying. It was the kind of horror that threatened to devour the soul! This was probably because other horror films had glaring weaknesses. No matter how horrifying they were, they always had blatant plotholes, and the dissonance was enough to reassure people of their illegitimacy. This also included the facial expressions of the actors. In fact, horror or thriller movies were good for actors to polish their acting skills, because the actors were essentially different from the audience. From the very beginning, the actors would know that they were making a movie and that they were in no danger whatsoever. The ghosts were all played by actors. As a result, no matter how convincingly they managed to pull the part off, it was all just an act Only gifted actors who took method-acting[1] to its limits could perform their roles at 90% efficiency. Otherwise, any actor who scored 60% on his or her part was already praiseworthy. However, gifted actors were extremely scarce. Moreover, horror movies did not usually sell well. Along with such track records, the budget allocation for them was usually similarly low. Of course, there were a few exceptionally well-made horror films that became cult favorites, but none of them had ever been built solely from special effects. It was to be expected People did not simply step into cinemas and pay to get the scare of their lifetimes. In this case, Chronicles of the Peculiar Black Cat had found the 100% mark. The actors who played the ghost and victims were beyond stellar. Those people did not even know that they were on camera. More accurately, Altair had shown her hand, at long last. It was precisely because they did not know they were acting and that they were on camera was why their acting was completely, absolutely real. This had ended up with something even more thorough than a documentary. Even documentaries had a degree of videography and scripting. Despite what people often said, documentaries were not 100% candid shots Neither was Chronicles of the Peculiar Black Cat made fully out of candids. A variety of shooting methods and techniques had been involved in its making and it had been thorough in portraying the perspective of each character. Zhao Youyues onlooker ability had done a great job. She could not only observe the situation from her own perspective, but also from the perspective of others. By the end of it, Han Leng was that close to dying out of fright. He wanted nothing more than complain on how bad the plot of the movie was, because he could summarize it in one sentence - - A group of backpackers successfully sought death when they arrived in Feng Men village, a ghost village which was famous on the internet. How did such a plot even qualify to be filmed? It did not even have a single plot twist or backstory! Of course, the godly plot twists were happening behind the scenes. Chiefly, the fact that the supernatural genre novelist Zhao Song and the female journalist Li Lina of Walking into Science were not who they seemed to be. Sadly, the film never got to reveal this. As mentioned previously, Zhao Youyue had already edited this film. It was probably the workings of the maxed onlooker ability. It focused on bringing out those images that could not possibly appear in the real world. For example, the close-up shot of the ghost which looked 100% real. Another example was the entire death scene of the fatty Liu Kang. Such scenes never appeared in reality. Even filming it out was difficult The scene of Liu Kang turning himself into a roasted pig, only to be eaten by the other backpackers had been extremely grotesque! Previously, if someone were to tell Han Leng that the scenes of such a lousy film could scare him so much that he was just about o call Zhao Youyue his mother, he would have snorted in contempt. Now, he really wanted to scream,Save me, mother! Im about to pee in my pants! Han Leng could not deny it. The films grotesque scenes and the performance of the actors were 100% on point, accompanied by god-like soundtracks, allowed this lousy film to be strangely attractive. Even though he had entered the help me mummy fear level, he still watched it with relish. He wanted to know what happened next. Maybe it was the charm of the realism. After all, most movies were filled with theatricality. As the saying goes, It is coincidence that makes a story. However, this film did not give him any indicator of the presence of a director, or a screenwriter, even. Moreover, there were no coincidences and plot twists, which was why it had been so interesting! The ending did not feel anything like one. In short, because of the death of Liu Kang, the other backpackers were so frightened that they fled from Feng Men village as soon as they were able The final scene was a close-up of the ghost C Chu Renmeis bloody, badly mutilated face. Her body was in no better shape. She had died a most gruesome death. The village was already her foothold. Chu Renmei suddenly broke into an evil smirk. However, in the eyes of black cat, Chu Renmei still retained her human form, in all its glorious beauty. There were also close-ups of the strange group of senior citizens in Feng Men village. They all surveyed the scene with apparent indifference. Nobody knew what they were thinking, why were they even living peacefully in the village, or why they even existed at all. Nevertheless, their existence had provided the village with a special, strange atmosphere By the end of it, Su Li had buried her head deep in Zhao Youyues generous chest. Suddenly, she was no longer afraid. Instead, she started fantasizing about something else entirely - - Lady Zhao smelled so good! Perhaps girls who were naturally beautiful had their special scent. Lady Zhao was no exception. Also, Zhao Youyue had perfume on. Perfume was also a kind of fashion statement. Although Lady Zhao had activated her side-character card, she was still up to date on womens clothing, bags, and perfumes. This was probably a good example of someone who knew how aesthetics worked. Their existence allowed everyone to understand one thing. Unless they were ugly beyond cure, as long as one knew how to put makeup on and dress well, they could always hold the ugly back at bay! It was a pity that the lack of money often prevented people from dressing up. But who are we kidding, even if they had the money, they just lacked the initiative for it. So, whoever who meets Lady Zhao was certainly very lucky. With her guidance, they could easily attain godhood! The room finally lit up. Han Leng felt as if he had just been reincarnated. Even so, he was a hundred percent sure that he would be plagued by recurring nightmares for a long time! He could not stop himself from thinking about the ghost that looked convincingly real. In such circumstances, he could only fight poison with poison. If he thought of Lady Zhaos lovely cute face as he tried to fall asleep, it should not be a problem at all Speaking of which, he seemed to have forgotten one thing. What happened to the heroine that appeared at the beginning? He could not remember at all! That invisible heroine had left him speechless! The fatty deserved an Oscar. He was beyond excellent! Speaking of which, who was the male protagonist, exactly? Was it that cowardly supernatural novelist? Wait, why was that detective so similar to a particular writer in the literature community? Was this a coincidence? Like teacher Bi Fujian[2], teacher Ooki[3] and such. They were very similar in form and appearance, but not in spirit. Translation note : [1] Method acting originates from the Stanislavskis system. Stanislavskis system is a systematic approach to training actors that the Russian theatre practitioner Konstantin Stanislavski developed in the first half of the 20th century. Stanislavski was the first in the West to propose that actor training should involve something more than merely physical and vocal training. His system cultivates what he calls the art of experiencing. It mobilizes the actors conscious thought and will to activate other, less-controllable psychological processessuch as emotional experience and subconscious behaviorsympathetically and indirectly. In rehearsal, the actor searches for inner motives to justify action and the definition of what the character seeks to achieve at any given moment (a task). [2] Bi Fujian, also known by his nickname Laobi, literally Old Bi, is a Chinese director, television host, and professor. [3] Ooki (full: Tony Ooki), is a Japanese, male adult video actor and singer. Chapter 434 Trending on The Internet This film had been truly magical. Speaking of which, how was it made? And those scenes, how were they shot? Han Leng asked, still traumatized. This film had been completely made with CGI. Everything was CGI, including the people in it, Zhao Youyue lied through her teeth. Zhao Youyue had no intentions of giving a clear explanation. No matter what she tries, she would never come up with anything remotely credible. When the actors see the film and think of their dreams, they would be most perplexed. How did their dreams make it on the big screen? When Han Leng heard this, he was speechless for a moment. However, he was really gullible, and believed everything he heard. He lamented, CGI these days are really incredible About this film it had perfect camerawork and terrific soundtrack. It was freakishly scary, despite the horrendous plot. Su Li completely agreed, saying that this was the scariest horror movie that she had ever seen. However, she still had many questions. How was this film really shot? Since when was CGI this advanced? After Zhao Youyue listened to both of them, she felt that their views had been very relevant. In short, this was a film that was top-notch in some aspects but had a very bad plot. If this film was to be shown in the cinemas, the box office would surely get caught up in a debacle. It might be better if she published it on the internet. If it provided her with some energy, that would be more than enough. Zhao Youyue decisively uploaded the film to several major video websites. Of course, she also uploaded it onto the Source World website. She had decided to publish all her experiences in the supernatural source worlds on the website in the real world. Chronicles of the Peculiar Black Cat would surely become a series with a cult following. Of course, Chronicles of the Peculiar Black Cat did not instantly gain much attention. Zhao Youyue did not go out of her way to publicize it, neither did she advertise the film with her live streamer identity However, pure gold always found a way to shine. It took next to not time at all before some fanatical horror film enthusiasts came upon it. Of course, we can imagine how they reacted to it. On their own accord, they started dragging more of their peers to join them in their pit! This was how they tried to make more people fall into the pit - - Its such a realistic horror film. Youd think that you were at the scene! If youre tired of mainstream horror, I recommend that you try Chronicles of the Peculiar Black Cat. Youll learn what real horror is. If youve watched it and dont find it scary, feel free to punch me in the face! Honestly, the plot was horrible, but the scenes and the acting were amazing. People would be convinced that it was based on a completely true story, but considering the use of various shooting styles and camera angles, its definitely a movie A very strange movie indeed. I really cant figure out why such a movie would appear on the internet. How could such a legend appear on the internet like it was nothing? More fell into the pit. If they disabled the bullet curtains while watching, they would certainly find the movie to be extremely scary. Watching this movie made people start questioning on the legitimacy of ghosts! Any type of film would be enjoyable if people watched it on Bilibili. The bullet curtains brought everything to life. Even Chronicles of the Peculiar Black Cat was no exception. It would no longer be anywhere as scary as before as the bullet curtain would be courteous enough to give readers a headsup with messages like Here it comes! and Be prepared. The increasing popularity of Chronicles of the Peculiar Black Cat on the internet triggered Zhao Youyues Two Dimensional Gate. Once again, it prematurely left its cooldown state. Indeed, the Two Dimensional Gate which led to the random world of works was still in cooldown. However, Altairs card always left a path open to source worlds. That way, Zhao Youyue could always revisit the Supernatural Source World. Take note that the supernatural source worlds were currently unable to grant Zhao Youyue any new abilities. They could only replenish the countdown timer of Zhao Youyues high popularity character cards. Originally, the Hua Xiaomao character card had been close to expiring, but by virtue of Chu Renmeis previous offerings, it had been renewed. This also came as a pleasant surprise for Zhao Youyue. This called for a change of plans. She could not casually sacrifice the black cat card anymore, as she had originally planned. Otherwise, she would have nothing to rely on when she was in the supernatural source world. Zhao Youyue could only describe this as magical. It seemed to be a rather useless character card that could only be used to act cute. Now, it was literally her trump card in the supernatural source worlds Chronicles of the Peculiar Black Cat had not yet reached the point where the internet loses itself over the film. Horror was still a relatively niche movie genre. Not many people in the world looked for ways of self-torture. This was especially due to the fact that this movie had been exaggerated to the point that it was now known as the most realistic horror movie in existence. It literally scared the weak-hearted away. However, some of the horror scenes in the movie had been made into GIFs. And most effectively did they prove themselves. Some mischievous people would directly insert a close-up shot of Chu Renmeis horrible face at the end of some mini-games on the internet. As players immersed themselves in the game, a horrifying face would suddenly appear on the screen! One could already imagine how they reacted. The normal reaction was to immediately stand up from the chair, move backward, and try to pull away from the screen. The most exaggerated kind of reaction, was, of course, throwing a punch that went right through the screen! Hence, the real world has ended up with many more interesting GIFs. It was interesting to note that an actual ghost from another world had been brought into the real world. Of course, due to the widespread publicity of Chronicles of the Peculiar Black Cat, many people also started paying attention to the actors in it. Among the actors, fatty Liu Kangs amazing acting won him the spotlight. He was subject to heavy, lengthy debate. What drove this actor to act so convincingly? The discussion went on for a long time but, of course, it never concluded. The hunt for Liu Kang began. He acted like a God, so which other movies did he appear in? The search went fruitlessly for the longest while! Besides Liu Kang, the ghostly Chu Renmei was everyones favorite female lead. The side-character heroine went unnoticed, as always. Chu Renmei had been amazing. No other actor had ever played such a convincing ghost. She was just like the real thing! Then came another question. Who was the actress who played as Chu Renmei? Another manhunt ensued to no effect At that juncture, people started to sense that something was really wrong! Chapter 435 Reality and Dreams In this world, there was no shortage of nosy, investigative people. It could not be helped. In such an era, people went insane out of boredom, so they simply had to do something before they truly descended to the point of no return. Li Lina was the chief editor of a literary magazine that was sold in flea markets. The content of this literary magazine was mostly made up of supernatural stories. In this ever-changing technological era, the sales of this magazine had taken a hit. Many talented supernatural novel writers had moved onto the internet to stay afloat. Which famous writer would stay onboard a sinking ship? Li Lina was still unable to let go of this failing magazine. It was most probably because she had inherited it as a family business from her father. Even though the sales were getting worse, she had enough to put food on her table. As authors barely helped out, Li Lina had decided to write some stories herself. In any case, it was her own magazine. If she wanted to edit it in a way that was universally shocking to the whole of society, she was free to do so Now that the internet was pretty developed, the knowledge of the world was just a fingertip away. She could always take the raw material and mash them up into something. The internet was not her only source of inspiration. Sometimes, Li Lina would encounter truly vivid dreams about ghosts. These dreams always gave her a lot of inspiration. Ironically, in her dreams, she was a well-known, influential reporter. She was also in charge of the Walking into Science section on the national television. She worked her butt off to refute theories regarding various sorts of supernatural events C and forcefully used science to rationalize and justify everything. In reality, she was the chief editor of a dying magazine. The most she did was to recklessly cook up some stuff or create something out of nothing. Everything she wrote was somehow related to supernatural phenomena. For example, what caused the sound of children playing with marbles in the middle of the night? Was it actually a ghost causing mischief? Another example was, why did old people drop dead like flies during Ghost Festivals[1]? Indeed, it was because the ghosts that attracted human souls to leave their respective bodies have arrived! All in all, Li Lina herself felt that the stuff she had recklessly cooked up was all nonsense. However, to her surprise, her nonsense helped prolong the life of her magazine. She was playing along with the redshirt stigma- - Well, that was another of her more fascinating works. Many readers have praised this magazine C Walking into Supernaturals. They felt that the stories contained just as much logic as they were nonsensical. She covered her plotholes well. That realism creeped people out! When a supernatural story creeps people out, that was considered a sign of success. Although Li Lina did dream about ghosts, her dreams were never nightmares. In her dreams, she had been strong, and powerful. There was no reason for her to fear anything. She was strong in the mental sense, not physically. She felt that nothing could affect her judgment. She was always cold and calculative. Even when faced with a ghost, she could communicate with it sensibly, and establish a rapport In that case, since the ghosts would not hurt her, there was no need for her to worry about anything. As long as she observed everything from the sidelines and refuted theories, she would be fine. In the real world, Li Lina was someone who wrote these supernatural stories that refuted theories. Ironically, she did not believe anything she wrote. After all, those were simply her wild dreams. Sometimes, Li Lina would be left wondering. Why did her dreams always take place in the ghostly world? She could only justify it with the proverb one dreams at night what one thinks in the day[2]. As she always thought of new ghost stories, it would be understandable for her to dream about them at night Li Linas stories were not based purely on her dreams. She felt that the stories based on her dreams were like main courses, which was the mainstay of her magazine. However, appetizers were also needed. Thus, she naturally went online to look for materials. Just recently, a horror film called Chronicles of the Peculiar Black Cat was trending on the internet. She took the opportunity to watch it during the day. Of course, she must watch horror films during the day. In the real world, Li Lina was still rather timid. Sometimes, she really wished that she could become the her in her dreams. The her who was not afraid of anything In the midst of watching, the Dj vu struck her like a tidal wave. When she saw herself appearing in the film, she was stunned, even though she only had a few lines. Wasnt this the her in her dreams? Although the both of them looked similar, their temperaments were really different It was like a pair of twins separated at birth and raising them individually. One had been born with a silver spoon in their mouth, and the other grew up in poverty. Then, in their twenties, when they meet again, it would be apparent that the twins were now completely different from each other. Therefore, even if Li Lina were to appear on the streets, nobody would recognize her. Currently, the most wanted people on the internet were actually the actors who played the roles of the fatty Liu Kang and the ghost Chu Renmei. Apart from those two, the other actors felt like background characters. The more Li Lina watched the film, the more she recalled the contents of her dreams. Then, she began to panic For the first time, she had doubts. Were her dreams really dreams? She began to recall how she felt when she was dreaming. In her dreams, she could not act on her own. It seemed like she had just transmigrated completely into the Li Lina in her dream. She was only hitching her ride. Sometimes, when she woke up, she would completely forget everything, unless she encountered something that shook her. For example, she meeting a ghost for real. Wasnt that how dreams worked. Nobody would be aware that they were in a dream during the heat of the moment. Those who do would be able to spontaneously control their own actions. Those who realized that they were dreaming were really lucky, for dreams could be really fun, once you knew how things worked. You could fool around in any way you wanted. You could create and destroy things as you wished. You could bone any beautiful lady you meet. Then, you would wake up only to embarrassingly realize that you need to change your underwear Now, Li Lina felt that she could already recklessly cook up a new main course based on her findings. Why have her dreams turned into a feature-length movie? Or, was this movie was actually from another parallel universe? As Li Lina was lost in thought, another hot news came up on the internet. Some guy had dug deep and pointed out that the detective in the group of backpackers seemed to be teacher Ou Yang! Was teacher Ou Yang the screenwriter? He even cameoed in his own film! Ou Yang happened to be sitting at home, contemplating on writing about a murder case in Feng Men village. In the blink of an eye, he had become an actor! ______________________________________________________________________ Translation note : [1] The Ghost Festival, also known as the Hungry Ghost Festival, Zhongyuan Jie (), Gui Jie () or Yulan Festival is a traditional Buddhist and Taoist festival held in certain Asian countries. [2] One dreams at night what one thinks in the day (,) means what you ponder ceaselessly during the day comes back to haunt you throughout the night (in your dreams). Chapter 436 Ou Yangs Reaction Ou Yang was a legend among the traditional writers. His suspense and mystery novels were always chartbusters. They either get adapted into movies or won him a lot of literary awards. Therefore, Ou Yangs popularity was rather close to the top. He converted a considerable number of readers into fans. Most of them were readers who were addicted to thriller and supernatural stories. Generally, thriller and supernatural genre were rather similar. Without the presence of suspense, they would just be ordinary narrative text. Chronicles of the Peculiar Black Cat was a good example. The main reason for its failure was the lack of suspense. It consists of supernatural and horror stories, but there was no climax at all The person who asserted that Ou Yang was the detective in Chronicles of the Peculiar Black Cat, was a fan of his novels. As a fan, he paid full attention to Ou Yang related news. The detective struck him as oddly familiar. After careful observation, he concluded that Ou Yang was the detective! All in all, this man had been too quick to jump to conclusions. Although the appearance of the detective in the movie was similar to Ou Yang, he was not aware that the both of them were polar opposites, in terms of behavior and actions! In reality, the great author Ou Yang was a shy and down-to-earth person C just like an Elder Wizard who was bad with women. He was not even interested in improving himself in that aspect. He was not afraid of spending the rest of his life alone. Perhaps authors and creators had very atypical thought patterns. People generally craved to fall in love, eager to find their other halves. Many prioritized on getting children after getting married. This did not apply to Ou Yang. Ou Yang had set the expectations for a partner to be awkwardly high. Each time he was denied a date, he would turn irritable and cross. Perhaps, deep down in his heart, there was a strong, inner-voice that was determined to denounce every other living being on the planet. Wills and inheritances were also another worry and responsibility for many, but this also did not apply to authors, as their masterpieces were their children. As long as their hard work was preeminent, they would be immortalized. Nothing was more fascinating than this. The moment Ou Yang learned of his apparent debut in a horror movie, he was understandably curious. He had watched countless horror, thriller and suspense movies. After all, he had not been born a prodigy. His success had been slowly built, brick by brick with his dogged persistence. Women threatened to distract a wizard from his art. A distracted wizard was a dead one. By keeping them out of his life, he could devote his full commitment in writing, while strengthening every aspect of his inept genetics. To keep improving himself, Ou Yang spent a lot of his time reading and watching movies. At the same time, he embraced the internet with open arms. He was a rare jewel among traditional writers who did not actually despise online articles. On the contrary, he took a few online articles as references and materials for his writings. Despite the fact that the rumor was untrue, Ou Yang spent some of his free time to watch Chronicles of the Peculiar Black Cat. The fact that he appeared in the film sawno end to his curiosity.. Ou Yang did not think the actor looked excatly like him. The similarities were uncanny, but they ended there. After all, his face was rather generic. It was not disgusting nor appealing, and had all the common features of a passerby. However, Ou Yang could not deny what he saw: a private investigator who was good with ladies. His face turned chalk-white! Those vague dreams of his suddenly became clear pictures in his head! Wasnt this his dreams? He envied himself in his dreams. In reality, he was nothing close to himself in his dreams. His dream-self was undoubtedly good with ladies. With a snap of his fingers, he could woo the attention from any beautiful dame. This was also why Ou Yang had been entertaining the urge of shaping up his protagonist character as a playboy investigator in his novels. Other than solving cases deftly, it wouldnt hurt to illustrate on how this protagonist had ladies wrapping themselves around his finger. In his descriptions, he often managed to describe every female protagonist with definitive details, bringing them to life. Such an in-depth, experienced description came across as his fans that he was an experienced playboy in real life. He must have had countless ladies dancing in the palm of his hand. Otherwise, how could one explain the colorful dialogue? How he described each female character with such immaculate, relatable detail?Even the bedtop frolickings seemed to be recollections, rather than fabrications In traditional literature, the pleasure of the flesh was considered a form of art. Readers would never complain about having long, convoluted paragraphs in such vein. It was philosophy, it was the quintessence of life. Of course, the internet prevented such scenes from being fleshed out to such an extent. Writers would have to resort to creative alternatives such as the bare area below the neck, or exercises that involved clapping noises. Other than being exceptional in crafting suspense, Ou Yang was good at writing about exercises that resulted in clapping noises as well. Even so, he was a virgin. An archwizard. He relied on various ingredients and sorcery to attain his sagehood. These images appeared in Ou Yangs mind every time he wrote about the exercises. These scenes only came to him in movies and dreams. He had always believed these dreams to be dreams. However after encountering this film, he started to wonder if there was more to it Did this all happen in a parallel universe? Ghost actually existed in that world! Netizens claimed that the film was the work of CGI. Of course, those were just wild assumptions. The truth that was known only to Zhao Youyue, was that everything was real! There were no actors at all. Every character was an actual person. Liu Kang had only been so convincing in his role because he had been truly dead! Ou Yang was most certainly an anomaly among anomalies. As everyone remained trapped in confusion, wondering how the film was shot, he managed to come upon the truth! Ou Yang did not make his conjecture known to all. He simply posted a declaration on his Weibo that he was not the detective in that film, and that actor simply looked like him. Yet, he praised the film for its level of horro and realism, recommending that everyone should watch it Why did Ou Yang do that? He was curious to know what came next. Would the subsequent films be a repeat of his dreams. In the past, every recollection of his dreams had been fragmented. They flashed across his mind in pieces as he blindly grabbed at them, struggling to put them on paper. Now all he had to do was to watch the films, and all those memories came right back to him! He would observe in silence. It was always best to reap fortune in the cover of darkness! Chapter 437 : New Novella World? Exit After Killing Protagonist As the wheel of time turned, Chronicles of the Peculiar Black Cat became a new urban legend. The biggest winner the mastermind of all these incidents Zhao Youyue. Rumors said that it had been banned from the internet due to overwhelming horror in the film. Still, it had generated more than enough energy. Zhao Youyue completely recharged both her Altair card and Two Dimensional Gate. As the rumors get out of hand, they might just become actual fact. However, as long as the content remained available for download on the internet, it would serve as a passive energy generator. How did this happen? The film was simply too mysterious. The director, actors, visual effect engineers had all remained in the dark Nobody had the guts to infer that it was real. Most people conjectured that it happened in another world, or a film that originated from another world. Such speculations were absurd. Nobody believed them, neither did anybody plan to prove them. Most were convinced that it was a viral film, produced by an experienced crew. Every angle and scene had been captured perfectly. It had not been shot like a typical documentary. The team had shown no qualms about constantly switching between cameras from different angles, it had even featured aerial footage. How could any of this be real? It had even ended in a cliffhanger Nobody could solve the puzzle. This mysterious film raised more questions, and trying to solve those questions only raised more questions. Eventually the talk died down. After all, horror films were niche. They often had small but loyal fanbases. Far fewer netizens looked anything of the horror variety on their own accord. Zhao Youyue had control over most of the scenes in the spiritual world, but her ability had its limits. It was time to visit another novel. The creation of yet another iconic character had been long overdue. She was eager to know if any of her new abilities would be carried over to the the spiritual world. In that spiritual world, all of her abilities were contained within a single. Such power was intoxicating. Other than morphing into a cat, she did not possess any actual abilities that would give her real power. What if she encountered a stronger spirit? Chu Renmei was only an ordinary ghost. She was a small fry compared to others that lay out there. Lady Zhao favored defense over offense. She would build up her defense, fending attacks off until her enemies wore themselves out, striking only when the opportunity presented itself. She despised novels that featured protagonists who grinded levels conventionally. It was an overused, overrated trope. She had just about enough of protagonists who relished in the fact that they punched above their levels, killing monsters that outleveled them while gaining unrealistic rise in levels. They were no heroes; their fights were not epic in the slightest Zhao Youyue did not want to be a protagonist. She would rather be a nameless character who gained her strength in the cover of darkness. As protagonists went over their heads and boasted about, she would jump into the scene and slap them to death. The energy level of the spiritual world put Zhao Youyue at a little more risk than she preferred. She needed to grow stronger in novels, before anything else. Two Dimensional Gate was ready, but she had no intention of sacrificing her Hua Xiaomao card. It was time to roll her dice again, and place her fate in the hands of lady luck. In fact, Zhao Youyue found it interesting to have the Two Dimensional Gate acting randomly. She looked forward to seeing where she would end up next. Perhaps lady luck knew what she wanted? Although she was still a stranger to the euphoria of having a dream coming true, she had never once stepped into a new world without her optimism at its peak. Zhao Youyue had even devised a ritual that involved her taking a lengthy dip in the bathtub, before dolling herself up. It might just guarantee an epic roll! It was the middle of March, heralding the beginning of Spring. Zhao Youyues days as a high school student would end in about three months. The countdown to the final exam had been written on the corner of classroom blackboard. Students utilized every second they had for the sake of revision, including recess. They were in the best art class for a reason. Then there was Zhao Youyue. The Lady would be playing with a stack of cards during her recess. Nothing else satisfied her. Zhao Youyue set the bar for most students. Nonetheless, she had not decided on which university she wanted to join. She strove for academic excellence only to gain the presence and privileges that came with it; it had never been about her future. After she lost her interest in stepping on the pedestal to the state of prominence, she spent most of her time exploring other functions of the Two Dimensional Gate. At that point, she had almost ended up as a vagabond by the roadside. Fortunately, her identity as a daughter of a wealthy family was revealed in the nick of time. How could such a princess be treated like a passerby? Zhao Youyue never showed any lapses in her academics, and her mastery of music was commendable. Sometimes people wondered how she managed to disguise herself as a passerby by only cutting her hair short. She somehow slipped past everyones gaze with ease Nobody had an answer to that question. Bai Yunshan, the best friend of Zhao Youyue, had much to complain about it. Ever since Zhao Youyue went into the shadow, she had been shoved into the limelight, and kissed her peaceful life goodbye. She had had to report the circulation of confession letters to teachers repeatedly. She did not want to receive such disgusting gifts from anyone. Nevertheless, Bai Yunshan successfully kept everyones attention off Zhao Youyue. Lady Zhao could finally enjoy the last few moments of her high school life. Zhao Youyue headed straight home and activated a portal into a new world of fiction. This time, the Two Dimensional Gate let her down, sending her to an abysmal story that was in a state similar to War Heroes. It was a webcomic that featured horrible artwork. Artwork was too lenient a term. They should be called doodles. The protagonist was a ruthless serial killer that exercised extreme violence. Its name was Slaughter em All To be honest, if you sold violence, you needed to portray gore and blood accurately. The author was incapable of drawing such scenes; even his storyline was monotonous and clich. Without sparing a thought, Zhao Youyue transformed into Chu Renmei, quickly putting an end to the unremarkable serial killer protagonist. She closed the veil and quickly took her leave. She was not aware that her actions had actually saved the author who was very much prepared to kill a person in the real world. After the novel struck him with that wave of inspiration, he quickly gave up on the thought and flushed it down the toilet. Retribution was a very real, and very deadly phenomenon. Apparently, Zhao Youyue had been let down by the Two Dimensional Gate once again. Still, it was fun to murder the protagonist as a ghost. Zhao Youyue prayed that the Two Dimensional Gate would treat her nicely the next time she put it to use. It was alright to send her into an unpopular novel, as long as it had its individual, unique taste. At least, send her into something salvageable? She did not mind another Pure Romance. At least it had been beautifully and vividly illustrated. If something could be salvaged from it, there was always the chance Chapter 438 A Malicious World of Selfish Bureaucrats War Heroes and Slaughter em All were irredeemable novels that only had a handful of viewers. Zhao Youyues wrecking ball act had left behind absolutely no adverse effects. The same could not be said for King of Superpowers. It had thousands of followers, and its pirated version was just as widespread. Zhao Youyue was not the only one to be blamed for the backlash. Other than her unintentional exit that caused its apocalyptical end, the author almost drowned in the inspiration and had proudly posted the update. Nevertheless, Zhao Youyue enjoyed being in these lost causes. She was like a cheat program that completely broke the balance of the game. By destroying the world on her exit, cooldown period of Two Dimensional Gate would be considerably shortened as well. Zhao Youyue activated Two Dimensional Gate a week later. She performed a few of her self-made rituals in the hopes that she would be sent to a better world. There had to be at least one character worth nurturing. Without such a character, she would die of boredom, soon enough. She would not even get the chance to flaunt her various talents! Lady Luck had deserted Zhao Youyue the moment she ended up in a discordant world of politics. Its name was God Level Leader. Other than being able to read minds, the protagonist had mastered the skill of luck calculation just like a Jedi that could sense the force, using it to dominate his colleagues As a member of the Zhao Family, it was awkward for Zhao Youyue to be in this world. It was hatefully, furiously written. It spoke about the admiration of small characters towards influential bureaucrats, portrayed the delusions of the author concerning politics. Zhao Youyue did not fully comprehend this world of bureaucracy, but she had been born in a similar family. All she need was crumbs of details, and she could understand what was going on. Zhao Youyue patiently finished reading God Level Leader, a novel which consisted of millions of words. It was a novel about fighting monsters and leveling up oneself while carrying the guise of a bureaucrat. While starting off as the head of a village, the protagonist had slowly climbed up the steps to being a city mayor. He struck down his competitors in most dramatic fashion, with each victory drawing more beautiful dames into his harem. Political novels were undoubtedly one of the easiest modern stories to elaborate on. Even so, they could attract a great number of readers in a short time. In another reality, political novels claimed the top-selling lists. Several iconic authors used their novels to prove theories and throw low-key accusations at the government. Most of them quickly fell apart when the government eventually shut them down. It was such a pity. Zhao Youyue was speechless. God Level Leader was a lousy novel that misled readers with its delusions of bureaucracy, but surprisingly, it was popular. Of course, most readers had their qualms about it. They doubted that the author even studied in any universities before, let alone speak to an actual bureaucrat. How dare he satirize the veracity of actual politics! Although it was a horrible novel, it did have a reputation to upkeep. Zhao Youyue could not afford to act randomly. It was possible for her to infiltrate this novel world and bring this greedy satyr to justice. He was a sham who insulted the beauty of bureaucracy! To readers who knew nothing about politics and elites, it was a joyride. It mirrored their own beliefs of bureaucracy. How nice it was to swank around, indulging themselves in lustful women. That was how bureaucrats lived! One of the recent God Level Leaders new entry had featured a newcomer character. Never before had Zhao Youyue been left fuming in such rage. The newcomer was a female broadcaster who came from a well-established family. Even the richest of folk had to show their respects to her in public. This female character was exceptional, in terms of both musical talent and academic achievements Zhao Youyue did not realize that the author had created this female character based on her. In this novel, she was a typically spoilt young female who was physically weak and bad-tempered. Some punks had caught her alone after a trip to the nightclub. The protagonist had stepped in, and she ended up as his new, spoilt, rich young girlfriend. It was the comments of the readers in Chapter Review section that informed Zhao Youyue of how this was supposed to be related to her. This female broadcaster Ah Mao is just like Ah Yu, in more than one way. Readers were impressed by the guts and creativity of this author C I Love to Eat Pumpkin Pie. This character was not a tribute. It was a slap in Zhao Youyues face. She never once attended any of those filthy nightclubs. And did he really think that some common punks could get past her bodyguards? On what grounds did rich family daughters have to be unreasonable and unapproachable? She was nothing like this character. Someone had to teach this Author a lesson he would never forget! Zhao Youyue now knew why such a terrible work had actually gotten popular. Although most of its contents involved convoluted and boring discussion, it had the flavor that fed the concupiscible appetite of male readers. They were not here for the logic, why strike up a fuss and raise more misconceptions? The protagonist pleased his superiors with his mind-reading and statistician-based skills. He treated his colleagues poorly and remained lying on his bottom at work. This did not prevent him from rising up the ranks, as he was the favored employee of his superiors. He had all the luxuries of living as a politician, while having none of the drawbacks or required work. What wickedness! To some readers, God Level Leader had been written based on real-life situations. It was a cynical, satirical piece of work made high-ranked politicians look like clowns on their own pathetic stage. They only thing they got right was to suppress those who threatened to usurp and topple them for the greater good. Zhao Youyue was not amused, nor entertained. She only acknowledged this authors skill at throwing the right bone at the right pack of strays. Those who were unaware of their own ignorance, and took the writers words as fact. After all, the more you know, the more you know how much you dont know. Sometimes it was wise to go along the lines of an assumption such as, The prejudicial rewards of an Emperor to his people. Afterall, it was not the emperor who read the article, but the people who strongly believed in the emperors acts of favoritism! This novel used politics as a cover. Its true purpose was to feed on the desires of men and the lustful acts in the underbelly of a city. It was disgusting, malicious, and the enemy of female readers such as Zhao Youyue. She had to think of a new method of leaving this world, and she could not simply send a wrecking ball through it. This was a significantly tougher nut to crack. Zhao Youyue was not the type of girl who shyed away from tough challenges. She charged headlong into them! It was time to consider using her final resort C The Mythical Beast: River Crab! [1] How dare this Orphan Author sully the Zhao Family with his pen? Translation Note: [1] By the end of 2008, the famous animals known as Mythical Beastpopped up on the internet. They were not real animals. The crab was one of them. The river Crab served as the homonym of harmony . As the Communist Party of China implements a harmonious society policy and often removed negative news or reports within the media, netizens use the word river crab to represent the act of blocking and covering up negative news. Also, crab movements in Chinese idioms were often described as an overbearing act . In some of Chinas forums, the word harmonyitself was a banned keyword. In order to circumvent this shield, netizens have used placeholders such as river crab or harmonic harmonics. Chapter 439 Self Contradicting Mentality Of course, Lady Zhao was too liberal to bring out the Mythical River Crab. It was true that she maintained a good relationship with the Five Gods that owned Qidian online novel platform.[1] It was not by her luxurious spending on that platform, but with her true identity as Zhao Family member. With a snap of their fingers, Qidian officials could easily pacify any novel they disliked. Why not do Lady Zhao a huge favor by pacifying the novel that incriminated and encroached upon her reputation? After all, it was an insignificant and ordinary novel. Things would be different for novels that had a massive count of views, or tens of thousands of followers. In that case they would have to approach the author and drop a fair warning. Generally, authors were intrepid with the nature of their content, especially when it concerned iconic characters. They were willing to step into the fire by creating iconic replicas and disgrace them in every way they wanted. They had a voice, and the law said nothing about forbidding them from exercising those free speech rights. But, which fool would actually condemn those influential individuals in the real world On the contrary, most authors did not have the moxie to say no to an editors demands. Most of them wrote for a living. They would stand to lose much, if those millions of words they wrote got stopped in their tracks! If I Love to Eat Pumpkin Pie was aware of how close Ah Yu, the female broadcaster was with Qi Dian high ranked directors, he would not have written anything bad about her! The Orphan Author I Love to Eat Pumpkin Pie was not an actual orphan. It was a malicious nickname that had been given to him. The protagonist of God Level Leader was an orphan, though. Hence it was logical to name him an Orphan Author. I Love to Eat Pumpkin Pies real name was Xu Liang Ming. He was a civil servant. Twenty-seven years of age, stationed at a rural area. As his daily, mundane work drained him of life, he grew disillusioned and morose. It was a cruel fact. Civil servants with no support of their own, were nothing more than coolies. Being promoted to an administrative position was considered a great achievement. The protagonist in the novel was the embodiment of his own dreams. How could one climb up the stairs of bureaucracy with such ease? Xu Liangming had complied to the requests of his family elders. They had egged him on to join the government service industry. He had been born in a family of farmers. In the eyes of those oblivious elders, a government job was stable and convincing. Pressure from the elders aside, his wife had pushed him into this as well. Their love story began in the university in which they studied and graduated together. Later on, they had been forced into marriage due to an unplanned pregnancy. Both of them came from families that had nothing much to offer. It was a simple wedding, and also his biggest regret. Regret that he had been incapable of giving her more. His university had been mediocre. Every job he took ended with angry words from his superiors. Hence, he swore to be better and managed to get himself a civil servants job. His wife became a nurse, and they improved their living conditions progressively. There was a reason why Xu Liangming started writing. He sought for an outlet to release his resentment of the world, and the self-hatred that traced back to his helpless insignificance. It was his identity as a nobody that had armed him with the knowledge of what ordinary people would love to read. He littered profanities, depravity and the most perverse orgies ever within the upper echelons of society. Only such simple crudeness would draw outrage from the masses. In Chinese, there was an old saying, One highly ranked superior would crush all who were inferior. Unfortunately, it is no longer applicable in modern office politics. Managers had no right to interfere in the matters of other departments. However, Zeng Dawei, the unscrupulous protagonist of Xu Liangmings novel God Level Leader was not bound by such restrictions. He promoted the ideology of unity by one hall, and suppressed all inferior beings and subordinates with his iron authority. When he finally sat in the mayors desk, he abused the power of his influence over the national security department to defile the culprits behind all incidents of insubordinations In reality, that would have been completely impossible. Every organization had its own strict, disciplinary department. How could he get away after breaching over so many boundaries? Even so, readers were pleased with his storyline, especially when it came to those chapters that featured the female broadcaster C Ah Mao Lady An Youyou. After his heroic attempt of saving An Youyou, he had mobilized the entire police force to scour every part of the nightclub for the punks. (Un)surprisingly, he came across some dark secret of his political enemy, and used it against them The ultimate prize for his actions was winning the trust and support of An Youyous family. The honorable An Family! The sudden development had been absurd, but readers enjoyed it. The protagonist was a proud and hot-tempered politician. He surprised everyone with the speed at which he rose up the ladders of bureaucracy. He had also won the heart of such an angelic dame. He was unquestionably the biggest winner in every single aspect! This was the ultimate novel of politicians. Fans had stated that they bowed to no politician but Zeng Dawei! Such a level of respect was almost at the same level as Li QiYe[2] Therefore, Xu Liangming was considered a great author. Lets just glaze over the fact that he had a poor vocabulary, was completely devoid of the skills necessary to pull off blind-siding plot twists. Lets not forget that he had minimal exposure to the life of an actual bureaucrat. Even so, he wrote his novel in such a way that it became a cesspool of illogical manhood swinging! On one fine day, Xu Liangming caught sight of his superior reading his novel God Level Leader with relish. At that point, the cat caught hold of his tongue. If an actual member of the government actually loved how the depravity of his protagonist, the government might truly be rotten to the core, what hope was there left? People might not believe that Xu Liangming was probably the most conflicted soul over his own work. He expressed his deepest desire to satisfy the hunger of male readers.. At the same time, he greatly despised the idiot character he created. The more he elaborated on how untouchable this orphan protagonist was, pulling the strings that dictated the fate of everyones lives, the more he felt hopeless about his career. The monthly tips that he earned from writing was the only thing that kept him going. It could hardly even be called side-income, it actually matched his full-time pay in the government. He had decided to empty his ink on this Zeng Dawei until he became the supreme leader of the world. That might last for a good ten million words or so. After all, no rules prevented rank limits from being used in the novel This much could support his daughter, at least until kindergarten. It was a good deal. All he needed to do was to numb his mind, and keep writing. He did not even dare mention this novel to his wife. She might be embarrassed by the behaviour of the protagonist. He was a depraved bastard who welcomed any woman into his arms. Most horrifyingly, he feared that he might one day behave in such a way himself, should he attain that promotion. - Translation Note: [1] Qidian is original online literature website in mainland China. It was established in May 2003 and was formerly a fantasy literature association. Qidian is famous for collecting original network novels such as fantasy, martial arts, and military, and it mainly provides novels created independently by web writers. Operated by Shanghai Xuanzang Entertainment Information Technology Co., Ltd., it began an online fee-based reading service in October 2003. In October 2004, it was acquired by Shanda Interactive Entertainment Limited and became a wholly-owned subsidiary of Shanda Interactive. On July 4, 2008, Shanda Literature was established and Qidian became part of Shanda Literature. [2] Li Qiye the protagonist of an online nover Emperors Domination was a shepherd boy who blew the sheep. He strayed into the fairy magic cave and was made into the immortal crow by Shaw of the fairy magic. After the design to get rid of the fate of being enslaved, but it is still a crow. Trained several immortal emperors, mastered the nine dead books, Death Book, Body Book, Empty Book, Mind Book, Tao Book and Shou Shu. At the beginning of the book, the Black Dragon King tore away his destiny to recapture it. Really flesh. All bodies, all rounds, mortals, nine stars, thirteen palaces of life. Chapter 440 An Audacious Idea God Level Leader had a harem-load of female characters. There was the beautiful mistress of the protagonist, and the others. When the number of females reached a certain point, they became no more than a sculptures for display. You could only categorize each of them by their occupations. Protagonist Zeng Dawai kept a wide collection of mistresses that ranged from teachers, air-hostesses, nurses, lawyers, students and so on. As they behaved similarly, it was easier to separate them by occupations. Female novels were typically objectified and sidelined in political novels. If they ever had to be explained in-depth, their absolute loyalty towards the protagonist could take up entire passages and pages. If any of them slept with some random guy, it would be a near-fatal blow to the protagonist. On the bright side, Zhao Youyue had the privilege of selecting from a wide range of female characters. Of course, An Youyou was her best option. Despite being saved, An Youyou had yet to completely fall for the protagonist. It had been deliberate. The author I Love to Eat Pumpkin Pie wanted to keep the readers conjecturing about her fate. After all, readers were clearly aware that Ah Mao An Youyou was a facsimile of Douyus most popular female broadcaster C Ah Yu. They wanted to know more, and wondered how this mischievous author would make use of her. It would be thrilling if An Youyou was put through more predicaments. It had been a while since the female broadcaster Ah Yu had excused herself from her live broadcasts. She claimed to be busy with final exam preparation in high school, and never showed up in any further broadcasts. However, her impression as a long-haired silky goddess had been deeply implanted in their hearts. Photos of Zhao Youyue were all over the internet. Where they got taken down from a website, more would pop up in another. All of them sported her long, flowing hair. She was the national school flower, she was the perfect, beautiful high school student in everyones hearts. God Level Leader author I Love to Eat Pumpkin Pie was not a Zhao Youyue fan. He was not even bothered to do his research. Instead, he found that the idea of her character could be used as a female mistress for his protagonist, and instantly derived a suitable entrance for her replica. Xu Liangming would never disrespect Zhao Youyue if he was a fan. At the very least, he would put more detail into his portrayal of her. As it was, he had written An Youyou as a hypocrite who tattooed her entire body and heavily indulged herself in bad habits such as smoking, drinking, and partying in nightclubs. Due to his limited vocabulary, An Youyou was limited to her beauty, family background, and popularity. Remove these, and she would be another of his despicable characters. That was why Zhao Youyue had not realized that An Youyou was supposed to be derived from her. As she read more comments and reviews, Zhao Youyue studied the character and found that even the name An Youyou was not exactly unalike Zhao Youyue had no tattoos, neither did she smoke, drink or visit nightclubs. Having such lies attempting to tarnish her name had fueled the rage within her heart. Since she could not annihilate this deceptive world, she could still forcibly carve her exit by way of death. With no vessel left to anchor herself to the world, she would be free to leave. Zhao Youyue wanted An Youyou dead. She could not bear the thought of this character being corrupted any further. The question was, how would An Youyous death blend into the story? The key point was to have the author agree with it. It could not be something as simple as choking on water or rice She had to get inside the authors head. An Youyou had a hidden side that had yet to be revealed to the readers. It was the self-contradictory nature of I am bad, yet I am a good girl. Zhao Youyue had to take in that hidden setting and the plot into consideration, and choose death as the final act of cleansing her name. She did not even dream of getting an iconic character card, but she might just make a high popularity character card out of this. It would be great, for this card would not take anything from her upon exit. This was the last resort. She was limited by the conventional imagination of the author. God Level Leader made its name by crude lust and the riling up of male hormones. It did not contain any impressive characters that commited unforgettable acts. Zhao Youyue finalized her plan, and rolled the first stone. Tonight, she would infiltrate God Level Leader and take control of the characterAn Youyou. It was time to apply extra modification to this character. As her imitation, this characters pool of talents did her justice. They needed no further enhancements. The author would only get suspicious. The only modification she made was An Youyou was a hot-headed person who feared nothing, including death! With such a setting, this character would seek death at every opportunity she had. She would jump at it unhesitatingly. Zhao Youyue did not want to miss any opportunities. A world of novels was just like a dream. Yet, an averagely popular one such as this would be infused with the will and power of its readers. If she did not implant the No fear of death trait, she might just get trapped in the novel. She did not want to prolong her stay in such a small fry of a novel. Zhao Youyue placed the final touches and threw herself into An Youyou. She felt the adrenal rush in her veins that whispered at her to do something audacious. Even if she managed to scavenge a character card from An Youyou, she would not dare use it in reality. What if she became driven by the same urge in reality Of course, it could be used as a sacrifice. She did not have to risk being sent into some troublesome world through the Two Dimensional Gate. If a simple novel ever wanted to get popular, it had to at least make itself known countrywide. Otherwise, it would just be like a fast food meal, easily forgettable, to the point that one might have trouble remembering what he had on that day. Chapter 441 I Only Chose to be Real How does one seek death? The answer would be more technical than what one might think. The so-called effect of the predestined death flag would both be jarring yet unsurprising. Zhao Youyue had grown much acquainted with death. Look at Xu Jing, the first character she had ever possessed; she had walked into the ocean like an Atlantean citizen. Look at Chu Luoxun; she succumbed to a serious illness. Those did not answer the question above, however, as they werent the most technical deaths. Yu Shengfan, the gaming genius had taken a different path. Zhao Youyue had not even planned to send her to her death. She had only intended to gain a high popularity character card. Unexpectedly, her exit had driven Rosemary into a corner An Youyous death had a purpose. Zhao Youyue intended to clear up misconceptions and misunderstandings. The character had been written based on her own image. She had to prevent this character from staying on as an open pallet for a delusional writer to toy with. The work was popular. The writer could writer her in any way he wanted and caused no effect whatsoever. These days, the internet was awash with celebrity gossip and trivia. Some novels included loose references to these celebrities as a shortcut to fame. Even so, nobody spoke of celebrities suing writers to the left and right for defamation. Nothing would have happened if Zhao Youyue had not read this tasteless work. But she did read it, and had determined that the writer was a ruthless opportunist. He turned off most of his brain and set aside the minimal IQ required to write nonsense for the sake of profiteering off it. It was none of her business, but she had to do something to maintain her reputation. Now, the readers opinion about this character named An Youyou was as such Master Pumpkin isnt one to hold back! Dont you ever think that we dont know how An Youyou is based off? But I have to say; Ah Yu is truly a Goddess! Although Im glad to see you taking reference from someone noteworthy, it was a little too dark for my taste. The real person is a saint, compared to this. An Youyou is a bag of clich and stereotypical nonsense. Shes also annoying as hell. But I must say; the writer is very clever. It makes you question what the *ahem* real person is like. I like the writers unbridled imagination! Master Pumpkin Pie, youre playing with fire. Even Ding Yuncong did not dare mess with this Lady. Luckily, those protective, carefree fans dont read this novel. They dont even know this novel exists. If they did, your novel would have been burned to the ground! I have seen some of Ah Yus live broadcasts. She comes across as a really nice person. Her wit and humor are top notch, and not of the club-going type. Shes just too good for nightclubs. The writer must have taken that one instance of Ah Yu sitting in Ding Yuncongs sports car and associated her to the likes of Ding Yuncong. That guy basically lives in nightclubs. This is outright slander. Those who have been so critical of this work of art use your brains. All Ladies from rich families are b*tches. Theyve got nothing better than to seek for exciting one night stands in nightclubs. I think that the writer did great. I want to see how the protagonist teaches this b*tch! When I learned who this character was based on, I got very excited. But she has been nothing but dull and annoying. I hope that Master Pumpkin Pie shows us more of her charm in the upcoming chapters In general, Zhao Youyue wholeheartedly agreed with some of the more objective opinions. She chose to ignore the fools who had bought into the all rich ladies are snobs ideology. Evidently, most of the internet took Ah Yu as a pure, saintly streamer. It certainly had something to do with how she had been doing things right, their claims of her sainthood were not unfounded. Although Zhao Youyue was extremely playful, she was worthy of being considered clean and pure. This was also thanks to the otherworldly wonders of the Two Dimensional Gate. She would either be waging war within the Two Dimensional Gate or making preparations. The Two Dimensional Gate led her to various magical realms. Therefore, she had spent most of her time reading. It was a minor frustration for her to bump into various titles that offered her no benefit whatsoever. It could not be helped, just about anyone could pick up a pen and write something. The Two Dimensional Gate had randomly flung Zhao Youyue into worlds that had never been heard of before. Zhao Youyue basically stayed in her house at night. How would she possibly be found in any nightclub? She had such a strict schedule. She woke early, went to bed early. With such beauty sleep, Lady Zhao would be at the peak of mental health, skincare, etc. She never contracted a single acne on her face before, even when puberty struck! Zhao Youyues good friend, Bai Yunshan had now become a Goddess, but she was not without acne. She could never reach Zhao Youyues level of flawlessness. Many female students around Zhao Youyue were most certainly envious of her. They had asked Zhao Youyue for all sorts of tips and advice. But Zhao Youyue had nothing to share, as it was totally her natural beauty At that moment, Zhao Youyue had incarnated as An Youyou, and started moving within the literary world. The world-building of this novel was basically non-existent. It was a one and only golden finger kind of work, where the male protagonist was the one and only person who had mind reading technique,fortune telling technique, etc. Zhao Youyue had intended to add the mind reading technique to her own character as well. But such an attribute would unquestionably be omitted by the writer. If the male protagonist lost his unique status as the one and only golden finger, many readers would surely stop reading this novel. This was similar to the time-traveler type of story. If the male protagonist was not the only time-traveler, many readers would consider it very toxic. They would be left looking over the protagonists shoulder, fearing that a second time-traveler might come up and ruin matters, even if having dual time-travelers would actually be more dramatic, as there would be a rivalry. You could prevent dual time-travelers novels from becoming failures by either having the two-time travelers unite, with the male protagonist as the leader and the other time traveler as the subordinate, or by simply giving the other time-traveler boobs, and having her fall in love with the male protagonist If the two-time travelers fought against each other, the novel would most certainly fail! As a storywriter who turned off most of his brain to swallow the contents of his own work, I Love to Eat Pumpkin Pie wrote to feed his family. He would never make such a rudimentary mistake of making dual golden fingers. Zhao Youyue was equally aware of this. She would not make the same mistake. In fact, Zhao Youyue knew how to deal the mind reading technique of the male protagonist. She was actually rather hypocritical in reality. She was very good at hiding herself. It would be revolting if such subterfuge were to be exposed. Therefore, An Youyou would be anything but hypocritical. She only chose to be real, daring to love and hate. She was a straightforward girl, being completely transparent in her actions This was the only way one could foreshadow her upcoming death. The writer would only be able to watch himself helplessly writing her to death! This time, Zhao Youyue wanted to present an immaculate death, encompassing all three hundred and sixty degrees, with no blind spots! Chapter 442 Perfectly Cleansed This brainless novel was simple, crude, carnal. Zhao Youyue certainly would not put Su Li the great killing weapon to use. Su Li would die of brain death before she finishes Zhao Youyue braced herself, bit down the embarassment, and shut down portions of her brain to bulldoze through the pages. This was how she charged through anything unfavorable coming from the Two Dimensional Gate. After all, she needed to complete a book before she could deliver her final verdict upon it. She could immediately abandon some works and save herself time. God Level Leader was one such tasteless piece. At most, it gave the writer just enough to survive. It was absolutely impossible for this work to be outstanding. Nothing could be salvaged from the plot, and no character cards would probably accompany Zhao Youyue on her way out. Therefore, it was truly unnecessary to continue wasting her time. At that moment, Zhao Youyue took hold of An Youyou and started taking her first steps to death. Before seeking death, Zhao Youyue had to do something to clear up the readers misunderstanding of the capricious, arrogant Lady An Youyou. What could she do? Actually, it was very easy. She only had to treat the male protagonist nicely. These sorts of works played the reader stepping into the shoes of the protagonist card extensively. Therefore, the male protagonist must not even have one bad moment. Beautiful female characters must fell in love with the male protagonist. If not, they would be considered as highly toxic. Still that same sentence, Within harem kind of works, supportive characters had no mating right! An Youyou was blunt and forthcoming. Her true self, was her only self. Anyway, the male protagonist had rescued her from the gangsters once. Thus, it also made sense for her to repay him Most male readers thought that the best way would be to join his harem. At the same time, her family could end up as another pillar of support for the protagonist. But how could Zhao Youyue possibly allow these readers to have it their way? The best flowers were most often a fingers breadth out of reach! Zhao Youyue put An Youyous character settings to full use and portrayed the image of a domineering gentleness with her true, unpretentious behavior. She made a point clear, I go to nightclubs, but I know that Im a good girl. What was considered a good girl? Lets not talk about that in real-world terms. Within novels, as long as a female character did two things, she was a good girl. Firstly, she had to be beautiful. Secondly, she only cared for male protagonist. In that case, her personality would be of no consequence whatsoever C even if she was a manic serial killer. The readers would defend her themselves. They would be glad to induct yet another Yandere[1] in their library of anime girls. An Youyou had already shown her irritable side in the past. With Zhao Youyue taking the wheel she maintained the tongue clicks and annoyance that the character showed in the past, but treated the main protagonist all too differently. Readers would be most content with how things were turning out. Wasnt this how they wanted to feel, if they were in the shoes of the protagonist? I Love to Eat Pumpkin Pie was only in it for the marketability. He would most certainly approve of such a development Zeng Dawei had used his mind reading technique to read An Youyous mind. He realized that this Lady was far too simple-minded, albeit stubborn. She only thought about repaying his kindness. Zeng Daweis perspective towards this Lady slightly changed. He originally thought that this Lady would most absolutely look down on him, since he once belonged to the bottommost echelon of society. He had not expected this lady to be so, genuinely grateful Of course, Lady An Youyou still treated the others with disdain, pretending to be very proud. Her attitude was completely different C only when treating the male protagonist. She repaid his kindness in various ways, such as giving him expensive, rare presents, disclosing high-level intel to him; even introducing to him to powerful figures that would serve his future well. She had single-handedly turned him into a legitimate threat in the vast world of elites and corrupt diplomats! What that raked at the hearts of readers was how she seemed to have passionately fallen for him. This was the purpose of writing hollow stories! In God Level Leader, many beauties fell in love with the male protagonist. There were also many Hero saves the Damsel in Distress situations. In one instance, the protagonist had utilized his power to wash away the grievances of a beauty who had been wrongly accused, and became her master, causing the beauty to fall in love with him According to the standard, Lady An Youyou should be falling in love with him at this point. The male protagonists aura within hollow literature like this one was too powerful. However, due to Zhao Youyues appearance, things had changed. An Youyou was not exactly falling in love with the male protagonist. She was also unlike those frivolous female characters, who offered everything to the male protagonist at the drop of a needle. She used more roundabout methods, repaying kindness in in complex, multi-layered strategic maneuvers. Such was Zhao Youyues plan, and all was working out well. In the real world, I Love to Eat Pumpkin Pie Xu Liangming had unsurprisingly entered the intoxicated state, and jotted all these events down in one breath. He was at the top of his game! Before he uploaded the chapter, he gave it a careful once-over. He had great sense of accomplishment towards his depiction on An Youyou. It had been a first for him writing about a female character who was not all dim-witted and frivolous. He should be able to slap the faces of those readers who had been criticizing him in the past about his vulgar, Damsel in Distress plot! Lady An Youyous IQ had come back online! When the chapter went online, readers had much good to say about it! It is just me, or has An Youyou suddenly become a lot more wholesome? I cant wait to see when will she gets conquered. An Youyou has my full and undivided support. This is the first female character who looks like a proper heroine. All the other members of his harem were nothing but living sex dolls. This is a sudden turn, but its definitely a turn for the better. Its a refreshing detour from the rinse and repeats. It looks like the master writer has started putting effort in his writing An Youyou is very lovely, being a real, unpretentious, innocent Lady. It feels like the writer has finally stopped criticizing the source character. In my heart, Ah Yu is just as innocent as this! In the past, she gave me the impression of being the classic bitch package of capriciousness, arrogance, and nightclubs. Now only have I learnt that this is the real An Youyou. From how shes so keen on repaying the male protagonists kindness, she has to be a righteous, upright figure. I like this version of her. Why not just make her the leader of the harem? She definitely has the capabilities! The real heroine has finally appeared! Shes such a wealthy Lady. Im tired of the harem trope, but I might just be able to see a woman taking charge of her supposed harem, along with its owner Master Pumpkin Pie is finally writing up to standard. This An Youyou is truly very much in line with Lady Ah Yus nature. Im sure Im not the only one who would mind having her run the harem! Zhao Youyue read the comments and sneered. Now that her image has been restored, it was about time she died. Sit down, all of you. I was just getting started. Such hollow literature only knew how to host flower vase female characters. They were all brainless, frivolous, and only knew how to give. When a female character broke the rules by possessing IQ and based itself upon an amazing real life figure, it was no surprise that she would stand out and eclipse everything else! Translation Note: [1] Yandere C A fictional character who fits the archetype of being genuinely romantic, loving, kind, merciful, sparing, sweet and gentle, but is at the same time brutal, psychotic or deranged in behavior. The psychotic tendency can be both sudden and ever-present. Often used for both comedic and dramatic displays of character. (http://www.yourdictionary.com/yandere) Chapter 443 A Successful Exit! The writer I Love to Eat Pumpkin Pie Xu Liangming was most pleased to read the latest comments! He was only in it for the money, but his income did matter to him. He was willing to sacrifice his IQ for easy, brainless cash. As a result, his stories had often come under heavy fire for good reason too, as all his female characters were basically clones Even so, his subscriber count spoke for itself. Despite all the talk, his subscriber-base remained strong. Sometimes when the male protagonist used a very brainless way to slap his own face, the numbers even spiked up! Now, he thoroughly understood. Those who harshly criticized his work were probably not among his regulars. They considered themselves to stand above this rabble. Reading this would be an insult to their intellect. Therefore, they reluctantly read the pirate version, convincing themselves that they were only there to see how low this book reached Such an amazing sight! Longkong[1] ultimately brutalized this book in reviews. The highest rating available on Yousuu[2] was 10. This book had only scored 2.8. Many Longkong users groaned, How is this brainless book selling so well? Who the heck even reads this? Nobody knew how or why. Its undeniable popularity could not be explained by plausible means No one could trace it to its source. Ironically, Xu Liangming was actually fearful that his sales might suffer from this sudden burst of inspiration. Such readers were usually keen on staying braindead. If that was the case, he would definitely have to rearrange the plot However, he was enjoying both great sales and great reviews! Therefore he started placing his blind faith in the intoxicated feeling. Never did he suspect that someone behind the scenes was pulling the strings. It was the illusion of free will! Soon, Zhao Youyue noticed that the writer had completely fallen subservient to her desires, and this had led to great effect. She was particularly pleased about such comments Ive seen everyone talking about An Youyou and her real-life counterpart. Im one of those who have never even heard of the real life Ah Yu, and this has led me to start looking her up, out of curiosity. Looking at how shes been depicted in this book, Ive instantly became a fan! Still, Im curious. Is Lady Ah Yu in reality similarly innocent, real and unpretentious? Of course! As a loyal audience of Ah Yu, Ive followed her since the beginning. Shes just excellent at gaming, and shes extremely upstanding. It was my first time watching an anchor who did not even bat an eye at huge donations and tips! I know right, I love how she just flat out ignores Godly tycoons. Its epic. Shes no poorer than them, if you see her streams of spamming cash for gacha in mobages. She could spend thousands in her sleep, and hundreds of thousands as a light stretch. But I do know this. She is truly unlucky at playing gachapon. Shes an African chieftan[1]! African chief +1. Anyway, if she was extremely lucky, we wouldnt have the chance to watch her spamming sprees anymore I suggest that everyone just go watch Ah Yus live broadcast. Shes far more interesting than what you see in the book. One video would be enough. I assure you, youll be her fan in no time. Unfortunately, shes now in her twelfth grade. She has been releasing all sorts of pigeons. She does not even turn the webcam on anymore. She doesnt have much of a choice. With her webcam on, nobody would be paying attention to what shes doing. Everyone would just stare at her face (XD). Being picked as reference for the creation of fictional characters far from flattered Zhao Youyue. She was not against nor for it, but they had to at least do her justice, so that all parties are happy with the win-win situation. If not, it would just be like another An Youyou. It only brought the fire upon both parties! The writer did just as his intoxicated state told him to. His work started earning positive reviews, and grew far more popular than before. Everything somehow went according to Zhao Youyues plan. Such was the extent of the Two Dimensional Gates power. The writer had went according to the desires of its wielder, and now reaped the harvest. If not, things would have turned out entirely different Now that Zhao Youyue had cleared up the misunderstandings that concerned An Youyou, she could now send her to her grave. What sort of arranged death plot would be able to cheat all the readers? This was Zhao Youyues solution. Lady An Youyou was already engaged to someone. This was very much in line with some writers understanding about Ladies. Readers definitely thought the same. In their minds, all noble Ladies definitely had to be married to someone from a family of equal social rank. They were the victims of politically charged marriages. Therefore, An Youyou having an engagement seemed to be a very reasonable matter. Heres where the trouble began! An Youyous fiance was undeniably a supervillain. He was the son of a famous noble family within the capital city. He was no small fry! Of course, in such brainless stories, sons of noble families were all brainless, witless characters. They did not have the temperament befitting that of nobility This fiance was called Ye Wudao. He was the stereotypical despicable, dirty, prurient, violent character. He was even involved in gangsterism! He was the so-called Underground Emperor! I Love to Eat Pumpkin Pie was a veteran of creating such bland, mass-produced villains. He was a master hate-monger. He could write about the devil-incarnate and get away with it. As always, this made it even all the more satisfying to watch them getting slapped in the face! Fiance Ye Wudao was so despicable that readers were certainly anticipating the moment the male protagonist Zeng Dawei completely demolish the marriage between Ye Wudao and An Youyou reasonably If An Youyou tied the knot with Ye Wudao, that would be a dead-knot of hell! Under Zhao Youyues careful manipulation, the Underground Emperor Ye Wudao soon discovered that An Youyou was trying to please a peasant in all kind of ways, by means of his many, many connections and informants. Naturally, he did not take kindly to it. He considered it the greatest form of betrayal ever! Thinking of the moment when he once f*cked a non-virgin beauty forcefully, he fumed in rage. How could he possibly tolerate having his own fiancee please some other guy now? Thus, the great villain, the Underground Emperor Ye Wudao sent a killer after the male protagonist, Zeng Dawei! This killer was Hua Banhu. He was the Number One Killer in Southeast Asia. With a rifle that was as long as he was tall, he sought to have Zeng Dawei in his cross-sight! Zeng Dawei had been completely unprepared. When Hua Banhu took his shot; it was as if An Youyou saw the sniper-caliber bullet flying at supersonic speeds. Lets just say that her desire for death had surpassed everything! She pushed the male protagonist out of the way, and took the bullet! Zhao Youyue exited in relieft. What an achievement! Translation Note: [1] Longkong C A web novel forum. [2]Yousuu C Yousuu.com is a reading and sharing platform that integrates novel search, follow-up reading, reader rating, and book recommendation. It not only allows you to catch up with the latest updates of novels, but also solves the shortage of books and seeks for more interesting original genuine novels, sharing the joy of reading with more readers of the same interest. [3] African chief C In Chinese, a mad face is referred to as a black face. An African chief refers to a person who is extremely unlucky, and is extremely mad. To an extent, his face is blacker than Africans. Chapter 444 Freakishly Cool I Love to Eat Pumpkin Pie had been utterly intoxicated as he clicked the upload button. It had been finalized. An Youyou took the shot on the male protagonists behalf and died. He had not spared any detail concerning the male protagonists inner monologue as An Youyou lay dead before him, in a pool of her own blood. He had been shocked, beyond consolation, remorseful, and enraged at the super villain Gangster Emperor Ye Wudao. He had to take revenge for An Youyou! This was a brainless book. As long as the writer came up with a good arc about the ensuing vengeance, readers would be satisfied. It could even offset the toxicity of the heroines death. An Youyous death had given rise to a great conflict between the male protagonist and the villain. Great conflicts meant great climaxes! The hate was mutual. The villain was just as enraged at the main protagonist. After all, An Youyou was his fiance. Her beauty, standing, family background had all been top-notch. Although her character was somehow unruly and arrogant, all other Ladies were. In essence, An Youyou was not bad at all. She did go to nightclubs, but she knew that she was a good girl! Zhao Youyue did not leave the writer any exit plan such as in critical condition but not dead, she will wake up at the end of the arc to rescue An Youyou. Hua Banhu had shot An Youyou cleanly through her heart. The Number One Killer in Southeast Asia had been that ruthless! Although Hua Banhu had encountered all sorts of accidents when it came to killing people with the Protagonist Aura, he was still second to none when it came to killing supporting characters In short, An Youyou was completely dead in the water. At this point, she needed a God or a superhero who had the ability to resurrect the dead. Otherwise, she had no chance of appearing in the subsequent chapters anymore, other than flashbacks. Zhao Youyue had achieved her goals. Firstly, to clear up the misconceptions that circled this character, sending the readers down the right path. Secondly, to exit via death, closing the loop and giving the writer no absolutely no room to tarnish her image. As a result, a few hours after this exciting plot was uploaded, the comments section blew up! Readers of this genre always placed them in the male protagonists shoes for the shortest path to pleasure. This served as a double-edged sword, for they would also feel his pain! It was almost taboo for such genres to betray their readers. Betrayal could range from a female who talked down on the main protagonist, to her going after another guy. Hurt your readers too severely, and they might just drop the book! Killing off a female lead was not as critical as downright treachery, especially when she did it for the male protagonist. In a twisted sense, that was also a form of pleasure. After all, how would there be a girl who was willing to die for you? Were just talking about girls in general, let alone those Ladies of beauty and status. Didnt we read these mind-numbing titles to escape from reality and bask in such ridiculous fantasy? The problem came after the fact. The heartbreak and grief would be all too real, as they had substituted themselves as the male protagonist a little too deeply. They would more than empathize with the male protagonists rage, his grief, his loneliness, his anguish! After all, I Love to Eat Pumpkin Pie Xu Liangming had been intoxicated as these events unfolded. His writing may still have been as bland and simply as ever, but it was the simple things, created by a pure heart that sometimes hurt the most! Who knew that we could break our brains and hearts at the same time, for all the wrong reasons! The reviews blew up! I did not expect to shed tears over this book. Why was such a great female character written to death? The writer has lost it. An Youyou was the driving force behind this book. At this point, I had already treated her as the main character and the harem leader. Now, you dropped a load of bento on her? I really need some personal space. Dont ask me who personal space is. This is so tragic. Why did An Youyou have to die? She was way better than those female characters who seemed to be completely fixated over the male protagonists power and money. She was the only person who truly cared about the male protagonist within the entire book, never once did she ask for any returns. Was the male protag taking her for granted? Hes the luckiest person to ever live, period. For your information, I have a weak heart. A fair warning would have been appreciated. Im dropping this book for good. That was just too toxic. The heroine died C just like that. For real? And you guys who are saying that heroines are expendable and numerous. Please, the rest of them are just blow-up dolls, and you know it. I can take this much. Knowing who An Youyou was based upon, it was a great cameo while it lasted. It couldnt have ended any better. A clean, just death. Unfortunately, she died before getting f*cked. What a waste. Speaking of which, is An Youyou still a virgin? So its true that reviews arent just made by humans. There are some completely heartless animals among us. Can you repeat what the f*cking ice-cold realm of Jotun-f*cking-heim did you just f*cking say, f*cking cold-blooded f*cktard? It blindsided me, but I can live with it. Now I wanna know see the avenging in action. As long as its well-written, it justifies just about anything I just wanna jump in there and bring An Youyou out to be my wife. She would lay down her life for you, you dont hear that in this day and age! I sorta saw the foreshadowing in the previous chapters. Remember the part where our main man applied some fortune-telling technique on An Youyou, and noticed that her fate was like a flickering candle in the wind. I just didnt expect her to die so fast, so abruptly. Its such a pity. Zhao Youyue grinned broadly as she surveyed the review section that had erupted into the stratosphere. If An Youyou had not been granted the absolutely fearless attibute, she might not have stepped in so courageously. Wait, if she had not stepped forward, would the male protagonist die? He wouldnt. He couldnt. He had the Protagonist Aura. Even if the bullet went straight through his chest, it might only have been an afterimage or something like that Zhao Youyue was pleased with how everything had played out. She had exited in the best possible circumstances. It was unfortunate to see that An Youyou never attained the level of a popular character, not to mention high popularity. If a so-called high popularity character was within the web novel circle, it should at least conquer the Qidian novel website. However, due to the confines of God Level Leaders own popularity, An Youyous death failed to come through. Her death did break the hearts of the titles own readers. Zhao Youyues plan had been near perfect. She had not damaged the novels reputation, so nothing would come back to bite her. This was all the Two Dimensional Gates fault. Who told it to randomly throw her into such a worthless title and cause her trouble? Fortunately, she had been clever enough to step over this ridge. At that moment, I Love to Eat Pumpkin Pie Xu Liangming had just recovered from his intoxicated state Chapter 445 Self-cultivation of a Hollow Literature Writer When the clouds cleared from Xu Liangmings head, he found another eight chapter-fuls of extra manuscripts in his computer. It depicted the male protagonist going on a wild rampage, killing everything in his path as he sought for his vengeance. He conducted a crackdown operation on the gangsters. He was headed straight for the Gangster Emperor! Intoxication was a godsent. His pen would fly across the paper, carving worlds with mind of its own! Even though Xu Liangming wrote with a switched-off brain for some extra earnings, it was not always enough. He had to key negative values into his IQ. One thing he learned from writing web novel was to underestimate the readers IQ as much as possible, going so far as to even to insult their IQ. This way, he would write with minimal brainpower, as his readers would. As for his critics on Longkong forums, their thoughts be damned. Some people criticized him for being a writer who had never studied in a university, that he was a total retard. He only replied with a smile. He was deliberately writing in such a manner. Did they really think that he knew nothing about politics? Clearly, that was not the case. If he had started off strong and eloquently, he would have burned out, or even dropped out in the middle of things. Therefore, he went full retard. It was for the good of the future. He had anticipated, and planned this! Go ahead and ridicule his book. You can never ridicule him. He was too clever. His market target had always been those hollow literature readers, and he knew what would be a precise fit to their palate! Based on Qidian statistics alone, his subscription count was rather mediocre, but traffic in other channels was overwhelming. Time-starved office workers had to read his book at night, in their sleep. It was their mental refuge, their relief from the stress at work. This male protagonist was their idea of living the life in office! As an officer, things like calling shots for the people and building ones wealth were all secondary. Officers mainly lived for the mistresses and harem. Thats life! It was ridiculous to think that officers lived to serve the people. Why be an officer, then? People would rather raise pigs at home! Officers never served the people. They stood over the people, dangling their dilly dongs about, doing whatever they wanted! China had always been driven by the learned and capable. It was true that they had scholars, peasants, workers, businessmen. But scholars always remained up top. The only thing that changed about the modern world was that businessmen now closely followed after scholars. Xu Liangming wrote based on the idea of the addictive, seductive superiority complex, and wrote such a life-reflecting work about politicians. On the one hand,his work was heavily criticized by veterans web novel readers and those who had some knowledge the subject. They all said the same things. This story had no lower limit in terms of IQ, and was utterly irrational. On the other hand, hollow literature readers welcomed the book with open arms. They even shouted the slogan C The officials serves only Zeng Dawei and no one else! Xu Liangming was a mediocre writer. At most, he could only write things with acceptable fluency. But he knew how to rile up the teenager in every grown mans heart. Professional writers could learn from him! Still, prideful professional writers would never lower themselves, even if their lives demanded it. It was true that they wanted easy money, but they would get caught up in their own prideful hipster-itis. They may not all be geniuses, but they would insist on writing like one. They should have done the opposite like Xu Liangming remove the lower limiter on their IQs. If the protagonist had an IQ of 50 while the supported characters had IQs of 30, the contrast would make it seem like the protagonist was a genius. Sometimes, flexibility brought you a long way. Sacrifice your pride for easy cash, or write according to your heart and curl up in your lonely, niche corner. Xu Liangming had never once been intoxicated in the past, as he had to constantly lower his own IQ to write. He had to keep a clear mind. This time, he realized that he had truly become mentally retarded when he was intoxicated. How could he have been so foolish to write something so interesting! Something in his manuscript caught his attention. The protagonist was a municipal leader. After An Youyou died, he started acting like a true idiot. He almost hid his face in embarrassment when he saw that he had even written a passage that showed the male protagonist wanting to have a fistfight with the Gangster Emperor Ye Wudao. Which officer still did that, in this day and age? That was certainly impossible. But this was a novel. How else would he give his readers the satisfaction of claiming revenge with your own two hands? More importantly, after finishing off Ye Wudao, the protagonist would become enemies with Ye family, and he could continue milking and juicing his story! Such was hollow literature. After defeating the younger generation, came the older generation. It was the perfect recipe for milking a story. You could have a few million words of brain-cell killers Lets start from the low ranking servants, to the distant relatives, before moving onto thebranch family, the chosen youths, then start fighting the patriarchy. The protagonist was up against the Ye family of Lingnan this time. Such a family actually existed in real life, and they were beyond what you would call formidable! Praise the freedom of speech. If they had it their way, they would have already banned this book. But since they could not have it their way, everyone got to read it in delight and feast upon their imaginations. The critics were actually closet fans, and thoroughly enjoyed the pirated versions as well. They could always stick around the slam the book further. Oh, what a joy! The beauty of hollow literature. People could read the pirated version with peace, while remaining atop their pedestals With such a system in place, the ones who were on the sharp ends of both sides would be hollow writers who were both unpopular and unsuccessful. It was either the top 500, or nothing at all. They would not get paid, and they would be blasted by criticism from all angles. Poor them. Xu Liangming had his misgivings about the plot, but he did not plan to modify it. Whats done is done, the manuscript seemed to be brimming with some sort of spirit. The hot-blooded, adrenaline-rushing kind. The protagonist was a low-level officer, yet the opponent was the great Ye family of Lingnan. If the protagonist defeats such a great family in the end, it would be very satisfying. Wait a minute. Now that his mind was clear, why had he written the female character An Youyou to death? This question terrified him! He rushed to the review sections and started reading the comments to this chapter area As expected, it had turned into nuclear fallout. Many readers were expressing their pity towards the character An Youyou. At the same time, they were giving his plot praises. It was tearful enjoyment, whatever the heck that was! Perhaps hollow readers were just too innocent. Oh, how cute they were. It was why Xu Liangming even lowered his IQ, in the first place. It was all for the sake of his cute, innocent hollow readers! At the same time, many had expressed their intentions of abandoning the book. Some of the usernames seemed strangely familiar Huh? Wasnt this guy the pirated version reader who criticized him for having no lower limit in IQ, and had abandoned his book last week? What difference did it make, then? He replied with a smile. He could not care less about the critic who had been abandoning his book for the past straight month Xu Liangming was unlike Su Li, who despised pirated version readers and pleased Godly tycoon readers. He was no Rosemary either, who patiently advised pirated version readers to read the genuine version. Next, he moved on to the subscription statistical graphs. If nothing had changed, he would continue writing just the way it was. It would save him all the time in the world. He had several manuscripts that were waiting to be used. If his subscriber count had cascaded, he would somehow revive An Youyou. He could even create a doppelganger, such as An Youyou having a twin sister or something, and that her name was An Xiaoyi. Chapter 446 Come to an end Numbers did not lie. The subscription count of God Level Leader by I Love to Eat Pumpkin Pie had not yet crumbled due to the death of An Youyou. On the contrary, the novel actually gained more readers! The reason wasnt so clear-cut. Some nosy folk had promoted this novel elsewhere. Or, in plain terms, they were out to blacken the name of such hollow literature. They went on board book-reading forums for the opposite purpose, to vilify this novel - - I was reading this hollow novel. It was okay up till now. The author actually followed the footsteps of those hipster writers and stirred up an unnecessary fuss. He directly killed his female character! Hes simply paving his own way to hell! Has anyone read the book God Level Leader? Miss Ah Youyou is just another archetypical female character in it, and he killed her. How terrible! Another hollow novel falling to the overrated hipster author trend. Thats depressing. Im abandoning it! I just cant understand the idea behind hollow novels that take a heel turn like that. It was supposed to be a leisurely read. Whats the point of killing a female character who was pretty well-created for once? Undoubtedly, the death of An Youyou had been highly controversial. After An Youyous true identity was revealed, everyone started to get attracted to her. However, before she even became popular, she died, just like that. Was it necessary to mess around with the readers like this? As people got busy denouncing the novel, they had also pointed out that the inspiration behind An Youyou was the Douyu Top Girl,Douyu Pigeon Queen Ah Yu. Unsurprisingly, it piqued the interests of those who knew Ah Yu. This included many of Ah Yus fans. They were not able to interact more intimately with Ah Yu in reality. At least, through the novel, they could satisfy the fantasies hidden deep in their hearts. Hence, many people fell into the pit, even though they had never heard of God Level Leader before. Some of them had never even read web novels before. Undoubtedly, fresh, inexperienced readers starting digging a special place in their heart for this hollow novel. Come to think of it, was there anyone who did not start off with hollow literature as their first read, ever? The wild fantasies within God Level Leader vividly portrayed the twisted values of how officials could do whatever they wanted. Everyone knew that reality could not be any further away. However, when it came to reading novels, people would get so hooked into it that they would end up only being able to feel that it was great, cool, awesome! Why would they care about anything else? Those readers who wanted to see how the author fantasized about Miss Ah Yu in the story were not happy. An Youyou was finally starting to take solid form. She was livelier and much more attractive, compared to all the other female characters. Why did she have to die, all of a sudden? The death scene had been most satisfying, but that was also why it was so heartbreaking An Youyous death propelled God Level Leader to modest fame. It was modest, but it was fame, nevertheless. Still, for the author C I Love to Eat Pumpkin Pie Xu Liangming, the increased royalties were very real! Of course, Xu Liangming was pleasantly surprised. Thus, he decided to continue writing like this. There was no need to add any more characters like a twin sister to the story. The value of her death had to be respected. This incident also gave Xu Liangming great cause for self-reflection. He had always thought that writing while brain dead would be easy money. It was easy to write, and the readers also found it easy to read. The readers of hollow literature were always happy to pull money out of their pockets. Now, it became clear that there was no way for him to gain more fans if he stuck to writing leisurely, empty stories. He would not have any loyal fans at all. Moreover, nobody would talk about his work, unlike how things were now Regardless of how benumbed he was, as a creator, there was still an eagerness to be acknowledged that lay in the depths of his heart. There was more to writing than the income. Sometimes he was envious of his other author friends who received gifts from fans on their birthdays or during various festivals. It had completely impossible for him to receive such treatment. After all, readers of hollow novels often enjoyed the novel and paid the author just as leisurely, they would never acknowledge the author as a person who gave them joy, or as an actual person. It was most customary for authors to move on to a new book the moment they were done with one. However, hollow authors would never have fans who followed through with their writings they would never pursue the new book. Hollow books were too bland, too commercialized. They did not have any distinguishing features of their own. If someone could read your hollow literature, they could naturally read someone elses as well. In God Level Leader, the main character not only had mind reading and energy sensing abilities, but was also involved in politics. Too many of the same novels wasnt healthy or good for the industry! Therefore, problems like authors delaying titles or not even finishing them would arise, even after the work in progress has reached millions and millions of words. In another world, the almighty author Fisherman II[1] could be considered a representative of this category, but he was a God of Tycoons. A lot of people knew who he was. More often than not, when a book was really popular, its author would be able to earn 100,000 to 200,000 RMB in a month. However, when it came to this author, everyone would say that they had never heard of his book Naturally, the silent toad catches the fly described some authors.[2] They did not care about the gold that their pseudonyms attracted. On the other hand, some ambitious authors wanted things like fame and the Godhood of Tycoons. Naturally, they would have to get on the Qidian novel website to preach sermons. As a result, several new authors on the Qidian novel website were actually false identities. The so-called new authors were just new sockpuppets. For real new authors to shine, they had to be unbelievably talented. Otherwise, they would have to polish their skills for some time before succeeding. This new insight had taught Xu Liangming quite a bit. Perhaps it was time for him to attempt something more passionate in his next work. As long as he is not that stressed over his real-life matters, he might just produce something with a heart of its own. Although God Level Leader did not give Zhao Youyue any character cards, she had not walked away empty-handed. Readers now had a significantly favorable impression of Miss Ah Yu, who had been the real-life counterpart of An Youyou. Once again, Ah Yu regained meagre amounts of fame within the web novel community, even though her popularity had almost died off. Many readers began to look for other works which were based on the so-called Lady Ah Yu is mine fantasy. Of course, Zhao Youyue was too lazy to be bothered about that. It was impossible for the creators to openly write about her, anyway. That would be a direct infringement on her rights. However, if it was written indirectly, she couldnt do much to stop it In actuality, most of the novels that involved famous celebrities were basically written using homophones. Even so, there has never been a single celebrity who protested it. Zhao Youyue would have to follow suit. She could not just pop up with a lawsuit, each time someone wrote something that remotely seemed to refer to her. Thus, her random trip to this hollow novel had come to an end. Zhao Youyue positively detested the randomness of the Two Dimensional Gate. Two times in a row, she had been tossed into terrible works. The first one was a doodly manga from a murderer who was suffering from sophohigh syndrome. She had easily torn the world up, so it was fine. The second one was a hollow political novel, and she had to exit with care. Once again Two Dimensional Gate was in cooldown. At that point in time, it was already mid-May. There were only around 20 days left before the college entrance examinations. Zhao Youyue decided to temporarily put the Two Dimensional Gate aside and focus on the college entrance examinations. The Two Dimensional Gate had been most ruthless, and it loved picking on unlucky souls like her. Perhaps, after the college entrance examinations, her luck might just change. Who knows? Translation note : [1] Fisherman II is the screen/online/web name of Lin Han, a web novel author in China who managed to get on Chinas Richest web novel author list. [2] The silent toad catches the fly () is a saying made popular by the former Chinese chairman Jiang Zemin. He quoted it to educate the journalist who was asking questions that were too young, too simple, sometimes naive. As he wears a big pair of glasses and has funny facial expressions, his fans gave him the nickname toad. The saying itself literally means that if someone wants to make big money, he or she shouldnt speak or ask too much. Here, it refers to how a lot of authors are profiting from writing books as they always remain quiet and do not reveal their next moves. Chapter 447 Storm Before the College Entrance Examinations! Every year, right before the college entrance examinations, some people would get incredibly lucky. Without taking any exams, they would already be scouted by prestigious universities. Among these people were those who had excellent family backgrounds and, of course, those who were specially talented. For example, if someone placed first in the National Mathematics and Science competition, the Capital University would lower the qualifying score threshold by thirty points. For those who were already capable of placing first in any national competition, a score drop of thirty points just meant that they were guaranteed to get in. In addition to that, there were also people like Han Leng, who was an ultra-popular innovative writer. Some famous universities felt that his popularity could help attract more top quality students. Thus, they chose to bend the rules and send him an offer Of course, there was also Zhao Youyue, who had profound knowledge in the field of music and had also placed first in the national music competition. However, most of the universities that recruited her in advance were famous music academies. Personally, Zhao Youyue was not crazy about music; she did not love it as much as Chu Luoxun. She was more willing to go to a Comprehensive University.[1] Therefore, Zhao Youyue decided to get into university by taking the college entrance examinations. Wasnt there such a saying? A person who does not go through the college entrance examinations would have no youth at all. Well said indeed! In actuality, this was how the people who were getting tortured by the college entrance examinations consoled themselves. Did truly great people even need the college entrance examinations? Recently, the most popular figure around, not only in school, but also in the outside world and even on the internet, was none other than the excellent student - - Huang Zongchao! Of course, it was because Huang Zongchao had been recommended to the Capital University by the school headmaster himself through the real-name system[2]. As long as he passes the interview, he would be accepted! The school headmasters real-name recommendation was based on a new policy that the country had just recently released. However, many considered it to be - - another channel for the dignitaries to play around with the unspoken rules. As the first student to benefit from this policy, Huang Zongchao was shoved right into the limelight! Some ill-willed netizens began to dig around, looking for information like his identity and family background. They felt that he must have come from extraordinary family background. Nobody gets recommended so quickly, over nothing. However, after a series of excavations, it was discovered that Huang Zongchao was born from a pretty average family. He had attended a primary school located in the center of a rural area. His junior high school was the best in the district. He attended a high school that was among the two best high schools in the Jiangnan Provincial City Undoubtedly, Huang Zongchaos personal experience had been awe-inspirating. He was an incredibly talented and exceptionally hard-working elite scholar. Even Zhao Youyues amazing results were incomparable to his. Thanks to the division of the arts and science students during the second year of high school, Zhao Youyue basically had nothing to do with Huang Zongchao anymore. However, since Huang Zongchao was free from a most dominant threat which was Zhao Youyue, he held on to the science-sream throne, almost every single time. He was so powerful that he took everybodys hopes and dreams and smashed them into pieces. When a talented person matched his talent with hard work, it was a frustratingly broken combination. For example, in the game League of Legends, the Demon King Faker[3] was such a person. He played the game very well and had a good reputation to boot. There were almost zero negative news about him. He was neither arrogant when he won, nor did he give up after being defeated. His existence crushed all the other professional players of his time Therefore, people could only fantasize about defeating the Demon King in a novel. Honestly, if Fakers e-sports career was written as a novel, it would definitely be an interesting novel. It would have the most noble and incorruptible of all protagonists. In the academic field, Huang Zongchao was some sort of Demon King. However, he was still relatively young and frivolous. After he realized that he had been pushed into the limelight, he went on Weibo to ridicule the theories of certain conspiration theorists. He had also stated that, even without the real-name recommendation, he would still easily be able to pass the college entrance examinations and get into the Capital University. The school officials had also noticed that Huang Zongchao was being treated with skepticism by the general public, and took note of the conspiracy theories that were circulating around the internet. Hence, the school issued a statement at short notice - - The students recommended to the Capital University by our school must have two qualities: Firstly, excellent academic development; and secondly, excellent personal growth and development as a whole. As to why the school confirmed the student list so quickly, Headmaster Ge stated that the schools work was all based on standardized procedures. Firstly, the students had to register themselves, and the teachers of respective subjects would recommend them; Next, according to the recommended regulations for outstanding students, which had been adjusted and updated accordingly over the years by the school, an evaluation would be conducted; Finally, a decision would be made by the school after thorough consideration. There were three types of good students: The first type usually had excellent academic performance; The second type excelled in various academic competitions; The third type were those that were constantly actively participating in student activities. Generally speaking, it was not easy to accomplish any one of the things mentioned above. Even so, Huang Zongchao was brilliant in all three aspects. He used to be the chairman of the student council. Moreover, the student council managed by him is probably considered to be one of the most capable student councils in the entire history of the school. Huang Zongchaos class teacher, Qiu Yingchun, was very proud of him. He stood by and supported Huang Zongchao, First of all, based on the schools record of results for the past three years, it is clear that he had placed first in the entire grade; secondly, he is also a class representative with a bright personality and an exceptional ability to engage in various activities. Everyone had always highly supportive of him. Additionally, he is an expert when it comes to competitions. During his first year of high school, he won the first prize in the citys English Speaking Contest which was broadcasted on national television. During his second year, he received the first prize in the provincial Physics competition, and was thus recommended for university admissions. Further, he had also placed second and third before in the provincial Mathematics competitions. In short, this student has excellent personal growth and development as a whole. In addition to the headmaster and class teacher, Huang Zongchaos little brother also stood up and spoke for Huang Zongchao, even though he was also a good student that was always stepped on by Huang Zongchao. He had already been recruited in advance by Chung Hua University, but he still had to take the college entrance examinations. He was not like Huang Zongchao, who could get into the Capital University as long as he passed the interview. Almost no one in the school objected to Huang Zongchao receiving such a subsidy. However, there was also another viewpoint - - This benefit would be wasted on Huang Zongchao. He already had such good results. He would surely be able to get into the Capital University! Wasnt it better to recommend some other students who were more talented than he was? As the school officials and Huang Zongchao were still sitting tight in the fishing boat despite the rising wind and waves[4], Han Leng, an alumnus who held the rebellious banner up high stood out and sneered at Huang Zongchao C not in person, but on Weibo. He said that the school had decided on Huang Zongchao a long time ago. It was unavoidable, for they clearly had no one else in mind. They still had the courage to say things like Huang Zongchao being the best student in the school. To him this was a huge heap of politically-fueled fiasco! At that time, many netizens discovered that this rebellious genius writer and clueless chick magnet who liked to drag and delay his books was actually from the same school as Huang Zongchao. Whats more, he was an alumnus! Han Leng was originally already known as an influential public intellectual and an angry youth[5] who loved to spread hate around. After his words of indignation appeared, it suddenly made the netizens very interested. Was there really an inside story behind all of this? Or, did Han Leng feel that he was the one who was best suited for the real-name recommendation? Amid the intense gossipping of the netizens, Han Leng did not hide or disappear. To make things clear, he arrogantly expressed that he did not really care much about the Capital University in the first place He was just very upset. Why did the school overlook Zhao Youyue? In what way was she inferior to Huang Zongchao? What? Whos Zhao Youyue? Are you all living in your dreams? Shes none other than your beloved Lady Ah Yu! Translation note : [1] Comprehensive Universities () have a signicant degree of research activity and a wide range of undergraduate and graduate programs, including professional degrees. [2] The real-name system is a system in which when a user who wants to register an account on a blog, website or bulletin board system, is required to offer identification credentials including their legal name to the network service center. One may use an online pseudonym. However, the persons real identity would be available if rules or laws are broken. [3] Faker is the in-game name of Lee Sang-hyeok, a South Korean professional League of Legends player who is considered by many to be the best League of Legends player of all time. He was given the nickname Unkillable Demon King due to his impressive gaming skills. Some call him king. Some call him demon. Some call him a League of Legends god, but everybody calls him something. [4] Sitting tight in the fishing boat despite the rising wind and waves (,) refers to how someone is still calm and unshaken even when confronted with a complicated and perilous situation. [5] Angry youth is the literal meaning of Fenqing ().It mainly refers to Chinese youth who display a high level of Chinese nationalism. This term first appeared in Hong Kong in the 1970s, referring to those young people who were not satisfied with Chinese society and sought reform. It has now evolved into a term used predominantly in Internet slang. Whether fenqing is derogatory or not usually depends on the person. Chinese critics often refer to them using the homophone characters which are pronounced identically but translate to shit-youth. This is often changed further to fnfn () as a derogatory nickname. Chapter 448 A Wake-up Call Zhao Youyue had been in a spirited away state as of late. She was almost using the Two Dimensional Gate as a boundless life simulation game. She spent her days in it, hoping to get more character cards. However, why has her luck been so downright rotten? This was not entirely true. She had learned much from her experiences. By experiencing the lives of different characters, she had grown substantially. She now gave off a different feeling, as if she was practiced and seasoned. Perhaps this was why she seemed to be more easy-going and calm in reality now. The charm of her personality was now on a whole new level. Returning to the state of side-character was her new zone. In fact, it had given her the peace and quiet to constantly learn about the capabilities of her various character cards and strengthen her foundations. The road to heroinedom was just a switch away! As Zhao Youyue was still in the state of a low profile side-character, she did not ever think that she would suddenly be shoved back to the center of attention. It was all because of the genius writer Han Leng. He had become a skilled trapper of hearts, and was still trapping new prey even today, thanks to one particular juvenile romance novel that he had written a long time ago. In fact, before Han Leng mentioned Zhao Youyues name, Ah Yus popularity had gradually declined on the internet. However, her songs, on the other hand, were being spread more and more widely. It was as if her side-character aura had been completely activated. Many people just enjoyed listening to her songs; but they did not seem like they understood her thoughts well. Rumors has it that if a public figure who had never been involved in any scandals also did not actively participate in ongoing drama, they would almost always be easily forgotten, unless their achievements have reached an unattainable level. Obviously, Zhao Youyue had not yet reached such a level. Her previous sense of presence and influence only covered her school. As for her reputation on the internet, she was only known to the young people who were more concerned about live streams, because she was not backed by any companies. Moreover, she was too lazy to stir up trouble or participate in ongoing drama. Considering how a salted fish[1] like her could become so popular at that certain period, it was evident as to how admirable her talents were. Her polar opposites were creators like Han Leng and Su Li. Han Leng felt great when he casually ridiculed anything that was not pleasing to his eyes. He simply listened to the voice of his heart. At the same time, he could also send his company over to the mess. Being a publicly known intellectual was enjoyable. Whenever he felt like it, he would comment on some state affairs, while writing about the good or the bad, or even write a short paragraph to create some drama and such. He had the freedom of the world. There wasnt much to say about Su Li, or it simply wasnt necessary. These days each of her spontaneous postings of new illustrations would cause a ripple. This ripple went far beyond her own name; the character in the illustration and the piece of work related to the illustration would instantly soar with popularity. Were there still heretical unbelievers when it came to the mysterious power of Su, the Great Deity? Many still felt that Su Li had been wronged, and that she was the Pan of This Generation. Even so, they always reserved a place in their hearts for the time Su, the Great Deity demonstrates the power of her paintbrush once again. Every little gesture, every little stretch would attract the attention of the entire internet. Public figures just had to keep on creating trouble to maintain their popularity. Of course, Zhao Youyue was also considered to be a public figure. As a result of her deliberate attempts at keeping a low profile, she had gradually fallen from the limelight Now that Han Leng had practically blasted her name through a megaphone, many people started to think about the girl who played games really well and had amazing musical talent. Wasnt there also rumors saying that she was an excellent student Wait, why is Han Leng standing up for Ah Yu? They were totally unrelated, right? Moreover, it seemed like Han Leng had once written a short paragraph that ridiculed female live streamers. He expressed the view that the whole community of female live streamers was too messed up. Even so, it seemed like many idiots still supported them just because the female live streamers would call them their loyal fans and say that they were 666. Thus, every month, out of the 2,000 RMB they had, the fans would spend 1,500 just to reward the female live streamers with gifts. Then, they would be forced to live off instant noodles for the rest of the month. Life was great! Han Leng was now a public intellectual and a BigV, and he a voice that many would listen to. Some people felt that his principles were admirable, and that he spoke for the people. Some people felt that everything he said was nonsense and that he only knew how to ridicule and attack others. He had nothing constructive to say. Then, there were his retarded fans, which directly considered him to be the Lu Xun of this era. With one juvenile novel, he had been able to gain such influence, which was pretty amazing. At the same time, the retarded fans constantly proved that they were truly retarded. Perhaps he was specialized in attacking others. Almost every single Weibo post by him was almost an excerpt. Each excerpt contained quite a bit of ridicule and satire, giving off the feeling of an article. Due to this, a professional who specialized in attacking others appeared and said: Why does The Great Scholar Han still bother writing novels? He should just specialize in writing excerpts on Weibo. Wasnt it the perfect job for him? However, Han Leng never once strayed off his path. The reason was simple but depressing. He simply could not find the same feeling anymore, that magical inspiration that he felt back when he wrote Beautiful April. His short stories were still being published in a magazine column. Some of them were written for Zhao Youyue to snack on. If Zhao Youyue found it delicious, it would probably make the cut, and readers would definitely like it. Once he has enough short stories piled up together, they could be published as a volume of collection. Judging by how he was having a difficult time kicking off his second novel, this compilation of his short stories might be completed and published first. Even his Weibo posts could also be compiled and published. They might even sell well. People did not even pay attention to the contents of his posts. They just felt that his flowery, satirical text carried intense cynical, dark humor. At the same time, he was highly talented in writing and his daily posts showed it, allowing the title of The Great Scholar Han to be deeply rooted in the hearts of the people. Since ancient times, scholars have been known to attract beautiful women all over the place. Many beautiful young ladies wanted to become The Great Scholar Hans woman. Why did The Great Scholar Han have such high standards when it came to women? He even had his cross-dressed Leng Zi persona as the ultimate card. The young ladies could only feel sorry for themselves. When the netizens discovered that Zhao Youyue, or rather, Lady Ah Yu, was actually in the same high school as Han Leng and Huang Zongchao, this certain high school C which was one of the best high schools in the Jiangnan Province immediately went viral. This high school was really something, it produced so much talent! Now came the question. Did Lady Ah Yu qualify to be directly recommended to the Capital University? Some netizens directly went up to ask Huang Zongchao about this. This was because Huang Zongchao had always been acting in an if not me, then who? manner on Weibo. When it came to his academic performance, he had always been extremely confident! Such a question naturally put Huang Zongchao in a tough position. If Han Leng had said that he qualified, then Huang Zongchao had a hundred different ways to tell him off. Academically, he was no good at all. He was only an expert in writing. Deep down, he looked down on someone like Han Leng, who was different and went against the norm. However, this good-for-nothing Han Leng actually brought Zhao Youyue into this. It was a wake-up call. Huang Zongchao had almost forgotten about Zhao Youyue, the girl who had once surpassed him. Moreover, she was the top student, out of all the liberal arts students in the school Translation note : [1] Salted fish () is a Chinese internet slang. It refers to someone who is unmotivated, has no ambitions or goals, and is just drifting along in life. Chapter 449 Public Execution Although Huang Zongchao was extremely self-confident, he was not arrogant, so he responded to Han Leng very tactfully. He said that Zhao Youyue was indeed a student in the school that qualified to be directly recommended to the Capital University, but she did not take the initiative to apply for it herself. Among the applicants, he was the best. Thus he received the recommendation. Such a response made people even more curious about Zhao Youyues performance in school. Therefore, many of them went to look things up, one after another. Originally, in everyones eyes, Lady Ah Yu was brilliant and versatile. In at least two areas, she was already so much better than countless people. One was gaming, and the other was music. However, it was precisely because she was particularly prominent in these two aspects, while coupled with her identity as a female live streamer, many people subconsciously thought that the Zhao Youyue in school was probably lacking in the academic field After all, a person had a limited amount of energy. Since she was doing well in some other fields unrelated to academics, when it came to learning, she had to fall short, somehow. It was impossible for someone to be that perfect, right? However, from how Han Leng and Huang Zongchao spoke about her, it seemed like Lady Ah Yu was also excellent in her studies! In the Information Age that housed the Fifth Estate, if anyone wanted more information about just about anything, they could always get their hands on it C as long as they put their hearts into searching. Nobody was stopping them. It was not like Zhao Youyues academic performance had been banned from the internet. The school officials believed that this was another good opportunity to promote the school. A new batch of students was soon bound to graduate from junior high school. To attract more excellent students, the school officials took the initiative to publicize Zhao Youyues godlike stable results. In several mock exams before the college entrance examinations, she had managed to maintain the first place in the entire school! Following this, the female live streamer Ah Yu once again soared with popularity on the internet in such a way C that no other female live streamer could ever imagine happening to themselves. Such a perfect female actually existed. Seriously? It was no wonder that even someone as arrogant as The Great Scholar Han admired her so greatly Netizens started expressing their acknowledgement of her as the new wonder of the world - - In the beginning, I thought that Ah Yu only knew how to play games, that she was some girl who was addicted to the internet. Moreover, because she did not ever show her face, I did not think that she would look remotely beautiful. Later, I learned that this girl was really rich, because she spent a huge amount of money on games. Then, I discovered that her musical talents were incredibly superior and she was also the voice actress of an anime. Finally, when she showed her face, at last, her beauty was out of this world! However, I never expected that this wasnt all that she had. She was also a super elite scholar! What else is she hiding? Now, even if you tell me that shes training to become an immortal, Id believe you! Actually, Ive previously heard rumors about Ah Yu being an elite scholar. However, theres a difference between a real elite scholar and an elite scholar. To me, those that are able to maintain their position in the top ten in their class are already elite scholars. Those who constantly maintain their position in the top ten position of the whole grade, they have definitely surpassed the level of an elite scholar. How about those who stay at the top forever? I cant even wrap my head around that! Its no wonder that even an extremely confident guy like Huang Zongchao did not dare say that he is definitely better than Ah Yu. She really is brilliant! Even the good-for-nothing Han Leng with unbelievably high standards has acknowledged Ah Yus brilliance. Compared to Han Lengs talent in writing, Ah Yus musical talents are not inferior. Its a pity that shes way more low profile than Han Leng Now that you mention it, quite a number of Ah Yus compositions were based on Han Lengs Beautiful April. She was roleplaying Chu Luoxun. Without her songs, Han Lengs book could not possibly get so popular. Whats the relationship between the two of them? When Lady Ah Yu became popular on the internet once again due to her amazing academic achievements, the netizens who loved to gossip filled the internet with various guesses about the relationship between Ah Yu and Han Leng. Someone also swore that he had once seen Ah Yu and Han Leng going out on a date privately. It was likely that they were a couple! As for how the two of them crossed paths, it was, of course, really simple. Ah Yu had already made it clear that she was a loyal reader of Han Lengs Beautiful April. Why else would she write so many songs from that book? Wasnt it normal for authors to hook up with their pretty female fans? Some people even made an audacious speculation that Zhao Youyue was the inspiration behind the iconic character C Chu Luoxun C created by Han Leng. Her music had stimulated Han Lengs mind and gave him a burst of inspiration On the internet, there were always people with all sorts of talents and wild imaginations. Some people suddenly experienced an epiphany - - Before this, I never understood why The Great Scholar Han would write about classical music so professionally, even though he was a guy who knew nothing about classical music. He was also very familiar with the flow of various competitions. People who did not know him well would think that he was part of the music community. Now, however, the truth has come to light. He was only capable of writing so professionally because he had learned it all from Ah Yu. As soon as this statement was put forward, many people expressed that they too believed that as fact. Otherwise, there was really no way to explain why Han Leng could write so professionally! Soon after, some students from their school decided to make things even bigger. They smacked the headlines, saying that The Great Scholar Han was, in fact, extremely obsessed with Lady Ah Yu. Every once in a while, he would write love letters dedicated to Ah Yu! If he did not write love letters for a day, he would be in utmost distress! When such news broke out, Han Lengs character as a clueless chick magnet seemed to be deconstructed, by just a little. Moreover, the hashtag #HanLengWroteLoveLettersForAhYu trended on Weibo and became a hot topic Even the contents of the love letters were exposed, because Han Leng had always been ghostwriting for his classmates - - If I love you, and you happen to love me too: When your hair is messy, Ill smile at you, then help you fix it, and my fingers will linger, longing to feel your hair for a few more seconds. But, if I love you, and you dont happen to love me too: When your hair is messy, I am only able to gently tell you: Hey, your hair is a little messy.[1] When I was away, your hair grew longer, and it was as if you had lived a few years more than the others; but when you smiled, I was bedazzled once again C it was as if I just went downstairs to buy a bottle of water.[2] Some people think that love is sex, love is marriage, love is a kiss at 6 oclock in the morning, or that love is having a bunch of children. Maybe its true, but my fellow classmate Zhao Youyue, do you know what I think? I think that love is trying to touch someone only to end up retracting your hand.[3] Fortunately, Han Leng was free from the pressure of having to take the college entrance examinations. Otherwise, considering how his current state of mind was in a total mess, he would definitely fail. He just wanted to make sure that everyone would not forget about Lady Zhao, his intentions were pure. How odd. Obviously, Lady Zhao was still as brilliant as ever. Why has the whole world recently forgotten about her? How could this be? Now, in return, he had subjected himself to public execution[4]! Love letters and such, it was so embarrassing he could die! Han Leng hurriedly posted on Weibo to defend himself. First of all, he explained that the inspiration behind Chu Luoxun from Beautiful April was not Zhao Youyue. He also never once gathered any materials from Lady Zhao. You might not believe it, but he just had a special burst of inspiration! He was intoxicated back when he was writing the book, do you guys get it or not? The most important thing was, second of all, none of those love letters were his idea. He was only a ghostwriter, and he really did not have such feelings! Translation note : [1] A quote from a short story titled If I Love You by Haruki Murakami. Haruki Murakami is a Japanese writer. His books and stories have been bestsellers in Japan as well as internationally, with his work being translated into 50 languages and selling millions of copies outside his native country. [2] A quote from a song titled Blue Parachute written by Zhou Shen and posted on NetEase Music. The quote means something like, when you see someone you have not met for a long time, you tend to think that they have changed a lot, at first glance. However, when that person smiles, you realize that they have not really changed at all. Theyre still the person you once knew, and its like you have not been gone at all (which explains why the quote says went downstairs to buy a bottle of water, it refers to how you feel like youve only been gone for a short while the moment you see their smile, because the person in front of you has really not changed at all). [3] A quote from the book The Heart of a Broken Story by Jerome David J. D. Salinger, an American writer known for his widely read novel, The Catcher in the Rye. [4] Originally, public execution is a form of capital punishment which members of the general public may voluntarily attend. This definition excludes the presence of a small number of witnesses randomly selected to assure executive accountability. However, in recent times, especially on the internet in Japan, public execution has been known to be used to refer to how someone has been made a fool/embarrassed in front of the public on social media. Chapter 450 Indulged in Studying Han Lengs clarification on Weibo was not without effect. At least, his group of female fans who were especially crazy about him could heave a sigh of relief. For such fans, it would be best if their idols remained single. Otherwise, it was just too hearbreaking! Female fans could completely use him as their own spiritual boyfriend for their fantasies. Even when they were doing it with their boyfriends, Han Lengs name might slip out of their lips instead. Of course, that was a little extreme, even by their standards. Did you not see what happened when a certain fresh, young and handsome celebrity announced that he had a girlfriend? How many hearts did he shatter then? Rumors were even going around on the internet, saying how some female fans were ready to jump off a building. Male fans were not so reckless. Perhaps men were more sensible and more realistic. Of course, this did not include the male fans of certain girl groups, as they were capable of doing anything at all when they lost their minds. They would even forget their own countrys names. Why would anyone like Han Leng at all? Well, firstly, he was very good-looking. Further, the cultural company that backed him was great at publicity. They had packaged him like a fresh, young and handsome celebrity. Due to this, he gained more brainwashed female fans. Fortunately, he was also extremely talented at writing, which provided his fans with more validation. They felt that Han Leng was a fresh, young and handsome, witty guy! Indeed, as a real-life and living best-selling writer, no matter what Han Leng pretended to be, he definitely had to put himself above other idols or celebrities. His book was just about to be adapted into a movie. It would not be a surprise if he became its screenwriter. Or director. That would be even more impressive. A certain someone in another world had once dared to claim himself to be the director of his books movie adaptation, and had even attacked the other male authors Because Han Leng was a fresh, young and handsome man, his female fans felt that they had superior taste. Since such men have become an endangered species, some other factors had to be taken into account to decide who was better, right? Han Leng was perfection incarnate! He was a man of culture! Of course, this was just the opinion of the brainwashed female fans. Those who truly understood Han Leng knew that although he appeared to be cold, he was actually rather playful at heart. He truly loved literature and was someone who could really concentrate on writing. However, how he felt about Lady Zhao was too complicated Perhaps the love letters he wrote for Lady Zhao had feelings infused in them. The other time when he saw Natsume Soseki translate I like you into the moonlight is beautiful, he thought that he had understood it. It just demonstrated how reserved Asian men were. Later on, during the first snowfall after winter, he really wanted to tell someone its snowing. Right at that moment, he suddenly understood the real feelings behind the moonlight is beautiful. It was completely unrelated to being reserved. Instead, it was the total opposite of being reserved. It was an outright confession of love. Of course he could not say it out loud. He expressed all of it with words. The sense of satisfaction he felt from writing such things was not something that mere outsiders were worthy of knowing. As a hipster, Han Leng always had thoughts and ideas that could not be understood by ordinary people. The word complicated could best describe his feelings for Lady Zhao. This was actually a good thing for hipsters like him. The complex emotions he felt always kept the inspirations coming. Then he would write many things that people took as romantic words of love Of course, when he looked back at what he wrote, he would feel particularly embarrassed and awkward. However, as long as he changed his train of thought and told himself that he was just ghostwriting for other people, he would immediately feel convinced and comforted. He would never admit that he had easily been able to write such cheesy things for Lady Zhao. The short stories he wrote for Lady Zhao were all representative of classic Han Leng style, complete with flamboyant language and polished grammar. All kinds of ideas casually came to him. Sometimes, people could read and enjoy the story up until the ending, only to cry in afterthought. According to Lady Zhao, they tasted like delicate pastries in the beginning. In the end, they turned unpleasantly spicy! But what did Han Lengs letters taste like? A sour yet sweet candy? Zhao Youyue had never tried them, because Han Leng had not yet written any love letters for her ever since she obtained the Wen Qingyu character card. Moreover, she would not eat the stale, old love letters that she kept. Han Leng did not write any love letters because he could not find any reason to write them. Now, whenever anyone asked him to write a love letter, the target of the letter would be Bai Yunshan, or something Would he possibly find the right mindset to start writing? No! What was so great about that iceberg beauty? Wasnt she also someone who had been randomly hand-picked, nurtured and brought up by Lady Zhao? Only Lady Zhao could spark his interest in writing a love letter. After Han Leng hurriedly clarified that he completely had no feelings for Lady Zhao whatsoever, and that he purely wrote all the love letters on behalf of others. He hoped that nobody would bother Lady Zhao because of this. She was currently in the midst of intense revision. She was not someone who slacked off on her studies; unlike him, who only decided to take the college entrance examinations so he that could draw more inspiration, having known how it felt like to be in that kind of atmosphere This was why a genius bad student like him was sometimes so irritating that people felt like beating him up. Did he think that he could do whatever he liked, just because he was some high school student author? Well, as a high school student who had earned tens of millions in the form of royalties, indeed he could! At the same time, Zhao Youyue had completely activated the Xu Jing possession mode, and was habitually cramming. Of course, the cramming was totally unnecessary. She was more than prepared. However, while in the Xu Jing state, Zhao Youyue would never stop studying. She was so indulged in studying; no one could stop her! Naturally, she had missed out on the good stuff. Some female fans on the internet still wished to see all the love letters Han Leng had ever written. However, no matter how many of them got exposed on the internet, the collection still remained incomplete. At the same time, many commenters played around and created a lot of fake copies. Although famous people like Jack Ma[1], Bai Yansong[2], and Mo Yan[3] were not even aware that they had ever said such things, famous quotes by them infected the internet. It could not be helped. In recent times, if a comment was not a famous quote by a famous person, it would not really pick off Many of Han Lengs love letter quotations that were on the internet turned out to be fake. The only authentic ones were probably in Lady Zhao hands. When Han Leng becomes a great writer, these well-kept love letters could possibly be auctioned at astronomical prices! Who knows? On Weibo, Han Lengs clarification had already somewhat ended up in a the more one tries to hide things, the more one is exposed situation. Later, he also appeared to be very concerned about Lady Zhao. Many netizens mocked him: Great Scholar Han, stop being so hypocritical. Is it really that hard to admit that you like a girl? Han Leng almost wanted to fling his cross-dressing pictures out there and announce that the only person he liked was himself However, he did not do so. Suddenly, another author appeared to express his thoughts directly. He felt that there was no point for someone like Ah Yu to take the college entrance examinations at all. It was unneeded! At the same time, he did not believe that Ah Yu would be able to do well, as she had gone through a tough storm right before the college entrance examinations! Undoubtedly, this author was just trying to draw some attention by participating in ongoing drama! Translation note : [1] Jack Ma (real name: Ma Yun), known professionally as Jack Ma, is a Chinese business magnate, investor, and philanthropist. He is the co-founder and executive chairman of Alibaba Group, a multinational technology conglomerate. [2] Bai Yansong is a Chinese news commentator, anchor, and journalist for China Central Television. [3] Mo Yan C Guan Moye, better known by the pen name Mo Yan, is a Chinese novelist and short story writer. Donald Morrison of U.S. news magazine TIME referred to him as one of the most famous, oft-banned and widely pirated of all Chinese writers, and Jim Leach called him the Chinese answer to Franz Kafka or Joseph Heller. Chapter 451 Ugly Rhymes With Devilry This author also happened to be a juvenile-genre novelist. This female writers pseudonym was Zi Mu. Her first novel had been about an alcoholic, tattooed smoker. This apparent delinquent was actually a nice lady who was willing to sacrifice everything for love. Throughout the entire novel, everything that motivated the character had been the idea of being a loyal lover. Love transcended all else. When it came to love, it was perfectly fine to be a third-wheel! Where did such thoughts come from? The author, of course! Now, why did this author get so much attention from the public? When she was promoting her first novel, she had confessed that the story was part of her experiences. She proved herself as an extremely capable erotica artist, as she described her sex experiences as a groupie with a rock band that she deeply fell in love with. Women can be really talented at writing erotic stories, while Zi Mu was one of the leading-edge writers in teen romance novels. It probably had something to do with her past experiences. Groupie was a slang word commonly used when referring to fans of a particular musician, band, or celebrity who follow the group- or individual- as they toured. Most of them would be more than willing to offer sex services to their idols. Sex and drugs have always been deeply rooted in rock music. Zi Mu would have to bring her readers to the scene in person if she wanted to get any more detailed. In her story, however, the female protagonist was mistreated by the male protagonist after she sacrificed much for him. A particularly brutal scene depicted the female protagonist getting mercilessly gang-banged by male protagonist and his friends. The description had been so bold and graphic that it would have been censored if it ever got on the Internet. But it was in her book, and that was the reality of human nature and art. Stories that depicted cuckolding and sexual intercourse were often the best way to describe human nature. Writers who lacked talent often attempted to borrow strength from the shock factor of such stories. For readers who cared only about the erotic scenes, real-life tragic experiences of the writer would be the least of their concerns. Zi Mu made her reputation by claiming that her debut novel was based on her actual life experiences. She became the hottest topic among the paparazzi. Clear sky doesnt last forever, especially when she was not the most gifted writer out there. She never not put much effort into improving her writing skills. As time passed, nobody gave a damn about her books anymore. Her writing had bottlenecked, everything, including her reputation. Her boldness in the first novel had bang-started her career, but she never capitalized on that or tried something new. Her second novel was an ordinary story that progressed from abortion, a vacation out of the country and then getting involved in a car accident. Of course, multiple coitus sessions had peppered the entire plot. Sadly, this paled in comparison to her debut, like an echo to a gunshot. It was near time for her fourth novels first publication. Fearful of being met with cold response, she had lost nights of sleep over it. She had to find a way to expose herself! There was no other way. Due to the poor showing of her last two books, her publisher had started to get very stingy with sponsors. It was nothing personal. Youth novels had great potential. If yours is facing trouble, you cannot blame the genre, and you cannot blame the company for turn their backs on you. This was clearly demonstrated by Qidian. Any novel might make it on a list, on any particular day. However, if it hits the bottom, it will never see the light of day again. Under such circumstances, most authors would usually spend some cash to artificially mark up the ratings. Unfortunately, one cannot bring life out of a dead fish C unless you were a tycoon, or any tycoon is willing to help you on this matter. Constant cash flow would be needed to promote a book from the first day of publication until the end. As these big players did their stuff in the shadows, the oblivious readers would get pulled on to a chessboard they did not even know exist. They would spend their time reading highly recommended and popular novels, only to end up with piles of trash. Zi Mu was convinced that she had to take her own promotion in her hands. After careful observation, she noticed the Weibo of a young charming author Han Leng. His topics were always hot topics in forums, and were always related to a female livestreamer Ah Yu. She did not like what she read. Perfect student Ah Yu soon became something that she despised deep down her heart. It probably had something to do with the fact that Zi Mu was a highschool dropout. Yes indeed, she had published three books in total. She had ditched high school the moment her debut novel started selling like hot cakes. In this day and age, people quit high school before having a stable income. Everyone did it all the time. Zi Mu had been lost in the nearsighted delusion that her future was only getting brighter and brighter. Nevertheless, lady luck was never stingy when comes to promoting a person she wanted. Zi Mu was one of those fortunate authors that lady luck took care of. Thats how talentless and undeserving figures rose up to fame and fortune. Zi Mu loathed this young author C Han Leng. He possessed the talent and aura that was beyond Zi Mus grasp. Zi Mu was not even close to the level of a respected guru. She could only join in on the conversation of others when it concerned world news and social issues. She noticed that female livestreamer Ah Yu had gone into hibernation. She never once said a word, not even in response to rumors of Huang Zongchao nor Han Lengs love letter. This was her chance! First, she criticized Ah Yu in public. Then, she announced her devotion to Han Leng. So, how should she please Han Leng who was popular? Of course, she started off by praising the talent of Han Leng in his love letter writing. She would have gladly accepted Han Leng if those letters had been for her! I am a believer of Great Scholar Han! Zi Mu emphasized in her final comments, wrapping things up with sexy photos of her voluptuous body, cutting it off just before her face. Even with thick makeup, her face scored a mere five points out of ten. She would not dare to show her face without makeup! Her ugly photo had once took the internet by storm. Haters had dug it out and exposed her. Rockers who had spent time with her on the bed were questioned. How could they even work an erection up, when in close proximity of that face? Chapter 452 No Better Than Texas Cakewalk Rage erupted in Han Lengs heart. He had fought countless wars on this battlefield. His experience had made him a guru of strategies. He recognized this as a common trick used by old sea dogs to get back to the game. It was fine if he was the only one used as a stepping stone. A spar of ink with an old-timer would be fun. Han Leng was well-known in online ink-war. He silenced his peers with definitive sweeps, as if he had been genetically modified for victory. Under no circumstances should this imbecile have used Lady Zhao for own benefits. Apparently, Han Leng was not aware that Zhao Youyue had sealed herself from the outside world to focus on her studies. He was still worried about the distraction that all this might cause. Zhao Youyue was like a mountain in a storm, she remained unperturbed as the Apocalypse took hold of Mount Vesuvius and turned it into a battering ram for her front door. On the other hand, Han Leng had been busy with the butterflies in his stomach, as he blamed himself on this incident. Zhao Youyue would have remained an ordinary audience if he had not started this war. If this were a novel, she would not even be mentioned. Zhao Youyue remained silent after his careless actions. She managed to retain her status as an audience. For the protagonist, things were worlds apart. He was busy sprinkling acid on principals recommendation of Huang Zongchao to the University. His love letters to Lady Zhao were threatening to be more famous than his Beautiful April. Now, this ugly psychopath was claiming to be his hardcore fan, and had offered every part of her skin to be blessed by him Han Leng had been turned into the protagonist. However, the protagonist disgusted him. He could not refrain himself from cursing the senior author Zi Mu! He gave his full support to Lady Zhao, confidently stating that she would pass with flying colors. There would be no surprise if Lady Zhao got some awards out of it. He hoped that everybody would remain calm, as this would be a cakewalk for her. This national exam would prove Lady Zhaos capabilities! Han Leng then made a forceful statement, proclaiming that his fans were sane and able to think logically. Those who did not qualify should just leave him in peace! His statement drew a rainbow in the worlds of his fans. Those young ladies shed tears of joy and happiness! Yes. Well said, Han Leng! They were not crazy bitches. They understood each word and expression of Han Leng, and therefore succumbed to his influence willingly. Ugly psychopaths like Zi Mu should leave Han Leng alone! Her cold body would get no warmth here! In no time at all, Zi Mus Weibo had been soiled by dung from those sane fans of Han Leng. Meanwhile, Zi Mu did not forget to promote her new novel. He is the rising star among the new generation of idol authors with countless fans. She was one of his ordinary fans. Destiny had entwined their fate together in a complicated knot. This young idol is just about to taste the complications of love! Thats right. Zi Mus new book protagonist was just another lust-seeking young lady. This time, she did not crave for a rocker. She was in love with an idolized author! Han Leng saw what Zi Mu was up to. He was like a beast that had fallen trap to a hunter who was using Zhao Youyue as bait! Unfortunately, Han Lengs greatest weakness was Lady Zhao. He could be an iceberg to any female in this world; even Lin Xuanya was sent off empty-handed. She had been sincerely infatuated with him. Now she was the leader of her own choreography team. Her fans were deeply impressed by her dancing skills! She had never once mentioned that she courted Han Leng to anyone else. She had even requested that Han Leng wrote a love letter on her behalf. Its recipient C herself! In return, she received no letters, no acknowledgment. Such was the character of Han Leng. People who obsessed over their principles were often left alone walking in their paths. But loneliness never bothered Han Leng, as his literature would never abandon him. An Ox cannot be forced to drink if it is not thirsty. It could only apologize, at most. As Han Leng struggled to free himself from that trap, another enemy struck from the darkness Su Li. Su Li was triggered by the sarcasm that had been directed at Lady Zhao. She could not stand by that, especially since it was coming from some disgusting character! For the sake of her best friend Lady Zhao, she had to take the lead and be the protagonist for once! Su, the Great Deity had not posted any illustrations for quite some time. All of a sudden, she published a drawing of some ugly bitch author in so-called Smart Fashion! The ultimate curse! For once, Su Li truly believed in the power of her illustrations! Things were getting heated. Those netizens who loved to promote Su Lis curse started to reheat their old threads Its happening again! Su, the Great Deity performed her ritual! Damn, this ugly bitch is horrifying! Just die already! Su Li was definitely protecting great scholar Han! Perhaps they had some bedside business? Why else would she show up to aid great scholar Han? Something between them? Great Deity Su is a well-known best friend of Lady Ah Yu. She posted so many photos of her being with Ah Yu, and had even been invited to her mansion! As for Han Leng, he was definitely a passing innocent boy who fell for Lady Ah Yus beauty. Come and place your bets! How long would this Zi Mu last? She only has days. Do not forget how Shih Jingnian got crippled So much hatred! That was the ultimate curse by Great Deity Su, Zi Mu should just quit as an author! Cease writing, Zi Mu! Su Li was not the only one who had stepped out. Zhao Youyue maintained a good relationship with a lot of authors, especially those great, influential authors. Su Li and Han Leng were like splashes in the ocean compared to these heavyweights. Even so, their support could be seen on their personal Weibos. Rosemary condemned the authors action of taking advantage of other authors while stabbing an exam candidate from the back. He aligned himself with Han Leng and Su Li. Zi Mu was shocked by the response. She never thought that a legendary character like Su Li would actually illustrate her! That was no different from sending her on a Texas Cakewalk! Did the grim reaper have an eye on her now? It was better to start apologizing, Su Lis curse was terrifying! Chapter 453 Su Li the Horrible Su Lis recent illustrations had started to emit a mysterious aura. It was not the first time her illustrations had worked wondrously as a curse.People never ceased to look for scientific explanations or defend her innocence. The Scapegoat of the Century was the best title for her! Everything was her fault. Blaming her was much easier than thinking of a new plot twist. Authors could just kill their own creation or any protagonist they wanted, or put a full-stop on their novel. There was no explanation needed. It had not been their fault! Science could not explain a lot of phenomena. Therefore, Su Lis illustrations were best discussed in metaphysical terms. Perhaps it was an undiscovered portion about the law of attractions. Did something come true when more people believed in it? Or perhaps after some serious research, it could be the living proof of Murphys Law? [1] Perhaps Su Li managed to crown each of her illustrations with a mysterious halo, just like how Zhao Youyue started releasing a Passer-by Halo by cutting her hair short. Su Li had these halos placed on either the authors or the characters in her illustration. Some dedicated fans had listed out all of Su Lis trophies on Moegirlpedia. [2] Su Li definitely overqualified as an MOE girl. Yes indeed, Su Li was an illustrator and manga artist. She lived in the world of ACG. With her good looks and her cute artwork, she easily became the goddess that sat atop the thrones in many otakus lairs. Otakus money was easy to earn! Su Li had one hundred methods to squeeze dry the wallet while earning their devotions Innocent otakus were adorable C like the cuddly sheep that only knew the inside of their enclosures. As a shepherd, Su Li would eagerly draw anything that would keep them happy. That was the truth of her metaphysical illustrations. They kept her fans in check. Many did not believe in her curse. However, they were instantly converted into her cult when they read about her glorious past. Su, the Great Deity had earned her title through her own efforts. Every author would abandon ship when their novels caught the interest of the Great Deity. It was not just the believers of ghost stories who made things this bad. Even Su Li had started off as a skeptic, who waved off those statements as ridiculous accusations. Eventually, she got influenced by her own fans, and started believing in her own powers! They say that a curse is at its most potent when its caster wholehearted believes in it! As the group of believers grew, everybody took the initiative to prove their faith. No matter how illogical it sounded, the blame had to be on Su Lis head! Why? Thats what religion was all about. Some atheists would ride along the waves, laughing at how easily they deceived the masses. The danger of repeating a lie so convincingly is that you would fall victim o it yourself. These atheists had started off as false believers, only to end up being zealots of Su Lis supernatural powers. Zi Mu might have made her living via deception and tricks, but she never neglected to bow to any supernatural powers that she came across. Perhaps she was subconsciously aware of the bad things she did, and they might just come back to haunt her? She did not even have the time to be angry at Su Lis mockery of her portrait. The pressure from the world was just too great for her! A lot of influential characters expressed their staunch support of Zhao Youyue. Among these people, the bestseller author of suspense novels C Ou Yang caused the biggest wave ever. Ou Yang had stepped up and mentioned that he had studied at Ah Yus current school before. As a senior, he had observed and studied Ah Yus performance as a student. Other than her remarkable talent in music, her academic results were outstanding. Those who tried to conjure popularity by defaming such a good person would gain nothing but a slap on their faces. Ou Yang praised Zhao Youyue with great respect. His actions had spurred other authors into joining the bandwagong and slamming Zi Mus actions. Some iconic moral practitioners posted their in-depth analysis of Zi Mu, making no point in sparing their disgust for her Soon, Zi Mus novels had been altogether banned on the internet! It must be the curse of Su Lis illustrations! It was better to blame the supernatural than blame herself for this. She had not relied on any fundings from the company. It was her hard work and honest effort of gaining popularity and attention from the public. Now the only buyers of her novel seemed to be her haters. They only did it so that they had valid reason and grounds to criticize her writing. How was that her business? Her sole purpose of stirring a typhoon on the internet was to sell her books. She would be happy, even if they ended up as toilet paper Zi Mu could not care less about pride or dignity. Ordinary people had no influence on her. But Su Li was not ordinary. She was the grim-reaper itself! She regretted provoking the wrong party. The price had been too hefty. After marching into Su Lis crosshairs, Zi Mu did everything with extreme caution, especially when she crossed the road. She would not dare look at her phone, fear of being crushed a truck or something! It was like death was shadowing her. Every corner might be her last! She almost collapsed under the pressure, and started to hear voices and see things Before she stepped into a toilet, she would examine the floor for water. She would not want to slip and die! You could keep this up for the first few weeks, maybe. But try doing that for months, or years. Su Li was horrible! Su Li: Meow? June was fast approaching. Zhao Youyue sat for the National College Entrance Examination. She was not aware that the Internet was watching her closely. Translation Note: [1] Murphys law is an adage or epigram that is typically stated as: Anything that can go wrong will go wrong. [2] The site of Moegirlpedia is an online encyclopedia that collects and presents all the data and information of MOE girls for everyone. Moe(Japanese:, or just one Chinese Character mng in Chinese) is a frequently used jargon in ACG subculture, and it is also one of the most representative expressions of the age of moe. Chapter 454 A Wish Fulfilled Lady Ah Yu was as pure as an angel, having been blessed with both beauty and talent. People could not help but join her legion of fans. Most of them expressed their expectations of her result in National College Entrance Examination C with great empathy Lady Ah Yu had been forcefully pushed into a mess she never asked for. This might even distract her. I wont be surprised if she actually fails. Its too much stress for a teenager. It was Su Lis fault C her illustrations caused so much trouble! Blaming it on Su Li again? It was that shameless bitch authors doing! She would do anything to sell her new book, how disgusting! It was Han Lengs fault! If only he straight up confessed to her, he wouldnt have troubled Ah Yu so much Ah Yu must have worked very hard for National College Entrance Examination. She did not deserve any of this. Im worried for her. Please, let her score well! Why not recommended Ah Yu to Peking University right away? Given her talents and academic achievements, which university would be dumb enough to turn her down? Having such a pearl in school would attract more qualified applicants. Dont you all dare to belittle Ah Yu. In her broadcasts, she never once panicked. Shes as steady as a beautiful rock. Even the horror games did not scare her one bit Her mind rules over her heart in an exceptional way, what difference would National College Entrance Examinations be? Games and exams are totally different. Her flawless track record might only end up as her greatest source of pressure now. And look at all this shit on the internet. I hope she remains calm! Apparently, one could be more concerned over their idols than how their idols concerned themselves over the same matters. Zhao Youyue would have scrolled over the comments and laughed them away. After a good nights sleep, they would be a distant memory. Even so, that could not be considered as being completely unaffected, as one had already been exposed to it and reacted to it. However, Zhao Youyue had been full-time Xu Jing for a month, in preparation for the National College Entrance Examination. Xu Jing could remain stuck over the same page for an entire year if she wanted to. How could there be time for internet? Xu Jing did not become an iconic character by studying alone. To her, no amount of revision was ever enough. She would even study the questions that lay beyond her exam scope! With such commitment and dedication, Xu Jing never failed to answer any question in the exam. If the exam was a console game, Xu Jing would be the first in the high score list. She would not have a scratch on her body, even having explored every corner of the gaming world and wringing it dry of treasures and secrets Zhao Youyue wanted to fulfill Xu Jings deepest wish. In the comic C Pure Romance, Xu Jing never once had a quiet time for her studies. That was all thanks to Su Li! Xu Jing had also wished to participate in the National College Entrance Examination. In the novel world, she never had that chance. Pure Romance used a high school as the setting for its story. There could never be a university within its pages. Perhaps there would be a day when The Mighty Mangaka Su loses her confidence in producing anything that people would love. She might go back to her roots and draw Pure Romance 2 It was common for authors to go back and milk their former glory whenever they faced dead ends. The intervening of the author notwithstanding, Xu Jing had simply underwent a terrible fate. She did not crave for anything but to graduate from a university and start working a stable job and live happily ever after with her family Xu Jing was resilient. She understood that the suffering was only momentary as the future would be far more promising. But which novel ever stretched its timeline to that extent? Su Li had merely created her to be a companion for the male protagonist. Only death finally released her from Su Lis grasp. Thats right. Su Li might be a happy-go-lucky girl in real life, but she a cruel God when it came to her novel. She would do anything to her characters, as long as it pleased her readers. Perhaps that was the catalyst for disagreement between Han Leng and Su Li. Han Leng might be dead cold in reality, but he nurtured every character in his novel with love. His readers could blow the world up and hurl thunderbolts at his ears, but he could continue working in peace. It was the authors respect towards his own characters that brought life into a novel. That was the secret behind an iconic novel. Xu Jing never had the chance to fulfill her dreams in the novel world. Zhao Youyue helped her by getting it done in reality! Zhao Youyue was not obsessed over the National College Entrance Examination. It was no different from a common exam to her. However, Xu Jing would have given in all her effort and strived for the best! The National College Entrance Examination took place over the period of three days. Zhao Youyue, or more accurately, Xu Jing took each paper seriously; and answered every question to perfection! As Zhao Youyue slowed regained control from Xu Jing, she felt a wave of sincere gratitude stemming from Xu Jing and she received it with open arms Finally, the National College Entrance Examination came to a close. The school was awash with waves of relief and joy. A number of people wanted to toss their books in the air, but that act had been strictly forbidden by the school. What good would tossing a book do? Have they never thought about the cleaning-up after that? How was the exam, San San? Zhao Youyue smiled. Bai Yunshan almost choked on her breath. It had been an entire month since Lady Zhao talked to anyone. She was colder than this iceberg goddess! She noticed that Zhao Youyue had been completely immersed in her revisions. With her solid foundations, was revising even necessary for her? The way she glued herself to her book was no different from last minute cramming! Zhao Youyues dedication had greatly motivated Bai Yunshan. She had actually managed to emulate Xu Jings focus in revision. She did great! It was good; I might even do better than you, Bai Yunshan replied with self-assurance. Chapter 455 Bye High School, Hello University Deep in her bones, Bai Yunshan was a strong and independent girl. Her family had been in the military for generations. Armed with strong survival skills and the intolerance for corruption, nobody dared to get close to her. Being a friend of Zhao Youyue had changed Bai Yunshan in many ways. She accepted the bad habits of Zhao Youyue as the norm of common people. Of course, the crucial element that maintained this relationship was mutual respect. Zhao Youyue and Bai Yunshan constantly inspired each other to strive for a better future. Bai Yunshan was confident with her performance in this final exam. Though she had placed second so many times, she could almost taste her moment of surpassing Zhao Youyue! This meant a lot to Bai Yunshan. She always wanted to influence Zhao Youyue on leaving the dark side and joining her on the path of righteousness. Yet, she was slowly turning into her partner in crime Zhao Youyue loved to indulge her friends in good food and adventure. Life was full of more excitement than you could ever imagine. That wont be happening. My result on National College Entrance Examination will be a record breaker! Zhao Youyue replied, even more confident than Shan-shan. Such arrogance left Bai Yunshan shocked. She could not deny the obsession Zhao Youyue over her revision. If she did it right, her result would surprise everybody! This was unavoidable. In the past exams, Zhao Youyue had managed to score distinctions after glancing through her textbooks. Now that she had actually revised for real, her results would be from an entirely different dimension. We shall see when the scores are released. So, which university are you applying to? Bai Yunshan asked, curious. Let me guess, would your choice be the same as mine? Zhao Youyue replied with a smile. Bai Yunshan nodded in embarrassment. She was happy to have been given the chance to be Zhao Youyues friend. She had known little about having a close friend around until she met Zhao Youyue, even if that Lady had been a bad influence. Zhao Youyue was full of mystery. On the outside, she seemed like a gentle, kind person. But she was actually a mischievous troll in disguise. Of course, she could not have been this crafty if she did not have the intelligence to match it. Ban Yunshan had never known anyone who could slack so much in her studies, yet remain at the top of the food chain! Should we try for Peking University? Zhao Youyue suggested at random. Why? It is closer to home Actually, Zhao Youyue wanted to apply for Jiangnan University. Her mother was one of its lecturers. She would have a longer leash there, thanks to her family connections. Indeed, Jiangnan University could not match the rating of Peking University nor Chung Hwa University. However, Zhao Youyue just wanted to stay low profile and graduate for a certificate. It did not matters which university she go. Zhao Youyue was not the only person who treated universities like resorts. A good 70% probably thought the same. The high school teachers were to blame on this. They had thoroughly brainwashed their students about the leisure life in university. If they focused and strived hard in the high school final exam, they would be able to enjoy life in a good university. Students who believed in these teachers would put their all into their exams. Their final year in school would be their toughest The four years of university life would be a breeze, thats for sure! For example, it was easy to pass CET-4 and CET-6 during the final year of high school. [1] It would have been a nightmare to take these English exams at university! It could not be helped. Exam questions in university were never the same as before. Revising did little to help them. It would be more appropriately coined as the prediction of exam questions. It was still possible to give the same effort in high school revision and pass university exams. Even with half of the effort, there was still time to study the questions in the exam hall. Failing was unlikely. For Zhao Youyue, failing was impossible! Universities had their share of serious, studious students, students who slacked about, cheated and flunked their exams. The only difference would be the ratio and distribution. Most students applied into famous universities, armed with desire and determination for excellence. Of course, a small portion was only there for the certificate. If commoners were lucky enough, they would survive the four years of university and graduate. In Zhao Youyues case, she could do anything she wanted! She intended to attend a university for the same reason as her attending high school. She simply wanted to experience the life of a student and enjoy it. After all, she had Xu Jings ability to help her in exams. She might even play a part as Lady Mary, as a beam of holy light to guide lost students back on track in studies. Such beings were commonly seen as university students knelt or sat cross-legged on the ground as they crammed in the last few moments before an exam Therefore, Zhao Youyue did not give a damn about the university. It was the weather in Peking that irritated her. She preferred studying in Jiangnan. Bai Yunshan knew Zhao Youyue well enough to guess what she was thinking. The last thing she wanted was to be separated from Zhao Youyue. Hence, she allowed Zhao Youyue to decide on which university they would attend. They should both qualify that was without question. Yearbooks started get passed around. It was an emotional moment, a once-in-a-lifetime that was meaningful enough to be written in a book. Usually, people would just send messages in some WeChat or QQ group. Having classmates write down their feelings and thoughts was essential for most friendships. In the future, once could always take a trip down memory lane by flicking through the pages of the yearbook. Everyone was bound to be extremely busy. But there would always be some faces at school who will never want to forget. Memories of them would warm our hearts as we think about them. Bai Yunshan was one of the most popular figures among the guys. Many had approached her, asking her to sign on their yearbook. Almost everyones request was fulfilled with a smile. Here, you write something too, Zhao Youyue Hmmm.. What should I write? Anything I wish that you live happily ever after and be blessed with child soon! Zhao Youyou wrote earnestly. What? Bai Yunshan burst into laughter. Some of her secret admirers grabbed the opportunity and immortalized the scene in film. That was once-in-a-lifetime! It was one of the days when high school students had nothing to worry about. The results will not be announced anytime soon, right? Translation Note: [1] The College English Test (Chinese: ), better known as CET, is a national English as a foreign language test in the Peoples Republic of China. It examines the English proficiency of undergraduate and postgraduate students in China. It is meant to ensure that Chinese undergraduates and postgraduates reach the required English levels specified in the National College English Teaching Syllabuses (NCETS).[1] This test has existed in China for 26 years, and now 18 million people take it annually.[2] It includes two levels CET4 () and CET6 (). Chapter 456 Responding to fans When Zhao Youyue returned home, she finally started playing with her phone. She had not even lifted it up after months. So thats how it felt like to live as a caveman. She had been kept out of the loop, especially of the things that concerned her the most Zhao Youyue, or Xu Jing, had really given her all in this college entrance exam. For an entire month before the exam, she had been completely fixated on that one goal! This was the reason behind Zhao Youyues unyielding confidence! Zhao Youyue had never once expected to be the center of the internets attention. When she saw that there were many fans on the internet worrying about her, sympathizing her, she could only blink in silence. Were they mourning for her death or something? Where did all these fans even come from? Some had even held vigils in her name, saying that no matter what, Zhao Youyue had to perform for her college entrance exam, even if they had to pay with three years of their lifespans What in the world was going on? She had been extremely low-key, especially as of late. Her passerby powers were at maximum output. Why is she in the spotlight again? Zhao Youyue started to get to the bottom of things. She kept tracing back until she came across the point where Han Leng wielded her name as a weapon to end Huang Zongchao. Huang Zongchao had not participated in the college entrance exams, to the extent that someone had kept using this matter to criticize him. He was considered to be a deserter, a coward. He was only entering the Capital University through a shortcut. He did not deserve the spot! As someone who once shared classrooms with Huang Zongchao, Zhao Youyue knew that he had what it took for the Capital University. Coming up at the top was another question. There were very few Huang Zongchaos in the world, but some students might have been born ready for this exam, and would perform extraordinarily for this once. Zhao Youyue was certain that she had that extraordinary level! Unhesitatingly, she logged into her dusty Weibo account and posted Thank you, everyone, for being so concerned over my college entrance exams. Please do not worry. Ive performed very well during my exam. I can feel it in my bones! The response was as frustrating and as misconstrued as ever. Many fans had their doubts about it. Lady Zhao Youyue was probably just pretending Lady Ah Yu, its okay, you dont have to put up a strong front. If you didnt perform well in your exam, just have a good cry! Performed well? This is one of the top three last words ever to be said in life. When I had my exams during my seventh grade, I had a nice feeling as well. I even considered the infamous, notorious Mathematics easy. At the end, it was a bloodbath. Absolute massacre! Im still picking up the pieces today! My Lady, I refuse to believe that you could remain so calm. No human would remain this calm after all that has happened. Lets throw the pan to Su Li instead. Its all her fault. As for Zi Mu, according to latest news, she seems to have some serious issues and is on the search for professional help. Su, the Great Deity, is truly great! Ah Yu, do you have any complete Leng Zi love letters? I think that Great Scholar Hans love letters were quite well-written. Why dont you take them out and share it with the world Lady Ah Yu, have you joined the Optimistic Family as well? The results are even out yet. Be careful not to jinx yourself! Ah Yu, I just want to know, whats your relationship with Master Han? Has he been pursuing you at school very diligently? Zhao Youyue saw the latest replies on her Weibo and resignedly shook her head. She had not been anywhere close to the storm when it happened. Even if she was, what about it? Zhao Youyue was a very optimistic person. She had the capabilities to back it up. She was not afraid of trouble at all. Her fans were the biggest drama queens ever In their eyes, she probably looked far too vulnerable, far too fragile, far too defenseless. She was too gentle and dignified. Hurting her would be easy. Oh dear, how could anyone be any more wrong? If you consider her easy pickings, then everyone else in this world would be free gifts in a handbasket. Zhao Youyue was a lady of action, a master schemer. She kept her friends close to her heart, her enemies far closer. This proactivity probably stemmed from her bone marrows. She wanted everything to be under her servitude. They would be at her beck and call. When Zhao Youyue saw the fans mentioning Han Lengs love letters, she did not exactly get to the bottom of things. She hopped over to Han Lengs Weibo and looked around. Apparently, he had wholeheartedly claimed to be just a ghostwriter of the love letters, and wholeheartedly claimed that he had no hearts hovering above his head when it came to Zhao Youyue. Zhao Youyue curled her lips into a hollow smile. This was nothing, if not slightly disappointing. In terms of how a girl felt, Zhao Youyue was not all that different. She could dislike a guy. But if a guy always could not wait to break the relationship with her, stating clearly that he had no interest in her, it would take a little chunk from her heart. Was her charm that little? Zhao Youyue and Han Leng could be considered old schoolmates. They had been in the same school since junior high. She only became dissociated from her passerby state when they entered high school. That one book had gotten them closer together. Unfortunately, at that moment, be it words, or action, Han Leng looked like he would never fall in love with her at all. Even after countless love letters for her, he still insisted on claiming himself to be just a ghostwriter! Zhao Youyues EQ was supposed to be higher than her IQ. Yet, she found Han Leng enchanting, in various ways. Perhaps it was his feelings for her coming through, without him ever expressing them, and they had given her mixed signals. He never once took the initiative to send Zhao Youyue messages on his own. Whenever he was with Zhao Youyue, he always spoke about literature very seriously. He wrote for her, professionally. He had so many chances to stay alone with her, yet he had been like a meditative monk, being extremely stern and rigid This was Han Leng. His character had brought him to the one he truly loved, but it also prevented him from actually reaching her. Even if he had not fallen for Zhao Youyue, but another girl, it would have probably ended the same. The more he fell for her, the more he would resist, and the more he would be lost in his world of perpetual self-denial. When the girl finally gets taken by another guy, his heart would shatter into tiny little pieces, each of them blossoming into bottomless wells of inspiration. He would produce a masterpiece, commemorating everything! His whole life belonged to literature, not any particular girl. As a writer with ideals and odd pursuits, women were just materials of his works. Love was only a tool to stimulate his inspiration. Producing an iconic masterpiece was the only pursuit and purpose of his life. Time flew. Ten days later, on the 22nd of June, the college entrance exam results were released. Chapter 457 Unbelievable College Entrance Examination Results! Everyone knew that the Jiangnan Provinces college entrance examination would be extremely difficult. It wasnt anything like the national examinations as the students had to take a small college entrance examination in the second year of high school. There was a total of four subjects, and if one were to score an A in all subjects, they would be awarded five points. However, if they failed to get an A for any one of the subjects, they would only have three points. These four subjects could be anything from Physics, Chemistry, Biology, Geography, History, and Politics, while the remaining two would serve as majors. Naturally, Zhao Youyue chose Physics, Chemistry, Biology, and Geography at the time of her small college entrance examination. As a liberal arts student, she would major in History and Politics. Zhao Youyues class teacher, Old Qiu, had attempted to talk her into taking science instead. The world seemed to think that science majors were born winners. They were better humans. They had better chances of getting employed Employment, whats that? Can it be eaten? Zhao Youyue was too lazy to get involved in that. Moreover, liberal arts required less effort, compared to science. Also, if she took liberal arts, would she be able to get away from the pile of mess that was the hardworking genius Huang Zongchao, and emerge decisively as the number one student in liberal arts? Conversely, she had her family background to fall back on. After all, her mother was a university professor who taught the Chinese language and literature In any case, she chose liberal arts, and she was extremely well-versed in it. She loved those subjects that required memorizing the most. The Xu Jing card would have its fill there. She did not need it activated to recall whatever it has memorized! For liberal arts, language took up 200 points (inclusive of 40 supplementary points), Mathematics took up 160 points, and English took up 120 points, and everything totaled up to 480 points. Thats how Jiangnan Provincial College Entrance Examinations worked. If it was Science, the additional 40 points would be attached to Mathematics, instead. Zhao Youyues college entrance examination results were: 143+36, which meant 179 points in total for language, 154 points in Mathematics, and 118 points in English, plus 5 points from the small college entrance examination. Her total score totaled up to 456 points! In addition to that, both History and Politics were, of course, A+. It was almost humanly impossible. This was truly the results of a liberal arts scholar. It was the highest score ever in recent years! A certain way behind her was the liberal arts student named Li Tianyu, who had obtained a total score of 428 points. Without Zhao Youyue, he would most certainly be the top scholar of this years liberal arts college entrance examination. The main difference between him and Zhao Youyue was English, as he only scored 102 points there. Bai Yunshan failed to claim her second place. Looking at the results of everyone else in the province, she could not walk alongside Zhao Youyue anymore. Her total score was only 419 points, and she had lost a lot of ground in Mathematics. After all, the Mathematics paper in Jiangnan Province was on a totally different level. Did they mistake high school students for quantum physicists? Those who participated in the Mathematics competition were finally able to reap the benefits of their long drills and preparations. Zhao Youyue had not participated in any competition. This time, she did not get a perfect score in Mathematics this time. Even someone like her had been stumped by the last question After all, the Xu Jing character card was not a genius card. It could not increase Zhao Youyues IQ. It was not a miracle worker, it had its limits! With that in mind, Han Lengs good friend Chen Haoran came atop the stage for a momentary salute. Despite the impossible odds, he had managed to achieve a perfect score! Zhao Youyue was good, but she could not match up to raw, focused talent in very specific fields. Unfortunately Chen Haoran was not as proficient in language and English. Thus he only had a total score of 415. With that score, he could already enter both the Capital University and Chung Hua University. Generally speaking, the cutoff points for the two top schools was about 400. Any combination of A+ and A in the both of their major subjects would have sufficed. This year, the top Science scorer for the Jiangnan Province college entrance examinations had a score of 443. It was actually a girl. Even though she did not score full marks for Mathematics, she still scored a whopping 143 points out of 160 for her language! Therefore, in a sense, girls who chose Science also held a special advantage. After all, Jiangnan Province only took the total scores of 3 subjects. Even if one did not score well in Mathematics, with the scores of language and English, one could still go against all the odds! Comparing language score of Zhao Youyue with the language score of the top Science scholar could tell anyone that it was the limit. Getting a perfect score for composition-based questions were nigh impossible. Moreover, the modern reading comprehension section had been really tricky, and many students fell for the numerous traps God was the only being that could aid you in comprehension sections. Even if your thoughts were in line with the original creator, it would not be of any use. In actuality, you had to think like the examiner. Answering reading comprehension questions was a major headache for everyone. If there were no perfect answers, how was one supposed to answer? Hence, for every single college entrance examinations, people would answer the reading comprehension based on their own understanding of the article, and end up getting their points deducted. Some creators would even complain on Weibo, complaining about something along the lines of, the pink ribbon meant exactly what it was, just a pink ribbon! The hottest phrase of this year apparently was the fishs eyes glowed with a strange light[1]. The original writer expressed that he knew nothing about it, and had no idea why he wrote it in the first place However, no matter how much anyone complained, this would never change. This simply tradition. There was no other way for a reading comprehension section to be set. Surprisingly, Han Lengs results were pretty acceptable, considering how he was a carrier of the sophohigh disease. He had scored 350 points. It was actually good enough to be graded as an overall A. However, compared to the whole school, that score was more or less at the bottom. Such was the horror of being in this certain high school, where even their worst students were capable of getting into the top tier. 93% of the students had made it into the first tier. When second-tier students were included, that would be 98% of the whole school. For the last 2%, there was no hope for them. Their brains were actually functioning fine, but not their hearts. Han Lengs language score was had been dazzling. He scored 138+28 points, which totaled up to 166 points. It would be embarrassing to talk about his Mathematics and English results they had not even made three digits. However, he had actually scored a full 100% for his composition. It was indeed something amazing! Even if he had successfully made his debut and became a bestselling writer, everyone knew that writing high school compositions was nothing like writing actual literature. Professional authors would actually struggle to write school-level essays, as there was a maximum word count of 800. 800 words could happen before the authors has even finished describing the premise of the story. Who went straight to the point, these days? Han Lengs essays were eloquent, concise, and highly thought-provoking. They had been perfect for the examiners appetite. Moreover, he finally paid attention to tidying up the front cover of the paper. Hence, he scored a perfect score in one fell swoop! Even so, for the time being, no one paid any attention to a composition with perfect score. This was because everyone had their eyes transfixed on Zhao Youyue, the new, fresh from the oven, liberal arts scholar! After being a side-character for such a long time, Zhao Youyue once again stole the limelight and became the heroine. This unbelievable score had shocked everyone to their cores! Translation note : [1] This is a real, existing controversial phrase which appeared in the Zhejiang Provinces college entrance examinations paper and attracted a lot of attention. Chapter 458 The Legend Most of the audience did not think that Zhao Youyue would excel in the final exam. They had all believed that the stress had been overwhelming for even Lady Zhao. Zhao Youyue has piledriven all doubts the ground, and proved that National College Entrance Examination was not even a challenge for her. When they learned of how Zhao Youyue actually prepared for the exams, they were beyond astonished. She had managed to cut herself off the internet People of this era could not live without the internet, just like how a fish could not live without water. Zhao Youyue did mention how anxious she will be without her phone around her! She was so attached to her mobile phone, that even the apocalypse would not stop her from playing mobile games. How did she manage to ignore her phone for such an extended period People were not aware of Lady Zhaos ability to transform into a study freak. Upon transformation, nothing mattered more than the books. Her mobile phone would gather dust at a very safe place Zhao Youyue posted her results on her Weibo. Her fans were delighted and shocked in equal measure I am from Jiangnan, and Im a year two university student. That is some solid stuff. If Im not mistaken, it should be the best results, ever! Unbelievable! With a storm threatening to knock you off the sides of the flat earth, you managed to stay on course, how strong is your heart, Ah Yu? At first, I doubted Lady Ah Yus capabilities in studies. Nobody live streams and scores well in anything, period. With such result displayed in College Entrance Examination, I could only say, you are one hell of a Lady, Ah Yu! Like, any university would accept those results, right? No, like all universities would fight for her application. I wonder if Ah Yu would apply for any universities in Peking I sat for the same exam as Lady Yu in Jiangnan Province. I didnt even think this was possible! Salute! I have no words! I dont think anyone has any words to describe my feelings either! I can only salute! So, salute! What the heck, thats only four hundred plus. Without seven hundred points, how is she even qualified for Peking University? Wow, there are idiots who actually think that four hundred points are low. In Jiangnan province exam, the freaking maximum is four hundred and eighty points. At least do some research about the hellish marking system in Jiangnan before barking randomly. Now you look stupid, stupid. Too much stupid on the internet these days! I wonder, where that Zi Mu is now. I would like to know how she looks like. She was one of those naysayers Zi Mu? She has most likely gone mad. Su, the Great Deity did a great job. There are reports saying that she went to a psychiatrist for consultation. Her bullshit novel is dead in the water as well! Zi Mu is no longer writing. Its better to fear Su Lis mysterious power. Things never went well for those who didnt Netizens were right. Zi Mu had vanished into the void. Her new novel was being slammed by Han Lengs huge group of fans, and her mental condition was not in a good state. Perhaps she had lived in the fear of death for too long. She had been fundamentally changed, and no longer resembled a shadow of who she once was. When a recent candid shot of her made its way on the internet, everyone deeply feared Su Lis name. She became the next You-know-who, the next She-shall-not-be-named Su Lis mysterious power was no joke. All she did was draw a portrait for Zi Mu! Even so, some skeptics still roamed about. That number quickly plummeted after news of Zi Mus apparent insanity took the internet by storm. She was inducted into the list of Su Lis victims. Her case made it impossible for people to claim all those victims as coincidences. Su, the Great Deity had gained more devotees! The power of a curse was often influenced by the number of people who believed in it. Such was the law of supernatural phenomena. With such a great number of devotees, it would be a terrifying scene the next time Su; the Great Deity drew for someone. Other than fans expressed their excitement. Zhao Youyue was congratulated by her family and friends, various media sought her out for interviews. Su Li was one of them. She had even posted on Zhao Youyues Weibo, asking if Lady Zhao wanted an illustration done? Zhao Youyue fans did not wait for her response. Rather, they responded on behalf of her, begging for mercy! Please stay your hand, oh Great Deity Su Li! Why would you do that to Lady Yu, Su Li? Your illustration are not just drawings, theyre death sentences! If I remember correctly, Great Deity Su did draw an ACG portrait for Lady Yu. It was considered an illustration, right? Is Lady Yu immune to her curse? She is definitely not immune. Lady Ah Yu stopped broadcasting for a few days right after that, and the public dug out her identity. Whatever protection Lady Ah Yu had, its been burned up. What happens next? Su Li read all of the comments written by fans who had soiled their pants. She felt great, like Zeus felt on a battlefield, absolute and unchallenged. Su Li was not the only person who sent over her congratulations. An army of authors basically strode over to congratulate her. Only Han Leng acted like a child, pretending that he did not know Zhao Youyue at all. Trapped in his guilt, he dared not even face Lady Zhao. He did not want to face those hatred-filled eyes. The media visited her for interviews, but they were not just there to ask about her exam results. They needed to know more about her family background! Chapter 459 A Pair of Living Treasures Zhao Youyue was a genuine legend. Each year had its own Number One Scholar of the College Entrance Examination. But none of them were ever like her. She had started off as a live-streamer in her high school. Not just any live-streamer, she had been one of the best ever, and everyone practically knew her! The money was then used as funds for her company C Source World Zhao Youyue had maintained remarkable results, while keeping her other interests on track. High school students did not simply do that? Of course, she could not be considered as a high school student any longer. Her innumerable experiences of life and death were far beyond what any ordinary high school student had under her belt. Lets not forget those abilities that she had gained through hard work. It was not easy for media to arrange an interview with Zhao Youyue. Which media dare to bother Zhao Family like a paparazzi? It was a wonderful day for Zhao Youyue and her parents. They were happily discussing about her potential universities. Most of the famous universities reached out to Zhao Youyue, expressing their intentions to recruit Zhao Youyue as a student. Peking University and Chung Hwa University were particularly aggressive. Both of them offered conditions that were difficult to resist. This was what top students go through. There was no need to look for universities. University invitations would be sent straight to their doorsteps, with offers that could be amended to suit their needs. Zhao Youyue was not just any Number One Scholar of the College Entrance Examination. She was a legend, a genius with remarkable achievements at a young age. Her enrollment would guarantee the addition of an iconic graduate for that university. Ive made up my mind. I will enroll at Jiangnan University, majoring in professional Chinese linguistics and literature Zhao Youyue stated in a serious tone. Wang Hua was indifferent to her daughters decision. Of course, Jiangnan University was one of the best professional literature across the nation, almost on par with Peking University courses. However, job prospects for this profession was rather bleak. Wang Hua would have agreed if Zhao Youyue had shown any sign of passion in literature, to being with. The problem here was that Zhao Youyue had never been interested in literature, whatsoever! In fact, how many professionals in Chinese linguistics and literature ended up as authors? Almost all authors did not start off as so. Most of the influential authors came from science streams. They produced much more logical plotlines and far better organization of contents. Art students were good at writing, but without a good script or chronological arrangement, nobody would read their novels. Wang Hua was aware of her daughters preference towards entertainment novels. She barely touched any literature, period! Take some time, think about it. Dont you even dare to presume that this is my field of expertise, that I would cut corners for you. I can tell you right now; there are absolutely no shortcuts! Wang Hua emphasized. Perhaps others would take account of the knowledge they could learn in a famous university. Zhao Youyue did not care about that. All she wanted was to graduate, get a job in a big corporation with a handsome salary It was unnecessary for Zhao Youyue to learn anything from a university. Her Two Dimensional Gate offered more knowledge than any university could ever provide. Furthermore, her dreams stemmed from her days in high school. She wanted to expand her company, Source World. Therefore, Zhao Youyue preferred having a university near her house. Jiangnan University was a good option, and she could enroll in the course taught by her own mother. It would be boring, but she had the iconic character card C Wen Qingyu. No literature in this world would be a problem. Who says that I do not love literature? That is absolutely absurd! Youll see my literature face in class soon. I had you, my old mother, the semi-professional author as a mentor. I do not need you to offer me any new shortcuts. All I need is for you to be strict on me! Zhao Youyue replied confidently. Of course, she was. She had Wen Qingyu as her back up. The slimy little brat had fired shots. Wang Hua was riled up. She was not just some semi-professional author. Being the director of Jiangnan Province Writers Association and a member of the Chinese Writers Association, she was often invited to write articles for newspapers and magazines. Her only flaw was that she had never once produced any literature that was hundreds of pages long. I did not want to waste time writing rubbish. My articles consist only of the essence of philosophy! And stop calling me old mother!Wang Hua tugged the chubby cheeks of her daughter. Admit it, old mother; you could not write anything that sold well! Not unless one day, you earn the blessing of your beloved daughter, me! Zhao Youyue smiled happily. Wang Hua almost burst a vessel. She was a highly respected literature author. If she was placed in another world, she would become Tie Ning. [1] She might even be The chairman of the China Federation of Literary and Art Circles and the chairman of the Chinese Writers Association. Her reputation would be greater than her work. Even if her book was a complete failure, given her reputation, award-winning movie adaptations would pop out for most favor-fuelled reasons. Wang Hua was a member of Zhao Family as well. Her influence spread far and wide across the country! How could you help me? Wang Leng questioned coldly. I could provide you solid inspiration! Zhao Youyue smiled again. Say what you like! It seems that you dont believe in me, right? Perhaps its time for me to show you what I am capable of. Wang Hua had to think of a new style of writing. Only then might her book make it to the hot-sellers sections! It was imperative that she displays some form of ability in front of her daughter. One day, she might become her student. Things would quickly get out of hand. Wang Hua soon accepted the fact her daughter will be enrolled at Jiangnan University, becoming one of her students. She looked forward to it. Her job had been getting boring as of late. Her daughters presence might change something. Nevertheless, it was a fortunate outcome for students and lecturers at Jiangnan University. Wang Hua and Zhao Youyue made a fine pair of beautiful ladies Translation Note: [1] Tie Ning (born September 1957) is a Chinese author based in Beijing, China. She has, since 2006, been the president of the China Writers Association and is a member of the 18th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China. Her works include short stories, Ah, Xiangxue (Chinese: ,), The Red Shirt Without Buttons (Chinese: ), Junes Big Topic (Chinese: ), Wheat Straw Stack (Chinese: ), Cotton Stack (Chinese: ), The Village Road Takes Me Home, Rose Door (Chinese: ), How Long is Forever (Chinese: ) and Da Yu N (Chinese: ) (Big-Bath Woman). Chapter 460 Both Gifted and Hard Work Since Wang Hua had agreed with Zhao Youyue decision to enroll at Jiangnan University, there was no need for Zhao Jiayi to express his opinion. He never had a say in anything. Most of the time, he played the role of a pacifier. As mentioned in previous chapters, Wang Hua had the heart of a young girl. She was just like a Tsundere in a manga. At home, she constantly questioned the intelligence of others under her breath, while at the same time helping them out wholeheartedly. A Tsundere mother and a mischevious daughter was quite a handful for the lone male in the house. Nevertheless, they were on good terms, and nothing could separate them. That would be Zhao Jiayis chance to play Stellaris all by himself. However, he might have to start calculating the repair bills when they blew the roofs off in their arguments! Zhao Jiayi was the only person who could talk some sense into them. He was to know that, for it also meant that he had a special place in their hearts. Zhao Jiayi had no comments on his daughters choice of university. He had always thought that his daughter was just an ordinary person. If she merely graduates from any university, that would be good enough. To his surprise, something changed drastically in Junior high. Now, she was the Number One Scholar of the College Entrance Examination. His mind had not yet finished wrapping his mind around things! It was a huge surprise, but it was a pleasant surprise, and it had been for the better. She had made him really proud! Zhao Jiayi tried his best to give space for her daughter to grow, hoping that she would grow up healthily and happily. He did not care much about talents and skills. These had all came as bonuses to the simple happiness that he would have been content with. Some parents have high expectations of their children. Others were like Zhao Jiayi, entrusting their children to their own freedom and choices. As long as their children took control of their life responsibly, there was no need to interfere. Zhao Youyue had been considered lucky to be born with such open-minded parents. Otherwise, she would not have the chance to start off her own company she would have to hand over the profits from her broadcasts. No, in the first place, she might not even be allowed to do broadcasts Zhao Youyue had not even started live-streaming in a manner that worried him. She did not bare her body with mini-skirts or deep V blouses. It was how most live-streamers started off. Zhao Youyue was a rare breed among livestreamers. She had rose up the ranks by showing real skill, instead of her face. Most people had thought that she was too ugly to do so. Who would have thought that she had genuinely intended to impress the audience with her skills, not her looks? Most of her fans were hardcore, especially those who had followed her from the beginning. No matter what rumors had to say about Zhao Youyue, they never left her channel, forever waiting patiently for her streams. Such was the quality of a livestreamer with real talent. It was nothing like those who went tits swinging right from the start. Zhao Youyue finally accepted media interviews, on the premise that their questions only concerned her achievements as the Number One Scholar of the College Entrance Examination, Jiangnan province. Most of the other outstanding scorers had already been interviewed. One of the Peking scholars honesty in interviews had caused a hot discussion on the internet. He was asked How did you manage to score so well in the exam? His answer was It is getting tougher for students in rural areas to get into good schools. I was born in a middle-class family with dont have to worry about food. My parents are both highly educated and we stay in a big city such as Peking. I was placed in better conditions, compared to those students in the rural area. This gave me the opportunity to outperform the other students. Such is the actual state of society. One might not change his fate with knowledge, yet ones fate may never be changed without knowledge. Number One Scholars could only come from decent families where the parents had been highly educated. In advance, they prepared an environment that was suitable for children to strive for the best in terms of education. Among all the Number One Scholars nationwide, Zhao Youyue was the most popular. She shot down all naysayers and skeptics. Her family was well-established and rich. At least 80% of the credit for her achievements should go to her family environment. I am looking forward to being classmates with her, hahaha! The reporter asked Zhao Youyue of what she thought about this statement from the other Number One Scholar. I think it is subjective; it depends on both the gifts and hard work of one student. If a student is both gifted and works hard enough, his or her background would not really matter. The most respected people in this world had all been born poor. Its just like Venerable Broken Sword who played Dark Souls and tortured the final boss to its death with a broken sword. The experience was both exciting and satisfying! [1] Apparently, Zhao Youyue was obsessed in hardcore games with a high skill requirement. She loved taking the toughest route to enjoy the game to its fullest. Her comments won the heart of netizens. Real geniuses refused to be limited by their family backgrounds. He did not need the support from family to be successful in his own path. Most of the players were not talented nor they wanted to work hard. As a result, they could not even beat a small boss, what more of becoming a Venerable of Broken Sword Ah Yu was a rarity among all the other gifted and talented youths. She was extraordinary in games and music. Add on Number one Scholar to that, she had become the stuff of nationwide legends! Zhao Youyue treated College Entrance Examinations no differently from a challenge in a game. Now that she had passed the challenge flawlessly, she realized that Two Dimensional Gates was no longer in cooldown. She wanted to try her luck. All she needed was to increase the frequency of using the door. Eventually, she would get to the world that she wanted! Translation note: [1] Dark Souls is an action role-playing game developed by FromSoftware and published by Namco Bandai Games. A spiritual successor to FromSoftwares Demons Souls, the game is the second installment in the Souls series. Chapter 461 A Hardcore Gaming World of Extreme Difficulty! The first thing Zhao Youyue saw as she passed through Two Dimensional Gate was the title, Tale of Wuxia 3 C Swords of the Future. [1] Zhao Youyue was ecstatic. Finally, the Two Dimensional Gate was doing its job! This was a triple-A hardcore title, and had been entirely made in China. It was not as popular as Zhao Youyue had expected. The designers just had to make it too difficult for most. [2] As a sandbox game, players enjoyed the freedom of doing anything they wanted in the game. They could be a courteous swordsman, a despicable thief, or even a filthy rapist! Zha Feng, the producer of Tale Of Wuxia, was widely-known throughout the industry. A lot of players cursed him for making highly tricky games. He must enjoy torturing players! Most of the players could not finish the prequels of Tale Of Wuxia. Beating the mini-boss of some random scumbag faction was already nigh-impossible. How do they even move on from there? That first mini-boss also doubled as the game spinmeister who persuaded incompetent players to quit. They were not worthy of playing Tales of Wuxia! Players questioned the claims of the game which stated that it was simply telling the tale of a righteous swordsman. These questions were not without ground, as a great deal of the quests actually involved despicable acts Zha Feng had clarified that the swordsmen in his game were meant to depict poor souls trapped between good and bad. Therefore, the characters they played in the game was struggling to survive by defending the innocent, while being the executioner of the devil at the same time. Thats right, in the prequels of Tale Of Wuxia, mastery of a martial art did not affect the game much. The strongest martial art master in the game was almost beaten to death in a fight with twelve young men. He had better odds only in one versus one battles. In other words, players should avoid fighting a crowd. The best method was to isolate them, defeating them one by one. There were only a handful of iconic martial art masters in this reality. In peoples hearts, a master must be powerful regarding inner strength and the skill of light body. They could defend the weak and innocent while winning the war against an army of ten thousand soldiers, ripping off the head of its general. Usually, a protagonist in a game gradually mastered different skills, and eventually became the undisputed hero. Unfortunately, it was not Gu Long nor Jin Yong who wrote this novel. Even though some of them had been made into dramas, they could not leave a deep impression in the hearts of people. This world produced new novels of fairy tales and fantasy almost on a daily basis! In this reality, China was a leading country. It was a world leader in the gaming industry and movie industry. They consistently produced remarkable fairy tales and fantasy themed products. Martial Arts-themed franchises would only last a few years before being replaced. On the contrary, in a parallel reality, the martial art novels of Liang Yusheng [3], Jin Yong and Gu Long were always the top choices of people C until the birth of the online novel platform. This reality did not even host a single, influential martial artist! Therefore, Zha Fengs depiction of martial arts was that of a darker, despicable vein. His following sequels of Tale of Wuxia only intensified the tone. He used an alternate history as the premise of his game. He told alternate histories of Sixteen Kingdoms [4] where Han Chinese citizens [5] were traded goods as slaves or even as a food source [6] There were some random jokes on the internet, stating that cannibalism was one of the effective methods of The Great Ethnic Fusion. [7] Tales of Wuxia contained various creatures, such as serial killers, monsters, demons, evil spirits, and zombies. Perhaps they all represented the various aspects of humans dark nature. Players could choose to work as part-time exorcists, for these creatures were the source of valuable ingredients of rare potions. A lot of people thought that this was an anti-hero swordsman sandbox, open-world, a book that one could read and understand instantly. Only after being tortured by the complexity of the game, players would just release their frustrations on its producer Zha Feng. When faced with some unbeatable boss or a stage which required skillful controller-work, they would screenshot it and upload it with the hashtag C Malicious Contraption of Zha Feng! When you type Zha Feng on the google search bar, Malicious Contraption of Zha Feng often appeared as the second choice. Nevertheless, it was one of the skilled players favorite genres. They enjoyed being tortured by countless failures for that one sweet moment of success. They could play it from night to dawn, from dawn to night. Open each victory, they craved for another challenge and started the torturing process all over again. It had been a while since Tale of Wuxia 3 C Swords of the Future was released to the public. It was the least challenging sequel for fans of Tale of Wuxia. New technology in the market had simplified the mechanics of the game. Players could now perform a combo with ease, lowering the difficulty in the game. Graded as a triple-A China-made product, its graphics were almost flawless. Zha Feng worked for a gaming company that was famous for its single-player games. He did not have to worry about the development costs, as Tencent announced its full support for the funding. Zha Feng came from an established family, complete with the wealth and connection one might expect. Unlike those blood-sucking games that offered money-based, in-game solutions, he did not care about money. To him, the game was an art that required patience and would settle for nothing short of perfection on the little details. Tale of Wuxia 3 C Swords of the Future had a distinguished reputation. However, only a handful of players bought it. After all, not many players were skillful enough for it, and not many players were patient enough to work their way through it. Upon release, triple-A titles usually provided loads of expansion and updates. The base game would be as expansive as it was. Players could treat it as the Martial Arts version of The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt [8]. The controls were much more complicated than The Witcher 3s, but its storyline and sudden plot twists were nothing lesser than The Witcher 3. With the help of the Two Dimensional Gate, Zhao Youyue stepped into this world. Everything she did would appear as downloadable content. Zhao Youyue did not rush into the search for a suitable female character.She had her priorities, and she intended to test the difficulty of the game before any decision was made. After all, she knew very little of this reputable yet unpopular game. Other than the high skill demand, a powerful computer was needed even to run it, or one could go for the optimized version on the console. It had been a while since her last broadcast about a game. Now, she could kill two birds with a stone. - Translation Note: [1] This game does not exist in reality; it is a hypothetical, future version of Tale of Wuxia: The Pre-Sequel. Tale of Wuxia: The Pre-Sequel is the official sequel of Tale of Wuxia which surpasses the latter in every way, is a CRPG developed by Fenghuang Game and Helio Studio. This U3D-based game includes a better story, funnier events, and enhanced gameplay. Tale of Wuxia: The Pre-Sequel enriched the character development in Martial Arts and skill variance. Your character can not only learn Arts itself but also invite multiple members into the squad and select their skills. The brand-new Squad-combat Mode and Jianghu Tales Mode randomize the gameplay, different squad-members and talents grant you various tactics. [2] AAA (pronounced triple-A) is an informal classification used for video games produced and distributed by a mid-sized or significant publisher, typically having higher development and marketing budgets. AAA game development is associated with high economic risk and with high levels of sales required to obtain profitability. In the mid-2010s the term AAA+ began to be used to describe AAA type games that generated additional revenue over time in a similar fashion to MMOs by using the software as a service (SaaS) methods, such as season passes or expansion packs. [3] Chen Wentong (5 April 1926 22 January 2009), better known by his pen name Liang Yusheng, was a Chinese writer. Credited as the pioneer of the New School () of the wuxia genre in the 20th century, Chen was one of the best-known wuxia writers in the latter half of the century, alongside Jin Yong and Gu Long. [4] The Sixteen Kingdoms, less commonly the Sixteen States, was a chaotic period in Chinese history from 304 CE to 439 CE when the political order of northern China fractured into a series of short-lived sovereign states, most of which were founded by the Five Barbarians who had settled in northern China during the preceding centuries and participated in the overthrow of the Western Jin dynasty in the early 4th century. The period ended with the unification of northern China by the Northern Wei in the early 5th century. [5] The Han Chinese, Han people or simply Han(UK: /hn/; US: /hn/; Mandarin pronunciation: [xn]) (Chinese: , pinyin: Hnrn, literally Han people; or , pinyin: Hnz, literally Han ethnicity or Han ethnic group) are an East Asian ethnic group and nation. They constitute the worlds largest ethnic group, making up about 18% of the global population. The estimated 1.3 billion Han Chinese are mostly concentrated in Mainland China, where they make up about 92% of the total population. [6] The practice of cannibalism () has a peculiarly detailed history in China.[1] According to Key Ray Chong, while the Chinese are not uniquely different from other cultures when it comes to the practice of survival cannibalism, they are utterly unique in their use of so-called learned cannibalism. Learned cannibalism, as termed by Key Ray Chong, is quite the opposite of its survival-orientated counterpart, and is widely considered to be an expression of love and hatred, and a peculiar extension of Confucian doctrine.[2] [7] Ethnic Fusion is the integration of two equal ethnic groups by long-term common growth, and the national differences can eventually disappear and merge into a new nation. The product of migration is mixed with each other, and the various ethnic groups learn from each other and develop together. [8] The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt is a 2015 action role-playing video game developed and published by CD Projekt. Based on The Witcher series of fantasy novels by Polish author Andrzej Sapkowski, it is the sequel to the 2011 game The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings. Played in an open world with a third-person perspective, players control protagonist Geralt of Rivia, a monster hunter known as a Witcher, who is looking for his missing adopted daughter on the run from the Wild Hunt: an otherworldly force determined to capture and use her powers. Players battle the games many dangers with weapons and magic, interact with non-player characters, and complete main-story and side quests to acquire experience points and gold, which are used to increase Geralts abilities and purchase equipment. Its central story has several endings, determined by the players choices at specific points in the game. Chapter 462 I Refuse To Be This Swordsman! Despite Lady Ah Yus sporadic broadcasting programme, her fans went with the flow. Being able to catch her in time for a live broadcast would be a dream come true. How many times has she already missed her usual broadcasts? However, Ah Yus fans were surprisingly understanding. They agreed that College Entrance Examinations were essential and should be prioritized. Of course, some pessimists had something to say about it. They did not even see her needing to take exams. Ah Yu had been born in an established family, influential and wealthy. Even wealthy people respected Ah Yu in public, so why couldnt she just buy her way into university? These people were being ridiculous. College Entrance Examinations were undoubtedly the most important exam in everybodys lives. Universities did not just grant knowledge and certificates. Student molded their characters in university, along with relationships and expanding their networks. A vast network ensured an even greater future. Zhao Youyue did not immediately resume her broadcasting programme. She spent some time with her friends from school. Still the leader among the girls, she gave the others the impression of a successful female entrepreneur. Her character played a big part in this matter. Despite being mischievous within, Lady Zhao was always the compassionate, kind and gentle girl. She was good at managing her relationships with others. Along with the knowledge that she was a tycoon, people were more than willing to postrate themselves before her throne. Bai Yunshans fantastic makeover was a byproduct of Zhao Youyue influence. So, she blossomed into a drop-dead beauty, and people knew her as the best friend of Zhao Youyue. Who else would dare mock Bai Yunshan? Who would dare challenge Zhao Youyue? Zhao Youyue had been born with the aura of a leader. She was bound to do great things in her future. The world would be all the lesser if she continued forcing the passerby halo on her head. She would only end up as a background character. Other than the gatherings from time to time, the entire class would most likely gather after the results were announced. That would be closely followed by club gatherings, Teachers Appreciation Banquets, and so on. The Zhao Family held numerous grand parties in the name of Zhao Youyue. The gifts showered upon the Zhao Family on those days had been most remarkable Zhao Youyues father, Zhao Jiayi maintained an extensive network of business. Most of his guests in all parties came from influential backgrounds. Such events bored Zhao Youyue. She had to show her face on behalf of her familys name. Her mother proudly introduced her to every person who showed up, primarily when there was a piano around. Zhao Youyue often entertained the guests with a song or two. Some families brought their children along. Zhao Youyue became the envied example for their children to emulate Zhao Youyue used her free time before these grand dinners to broadcast Tale of Wuxia 3 C Swords of the Future. It helped a lot in creating a character for her future use. As mentioned in earlier chapters, each world had its own texture and characteristics. The goal was to create a character that audience and the author would naturally accept as a part of the world. She had to fit in like a jigsaw puzzle piece in that world and seamlessly meld into the story. Only then could she affect the story, turning it into a significant product in reality! Zhao Youyue started broadcasting right after getting out of bed. The audience was shocked by the notification that informed them of Ah Yus movements. Their comments flooded her bullet screen Amazing! The Douyu Number One Queen of Absence started a broadcast! Am I dreaming? Lady Ah Yu started a broadcast so early in the morning, whats with the sudden aggression? Wakakaka, look at what Ive found, Lady Ah Yu is still alive! Congratulations on Ladys achievement as a Number One Scholar, this has proven to us that the Lady was studying for real Its a lie! Everyone knows that Lady Yu is a born genius, she just wanted to slack off her broadcasting! Settle down guys, lets pay attention to the broadcast. I wonder whats she up to, today. Winner winner chicken dinner? Who cares, I just want to listen to Ah Yus music! I do hope that she would show us her face. Its been too long; I truly miss Ah Yus face Her fans had not left her after all. Zhao Youyue did not expect so many messages to pop up on the bullet screen. It was so early in the morning. Few souls would be up and running. Within minutes, ten thousand people had jumped aboard the video. She had not yet lost her touch as an influential broadcaster! Some broadcasters had decided to flee to morning schedules to avoid competition. On this particular morning, they noticed their views being far less than usual. When they learned that the culprit was Lady Ah Yu once again, they could only accept that reality. How unfortunate! Zhao Youyue replied to some of the bullet screen messages as usual. She ignored all those requests that were asking for her face. It was meant to save her fans from disappointment, as she still sported a short bob cut. From today onwards, I will be playing the triple-A game C Tale of Wuxia 3 C Swords of the Future. I heard that it was tough to play, especially on a computer. Well, Im here to see just how hard it is. A lot of fans were excited by her voice coursing out of their speakers, especially when she had voiced some of their favorite characters. The bullet curtain started getting outnumbered by the flood of presents There were some complaints as well What? That swordsman game, isnt that self-torture? I played one of its prequels. I couldnt even get past the first mini-boss, and was forced to quit! Its a sophisticated, solidly written game. Pretty neat storyline too. But, why does it have to be so hard! Hahahahaha, Ill fetch some popcorn and watch Lady Ah Yu flounder about like a fish out of water. She may be good at LoL, but this is a complicated hack and slash game. It is not gonna be easy People tried to persuade me into playing this game. They asked, hey boy, wanna become a great swordsman? I rushed in to play right after that which idiot would turn down the dream of becoming a swordsman? Then, I soon decided, no. No thanks. I refuse to be this swordsman! I refuse to be this swordsman! +1 I refuse to be this swordsman! I refuse to be this swordsman! Zhao Youyue saw the chain of comments saying C I refuse to be this swordsman! on the bullet screen. It only made her even more curious about the game. It only made her even more eager to show her audience how she conquered this hardcore game. Chapter 463 Sadistic Game Producers With Yu Shengfans character card in hand, Zhao Youyue would be unstoppable. Xiao Yu was not even human. Speaking of which, the gameplay and game screen of this Tale of Wuxia game series, was a bit similar to the game within The Strongest King. Wasnt this effortless for Xiao Yu? Zhao Youyue opened the Tencent gaming platform. This was considered the greatest digital software sales platform within the Chinese sphere of influence. It could easily compete with Steam on equal grounds, and was more powerful than the Wegame that was a part of the Tencent of another world. This was unavoidable, as the other worlds China was basically making Single-Player Games with sticks and stones. Piracy was so rampant that games had even been considered the electronic opium. This had lived up to the King of Thunderbolt C Professor Yangs[1] philosophy. Domestic Single-Player Games were thoroughly unpopular. The money spamming trash online games online games rose to the stage. This was undoubtedly a most pitiful matter. If one wanted triple-A experience[2], he could only find one from foreign games Fortunately, the China gaming industry of this world was very well-developed, especially concerning domestic Single-Player Games. Among them, there was no lack of triple-A level masterpieces. At the same time, the nation provided a platform that was akin to Steam. This was very convenient. Zhao Youyue spent over 200 RMB to purchase Tale of Wuxia 3- Sword of the Future, along with its DLC. Compared to the other Single-Player Games, this price was considered relatively expensive. But compared to those money sucking online games, this was nothing! A few skins within the game King of Glory cost more than a hundred RMB, whereas a gun within the game CrossFire cost 888 RMB! Zhao Youyues computer was cutting-edge and had to be one of the most powerful gaming rigs in the world. She could easily play this game on ultra settings. Of course, this would look great on screen, to the benefit of her stream. Her viewers would be treated to something like a special effects-laden blockbuster! Her internet would make short work of this large-scale download. It would take her no more than half an hour to start things off. The entire game client was not necessary to initialize gameplay. You could start playing with only a quarter of the client, whereby it would continue downloading in the background. For those ten minutes, Zhao Youyue got busy. She first played a violin song for the audiences, which could be considered as a warm-up, and also to satisfy the request of many fans among the bullet curtains. Some fans even asked Zhao Youyue if she would be performing at the classical concert hall again. Her live performances were still the best ever Zhao Youyue certainly could not respond to that. Her future career choice would have to depend on fate. If she truly was Chu Luoxun, she might most likely focus on music. Unfortunately, she was not. She was Zhao Youyue. After she finished performing a song, the audiences spammed a wave of free gifts. Zhao Youyue opened the game Tale of Wuxia 3 C Sword of the Future, brimming with anticipation. Just like many AAA masterpieces, the game opened with a high-quality CGI opening. One of its claims C Ten years in the making C nine years of which had been spent on CG was not just a joke After the games logo splashed across the screen with a boom, she saw an ink painting that looked just like the ancient calligraphy in Wuxia movies unfurling itself. The narrator started booming away Generations passed, throughout the winds and rains, great dominance and grand accomplishments, yet such tales could only be told to the mountain ghosts! Weve taken great pride in our great battles, but lets take one moment to talk about the hundreds of years of the lawless world! About the sword Deity in green, swinging his longsword, uttering his warcry! If I, Li Chungang had not been born, swordsmanship would have been as dim and dull as the dark, long night! Behold, the Swords of the future! The entire screen seemed to be filled with the aura of swords. The scene seemed to be rather grand. It could completely stimulate the players longing to be in the thick of the Wuxia and a lawless world! Zhao Youyue could not help but sigh, This game claims to be an anti-Wuxia production. Werent they proudly announcing on how they were going to be so different from typical Wuxia swordsmen flicks? But look at this opening. Its screaming Wuxia at me The bullet curtain exploded again. Her viewers seemed to be criticizing the game producer, Zha Feng, saying things like how the trailer had been intentionally misleading, how Zha Fengs conspiracy had just begun, how that image at the beginning was all a smokescreen From those words, Zhao Youyue already had a rough idea about the situation. Streaming was really nice. It was like playing a game, while being accompanied by thousands of walking guides and walkthroughs. If she misses anything out, her fans would immediately remind her, and she would walk away all the wiser, benefitting from everything the game could offer. An open world RPG such as this would definitely contain lots of hidden side quests, treasure boxes, and the like. This called for heavy exploration. With the help of the bullet curtain, she would not miss out on any information. The trailer revealed the rough background of the game. This Li Chungang was some sort of legendary figure. This character would not even appear in the game. That no-show had left many players disgruntled. They wanted so badly to experience the elegance and class of this legendary blade Deity. Even more than that, they had been looking forward most eagerly to employing unbelievable skills and abilities, themselves. They did not expect to find only underwhelming skills and abilities throughout the entire game. Players were forced to keep rolling around and avoiding attacks when raiding a boss. They could never entertain the greed of landing just that one more hit before they had to roll away and save their sorry hides Zhao Youyue entered the character creation menu. It allowed her to pick a background and adjust options such as facial appearance. For an aesthetics aficionado such as Zhao Youyue, half an hour would be far from enough for her to tweak about the settings until she produced a goddess. But as things were, she was in the middle of a stream, and she was here to clear the game as soon as possible. Her priorities overcame her almost overwhelming obsessive-compulsive disorder. She randomized a male character, and kept things simple by making him a jarhead. Little did she know that this would affect her gameplay rather significantly! She could not deny it, this sandbox game was somehow unique in its own way She could even choose the origin of her in-game character. That menu had been worded in such a way that she had mistaken it as the difficulty settings. She never expected to see the game starting off with a scene of her entire family being massacred! It was a most shocking, bloody scene. Zhao Youyue could not help but asked, So, no matter what identity I choose, I lose my entire family at the beginning? She was replied with all sorts of yes on the bullet curtain. Even if someone chose to be a member of the royal family, they would only be royally massacred. Within a chaotic world of many countries, wasnt it normal for small nations to be exterminated at will? Now that the entire family was dead, the protagonist certainly would not, and could not die. This also calls for the main quest, to avenge his parents! Wuxia and Vengeance almost always walked hand in hand. It was so prevalent that Wuxia novels could practically be called Revenge novels. Within games, such a theme would be as stale. The protagonist could play a round of Quint cards[3] or something else, long before his revenge Zhao Youyues protagonist hailed from a small village. The first boss was a thief in the mountain. This boss was also called the The Game Quitting Advisor boss. His encounter was unavoidable, his boss fight unskippable. Players had always been critical of this. Where was the promised sandbox open world? As Zhao Youyue started playing the game, she told the audiences that she wanted to walk the path of justice, be a good man, and not take unnecessary lives. As a result, she started encountering Zha Fengs bad intention in no time at all Zhao Youyue was a master of games. She almost leisurely bullied the so-called Game Quitting Advisor boss. In the end, as the thief was beaten to the last drop of his HP, he started begging for mercy. He promised to turn into a new leaf, and never be a thief anymore while begging the protagonist to let him go. Zhao Youyue showed him mercy, and let him go. Finally, she could head out and explore the lawless world In the end, she completed the first main quest, successfully joined the Two Zen Monastery, and returned to the village of her origin, only to find that her village had been slaughtered by the very thief she had once let free. The thief had even built up a Corpse Collection Tower. As she hacked and slashed through the goons, she finally came across the thief again. The thief had laughed in a most dastardly fashion, and had mocked the protagonist for his naive, optimistic ways. He seemed to have become a gang leader, with dozens of subordinates beneath him. If another player had been in Zhao Youyues shoes, he or she would have been doomed. They would be swarmed by the thief boss and his goons, and they could spit on the player to death. Such a player would lose hope in the game, and rampage through the game, as evilly as the game had treated them. He would most certainly commit all forms of murder, never to believe in the words of any villain again But Zhao Youyue sighed and tenderly said, Amitabha, I hereby liberate him of the bondages of his mortal coil and rescue him from the weight of his wrongdoings! Translation Note: [1] King of Thunderbolt Professor Yang C The names Yang Yongxin, the Deputy Dean of The Fourth Hospital of Linyi, which was once known as Linyi Mental Hospital. Hes also the director of the Internet Addiction Treatment Center in Linyi. Hes known as The national expert for internet addiction treatment. He used electric shock as a treatment, and at the same time applying all kinds of mental brainwashing onto the patients. [2] 3A-level C In order for a game to be considered as a 3A-level, it has to at least include the followings: high quality, broad market, great sales, large development team, huge development budget, well-polished audio-visual direction, perfect technical and artistic execution, playable and fully enjoyable within the first five minutes of the gameplay, thoroughly tested, bug free, great usability, continuous and balanced entertainment from the beginning till the end, and also great graphical user interface. A game with the listed features could basically be considered as a 3A-level game. [3] Quint cards C An in-game mini game that can be played anytime, with any NPC. For example, the wife of a NPC is going to be killed. Times running out. That NPC begs for your help, hoping that you can save his wife. Then, at this moment, there will be the conversation options, either choosing to save or not to save. And theres a third option, to play the Quint cards (This is a game setup, as the NPC has a very rare card in hand, and the players can only obtain it by winning the NPC in Quint cards. Players can only choose to play the mini game at this moment to obtain the card, as after the quest is completed, the NPC will disappear for good, and can never be found anymore). Then, when you choose to play the Quint cards, you will find the NPC crying emotionally a second ago, hurrying to rescue his wife, but the next second, he immediately cares about nothingplay the game first. Chapter 464 The Accomplished Eminent Monk C Reckless Kingkong. Zhao Youyue activated the Yu Shengfan character card as she fought against the thief boss and mobs. If not, even with her slightly enhanced gaming skills from longtime exposure of Yu Shengfan, she might have failed dramatically Tale of Wuxia 3 C Swords of the Future was especially harsh on players when they had to fight multiple targets. This was especially true during the early stages, where players would not yet have any access to AoE skills. Players could only defeat their foes one at a time. Charging into the thick of things would only result in certain death. Her fans grew agitated Ah Yus stewing in her own juice. Everyone was screaming at her and going all caps, KILL THE THIEF! She just had to be plain ol merciful Lady Zhao. Look what happened now. Her small village is up in smoke. She may as well end the game here and start over! She should have created a safe point just before she was given the choice to either kill or spare that scumbag. Thats how you leave an emergency backdoor for yourself Hahahaha, Imma sit down and watch Ah Yu get ravaged by Zha Fengs bad intentions! This playthrough is definitely doomed. Its totally unplayable during the early stages. As her viewers continued announcing Zhao Youyues imminent doom, she game like how only Yu Shengfan would, and forcefully turned the situation around, wiping the floor with the enemies who greatly outnumbered her. Unfortunately, the game did not provide an option for her to spare the thief again, for she certainly would have. Thats right. Zhao Youyue had decided to play as a complete pacifist. Even if it only resulted in more innocent lives being slaughtered, it would not matter, she just wanted to spare lives She had deliberately created such an eccentric character. This was the total opposite of Emiya Kiritsugu from the Fate series. Emiya Kiritsugu always chose the path that would save more lives, even if he had to take some along the way. Even if he had to kill his loved ones to save more souls, he would not hesitate to do so. This monk had been affectionately named, Ah Guang by Zhao Youyue. Ah Guang would only kill when left without a choice. Otherwise, he would be merciful and spare everything that lived and breathed, even if it was a devil, let alone a hero. Ah Guang did not keep his pacifistic ideals to himself. He would not even allow anyone to commit any murder before him. He would stop all forms of killing. He soon became the self-appointed ambassador of peace in this evil orientated game. It was the most infuriating playthrough ever. Ah Guang was the rebel of rebels, the maverick of mavericks in this sandbox game. Almost any NPC in this game could be definitively killed, living up to the killing everyone and looting the spoils mindlessness. Guides related to this game had actually encouraged such a path Take a look at NPC xxx, for example. After completing his side quest, that would be it. There would be nothing else to be gained. But if you killed him, he might just drop the xx treasure. It was an extremely rare and useful item, therefore he would be worth killing. If the item does not drop, you could reload from a previous save point and kill the NPC until the treasure drops Zhao Youyue did the total opposite. Suddenly, she became the so-called Annoying Streamer, constantly aggravating viewers with collection OCD. At that moment, Zhao Youyue had used her gaming skills to pull off an extremely difficult counter-kill. The live broadcast room went up in a gale of volcanic tornadoes. The viewers incessantly spammed 666 on the bullet curtain. They had to admit it C she had skills! The games graphics were groundbreaking. To a certain extent, that ridonkulous counter-kill just now was no different from watching a great action movie. The viewers were treated to a sight they never expected, even by Zhao Youyues streaming standards. After Zhao Youyue finally finished defeating this thief boss, she unlocked an achievement called C Only the strong have the right to be Madonna. It was an orange-colored achievement, representing relatively high rarity. Obviously, this achievement could only be obtained if the player lets the thief go, and then survives the second encounter later. An orange-colored achievement referred to achievements that were obtained from desperate situations. The player either obtains the achievement, or they die while attempting to earn it. Many guides strongly discouraged players from such a masochistic route, as this achievement was rather useless and served little purpose. It was nothing like the purple rare achievements, which granted players exclusive skills and weapon rewards. Other than orange and purple achievements, there were gold, silver, bronze. Those were the three types of normal achievements. These achievements were far easier to obtain, as long as you complete the many side quests and explored the map thoroughly. Obviously, orange achievements were limited to highly skilled players. They were mostly used for bragging rights, if any. Zhao Youyue had created a baldy for herself. It was relatively easier to trigger many flags of the game as a monk. Monks were also a tanky, melee profession within the game. Controlling them was relatively easy, compared to the rest of the game, which is still a handful for most. This job relied on being recklessly aggressive. It was rather forgiving, and had a generous margin of error Therefore, when such a simplistic, efficient character fell into the hands of Zhao Youyue, who was a a God-like player, it was a smooth sailing combination that ensured a smooth-sailing journey from thereon. Her gaming experience had been most pleasant! Zhao Youyue even changed the live broadcast rooms name to The accomplished eminent monk completing the first round of Tale of Wuxia C Swords of the Future with zero damage. Which part of this game was difficult? Which part of this lawless world was cruel? Very few players had even attempted to play like Zhao Youyue. As she picked up her momentum and gained even more fame for this exemplary gameplay, the games hardcore community soon gave her the exclusive nickname C Reckless Kingkong. Everyone felt that her lets play was fresh, exciting, and invigorating. When it came to this game, many still pursued the path of the swordsman. After all, there was that Sword of the Future within the games name. You just have to play as a swordsman, shouldnt you? However, Zha Fengs conspiracy made its appearance again. No matter which swordsman class or specialty you took, they all required an extremely high level of skill to pull off. On top of that, they were fragile and had very little HP. They were basically paper planes in a dogfight Zha Feng was indeed a staunch, anti-Wuxia denouncer. In the hearts of many, the very soul of Wuxia was to explore the lawless world with sword in hand. In the end, you made swordsmen the weakest, toughest job to play? Why must you play with our feelings like that? As she gamed on, Zhao Youyue soon discovered a new system of the game. After she completed a side quest called The Samsara Palace, she learned of the Invasion system, which involved the player invading the worlds of others. Of course, this opened her own world up to other invaders. If she wanted to, she could even invade another world, and choose to help that worlds native inhabitant by fighting off other invaders. This was the PVP, multi-player aspect of the game. But with this game being what it was, you would soon realize that the PVP in this game was much easier than the PVE After completing The Samsara Palace quest, players were able to exchange all kinds of items such as skills, elixirs. This was monotonous, repetitive, and weighed your heart heavily, right? Thats right. This was the endless cycle! Zha Feng had skillfully masked the online mode behind the endless cycle fluff! Zhao Youyue was not the type to invade and grieve others. Some players or NPCs would invade her (Some NPCs were also members of the Samsara Palace to complete some quests, inadvertently clashing blades with your controlled character.) When that happened, she would most certainly use her skillful Reckless Kingkong to deliver the greatest beatdown of the century on them. Zhao Youyue remained focused C mainly on moving through the main storyline quests while completing some sideline quests of certain important characters. She ignored the optional quests that provided skills and artifacts. She did not really have much use for them anyway, not when she was walking away from the corpses of bosses that she had bullied to death, completely unscathed, with nothing but a pair of palms, a set of Arhat Boxing skills, and the defensive Kungfu style C Impenetrable Defense. Chapter 465 All Sorts of Female Characters Theoretically speaking, Tale of Wuxia 3 C Swords of The Future could be played for an infinite number of loops, first round, second round, third round There were many endings for the main storyline quest. It was almost like a galgame. Different choices would lead to different endings. You could even end up being alone forever. You could also end up as one half of an enviable, perfect couple with the first heroine. Of course, that meant giving up the second heroine. As Zhao Youyue had found her ownpath to monkhood gameplay, romance with females would be the least of her concerns C or the concerns of a monk, at least. She may not be interested in the female characters, but this did not stop those female characters from falling in love with Ah Guang, no thanks to his monkness, as such a path would lead him to inevitably helping everyone and everything C and that included these female characters. Zhao Youyues main storyline quest concluded in a rather balanced ending that was neither good nor bad. He did not choose to murder the tyrant of a particular country, leaving people to continue suffering from extreme hardship. Even so, where one tyrant falls, another would rise to take its place. Such was human nature. On the other hand, there were evil spirits of all sorts that roamed about. Of this sort, Ah Guang spared no mercy whatsoever. In the end, Ah Guang chose to remain guard at the doorway where all evil spirits emerged from The Abyss Vault. This doorway was more like a crack that had opened up on the membrane that separated dimensions. Monsters and spirits had conquered the world on the other side of the crack, and they now had their eyes on Ah Guangs realm. It was there, where Ah Guang made the noblest of all vows. He swore to never ascend into Buddhahood, as long as this hell was not purged of all evil. Zhao Youyue had taken five days to accomplish such an end. She spent at least twelve hours per day. Throughout her gameplay, she had completely ignored unessential, optional side quests. She had yet to collect many, many other achievements. This spoke of how grand a scale this game had been built upon. The game did not skimp on CGI-laden cutscenes, and flaunted them at every opportunity they had. The music was even more invigorating. In the end, Ah Guang made such a choice. Many viewers in the live broadcast room commented on the bullet curtain Im inexplicably touched. It looks like Lady Ah Yu wasnt just messing around. I didnt expect Ah Guang to actually become the monk of the generation. He even chose to guard the Abyss Vault Even if its just a game, I find it almost impossible to close your heart to that level. Ive seen so many guides and walkthroughs, and they all taught the players how to achieve a Harem ending. This is truly a good game. After watching Lady Ah Yus stream, Ive decided to get myself a copy and play according to the guide! Zha Fengs games are all masterpieces. His set of worldview is quite interesting, especially that set up for Samsara Palace. Unfortunately, the skills demanded are just a little too ahead of our current generation Thats how you get players to take things seriously. Theres a degree of reality there. If the game is nothing but a mess of flurries and screen-wide lights and sounds, players wont feel much. I thought I was watching a fully fleshed-out, impactful, action movie! After Zhao Youyue finished playing the game, she even found herself the official novelization of the Tale of Wuxia series to read. She found that it was unsurprisingly cliche. Wuxia novels rarely differentiated from one another. This novelization had been told from the first person perspective, but there was no main protagonist, only a rather extensive lead cast. The first and second heroines within the game were members of this cast. The plot revolved around them, and they told the story through their personal insights and perspective. Hoewever, Zhao Youyue thought that the heroines had been written rather stereotypically, be it the first heroine Cheng Shan, or the second heroine Luo Siqi. Cheng Shan was a strong woman. Within this chaotic world, she had been orphaned early in her life. She had been brought up and almost indoctrinated as a suicide, frontline infantry. She carved her path through the martial world with her sword. At the same time, she was immensely loyal to Da Chu C the country she was born in She did everything for Da Chu. I would rather die fighting for justice, than live in humiliation! Even so, those words did little to prevent Da Chu from being wiped off the map. Well, that was rather embarrassing. This gave way for painful choices and sad endings within the game. If you chose not to save the first heroine, she would almost certainly die for her country. If you saved her, there would be a big side quest that involved reclaiming her country. The second heroine, Luo Siqi was the daughter of a wealthy family within the Kingdom of Jin, a small country at a corner of the map. She had longed to explore the lawless world since childhood, and was ditsy, innocent, and naive. She got her wish, and entered that hostile world, only to swiftly have her dreams smashed to pieces. The lawless world was truly too dangerous! It was not as beautiful as she had imagined. Fortunately, the protagonist was within the game, albeit it had to be a protagonist who completed the quest C the Hero saves the Beauty. Thanks to the sadistic difficulty level of the game we often get the Hero failed to save the Beauty outcome, instead. Sometimes the beauty dies, sometimes we even get a Hero failed to save the Beauty and himself situation This sidequest did not just sit there and allow you to take your time. If you did not go to the Kingdom of Jin by XX year, only going after you think you have sufficient power, you would only find out that the second heroine Luo Siqi had either died for a very long time, or she had been taken to other countries to be a slave of sorts, and her many, many offsprings were already running all over the map! Some players furiously marked this down as one of Zha Fengs bad intentions. He was practically forcing you to risk your life and conquer this sidequest. How could you possibly wait until you were strong enough to save this heroine? These generic females aside, the new DLC introduced a new, female supporting character C Ye Honglian. Ye Honglian had once appeared in a previous work, before the Tale of Wuxia series. She may be known as the Deity Honglian, but she was an evil woman who killed people without a blink. Triggering her sidequest either led the player down her path, or led her to turn over a new leaf, following the noble players way These female characters had far more screentime, compared to the female characters from many other minor sidequests, which often led to one-night stands. After all, this was a lawless world. You could f*ck around and f*ck just about anything you fancied. Besides, there were brothels scattered throughout various countries, and in varying spheres of influence. Some players would never fail to drop by the brothel first C during each visit to a new country. It was said that after a player f*cks all the prostitutes within the game, he would unlock an achievement called the Cannon Lord of the Lawless World. With so many female characters and large-scale CGIs within the game, it was clear that this was a male-centric game. Of course, female characters were not exempt from love lines either. Of course, those love lines had to be of the girl-on-girl nature. That would be what we call the hidden Lily line[1] Unfortunately, Zha Feng never provided any gay lines or routes. The game had decided on Zhao Youyues behalf that her monk was a downright upright, straight guy. Zha Feng must have been looking down on female gamers, belittling their gamer spirits. In addition to their timid character, they could never appreciate the beauty of his cruel, dark world. Female players within this game may be just as scarce as he had imagined, but so were the male players. For such a well-made, triple-A masterpiece, it barely covered the cost of its own production. Expecting to profiteer from this? Impossible! Zha Feng, the idealistic game producer,who had unpopular but stoic pursuits and principles of his own, did not make games for business (mostly because he was rich as it is), but to share his thoughts and opinions with the world. He cared little about how well his games did. Right now, Zha Feng was in the process of making the second DLC of the game. He was also fixing bugs and flaws in parts of the game, while also preventing cheaters from fleeing from his ruthless bullying Those who were familiar with Zha Feng knew that this entire DLC would be centered around yet another female character, and players would be able to raid her, leaving everyone happy! Zha Feng practiced a hands-on approach when it came to developing new plotlines. His company had an entire department that dedicated their energy into plot development. He would work closely with this department, leaving them to elaborate on his ideas on Wuxia, even if those ideas sometimes led to his bad interests Translation Note: [1] Lily line C A concept under ACGN realm, which refers to the innocent, pure love relationship between females, but does not entirely equate to lesbianism. Chapter 466 New Ideas Of course, DLCs contained male characters as well. Compared to the generic female characters, some male characters were actually rather interesting. For example, take Li Xiye, who was given the nickname Pretentious King by players. This guy was said to be related to the legendary character Li Chungang. Li Chungang had already disappeared into obscurity, acting as the part-time narrator of the game. Li Xiye had received Li Chungangs inheritance. Unfortunately, his sword skills were worlds apart from Li Chungangs. However, considering the fact that the entire game was filled with poorly-skilled characters, Li Xiyes swordsmanship was contrastively spectacular. Many players found this Pretentious King particularly displeasing. They often chose to kill him and steal his treasure. In the end, they only ended up being thoroughly beaten by Li Xiyes superb swordsmanship to the point that they would begin doubting their meaning of life. Why was this Li Xiye called the Pretentious King? This was because he always gave people a lonely master vibe. The officials had introduced Li Xiye as such. He stood alone, in the lawless world, with his superb swordsmanship as his only companion. He was icy-cold, and preferred to wander about like a hermit, away from the thick of things. He was solemn and serious. He treats swords as his life. When he killed, he would kill his foes in a flash of light. He considered killing people as an art of his own. He often stood upright, marked by his long, spry body. He would often be clad in green, making his blackened sword stand out all the more, where it hung from his hip, with a green backdrop behind it. It was dark, long, narrow, and ancient. Length-wise, it was three feet, seven inches, and weighted 7.13pounds. When one reaches the realm of the Gods, he would discard his humanity, even against his own will. This was why he felt no remorse, nor did he concern himself over the events of the world. When ones swordsmanship reaches the realm of the Gods, he would be deprived of all witnesses. This was because those who were lucky to see it would have all died. When one reaches a certain level of solitude, he could no longer be called solitary. This was because his soul had been unified, and he walked as a crowd in a single body. Li Xiye seldom spoke. If a player played rather passively, he would end up as friends with Li Xiye. This opened up the avenue for quests that could be cleared together with Li Xiye. As expected, this almost granted players a guaranteed, sleeping victory However, this guy Li Xiye, who had been given the nickname God of Swords, while being one of the Top 10 Masters at such a young age, only riled players up Motherf*cker, Li Xiye has robbed me of my chance to pretend being awesome for once! Players might find it comforting to know that Li Xiye had not robbed them of all the girls. He only cared about swords Swords were his life. He was the archetypical swordsman within the Wuxia novels. If the Wuxia novelist Gu Long lived in this world, he would probably be called Ximen Chuixue[1]. When Zhao Youyue played this game, she considered the character Li Xiye to be rather interesting. He gave people a cold and ruthless vibe, and no one had ever seen him smile before, but he was very reliable. It was most enjoyable to be able to bring him along, slaying demons and monsters together. Zhao Youyue had forcefully reduced this ambitious Wuxia franchise into a game like Diablo 2, where one would only be killing monsters without shedding a single drop of human blood. There was something worth mentioning. It would not have been easy to convince this Hermit-like Li Xiye to tag along for some mindless monster slaying. Along the way, there would be many highly difficult quests that first had to be completed. Sleeping victories did not just drop from the sky. Some of these highly difficult quests involved the collecting of some orange-rated achievements. That alone spoke volumes of how difficult it actually was to earn this not-so-sleeping victory. Fenghuo Gaming Company building was located at the highly-priced real estate zone in Shanghai. As the master planner and producer, and also the chairman of the company, Zha Feng was currently immersed in brainstorming for new ideas within the tranquility and privacy of his office. Zha Feng was in his thirties. He was slightly pudgy, and had above average looks. He carried himself with elegance and nobility that befitted his tycoon family status. For a time, in the confusing void of his youth, he had been without direction nor ambition. After marriage, he acquired a new raison detre, and that was to make Single-Player Games! Zha Fengs Fenghuo Gaming Company, not only produced niche, hardcore games like the Tale of Wuxia series, but other Single-Player Games that sold rather well. Games such as the Tale of Wuxia series were obviously not meant for profiteering, at least in the material sense. They did garner loads of reputation for Zha Fengs company. Every year, during the selection of Single-Player Games awards, his games would almost always get nominated. Zha Feng put all his heart and soul into each of his creations. He could not care any less about some peers who did not understand his thoughts. Because he was rich! With money, he could pursue feelings, love, polishing games to perfection, all while gaining a cult following! The peace and silence was shattered by one of Zha Fengs assistants who burst into his office, and reported happily to him, Boss, great news! The recent sales of Tale of Wuxia 3 have spiked through the roof! Zha Feng looked up, pushing his black frame glasses up the bridge of his nose, and asked dubiously, Whats going on? That series doesnt sell for no reason. The assistant answered, Word is out there, where some great streamer on Douyu completed the game after only five days of playing. She did not seem that excited, but her playstyle definitely riled her viewers up, and many of them reportedly bought the game out of impulse Zha Fengs face dawned with mild curiosity. After asking for the details pertaining to this anomaly, he got on his computer and started watching Ah Yus recorded video clip that had been uploaded onto Bilibili. He did not expect to get glued to the entire playthrough. Throughout the entire process, he found himself rubbing his chin repeatedly, wondering if he had made his game a little too easy. Someone actually cleared his brainchild in such reckless, aggressive fashion? It was not like he still practiced the art of deliberately injecting bad intentions here and there, mainly because he considered the current difficulty just enough to balance the sales of the game to its cost. He may not be making such games for money, but he did not make them to suffer losses either This female streamer C Ah Yu had left quite a deep impression on Zha Feng. He had even searched for more information related to Ah Yu. When he learned that she was also a VA, his heart skipped a beat. He might just reach out to cooperate with her in future. The games female characters certainly needed capable VAs to voice act for them as well. Ah Yus beauty went right past his deep, contemplative eyes. He had already long passed the age of being obsessed with beauty. Or perhaps he had fallen out of sync with the worldwide standards of beauty, having been without any for such a lengthy period. He actually preferred his own female creations But unfortunately, due to the low number of iconic Wuxia novels in this world, he had been left with little to no templates to refer to. If not, the heroine and sideline plots of his game would most certainly end up being more attractive! Zha Feng could not deny that Ah Yus monk gameplay had given him some new ideas. This robust, efficient, minimalistic character build had given him a fresh outlook. At the same time, his noble, steadfast heart and zen-like mentality were surprisingly touching to watch! Should he create a stoic, female Taoist for the upcoming DLC? Her tagline would be I swear that Im willing to study for another three hundred years, until Ive memorized the law of heaven and earth by heart! Thats right. The female character in the first DLC was an evil female who killed people without the slightest flicker of her eyelids. It made perfect sense to have a righteous, unyielding, divine-like Deity for the second DLC! Lets have the protagonist raid this Deity, only to have her end up being killed by the plot. Tsk tsk, that would be wholesome. That would be satisfyingly sad, wouldnt it? All of a sudden, the malicious Zha Feng became intoxicated with inspiration Translation Note: [1] Ximen Chuixue C A swordsman character written by the Wuxia novelist Gu Long. Li Xiye is a carbon copy of this character. Chapter 467 Still Starting off as a Passerby Zha Fengs intoxication was of his own doing. After all, Zhao Youyue had yet to reach in and rearrange the innards of his world. She was obediently clearing Tale of Wuxia 3 C Swords of The Future for the first time ever, in the shortest amount of time she could come up with. She had done so to familiarize herself with this world, from the plotline, to the various characters inside. In that case, it would be convenient for her to participate and meld into the lore. This time, Zhao Youyue truly intended to create a character. She was drop-dead serious about this instance. This work seemed to have great potential, and a culmination that would result in an iconic character was very liable. She even hoped to make an unforgettable plotline to all players, making the entire work to become a Godly masterpiece! Zhao Youyue could not deny that she really liked this game, after clearing the game once. This work had a soul and its creators love could be clearly felt through it. It only had the crippling misfortune of being based off the cliche, overused, industrialized Wuxia genre. But even so, this game was still very playable. It was quite easy to get addicted to the game. Zhao Youyue had a powerful imaginative mind in her own right. If she really creates an iconic character, what kind of ability would she obtain this time? It shouldnt be a problem for her to master various martial arts. But unfortunately, many martial arts within this Tale of Wuxia 3 were restricted to fists and legs. In a Wuxia world, those were considered low-level skills. Even if Zhao Youyue sets up herself to be invincible within the game, the greatest martial artists in reality would be downed by a single bullet Anyhow, she would still be able to defend herself far better than before, whatever the outcome was. At least she would be able to fight her way out of any unforeseen circumstances. Who would expect a pampered Lady of a rich family to have such vigorous skills and movements, especially when it came to tumbling about? And being invincible while doing so? That was how the game had been set. Rolling or tumbling gameplays, paired with devastating strikes were a trending pair. Players should never let greed get the better of them and attempt landing some extra hits. Even if one strove to be as reckless and aggressive as humanly possible, there were still some basic laws to follow. That night, Zhao Youyue finally entered the literary world of the game through her (sometimes) trusty Two Dimensional Gate. She immediately saw a fresh face among the female characters that she could possess. She was a gorgeous, righteous Deity. This righteous Deitys name was Yan Qingmeng. She was a female Taoist student. She had almost been fully fleshed out, be it skills or personality, including the upcoming interactions between her and the players. Zhao Youyue had some ideas. It looks like this Yan Qingmeng was similar to Ye Honglian from the first DLC. She was probably the heroine within the second DLC, and was raidable. However, based on producer Zha Fengs unique personality, a good ending was probably impossible. He loved fabricating fancy tragedies. He loved the sound of shattering players hearts. Zhao Youyue was already starting to like this Yan Qingmeng. She had been decently set up. However, she did not know why this character strongly reminded her of Shi Feixuan from Twin Brothers. Shi Feixuan was also a righteous Deity. She also fell deeply in love with the protagonist. She could definitely be considered an iconic female character In the end, as the Doujinshis about Twin Brothers gradually increased, the reputation of Shi Feixuan and her pure, holy clan C Cihang Jingzhai had been thoroughly ruined. Cihang Jingzhai soon became Cihang Brothel. The evil woman Wan Wan beaten Shi Feixuan up instead, and became the most popular female character among many Doujinshi novels. Without a doubt, Shi Feixuan and Cihang Jingzhai garnered much criticism. But the greatest criticism was probably not to give guys a f*ck. Also, she only wanted Li Shimin. Many readers were very dissatisfied about that. They had substituted themselves as Kou Zhong, Xu Ziling. They had the desire to change history as well. In the end, Huang Yi still insisted to keep history unchanged. Upon a second glance at Yan Qingmengs setup, this character was raising far too many red flags. She kept droning on about benevolence and morality, and to be compassionate towards people. Yet, she made no moves of her own. Knowing this game, players probably had to complete those missions on her behalf, buying her favorability. Even so the rewards did not seem very promising Something told her that the players would be discarded as spare tires by a green tea b*tch[1] Maybe this was exactly the Deity, Goddess in the producers mind? Zhao Youyue was now less convinced that Yan Qingmeng would grant her a sleeping victory. If she directly possessed on this heroine, she might get cheated. She might as well choose an obscure passerby character. She could move more freely, and proceed with the plot in mind, eventually creating an iconic female character. Who knows, in a sandbox game, anything might happen, and the popularity of Zhao Youyues possessee might gain the opportunity to completely exceed the popularity of the heroine C Yan Qingmeng. Of course, this character would not be raidable. Players would never be able to obtain her. The unattainable treasure was always the best and unforgettable one Zhao Youyue started to search for a female character who was delegated to a more passerby-like role. Very soon, she found a satisfying passerby character the Princess Su of the Kingdom of Zhao. She did not even have a name. Should she just call her Jane Doe Su? This princess was truly a passerby. She had once appeared in the earlier stages of the game. However, players could not even converse with her. This character seemed to be purely created, only to add some substance to the royal members of the Kingdom of Zhao. Her base character model was almost baseline generic Zhao Youyue chose this Su character because she had a lot of room to play around with. Her identity as a royal princess was almost laughable. She directly possessed this Su character, who was only a passerby princess. She had a surname, but no name. She started to work on her background. She was the daughter of the tyrant, Su Hu. But her mum was a sword princess who swung her sword for Su Hu, only to pay with her life. She could only watch helplessly as her mum was abused by the tyrant to death. This had cast a great shadow in her young mind. Along with that shadow, the seeds of vengeance had been sown in her heart. An iconic character most certainly needed a dark, tragic past. If not, this character would lose its depth The passerby Jane Doe Su had a sword as her sole companion. Whether she was afraid, in fear, numb, she chose to entrust all of them onto her Flying-Rainbow Sword. She had inherited this relic from her mum. She had great potential for swordsmanship, but she could not even fathom the magnitude of what she had taught herself, or if she had even mastered anything. After all, if one could not see the ceiling, or had no gauge to compare oneself to, one would not know how proficient one truly was. One day, she finally relied on her sword skills to leave the palace that had left her countless dark memories. Since then, she was no longer Jane Doe Su. She was not willing to even use the surname Su, anymore. She had no name, no past, and had no future. She only had a complete set of sword skills. Her sword was the only thing that would never betray her. A legend soon made its way throughout the lawless world. There was a nameless wandering swordswoman. She possessed unparalleled swordsmanship that resembled a dance, called Fairy from Wonderland. Many people started arguing, whether the God of Sword Li Xiyes swordsmanship was stronger, or if this nameless wandering swordswomans swordsmanship was actually better Translation Note: [1] Green tea b*tch C It refers to the kind of girl who seems to be pure and elegant, having a fluttering long hair, having natural beauty, pretending to be delicate and charming, unharmful, preferring a peaceful life yet encountering lots of sickness and disasters, being very sentimental. But in fact, shes very scheming, playing with others feelings behind the scenes. [2] Fairy from Wonderland C Fairy from the wonderland is a skill from a TV series The Little Fairy which is a 2006 Chinese television series based on the legend of the Fairy Couple during the Han Dynasty. Chapter 468 Bringing Some Warmth to the World Zhao Youyue was not very familiar with the usual process game productions. Thus, her act of performing a major change on a side-character this time would not go unnoticed. There was probably a high chance that the creator would censor it away It could not be helped. She was completely unfamiliar with the producer Zha Feng. She was not even sure if he was the screenwriter of the game. Who would react to all her actions in the game world? Who would get intoxicated? She remained uncertain about this. However, Zhao Youyue was neither timid nor indecisive. She would try to direct the story in accordance to the personality of her ideal character as much as possible. In the end, only fate determined if the producer of the game adapted to her changes. At that moment in the game world, she had successfully left the dark Kingdom of Zhao palace. The personality she set for Jane Doe was also completely out of tune with the atmosphere of the game - - she was a true, genuine knight. Zhao Youyue had learned more about this game. Many players thought that it was a waste to put the word knight in the game name. This game harbored no knights. Everyone was calculative, manipulative, and selfish. As long as they had the strength, they would bully the weak. Even players were commonly playing as such! Many players focused on killing others and looting their treasures. Of course, after completing specific quests, they would turn around and kill the NPC. It was really mean, but fun. This was somewhat similar to the game The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim. Upon completing a quest you could turn around and kill the NPC. Oh, the spoils and riches. The free gifts. Tale of Wuxia 3 also had the same settings. As long as you had the heart for it, you could even kill the heroine off. Here, killing off some girls was the way of life! However, the difficulty of Tale of Wuxia 3 restricted the freedom of the players. Of course, they could choose to start a fight with the NPC, but if they were not skilled enough, all they could do was to watch the NPC flay the skin off their bones. This was especially the case with players who wanted to obtain the sword of the Sword God Li Xiye. Although they have been killed by Li Xiye countless times, many players enjoyed it so much they were not bored of dying yet That was just how players were. To them, a game was just a game. Even if the game world was a dark, nasty place, they would not be bothered. In the game world, most of them were emotionless scumbags. Zhao Youyue hoped that her character would bring change to the tone of the game and potentially influence some players. This would be the motherlode of all challenges she had in the past. In this game world where there were no real knights, Zhao Youyue chose to be a knight. What was a knight? A knight was someone who was capable of helping people who were weaker than them without expecting anything in return. Knights existed to serve the country and the people! This game world was ruthless. Natural disasters, man-made disasters, wars, demons, ghosts, you name it. It had everything! Previously, whenever Zhao Youyue played games, she often took the typical side quests. It was those types of quests where you had to help some villagers find their relatives and such. In this game, she would only find a shoe attached to a severed leg or something All in all, even the quests of this game were nasty. You can only end with a bad ending, or a not so bad ending. Anyhow, most of the people lived in conditions worse than those of pigs and dogs. Even so, players still rummaged through their houses in search of stuff. They even looted their rotten meat. Now, Zhao Youyue walked in this game world. She decided to create a character that could bring a little warmth to this dark, miserable world, even though this nameless girl had once lived an equally miserable life. She had experienced a terrible childhood. This girl knew few words, knew no friends, but she knew her sword. This girl was all action and no words. She sort of lived by the saying, when theres a will, theres a way This girl was not even aware that what she did was heroic. She did not even know that word. She simply wanted to help the weak. The girl did not know what love was. She was not an idealist who was looking for the right way of living. She was also not trying to save the whole world. She just chose to use her sword to do something in her power, no matter how insignificant they might be Of course, there was one thing the girl could not forget. That was - - patricide. As long as a player is slightly knowledgeable about history, they should be able to tell that Shi Hu was the archetype of the character Su Hu, the tyrant. Shi Hu was not so much of a tyrant as he was a pervert. If anyone went to search it up on Baidu casually, they would know how cruel he was. Throughout the game, there would be various scenes that demonstrated how tyrannical he was. Even though there was a saying that goes even a vicious tiger would not eat its cubs, Shi Hu did not hesitate to murder his son So, whether it was for the sake of her mother, who was tortured to death, or for the sake of all the people of the Kingdom of Zhao, the nameless girl would still choose to commit crimes. The girl was not incapable of thinking critically. She had always been accumulating power silently. This was not a world where everyone was highly skilled, after all. Every person had their limits. The girl went about, helping others, without expecting anything in return, in the hope that one day, she could meet someone who would do the same for her. In that case, she would even lay down her life for this person. In sandbox games like this one, a new map would appear with every new DLC. Zhao Youyue had also used Jane Does identity to create a nameless city, which was a paradise amidst the cruel, troubled world. This city had been built from the ground up, using the money she had accumulated through accepting and completing various tasks that had been entrusted to her. She slew demons and banished devils. She lived on the edge. The orphans that she rescued in the process of helping others would also be sent to the nameless city However, nobody would ever know who built this nameless city, because the girl would always disappear without a trace C immediately after her job there was done. She would remain anonymous, uncredited. The nameless city would be a new thing in the game. There would be no rewards for the completion of quests originating from that city. Only the players who were the most bored would attempt the quests. As they continue to spam the quests, they would be able to obtain more information about the girl. Otherwise, they would make the wrong choices and tread wrongly around the girl when they finally meet, only to regret it for their whole lives. In the gaming world, Zhao Youyues first encounter with the players would be when they were on the verge of death. The players would definitely feel that they have met an angel! This may not be a pretty angel, as she would be wrapped up in gray rags and only wielded a single sword, it did not matter. As Zhao Youyue hoped that this character would leave a deep impression on the players, she had to interact with them. The story behind this character would only thoroughly torture the players C if she manages to get into their hearts beforehand! The moment players are placed in a hero saved by a beauty situation, they would finally believe that the producer Zha Feng had finally found his conscience. He has finally shown the mercy of Zha Feng. However, when they discover the ending for this nameless girl, they would soon learn that they had been too naive! The mercy of Zha Feng? Nonexistent! Only the wickedness of Zha Feng had eternal existence! Chapter 469 : Just Kill to get Some Equipment First As Zhao Youyue passionately shaped Jane Doe Su in the game world, the real world started adapting to her changes. The game producer Zha Feng really became intoxicated for real this time The storyline of the game did not depend solely on Zha Feng. There were other screenwriters in the Fenghuo Gaming Company. Sometimes, they also cooperated with other well-known, freelance scriptwriters. It was said that Zha Feng really admired Gen Urobuchi, a scriptwriter from Japan. He felt that Urobuchi was a soldier of love who could bring love into this cruel and miserable game, so that the players would always remember it. Apart from the storyline, Zha Feng was responsible for other things like the worldbuilding, gameplay, technical settings of the game and so on. Zha Feng was the reason behind the freakish difficulty of this game. He was the one to blame. According to him, this would allow the players to experience the most realistic and cruel Jianghu[1] experience For the players, realistic and cruel or whatever, all of it was a trap. Even if they completed the tutorial, the combat of the game would still be dastardly difficult! Zha Fengs storylines were also the deepest and most tortuous. Whenever he got to creating, he always wrote it from the POV of the player-controlled character. Hence, now that he was intoxicated, he almost felt as if he had personally entered his own game world. He became a man called Zha Feng. Zha Feng soon became a part of Jianghu, and a martial artist too, at that. For ordinary folk, the so-called Jianghu members were often nefarious and unpleasant. They were unproductive, aggressive and fierce. Sometimes, they would even come fully armed and casually rob the people in the village in an oppressive manner. Of course, all factions and sides of things had their own exceptions. The nobler variety of Jianghu members were equivalent to mercenaries who accepted various quests for payments. They could even be regarded as hunters. Many relied on the Jianghu people and the martial artists to deal with the devils and monsters that were dangerous and harmful to the human race. After all, people like priests or monks were also regarded as people of the Jianghu. In fact, most players would accept the quests, because they were exactly that C quests. As long as they completed it, they would be rewarded. Perhaps, they could even get the best sword in the village The main questline of the players was also a process of accepting quests and completing quests. The quests also unlock more of the storyline. After all, players had to find out more about themselves, get revenge for their loved ones, and the usual. They had to first do something for some elites, the influential people. Only then, would they receive some information. Of course, there were also some players who threatened and blackmailed their way through. As long as they were bold and skilled enough, they could easily have the elites by a thread. Of course, they had to be prepared, as the elites might retaliate. Naturally, if they do, it would turn into a fierce battle. Rumors had it that owning more orange coded achievements would always result in one having tough fights with many powerful elites. Generally, when players spoke to an NPC, there would often be four options to choose from. All four choices had different attitudes. The fourth option would always be in such a tone - - Hey, hey, you better quietly listen to grandpa, or Ill kill you! Naturally, after saying something like this, a battle would ensue, unless the player was dealing with an NPC that was inherently weak in nature. As long as they beat the NPC, or even kill the NPC, they could continue to obtain more hints on where they should head to for their next quest. So, in a sense, players would still be able to progress through the storyline by killing and killing all the way. Otherwise, they would have to accept the NPC quests and help them do a little something or kill some monsters Currently, in the game world, Zha Feng was taking a more conventional route. He accepted any quests that he came across. After all, many NPCs were powerful. If he wanted to progress through the plot by killing his way through, it would probably be way more difficult than just accepting quests. This game gave the players the feeling that people were more difficult to kill, compared to monsters! Zha Feng was currently hunting a group of undead curs. If he fought them one at a time, all would have been well. However, if he provoked a group of them, death was more than a certainty However, players always made mistakes. He inadvertently provoked a group of curs. He found himself completely surrounded. Escape was not possible. He watched his own HP bar plummet. Snow fell from the sky. As it was already evening, his surroundings were rather dark, setting a rather depressing tone to the scene! As he was currently intoxicated and seemed to have actually entered the game world, for the first time, Zha Feng felt that he had really gone a little overboard in creating these little critters that attacked in a group However, just as he was resigned to the death-respawn-repeat cycle, a plainly dressed young girl appeared. The most noticeable part of her body was the sword attached to her waist. The sword looked like a sword that was used for performance arts. It did seem threatening in the least. However, when the girl drew the sword, the entire world turned into the dawning of a new day! Without hesitation, the girl rushed into the group of undead curs. She danced swiftly with her sword, slashing through them like the wind. She had put her life on the line to protect a complete stranger. At that moment, Zha Fengs eyes saw nothing but the girl who danced ever so gracefully with her sword. He had no idea why such a character would appear in his own game world. A phrase that he had always lived by was precisely this - - you cannot be selfish to the point where you think that others are not selfish. Out of all the NPCs that he has created, almost every single one had been self-serving. They probably only treated the players amicably when there was an equivalent exchange. For example, the sword god Li Xiye indeed acknowledged the potential of the players. He also believed that the players could serve as his swords whetstone. Thus, he would not mind helping some players at certain times, but he never did it for free. Other NPCs were worse than Li Xiye. They treated players like tools. When they have drained all the value out of the player, they eventually discarded them All in all, this world was filled with wickedness. Fortunately, the players were only playing a game; it was not the real world. Such a world would have only driven the players to insanity! For players, the more depressing the game was, the more they wanted to use violence to rebel and destroy. It was addictive! However, in such a dark, miserable, depressing world, someone that actually took the initiative to come out and save the other players had appeared. Wasnt this heartwarming? In an attempt to save him, Zha Feng watched the gray-clad girl get injured before his own eyes. Then, he did something that many players would do - - Firstly, he saved the game file. Then, he lobbed off the head of the young girl who had just rescued him, to see if she had any loot. The sword hanging off the girls waist was gorgeous. It was most probably a godly weapon He read its flavor text - - Flying Rainbow Sword (+0), a sword used to perform sword dances, not designed for killing. It was clean equipment[2]. ______________________________________________________________________ Translation note : [1] Jianghu (lit. rivers and lakes) is the community of martial artists in wuxia stories and, more recently, outlaw societies like the Triads. [2] Clean equipment () refers to the equipment in games that still have their default stats, untouched, not scrolled, enhanced, or upgraded before. Chapter 470 Peerless Master Cant Even Beat Curs As previously mentioned, the difficulty of Tale of Wuxia 3 was rather perverted, especially when a person fought against a group of enemies. Whether this group of enemies was made up of humans or monsters, players that chose to fight on would often end up dying miserably. You could only isolate them and kill them off, one at a time. It was like a quote from Dark Souls III, which said, its hard for two fists to beat four hands C even a strong man cant take on a group, even the Soul of Cinder cant beat a pack of dogs Soul of Cinder was the boss in Dark Souls III. Battling a boss solo was far more difficult than fighting a group of enemies. From this, anyone would understand why this game was so enjoyable. Moreover, they would be able to understand more about what a low-skilled world was. If it was a high-skilled world, how could a peerless master possibly be afraid of being attacked by a group of enemies? Another example was the game The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt. It was not really that difficult. The protagonist inside could fight more than a dozen white wolves at a time. In fact, in the novel, the white wolves were also afraid of pitchforks, because a group of villagers had secretly planned a surprise attack. Ultimately, the white wolf was just a low-level monster, if not, the surprise attack would not have been successful. In the low-skilled world of Tale of Wuxia 3, no matter how strong the Jane Doe Su was, she was only strong in single battles, or strong in PKs against opponents who were humanoid. Just then, she had been forced to fight a group of undead curs because of a troublesome player. Of course, she would be injured. Even if it was Li Xiye who had rushed to the rescue, he would also be injured! Indeed, this was the so-called cant even beat a dog phenomenon. A low-skilled world was just so cruel. Numbers ruled in this game. Even the most unbeatable peerless master could not take on a hundred enemies solo. Unless they secretly planned a surprise attack beforehand, they were definitely going to end up being swarmed to death In fact, this was pretty anti-Wuxia. Many players had thought that they would be peerless.They did not expect the small monsters and small bosses in the game to be able to abuse them to this extent. It gave them doubts about the meaning of their lives. Moreover, if they accidentally provoked a group of enemies, it would really be over for them! In such a situation, some players might just drop the game, there and then. It was so complicated that it was unsuitable for players who were not good with controls. All the fun would be killed. However, there was another group of players. These players have been abused many times and could not help but scold vulgarities that involved their mothers and the mothers of their enemies, every single time. They would tell everyone that they would not touch the game ever again, but they would fall to the urge. Thus, they end up relaunching the game, where they would try hard to get through once again, killing the monsters one by one. Then, they would feel genuine joy! They would also look for reasons to justify playing the game. Perhaps, it was because of the images and music that had found a place in the souls of the players. Perhaps, it was because the worldview, plot and character settings were really good. At the same time, the game gave off a feeling that as long as you were strong enough, you could do anything. This was especially fascinating! For games like this, if you activated a trainer or used any cheats, it would be rendered meaningless. It was the feeling of continually challenging yourself, advancing the plot, exploring the world that had so many people hooked! Considering the fact that many players called this game perverse and wicked, it was actually selling pretty well. At least, the company was not losing any money. Of course, in terms of reputation, loyal hardcore fans would scream out, saying it was great. Many of them even used various methods to try pulling more people into the game The upper limit of Jane Doe Sus martial art skills that Zhao Youyue had set was the strongest possible for a human in this game, about par with Sword God Li Xiye. Her Fairy from Wonderland skill actually shared the name of Cool-Son Yeh from Baiyun Citys skill[1]. In actuality, the effects of the two professions were different. Speaking of which, the skill level of the world that Cool-son Yeh lived in was most probably middle-skilled. Their light body[2] was present, and they could casually take off whenever they wanted to. In Tale of Wuxia 3, if a player wanted to go on the roof, they had to use tools. For example, climbing axe, ladders and such. The strongest masters were probably parkour masters. They were stronger and faster than ordinary people. They ran faster and jumped higher, but they could not do anything like the light body. This game was just like that, anti-Wuxia There was the presence of inner strengths, or perhaps, qigong[3]. This kind of energy had miraculous effects when players fought against monsters. For example, to deal damage to certain evil spirits, they had to imbue their weapons with qigong. Otherwise, they would not be able to hit the monsters. Of course, some demons and ghosts flew in the sky like annoying flies. Some of them even had supernatural, exceptional skills. No matter how strong humans were, there was no way that anyone could directly challenge these monsters. However, human beings were wise. With enough prep time, the masters would be able to use their skills and strategies for dealing with those monsters. Players were like that. They could die a hundred times to understand the opponent by that slightest bit. Then, through step-by-step calculations, they would ultimately complete their counter-attack! At the moment, Zha Feng was in an intoxicated state. It seemed like he was spiritually playing his own game, which had been powered by his burst of inspiration. To him, the power of the Jane Doe Su had exceeded his expectations. Even if Li Xiye tried to save another player, he would not get through unscathed. Protecting others had always been more difficult than taking peoples lives. To save a player, Jane Doe Su rushed into those undead curs without hesitation and started dancing away with her sword. Only an insane person would do so. Even so, she was unable to clear off all the undead curs in one breath. These curs had retained their hunting memories and instincts before they died. They even knew how to take turns fighting and did not jump on her all at once Hence, in an attempt to save a player, Jane Doe Su was seriously injured! For a playerbase who liked to kill others and obtain treasures, fools like her appearing, was like heaven dropping a treasure atop their heads. This was because the players who have reached this stage knew that if this nameless girl could take on a group of curs, she had to be packing some serious gear! She was definitely better than Li Xiye. Even Li Xiye would not dare fight a group of curs just like that. He would attempt to isolate and handle them in turn This world was simply too cruel. It was a world where even the masters could not hold himself against a pack of curs! Some players even used these curs to determine the levels of peerless masters. At best, the Sword God Li Xiye could only take on up to seven dogs at a time. To get on the master ranking board that refreshed every ten days, one would at least have to be able to take on five dogs at the same time The overall top player in the whole area could fight four dogs at his sharpest. A regular human player would at least be able to fight two dogs at the same time, right? Fighting a single dog was far easier. As long as the player knew qigong, they could slowly torture the undead dog to death. However, when up against two vicious dogs at a time, the dogs knew how to attack back and forth. Even if you targeted one of the dogs and decided to use your skills on it, the other dog would take the opportunity to make a move and attack you while your skills were on cooldown How many players had underestimated these dogs only to pay the ultimate price? Too many to be counted. This was a game world where peerless masters could not even beat some dogs! After all, these dogs were not ordinary dogs, but a breed of monsters that would never appear in reality. Translation note : [1] Cool-son Yeh is a character from the movie The Duel. The Duel is a 2000 Hong Kong wuxia comedy film directed by Andrew Lau. [2] Light body () (Qinggong) is a technique in Chinese martial arts. Traditional Baguazhang training involves the use of qinggong. The practitioner runs up a plank supported against a wall. The gradient of the plank is increased gradually over time as the training progresses. The use of qinggong has been exaggerated in wuxia fiction, in which martial artists can move swiftly and lightly at superhuman speed, and perform gravity-defying moves such as gliding on water surfaces, scaling high walls and mounting trees. [3] Qigong, qigong, chi kung, or chi gung is a holistic system of coordinated body posture and movement, breathing, and meditation used in the belief that it promotes health, spirituality, and martial arts training. Chapter 471 Filled With Inspiration! As someone who was alpha testing the game in a spiritual sense, the game producer in Zha Feng still took most of the wheel. He has always put himself in his prospective players shoes. All the better for him to surprise them. It was already a surprise to have clean equipment dropping from the girl he murdered in return for seriously injuring herself while trying to save him. Any player would have thought that they would undoubtedly get a tremendous amount of experience and legendary equipment from killing a peerless master who was on a similar level as Li Xiye. However, the girl only ended up dropping some clean equipment. It could barely even be called equipment C it was an ornamental sword C used for decorative purposes. Imagine the disappointment. It would leave players with a sour yet refreshing taste in their mouths The decorative sword aside, Zha Feng felt that some incentive should be added to push these players into this dark path. He would whisper dark words into their thoughts, only to leave them in absolute darkness and punish them for obeying. Who knows, after killing the girl, the player would be destined to encounter a tough obstacle later. Unless the player was a genuine god who was capable of heaven-defying acts, his savefile would be at a dead end So, how would he send players down this path while blaming them for everything? Zha Feng was not too sure, yet. He chose to reload the previously saved file again. This time, he spared the girl. On the contrary, he started tending to her wounds, for she was his savior! Of course, players could care less about these saviors. Even if they nursed the girl back to health, it would only be to dig up her backstory. Not because they were curators or journalists or any of that sort, they only hoped to gain some secret reward from it. Naturally, they were also in it for any potential quests, and the ensuing rewards. If not one or the other, it had to have something to do with the girls favorabilitys level. Who knows, you might get some pleasant, exciting CGI cutscene when her favorability reaches a certain extent. Of course, it would not be child-friendly. Just like that, Zha Feng became highly inspired. He gradually discovered the girls unique personality, her miserable life, her extremely admirable, beautiful swordsmanship which could be mistaken as a graceful dance, if not for the disembodied pieces of monster body parts that followed. The girls outfit could also be customized. She could get dolled up in a Han Dynasty costume, only to turn into a graceful, westernized elegant aristocratic princess, deserving of the title Her Majesty in the blink of an eye. No one would believe that she was Cinderella before this! However, at that time, the players would have to make a decision. Accept the quest entrusted to them by Su Hu and become enemies with the nameless girl, or stand with the girl? Su Hus rewards were outstanding. On the other hand, the nameless girl was pretty poor, because all her money was invested in the nameless city. She used her small, fragile shoulders to build up a Peach Blossom Spring[1] amidst the cruel, troubled world In such situations, some players might just change their minds. To them, money and equipment were most important. Who cared about the morality of the situation? At that point in time, the nameless girls life story would not have been exposed yet. However, the game would throw characteristically malicious misdirections, leading players would think that she had rather grand ambitions. She would soon share her intentions of murdering the emperor of the Kingdom of Zhao, Su Hu. For this reason, she would trigger a decisive battle that involved the lives of every living human being! The decisive battle at the peak of the Forbidden City! The Forbidden City housed the royal palace. The girl intended to use this decisive battle to attract the attention of the guards and give those who followed her a chance to kill Su Hu. If the player was still on her side by then, the player would definitely participate in this shocking, colossal scheme Indeed, the opponent of the nameless girl was the Sword God Li Xiye. Like the old saying - - On the night of the full moon a duel between the Sword from the West and the Fairy from Wonderland! For once, the game would truly treat its players to a visual feast of Wuxia swordplay and moonlit sihouttes, complete with blood splatters that gave way to flower petals. This took nothing away from the fact that peerless masters still could not beat some dogs This battle at Forbidden City would end with the girls life. It was not because she could not beat Li Xiye, but because things turned out to be more complicated than expected. After all, when up against young girls, Li Xiye could not bear to bring out his sword and take them seriously. Due to this, his Kendo[2] was rusty. However, the girl would give her own life to help him improve his Kendo! Players would have the opportunity to inherit the girls clothes. At that point in time, they would be surprised to find that the girls Flying Rainbow was no longer some random clean equipment, but a truly godly weapon. It would be the type of weapon that could carry a player to the end of the game. Whats more, it was a weapon that was both aesthetically pleasing and highly practical. When Zha Feng regained his senses, he was not even sure how many days had passed. In the eyes of his subordinates, their boss had been possessed. He had been in a state of absolute madness, writing non-stop in his notebook. Zha Feng looked down and saw his notebook. His first reaction was to frown ever so slightly, as nothing made sense whatsoever. He quickly learned that whatever he had scribbled down in his notebook were bits and pieces of his experiences as a player in his upcoming, conceptual DLC, he was ecstatic! The CG trailer that made this DLC would be - - the decisive battle of the Forbidden City! At that point in time, Jane Doe would no longer be in gray. She would be Jane Doe the White. She would exude loneliness C the loneliness of being a peerless master. Zha Feng was actually still in an intoxicated state. After all, the game had not yet been completed. He needed to process the contents of his notebook and throw in a dash of his trademark wickedness before he could finally complete the DLC. He did not realize that, subconsciously, the nameless girl C the princess of the Kingdom of Zhao had already usurped the righteous deity, a character that he had previously created - - Yan Qingmeng. Even so, knowing Old Sly Zha Feng, would he possibly discard a character like Yan Qingmeng and wasted away? Initially, he wanted to present a truly righteous deity with no fluff, like the previous DLC that featured the witch. This abrupt, unexplicable appearance of the nameless girl had inspired him to consider a different path. Perhaps he could create a not-so-simple righteous deity. She had this single-minded belief that she was protecting the rights of others and serving justice. Little did she know that her actions only left many more commoners suffering in dire straits. For example, Yan Qingmeng felt that having a tyrant as an emperor was better than having no emperor at all. Without an emperor, the entire land would descend into irrepressible chaos. When she realized that someone was about to assassinate the tyrannous emperor, she chose to stop it. Thus, she was destined to stand on the opposite side of the nameless girl How would the players proceed? Youll never know! Players might initially be happy to side the righteous deity, as she looked so noble and just. She was a pious, righteous lady, and spoke like the purest of ladies. She had various ways of influencing players to die for her. Even a slight smile would bring joy to the players. However, why was it taking so long to increase her favorability? In stark contrast to this, the nameless girl was nave and awkward. She was always all action and little talk That juxtaposition was precisely what that gave this DLC great potential. Initially, she was akin to Cinderella, another side-character in the story. However, the players would come to realize that she was actually a noble royal princess. When you give her a nice enough outfit, she would put that righteous deity to shame! Tale of Wuxia 3 already had a dress-up knights gimmick. Players could totally treat it as if they were playing Miracle Nikki[3] The nameless girl was a genuine knight in a harsh, evil game world, because she was always helping the weak, even at the cost of her own life. She did not think she was noble. She could not be the Sun, but at least, she could bring some light into this dark and despondent world. ______________________________________________________________________ Translation note : [1] A Peach Blossom Spring () is an ethereal utopia where the people lead an ideal existence in harmony with nature, unaware of the outside world for centuries. In simpler terms, the Chinese people use the term to mean a paradise, or a happy place/safe haven. [2] Kendo () is a traditional Japanese martial art, which descended from swordsmanship and uses bamboo swords and protective armour. Today, it is widely practiced in Japan and many other nations across the world. [3] Miracle Nikki () is a Chinese mobile phone game developed by Tencent, where players play dress-up. Chapter 472 The Nameless Girl Needs No Advertising A well-known game producer like Zha Feng had an advantage over the average creators. Sometimes, he could throw out a general outline or idea, and the miscellaneous facts C such as fine details would be filled in by professional screenwriters. The most awe-inspiring scene in that surreal, intoxicating experience he just had was C The Duel. He decided to put all his energy into producing that particular CGI cutscene, but that would leave him with insufficient heart and soul into the rest of the game. He wanted to make it so good that no matter which path a player chose, they would be able to appreciate this iconic scene, which he believed was beyond compare in the entirety of Wuxia history Of course, those who decide to kill off Jane Doe Su in the hopes of some equipment would never be able to experience this scene. But how you do you even kill this nameless girl? She was as strong as the Sword God Li Xiye. If you directly confronted her, it would be no different from crossing blades with the Sword God himself! She only made an appearance while attempting to save other players, but her chances of getting wounded were actually very slim. After all, it was uncommon for players to fight six or seven undead curs all at once, unless the player was deliberately doing it to trigger her scene, or just plain suicidal. Regardless, a player would have to be closing in on death. If a fight was too simple, the girl would not appear. Therefore, the highest possibility of the nameless girl appearing was when players were struggling against a miniboss. Specifically, she would appear when the players are just about to get slaughtered by the miniboss, which would be so embarrassing that they would feel like quitting the game. Jane Doe Su would appear out of nowhere crashing a boss fight like how Cinderella crashes balls. With her bedazzling swordplay, she would make quick work of the mini boss. Of course, in the process, the nameless girl would be tumbling[1] about adeptly One could only blame the game mechanics for making the most graceful of girls rolling about in the dust. How do you even kill a boss in this game, if you cant even tumble about? Nobody stands flat-footed before a boss, unless somebody actually trained their bodies rigorously to the point of superhuman durability, which was unheard of. Otherwise, a non-tumbler was as good as a non-living being For a peerless master such as Jane Doe Su, a single, small boss was basically a punching bag. Players would be able to observe her movements and learn from how she fought. She would make it seem like a walk in the park or rather take her bitch out for a walk in the park, the bitch being the miniboss. She would be able to kill the miniboss without a single scratch. In such circumstances, players might not be able to kill their great savior for potentially great rewards even if they wanted to Food for thought. When the figures that Zhao Youyue has possessed up until now are manifested in reality, were they just coding, programs, autopilot functions that took over the control of some of her activities? Who knows. Back to the game. Some smart players might be extremely fascinated - - this nameless girl seemed to be an intelligent NPC. Was she actually sentient? Or, could she be that so-called anomaly that appeared in many online game novels and acquired consciousness on her volition? Of course, Zha Feng would never underestimate skeptical, imaginative players. He has seen some uploaders on Bilibili. Some uploaders were particularly good at playing the game. They could quickly and casually crack the many conspiracies and evil intentions within his game. He could only comfort himself by saying that these uploaders could only do so because they had sacrificed their time and lives and died countless of times In fact, he wished to see more players like Ah Yu, who crushed the game via bruteforce, after stepping into trap after trap. Her skills were almost a form of art on their own, and that did his game absolute justice! Other streamers might just discover a bug and exploit it to no end. That exploit might result from something small like a graphical glitch, to a shortcut that led them to a premature completion. They would even propagate these methods to benefit the masses. This displeased Zha Feng, even if such videos increased the sales of his game Zha Feng was very confident that some godly players would be able to kill the nameless girl. After all, some players have even killed Sword God Li Xiye. That had triggered a hidden storyline. It was apparent that Zha Feng was already fully prepared for such a possibility. This time, he had also made preparations, just in case someone did kill the nameless girl. Firstly, the player would become the arch enemy of the nameless city. At the same time, he would be on the wanted list of the Kingdom of Zhao. He would also get hunted down by the many people who were once saved by the nameless girl. Other than that, if Li Xiye learned of it, he would turn hostile, and might even hunt the player actively At the same time, should the player do some hero saves the beauty side quests in the future, there was a high possibility of being backstabbed by the person he saved. Of course, the person must have thought that the player carried some items of value. Naturally, in such a ruthless world, killing someone for their spoils would be completely justifiable! Finally, when the player reaches a spot in the game where he or she had been scripted to die, the player would be at the complete mercy of the game. Perhaps, had the nameless girl been alive, the player might be able to scrape through this part, albeit barely. However, now that the player has slain the nameless girl in cold blood, good luck with that. This would most likely render the entire savefile useless. No matter what, there was no way to get past the scripted death part alone. In a sense, Zha Feng did not want the players to kill the nameless girl at all, as it was a waste to the outstanding storyline that he had painstakingly prepared for them! When Zha Feng handed the script to the screenwriting team, they almost became catatonic - - Boss, this character is a work of God. It might just redefine the game! Boss, I dont see any possible good endings? Shouldnt a sweet girl like her at least have a happy ending? On the night of the full moon, the Duel, a sword from the West, Fairy from Wonderland! We finally have something good here. This is classic Wuxia! If were aiming to portray the stark contrast between Cinderella and the princess in all of its glory, we must find the best artist for the job. I have a bold idea Bold idea or not, whatever. For such a character, we must, of course, call in Su Li. Her drawing style matches this character, especially when the girl is in her princess form. Oh, and, of course, her finale as well. Hehe. If thats the case, what do we do with the righteous deity Yan Qingmeng. She was supposed to be the original protagonist. No matter how I look at it, she seems so, bland and pedestrian, compared to this miserable princess character. When Zha Feng saw the enthusiastic response of the screenwriters, he felt very pleased. When he heard that question about the main female protagonist, he said, No changes needed! We can keep Yan Qingmeng as the mascot of the DLC. Let players think shes the heroine. She is righteous, shes the face of heroism! The nameless girl does not even have a name, whats the point in advertising her? I would really love to see how players react. The misery theyve placed themselves in, from the moment they decide to kill her with their own hands hehehe. Most of the screenwriters shuddered. Their boss was an evil demon! But this evil demon was their boss, and his will was their commandment. All they had to do was fill in the details accurately, such as the relationship between the Sword God Li Xiye and Jane Doe Su. Why did Li Xiyes heart flutter as he fought her at the Duel? ______________________________________________________________________ Translation note : [1] Tumble here takes the meaning of a handspring, somersault in the air, or other acrobatic feats. Chapter 473 Ambiguous Truth Some writer decided that the nameless maiden, Su Shi and Li Xiye were in love, only to be forced to kill each other regardless of their feelings. Such an ending would directly go for the hearts of readers. Their love was deep and pure, yet they were not destined to be together. On the contrary, they would be forced to point their swords at each other. One sought to achieve the way of the unbeatable sword. The other wants to avenge a dead mother, while helping the people of Chu to be rid of a maniacal tyrant. Zha Feng shot down the idea without a second thought. Too gruesome, clich, and filled with plotholes. It only diminishes the significance of both sword geniuses. Why do you have to pair up opposing genders all the time? Such relationship had no place in Wuxia games. In such games, humans broke through limits and became something else. In Wuxia terms, this game may barely scrape past the lower limits of martial arts, but the non-humans definitely surpassed that. Their presence made this game more than Wuxia. It now had traces of fantasy, mythology, monsters living in the mountains and seas and every crack in the Earth, etc. The game was not some shallow, superficial platform to give developers the excuse of throwing in all forms of myth and legends to make money out of. Zha Feng had never once remained on the path he often promised his players. Unforeseen ideas and paths may make themselves known as he sifts through the material in-game, such as the weapons, settings, establishes history, etc. This made the game far more inscrutable and unpredictable. Getting a clearer picture took multiple playthroughs from multiple perspectives. Of course, these usually fell into the hands of players who dug around the game to uncover backstories and lore. The other batch of players simply enjoyed hacking and slashing to their hearts content. These players hardly ever thought through their choices, but somehow made it through the game by sheer luck. Zhao Youyue had not yet even thought of anything about the relationship between Li Xiye and the nameless maiden, Su Shi. They shared no past together, but they would inevitably end up in a Battle of the Ages. It was Zha Feng who felt that Two masters did not exist without consistent chaos occuring between them, but that chaos must never take the form of love. If love had to exist between them, it had to be very implicit. However, Li Xiye would never know of Su Shis past, or he would never be able to land a finger on her, no matter how blunt he was. Li Xiye may be obsessed with the path of being the greatest, but he was nowhere close to the embodiment of evil. He might even fight alongside the maiden if he learned of her motives for going after Su Hu. Even if the duo were to end up together, wouldnt it raise more questions? Heres where Zha Feng spoke up. Nameless Maiden Su Shi would get the player to fall for her instead, making her the only waifu [1] in the game. If thats the case, watching their waifu [1] meet her fate would gut the players and murder them internally. Only such a character had the benevolence to accompany the player throughout the game. The game would gain a special place in the memories of players, preferably for the rest of their lives? Under Zha Fengs banner, many writers started working to covertly depict the fuzzy relationship between Li Xiye and Su Shi, only dropping the most subtle of hints that they already knew each other from the field of sword fighting. It would not be a surprise for Li Xiye to have been entranced by her swordplay. It was only his dedication to the path of perfection that gave him the will to keep unsheathing his sword. Obsessive path seekers belonged in a realm of their own. When it came to the pursuit of victory, there was neither friendship nor love; no quarter would be given. There was also the possibility of some players going overboard for their nameless waifu [1], like swinging their swords at Li Xiye without giving a damn, only to be killed by him countless of times, all in hopes of introducing the heartless sociopath to the power of love. As the inevitable chaos broke loose, Zha Feng would be grinning joyfully behind the scenes. He loved it when players abused themselves. If players ever lived through a solo battle with Li Xiye, that would only help them master the arts of dodge rolling, attacking, parrying, footwork and timing, allowing them to improve to a terrifying level. By then, players would be able to solo any humanoid NPCs without any difficulties. Evidently, anyone who defeats Li Xiye in single combat would undoubtedly gain the title of a genius. They could even share their fight on BiliBili and allow weaker players to learn and enjoy watching such an enjoyable battle. This game was known for its difficulty. Even if streamers failed to bring Li Xiye down after putting up a great fight, they would gain renown for their skills. Some video clearers watched multiple playthroughs and streamers, allowing them to gossip online about the difficulty of the game online, saying that it was actually easy if you did everything in sequence. Newbie players who trusted such lies would then end up being poorly tricked as those who watched online walkthroughs then played it themselves only to notice that they were on a completely different level, compared to the pros. was inhabited by a considerable amount of pros. Some pros could dual wield, standing out among the other conventional players. They would allow their health to reach the least possible amount when fighting bosses, taking advantage of a skill that increased the damage dealt, the lower their health bar got. They would use this method to slay the boss in a short, devastating fight. Naturally, the risk of being slain in one shot would be equally high. How did this differ from Zhao Youyues perfect killing? Zhao Youyue counted on her strong skills to defend herself. Only an ultimate skill could break her defense, rendering her almost unbeatable. The bosses mini-skills, however, were hard to dodge, and Zhao Youyue would be unable to dodge those completely. This pro player, however, would not be struck by any skills, as the boss would already be dead before they could even launch such large-scaled skills. Such players did not have the patience to roll about methodically, picking away at the boss health at snails pace. Some youkai [2] bosses even had a second form. Such features were prevalent in the game, and the transformation process took up some time. For those players, that transformation time would be enough to slay the boss with intense speed and power, no further from death than they habitually were. Those who have suffered the wrath could only watch such recordings in envious awe. Of course, even pros once started off weak. Undeniably, they were talented in their own right, but one did not master the game without first dying dozens of times. Some were even able to predict the movement of bosses and run circles around the boss, making such intimidating beings look like poodles. TL note: [1]Waifu C a collective term for a favorite female character by anime fans [2]Youkai a Japanese term for monsters Chapter 474 The Lengthy Process Zhao Youyues 2D travels lasted a long time. Approximately the entire summer holiday was spent in the gaming world. After all, she was here to create an iconic character. Su Shi had her full attention, and effort and Zhao Youyue hoped that the same applied to the creator. Su Shi was a hidden protagonist. People would think that she was some mysterious quest-giver, or a side event that occasionally saved players from death. Nobody would actually assume that she was the actual protagonist, all this while hidden behind the splash image of a decoy heroine. Only players who have been in contact with Su Shi at length would know who she really was. She did not seem cute at all, and lacked proper speech. She did not even know how to act courteously, and seemed to be hiding something. She gave off the vibe of some wild conspirator, looking plain on the outside; hiding her deft elegance behind masked movements. No one would be able to tell that she was an actual princess. All this just gave players a feeling that she could not be trusted, the thought of her being the type of character that will plot players in a lousy situation bloomed in many. However, she was impeccable; doing better than what was said. Slowly but surely, she evolved from being a side character, to something far more C by remaining who she was and sticking to her ideals. She had basically sneaked into that secret place in a gamers heart. As they cleared missions together, her fame would increase, and when it reaches a certain point, she would have her grand battle with Lee Xiye. From such an angle, if players could just hold off on deploying her as their companion in various boss fights, they could postpone the battle between Lee Xiye and her. To casual players, having her around would decrease the difficulty of the game while letting them feel the warmth of a good-hearted maiden. What reason was there not to use her? Many players who had experience in dating games would give Su Shis affection pointstheir best. The more time spent together, the higher the affection points. Some players would purchase beautiful clothes for the maiden and change her appearance, only to find that this regular looking maiden was actually a goddess. Players who were able to come upon this discovery would most likely be scarce as, trust challenges tended to happen. This was a typical Zha Feng deathtrap. It got players complacent and misled into thinking that they had seen through Su Shis plan, and trusted the righteous fairy, Yan Qingmengs deceptive, evil ways. As they try to increase Yan Qingmengs affection points, that path would lead them against Su Shi. Only those who have been standing by Su Shis side the entire time would understand her true beauty. Thus, when the truth is revealed, those who did not trust Su Shi could only regret their choices. In this artificial game world, unlike previous light novels or manga where the timeline moved in one direction, Zhao Youyue noticed that time was not relative, so players could make different choices. It was an interesting observation, but it did not matter much to her. The nameless maiden Su Shi would never gain any feelings for the player, as she had too much in her mind to even consider irrelevant emotions such as love. Of course, she would be appreciative of the players actions, while even accepting the players many gifts, unlocking the outfit changing function. That function would also open up her scarred heart, where she would begin to learn that the world may still hold people who would still give their all to her. Players were chameleons. They could turn into angels; they could also end up as devils. They could proceed down a path without giving a second thought about any possible rewards; they could also chop up the NPC in charge of the mission just because they did not like him, hoping that something rare would drop. They could drop by Qing Lou to pick up girls; only to go on a prostitute killing frenzy by the next moment C to get back their payment. This would then be followed by the player killing everyone in Qing Lou resulting in soldiers coming after them With such a mindset, they could naturally destroy the maidens equipment C just because they were curious about her sword, or they could also trust her unconditionally and stay by her side forever to see what the plot had in store for them. Even if the game was only capable of autosaving, Supa Hackers [1] would be able to manually retrieve save files to select different routes, being able to experience multiple endings conveniently. Regular players would rather use dumb, old-fashioned methods by using different save files for different endings That was why sometimes playing a game without guides had its charm. Players could experience the excitement of discovering the unknown that they feared, the apprehension, the horror to learn that theyve gone down a dead end, etc. Guides basically served as spoilers and killed all that fun. Fortunately, this game was almost like an interactive movie. Even if you have been spoiled, you would still be deeply immersed as the full screen strikes you. Zhao Youyue was fairly certain that this trip to the other world had been successful. She would not need to worry about going through the full military bootcamp before obtaining Su Shis ability. What was there to fear? The game may only have low-level martial arts to offer, but she would still end up a warrior nevertheless, or even a parkour expert. This would allow her to participate in many extreme sports and perform many types of incredible flips and rolls. Bootcamps may or may not produce the same results, except that character cards were a shortcut of sorts. The only potential problem was the abilities being beyond that which the world could accept, resulting in some depowering or nerfing by the powers that will be. Zhao Youyue was the arts scholar of the Jiangnan province, yet she chose to study at Jiangnan University. After such a leak, many were surprised. They had expected her to choose Central University or one of the Chinese Universities, which were all top universities in their own right. Jiangnan University may not be so far behind the mentioned two, but it was nowhere nearly as renown. Many asked for her reasons, and Zhao Youyue replied bluntly C saying that Jiangnan University was closer to her home, adding on the fact that she was not comfortable with the weather at the city center. All she could do was apologize. Zhao Youyue could not care less about her prospective universities. She could always change her fate with her Two Dimension Gate ability. There was also the fact that her mother worked at Jiangnan University as a lecturer. All Zhao Youyue had to do was to make the simple choice of either choosing to bask in her mothers glory or going to Central and suffocate in smog. And thus, Zhao Youyues new, lengthy stage of social life begun. Successfully entering a good university while allowing herself to receive reward money one by one and then bask in that glory was what Zhao Youyues parents thought Early next morning, Zhao Youyue received a message from Su Li. Missy, a gaming company has asked for me to illustrate several characters for them, do you think I should accept it? TL Note: [1] Supa Hacker A term used by Daru from Steins Gate as he is proficient with computers and hacking. Chapter 475 Enthusiasm Zhao Youyue was never really a believer of Su Lis mysterious power. She had worked so many times behind the scenes and saw firsthand that most of Su Lis powers occurred to help carry her burdens. Of course, it seemed as if Su Li was carrying the burden of some original author, but no one knew that behind these original authors C stood an even larger boss. With so many coincidences happening in a row, whatever Su Li drew seemed to attract those who loved to draw threads, even if those threads were sometimes too far-fetched. Not all who had been Cursed, but they would never be mentioned by the slightest. The Curses success was main attributed to the fact that most of the characters she drew quickly gained worldwide acclaim. Whenever these characters met their eventual ends, the world would argue about the legitimacy of the curse about as much as they argued about the characters itself. Su Li was merely a hardworking, passionate illustrator. She posted a vast amount of illustrations on her page at Pixiv [1], which also included some that had never debuted on Weibo, including some illustrations that were drawn before she became famous. She had even drawn her rendition of main characters from national-level comics, but no misfortune ever befell them These facts were never reported. Instead, everyone would continue reminiscing about the more recent headlines she made. Her illustrations would bring tears to viewers with their tragedies. Those who loved riling up the internet would start screaming like doomsayers, saying that Su, the Great Deitys mystical power was omnipotent and held the keys to the wheels of destiny itself. Nobody likes a doomsayer, including their internet counterparts. They did little good, only existing to discuss Ma Qingwang and bringing in the phrase Screw ideals, bring in home reality. These doomsayers sometimes brought fun, albeit disgusting, hollow fun that was a waste of space and oxygen. Now, anyone who sincerely intended to praise or critique Su Li on ZhiHu would only draw in trolls who repeated the same old talk about worshipping Su, the Great Deity and utterly derail the entire thread. Fortunately, there were many deities on ZhiHu. These were professionals in the comic world. They remained serious and rated Su Li as asked, commenting that she wes a well-respected mangaka with a high level of professionalism; but lacked creativity and originality. Even so, there was nothing to take away from her art style. As long as she worked together with original authors, a godly creation would find its place among the stars. Another noteworthy trait was Su Lis hardworking spirit. It was simple, almost elementary, but many others lacked such a trait, and a great deal of difference did it do them. Many could benefit much from picking up such a trait. Su Lis editor often maintained that Su Li never once had to be rushed, as she always had a months worth of manuscripts prepared. Even so, Su Li was far from perfect. Other than her bleak history which had been deliberately buried by the community, her discrimination towards piracy readers and vigorous boot-licking of affluent readers had already been spread around like wildfire. This earned the ire of certain piracy readers who then proceeded to condemn Su Li, saying that piracy readers were not poor C they only loved being pirates. They would claim that they have recharged to prove themselves, calling Su Li a bootlicking bastard, even going as far as to demand that Su Li quickly lick their boots. Of course, Su Li accepted the insult with glee and quickly obliged, running her tongue over their boots like a maniac, even hoping that more piracy readers actually insulted her Of course, now that Su Li was one of the deities of the manga world who earned more than enough for herself, her old personality no longer showed itself. It was a word for word rendition of the phrase C The fullness of the rice cabin affected a persons personality. Su Li treated Zhao Youyue with as much reverence as ever. She knew how much Lady Zhao appreciated her. Their personalities complemented each other, thus she always included Lady Zhao in any major decision-making. No matter what she drew, she would definitely ask for Zhao Youyues thoughts. This time around, her commission came from FengHuo gaming company, and they intended to have her draw the characters from , a 3A level work. If Lady Zhao ever started a live stream, she would be one of the first viewers present. Of course she would know that Lady Zhao had already cleared the main storyline of the game. Because of this, she felt even more like consulting Lady Zhao on the matter. Su Li also felt that she had been bound to Lady Zhao by a red string of fate. Lady Zhaos blessing was actually necessary for her work to flourish Su Lis heart skipped a beat. She just realized that things were not that simple. Everytime Lady Zhao caught sight of something, that work would always undergo unforeseen, major changes, and change that was not always for the better! Even so, Su Li was far too kind for her own good. She quickly shrugged it off as sheer coincidence. It was her art that possessed mysterious power. Su Li placed her head down beneath the water of pride and self-compliments, and held it down until she no longer moved. A gaming company wants you to illustrate? Well, if its good money, and if they dont seem to have any ulterior motives, take up the offer! Of course, youd want their theme and genre to suit yours! Now that you are a top illustrator, its best to only accept illustration requests that suit your style as a basis. Zhao Youyue was quoted as saying. As expected of Lady Zhao! Su Li cheered. No matter the situation, she would quickly release an aura of joy and optimism, due to the non-stop praises of Lady Zhao. This had profoundly changed her, or she would never have thought of declining the offer. The only thing that never changed one bit was that she would never give up on her illustration books. Illustration books did not earn as much as her comission-based work, but no one could take this hobby of hers away. Su Li was now in a position to take up big offers, and acted aptly, but she would never turn down anything from Zhao Youyue. In her heart, Lady Zhao came before everything else. Su Li started sharing more of the minor details of the game company and their commision. She thought that this would really enthuse Zhao Youyue, as it was, afterall, a game. Lady Zhao was so into games recently. If she introduced a new game to her, there was no reason that she would not be obsessed over it. Su Li knew exactly how to press the Ladys buttons. As expected, when Zhao Youyue heard that it was , she bolted upright and started pressing her for more details. She even asked if Su Li had received the complete conceptual character design for the game. This truly mattered to Zhao Youyue, as she wanted to know whether all her effort in the Two Dimensional Gate had any effect at all, turning inspiration into actual work. I do not have the character design and story information just yet; but, I do have a few names, such as Lee Xiye, Yan Qingmeng and a nameless girl whose name starts with a Su. It is very likely that this Su girl is the least important within the trio, as she did not have a name anyways. The previous two should be pretty important, especially this Lee Xiye guy. As a viewer of your live streams, I could tell that this God of the Sword is very important, Su Li blurted based on her analysis of the characters. Im not sure if thats the case (Cough cough) Something feels fishy Zhao Youyue mentions in a fumble. Eh? Su Li was puzzled. Oh, I just think that this request is really worth taking. may not be the most popular game at the moment, but something tells me that it would get really big. Just accept the job and be the first official art illustrator for the game. When it becomes something huge in the future, your career would thank you! Zhao Youyue suggested enthusiastically. TL Notes: [1] Pixiv: A social webpage mainly for sharing illustrations Chapter 476 Smokescreen Lady Zhao had spoken. There was no longer a reason for Su Li to decline, along with the fact that it was more than decent pay. Su Li also stood to gain much from this job, as there was no way that only one person was in charge of the illustration for such a large scale game. Before Su Li joined,already had many well-known illustrators, and it was why the game was still going strong. This game company had asked for Su Lis cooperation, mainly due to the overwhelming beauty of her illustrations. Only she could bring out the nameless maidens swordplay, especially the skill C Flight of the Extra-celestial Fairy Of course, they also took into account the fact that Su Shis entire character design did not fit in such a dark and cold world background. The stark contrast would really make her stand out. All the prior main illustrators working for this game were well versed at depressing, oppressive, dark illustrations, which worked extremely well with guy characters, giving them an ikemen vibe. Yet, this did not roll well with female characters that made them seem even more detached from the players taking away their charm. Also, from the gaming trends, players never showed much interest in the female characters. Instead of improving their relationship with females, they would rather go around exploring and killing. The filthy rich creator Zha Feng motioned his hands, beckoning Su Li over. He briefed her over the games main characters and the factors that needed to be changed, mainly the change in style for the main woman protagonist. In reality, all this needed some lengthy thought, as game art designs and illustrators were practically from different planets and were of different cultures. This was actually a test to see if Su Li would be able to adapt to the team. Su Lis induction to the team would serve as great publicity. However, Old Man Zha Feng never once thought of using this as a means of advertising. He only intended to spill the beans after the DLC has been released. After all, when the game ends, their names would roll through the customary credits. Su Lis name would definitely pop up in bold letters when they reached the design team. Su Li herself was not advertising material, but her illustrations had practical use, especially her illustration of Yan QingMeng that turned her into a fairy. It would be unwise to use Su Li as promotion before the dust has settled. Zhao Youyue trusted Su Li as usual. She believed that Su Li would do well as always. Su Li could serve as a reliable source of intel, if she worked there. To portray a persons essence in ink, one needed to know everything about the character, including their personality, experience, habits, minor quirks and etc, to create and illustrate the best possible rendition of a character. Due to this, Su Li would be able to find out if this nameless maiden was a measly side character, or a main character in disguise. However, Zhao Youyues plans were foiled this time round. Due to how the company kept everything in wraps, she was not able to enter the company and learn everything from the inside. As a result, she never got to learn of the dark, sadistic mind that Zha Feng actually was. Zhao Youyue meddling was used by Zha Feng to the fullest. He could now show the players the extent of the dark Wuxia world. Zhao Youyue was an actual, experienced gamer, and nothing would prepare her for Zha Fengs evil intent and tricks. Nevertheless, all her hard-work of acting as the nameless maiden eventually got adopted. What she did not know was that Zha Feng had even added some extra scenes for the maiden, mainly in the form of flashbacks. The gut-wrenching, heart-breaking feels, etc. Zha Feng was already treating the maiden like his own daughter. As Zhao Youyue claimed the fictional world as her stage, she had made sure to act as a girl who had grown up without a childhood, scarred by a tramatic past. However, Zha Feng had tweaked her characteristics ever so little, that she would give off many sad, precious memories that could be used to stimulate the tears of players. FengHuo gaming companys webpage hosted their interview with Tencent Gaming Platform. This interview could also be viewed on Tencents platform. Players who followed FengHuos gaming company through this platform might actually be more than what one might expect. Tencent Gaming Platform was somehow similar to Steam. Simply visiting it would lead one to an advertisement regarding the interview with FengHuo gaming company. From the video, a man in his thirties who sported black spectacles, and carried some excess weight around his weight could be seen with a warm smile while answering multiple questions in succession. His candid attitude cradled the feelings of players in its arms, spoiling them with love. In this new DLC, a female character called Yan Qingmeng would be introduced. This character has been created by our hardworking team. We noticed that Ye Huolian from the last DLC did not receive much attention, but were instead interested in the newly added skills and clothing. That left me a little saddened Our team had a hard time, as we had put a great deal of effort on the characters C while implementing new features such as the My Room function, increasing the variety of weapons, etc. I know that many players see this game as Hero of Equipment Changing, but As Zha Feng spoke endlessly about the new DLC, many comments started popping up. What Hero of Equipment Changing??? More like C Hero of Pain!!! Witch Ye Huolians story might lack feels, but compared to the earliest main girl, Cheng Shan or Luo Shiqi, there was a vast improvement. Lets just hope that Yan Qingmeng would come as a surprise to players. Does anyone actually care about the story? All that happens in this game is: choose a waifu and dress her up. Thats where the real game is! I get the feeling that Thief Zha Feng has something up his sleeves. But as a loyal follower of , Id get any DLC that comes my way to experience it firsthand. Since Mr. Thiefs games are not that expensive and are always wholesome. I really like Fenghuo gaming companys works myself, and I definitely feel the effort the team gave in creating the game. Diligently create the game? More like diligently designed the CGs [1]! By the end of the video, a 3D illustration of Yan Qingmeng and her in-game 3D model was revealed. It featured Yan Qingmeng C sitting by the side of the Peak of the Emperors Step as the setting sun half obscured by the clouds, glowed in the background. It was truly divine. Without questioning, Su Li took up the job. She started by being in charge of Yan Qingmeng. What she did not know was that Yan Qingmeng was just a decoy; a smokescreen for the real main character to hide behind. Su Lis godlike skills produced a simple by her standards illustration of Yan Qingmeng. It sent the viewers into a frenzy. In her basic, simple robe, she already possessed such beauty. If her favorability was maxed out, and you unlocked all the costumes, to what realm would her beauty ascend to? TL Notes: [1] CGI : Computer-generated imagery. Refers to computer art. Mostly hand drawn then processed into pixels by using a drawing tablet or something of the sort. Chapter 477 Mental Thoughts Zhao Youyue kept her attention on the interview of Thief Zha Meng. As she lacked knowledge on Mr. Thief, she had been tricked into thinking that all her efforts in her Two Dimension Gate had been wasted This left Zhao Youyue slightly depressed, but she knew that someone who had earned the nickname Old Thief/Thief wouldnt be easy to deal with, whichever realm this Old Thief hailed from, ranging from novels to games. Their steadfastness was akin to their badge of honor. Their own work was so well-made that it affected many around them, dragging them into the holes they dug. Any delays or sudden changes would greatly affect those who had fallen into Zha Fengs hole, creating a huge shockwave. The relationship between these Old Thieves and their fans were intense mixtures of love and hate. Why were talented individuals almost always so eccentric? Of course, Zha Meng was known as an Old Thief, thanks to the various traps he had placed in his games. Because of this, his veteran fans knew better than to remain highly focused, or they might just die from a random trap that was lying about. For the sake of survival, every chest found in the game should be treated as a mimic [1], or death would be a certainty. Many first time players were spooked. They were prepared for traps and regular spawning monsters as per usual, only to be eaten up by living, monstrous chests. Zhao Youyue was prepared for this, because she had experienced it firsthand when doing a speedrun [2] for the game. Due to this, she was able to clearly tell the difference between a regular game developer and Zha Feng, one who carried an ominous-sounding title. In the gaming world, companies and teams are mostly remembered as a whole, but the fact that Zha Feng gained his own reputation, showed just how impeccable he was. Many did not know who created [3], but knew who was behind . It was the thief C Zha Feng, the bastard who tortured players with the difficulty of his games and their inexhaustible supply of traps. However, players had no choice but to agree that the glory of being on the ranking boards after a life or death battle with bosses, while dying multiple times in the process was really something to be proud of. To hardcore gamers, series was truly a playable game. Once you start it up, it was too easy to lose yourself in the game. Of course, there were moments when players got so pissed off that they closed the program in rage; only to return to normal the next day. Zhao Youyue now wholeheartedly believed that this eccentric, deluded game creator had stuck to his own ideas, which was to keep Yan Qingmeng the fairy as the main female character C as stated during the interview. The nameless maiden was only mentioned in passing. Zhao Youyue was infuriated beyond words. Zha Feng was not any random game creator, but one with reasonable success. Coming across such a game creator rendered bribing useless. He only created such a game, because he was already worth a lot, and could afford creating something different from other game creators. That was why the phrase, Nothing is perfect exists. If only it was possible to enter a world created by a talented game creator, that sounded great, didnt it? Without the aid of otherworldly intoxication, their work would already be of great quality. However, the creators themselves were highly strong-willed. When Zhao Youyues mental suggestions did not suit their ways, they would abort that thought immediately and give up on the project, thinking that it was all random thoughts. The thought her ideas did not suit Zha Fengs dark, depressing view on beauty got deeply embedded in Zhao Youyues mind. She quickly affirmed to herself that what she created should have been a perfect fit for Zha Fengs twisted mind. I do not get it!!! Zhao Youyue could only comfort herself with empty words. At least, she learned some sword skills from Su Shi when she became her avatar. Even if it was just a little, it could serve as helpful exercise material. In reality, Zhao Youyue may be rather healthy and fit, but she did not enjoy exercising much, making her one of those phone maniacs. However, when using Su Shis avatar, she grew intimate with Su Shis painstaking training. She was a natural sword genius, but she never let it take anything away from the effort she put in training. If not so, she would have never been able to turn sword techniques that were meant for performance and dance into killing techniques. Zhao Youyue had even resigned herself to the possibility of not even being able to receive a character card. Thus she could only resort to such methods to gaining more from this experience, even if it meant practically living in the lower martial world. At the same time, Zhao Youyue was preparing herself for the compulsory army training that was coming up. She already knew how tough army training was, making it necessary for her to train her body during the summer vacation and make sure that her training goes without any hitches. Today was the day Zhao Youyue was going to take part in the entrance exams celebration party, or rather, this was a parting party; although this party was only for her senior batch. Although the class was split up during the branching out of the streams, the QQ Groupchat still remained. Nobody knew who started it, but word started spreading about a plan for the party. Of course, participation was by choice. Those who did not do too well would decide not to attend, as they did not think that their presence would be pleasant. Zhao Youyues former desk mate, Jiang Qing had urged her to attend. If not for such incessant urging, she would have forgotten about the party, as most classmates were just passerbys to her. Jiang Qing did rather well in her entrance exam. Sadly, it was not enough for the passing mark of Jiangnan University. Instead, she got the green light for another university of similar standing. That university was also situated in Jiangnan provincial capital, and was not far from Jiangnan University. Due to this, she could visit Zhao Youyue whenever she wanted. Jiang Qing was not very disappointed with her results, so she would attend just about any gathering party, regardless of its magnitude. As Zhao Youyue was not feeling very happy, she activated her passerby social circle to sort out her own thoughts, hoping that Su Li would have good news for her. This tactic proved to be efficient, but it did not work on people like Han Leng. Ever since Han Leng got his entrance exam marks, he had been eluding Lady Zhao for a long time. Although Lady Zhao had not seemed to have been affected by public opinion and continued to score unbelievable results, Han Leng could not stop thinking that his actions may have bothered Lady Zhao, and may have even caused some misunderstanding between her and others. He had screwed up, big time! Han Leng guiltily maintained his distance from Lady Zhao, but still stalked her discreetly. At that moment, Han Leng noticed something unusual. She had a frown on her face, and looked downcast. It was nothing like her usual calm self that carried herself like she was some kind of greater being. This made Han Leng overthink yet again. Was Lady Zhao troubled by him keeping his distance? TL notes: [1] Mimics: Chest like mobs that are often found in RPG games and occasionally fantasy action games.They are often depicted to mimic a chest or other items found in games to feed on unwary players, and occasionally smaller monsters and animals. [2] Speedrun : Online challenges where players compete to see who can clear a certain objective of a game with the shortest time. [3] : originally (wang zhe rong yao) or Glory of Kings. A PvP game for smartphones. The title used in the story was a pun based on this game, (wang zhe nong yao) which has almost the same pronunciation. The pun was an ongoing pun that regarded glory as pesticide, thus the pun above. The direct translation of the title gives the name, Dead Mans Pesticide. Chapter 478 Forever Self-Contradicting Han Leng laughed at himself humorlessly. He always knew of his own limitations, and was way over his head at that moment. A guy like him would catch a girls heart Admittedly, he was famous and popular in the literary circle. He even attracted many fangirls because of his handsome appearance. Although these fangirls appear to infatuated with his appearance, Han Leng was aware that the fangirls were only attracted to their mental imagery of him. Their imaginations were only this beautiful, because of their distant proximity. If they really knew him as a person, they would not remain as infatuated as before. Han Leng was a negative, pessimistic person. It was this aloofness that gave off a carefree, easy-going attitude, which always gave a nonchalant feeling to someone else. Even if he did like someone, he would never be able to overcome the negativity and pessimism at his core. He would never display any passion, or the initiative to pursue a girl. Han Leng did not see the meaning in all of this. There was nothing that could last until the end of times, and being with a girl at the end of the world was no different from being alone at the end of the world. At least, he still had literature as the essence of his inner world. Even if he was alone, at least he could write himself a captivating girl in a beautiful world that hes written for himself. Wouldnt that suffice? To a passionate author who intended to deliver at least one masterpiece to the world, the importance of his inner world was far greater, even moreso than reality itself. Arguably, these were the losers of reality. Even if they struggled for an entire lifetime, they might not yet reach the level of someone who grew accustomed to reality at the moment of birth. So, why not use a pen and ink to write out the perfect life they could have experienced? No holds barred! Han Leng self-reflected as so, and quickly decided against observing Zhao Youyue. She may have been a character created by him, but she would not be interested in something as boring as love, and would not be interested in a three-dimensional man. It could not be helped. One of them was a three-dimensional author, while the other was a character in the literary world. Even if they loved each other, how would they cross one dimension and be together? Han Leng was overthinking again. Lady Zhao was obviously a living, breathing human being. How could she be a character from a story? He might have drunk too much C which was why he had such negative thoughts. Han Leng was attracting quite some attention in his classmate reunion party, and was undeniably the center of attention. After all, The Great Scholar Han was doing the best among his classmates. To him, doing well in the college entrance exams or enrolling in a university would not benefit him, as he could rely on his writings to live a well-off life. Enrolling to a university was just a way of gathering materials to him. Thus, quite a few of his classmates took the initiative to toast with him. Han Leng absolutely abhorred alcohol, but he did not turn anyone down on that day. He soon realized that the tipsy buzzing was not so bad. Perhaps this was the appeal of alcohol. The more he drank, the wider his eyes were opened. He even discovered an endless loop He truly admired Lady Zhao, and he really liked her, a lot. However, caught somewhere between these feelings of attractions came the idea, Zhao Youyue would not be interested in something as boring as love; she would never fall in love. If there comes a day when Zhao Youyue suddenly came up and confessed to him, he would appear dull and uninterested. This was Han Leng. This innocent, complex, artsy, psychologically challenged, drama queen could also be crazy. According to his standards of attraction, his love would never, ever be reciprocated. He would be perfectly happy to allow himself to be used by the other person, and end up alone forever. Perhaps the only thing he was not worried about was that the girl would suddenly fall into the trap of a boring, dull love. She would then become shy, weak and delicate, lovesick. That would be most unsightly. Repulsively so. However, women in the real world were all like this. Obviously, calling them repulsive and unsightly might just be too much. We could only say that they were highly common To someone like Han Leng who was a stubborn, crazy genius who thought too highly of himself, ordinary would be uninteresting. Women who get upset and suffer abysmal agony, because of picking uninteresting men for no valid reason whatsoever. Too few women were realistically aware of their own limitations. Before falling in love, they might just seem a little interesting. As single ladies, they might still be demure and full of life. However, once they start falling in love, they would be done for. They would let anything go for the sake of love. Han Leng had read numerous works from female authors and soon detected a pattern. When it came to works that were catered to women, they stopped writing just about anything else, and stuck to love when romance kicked in. Love could save everything in the world It was boring and monotonous. If there came a day when Lady Zhao became such a woman, even she fell in love with him, he would find it boring and mundane. At that time, he would choose to leave the country and completely give up on real-life women. He believed that Zhao Youyue had the greatest potential to keep him in love and interested forever. So, do not ever fall in love, Lady Zhao. Do not be attracted or yield to anyone. You have to remain high up there, above the rest of humanity, looking down at everyone from the tip of her nose, remaining as superior as ever. That would be the most beautiful attitude you could ever have. No girl would ever be on par with Lady Zhao in this world! Han Leng emotionlessly chugged down the last glass of alcohol and left the party that was becoming increasingly boring. The party was becoming flooded with all sorts of scenes of love confessions and crying farewells, which was all too familiar for him. Perhaps, four years later, they would be doing paired exercises of, oh, it might not be too long. He was afraid that at the end of the military training, he would still have to experience the sadness and reluctance of parting with the leaving instructor. This was probably how an ordinary person felt. Han Leng had used such sentiments as reference when inking out a fictional character who was supposed to emulate the traits of a normal person. It was fine to put oneself in their shoes then and now, for it helped in his work. It was high time for him to create a new story. Unfortunately, he did not think that he could write anything that surpassed Beautiful April at that moment. However, he might just be able to write something that sold far better. He even had a title in mind C Dragon Raja. Zhao Youyue did not any pay attention to Han Lengs early departure from the party. She even went to the KTV to karaoke after eating, with a bunch of classmates with whom she could not remember their names. However, she was not interested in singing, and so she was glued to her phone in the KTV. It was a common sight. Every time there was a get-together, someone would always be minding their own business, playing with his phone. The others would quickly tease on the poor soul. However, Lady Zhaos side character aura was dazzling. She did not have to bear with any teasing or taunting from anyone else. To phone addicts, their phones were the most important things to them. Attend a boring social event like a party was already a sign of their acknowledgement. Asking them to put down their phones might just cross the lines. Of course, it was boorish on more than one level. If thats the case, so be it. If you disapprove of her manners, thats your business. As long as shes happy, everything is okay hehehe Chapter 479 A Taoist Nun Friend of Mine July passed by uneventfully, if you count out the get-togethers and dinner parties. Zhao Youyue could finally relax again. At the same time, she was no longer weighed down by the worries that plagued her heart. She had unexpectedly received an invitation from Feng Huo Gaming Company, asking her to dub the voices of two female characters. These two female characters were Yan Qingmeng and Jane Doe Su. Coincidences were truly fickle. Zhao Youyue did not even anticipate meeting the famous game producer Zha Feng at one of the dinner parties attended by her and her parents. Zha Feng himself took the initiative to greet Zhao Youyue. He was slightly on the thick side, and had an aura that basically burned of extravagance. He looked more like a nobleman than a game producer. God knows why this noble produced games that overflowed with malice and conspiracy Zha Feng thought highly of Zhao Youyue. He admired her gaming skills. Her playthrough with Holy Monk had been most inspiring. Something even told him that his recent bouts of inspiration had something to do with her live streams. Players like Zhao Youyue who did not resort to tricks like The Bow and Arrow of Justice or Killer Cliff of Justice were truly strong-willed ones. Some skills like Killer Cliffs were parlor tricks. They just took advantage of the NPCs lack of intelligence by using the terrain as a strategy to defeat the difficult monsters. Zhao Youyue had straight up fought her way through every level. It was dignified, and honorable. This earned a great deal of Zha Fengs respect. Zhao Youyue was ethical, legitimate, and her playthroughs were pleasant to watch, almost theatrical. If his games were artwork, then Zhao Youyue was a connoisseur who truly appreciated and respected his work! Players who resorted to cheap tricks and hacks were an affront to his work. It was like serving good wine to those who did not know how to taste it. Zha Fengs respect for Zhao Youyue did not just end there. Her recent live streams had increased the revenue of his game. Such effective free marketing left him indebted to Lady Zhao. The sales and revenue of the game were the least of Zha Fengs concerns. He was most delighted at the fact that more people were simply playing his game, meaning that he got to torture more humans with its charm and understand his transhuman-like perseverance and ideals Perhaps all outstanding creators thought this way. Their creations had left the realm of material. It was like a Baptist preacher giving out a sermon, hoping that they would be able to convey their own ideology and worldview to their readers and players. They hope to change more people and awaken humanity as a whole. He was not like those creators who created whatever that was sellable. These creators had no spines nor ideals of their own. They only meekly conformed to the desires of the world. This resulted in clich stereotypes that would be as virulent and as incurable as cancer, as there are so many fools in this world Zha Feng understood that his ideals were unpopular and underappreciated. His games were especially for players who were sick and tired of games that were stupid, idiotic and only sought for their money. Those idiotic players were not even worthy of playing his games! Luckily, Zha Feng had never been vocal about his ideas. Ironically, he channeled that disillusionment into his work, turning it into elements of malice, conspiracy, and included it in his game. If not, his reputation would have gone up in smoke Some would say: how the f*ck could you even start off a master race argument when it comes to gaming. Games are games. How do you even look down on an equal? What nave idealists. Master races did exist in games, just like how master races existed among novel readers. Those who read famous books could always look down on those who read ordinary and bland stories. If the latter party did not like it, so be it. They were so far beneath that they wont even know how to appreciate reading material of a higher form! Your disdain is no match for me. Such was the case with his games. Players who stopped playing games like Tale of Wuxia 3 C Swords of the Future after trying it out because they were horribly tortured would gawk at those who seemed to genuinely enjoy dying over and over again. Are those guys mental? Which nutcase would pay for an extensive torture session? Well, they were just as sane as everyone else. Everyone had a different spiritual animal. Who knows, someone who read bland novels might grow sick and tired of them, one day. They would then move on to famous novels, and slowly grow into their charm. Once Zha Feng discovered that Zhao Youyue was the daughter of Zhao Jiayi, his already surmountable respect for her only grew. She was Zhao, and that meant that noble blood flowed through her veins. Not bad, not bad at all. A new idea dawned upon Zha Feng. The characters in his new DLC had yet to be paired with suitable voices. Zhao Youyue was perfect for the role. This could also serve as another advertising card. After all, Zhao Youyue, a.k.a. Ah Yu, was pretty popular, and their reputation precedes them, even in the highly competitive VA industry! Zhao Youyues use couldnt possibly end there. Apparently, Zhao Youyue was also an accomplished musician. Why not ask Lady Zhao to sing a song or two? He might even compose a song for her character Zhao Youyue was still worried that she would not be able to learn more about the contents of the new DLC. She did not anticipate Zha Feng taking the initiative of sending it to her. At the same time, he let it slip to her that there was actually another female character in the game, and her role was no lesser than that of Yan Qingmeng. Zha Feng did not elaborate on it. He did not have to, as Zhao Youyue knew it very well. This washed over Zhao Youyue like a wave and liberated her of all worries. She was most eager to take part in the production of the game. She was far more confident in composing new soundtracks than dub the characters! Zhao Youyue first received the script and notes related to the character C Yan Qingmeng. She soon discovered that this character definitely needed her full time and effort. This was not just another bland, stereotypical fairy As expected, as Zha Feng was fixated on the process of creating other characters, did he obtain additional inspiration? Iconic works needed more than one iconic character. When two or more notable characters met and clashed, the produced iconic scenes! Zhao Youyue read through Yan Qingmengs lines. Everything about her had been designed around the idea of charming the players! The title of a song rose up in her mind A Taoist nun friend of mine. She started to mourn for the players. They were screwed. They were so screwed. This was going to crush them, and you better pray to God that you havent maxed out her favorability, let alone married he Chapter 480 The Law of Humane Justice Zhao Youyue was just starting up Chu Luoxuns character card. Someone like her who had a maxed out music ability would have no problem churning out world-class soundtracks. Zha Feng was filthy rich. He would stop at no expense to make his game perfect. When convinced of Lady Zhaos musical ability, he would be able to be at ease. He would be okay with anything, even if he found it unsatisfactory and unacceptable. Zhao Youyue was not the only one producing soundtracks; many others were in that department. Every veteran triple-A player would know that those games ended with extensive closing credits that went on for more than ten minutes A production of this magnitude needed numbers more than individual abilities. But one could not deny that geniuses could offer a lot more to the production! The game would get far livelier than it could possibly be! A lively game was an appealing game. Now we had Su Li the artist, and Zhao Youyue the musical genius as the soundtrack artist. It could quickly be concluded that the players would easily have a feast on the games visual and sound effects. As long as the story matched those other traits, the game would easily become a masterpiece Zhao Youyue, however, turned down the Yan Qingmeng role. Popular as she may be, she was no actual voice actor. The only reason why she pulled off Yu Shengfans voice perfectly was because she was Yu Shengfan, and nothing beats the original. If Zhao Youyue was not allowed to voice-over the characters she possessed, she would have been in a difficult position. This was why she would only do the voice-dubbing for Jane Doe Su. She had already lived as Jane Doe Su in the literary world. Even if she fails to obtain the character card, she was still essentially, Jane Doe Su. Its easy to voice yourself. It was her, and she knew what to say, when to say it, how to say it. She could do it in her sleep! Zhao Youyue was highly successful in the audtions, thus becoming the voice actress of Jane Doe Su. At the same time, she finally gained access to what Zha Feng considered to be a top secret file, which was related to the plot involving Jane Doe Su. She could finally relax now She soon discovered that her exploits in the Two Dimensional Gate had not been deleted. On the contrary, much more content had been added to her ideas. There were new flashbacks of her childhood and explained how she had often watched her mother perform her stage play with a sword, which explained her amazing sword skills. When Zhao Youyue possessed Jane Doe Su, she let loose on the settings without any restraint. Zha Feng was more or less polishing things up and cleaning the mess left behind by Zhao Youyue. He often came up with rational explanations to justify her traits. If not, how could she be so strong for no reason whatsoever? It was now established that any plot related to Jane Doe Su deeply moved Zha Feng. This character was worth his full scrutiny. He had even used this characters emergence as his own burst of inspiration. However, he did not know anything about this characters backstory. It bled far deeper down the rabbit hole than he could ever imagine It could not be helped. Such bottlenecks came up when original creators came up with characters who exuded Gu Longs style C in a world without Jin Yong and Gu Long. Jane Doe Su could be considered the female version of Ye Gucheng. Of course, they had a set of extreme sword skills that was only exclusive to them Fairy from the wonderland [1]! Jane Doe Su might not have a name, but she could have a nickname. She could be called the Nameless Empyrean Blade. The heavens had granted her this sword. There was no need to give any reason for it, it was just that awesome. The similarities between this Nameless Empyrean Blade and Ye Gucheng started from how they would both sought to commit regicide [2]. Their motives were entirely different. Ye Gucheng was just too bored and wanted to find something to fill his hands. However, Jane Doe Su wanted to take revenge on behalf of her mom. They would stir up a storm and attract the attention of the masses, and ultimately achieve their true purpose. However, they could not help but be blown away by their opponents pure kendo style and chose to complement each other This could be considered the main plot in the new DLC [3]. However, the players would be exposed to this truth at the last moment. In fact, besides the usual, bloody killing in the game, players would also have to investigate, gather information, and analyze them. It was a good part of the game, but things could easily go wrong if a halfwit player made his choices without much thought. The players would then see the consequences of his good-willed, albeit bad results after playing the game for some time. When they finally realize the truth, the true killer would have been let off the hook, only to go on with his tyrannical ways, while the other not-so evil guy would have been unjustly killed, his dreams unfulfilled. That would be infuriating on another level. As it was, all players had to proceed with caution. It was safer to be certain of all variables and possibilities before making a move. If not, they would have to swallow the bitter pill and face the consequences The game had been deliberately designed in such manner. It wanted players to know that there was more to it than killing, and that it had ample backstory, history, culture to share. As long as players took all of this into consideration, they should not run into much trouble. For example, why werent the humans extinct yet, considering the fact that they faced waves of assault from deadly beasts on a daily basis. Technology gave humans in the real world great strength and power, but the animals are not yet all extinct Players could actually become friends with the monsters in the game. Not all monsters were bad and evil The name for the new DLC for Tale of Wuxia 3 had finally been released. It was called The Law of Humane Justice. Once the players saw the name of the DLC, they knew in their hearts that it was obviously referring to the character which had been hyped through the ceiling Yan Qingmeng! We know, we know. Looks like all of us could once again attack the Righteous Fairy? Who said the Tale of Wuxia 3 was an adventure game. This was all nonsense. It was clearly a large-scaled love simulation game! Of course, if you want to play a love simulation game, you must first have the capability. If not, you would be stuck at the level of a small boss for all eternity. How are you going to go on with the plot and impress the female characters? The new DLCs CG [4] trailer had of course, been released. Its star was once again Li Xiye the Sword God, yet again. He played a rather important role in the game. In editions without the DLC, he was a particularly fierce NPC. At the same time, many fearless players were slaughtered trying to kill him. They wanted to see what could result from crossing blades with him, but unfortunately, they never even got to find out if he bled! The game was a cheat. How are they supposed to kill him if he could not be harmed? On the other hand, he only had to touch them. How does one even fight him! Li Xiye seemed to be troubled in the CG, as if he had recently been privy to damning knowledge. That handsome face of his was somber and conflicted ___________________________________________________________________ Translation note: [1] Fairy from the wonderland () is a skill from the TV series The Little Fairy. The Little Fairy is a 2006 Chinese television series based on the legend of the Fairy Couple during the Han Dynasty. [2] regicide ()is the deliberate killing of a monarch, or the person responsible for the killing of a person of royalty. [3] DLC means downloadable content [4] CG means computer graphics Chapter 481 Releasing Soon The finalized trailer was as expected of typical Zha Feng, every bit pretentious, mysterious. The narrators weird and incomprehensible narration only added on to the puzzlement of the players. Players were somehow amazed, without knowing what they were actually watching It had the same effect as one of those hipster, stream of consciousness [1] literature. It was a more direct form of abstract painting, except that instead of being disfigured, the characters inside were all handsome and beautiful, and had their cool, theatrical skills to complement on it! After all, this was Li Xiye the Sword God. Legend had it that the descendants of Li Chungang, the Sword Deity in green clothes, had the surname Li, but it was unknown if they were actually related. Li Xiyes sword was known for its precision. He drew his sword at speeds humans simply could not comprehend. His enemies would barely have time to register the reflection from his blade before it ran through them. In this world, some traitorous characters would always elude you. It is during that moment when you run your sword through their throats, where you would see their blood flowing down the length of your sword. If only you could witness this moment of glory C you would learn of its unparalleled beauty. Li Xiye had once said this to players. His facial expression had remained as cold as ever, while his blade sent a chill down their spines. Li Xiye often sang about how alone he felt in the world of peerless masters. Almost no one could defeat him in this world, as his every move was full of class, and he was extremely strong. This was why he was called the The King of Pretentiousness. This was to come as natural. To the players, no one was as pretentious as him in the game Some fearless NPCs would also try to be pretentious in front of Li Xiye. As a result, they would be dead before his blade stopped leaving its sheath. Li Xiye had always been as expressive as a statue. This was probably his only way of giving off the aura of a master. Then, why was he so different in this trailer? That grave and complicated expression. Did he seem to be battling an immense, inner conflict? Curiosity was threatening to kill the players. They waited to see him utter one more line to shed some light on that most uncharacteristic showing only for the scene to fade out, and Yan Qingmeng filled the screen with her class and poise. She too wielded a sword. The sword was no less than that of the King of Pretentious holy sword. It carried a cryptic name C colorless.Colorless Sword had been named that way, because its master had seen through the mundane world and its color. It had an equally colorless origin. It was said that the head of Chunyang School [2] had once fancied a nun, and that a certain quote was even related to Buddhism. It said, Form is emptiness, and emptiness form! Yan Qingmeng was no Buddhist nun, she was a Taoist nun. That made things easier. However, she would also face a heart-breaking moment. The other person would claim that she was just a Taoist nun friend of his. It was probably from that moment when she truly understood why her sword had been named Colorless. This other person would probably be the games player. After all, players would sometimes hope that when they reached the ending of the harem, they would want all of the female characters to say that they loved him. However, they could only choose one of them when faced with a deathmatch. Sometimes, players did not even have a choice in their hands. They each had their own wives, so obviously, they had to tell their wives and friends that Yan Qingmeng was just a Taoist nun friend. It was rather pitiful for the righteous deity to unexpectedly become someones mistress. Long story short, countless players would be attracted to buying Yan Qingmengs shares. They would even abandon their original wives for her. In the end, only platonic love could exist between them. Wasnt that tragically beautiful? By then, players who were convinced that they would be treated to some fanservice CG, would be willing to fight on Yan Qingmengs behalf would even hold raise swords at their once friends and lovers C as if it would anger them to death Yan Qingmeng was an outstanding master. She did not trail too far behind Li Xiye. Li Xiyes sword had been sharpened by the whetbones of countless people. If you sharpened your blade by killing more victims, it could only be considered divine swordsmanship My sword is not only to be looked at. Li Xiye had once coldly said, his face indifferent. Yan Qingmengs sword was more of a Tai Chi Sword. It bent and wormed about, contorting and finding new angles with each thrust. She fought in a way that deceived anyone who fought her into delusions of grandeur, that they were actually an equal match to her. She was also a highly capable open-handed combatant. Her skills did not end at the sword. However, the trailer featured swordsman after swordswoman. It was very theatrical and dramatic. Most importantly, Tale of Wuxia 3 had these words trailing after it Swords of the Future. Apparently, swords also turned out to be one of the rarest weapons in the game. Very few players actually used swords. Instead, they usually swung about big knives, big axes, and big shields. There were also weapons like the bow and arrow of justice, flying knife, and pulverized lime. It was f*cking embarrassing! Everyone was part of the Jianghu. Wouldnt it be pathetic if everyone wielded shields and training their bodies like golden cloaks [3], resulting in HP bars that took up half the screen? Did we not agree on swords of the future? Whats with this wall of shields? Such foolish methods were claimed by many skilled players as the most effective and easiest way of clearing the game. Just play the game like a turn-based game. You could always hide behind your shield and slap them with it when theyre done. A high HP high defense monster only made it easier than ever. Everyone wanted to be a swordsman, but you would need to have the skills first The coolest players would go full agility. Even if they were fighting the big boss, they would go with low HP that would increase their attack power in turn. It would be violent and swift, and their hearts would try jumping out of their chests. Such skilled players often thought that they were assassins playing The Dead Mans Pesticide [4]. They had high attack power but low HP, and rarely ever tumbled about. However, this player went down easily. If he hated that, he should instead play as an easily controllable Brainless Flesh. Unsurprisingly, the new trailer revealed new maps and kingdoms. One of them would be the Kingdom of Zhao. The base game barely touched the Kingdom of Zhao. Even Forbidden City had not yet been built up. Su Hu the tyrant was a madman and lived a life of extravagance. In the base game, he had been nothing more than an stereotypical, bland tyrannical character. In the DLC, his Kingdom of Zhao seemed to gain more substance and body. It seemed to be an entirely new game, rather than a DLC. At the same time, the Kingdom of Zhao housed a mysterious, nameless citys organization. Legends said that it was the utopia in the dark days. The nameless city organizations housed nameless, true swordsmen, and they often handed out a helping hand for the weak The CG flashed a few instances of Jane Doe Sus shadowy silhouette that stood out among the skyline. She appeared in such a way that players would easily dismiss her shadow as additional fluff, if they even caught sight of her, to begin with. After the short trailer finished, the many loyal, skilled players and uploaders grew agitated in anticipation. Some grand masters started jumping into Tieba and kick started threads that were rife with speculations and analysis. It would strike the market in August at a selling price of RMB 78. Translation note: [1] Stream of consciousness () means a literary style in which a characters thoughts, feelings, and reactions are depicted in a continuous flow uninterrupted by objective description or conventional dialogue. [2] Chunyang School () is one of the schools in the game JX Online 3 [3] Golden cloak () is a magic ability to sustain the thrusts of sharp weapons on ones bare skin. [4] The Dead Mans Pesticide () is a pun on the mobile game King of Glory. Chapter 482 The Kind Guide Maker From the trailer alone, this DLC is absolutely worth buying at RMB 78. Go rewatch the previous DLCs trailer and youll see that Im right. Thats right. They spared no effort in the character design and modeling in this upcoming DLC. The difference is huge! Who knows, which superstar did Feng Huo Gaming Company rope in I think there can be no debate on what the main questline would be like. It would have everything to do with Yan Qingmeng. Who knew Taoist nuns could be so hot. Knowing how these love simulation games go, I would eat sh*t if we dont get some wholesome fanservice! Knowing sadistic Zha Fengs style, all their DLCs roll in with fixes and patches that almost always fix bugs and exploits. Be prepared to lose your shortcuts. Well, it cant be helped. Rumor has it that Zha Feng often browses through bilibili [1]. With so many superstars owning the game with their endless exploits, you guys should have been f*cking smarter about it! You are clearly reminding him to fix the bugs and to come up with more devious traps! What? You called me a superstar? I am not one. I was not showing off when I made those walkthrough videos. I was just showing the easiest way to clear the stage, and to dig out in those hidden details to the limit After the Tale of WuXia 3s new DLC, The Law of Humane Justice released an announcement, saying that it would focus on PC gaming and streaming optimization around late August. Many uploaders who made walkthrough videos were asked about their views regarding the new DLC. The above had been the response made to his viewers by an uploader named The Kind Guide Maker during a live stream. Many viewers claimed that The Guide Maker was only digging his own grave. Zha Feng had always hidden a million tricks up his sleeves. Arent you afraid of being slapped in the face when you make such a premature judgment prior to this DLCs release? Are you kidding! I have already uncovered so many of old sly Zha Fengs tricks. How could I fall into his traps again? Of course, falling into Zha Fengs traps have always been enjoyable. Maybe we all are masochists. Thats right, we totally are Hahaha. We would drag our balls through the desert for that one moment of accomplishment when you kill a boss and complete a quest. After all, as difficult as the game is, youll get familiar to the boss once youve died hundreds of times. The Kind Guide Maker was bragging to his viewers in the Zhanqi live-streaming platforms videogame live streaming section. He was just a small live streamer. He was not even particularly skilled. That was why he declined the title C superstar as some viewers had claimed. Rather than live-streaming walkthroughs or gameplays, he was a veteran live streamer when it came to a million ways to die in Tales of Wuxia. Perhaps it was his earnestness, or his various cringes and wincing twitches as he go tortured to death, coupled with his unyielding spirit that drew viewers to his streams. He eventually completed the Tale of Wuxia 3 via sheer perseverance, and firmly believed that this game was a classic amongst the classics. The key factor a player needed was to have a mind and heart of steel. They would have to abandon all thought and hope of survival, and resign to the fact that you can only improve by dying a million times. He then produced a video about his reviews towards the game and uploaded it to bilibili. This resonated with his kindred spirits who were experts at dying. They would feel that he knew the depth of their hearts to the most intimate detail Actually, once you have played the Wuxia series, you would learn that they are just an extremely well-produced galgame [3] that is disguised as some triple-A title, backed by a massive budget. How could you not understand that the beautiful 18sx CG animation kept us all going? They would feel nothing, even if they die again and again for the girls,The Kind Guide Maker had enthusiastically said. It was no doubt that he was a true fanboy of the series. He knew what the game was trying to convey, and what it really stood for. He even understood the differences between Zha Feng and other game producers. This was the reason behind his intense addiction. This was the niche appeal that everyone spoke of but never really understood. If they did not have the compatible determination and patience, they would forever remain viewers [4]. It would be a pleasant, peaceful experience for them; riding on the displeasure and discomfort of the streamer. It was a win-win situation. The Kind Guide Maker had recently been live-streaming gameplay footage of Getting Over It with Bennett Foddy. It had other names like Getting Over It and the Yosemite Hammer game. He had been so thoroughly abused that he did not even know how many times he had started over from the beginning. He was so angry to the point that he shaved off his hair and became a baldy! In the end, that led him to becoming viral. Footage of his rage and anger while playing the game found its way to bilibili. The bullet screen [5] of the video was full of people cracking up! Such indie games were notoriously difficult. It was not known how many streamers were tortured until they were crazy. Many streamers from the live streaming section had even expressed that after playing the game, they felt that the old sly Zha Fengs large-scaled love simulation and dressing up game was much better. The Kind Guide Maker had a real name, and it was Wu Shun. He often satirized his own name in a way that implied that every gaming endeavor he attempts would surely end in failure. However, werent the viewers happy to watch his numerous, raging reactions as he fumbles about and experiences death again and again? Several players truly enjoyed watching him suffer, his pain was their pleasure, his torment their bliss. If people loved watching Ah Yu skillfully slaughtering monsters, others would enjoy watching players like Wu Shun skillfully getting slaughtered However, Wu Shun unexpectedly used his immense determination to continuously play the game Getting Over It with Bennett Foddy for sixteen hours straight before finally completed it. At that moment, he had been so excited that he almost drop dead! Players like him would never be able to complete such game in three minutes. Completing it would be enough of an achievement. He had always been self-conscious about his own abilities when it came to the Tale of WuXia series. He would not challenge the impossible, for hard work would never be enough to pass over the hurdle. Many of his viewers acknowledged his determination, even if he lacked the skills. They were generous in providing him with waves of gifts. Even so the income received from live streaming hardly mattered. He was a beneficiary of expropriation compensation, [6] anyway. That was sufficient for him to live comfortably for the rest of his life. This left him enough time to play video games 24/7. The only reason he live streamed was to share his experiences with everyone. It did not if this did not earn him a single dime. Right now, I feel cute and adorable. I feel pretty good. I should be able to complete the game with my intuition if the DLC of Tales of Wuxia 3 is actually released today. Of course, I will be pursuing that lovely Taoist nun! Okay, lets call it a day for now. With that, Wu Shun stopped his live stream, pleased with himself. Translation note: [1] Bilibili (b) is a video sharing website themed around anime, manga, and game fandom based in China, where users can submit, view, and add commentary subtitles on videos. [2] Zhanqi () is a game live-streaming platform. [3] Galgame is a type of Japanese video game centered on interactions with attractive girls. These games are a subgenre of dating sims targeted towards a heterosexual male audience. [4] Viewers () are enthusiasts who are interested in gathering to watch other players play videogames. [5] Bullet screen () is a real-time commentary subtitle system that displays user comments as streams of moving subtitles overlaid on the video playback screen. [6] Expropriation () is the action by the state or an authority of taking property from its owner for public use or benefit. Chapter 483 Let Us Begin A New Wuxia Journey! Time flew. The Law of Humane Justice, the new DLC of Tale of Wuxia 3: Swords of the Future piled up on shelves. Many PC streamers jumped on the bandwagon. Among them was resilient Wu Shun the steady. He claimed himself to be a guide maker with a conscience, while his viewers affectionately called him rookie wannabe. Being a rookie was fine. He was a patient, resilient, hardy rookie who pursued his goals with dogged determination that not even experts could emulate. His spirit left many intrigued, confused, and doubtful of humanity. Perhaps he was just as claimed, a masochist. His fetish aside, nobody could argue that the euphoria of success far outweighed any amount of frustration that led to the moment, if any! Talented, skilled players could never experience such happiness. In return, such difficult games gave them a different sensation. The sense of superiority. Skilled players mowed over difficult games all the time. Then, they could sit at a corner, watching other players suffer, drawling Is it that difficult? I wonder, why did I clear it so easily? Wu Shun started streaming before dawn even broke. He truly treated such games like his sweethearts. Perhaps reality did not have much to offer. Perhaps he had given up on reality. When he realized that he could play games for the rest of his life in peace, he had jumped at the opportunity. A viewer once asked him if he had a girlfriend. He had asked, What is a girlfriend? Is a girlfriend as loving and kind-hearted as those beautiful, gentle 2d girls? Wu Shun would never admire people who showed off their love lives, let alone those who constantly barked about being a single dog. Games were sufficient. Games had everything to offer at the cost of nothing. Even if his body demanded for the physical stimulation, games gave him a hand. There were so many 18+ galgames on the market. Many of them were probably even more popular than some triple-A titles. He would face no shortage of stimulation. The Bishoujo Mangekyou[1] series was just one of the many series he could mention in passing. It was not even the most useful one out there He had mastered the Japanese and English Languages. He had even earned some extra money by translating various games into Chinese. Eventually, they stole more time from his gaming than he preferred. It was not like he needed the extra cash. His addiction to games was almost reminiscent of Yu Shengfan from The Strongest King. Unfortunately, he did not have the talent to match. Well, that was irrelevant. He still finished his games, walking away none the lesser. Games have taught him Japanese and English. Wu Shun was not short of any gaming hardware either. He had all kinds of gaming consoles such as PS4, Xbox, etc. Without those gaming consoles, he would not have been able to play the genuine versions of those exclusive games. Currently, he was playing the newly launched DLC of Tale of Wuxia 3: Swords of the Future with one of his concoles. It was domestically made in the China of this world, and called itself the Overlord Game Console. It was most certainly world class and beastly. The Chinese game he currently played did not dishonor it, being the large-scaled Xianxia spiritual cultivation kind of game, The Pursuit of Enlightenment. The Chinese players of this world were truly blissful. They did not have to experience the period when games were considered as electronic opium. They did not have to worry about censorships or inaccessibility. This China even produced its own 3A-level masterpieces. Foreign Game makers did not hold back when it came to selling their titles in China either. Most importantly, Chinese translations of their games were more than decent. You would have thought that they had been natively written in Chinese. The only problem was how long the wait between each new release seemed to be Compared to the China players of another parallel world who were discriminated in all kind of ways, the China players of this world were living in Game Heaven. Perhaps this China had been through a happier development, breeding more affluent citizens and leaders. Money did them a lot of good and fun. If the Chinese players of our world had been as well-off during the earlier stage of the Single-Player Game age, we might actually have actual Triple-A Chinese titles, instead of those cancerous, money spamming online games. It was not like such money spamming online games were without any merit. The only problem was that people grew bored of them in no time at all. The human soul would yearn for something more wholesome, more meaningful, and the body would follow suit. Wu Shun went ahead, streaming with much gusto. He hoped to bring forward a better streaming experience to the audiences. He shared his inner thoughts with them as he played Single-Player games. He gave the NPCs their own lives and his own judgement of their characteristics, making his viewers feel as if they were watching him play a multiplayer, online game. It was just like back then, when he was playing Crusader Kings II by Paradox Interactive[2]. While playing, he would stimulate the imagination of his viewers, convincing them that after all, such strategy games arent that bad afterall. His comments often threatened to split the sides of his viewers. That was quality entertainment content. It was not to unite Medieval Europe, but to let everyone understand Although I cannot give direct orders to the vassals of my vassals, I could just order my vassals to order their vassals. Hi, everyone. As a conscientious guide maker, Ive made the necessary preparations to carry out a streaming marathon. Have you seen my variety of instant noodles and fast food? This stream will not end until Ive cleared Tale of Wuxia 3s DLC. I wonder when would those gaming capsules that we read of within the online game genre novels come to real life. I could skip all this hassle Yes, Im now using the Overlord Game Console to play this game, and of course, its the latest generation. Speaking of which, this domestic game console Overlord has quite some historical heritage. I played with the Mini Overlord Game Console when I was a little boy. Now, Im playing this with the Overlord Game Console. All this happened within a blink of an eye. Of course, as a child, the only way I could play anything was to play in secret. Now, I can finally play in the open. I feel extremely blessed! So, lets click into the online store. Hey! Would you look at that. Popular recommendation section. Its flooded with these things! As expected, triple-As are easy to spot. Enough said. Im buying it. Look at that. 78 RMB. What a steal! Well, its downloading now. All looks good. In the meantime Yup. I think I should return to the game and continue familiarizing myself with controls. Im slow-ass, everyone knows that. But a big sword big shield combo complements my style. Ill be able to tank anything, as usual! Wu Shun started boasting about. He looked at the bald, muscular macho that he had just created in-game. He thought it looked very cute. Look at that shiny, bald dome In the end, his sword plus big shield playstyle accidentally pissed off four evil dogs. It ended just as how you would expect. They mauled him to death. This was mainly due to his passive playstyle, never taking the initiative. He would hide behind his shield, waiting for the right moment to counterattack. Yet, the dogs surrounded him and attacked all at once. Perhaps he should have been more aggressive. At least he would have gone down swinging. He was already decently equipped and leveled! That incident had left him rather embarrassed. But after he saw the audiences comments on the bullet curtain, saying things like C So funny!, After all that bravado, he died like a dog!, a smile crept back to his face and he got his head back in the game. He switched tabs and checked on the DLCs download progress, realizing that it was now complete. He then said excitedly, Let us begin the new Wuxia journey! My beautiful and gentle Yan Qingmeng, here I come! Translation Note: [1] Bishoujo Mangekyou C An R-18 supernatural AVG series produced and sold by the Japanese game brand star (retrieved from https://zh.moegirl.org/zh-hans/%E7%BE%8E%E5%B0%91%E5%A5%B3%E4%B8%87%E5%8D%8E%E9%95%9C). [2] Paradox Interactive C A Swedish strategy game production company and game publisher. Most of its games are based on historical strategies (Retrieved from https://zh.moegirl.org/zh-hans/Paradox_Interactive). Chapter 484 Cannon King of the Nations The viewers of Wu Shuns livestream that had been titled C The conscientious guide maker gradually filed in, mainly because it was currently mid-day. The great streamers were probably still asleep. Therefore, many people who had been keeping track of this new DLC opted for Wu Shuns stream. Watching him getting abused was also a very interesting matter After relaunching the game, Wu Shun saw some new DLC-related pop-ups. Even the BGM had changed. He was slightly startled, and spoke to the audiences excitedly, Old Sly Zha Fengs game is not a DLC-heavy mess like Paradox Interactive, this DLC seemed to have changed the game entirely. Look at that, even the character models seem different! As everyone should know, the Tale of Wuxia series has a special place in my heart. Therefore, Im extremely acquainted with this game. Im able to sense even the slightest of changes. Why do I think that the character models are different? In the past, the characters all gave me a dark, lonely vibe. Its subtle, but my soul sees a great deal of fresh vibrance coming from them now. As expected, this game is a massive game about developing love relationships. Hahaha Old Sly Zha Feng most certainly recruited some new powerful artist. No point guessing who it is right now. When we get through this DLC, all will be revealed! While talking, Wu Shun went through the new menus and systems at length and in depth. He kept them open long enough to the slowest of readers to keep up, all the while speaking and giving his honest inputs on them. His viewers were pleased. Honest reviews like this one were usually the determiners of their purchases. Such was the case for Single-Player games. Players might consider one or two hundred RMB to be very expensive, and would be stuck pondering over it for a long time. For mobile games, several rounds of 10x consecutive draws would cost more than a hundred. Fulfilling such impulses was extremely gratifying Currently browsing my original saved files has everyone noticed this additional main storyline quest C The Turbulent Kingdom of Zhao? It so happens that Su Hu, the monarch of the Kingdom of Zhao, has decided to entrust us to a commission. This new map seems to be the Kingdom of Zhao. Speaking of which, I remember having completed a quest related to the Kingdom of Zhao in the past. That quest seemed to be a generic sidequest. It did not seem to have taken place in the Kingdom of Zhao either. Quest takers back then were fortunate enough to meet the royal members of the Kingdom of Zhao. My only beef with that quest was that all the characters had the same generic placeholder as their faces I remember passing through some in-game books claiming Su Hu to be a tyrant. Yet, the new main storyline quest is coming from this supposed tyrant. I smell a rat! Wu Shuns words sounded doubtful, but he deftly accepted the quest without any hesitation. Along the way, he consulted the in-game index entry, where past books read in-game would be stored. He found the content related to Su Hu, and showed it to the audiences. Most of it had been written in Classical Chinese. One of Tale of Wuxias merits is the authentic Chinese style. You really feel like youre living in that time period. Even those mythical monsters roaming about dont seem out of place. And dont you love Zha Fengs contradictory naming sense? For example, those bloody mimics are called Box Fairies. What the hell? They exist solely to express Zha Fengs malice. I just dont see any other reason for them to be in the game. But if you insist on talking about the setting of the game, I guess its fine to bump into devils and monsters around every random corner Wu Shun read through the records and rumors surrounding Su Hu, sparing nothing from the viewers on how cruel he was, including the record about him being a cannibalistic freak, who even killed and ate his own wife Anyhow, these were just written records C everyone deserved the benefit of doubt. When it came to a quest in a game, anything went, as long as it paid well. Wu Shun took his character through the doorway of a posh, high-class inn. Then, he finally met the person who claimed to be a military attache from the Kingdom of Zhao. He carried the official authority look well, and seemed every bit as righteous as one could be. When he met Wu Shun, he asked him respectfully if he was the famous paladin XXX, No. 7 on the Top 10 list, even verbally listing out a long list of his honorary titles. This game took pride in its level of detail. Depending on your characters popularity, NPCs would reeact accordingly. Some quests locked you out completely if you were of insufficient renown. The NPC would wave you off in disdain, spouting a line like, A nobody like you is not worthy of my time. Even when it came to trading with merchants, reputation came in very handily. Oh, lets not forget about the female NPCs. In some sidequests, your reputation allowed you to dabble in some adultery as well. That was why some players ridiculed the game as Tale of Wuxia 3: Cannon King of the Nations Unfortunately, the CG cutscenes were all the same, as generic as the female characters were. It was no different from searching for a prostitute at a brothel. Therefore, it got old pretty quickly. Special female characters provided scenes that were of an entirely different level. Players would die a million times just to increase the female characters favorability. Increase it enough, and youll f*ck them to nirvana. Nothing would get between them. Determination and libido solved everything! Being the hero who saved the beauty in a game was also a form of eternal enjoyment. Players still gave such sidequests their all, if it involved a fair maiden In reality, the risks pertaining to the liberation of a damsel in distress were steep. Getting into such a situation was highly unlikely, to begin with, as these players were often cooped up at home. Wu Shun explored all the dialogue options with this military attache from the Kingdom of Zhao. He was told that an consummately evil monster had appeared in the Kingdom of Zhao. Nobody could determine if it was even human. Several important officers other than Su Hu had already been assassinated, causing the royal administration of the Kingdom of Zhao to enter a state of panic. Under such circumstances, Wu Shun hoped to be able to rescue the Kingdom of Zhao from such disastrous hardship and stop this damned murderer in his tracks. He would be well-rewarded, be it Godly weapons or techniques. He could choose anything he wanted. Wu Shun readily accepted the quest. However, just as the two of them made to depart, a bunch of robbers appeared, led by a mini boss. Were just getting started, and were already getting mobbed with a freaking mini boss. All this to open the new map. I cant say that I did not expect Old Sly Zha Feng to do this. I may have once be a newbie who got his ass kicked by the thief boss. That bastard kept me in the novice village for a long time. Well, that was once upon a time, not anymore. Hahaha! Wu Shun confidently charged in, moving his character like a fierce tiger. The robbers beat the snot out of him five times before he could even get anywhere close to the mini boss. At that point, he was almost prepared to smash his controller. He said glumly, Are they really normal robbers? They must be professional soldiers. What rotten luck! After dying eight times, Wu Shun finally defeated the mobs. He soon realized that aggression did not work well against numbers. He had to use the terrain, which had been specially prepared for them. Anyhow, the goal was to prevent them from completing their formation The mini boss was relatively easy. Even so, this relatively easy fight killed him another three times. When he finally defeated the boss, he let out a triumphant warcry. No other game gave him such joy. Chapter 485 Confused After defeating the mini boss, another option appeared in front of Wu Shun, giving him the option of killing or sparing the boss. The mini boss was extremely ugly. Wu Shun sensed something fishy. He paused for awhile, but it turned out to be a little too long, for the time limit went past. In the end, the military attache dashed forward and repeated stabbed the boss to death. He quipped an understated comment on that overreaction, Such a rampaging peasant should just be killed. Hes just weak and insignificant. To say that this was an understatement, would be an understatement in itself. The mini bosss blood had splattered on the military attaches face. He had initially started off as an extremely righteous, authoritative official. At that moment, he looked demented, horrifying Wu Shun had never approved of the save and load file culture in Tales of Wuxia. He always felt that it destroyed the sense of substitution. Besides, one required to reach a specialized savepoint before the game could be saved. Also, the game had an Ironman Mode[1]. There wuold be no room for regret pills, players only had one path till the end. More achievements were available to be collected in this mode. With more achievements came more clothes and decorations. Wu Shun may not be highly skilled, but he knew the nooks and crannies of this game. Of course he had opted to play in Ironman Mode. The NPCs sudden intervention came as a surprise, but he could roll with it. This had brought along a bunch of robbers to kill him. It was alright to let such a character die. He suddenly recalled the great streamer Ah Yus own gameplay of Tale of Wuxia 3. She had been playing as a monk, showing mercy to every single thing she met. It was almost as if she would never kill any human. It was also probably due to this reason, that she uncovered many hidden plots within the game Well, everyone to his own style. For a sandbox game that took pride in its degree of freedom, it definitely provided the room for players to pick their own style. Wu Shun did not choose to become a Madonna, nor a human killing maniac. He chose to play according to his own will! To be honest, at first I had a rather good impression towards this military attache from the Kingdom of Zhao. He seemed to be the perfect, virtuous warrior. But now, my head is ringing with alarms. Somethings off. He seemed far too eager to kill that man off. I may regret trusting him so easily. That mini-boss could have told me something. Veterans of Tale of Wuxia should know this. For an acceptable ending, all options must be explored and deliberated on. Proceed carelessly as your own peril youll get a devastating end. Thats why Zha Feng is an Old Sly. Wu Shun played on. Under the military attaches lead, he finally entered the new map. A boss fight almost immediately greeted him at the entrance. It was no mini-boss, but an actual, big boss, in size and in rank. Fortunately, thanks to the assistance of an entire platoon of paladins from the Kingdom of Zhao, Wu Shun put up a good fight against the big boss. It was not a human-shaped boss, but a huge, aggressive mammoth. It would easily turn him into jelly within two to three swings. Thankfully, it was all brawn and no brains. Its size also worked against it, making it incredibly slow. As long as Wu Shun remained cautious, he would get away without a scratch. After all, he was not alone in this fight. I have to say, the graphics and combat mechanics of this game are really quite something. Doesnt justify having a giant-ass beast standing in the middle of the maps entrance, though. This aint Monster Abuse Human. Ahahaha, what do you mean Monster Hunter? Ive only played Monster Abuse Human! Upon entering the new map, Wu Shun paced things down and leisurely strolled about. He started off with the sidequests. There were many cities within the Kingdom of Zhao. Each city had its own notice board, and each notice board had its own list of quests and bounties, such as wanted posters, demons and monsters extermination, rescue and treatment of the needy, etc. Almost all the sidequests entailed a sad, tragic story Wu Shun had also accepted a sideline quest from the Chun Yang sect. Thats right, the Chun Yang sect of the beautiful and gentle Yan Qingmeng. She was a big shot within the Chun Yang sect. They basically treated her as the Seed of Monasticism. She was the arch-nemesis of the evil Ye Honglian. Thats not good. If the beautiful, gentle Yan Qingmeng and Ye Honglian are enemies, and my adulterous history with Ye Honglian gets uncovered, all hell might break loose. Ill probably get some negative value on her favorability. She would hate me, Wu Shun read her character entry and concluded bitterly. Unsurprisingly, Wu Shun had long cleared the previous DLC. His ending wasnt that bad. Ye Honglian had shared many wonderful, painful memories with him. They abruptly ended up forgetting each other. Well, it was just simply because he had been unable to complete some high difficulty quests, causing the two of them to eventually end up that way. To Wu Shun, Ye Honglian was even more attractive, compared to the two heroines within the base game. He had to admit that he would not be able to let her go if she were to appear in front of him again, one day. To male players, raiding female characters gave the game meaning. Unfortunately, the game did not provide harem systems. If only one said I love you to every female character, they would end up being single Cannon Kings. As he cleared more sidequests, he also had a clearer insight on the hardships of citizens under the ruling of a tyrant. Most importantly, those assassinated officers were all minions of the tyrant. They had played their part in laying the grounds for evil. The people only had cause to celebrate their deaths, much less mourn for them Wu Shun started feeling indecisive. Should he eliminate those chivalrous assassins? Anyway, he still had a main questline to complete. The game was open and diverse, so more options might make themselves available, soon enough. Proceeding on with the quest chain only led him to more confusion. Those chivalrous assassins were described as ignorant fools who had been brainwashed by some single-minded conspiration fabricator, or someone behind the scenes. Once that person behind the scenes becomes king, he might be even crueler than the current king. As it stood, the current king was already the source of the Kingdoms chaos! The Chun Yang sect also considered those assassins to be pagan disciples. They shared all forms of techniques in public, so that everyone could pick them up and start training. They believed in equal power and equal right to knowledge. How could this be allowed? Wu Shun was already confused as it was. Still, he had to be doing the right thing, increasing the favorability of the beautiful and gentle Yan Qingmeng. But, why was her favorability meter crawling ever so slowly, even if she was generous and benevolent on the surface? As expected of a righteous Deity, slow to please Wu Shun felt a burst of motivation coursing through his veins. Malevolence, justice theyre all the same. The beautiful and gentle Yan Qingmeng was justice. Appearance was justice seemed to make sense. Soon, he found himself backed in a corner, and a nameless girl appeared! Translation Note: [1] Ironman Mode C Ironman Mode means a player is not allowed to use the console, not allowed to save files by themselves. There is only one auto-save file allowed, and the AI decides when to save the file. Every time when a file is saved, it will automatically overwrite the previously saved file. Therefore, Ironman Mode can be considered as No-regret Mode. Even if you have already noticed that youve done something wrong, it is impossible for you to reload the previously saved file. Chapter 486 Peerless Master By that time, Wu Shun had been streaming for almost twenty continuous hours. The only thing that kept him going was instant noodles. His viewers could not deny that he was truly passionate about his games He was the first to start streaming this brand new Tale of Wuxia 3 DLC, and had not logged out even once. This also meant that he had the furthest progress thus far. His skills may be atrocious, but he fought through all those hurdles with sheer, dogged persistence. Bosses gave him pause, but only momentarily. Nothing had stopped him dead in his tracks, yet. In this game, mobs sometimes posed a greater threat than bosses. Wu Shun found himself repeatedly getting surrounded and mauled to death by numbers. It was depressing and embarrassing! His carelessness had once again led to him being surrounded by a bunch of poisonous desert scorpions. To make matters worse, these critters coordinated their attacks in near-perfect unison. They came in melee and ranged variations, and even knew how to flank and surround their enemies. They would even temporarily fall back whenever their HPs fell below a certain line, only to be replaced by healthier mobs These mobs were the ones to look out for whenever you roamed about in the outskirts of the Kingdom of Zhao. The Kingdom of Zhao was highly known for its many deserts. It gave the studio reason to produce majestic, awe-inspiring scenes. The capital of the Kingdom of Zhao was relatively prosperous, although it was still incomparable to those truly affluent countries within the base game. Wu Shun knew very well that his complacency had led to his latest predicament. His shell finally broke, and he almost turned into a weary, different person in the blink of an eye. He spoke feebly into the camera, Im so depressed. It looks like Im going to die again this time. These mobs are crazy, swarming upon you in no time. Theyre probably tougher to deal with than the boss. I just feel like giving up right now! It was not only his spirit that was near breaking point. He had been playing the game for such a long duration. He had already waded, thigh-deep through various sidequests. He was physically exhausted as well. Many of the sidequest had also ended tragically. The darkness and heavy cloak of the world came upon him all at once, smothering him, the optimism and spirit that once held them back withering into dust. Of course, he had his moments of respite and reprieve as each boss finally went down. Even so, the loneliness and despair never truly went away. They piled up, choking the light out of his spirit. If his viewers had not consistently reminded him of their presence with their chain comments in the bullet curtain, he might have snapped altogether. At such a moment, the darkest night would only make the dimmest of lights dazzling. The game needed to throw him a bone for once He almost chuckled at that thought. This world was rutheless. It was filled with selfish, self-serving denizens. Even lowly peasants often attempted to scheme against paladins like him, for paladins were a necessary evil to them. The lawless world was big, yet it could provide no home for him. This often drove him into bouts of rage and disillusionment. He would sometimes vent it out by slaughtering entire villages. He had power of the world! Many games out there forced players to slaughter entire village, like The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim. Entire villages executed witch hunts on players for measly acts of pick-pocketing I bought the freaking game, I paid for it. Everything in it belongs to me. I can do whatever I want! This was precisely what Wu Shun throught. He plundered villages. After he had completely burnt down the entire village, slaughtered everyone and plundered everything within the village, he would say so to the audiences, further elaborating, This is the essence of RPG games. You have to search every nook and cranny. What if there was some hidden plot to uncover? SighIm most definitely going to die this timelook at the time, Ive reached the second day of streaming without even realizing it. Im thoroughly exhausted. With great shame, Ill have to end this stream. Everyone, please consider subscribing and sending some gifts over. Ive bared the heart and soul of the game to everyone here. It should be enough for you to know whether this DLC is worth buying. If you ask me, the game is definitely worth buying. In terms of the plotline and graphics, they are all top-notch and f*cked up as always. Wait, why is this DLC called The Law of Humane Justice? In the past, I thought that the beautiful and gentle Yan Qingmeng would be a righteous, straight-lacecd chick, but right now, Im thinking that shesHuh? Ive already given up on healing, why am I still alive? What the f*ck. This game actually has good samaritans? Is this the so-called, legendary Zha Fengs mercy? Wu Shuns drowsiness vanished. He saw an elegant female swordsman in grey clothes, with an incomparably beautiful sword dangling from her waist. Wu Shun almost started drooling when he saw the sword. It had to be some insane, extraordinary gear! The player in him reared its head. He really wanted to try killing the female swordsman, and see if she would drop that beautiful sword The scene that followed was equally beautiful. NPCs only got to flex and showcase their abilities when presented in CG cutscenes and the like. Anyone would look good in cinematic scenes. However, this mysterious NPC fought like a highly skilled player. There was none of that awkwardness or scripted movements of an NPC! Her sword techniques were beautiful and elegant. Even though she was fighting against a great number of poisonous desert scorpions, she flitted through their ranks like a graceful dancer, swinging her sword in seemingly casual fashion. The only problem was that the scorpions started leaking a great deal of vital fluids through gaps in their untouched armor as she passed them! Her technique aside, she had the evasive acuity of an elite player. She was actually side-stepping and tumbling like a player. She timed each of those moves by paper-thin margins, the attacks of her enemies passing through where she once had been a fraction of a second ago! Tumbling about like a crazy donkey would never look pleasant, and can never be made any prettier, even through Wuxia lens. However, considering that this was just a game with some low-level martial art techniques, even the strongest top players would be unable to cast their superb flying skills. At most, they could be considered rather adept parkour experts. The true elites knew how to use that one roll through an entire battle. With the right timing, they would get through boss fights unscathed. They were the ultimate one-horse ponies! Of course, NPCs would always present their trademark techniques in CG footage. Rolling like a donkey would be one of the few things an NPC wouldnt get caught dead doing. On the other hand, players only depended on drunk, random rolling. At least, they had a goal in mind C to roll away C drink some HP potions and recover their HP It was only a brief fight, but Wu Shun quickly confirmed that this NPC was incredibly skilled, even during actual fights. She was no CG-only entity. No matter how amazing some NPCs seemed to be in their CG appearances, the real thing would always be disappointing in contrast. As long as they possessed a HP bar, they could always be beaten down. There were no unique signs of the Samsara Palace on this grey-clad swordswoman. Otherwise, Wu Shun would have most certainly considered her as just another high-skilled player who came into his world for the Samsara Palace quest. The female swordsman had defeated a total of six poisonous desert scorpions. However, she had been wounded as she did not expect the scorpions to have a small probability of exploding in death Chapter 487 Minor Changes to The Character Appearance Wu Shun foolishly attempted to aid the swordswoman in her fight. He only ended up getting in the way. She only got wounded attempting to save him. The game abruptly cut into a CG cutscene. It demonstrated the swordswomans valiant attempts at saving him without any regard for her own wound. Realization quickly dawned upon Wu Shun. This swordswoman in grey was not some random, generic NPC she was a relatively important plot character. You dont dedicate entire CG scenes to common NPCs. Experienced players could instantly tell. The more CG animations a character is given, the more important the character had to be! The grey swordswoman had pushed Wu Shuns character down, shielding him, only to suffer a relatively ferocious wound to her back The cutscene had been played from first-person view. He helped the female swordsman up. That was when he caught a glimpse of her face beneath the hood Wu Shun gulped. The comments on the bullet curtain went into a frenzy. No one had expected the face beneath the hood to be so beautiful. Of course, there was even more beauty in how she had absolutely no reaction or regard to her own wound! Wu Shun was initially prepared for death. He had not expected to survive such an encounter. It was just a game, but it also provided an experience similar to Suspension Bridge Reaction[1]. As he gazed into the female swordsmans face again, his heart started beating at insane speeds. This was the sensation of falling in love! Actually, the swordswomans face was never fully revealed. According to Zhao Youyues set up, as a wanted fugitive and terrorist, Jane Doe Su should be covering her entire face, only leaving her eyes exposed. However, the game producer Zha Feng had not considered this attractive enough. He had made the slightest of changes to it Jane Doe Sus face-concealing veil was turned into a blindfold. Her eyes had been completely covered, but the drop-dead gorgeous lower half of her face was displayed for the world to view. There were few relatively iconic representatives for In-game female characters with veils or blindfolds in another world. They were all highly popular in their own right. For example, the beautiful and gentle girl 2B within Nier Automata, and also The Fire Keeper within Dark Souls 3. With blindfolds, their charm factor shot up to the next level! According to Zhihu, such blindfolds often appeared in all kinds of books that involved various sorts of shameful plays. This covered eyes hobby had a specific name, and would be found in a specific type of book. It was an excellent design choice that would turn on the most hardcore otakus, as proven by the beautiful and gentle 2B. The psychological analysis related to the imagery of veils could be seen in professional books. No one knew what inspired an intoxicated Zha Feng to incorporate a blindfold. Nevertheless, the change had instantly created a sense of visual impact on Jane Doe Sus face. With only the lower half of her face revealed, she would be able to seduce players to the extreme! Of course, her hair was grayish, standing out in sharp contrast to the black blindfold. Perhaps Zha Feng had been awe-struck by Jane Doe Su, or he found such a trait highly useful. Therefore, all his upcoming games would feature all sorts of eye-covered characters, regardless of the gender. In fact, he had even designed various blindfolds for Jane Doe Su. They were somewhere in the game, who knows where. Perhaps they were in the Avatar Changer? You could earn the blindfolds via achievements, or you could just buy them with cash. Such was how games ran these days. Single-Player games often incorporated in-game purchases. Most purchases would be purely aesthetics. They would not destroy the balance of the game, but were able to beautify the game. At the same time, players could support their favorite game companies. Why not? Whether this meant that Jane Doe Su was blind, Zha Feng declined to comment on it. It was her unique method for sword training. She even had the eye of the heart, and had learned the sword of the heart. With her eyes hidden from the world, Jane Doe Su would be limiting herself. Taking off this limiter would be akin to her going through a transformation, much like the multi-stage boss fights Zha Feng was satisfied with the finalized result. He treated Jane Doe Su as his own daughter. People would eventually remember her. But the price that had to be paid for that The CG cutscene finally ended. Wu Shun found that he yet another sidequest had been activated C treating the wound of the mysterious swordwoman in grey. Firstly, he had to bring her to a safe place. Then, he had to collect herbs somewhere, and hand them over to ahighly skilled doctor.This augured the imminence of another quest chain. Of course, throughout the process, players would form a deeper bond with Jane Doe Su. When the players love towards a female character was it at highest, that would be the ideal moment to separate them from the lady, regardless of how you do that. It would be an extremely painful, heartbreaking matter Wu Shun originally intended to kill her and steal her treasure. That thought was just a fleeting shadow, now that he had already been bewitched by her beauty. His mind was now possessed by the single-minded goal of obtaining her favorability. He no longer cared about anything else, not even the beautiful and gentle Yan Qingmeng! Wu Shun took the initiative to start a conversation with the girl. He found that the girl had even been equipped with a voice actor. He spoke to the audiences excitedly, This girl has to be a big shot! She even has VA. Wow! That voice is so ethereal, its simply perfect! Sadly, its notoriously difficult getting just a few words from her. But, I like such her. Shes a silent, expressionless, cold character! The viewers chipped in, This mysterious character is definitely up to something., Shes probably even more charming than Yan Qingmeng.Her swordsmanship was just out of this world. A chant soon started, demanding that Wu Shun treated her wound. At that moment, Wu Shun was wide awake. He was suddenly confident that he would be able to play for another ten hours. Dropping dead all of a sudden suddenly fled to a dark, hidden corner of his head! Wu Shun pursued the sidequest like a maniac. He almost completely ignored the main questline. Anyway, both the royal administration of the Kingdom of Zhao and the opposite party behind the scene had yet to offer him any notion of a good impression This world had nothing but tasteless, heartless wretches. No. This nameless blind girl was an exception. She was the angel who had just saved his life! Someone has to say it. Wu Shun was borderline schizophrenic. He put himself into the game at a level that no one ever could. Perhaps the game was far too dark and depressing. Therefore, whenever anything treated him with a semblance of kindness, he would be a sucker for it. Of course, this female character was dropdead gorgeous. She was an otaku-slayer! Translation Note: [1] Suspension Bridge Reaction C When a person is crossing a suspension bridge with fear, his heartbeat will speed up. If at this moment, this person coincidentally meets another person of the opposite sex, he will misunderstand this heartbeat reaction, bearing in mind that such physiological reaction is due to his heart being attracted by that person, therefore having affection towards that person. Chapter 488 Comparable to Artificial Intelligence Wu Shun was not the latest victim. Many other players who had bought the DLC as soon as it was released had also encountered this beautiful blindfolded girl. In a game that killed you this frequently, it was only a matter of time. She was a girl of few words, and always let her sword do the talking for her. Most importantly, she took the initiative to save the players when they were on the brink of death, which brought a new, warm twist to this otherwise dark, dark game! This game was special. It was special in how the better you were at it, the more likely you would die. This was especially so during raids[1]. As you rolled about, causing a scene, you would inevitably get swarmed up by hordes of low-level urchins. The best players would attract the most attention. If you got the attention of more than three of them, your life would basically be forfeit This was very similar to the game called Bloodborne.The first main area of the game was the city of Yharnam, where the villagers[2] lived a simple life. The village housed a bonfire. A group of villagers would always be gathered there. Players had to patiently draw the attention of the villagers, one at a time. Otherwise, they would suffer the ramifications. Well, it could not be helped. The players were despicable strangers, after all Indeed, Bloodborne was also a game created with Hidetaka Miyazaki[3] being the producer. It was no less difficult than Dark Souls III. The worldview was as mysterious and dark as ever, and it basically screamed Cthulhu in your face. Hardcore gamers would never let such a game get past them, it was perfect for masochists. In one hand, players could wield old-fashioned firearms, which could be loaded with magical silver bullets, allowing them to get rid of evil spirits. On the other hand, they could wield weapons like canes, axes, and swords. So cool! If this world had a Hidetaka Miyazaki, he would certainly be a close confidante of Zha Feng. These two were of the same soul, overflowing with wickedness and conspiracy. However, sometimes, they would let a glimpse of compassion show Many players had encountered the angelic nameless girl when they were about to die. Merciful Zha Feng was just too much for them to handle! Almost immediately, a variety of favorable comments about the nameless girl had appeared on the internet - - Im completely obsessed with the nameless lady; shes got me headed for her dead end, whatever it is. Screw the main quests. Screw the story! Im going to elope with My Lady, well get out of this hell hole! Is the Old Sly Zha Feng finally done messing with us? If any previous female character had been as charismatic as this nameless girl, it would have been possible for the company to advertise the game C based on the large-scale romance feature of the game Let me share a secret with you all. You can take a glimpse up at the nameless ladys beautiful long legs by changing your camera view. Unfortunately, even if you get the perfect angle, youll never learn the color of her undies! But still, I wanna lick her long legs until her bones break! What the f*ck, are there this many masochist hardcore otakus playing this game? Hardcore otakus are so disgusting! Anyway, somebody, tell me quick, how do I change my camera view settings? This character is awesome. Shes exploding with charisma in every aspect. Im not sure about this, and I might be wrong, but I think her VA sounds awfully familiar Her ethereal voice is simply eargasmic. Its a pity that she hardly speaks. Ill never get tired of listening to her all day! Speaking of which, what is up with this character? Has anyone here managed to uncover anything? My questions only keep increasing everyday. Why the heck is she so goddamned reckless? I think The Kind Guide Maker has made the most progress so far. Hes crazy about the game. He either sleeps of games. Even while eating, he would practically be on a lunch date with the nameless lady Date? What do you mean date? Do you even play the game? Are you just here to troll, useless pleb? Anyone who has triggered the scene in the game should know that this nameless ladys reactions are powered by some advanced AI. Youve seen the Apple iPhones at least, right? Theyre equipped with Siri, and that allows you to date her. If you dont know Siri, you should at least know QQ Xiaobing[4]. The nameless lady is just as sophisticated, but she doesnt speak much unless you earn her approval. So thats what shes like? Thats it, Im buying the game. The producer is really something, making an NPC so intelligent. Is this female character the biological daughter of the Old Sly Zha Feng? On top of her beauty and mystery, her apparent intelligence had also piqued the interest of several players! Of course, there was no actual AI involved. She had simply been extensively coded, much like those mobile applications centered solely on running virtual companions. She would respond to the players accordingly. Her scripted lines and actions had been so well-written that she was almost lifelike. To many players, it was as if they had discovered the New World[5]. They had never expected to see a girlfriend nurturing function in a game of fighting and killing! Undoubtedly, Zhao Youyues possession of the character had provided the inspiration that made it possible for her to appear so intelligent in the game. Players had even started second-guessing her nature. Obviously many players had been deceived into thinking that she was a living, breathing entity. She was far livelier than all the prior female characters. On the surface she seemed silent and unapproachable, but there was so much depth to her character! Wu Shun had been completely enslaved by the game. Whenever he was bored, he would try chatting with the nameless girl literally typing random lines. This was obviously a single-player game, but he actually made it seem like an online game This made his live stream channel absurdly popular. No matter how you looked at it, the reactions of the nameless lady were incredibly cute! She could just stand in a spot and say nothing, but otakus around the world would be collectively clutching their hearts, trying not to keel over! She was not only incredibly cute, she was also ridiculously strong. At the same time, she killed all the monsters ever so elegantly and beautifully. She was a walking difficulty reducer! Wu Shun put in a great deal of effort to treat the wounds of the nameless lady. Of course, in the process of treating her, he and his viewers had been treated to several fanservice CGs. Unfortunately, all that could be seen was the jade-like, lustrous skin of her exposed back Even so, this was enough to make Wu Shun squeal with excitement. Furthermore, for a short time, he had switched off the live stream screen. Although there was no nudity, it threatened to start a war, thus it had to be censored. Of course, as a result, the live stream channel went wild with anger. Everyone raged at the good-for-nothing Wu Shun, calling him a selfish bastard. How dare he keep all the good stuff to himself! Such a move prompted many people to make plans to buy the game personally. Of course, their purchase would include this The Law of Humane Justice DLC. These people included those who have only heard of the game and those in the audience who originally only planned to ride along with the live streamer. It could not be helped. Who permitted the nameless, blindfolded swordswoman to be so shockingly cute? Originally, many players had already believed that this game was a large-scale, love game. Due to the debut of the nameless girl and the side quests associated with her story, these players started popping up again with renewed vigor. If anyone still dared say that this game was no love game, may you never be able to trigger the nameless ladys storyline! You have our best wishes! Translation note : [1] A raid is a type of mission in a video game in which some people would attempt to defeat another number of people at player-vs-player, a series of computer-controlled enemies in a player-vs-environment battlefield, or a very powerful boss. [2] Central Yharnam is the first main area of the game Bloodborne, taking form as a large connection of Gothic-esque, Victorian buildings. The whole area is filled with Mad Villagers, and other dastardly creatures. The author is referring to the Mad Villagers here. [3] Hidetaka Miyazaki is a Japanese video game director and designer who is the president of the game development company, FromSoftware. [4] QQ Xiaobing C Xiaobing is a chatbot on QQ, developed by Microsoft. The bot launched in 2014 and became popular with young men who talked to it to alleviate their loneliness. [5] The New World is one of the names used for the majority of Earths Western Hemisphere, specifically the Americas (including nearby islands such as those of the Caribbean and Bermuda). It is called the New World because the Americas were not discovered until 1492, and no one in Europe, Asia, and Africa knew of this new landmass, so they called it the new world. Chapter 489 Difference of Opinion Zhao Youyue was also playing the newly released DLC of Tale of Wuxia 3: Swords of the Future. Of course, she was also live streaming it. However, she was obviously not as crazy as Wu Shun about the game. Even so, she still advanced the quests fairly quickly. She still played as the pious monk C Ah Guang. Naturally, she chose to spare the mini-boss bandit who had the face of an old farmer. Due to this, she offended the officer of the Kingdom of Zhao, which increased the difficulty of her future quests from the main storyline. It would have been a crippling crutch to most players. That mini boss was actually a citizen of the anonymous city. One day, if the nameless girl ever learned that the player and the officer had worked together to kill someone from the anonymous city, her favorability towards the player would understandably plummet. This was probably another one of Zha Fengs small evil tricks. It would not be so small to some of the players who were completely focused on increasing the nameless girls favorability towards them. It was the greatest form of torture that one could concoct! If this small boss that appeared at the beginning was related to the nameless girl in some way, or if the nameless girl had once helped him, who would dare kill him? The increased difficulty of the quests made no difference to a monstrous player like Zhao Youyue. She had added her stats and skills in a way that left her with a large margin of error. Her HP bar was so long that it almost took half the screen width-wise, and she was well-equipped with an especially strong set of skills. Even if she accidentally got into a fight with a group of mobs, she could parkour her way out. Then, she could come back, draw their attention one by one, and eliminate them She could even grab her staff and barrel headlong into them. She might finish them off with a single sweep. At most, it might just cost her some HP. No big deal. Zhao Youyues high HP and high defense, coupled with her adept tumbling and custom-made comboes left other players in awe. They did not think that they were just watching a game. They all agreed on one thing. Old Sly Zha Fengs wicked tricks and conspiracies did not affect the mighty monk at all! Sorry, anyone with extremely high HP could really do whatever they wanted This was probably what that one sentence meant. In the face of absolute strength, all conspiracies and trickeries were insignificant! Wu Shuns viewers often watched him play with bated breath, and it wore them out almost as much as it did him. Wu Shuns battles were always too thrilling. Every single boss fight either ended in disaster, or clutch victories. In contrast, watching Ah Yus gameplay was almost tranquil. Ah Yu was just too steady! It took her almost no time at all to familiarize herself with the combat patterns of any boss. Whenever she got to work, she did it efficiently and uneventfully. She played it the simplest way possible, without any fluff or flamboyance. More often than not, the bosses died in especially unhappy fashion, angrily screaming C despicable foreigners It could not be helped. Ah Guang was just too strong. He was stoic and unyielding. People even believed that he had ascended deep into Dharma[1]. After all, kill one to save more; eliminate sin, not people. He was not a Reckless Kingkong who only knew how to brawl and take lives Even though it was his in-game assigned nickname. Zhao Youyue was already rather well-acquainted to the plot of this DLC. However, this good-for-nothing Zha Feng always had something to add. He had created a hidden story that 90% of the players would never be able to experience. This way, he could surprise the players, although this was only limited to the 10% of players who liked to explore the story in depth. Curious, Zhao Youyue also decided to play the game, to see how much of her experience in the world had remained unchanged. At the same time, she was also looking forward to interacting with Jane Doe Su, the character she had previously possessed. It would almost be a hello me from another world experience. She also felt that the character she was playing now, the monk, was a perfect match for Jane Doe Su. Ah Guang was her, Jane Doe Su was also her. Both of them had despondency and sorrow, hidden deep in their bones. Ah Guang also had a dauntless spirit he was always ready to sacrifice himself for the betterment of others. He lived by the quotes if it is not me going to hell, who would? and before hell is empty, I would not become a Buddha.[2] In addition to getting revenge, Jane Doe Su had big dreams of living in a Utopia. She hoped that everyone would have equal opportunities. Even the people in the lowest level of the community could have access to martial arts. As long as everyone could defend themselves, humans would no longer need to remain as fearful of monsters. In the games lore, the internal strength and the energy of a warrior would be enough to hold monsters back. Stronger outputs could even kill the monsters outrightly. She hoped to mass produce warriors to form an army of her own. She wanted everyone to give up on what they believed to be the right way of martial arts, so that all the martial artists could learn and pool their resources. She wanted to analyze martial arts through practice, as well as scientific methods and ultimately create the perfect form Of course, such thinking was unconventional and highly futuristic. She was actually attempting to form an R&D division for martial arts. She was the Elon Musk of Wuxia! However, such a way of thinking would never be accepted by the big shots of her world and era. One day, when they stumble upon the anonymous city, a small-scaled utopia that was already partially established, they would panic for sure. This girl was the devil in human skin. She was even more wicked than any other monster in existence. Was she trying to stir up the elites and have the world descend into chaos? If everyone had strength, how could elites remain elites? How were they going to help others? In a world where nobody was weak, what meaning did knights have? Thus came the big question. In The Law of Humane Justice, what was the right way? Yan Qingmeng felt that her way, which focused on self-cultivation was the right way. It was not possible for humans to achieve the impossible. Equal opportunities would result in the heavens crashing down. The world was only so big, how could it possibly have so many resources for cultivation? Therefore, Yan Qingmeng was destined to clash with the everything is possible Jane Doe Su, because of their differing ideals. Moreover, the Chunyang clan had her support, which in turn supported the Zhao King Su Hu. Obviously, people would support whoever that was part of the Central Government For such a big clan, harmony and stability were greater than everything else! Therefore, Jane Doe Su wanting to take revenge on her father and wanting to change the world was simply an idiotic dream. She was a devil for thinking so! Wu Shun had already bulldozed through the game and was far ahead of the other players. He soon discovered that he had once again received a quest involving the Chunyang clan. Yan Qingmeng, the deity that he could never get close to C actually took the initiative. She told him about the real mastermind behind the main storyline quests - - It was none other than the owner of the anonymous city! The owner of the anonymous city was a highly ambitious individual. This person excelled in conspiracy and trickery, and often committed murder while performing human experimentation on those who survived an encounter. To expand the scope of human experimentations, it had now set its sights on subverting officials of the Kingdom of Zhao! Upon hearing Yan Qingmengs words, Wu Shun thought that everything was finally falling into place. This damn storyline had been a whole, fuzzy mess so far. After this, the fight with the powerful anonymous city would probably begin. In the end, he would definitely have a decisive battle with the myserious owner of the anonymous city The thought did not interest him. He preferred working with the swordswoman, taking on various quests. However, this time, the similarly beautiful Yan Qingmeng had taken the initiative to approach him. Wu Shun put the swordswoman aside for the moment. Perhaps he should try getting intimate with Yan Qingmeng And so, Wu Shun continued playing this game by listening to his heart! Many other male players shared his thoughts. A raid-worthy female character has made her appearance, why pass up on such an opportunity? Staying loyal in a game was boring. Ive already bought the whole game. Obviously, the young ladies inside are all mine to keep! Influenced by the how the DLC had been advertised before it was released, Wu Shun still believed that the deity Yan was the true heroine of this game. Hence, everything she said had to be correct. Listen to her, follow her, increase her favorability continually, and you will never go wrong! Was the deity Yan someone who treated the players like garbage? Once shes done with them, would she throw them aside? Hmph, I dont believe it. Translation note : [1] In Buddhism, dharma means cosmic law and order, and is also applied to the teachings of the Buddha. In Buddhist philosophy, dhamma/dharma is also the term for phenomena. [2] If not me going to hell, who will go there? (,?) and Before the hell is empty, I will not become Buddha. (,) are vows made by Kitigarbha. Kitigarbha is a bodhisattva primarily revered in East Asian Buddhism and usually depicted as a Buddhist monk. His name may be translated as Earth Treasury, Earth Store, Earth Matrix, or Earth Womb. Kitigarbha is known for his vow to take responsibility for the instruction of all beings in the six worlds between the death of Gautama Buddha and the rise of Maitreya, as well as his vow not to achieve Buddhahood until all hells are emptied. He is therefore often regarded as the bodhisattva of hell-beings, as well as the guardian of children and patron deity of deceased children and aborted fetuses in Japanese culture, where he is known as Jiz or Ojiz-sama, as a protector of children. Therefore he gets the name of first in compassion and vows and is worshiped by people since the ancient times. Chapter 490 Tricked In actuality, even the producer Zha Feng did not expect such a thing. The nameless swordswoman, who was originally nothing more than a female side-character, had actually made the sales of the entire game skyrocket! Of course, the game already had a good reputation, to begin with. Perhaps, a variety of cosplays involving this character would soon appear Jane Doe Su was getting highly popular for a character who had not even been featured or talked about in his interviews. Moreover, because more and more players were falling into the pit, her popularity only had one direction to go C up. With just a little push, she would become an icon! Only iconic characters could live in the minds of the players forever. As long as someone had personally bought the game and tried to get through it diligently, she would live in their memories forever. Of course, iconic games would not stop at single iconic characters. Instead, other similarly popular and important locations only served to enhance the power of the iconic character! A female character only had to look good to garner a male following. Many male players even claimed that the beauty of a female character played a part in their combat effectiveness. An ugly female character had to be insignificant and useless. Otherwise, they had to be side-kicks, or mini-bosses at most. Of course, iconic female villains also had to be good-looking. They needed that special kind of villainous beauty. Other than those cruel players who went full-ryona, slaughtering every beautiful girl they came across, which crime could not be solved with some sex? Forgiving and forgetting the past with angry sex was also a routine that many novel writers utilized. Of course, reality was not as colorful and as miraculous as novel worlds. Yan Qingmeng was far from a female villain. She was a righteous deity. She followed the way of the heavens. When players officially activate her questline, she would also leave some pretty good memories for them. It was just like where Wu Shun was at now C a long street in the capital city of the Kingdom of Zhao, which was filled with the beauty of spring. He was traveling on a horse, together with Yan Qingmeng who was wearing a plain robe. Suddenly, there came the spring rain. The view was most enchanting; they were lovers under the rain. It was just like a dream. Then, the two of them went to the eaves to hide from the rain, and the beautiful CG animation appeared once again. Under such circumstances, they looked into each others eyes and saw their own reflections Wow, wow, wow! Lady Yan Qingmeng is really so damn beautiful. Which professional artist did Old Sly Zha Feng hire to design her? Nobody could possibly resist this freaking goddess. Now, are you guys feeling what Im feeling, the impulse to go back to the time when I experienced my first love? Wu Shun was practically screaming into his microphone. His viewers enthusiastically agreed. They were as enthralled by Yan Qingmengs charm, although she seemed somewhat conceited and distant. Afterall, she was a deity. So what if she was a little arrogant? She had quite a few lines, which blew over the breeze of spring over those who were listening to her Indeed, Yan Qingmeng was an eloquent orator. Even a player like Wu Shun was swayed by her diplomatic tongue. Deity Yan was wise and convincing. Her words were so inviting, that even the audience started to complain. Shouldnt she venture into direct sales? She would make a killing off it! The emotional chemistry between the player and Yan Qingmeng was very arty and invigorating, just like a beautiful CG movie. In the end, the two of them walked in the rain under an umbrella. It was here, beneath the umbrella where they embraced each other affectionately. Players who had gone down this questline would crow in delight! Of course, triggering such a CG to appear required a gargantuan amount of energy. Less-skilled players would truly struggle with this. Of course, for their goddess, they would be willing to die again and again. They might as well just sit back and wait for guides Damn! How is this possible? The deity Yan somehow makes me think that the nameless swordswoman had actually approached me in the hope that she could make use of me? Sigh, my feelings are all messed up right now. Is it true that theres not even one good person in this world? Only the deity Yan is righteous Wu Shun said mournfully. In a sense, rather than saying that he had successfully pursued Yan Qingmeng, it was more of the other way round. His heart was bagged by the artistic and refreshing scene which depicted ones first love. It could not be helped. Hardcore otakus did not really have much experience when it came to love. Even games easily cheated on them! Moreover, all the evidence that Yan Qingmeng had put forward had been rock solid. Compared to the confident, outspoken Yan Qingmeng, the nameless swordswoman was extremely taciturn. She was also full of mystery. Whats more, she was not flirty with men at all. Naturally, there was nothing much about her that could flutter the hearts of male players. Lets use an inappropriate analogy. She was just like an honest person. Honest people could give others a feeling of warmth and safety, but they were too bland, and blunt at times. They were completely oblivious to the atmosphere around them and did not know anything about romance. Hence, honest people were the most well-suited for girls who were done with flirting around and have finally decided to settle down A woman like Yan Qingmeng that flirted so subtly that it was almost imperceptible C was on an entirely different level. She even surpassed the Green Tea Bitch from the real world. She could put in the least amount of effort to make men sacrifice their souls to her! This was probably a gift that had been bestowed upon the righteous deities Wu Shun completely fell for it. Rather than saying he had been tricked by Yan Qingmeng, it was more like him getting tricked by the good-for-nothing Old Sly Zha Feng. He had created at least three huge misunderstandings and had added many more misleading minor details. At the start, Wu Shun still maintained a modicum of guard against Yan Qingmeng. However, the more he advanced the plot and the more evidence he found through his secret investigations, he finally expressed his distress. He exclaimed that he did not expect the nameless swordswoman who had once saved him when he was on the brink of death to be an ambitionist, a conspirator, and a cultist. She had established the anonymous city. Many of the martial artists from the Kingdom of Zhao shiverred at the thought of that city. It was said the anonymous city had no system of its own, its inhabitants commited all form of evil, and they wanted to disrupt the balance of martial arts. Anybody would have the right to punish her! As for the people on the lower level of the community who thought that the people from the anonymous city were good people, they have, of course, been indoctrinated by the cult. Pitiful villagers, their biggest weakness was their low IQ! Wu Shun had figured it all out. The small boss that he had once killed before coming to the new map was also someone from the anonymous city. Everything made sense now! Indeed, the anonymous city was the root cause of all turmoil in the Kingdom of Zhao, and the owner of the anonymous city was none other than the calculative and pretentious swordswoman. This was absolutely heart-wrenching. In an attempt to treat her wounds, he had died countless times. In return, all he got was ruthless deception! At the same time, news about The Duel between the owner of the anonymous city and the Sword God Li Xiye had spread all over the country. Many martial artists have expressed that they wanted to watch this incredibly earth-splitting, decisive battle! Wu Shun carried out a series of investigations shortly before the Duel, to clarify the truth behind this decisive battle - - The decisive battle was just a guise. The true target of the anonymous citys self-proclaimed ruler was none other than the Zhao King Su Hu! Chapter 491 : The Game is Coming to an End Wu Shun was probably the fastest of all frontliners. After all, he played like a man possessed. Hard work often made up for a lack of talent. The game was not that difficult. Much of that had been exaggerated. Anyone who still marked up its difficulty after reaching the later stages of the game was probably just trying to stir up some drama. It was just like the game C Dark Souls III in another world. Many people probably knew about the drama revolving around the linking the fire thread, and had expressed that they would not link the fire[1]. However, many of them did not even play the game at all. It was understandable to find the game difficult at the beginning as the controls were unfamiliar. However, as long as you have tasted death before, you would grow into it. Wu Shun, who was furthest down the plot, seemed like he was acting as Lu Xiaofeng[2], a character in Gu Longs[3] novel. If Gu Longs novels existed in this world, Wu Shun and the viewers of his live stream would quickly notice that the plot of this decisive battle was a carbon copy of the one in Gu Longs novel! Ranking boards and stuff would be beneath legendary figures like the Sword God Li Xiye. Rankings did not mean anything to him whatsoever. However, he was a prideful man. He insisted that the Jianghu Bai Xiaosheng[4] who was trying to overtake him was a sinner among the martial artists. If he met him, he would most definitely kill him. Hence, the Jianghu Bai Xiaosheng who would be shocked to the core from just hearing the Sword Gods name would skulk into the shadows as discreetly as possible. Nobody in this world did not know of Li Xiye, right? As Li Xiye practiced the sword with reflective sincerity, he entered the realm of selflessness. Sincerity was not a power of the past. With the passage of time, the only thing that did not change after a decade was his sincerity. When Li Xiye entered the Jianghu, he paid his respects before he killed as a sign of his sincerity to the sword. He only killed those who should be killed and never killed the innocent as a sign of sincerity to the people. Only when one was sincere to the sword, they would learn the way of the sword. However, when one was sincere to the people, they would learn the way of life. After seven years of learning the way of the sword, he had succeeded. Until today, no one could match him! The bitterness and pain involved in learning and practicing the sword were inexpressible, but Li Xiye never left the sword, not even when he ate or slept. The owner of the anonymous city was a swordswoman who had recently risen into prominence. The Jianghu community called her the Sword Master. She was said to have extremely beautiful swordsmanship, akin to that of a goddess. Her swordsmanship did not seem to be the kind that was used to take lives. Instead, it was more suited for the performing arts However, as the opponent was enthralled with the beauty and elegance of her sword dance, perhaps, at the next moment, they would quickly learn that the very sword she had used in dance had also ran right through their hearts. This was the exact opposite of Li Xiyes swordsmanship. Li Xiyes sword was not used to perform, but to kill. To him, killing was the real form of art. However, he was not a murderer. He would not draw his sword unnecessarily. He either drew it when practicing his continual pursuit of the ultimate sword, or when he felt that someone deserved to die! Take those who used concealed swords in surprise attacks. To Li Xiye, these people ill-suited for the sword. They were a great affront to the sword, so they had to be killed! A player like Wu Shun who thought that he was extremely clear on the conspiracy of the owner of the anonymous city felt that he knew how she had grown so famous as well. He had been involved in the process, step-by-step. He also considered this to be further evidence of him being used by her Furthermore, as Wu Shun was making the most progress thus far, his live stream had been recorded and forwarded to major video websites, which undoubtedly misled a considerable number of players! Of course, most of these people were just coming along for the ride! These netizens did not actually play the game. They used these live streams as a substitute and imagined themselves playing in place of the streamer. It drove them wild - - What the hell! I didnt expect the one who gave players the most warmth, the most wholesome sweetness to be the hidden supervillain final boss. How could this be? Hehe, right from the start, I already knew that there was something off about this woman. This was why I said that the world of knights is a malicious world. There are no good people in it! Those who are still treating this Nameless Swordswoman as their wives, wake up already. Shes the owner of the anonymous city, a big shot on par with the Sword God! Am I the only one that thinks it only made her even cuter? A super strong boss with a murderous aura. If I were to fight her in the end, it would be so fun, yet so agonizing As expected of Old Sly Zha Feng. I cant say that Im not surprised. In any case, Yan Qingmeng is my true love. Walking under an umbrella in the rain, the CG where I embraced her. My heart is exploding with love and happiness! The Duel. Hehe, I really cant wait for this decisive battle between two masters. Is it true that if youve beaten Li Xiye before, you can replace Li Xiye on that battle? Ah, Ill admit that this plot twist is amazing, but its tragic. Is the Nameless Swordswoman really a villain? I really dont want to believe such a thing! Shes most definitely a villain. Look at how she dresses. A mysterious gray coat, a hood, a blindfold over her eyes, grayish-white hair. She totally looks like a villain. According to Yan Qingmeng, countless martial artists have died by her hands. Most importantly, the bodies of those martial artists were also cut open and preserved, and she even has a museum specifically for human anatomy. Shes way too evil! Sure enough, all of this is due to Old Sly Zha Fengs wickedness. He deliberately created a female character that everyone would find to be cute and fall in love with. Then, he would have them work hand in hand with her, bonding over their mutual experiences, together. Finally, he gives the players a massive slap and wakes them up. He would reveal to us all that this girl is a cultist, a terrorist. She took the initiative to approach the players, purely so that she could make use of them! If that does not make her a disgusting person, what else could she be? My Lady Yan Qingmeng is the best! Whoever who dares go against my lady Yan Qingmeng, will get their skulls split open by me! As for the blind villain, get out of my sight, the further the better! The public went wild. The nameless girl was crucified up the hall of shame. Wu Shun was the one to blame for this as he was too far ahead in the game. If some other players ever took another route, they would realize that, in actuality, the righteous deity Yan Qingmeng was the authentic devil! Jane Doe Su was not a cultist, but one of the greatest pioneers of the era! She spoke for the people who were all the way at the bottom of the community! Of course, whether it being Yan Qingmeng, Jane Doe Su, or even the Sword God Li Xiye, none of their endings would be good Do not forget C in this DLC; the hands of Su Li had molded all these characters. However, it was precisely because of Su Li that their good looks had boosted them up to the peak! All sorts of misunderstandings led Wu Shuns viewers further astray. They were swearing at the Old Sly Zha Feng for inserting such a plot twist into the game so slyly. However, they did not expect that this plot twist would be closely followed by an even bigger plot twist. If not, how else would this game become iconic? Yan Qingmeng was also about to pull off the most devious about-face ever! When Wu Shun reached The Duel, it was a sign that this DLC was finally coming to an end. This was the most anticipated moment in the entire DLC! In a dress whiter than the first snow, without her blindfold, the female sword master made a glorious appearance. What was her past like? Translation note : [1] In Dark Souls III, after a player defeats the final boss Soul of Cinder, they will then have the choice of a few different endings. One of the choices allow them to link the fire. Often, this choice will result in a bad ending. Due to this, players realized that this was a trick that was set up by the game producer. Thus a thread came up about how people would not link the fire, and it went viral. [2] Lu Xiaofeng is the fictional protagonist of the wuxia novel series Lu Xiaofeng Series by Gu Long. [3] Xiong Yaohua, better known by his pen name Gu Long, was a Taiwanese novelist, screenwriter, film producer and director. [4] Bai Xiaosheng is a character in Gu Longs novel Sentimental Swordsman, Ruthless Sword. Chapter 492 Choice Continuations to the games storyline were undoubtedly going to be based on The Duel. This did not mean that all the prior quests had been meaningless. They had been instrumental in fulfilling all the necessary conditions that allowed for this. Players were rewarded with an overpowering sense of achievement, knowing that they had brought the game this far! After all, players who chose the path of Yan Qingmeng were not able to completely enter the heart of the Jane Doe Su. Of course they would never learn of her secret. They had also lost the opportunity to choose a side. Hence, they could only stand on deity Yan and the Zhao Kings side Zha Feng was simply too cunning. From the very beginning, he had already cast out a huge net. If the players did not take the initiative to explore the storyline in-depth, there was a 90% chance that they would end up following Yan Qingmeng, without even being aware that there were other routes! In this route, there was no doubt that Jane Doe Su played the role of the supervillain and the mastermind boss, as Yan Qingmeng solidifies her states as the heroine. Deity Yan was always pure and beautiful, just like a goddess. She was an eloquent orator. Her smile and her laughter were so discreetly intoxicating. The players would be willing to sacrifice everything for her She could not offer the players security as she seemed to be constantly hiding behind a mask, but she was sufficiently pretty, and her CG scenes knotted heart after heart up. It gave the players a feeling that she was their first love! Was this not enough to make some players lose their bearings and willingly sacrifice everything for her? Jane Doe Su did not seem as approachable. At most, she seemed to be a reliable comrade in the field. If this was real life and not a game, a savior like the nameless girl might have been more trustworthy. However, one must not forget that this was just a game. Players received no penalties upon death. Even on expert mode where they could not save their progress, they would be literally saved by pre-saved checkpoints. In that case, the nameless girl who almost sacrificed her life to save them was nothing much. Why did players have to be immortal? Such circumstances led to players subconsciously making the choices that Zha Feng cunningly wanted them to take The game gave off a refreshing sense of freedom. Players could do whatever they wanted till the very end of the game. Little did they know that the first choice they made would already determine their fate. It was a trap! An illusion of free will! Sadly, they would remain clueless, even in that huge net that they have swum into. They would carry on, like wayward little soldiers Most depressingly, players would assume that they were dutifully serving the world, saving it from despair, only to realize at the end, that it was that very duty that had led them to near-doom. It was precisely because of them that the world was now in utter chaos! Someone like Wu Shun represented most of the players in the game. Wu Shuns live stream channel was enjoying quite a fair bit of popularity. Indeed, it was riding upon the great wave of the new DLC. Many viewers were at the edge of their seats, anticipating the grand finale of the game, the climactic Duel! Many viewers already had high opinions on Fenghuo Gaming Company that produced the Tale of Wuxia game series. They believed that the company was ethical and honorable. A new DLC like this, according to what some money-grubbing companies usually did, could have been marketed as Tale of Wuxia 4 instead! Fenghuo Gaming Company was comparable to a certain foolish Polish company[1] in another world. Indeed, it was the company that created the Witcher game series. The company had produced The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt with a good conscience. This made many players who pirated the game become embarrassed of their own actions. Thus, eventually, they went ahead to get the genuine copy Of course, this foolish Poland company only had such good conscience because they rode on some the misdemeanors of other companies in the same trade. Many foreign companies were getting smarter and smarter. They were following Tencents footsteps in profiteering by adding in-app purchases into their games. This was indeed a worrying trend. In any case, the new Tale of Wuxia 3 DLC in this world was just a weapon to kill time. Wu Shun had already been playing it for quite some time. Finally, he reached the last chapter. The sidequests alone were more than enough to keep players occupied. The only problem was that this game could not seem to find an ending that was remotely optimistic. Who created such a monstrosity of a Wuxia world? No wonder the players wavered because of the nameless girl. It was to be expected, as thats how the world worked. A heroine like Deity Yan, was, of course, an exception, as she was born righteous! The name of this new DLC was The Law of Humane Justice. It obviously referred to her. Was there any reason left to doubt? These small monsters are still as difficult to deal with! These cultists from the anonymous city are actually not that powerful when they are alone, but once they group up, they become particularly tricky. They are ridiculously proficient at coordinating their attacks! Wu Shun groaned into his microphone as he tactfully maneuvered through the citizens of the anonymous city, committing ethnic cleansing. The whole palace was already in a pretty chaotic state. The news of the impending intense battle between the owner of the anonymous city and the Sword God Li Xiye had already spread throughout Jianghu. Hence, many martial artists had come from far and wide to this place. Naturally, they mingled with the citizens of the anonymous city Wu Shun had already decsignated all the people from the anonymous city as enemies. Hence, in the process of carrying out his rescue mission and crushing this rebellion, he would, of course, have to get this bunch of people out of the way. Of course, his allies were the soldiers of the Kingdom of Zhao. There were also a few other righteous people helping him. However, they did not look like they could do much. In fact, this was very much in line with the process of fighting a boss in a game. No matter what RPG game it was, players always had to cut their way through a thick mass of enemies before they could fight a boss. Bosses never made themselves available from the get-go. The small monsters were necessary; they would at least allow the players to warm up a little. Wu Shun began to clear the small monsters along the way. Then, he went straight into the depths of the palace. Since he had gotten an insight of the conspiracy of the nameless girl, he would naturally decide not to watch the decisive battle. Instead, he went straight to his destination. From his point of view, heading where the fake decisive battle was held might lead to a bad ending. Now, the main storyline had presented him two choices. The first was to immediately make a beeline for Yan Qingmeng as she was with King Zhao. The Chunyang clan was considered to be worshippers of the Kingdom of Zhao. Thus, they had an obligation to protect the Zhao King Su Hu. The second choice was to go to the place where the decisive battle was being held to help Li Xiye. In the previous parts of the story, the players had the opportunity to earn the Sword God Li Xiyes favor. Some had even made it their goal in the game. They treated Li Xiye as if he was the most important person in their lives The choice of going to help Li Xiye is really a nonsensical one. If Li Xiye cant even defeat the fake owner of the anonymous city, could he still be considered a Sword God? Hence, going to find Deity Yan is most definitely the correct choice! Finally, I will be able to see the meaning behind following Deity Yans path and finishing all her storyline quests since the very beginning. Otherwise, how would I be able to gain insight into the conspiracy of the anonymous city? Wu Shun explained to his viewers triumphantly. Translation note : [1] Here, the author is referring to the Polish company CD Projekt. CD Projekt S.A. is a Polish video game publisher and distributor based in Warsaw, founded in May 1994 by Marcin Iwiski and Micha Kiciski. Iwiski and Kiciski were video game retailers before they founded the company. Chapter 493 Despicable Human On his way towards the depth of the castle, Wu Shun died a few times. He cursed Sha Feng for designing such a complicated mechanism. Most of the small fry opponents rushed into battle without the fear of death. Somehow he pitied these followers of the cult. To think that they had been brainwashed to this extent. It was easier to face them one on one, even if they were glass cannons that could hurt him badly. Hiding behind a heavy shield, Wu Shun stormed his way through easily. The Pebble of Justice became handy in this situation. With the skill C Fingertip Slingshot, he separated the enemy guards and took them out, one by one. Then, he could peacefully handle those assassins who remained stalking in the shadows. Wu Shun regretted every death that was caused by his clumsiness and carelessness. This game was designed to be played with extreme caution. Players should never risk taking a hit just to deliver that additional stab on the boss. Such was where the complexity and fun of the game lay. Every completed fight, every completed quest was rewarded with great satisfaction. Skill was not entirely necessary. If one remained patient, the game would reward them. Of course, many lost their temper while playing the game. Finally, Wu Shun reached the mission rendezvous point. This triggered another beautiful CG cutscene. The nameless lady had always been of few words and all action. There were only a few of King Zhaos bodyguards left, as were the followers of Chun Yang sect. Nobody could stand up to the master of the Anonymous City! At that crucial moment, the righteous Deity Yan Qingmeng was the only person who could stop her. The two masters clashed. The Master of Anonymous City fought gracefully as ever. She did not seem to be fighting for her life, she seemed to be dancing freely on a stage Yan Qingmeng defended herself against the Tai Qi Sword dance. That was about all she could do. The Master of the Anonymous City was peerless. Perhaps it would be appropriate to call Yan Qingmeng as a master of Five Versus Five. [1] In previous missions, Yan Qingmeng had always formed a party of five with some player or monsters, battling another team of five. She could take down anyone head-on, yet she never actually bulldozed through, slaughtering the group. Hence, players often had to jump into the scene to save the deity in a five versus five battle. Yan Qingyu finally had a chance to break this stalemate. Yes this deity is beautiful, yes she is righteous and famous. However, her strength in battle seems to be overrated. Obviously, she was hoping for a five versus five battle. I have helped her so many times before. Sigh. Perhaps this is how a female protagonist should be! Wu Shun murmured to himself while watching the cutscene. The master of the Anonymous City was truly strong. It was so easy for me when I had her as my partner in mission. I did not even have to worry about being ganked. All she needed to do was dance and the enemies would all be dead Unfortunately, she is evil, and she must be brought to justice! Wu Shun had developed a way with words. They may not be eloquent or awe-inspiring, but the audience agreed with his expressions. Some audience loved how he described Yan Qingmeng as the Chun Yang of Five Versus Five. If only Yan Qingmeng admitted so herself. That would have been funny! Yan Qingmeng did not remain in the scene for long. This Nameless Swordswoman was too tough to take on alone. They called her the Saint of Swords. Some even named her the Sword of Heaven. The name C Anonymous Sword of Heaven did sound much more fascinating. As I was playing the game, I often wondered how players fought Li Xiye. Fighting him seemed to be a nightmare! In this DLC, the final boss was rumored to be par with Li Xiye. I look forward to fighting her Even as Wu Shun voiced out his mind, the Nameless Swordswoman knocked Yan Qingmengs weapon clean out of her hand. She did not even need her grand skill -Fairy from Wonderland! Such a vast gap of mastery! Of course, Yan Qingmeng might have deliberately given up as the player has arrived She might have been able to hold out indefinitely as long as the player was not there An option appeared right after the computer generated scene ended. It was a timed optiong, should the player help immediately, or should the player wait for a moment. After all, both Wen Qingyu and Anonymous swordsman were known characters to the player. Why would I wait for a moment? Deity Yan is my first love! Even though the nameless lady is cute, I have to choose the righteous path! I play according to my heart! Wu Shun promptly chose to fight against the Anonymous swordsman! He triggered another cutscene. The player character rushed into the scene and took on dire hit that had been meant for Wen Qingyu. Even though the Nameless Swordswoman moved more like a dancer than a warrior, every single one of her gestures had the power to kill. After all, she had not been programmed to talk as much as other bosses. She did not care to see who her opponent was! Those who stand in my way are all evil! Coming face to face with the player character gave the Nameless Swordswoman some pause. She was clad in grey as always, a hood over her head and bandages over her eyes. The lower half of her face was so delicate and flawless C her beauty was no lesser than Deity Yans How could anyone kill such a beautiful boss? It could not be helped. Between her and Yang Qingyu, Wu Shun had resolutely chosen Deity Yan. The first love could never be compared with a wife! Getting his wife had been a walk in the park. No matter how much she loved him, there was nothing left in his heart for her. What first love? He never had her in his arms. He would rather die for her. Men were despicable! The Nameless Swordswoman remained still and silent, her face adorable and expressionless. She was clearly disturbed. Perhaps it was the pain in her heart that affected her, the pain of betrayal Only the sword in her hand would never betray her! Translation note: [1] A nickname was given to a player named White in League of Legends. In a national-level finals he was able to suppress mid lane players and took on any opponent in that game, yet he lost due to his opponents always engaging him in teams of five. He made a statement to the press and earned his nickname C Five Versus Five Chapter 494 Unbeatable Fighting a friend-turned-foe is never easy. She had saved him so many times before. Dying may be meaningless in the game, but her actions were heartwarming, nevertheless. She had shown up repeatedly when players needed her the most, fighting by their side, guarding their backs. Players were more than happy to leave their safety in her hands. Wen Qingyu was introduced as a side quest character. Players had been gradually guided to a path where they would fall completely for her. Without a doubt, they accepted the fact that the Nameless Swordswoman would be the last boss. Now that she was going to kill the righteous protagonist Yan Qingmeng, there was no better opportunity to claim your spot as the hero! Thats right; nothing was more satisfying for a male player than it was to be a hero. Ironically, they chose to fight the woman who had once saved them for the sake of another woman. For their first love Deity Yan, they turned against the Nameless Swordswoman Sighed. I really want to kill Zha Feng now. Why would he make her the leader of the bad guys? Now it would definitely end up in a boss fight. Do I have to kill in the name of love? Wu Shun gasped. He was right, the next fight was a boss fight. It was the toughest fight in the game ever. Of course, she was holdingback. She could not forget the past that they had shared, albeit briefly. The fight would have been impossible if that was not the case. The boss fight commences! Cue epic soundtrack! As epic as it was, it was neither fast-paced nor adrenal. It was melancholic. Led by a vertical flute, the music conveyed a feeling of grief and disillusionment in fate and life. It grabbed hold of the players hearts and crushed them. There was no question about this. This was the doing of Zhao Youyue, or rather, Chu Luoxun. She had composed the song on the premise of a friendship turning sour and ending up in the exchange of blows. Only her musical talent could produce such a masterpiece! Eyes on me, people! Witness me wiping the floor with this brainless final boss! Those who are having trouble can watch and learn. After all, I am an honest guide maker.Do not forget to follow my channel, also my newly established Sina Weibo Wu Shun bragged. It was one of those crucial techniques that could win you viewers. Even if people thought he was arrogant, they would remember his name. Then it was over. Who am I, where am I, what am I doing why am I dead again? Wu Shun murmured to himself. He was confused by the words on the black screen C load the latest save file! He had been so confidently prepared to face the beautiful swordplay of the Nameless Swordswoman. As a player, he surveyed the game from Gods eye. No matter how good his characters relationship seemed to be with this woman, she was the final boss, so she had to be slaughtered. He did not expect the background music to throw his emotions out of whack. Players were cruel in the game. They could kill anyone and anything in the game for a good reward. Wu Shun was interested in the beautiful sword in the Nameless Swordswomans hand. It couldnt just be an ordinary sword Wu Shun had everything planned out. He equipped his character with the best shield he had and paired it with a zanbato. [1] First, he would weather the Nameless Swordswomans onslaught and then initiate a counter-attack. It was a sure-win method in his dreams! Wu Shun did not expect the Nameless Swordswoman to roll behind him as he lifted his shield. A single strike from her sword took away half of his health bar! She was the final boss, alright! Wu Shun was not fighting a scripted NPC. She had to be a real person! While watching his back, he quickly used his regenerative potions. He saw an opening and thrust his zanbato. It was quickly deflected with a swing of her blade, followed by a pommel strike that stunned him! He was nothing but another slice of the beautiful sword A computer-generated scene triggered. The sword had slit his throat! The Nameless Swordswoman did not resort to any fancy skills. She only depended on a common block and hit style. Very effective! Usually, a computer-generated scene would only be displayed if monsters were killed in a second. Wu Shun was now that monster that had been killed in a second. Wu Shun went mad in his broadcast, mocking Zha Feng for being off his rocker. Suddenly he had this thought, If I had killed the boss when she was wounded, how would the story have proceeded? The audience responded to his question. Could he even defeat a wounded boss. Has that latest defeat robbed him of his sanity? Wu Shun was left suffering for a long time. His flawless tactic of counterplaying with a shield and zanbato was totally useless against the master of the Anonymous City. His equipment made it far too heavy to keep up with her agility, he was just like target practice When fighting a boss, forget honor. Anything goes. Wu Shun plotted using his ultimate weapon of blood-letting, the Zhuge crossbow![2] He would bleed the master of the Anonymous City to death! He almost cried after that attempt. No matter how he let his arrows fly, she merely tumbled beneath them. In this game, tumbling granted you momentary invincibility. Timing was all it took to master tumbling. Most of the bosses had a tell before their skills were released. A player simply had to time it and dodge at the precise moment. If your character happened to straighten up just as the skill lands, youll be in a world of pain Damn it! How do I even do this! Even if she seems open and harmless, shes a flawless fighter! I cant touch her at all! Wu Zhun roared. Translation Note: [1] Zambato, or known as zhanmadao (Chinese: ; pinyin: zhnmdo; literally: horse chopping sabre) was a single-bladed anti-cavalry Chinese sword. It originated during the Han Dynasty (206 BC 220 AD) and was especially common in Song China (9601279). [2] The repeating crossbow (Chinese: ; pinyin: Lin N), also known as the magazine crossbow, or the Zhuge crossbow (Chinese: ; pinyin: Zhg n, previously romanized Chu-ko-nu) due to its association with the Three Kingdoms-era strategist Zhuge Liang (181234 AD), is a Chinese crossbow that appeared in ancient times. The repeating crossbow combined the actions of stringing the bow, placing the bolt and shooting into a one-handed movement, allowing for a higher rate of fire than a normal crossbow. A top-mounted magazine containing a reservoir of bolts fed the crossbow through gravity, and the mechanism was worked by moving a rectangular lever forward and backwards. Chapter 495 Nameless Swordswoman in a Different Storyline Sigh. I must remain calm. Zha Feng would never design an unbeatable mission. There must be a way to pass this final boss After dying another twenty times, Wu Shun almost sat cross-legged on the ground and crawled into his shell. He had not even touched a single thread on the boss outfit. She moved and tumbled without a slightest flaw. At times, it seemed as if she was hit, only for onlookers to realize that it was merely her afterimage that had been struck. This boss was incredible. Monster bosses lumbered about, flinging huge, massive skills in all directions, soaking up tonnes of damage. This boss fought with great skill and intelligence. She was almost unbeatable! Wu Shun had just experienced the insult of being faceplanted by a more skillful opponent. He tried to match her tumble by tumble, he tried to snipe her from a distance, he tried to take it all in with all his potions. None of it worked! Shes plain unbeatable. Why did she even have a healthbar Of course, this only happened to ordinary players. It was a different story for the highly skilled players. Wu Shun finally gave up. I dont think I can do this anymore. It is time to watch Ah Yus broadcast. She is crazy skilled. She wont even need a guide for this game shell probably bulldoze through it with her skills even if she chose a bad route Still, she would probably have to learn by death when it comes to this Master of Anonymous City! The Nameless Swordswoman had beaten the life out of Wu Shun. He could not deny that this boss was untouchable. Now that he had time to think, he began to wonder, In order to trigger this route, most players had to be bonded with this boss in the previous mission. They had to be near death, and she would come to their rescue. Ah Yu is so crazy good, and has never gotten close to death before. How did she trigger this sidequest? Does anybody know? He minimized his game and connected to Ah Yus channel. It was nighttime, exactly when Ah Yu often broadcasted. She had been deep into this DLC as well. Wu Shun had been beaten for the moment. He needed some time off and some advice from highly talented players such as Ah Yu. Some viewers responded to his question. Ah Yu had not even met this swordswoman. Still, her Saint Monk had such high in-game fame that he had attracted the attention of Deity Yan Qingyu It gave her viewers yet another subject to talk about. They made jokes by comparing it to How dare a monk fight for a nun.[1] Saint Monk Ah Guang had rejected all three big shots C Cheng Shan, Luo Siqu, and Ye Honglian, intending to reach the edge of the sky and remain there for all eternity. He had earned the utmost respect from the strongest master of all martial art, Li Xiye. Li Xiye stated that he would never raise his sword against Saint Monk Ah Guang, rather, he would fight alongside him! Saint Monk Ah Guang was the backbone of humanity! Ah Yu had played this character of saint monk to an almost perfect extent. Even Li Xiye was so highly impressed by it, that he almost turned gay for him. Where does that leave the ladies? Ah Guangs gameplay did not take any lady into account. A wise man once said, the best way to win is to be without guide. All of the female characters fell for him, but their sentiments were never reciprocated. A saint monk was no longer of the flesh. Would he be called a saint if he remained so? Zhao Youyue had created the epitome of a saint monk. She was one of the rare players that made her character name so famous; it went above the Heavens Chart and into the game storyline itself. Ordinary players just wanted to pass missions and be part of the top ten daily record list In order to be part of Heaven Chart, one had to surpass the one above them. It was a torturous process for ordinary players. Ah Yu tortured the Chart. She conquered each of the mini-games to earn the title of First in Heaven Chart. With that title, she got strong monsters to fight her and slaughtered them all, earning even more points. Ah Guang was the first in the Most wanted humans chart as well. It was a call to all monsters to kill this human and earn rewards. Saint Monk Ah Guang made it to that list by simply slaying far too many monsters. He denied every monster their existence. The only good monster was a dead monster. Some humans hated him too. Some of them believed in the kindness of some monsters out there that could leave in harmony with humans. Not Ah Guang. If it was a monster, it deserved the taste of his staff. Compassion would only be expended on humans. Zhao Youyue thought this was the best way of playing the game. Her viewers were most pleased. Of course, there were complaints that she had reduced the game into something akin to Monster Hunters and Demon Hunters The reputation of this great monk had preceded him, even in the new map C long before Zhao Youyue even set foot. It only took a few missions before Deity Yan showed up to ask for the saints help C in the name of justice. Obviously, it was a quest that gave this Saint Monk and opportunity to get close to Deity Yan. The audience wanted to see the love story of the saint and the deity. However, Zhao Youyue told Deity Righteous that had had no business with human disputes C he was only interested in hunting down demons and monsters. He would gladly help if any monsters were rampaging across the land. Nothing else concerned him. Ah Yu was one of those popular broadcasters who did not pursue Deity Yan. Little did her viewers expect the Nameless Swordswoman to appear in another manner Wu Shun was one of the lucky ones to witness the moment in Ah Yus broadcast. The health bar of the saint monk took up half of the screen, surpassing even his blue energy bar. It had been further amplified by his Invincible Armor, Iron Skin and Strength of Thirteen Bodyguards. These skills acted as a shield like XelNagas in Starcraft. [2] Swarms of Mutalisks would be swatted away like flies! [3] Zha Feng was astounded. He had always known that his build was subpar, but this Since nothing posed a threat to the saint monk, only the Nameless Swordswoman would be in any danger But that wont be possible. She had the reflexes of a fly, and she could run faster than Hong Kong reporters. Wu Shun was an experienced player, but he could not even ruffle up her hair. She was so agile and fast; almost nobody can win her one on one! The only way one could get to her was by her citizens. This particular weakling of a small boss always gave her trouble. As a descendant of Su, this Nameless Swordswoman would never abandon anyone in her tribe! Even if they were between the teeth of a demon! Even if they were at the brink of extinction! Translation Note: [1] It was a joke started with there was an essay asking for the shortest but most wonderful martial arts novel in history. The essay required: 1. Three major sects at the same time. 2, Different clans years of resentment and hatred, but also to break the secular ethics. 3, The plot has to be exciting, one must feel as if a storm was approaching. Also, there had to be room for a sequel and it has to end in a cliffhanger. 4, The shorter, the better. The next day, someone contributed a full text with only ten words: ,! Bald donkey, how dare you to fight a priest for a nun! And so on [2] StarCraft is a military science fiction media franchise, created by Chris Metzen and James Phinney and owned by Blizzard Entertainment. The series, set in the beginning of the 26th century, centers on a galactic struggle for dominance among four speciesthe adaptable and mobile Terrans, the ever-evolving insectoid Zerg, the powerfully enigmatic Protoss, and the god-like XelNaga creator racein a distant part of the Milky Way galaxy known as the Koprulu Sector. The series debuted with the video game StarCraft in 1998. It has grown to include some other games as well as eight novelizations, two Amazing Stories articles, a board game, and other licensed merchandise such as collectible statues and toys. [3] Mutalisks form the primary flying force of the Zerg, making hit-and-run attacks against vulnerable installations and wheeling across the skies in prodigious numbers above Zerg Hives or land-based forces. Mutalisks are agile and dangerous opponents. They can attack foes both in the air and on the ground by expelling a voracious symbiote known as the Glave Wurm, which can rapidly strike at several opponents as it explosively disintegrates. In large numbers or against weak defenses, Mutalisks are a deadly threat. Chapter 496 Tide of Prediction In this sidequest, the Nameless Swordswoman and her gang were not something to be trifled with. They were a daunting challenge for the ordinary. No matter how careful ordinary players were at playing this game, they would never be able to remove themselves from the spotlight. As time went on, they would start getting involved in the affairs of this Nameless Swordswoman. When they got themselves in trouble, she would offer them a helping hand and save them. Zhao Youyues gameplay stood apart from others in that aspect. She was one of the best players around, and she would never find herself in a pinch. With her health bar that was half of the screen and her mastery of the game, almost nothing could be a threat to her. It would be more convenient for the Nameless Swordswoman and her gang to be in trouble, and there they were, being ambushed by monsters en masse. Wu Shun had followed Ah Yus broadcast since it first started. She was at a point where he had once experienced. Back then, he had cried out in his broadcast This is most certainly a kill zone! Other than several crazed dogs, there are three freaking elite mini-boss. Also, weve got these long-ranged, disgusting monsters. Lets not forget that highly intelligent NPC that seems to be possessed by some devilish alien! Nobody can survive this! Acting as a professional observer, he started to grumble about Zha Feng, Finally I see through this slimy Zha Fengs intentions. He wanted us to be bonded with this Nameless Swordswoman so that he could place us in a desperate situation! The audience started to express their concern on Zhao Youyues bullet screen as well After watching other guide makers broadcasts, I would like to point out that the Nameless Swordswoman is the master of the Anonymous City. She is the final boss. Ah Yu, please stop concerning yourself over her business and kill her already! After being tortured by the Anonymous boss, the guide maker himself came here for free technical lessons. He could not even touch the cape of the nameless boss Thats right! She is in trouble now, why not kill her and see what she actually drops! I hope that Ah Yu shows us how to kill this Anonymous boss. Only she could save the game maker from his misery! Wu Shun anxiously waited for the broadcast. By turning on iron man mode, there would be no further saving point. Every death would set the progress back to the latest auto-saved file. All the little monsters killed in the last attempt would be back to life. Hence, every player of this game knew how to parkour their way through the masses and get to the boss. Zhao Youyue did not heed the advice on the bullet screen. She spoke firmly, I am now playing as a saint monk C a righteous defender of humanity. How could I ally myself with the monsters to defeat a human? I see you guys saying that shes the final boss? Well, that future can wait. From what I saw in the game, she is not one to abandon her gang. Ah Guang sees a kind, loyal soul, so hes saving this girl! The Saint monk rushed into rescue. It was just like having breakfast in the morning. No big deal Crazed dogs were removed from the screen with ease. They were not actual dogs, more like werewolves. They had high attack and defense values. Their very bites were capable of momentarily stunning their targets! Even though Zhao Youyues saint monk had tonnes of health; he barely survived the pack of crazy mongrels. However, separating these dogs from the main force actually gave room for the Nameless Swordswoman to focus on the rest Zhao Youyue showed off her remarkable skills. She used the terrain to her advantage, rounding up the pack of dogs and killing them in a series of combos. Then, she toyed with the highly intelligent NPC before decapitating it. This disgusting NPC was capable of regenerating all of its health in an instant. Well, no matter how fast one regenerates, a rat would remain a rat before a cat. The Nameless Swordswoman took care of the other three elite mini-boss. She seemed to equal Saint Monk in skill.Any of these elite mini-bosses would force ordinary players to quit this game, but they were reduced to puppets in the light of her sword dance. Their pieces littered the ground Darn! Apparently, Ah Yu is playing an entire different game. Is she playing some farmers game? All I see is a farmer harvesting his field with a sharp sword. It was all over in a breeze, and nobody even suffered a scratch so no quests triggered whatsoever? Wu Shun was amazed by what he saw, and quickly launched a rocket across Ah Yus screen. That would shut the mouth of people who were accusing him of watching free tutorials. Ah Yus skills did not even seem human. She had calmly strode through every attack, but did not recklessly attack either. These two crucial points made the saint monk invincible, portraying the philosophy of End lives to save lives, remove the root but not the head to its extent. You are amazing, popped up across the bullet screen. Viewers were now left wondering how the story would proceed from here. The following missions involved finding herbs and doctors to cure the citizens. The Nameless Swordswoman was never mentioned again. Nevertheless, the Nameless Swordswoman had grown fascinated with the saint monk. It was apparent from the increased frequency of her encounters, her dialogue lines, and the rumors that spread among the citizens. Wu Shun never got to learn the name of this Nameless Swordswoman C even when he had to fight her. However, after Zhao Youyue had saved her without a sweat, she easily introduced herself by name. She bowed to Saint Monk Ah Guang delicately, as if she was a princess of a royal family Zhao Youyue was delighted by this gesture. Of all players, she would know this persons identity more than anyone. No harm being the first to predict her name. She recited to the audience, The Nameless Swordswoman said that her surname was Su, and she had no name to follow through. The Kingdom of Zhao is known for its prejudice against females. Only the daughters of Royal families had names. Since her surname is Su, Ill throw in a wild guess and say that shes somewhat related to the Zhao royal family? She might even be Su Hus daughter! Chapter 497 The Inevitable Ultimate Battle People quickly agreed. Her bullet screen was clogged up in no time. If Nameless Swordswoman Su is the daughter of Su Hu, whats up with her Anonymous city and her emnity against the Kingdom of Zhao? It is common for daughters to fight their fathers. Maybe her mother was killed by Su Hu? Do not forget about the in-game lore, Su Hu was often described as a violent person. He murdered his own son and feasted on his flesh, so where does that leave his wife Zhao Youyue affirmed that her saint monk would never serve such a vile being. The Zhao royal family could not be trusted either, and the same goes for the Chun Yang sect. Deity Yan Qingmeng happened to be one of them. The audience objected to this accusation. They strongly believed that Yan Qingmeng was one of the good guys. She was the mascot of the DLC C how could she not be trusted? Most of the audience had watched Wu Shuns broadcast. As he struggled and toiled through his gameplay, he had revealed the heartbreaking truth to the people Nameless Swordswoman was the antagonist all along. She used players to get close to the world outside. Together with her cultists in the Anonymous City, they killed a lot of people in the martial art world and dissected their bodies in various ways. In Wu Shuns storyline, Yan Qingmeng had exposed the evil deeds of lady Su, step-by-step. It took a lot for them to be convinced to see past the thick facade of this adorable Nameless Swordswoman. She was an evil strategist, a mastermind of some wicked conspiracy; she was the final boss to defeat! How the heck did Ah Yu come up to that conclusion? Of course, its a wild guess, like I said. We must continue playing to get to the bottom of this matter. I am absolutely sure that Lady Su is not a bad person. If we do not fight against her, she would never harm a defenseless person, Zhao Youyue explained carefully. She had been informed that a certain broadcaster was currently stuck at Nameless Swordswoman Su. In response, she said that there was no need to fight the Nameless Swordswoman. It was Zha Fengs evil intentions once again. Once youre dead set on killing the lady, she would torture you until the end of time! Perhaps you should just surrender and give up on fighting. Who knows, a cutscene may be triggered Thats right, that route had probably ended in a dead end. Wait, why would there be a health bar if we are meant to die here? That made no sense! Zha Feng pushed his black-framed spectacles up the bridge of his nose with a delicate finger, as the edges of his lips curled upwards. So many players were obsessed with conventional gaming logic. If the boss had a health bar, was it an indicator of it being killable? Then, taste the sword of Nameless Swordswoman! If you could even dislodge a thread off her clothing, you would be handsomely rewarded Wu Shun shut off Ah Yus broadcast and returned to his game. He was more confused than ever. His guts told him that he had fallen into a trap, and gotten the daylights tortured out of him! Who was who, now? Wu Shun returned to his game and changed into the outfit he had once worn while dancing with the Nameless Swordswoman. This time, he chose to do nothing but watch in silence. The next scene only perplexed him further, if that was actually possible! The Nameless Swordswoman walked towards him, her sword remaining in its sheath. When she finally stood in front of him, she drew her sword and triggered the next computer-generated scene. The tip of her sword rested against his throat, yet she did not kill him. It was not in her to kill a defenseless person. She believed that the player shared her ideals. This poor soul had only been misled by Deity Yan. She lowered her sword and abruptly ran towards King Zhaos lair. Suddenly, the God of Swords Li Xiye showed up. He silhouette stood at the top of the castle. In his hand was his sword, wrapped in long, green cloth. The moon was round and bright behind him, casting his shadow on the ground. On the brightest of silver nights, the Sword from the West has finally reached the rooftop of the Forbidden City! At that moment, the army and the martial art masters surrounded Lady Su. Some even carried decapitated heads of Anonymous citizens as a sign of mockery Lady Sus plot had failed. She had come so close to avenging her mother and killing the vile emperor. Devotees of Chun Yang sect had slowed her down, and Su Hu was also a master of martial arts. Last of all she never expected to see her true love player here as well! Lady Su looked towards the corner of the castle. She could easily scale its walls with a few leaps. It was not exactly otherworldly, but she appeared more feline than human. Only players needed a ladder to climb up to the roof. Perhaps Li Xiye had used a ladder as well Such were the inconveniences of a low-powered martial arts world. Parkour was considered a martial art. Lady Su reached the rooftop of the forbidden city. Thus, the inevitable ultimate sword battle started! Li Xiyes appearance had quickly grabbed Wu Shuns full attention. Which divine sword would reign over the other His broadcasting time had long gone over its limit, but nobody had expected this ultimate battle of forbidden city to start. The agility and strength of the Anonymous Citys master left everyone in shock. Nobody could tell who the superior swordsman was. His viewers started urging that Wu Shun start looking for a better angle on the rooftop to observe this amazing battle! Unlike Ah Yu, Wu Shun did not neglect the requests on his bullet screen. He was just as eager as his viewers were, so he used a flying claw to help him scale the building. Of course, he made sure to keep a distance. These two superhumans were just too fast and strong. He might end up being collateral if he wandered too close to them! Chapter 498 Whiter Than Snow Gu Long had described The Duel [1] in his novel as this Because he (Cool-son Yeh [2]) suddenly felt the unexplainable aura of a sword, and it was as if an invincible mountain had fallen upon him. His pupils dilated, his muscles tensed. No one other than Xi Men Chui Xue [2] could give him such pressure. By the time he saw Xi Men Chui Xue, his body had frozen up. Xi Men Chui Xue had a sword in his hand, but his sword remained in its sheath.However, that aura he once felt no longer emanated from it. He was far keener and sharper than his blade. Their gazes met, like the edges of two swords meeting. Neither of them moved a muscle. This kind of motionless pressure was however strong and frightening. The wind carried an unsuspecting leaf between them. It quickly fell like dead weight. Even the wind could not blow it away. It was intangible and invisible. Did you study the sword? Xi Men Chui Xue asked. I am the sword,Cool-son Yeh replied. Then what is the essence of the sword? Xi Men Chui Xue pressed. Speak! Cool-son Yeh said. It lies in sincerity, Xi Men Chui Xue replied. Sincerity? Cool-son Yeh quipped. You can only reach the pinnacle of swordsmanship if you have sincere desires. Those who are insincere do not deserve to raise their swords Master Ximen replied. Cool-son Yehs pupils dilated again. And you, are insincere, Xi Men Chui Xue stared at him and said. Cool-son Yeh remained silent for a while. Did you study the sword? He broke the silence. Knowledge has no limits. Swordsmanship is all the more limitless, MasterXimen said. Since you have studied the sword, you should know that those who study thesword only needs to be sincere to the sword, and not to other men, Cool-son Yeh said. Xi Men Chui Xue did not say anything else. He had no more words to offer. The end of the road is the end of the world, while the end of words is the sword. The sword was in his hand, and it was ready to be unsheathed. Wu Shun watched the debate, his jaw hanging open. His viewers had fallen completely silent, hanging on to each word exchanged. Well, one was more pretentious than the other. Their words were so deep and philosophical that you dont necessarily have to understand them to appreciate them. The next scene would probably remain in Wu Shuns mind for the rest of his life! Jane Doe Su, who always wore a grey cape coat and mysteriously wrapped her eyes in black lowered her hood. She then took off her coat. The swordswoman uniform that lay beneath was whiter than snow. It only stood out in contrast to her black blindfold.She looked far more mesmerizing than ever. Her beauty was breathtaking The bullet curtain sprung back to life. If Jane Doe Su was the ultimate boss, shedding her grey coat could only mean that she was entering her second phase boss form. Even so, Wu Shun the shameful streamer failed to even ruffle up the corners of her grey coat. How does he even reach her second phase? The cutscene did not wait for them to carry on with the discussion. Jane Doe Su did not stop at just taking off her grey cape coat. The unraveled wrapping of her black blindfold soundlessly touched the ground. Lo and behold, her great beauty was finally revealed! Jane Doe Su slowly opened her eyes. Viewers expected to see a pair of cloudy eyes that have lost their luster. After all, Jane Doe Su was blind. If not, why did she wrap her eyes? Is it possible that she was just an adolescent? Her sparkling, crystal clear pupils graced across the screen in a spectacular close-up. It brought out the tenderest, sincerest of love from the coldest of hearts. Indeed, the white clothes worn by her, coupled with her taking off the blindfold gave viewers the feeling that she is a kind and delicate beauty. She was a princess C waiting to be saved by the players, nothing like a strong and influential nameless lord The livestream erupted. Of course, there would those viewers who pointed out that Jane Doe Su taking off her blindfold probably meant the third phase of the ultimate boss. When was the last time you actually fought a final boss without a third phase? These three-phased bosses usually tortured players the most. However, the opinions during the livestream were like this Is Jane Doe Su really the ultimate villain? Why is she more like a female main character compared to Yan Qingmeng the fairy at this moment? I have a bad feeling. It feels like we have been tricked by Zha Feng the old sly. As a matter of fact, Jane Doe Sus failed conspiracy must have been largely caused by the players. Jane Doe Sus assassination might have been successful if the players had not entertained Yan Qingmengs investigative quests! I feel sorry for Jane Doe Su. If she had shown her eyes and snow white outfit before anything else, she would not have fallen into this sad situation. Ones attractiveness is the real Combat Effectiveness [3] No matter what, I have decided to buy this game. I dont care how difficult it is. It is a game worth playing to support and encourage the beautiful Jane Doe Su! I thought she was just a bloody side character. I did not expect her to play such a pivotal role in my heart. This extreme makeover shit has to have limits! This is the Combat Effectiveness of CG! Jane Doe Su claimed the peak of grandeur. She went all out and faced Li Xiye, the Sword God. Such was the respect she had towards swordsmanship, even if at that moment she had finally grown weary. It could not be helped. The failed assassination, her Anonymous City razed to the ground, her fallen comrades, the players backstabbing in the misguided sense of justice it was too much for one person to bear. She no longer wanted to live. The Anonymous City had such powerful Utopian forces. It was an unrealistic, beautiful dream C no matter how much persistence she had. She was not wrong to come up with such a dream, but she simply lacked the productivity. How could equal opportunity exist in this world? It was almost a joke to protect the weak in such of dark world where there is only the survival of the fittest. Jane Doe Su had actually experienced many betrayals from the weaklings she had once saved. Even so, she had held fast to last moment of her life She was destined to be alone. She had been born in a world that simply did not suit her, where demons and evil spirits roamed freely. Some elites might even be demons in human skin. Players were also monsters in their own way. They were not afraid of death, and have actually lost their humanity, as they treated anything they saw as prey. They would take on any quest, no matter how cruel or merciless if it paid them well. Wu Shun ultimately chose to stand with Su Hu from the Kingdom of Zhao. The cunning Fairy Yan had thoroughly deceived him, but King Su Hu of the Kingdom of Zhao had also offered great rewards Translation Note: [1] The Duel () is a 2000 Hong Kong wuxia comedy film directed by Andrew Lau and starring Andy Lau, Ekin Cheng, Nick Cheung, Kristy Yang, Zhao Wei and Patrick Tam. The film is adapted from Juezhan Qianhou of Gu Longs Lu Xiaofeng novel series. It is known for its humorous take on the original story and its special effects. [2] Cool-Son Yeh () is a character from the movie The Duel. The Duel is a 2000 Hong Kong wuxia comedy film directed by Andrew Lau. [3] Xi Men Chui Xue ( Xi Men Chui Xue) is a character in Gu Longs novel Legend of Lu Xiaofeng [4] Combat Effectiveness () is the readiness of a military unit to engage in combat based on behavioral, operational, and leadership considerations. Combat effectiveness measures the ability of a military force to accomplish its objective and is one component of overall military effectiveness. Chapter 499 The Death of Jane Doe Su No one was richer than the tyrant Su Hu of the Kingdom of Zhao. Moreover, he seemed forthcoming and amicable to players. He was almost admitting that the players professionalism was admirable. They would do anything to complete a quest, and would even die multiple times trying it. The Anonymous City was almost like a terrorist organization and seemed to be inhabited by cultists. They seemed to be no better than a bunch of paupers. They were pirates, scumbags. The humans of this world were all selfish. If they followed the saying, Take good care of yourself in your obscurity and hardship, benefit from your prosperity and fame, then it would be not bad. How would it be possible to care for the world when you can hardly survive? Jane Doe Su did it this way. If she was not insane, she was an idiot and a fool, which was why so many people in this world could hurt her unscrupulously. Her sword was clearly sharper than anyone elses, but her heart was also more tender compared to anyone else. Martial artists viewed her as a devil that was open season for all to kill. As long as she lived, their sleep would leave. Her appearance had caused a wave that threatened to overturn Zhao Kingdoms imperial court. Scholars of prestigious schools and prestigious martial arts families could not walk in public without looking over their backs. The notion of equal opportunities were just far too evil. Peasants should remain peasants. Which fool thought they could turn around and be their own masters? At that moment, Wu Shun still remained in the dark about this, even though he was a player himself. The cutscene depicted a duel of the ages! He could not take his sight off the scene. If white-clad, blindfoldless Jane Doe Su had not been fighting Li Xiye, every flick of her sword could have taken a life. The CG did her sword justice. It was a lethal, gentle dance! However, it was not easy to deal with Li Xiye. He was already one with his sword, and his sword had found its intent. Yan Qingmeng had suddenly appeared by his side. An expert herself, she had started commenting on the battle at the peak of the Forbidden City for Wu Shun Yan Qingmengs hand was drenched in cold sweat. She had noticed something disturbing. Li Xiyes sword seemed as agile as ever, but it lacked life. At least, when compared to Jane Doe Sus sword. Jane Doe Su moved like a dancer. The roof her stage, the moon her spotlight. She was flawless! However, Li Xiyes sword had been tied down by invisible, invincible threads his complicated feelings towards Jane Doe Su. Yan Qingmeng saw, no, she knew that Jane Doe Sus sword would inevitably puncture Li Xiyes throat in twenty exchanges. Jane Doe Su released the skill Fairy from The Wonderland! Li Xiye fired back Swords of the Future! This scene honored the words from before On the night of the full moon, the duel, a sword from the West, Fairy from Wonderland! This CGs combat effectiveness level was off the charts. When two peerless swordsmen clashed, it was a terrifying scene! At that moment Wu Shun was prompted by Yan Qingmeng to take action. It came in the form of a pop-up option selection menu. The option was about whether to interfere in this battle at the peak. Interfering would take no effort from him whatsoever. He just had to use the Impartial Venomous Flying Sword Yan Qingmeng hoped that the players would interfere. She did not want Li Xiye to be defeated by Jane Doe Su. Wu Shun chose to ignore her for once. Deep in his heart, he was hoping for Jane Doe Su to win. It could not be helped, as he was a male player. Yan Qingmeng would probably rage at him if he gave her his reasons. Was sex the only thing in the players mind Twenty exchanges vanished in a flash. The Fairy from the Wonderland skill stunned countless onlookers! Yan Qingmengs inner peace had never been so disrupted by fear before. She could not imagine what would happen if Jane Doe Su won the fight. Now, no one could change the fate of Li Xiye. The player could not do it, Li Xiye could not do it. The two combatants closed in! Two swords lashed out from opposite directions! This was the final strike that would determine the outcome. Li Xiye was aware. His sword was slower than hers. By the time his sword pierces Jane Doe Sus chest, her sword would already be buried in his throat, up to its hilt. He could not deny him his fate. At that moment, Jane Doe Sus sword twitched to the side. It was barely discernible C a distance of one or two inches. In a master swordfight, one or two inches would be the difference between life and death. Masters made no such mistakes Was it because Jane Doe Su knew that there was no longer any distance between life and death for her? The sword was ice-cold. That ice-cold edge sunk into Jane Doe Sus chest. He even felt that the tip of the sword touching her heart. Her heart was kind, gentle, tender and complicated. It felt like the days when she drew his sword out for him. Then, Li Xiye felt a mysterious, sharp pain. The sharp pain brought him back to the time he saw his first love dying on her deathbed. It was not only pain, but also fear. A hopeless, despondent fear! This was because he knew that the happy and beautiful things in his life were about to end in a flash. Jane Doe Sus life was about to end now. It had ended with Li Xiyes sword! Even so, Jane Doe Su bore Li Xiye no ill-will. There was only a feeling of gratitude that no one would ever comprehend. Li Xiyes sword slowed down at the last moment. He attempted to retract his blade. Jane Doe Su could see it. She could see that Li Xiye did not want to kill her, but he still had ended up killing her. Li Xiye knew that she would rather die by this sword. If I want to die, why not die by Li Xiyes sword? Being able to die by Li Xiyes sword was at least more glorious than any other way of dying! Li Xiye could understand her feelings, and so he did her the favor! That explained her feelings of gratitude! Only peerless heroes understood each other to that extent. At that moment, their gazes met. Jane Doe Su exhaled, her heart and soul pouring out to meet the air! Thank you. No words were exchanged, but her gaze said it all. She knew that Li Xiye would understand! She fell. The bright moon vanished. The stars vanished. The east was blotted out in darkness An unrivaled swordswoman had finally fallen. Would her reputation vanish from now on? No, she had no reputation from the beginning. Her entire life was a joke. Those who had hurt her would always be the ones she had once helped. Perhaps this was her fault. It was her fault to be born in this dark and cruel world. Her heart was too pure, too tender for this world. If there were any regrets she had failed to avenge her mother. A white cloud hovered in the sky. Was it the heralding of calamity? Was it there to pay its final respects to a nameless swordswoman? Dawn was breaking, but the universe seemed darker than ever. Jane Doe Su raised her arms resolutely for the final time and wrapped her eyes in her black blindfold. Her mothers whispers seemed to be echoing in her ears When you are scared, just close your eyes Jane Doe Sus face passed like the night before. It was cold, hazy, and mysterious. There was a single drop of blood on the blade! Li Xiye exhaled and gazed blankly at his surroundings. The universe lasted for ages, and the solitary silence almost crushed him. Li Xiye kept his sword and picked up Jane Doe Sus body. The sword was cold, but Jane Doe Sus body was colder. Coldest was Li Xiyes heart. The final battle which stunned the world was over. The opponent that was more worthy of respect than his friends had died by his sword. Would anything ever warm his heart again? Would his blood ever pump again? Would his sword remain sheathed forever, like how he was burying Jane Doe Sus body forever? No matter what, nobody would ever infringe upon these two things. He had the same respect for the both of them. Li Xiye had won. His swordsmanship had now found new room for advancement! Chapter 500 The Utopias Destruction The CG cutscene alone had been more interesting than an entire blockbuster Wuxia. Produce CG diligently, and the game is complete. Players could now start a new meme, claiming that Feng Huo Gaming Company was actually a film production company disguised as a gaming company Wu Shun and his viewers were equally shocked and indignant. Jane Doe Sus last actions of donning her blindfold once again had struck them with horrifying grief. No matter what, they wanted to dig into her mystery now, more than ever. Their conscience had been unhinged, a void within that simply had to be filled! Why would Jane Doe Su be defeated, didnt Yan Qingmeng say that she would win? Wu Shun blurted out, bewildered. A viewer in the live stream pointed out that Jane Doe Sus route was a dead end. Dying at the hands of LI Xiye might have been the best way to go. What would have happened if she got mobbed to death? A body might not even remain in the end Yan Qingmeng heaved a sigh of relief. It was as if the death of Jane Doe Su had solved a menacing situation. She knew very well that if Jane Doe Su had not voluntarily sought for death, the one who would have died would have been Li Xiye. The other martial artists only saw Li Xiyes godlike swordsmanship. A shout of Swords of the Future had broken the Anonymous City lords most magnificent skill Fairy from the Wonderland! But some well-informed martial artists muttered, Didnt they say that Nameless Empyrean Blade had the more potent Man Kim Kwan Chong [1], so why didnt she use it? Other know-it-alls said, Man Kim Kwan Chong sounds like something more suited for group combat. It might not have been the best choice in single combat As it was, the martial artists all believed that their lives had been fulfilled by such a battle in the Forbidden City. This battle between the sword god and sword deity could be spoken of for generations to come. Wu Shun went on with the plot. His heart was threatening to burst out of his chest. Even if he received a large quest reward, earning the honor of being a high leveled, honored guest in the Kingdom of Zhao, and earned Li Xiye the God of Swords maximum likability, the disturbance in his heart would never be quelled. Apparently, when Li Xiye wanted to collect the body of Jane Doe Su, the commander of the Forbidden City had stopped him. To them, collecting the body of a criminal, a terrorist, a cultist who had committed the most heinous crimes against the imperial court was just as heavy a crime At that moment, the players were prompted by another menu. Should they help Li Xiye, or should they not help him? Nonsense, obviously they should help. Wu Shun could finally see that the real main character of the Tale of Wuxia 3: Swords of the Future was Li Xiye. The game had exposed everything! Wu Shun chose to help, so he could not avoid battling the commander of the Forbidden City army. It served as a good substitute to the final boss fight of this DLC. God knows, why was the ultimate boss killed by Li Xiye? Most humiliatingly, Wu Shun died five times while fighting the commander. His opponents weapon was almost cartoonishly long. He also had a big shield, knew how to use combo attacks, and was annoyingly durable. He was quite a difficult boss to deal with. However, this boss was nothing compared to Jane Doe Su. Dying by his hand a few times was enough of a learning experience for him to learn of his skills and combos However, defeating this fairly difficult boss still did not grant Wu Shun the usual euphoria. Something was weighing on his mind. His viewers urged him to dig into Jane Doe Sus secrets. The main questline may have concluded, but an optional sidequest now awaited the players. It was an option to help King Zhao find the location of the Anonymous City and eliminate the Anonymous Citys forces in one stroke This was the final blow that sent Wu Shun into a dilemma. If he refuses and attempts finding it himself, he might not even succeed. Accepting it was as good as committing further acts of evil. However, in the end, he accepted the quest. This side quest was not very difficult. Now that he was the high-leveled, honored guest of the Kingdom of Zhao and trusted confidante of King Zhao, he had also gained access to the many spies of the kingdom. The entire quest practically led him to the doorstep of the City. Wu Shun strode up to the city, more curious than ever. The main mission had barely told him anything. At most, Yan Qingmeng had let a hint slide here and there The Anonymous City was actually a small city in the mountains. It could barely even be called a city. It was a small town, just like the one described in the The Peach Blossom Spring [2] C The ground was flat and vast, while there were neatly arranged residences. There was fertile land, beautiful ponds, mulberry trees and bamboo groves, and roads and paths for travel; The crows and barks of the chickens and dogs mingled with each other. People were walking back and forth, immersed in planting crops. Men and women working in the fields all wore clothing that was unlike anything he had ever seen. The elderly and children all seemed to be joyful and enjoying themselves. This discovery caused Wu Shun to be completely overwhelmed. Didnt they say that the Anonymous Citys forces were extremely evil? Following the quests hints, he picked up Jane Doe Sus keepsake The Flying Sword of Myriad Colors and went into the Anonymous City town. He could not help but ridicule the Flying Sword of Myriad Colors [3]. Initially, he thought that it was an unrivaled sword, but when he obtained it, he did not expect to discover that the sword was just a ritual sword used for performance. It looked nice, but there was no way it could be used to kill someone! Once again, his viewers threatened to overload the chat servers. Who the heck was this Missy Jane Doe Su? She was already crazy strong with a useless toy. How strong would she be if someone gave her a proper weapon? The Anonymous small town accepted him warmly, as he carried the Flying Sword of Myriad Colors. Obviously, this small town was as secluded to the outside world as the outside world was to it. If not, why would Wu Shun, the accomplice who indirectly caused the death of Jane Doe Su, be so warmly welcomed? He started clearing more missions and gaining more information. The main objective now was to find out if the eunuchs and maids in the Kingdom of Zhaos palace knew anything about the childhood of Jane Doe Su. Wait no, it should be Princess Jane Doe Su of the Kingdom of Zhao. He might not even need to proceed with the quest. His viewers already had a faint idea of who Jane Doe Su was. She was probably the most human character in the entire Tale of WuXia series! Martial artists hated her because she wanted to grant the entire world access to it. Teaching martial arts to bumpkins was an act of devilry! Wu Shun was only greet by more disappointment. The Kingdoms army had closely followed him. They now waited outside the gates. Even if everyone in the Anonymous small town learned martial arts, they would not avoid the fate of being destroyed! The ensuing CG depicted the most violent and ruthless of pillaging of a town ever. In reality, only the elderly and weak people remained in the Anonymous small town. The CG even provided them some fanservice, which only demanded that Wu Shun and his viewers smash their computers up! The last utopia in a dark world, a paradise built by Jane Doe Su in a lifetime of struggle, fell. Perhaps, this was the vicissitudes of the law of humane justice. How did Zha Feng the old sly live for so many years? I feel like beating him to death. I just realized that I am the most f*cking disgusting villain. ONLY AT THE END OF THE GAME. Why did I work so hard to play this game? Wu Shun held his head and went nuts. He fell into a deep depression Translation note: [1] Man Kim Kwan Chong () is the pinnacle of the swordsplay in the martial arts world in the Fung Wan novel by Ma Wing Shing. Ma Wing Shing is a Hong Kong mangaka. [2] The Peach Blossom Spring () was a fable written by Tao Yuanming in 421 CE about a chance discovery of an ethereal utopia where the people lead an ideal existence in harmony with nature, unaware of the outside world for centuries. [3] Flying Sword of Myriad Colors () is a powerful weapon that was obtained by Xiang Shao Long from the Chinese Novel A Step into the Past (), written by Huang Yi. Chapter 501 Even in Darkness, There is Light Wu Shun was nave to think that he had gone through the most depressing revelation yet. Try digging into her past and piece the information together. Id like to see you remain in one piece after that! Upon the completion of the sidequest, Jane Doe Sus past was relived in the form of a lengthy CG cutscene, portrayed as a stream of consciousness. A beautiful, sorrowful BGM lay out the coup de grace, branding her searing image in the minds of countless viewers. Jane Doe Su had been born into the Zhao royal family. She was only royal in name. It was true, she was King Zhaos flesh and blood. In reality, she had never even once owned a princess tiara. Her mother was trash made of royal genetics in the palace. She was an excellent sword dancer, but was not even close to being related to King Zhao and his bedchambers, but it was his barbarity that culminated in Jane Does unplanned birth. Jane Doe Su had never received any fatherly love from Su Hu. Her mother attempted to provide what she could, to the best of her limited ability. Jane Doe experienced a torturous, hostile childhood. Perhaps she understood the pain of being weak far too much as a child, which was why she could not resist defending the weak The fact that she gained so much strength later in life was nothing short of a miracle. In reality, those who had unfortunate childhoods were often bitter and resentful. Those who had suffered much would only dish it back to the cruel world when they finally gained the strength. Many weaklings would even take the extra step and bully others when they get in the position. It was as if they wanted to claim their vengeance, but with no target in sight, they had resorted to attacking indiscriminately. Even so, this beautiful, unnamed teenager who had lived through a brief life of hell had a heart that was as gentle as it was tough. It was this extreme case of juxtaposition that shattered their hearts to pieces The world was in a disastrously short supply of noble souls. It was this scarcity that made their actions all the more valuable. Perhaps onlookers would ridicule such souls as foolish and agonizingly naive. However, if they ever find themselves in a predicament, they would never be able to resist the infectious charm of their noble saviors. The CG animation gave an account behind Jane Doe Sus apparently unnecessary blindfold. Her equally nameless mother had been the first person to do it around her face. It might have been her way of saying Escapism was shameful, but it was necessary at times. This world was dark and ugly. It might be better to shut her eyes from it. As long as the world in her heart was bright and beautiful, she would be safe in her happiness This was also a way of protecting Jane Doe Su. She was simply too beautiful for her own good. Beautiful things would never last long in a cruel, brutal world. Jane Doe Su often listened to her mother. She was an intelligent and obedient girl. Her words came as rarely as passing stars, but her actions struck the earth like meteorites. She would always carry out her mothers requests to their fullest. Jane Doe Su was born with an elegant combination of superhuman perseverance and a gift in martial arts. Her mothers dance that had been derived from Madam Gongsun [1] of old became something else entirely, when it was handed down to her. Somehow, through her indecipherable comprehension, she turned art and dance into a dance of death! Perhaps God had taken pity on her. Perhaps by shutting her beautiful eyes from the world, the eye in her heart had opened up, achieving twice the result with half the effort as she weaved through the air, sword in hand A life of hardship finally took its toll on her mother. As she succumbed, she had used the last of her strength to place a blindfold on her daughter. She wanted to spare her daughter from the results of long-term abuse. She did not want Jane Doe Su to witness how women were given out as pieces of flesh to reward depraved monarchs. She did not wish to Jane Doe Su to see how they would then be handed out as second-handed goods to twisted courtiers and guards who would them mess around with her. If Jane Doe Su ever caught a glimpse of such acts with her own two eyes, who knows what would be of her sanity after that. The nameless woman of lower-class birth had been actually a great mother. It was her fault for being too weak to be the master of her own destiny. Nobody of strength was willing to help her in times of need She could not escape her tragic fate. In this hopelessly dark world, monsters and demons were not the only beings that would eat humans. Neither did monsters and demons remain in their own skins. Upon her mothers passing, Jane Doe Su fell silent. Fortunately, she was not yet of age back then. She might have just ended up like her mother. Despite all of her weaknesses and her lack of resources, she had shielded her daughter from the elements The people practically dismissed Jane Doe Su. The day finally came when she left the Kingdom of Zhaos palace that was akin to a pitch dark den of monters. At the same time, she vowed to avenge her mother. In darkness, there is always light C Such was Jane Doe Sus reflection on life. Jane Doe Su might not have her name, but the people she saved remembered her, regardless. Even though Anonymous City was destroyed, its spirit would exist forever. Perhaps one day, some other expert would come up with a more practical, realistic ideology and start another uprising. Jane Doe Su may have been a genius swordswoman, she still lacked the education. She could only indulge in the simplicity of protecting the weak. She was no tactician Jane Doe Su was once associated with Li Xiye the God of Swords. However, this was not shown explicitly in the game C only subtle hints were left behind. The fanbase definitely caught on to it, for they were continually discussing and shipping these two. Others insisted that this was canonical, so they were tirelessly scouring the game for evidence to support that. When their efforts bore no fruit, they would spend their time daydreaming, fantasizing on scenes of their own. It could not be helped. Wu Shuns gameplay had ended so horrifically, and Jane Does demise had been most tragic. Wu Shun was party to this C and that hurt him more than anyone else. He had given up watching at one point that he had hidden his head behind his arms. He had been embroiled in such a violent mix of fury and sorrow that words fled from his mouth! If he had known of who to trust from the start, how could he have played out such an end? Finally losing his mind, he took arms and rushed into the Kingdom of Zhaos palace. He attempted to take on Forbidden City by himself, hoping to kill the sick king. Of course, he was quickly taken out That was his final opportunity of being granted an audience with the king. He had lost his value in the court the moment Anonymous City fell. Translation note: [1] Madam Gongsun () was a famous dancer during the Tang Dynasty, who was known for her dance Jian Qi () Chapter 502 Anything That Can Happen, Will Happen Wu Shun had never been so disgusted at himself before. He wanted to smash his monitor right there and then, in the middle of his livestream His viewers were in equally low spirits, musing one after another Zha Feng is the sadist. How could he create such circumstances C misleading players into such villany! I dont mind having that double plot twist. Everyone originally thought that Jane Doe Su was the ultimate big boss, but she ended up being the only righteous soul in that wretched world! Im crying out my eyes here. I thought I knew what sorrow was, but oh how wrong have I been! Even in darkness, there is light. This is alright, I will pay my respects to Jane Doe Su This was just f*cked up. Now everyone wants to buy the game and do Jane Doe Su justice. Yan Qingmeng is beyond disgusting. She and that Chunyang School are probably birds of a feather with the sadistic king. Pretentious Li Xiye isnt the most decent of souls either. He knew Jane Doe Su from the beginning, but he still killed her Dont be mean to Li Xiye. She had already given up on all hope. This is not some world where masters of martial arts could destroy entire countries by themselves. If it was not for Li Xiye, Jane Doe Su might not even leave a body behind to be buried. Where were those Yan Qingmeng fans? You guys were rallying behind your goddess. Id like to see your faces now. I bet Zha Feng the old slys facial expression would be this Bet you didnt see this coming.jpg I feel so bad for Missy Jane Doe Su. She is still my beloved wife. You can take that cunning b*tch Yan Qingmeng if you like her Stop taking on those meaningless sidequests. Theres no point in them. Hurry up and complete the game. Let us see which production staff came out with this dastardly DLC. Thats right. The writing, the characters, they all feel awfully familiar. The tragedy just feels so familiar Dont be so hasty. Lets go after Li Xiye and Yan Qingmeng again. There might more to be revealed. Also, isnt your character still unmarried? Find a girl and marry her! That sidequest is hanging around in your list. My OCD is killing me! Wu Shun forced himself to calm down. He no longer had any desire of playing this saved game. So what if he was near the end. He complied to his viewers requests and went after Li Xiye. At least, he wanted to tell Li Xiye of Jane Doe Sus past and see his reactions. When he saw Li Xiye once again, the King of Pretentiousness seemed even more lonelier than before. He used to wear righteous, royal green clothes, but he was now clad in white. What is it with Swordsmen and white clothing? Anyway, Jane Doe Su was definitely stunning in her white outfit As beautiful as her Fairy from the Wonderland skill was, nothing could top the time when she shed her grey cloak and blindfold. Many had taken her as a blind prodigy, but who could have known that the brightest, stunning pair of eyes had been hidden from their sight, all this while! Wu Shun solemnly told Li Xiye of his discoveries. However, Li Xiye remained unswayed. That final battle had elevated his swordsmanship, while also slicing off the remnants of his humanity. He looked lonelier than ever. This Sword God was now doomed to roam the land alone for the rest of time. He had lost his equal, and nothing was more tragedic than that. If the final battle had not taken place at where it did, he might not be so easily detached Next, Wu Shun went after Yan Qingmeng. He almost bitterly laughed out when the Chunyang School informed him that Fairy Yan had started cultivating behind closed doors, and he would never be able to see her again. Still, he would always be Chunyang Schools honored guest. They would still come after him whenever they had quests. Wu Shun had almost figured everything out. From the beginning till the end, he had been played for a fool. The damned game was the player, and he was the game He had farmed his ass off, maxing out Yan Qingmengs favorability. The damned fairy had now gone into seclusion, undoing all of his efforts. She had only given him the brief sensation of first love. Where the heck was the promised sex scene? Wu Shun was outraged. He almost impulsively rampaged about for another female according to his viewers requests, if not for the fact that he had an old flame. There was no question about it, lets go for Ye Honglian Only the heavens would be able to tell why the heck would Yan Qingmeng gatecrash their wedding. Her face was nothing like a fairy, it was dark, resentful, and furious, as if the player had cheated on her. Ye Honglian went into a fit of laughter and managed to choke out, Why is Fairy Yan here? What is her to you? The game only provided one line She is my Taoist nun friend. Only one f*cking option! Wu Shun almost imprinted his keyboards buttons on his forehead. He became increasingly aware of Zha Feng the old slys evil intentions. Left without a choice, he selected that silly, stupid line. It was not entirely false. Fairy Yan was still a Taoist nun friend. Perhaps, she had not lied to him. Her views on the Anonymous City may have been as skewed and as misguided as the teachings of her school. A CG cutscene was triggered, and it spared on expense in making the player character look like the scumbag of the century. Of course, that was the truth. As long as players could score the female characters in the game, they would still want to tease them. The song A Taoist Nun Friend of Mine [1] rang in the background The streets were thick with the scent of spring that year. We rode our horses together in the dream-like misty rain. You took me in your embrace, under the umbrella you held. Every single word of your promise was so judicious. A thousand varieties of tender feelings resided in your eyes. I felt the affectionate springs breeze, melting away frost and snow. Later came our reunion at a wedding banquet. A fair lady by your side, while red shadows of flickering candles appeared. I rode past the old bridge of Nan Ping village alone. At the right time, cloudy mists appeared after the mountain rain. I recalled that tender embrace under the umbrella. A forgotten dream as I lay atop a cable bridge. I awoke after falling off, having smashed into pieces, vanishing without a trace. The viewers remained unmoved. On the contrary, they started cheering for the song. They used the bullet curtain to mock Yan Qingmeng. Yan Qingmeng was destined to be the second wheel. I like it! Just desserts! Oh, but she knows how to be a drama queen, alright. In retrospect, Yan Qingmeng, with her maxed out diplomacy was practically the culprit who had misled players into such a lousy ending. She may not have been the main culprit, but she definitely played a major role in it! Some viewers thought that the singer sounded awfully familiar. Thus, Wu Shun finally completed the games DLC. The credits started rolling. He excused himself C nature was calling. He returned to see his viewers going crazy. Chain messages and bullet curtains threatened the blow up the stream Whats going on here? Apparently, Su Li had flitted through the credits, almost sneakily. She had been credited as the main art designer of the DLC. Jane Doe Su, Yan Qingmeng, Li Xiye were all designed by her! Translation note: [1] A Taoist Nun Friend of Mine () is a song that was originally sung by Sachi Tainaka. It was covered by Three rough Han and one soft sister group () for JX3 Onlines theme song. Chapter 503 Trust Wu Shun may not be an avid manga reader, but the name Su Li was far from alien to him. That person may be known as a deity in the world of manga and illustrations, but the internet had raised her identity as some form of power. The goddess of misfortune. If her artworks did not suffer misfortune, their creators would. Of course, Wu Shun started off as a skeptic. He thought that it was all baloney, but after much investigation and interviewing Su Lis fans, he could not deny that everytime Su Li did something, adverse events occurred, supporting the misconception that Su Lis power was real. Wu Shuns gut feeling assured that those rumors were all unfounded. He did play along, firing shots at Su Lis fans during livestreams by saying If this Su Li is really that illustrator Su Li, she did a great job. That nameless maiden C Yan Qingmeng C Li Keyi trio all went through an awful lot. Nameless Swordswoman basically dies in every possible route, even if shes the main character. Wu Shun was not convinced that this was the same Su Li as the mangaka. Mangakas dont suddenly transition into 3D rendering for video games. More than a few viewers also had such thoughts, but the slim possibility nagged at their thoughts. Wherever Su Li went, trouble followed. A Su Li fan stood up for her, saying that she already had her hands full with, The Strongest King and Himegoto. She could not possibly have the time to design more characters for Tales of Wuxia 3. He deduced that it was an uncanny coincidence, nothing else. People needed to lay off her C it was all Old Thief Zha Fengs fault. Su Li would always feel bad for her fans C they would always try to protect her from verbal harm C just like how Zhao Youyue usually did. It was not easy being Su Li Her loyal fans would always get blasted in the face by unpleasant truths. This incident was no different. After Wu Shuns lifestream, one of the viewers asked Su Li if she was in charge of Tales of Wuxia 3s character design. Being the primary illustrator for this DLC, she had indeed played a huge role in its production. Because it was FengHuo Gaming Company, the pay was luxurious, and she had the added bonus of being in close proximity with Lady Zhao who clearly loved the game. All these factors were more than enough for her to take the job seriously. Although Su Li already knew the extent of the nameless maidens tragic ending, she had a clear conscience, being its creator. When it came to Xu Jing, she had no qualms creating the worst case scenario for her, a fate that went beyond the realm of human rationale. You could say she did it to get readers hyped up. Thats why the dreaded fate of the nameless maiden had been so sorry, so touching. Still, what could be done about it? She was a virtual character. She existed only to provide entertainment for the players. In that vein, Su Li had created many abusive outlines for her illustrations to hype up players, enhanced by the usage of CGs such as the nameless maidens CG illustration. Su Li had been on board this train the entire time The only thing Su Li did not see coming was to have fans asking her about this so soon. Someone might have already beaten the game, or they had a wild guess based on the art style. As Su Li only follow Lady Zhao stream, she would remain unaware of someone like The King of Grinding C Wu Shun, a creature who flung all of his free time into the game. When you only stop to sleep, you would surely overtake Zhao Youyues progress. Su Li maintained her upright personality and admitted on Weibo that she had played a part in Tales of Wuxia 3 DLCs production. She proceeded to post the character arts and design, even advertising the games illustration book as merchandise. As long as they sold well, she would receive her ample, fair share. The money-grubbing Su Li would bar no holds when it came to promoting anything that would increase her profit. The game had made shockwaves across the market. The DLC even more so. This was a great time to ride on its waves. So what if more of those the poisonous Su Li strikes again or Goddess Su is at it again! headlines made their way to the top of search engines. More attention on her, good or bad, it didnt matter. If people wanted to paint her as a portrait of the devil, so be it. She would go with the flow, she would capitalize on it and reap more profit. As expected, when Su Li revealed that she was in fact in charge of the DLC art for Tales of Wuxia 3, even going so far as to release original character illustrations promote the games illustration books, her Weibo blew up. No wonder Ms. Nameless had such a terrible fate! It was all due to Goddess Sus curse! I thought the illustration looked familiar, but I could not quite put my finger in it. 3D is vastly different from 2D, afterall. Curse you, Goddess Su!! Goddess Su is truly unstoppable First the manga world, then the LN [1] world, and now the gaming world?! She was definitely done in by Zha Feng! I thought that old thief Zha Feng would get slammed for this, but Goddess Su is here yet again. What Tales of Wuxia 3: Swords of the Future? Its Tales of Wuxia 3: Upbringing of Misfortune! I pity Goddess Su She must have got done in by Zha Feng! Now, all the old thieves are pouncing on the Goddess, since all they want to do is torture and lift death flags for the character, with Su Li there to act as their meatshields, what was there left to worry about? Old Thief Zha Feng got a good eye. This DLC just turned his series into absolute gold. Sales and ratings have hit a record high. One does not need to guess how much Goddess Su contributed to it Ive never heard of this game in the past, yet when I heard that Goddess Su participated in the creation in the illustration group, I got a copy of the game straight away! No mistake about that, I am a loyal fan of Goddess Su! Follow me as we lead the fan community to the direction of revering Goddess Su! Translation note: [1] LN is Light Novels in short. Chapter 504 Blaze Su Li never thought of facing those depressing players resentment and pain, but there was no helping it. These players had already become a part of Zha Fengs fans, and they would never turn on him, regardless of the pain and abuse they suffered due to the overly depressing main story. The main culprit was still Zha Feng, the tragedy had nothing to do with Su Li; she was only putting his evil in ink. On ZhiHu, a question quickly rose Just how much of Su Li was involved in the revamped graphics in Tales of Wuxia 3? This question gained moderate popularity, gaining replies from insiders of the industry and also many dedicated fans. These insiders included mangakas, illustrators, and game creators. Illustrators collectively agreed that Su Li was often regarded as a low-level illustrator. Her reports were often a mess, and she was the one who added her name to the top spot in the illustrators circle. Many guys now dreamt of taking Su Li as their wives. Lets not talk about her supernatural powers, thats just a joke. Her looks and urban myths aside, her talent was undeniable. She had the right attitude concerning her work too, and she deserved a fair bit of respect. Of course, fame would go up just about any humans head. Her bragging and unrestrained rambling on social media was only a minor shortcoming. She had earned her fame and popularity all by herself, so nothing much could be said about that. Su Li may be highly capable as an illustrator, but the same could not be said about her mangas. They were nothing more than famous garbage, all because they shared the same author as Pure Romance and Himegoto. Su Lis illustration books also got a bad rep. The name Wang Li would be found on those books, and they were dead giveaways. Looking at how her peers both respected and envied her, Su Lis fame had spread far and wide, her reputation preceding her to places which were unknown to even herself. This worked in her favor and the favor of those who sought to contract her. Some people were destined to succeed from the beginning, and Su Li was one of them. Even if she had not met Zhao Youyue, Su Li would have ended up succeeding, regardless. It would have only been a matter of time. Su Li believed that she shared mutual respect and appreciation with Zhao Youyue. Even if that was not the case, she had already made up her mind to follow Lady Zhao. Wherever the lady went, she would unhesitantly follow, thinking Nothing could possibly go wrong. Those from the gaming community commented about Su Li on Zhi Hu The Tales of Wuxia series was the work of a world-famous game creator, Zha Feng. It did not sell particularly well in the beginning, since not many have the stomach for hardcore grinding. The DLC was a roid shot for it. As a follower, Ill have to say C Zha Feng has ridiculously sharp eyes. He had managed to get someone as talented as Su Li C regardless of the cost. She alone drew in a new crowd. The graphics alone showed the extent of her talent. If we were ever to hire someone else as part of the design team its best that they be compatible with her style. Su Li had once again gained more fame and fortune. Despite all that, she never forgot that Zhao Youyue was the one who suggested that she go for this job. Once again, she had stirred up a revolution in an entire industry. It would be no surprise if Su Li received invitations from all around. Previous 2D games such as the waifu collecting type suited Su Li far better. These game companies were her regulars in the past, but now, even 3D triple-A producers would request to have her involved in their productions. Tales of Wuxia 3: Swords of the Futures new DLC was a fine, new entry to her resume. The sudden rise in related live streams showed just how well it was selling. Regardless of which route was taken, viewers thoroughly enjoyed themselves. The famous uploaders on BIliBili started getting off their laurels and got in on the wave of popularity. Their content ranged from straight, proper guides to comedy. Previous representatives naturally became the next generation Blackgoogle [1]. He had been a fan of such hardcore games for long, creating guides and went into great detail. He had also gained the title Gu ShanGuang for completing games to the bone without leaving a single ending undone. He would even think up simple solutions for weaker players to clear it. Comedic streamers like Wang Laoju [2] deserved as much of a mention. Even in such a torturous game, he would suffer in delight, much to the delight of his viewers. He had a knack for running gags, such as claiming that he would not die, only to die the next moment. These all played huge roles in his comedy. There was also PureBlack [3] who was interesting, to say the least. He did not create guides, but his playthroughs were interesting enough. He claimed that this was his first time ever playing games. The controls were enough to trouble him initially, but he improved visibly as his streams went on. In conclusion, Tales of Wuxia 3: Swords of the Future was a blast. Be it design or storyline, the nameless swordswoman garnered a great deal of talk. The underlying questions was: does she ever get a good end? Many flocked to Ah Yus stream, as many others either progressed at snails pace, or have been misguided into taking Wu Shuns path and were cursed to a bad end. Ah Yu had not only remained unaffected and undiverted by Zha Fengs convoluted routes, her character C Holy Monk Ah Guang even found himself on Su Shis side. Did this mean a good end? Translation Notes: [1] Blackgoogleis a well-known streamer on BiliBili who was famous for his guides. [2] Wang Laoju is Another well-known streamer on BiliBili known for his running gags. [3] PureBlack C Full nickname being PureBlack GhostKill Black, another BiliBili streamer known for his guides. Chapter 505 Honest Players Zhao Youyue may have used her Two Dimension Gate to enter the fictional world and act out the miserable life of the nameless maiden, but all that mattered was that her nameless swordswoman becomes an iconic character. She even gave creator Zha Feng some inspiration. A genius like him did not just repeat it word for word, he took it upon himself to add far more features and entire routes. Creators who lacked that extra step were not creators, they were copycats. So, was it possible for the Nameless Swordswoman to find happiness? Lets not even get our expectations that far up C did she at least have a neutral end? Most viewers started to focus on Ah Yus stream. Many deduced that Ah Yus holy monk character was this popular, ironically because of its simplicity and nicheness. After all, almost everything about Holy Monk Ah Guang gave off too much of a womens benevolence vibe. He often tossed himself into desperate situations, only increasing the difficulty of the gameplay. Regular players do not simply pick such troublesome routes. If you wanted to be a Madonna in this game, you better have the strength to back it up. As Zhao Youyue continued streaming, she came upon a troubling thought. Completing the game meant that the credits would roll, and that would also mean that her name would make its appearance. Why then, has a witch hunt for her not yet been initiated? She should have been exposed as a foretelling fake player by now, but it had not yet happened. Was it just her passerby aura taking affect? Truthfully, players never really bothered to check out on VAs. Those who did would not play hardcore games, they were trivia hunters. When someone picks up on it, others might jump into the bandwagon and smoke her out. No other player could emulate Holy Monk Ah Guangs purity. They were resigned to the fact that no matter what role they played, the ending would not change C it would remain depressing as ever as they were too weak. They were too weak to do anything that could potentially reverse or change the Nameless Swordswomans depressing fate. In a sense, such stigma made a game immortal. A good example of this was the case of the Lolita in Central Yharnam of Bloodborne [1]. She was the daughter of Father Gascoigne. [2] Regardless of what you did, she would always die. This was a pain in the neck for players, and the circulating of rumor where you could actually save her did not help matters The rumor was to: Attempt making a deal with Hidetaka Miyazaki [3]. The Nameless Swordswomans sensationalized tragedy became a red mark for players to pick at. Viewers who refused to believe that all hope was lost for her went ahead and bought the game themselves, hoping to prove the popular streamers wrong, with the added bonus of successfully completing the game. This time, Su Li could not cover the surmountable fame that surrounded Zha Feng. Famous as she was, she could not protect a genius creator from the rage of the masses. Zha Feng was already a walking case of misfortune by himself. Su Li did not act much impact in that aspect. She only made the scenes for more emotional. The main gravedigger would still be Zha Feng, no matter what. Zha Feng even mentioned that his inbox had been flooded with questions concerning Nameless Swordswomans favorable end, if any. He had innocently stated that he did not know. You may not believe it, but the Nameless Swordswoman had seemed to have gained a sense of self-awareness, thus making him unable to control her actions Such a reply was scorned upon, saying that he was irresponsibly shunning his role in the affair of things. Some pessimistic users had immediately scoured the game for evidence that proved otherwise, such as how he had deliberately placed Yan Qingmeng as the decoy protagonist. If it were not for her looks and not so bad personality, players would definitely get angry from the fact that Yan Qingmeng killed their sister, and littered the streets with her skulls after beheading her C repeatedly. Some players even gone so far as to call Yan Qingmeng trash. Sitting on her throne for so long made some even admire her baselessly, yet a pure soul like the Nameless Swordswoman could sacrifice so much for a pipe dream. If given a choice, players would have most definitely taken the Nameless Swordswomans sight. Not only did she look good, but the beauty of her heart also mirrored her exterior. Waving her sense of justice about had only protected the tyrant Yan Qingmeng, even if it had been unintentional. Yan Qingmeng had been given a good name. Once deciphered, it would show how we SHOULD NOT trust her, just like the fleeting words of lucid dreams [4]. All these despicable traits notwithstanding, her character model had been created exceptionally well. It was almost enough to hold back the masses, which was somewhat rare? The song < My Taoist nun Friend > [5], laid the final piece in the puzzle. Listening to the song alone told the story of an unfortunate lady meeting a scumbag who cheated on her, and her ending up as the other woman. Listening to the song and playing the game added on to Yan Qingmengs bullsh*t stat. She was doing fine by herself, but when things were going well with the Nameless Swordswoman, she had to cockblock their interactions. What a drama queen! To male players, this spiritual love was a load of cr*p. It only existed to be a spare tire to the green hat [6], leaving everyone uneasy and disgusted. Her honeyed words carried more weight than songs, but in terms of actions, she could very well be armless. She would never be touched by what the player did for her, thinking that it was to be expected, as if the player was her servant One would only notice this in retrospect after experiencing a bad end. It was most infuriating to relive the experience of being tricked, toyed about, used by one they thought to be their comrade. It wasnt as if real life gave them their fair share of such experiences. Zha Feng simply had to sneak this into his game as well. What luck! The rage fueled players would only be driven to replay the game a second time and spend more time on the game, which played right into Zha Fengs hands. Translation Notes: [1] Central Yharnam of Bloodborne: An area in the game Bloodborne where players will fight the boss Father Gascoigne [2] Father Gascoigne: A boss fought by players Bloodborne in Central Yharnam. [3] Hidetaka Miyazaki: Game director of the Dark Souls series and Bloodborne. [4] Words from dreams: , aka Yan Qingmeng can be translated to Clear Words from Dreams, which foreshadows her persona, as words are never clearly remembered from dreams and words from dreams does not implement in real life, aka a lie or something fake. [5] My Taoist nun Friend : Song from The Fate of Swordsman 3 or commonly known as JW3, explaining the story of the character played in the game. [6] Spare tire/ Green hat: Words often linked to being a third wheel. Chapter 506 The Best, yet most Infuriating End No matter what happened, the game would always end badly for the Nameless Swordswoman. By some means, she dying in the hands of Li Xiye was already the best ending possible, of all the bad endings. In other endings, she either died in the hands of some youkai, or gets shredded to pieces by Zhao Kingdoms army. There was even an end where she was betrayed by her own anonymous city. The last of the endings was possibly the worst of all outcomes. Either way, the Nameless Swordswoman may have well been a fish out of water. The world did not accept her, and vice versa. It was understandable, as she had never received any lessons since young. Her mother was just a mere dancer, with what little insight of the outside world she had giving her the slightest glimpse of events. The most her mother taught her was to remain composed no matter what, and the fact that running away might be embarrassing yet useful. The Nameless Swordswoman may have been given little to work with, but her simple ideals gave her the strength for one thing, which was to protect the weak. It was where her limits found themselves. Sadly, such ideals were not shared by others, and that solitude bore its weight upon her like a smothering smog. Lacking influence, betrayal would be inevitable if she were to form an organization, which was what she did. On some routes, the player would accompany her all along the way, lending her a helping hand when needed. At the end of those routes, players would feel nothing but disgust towards the kind of person Zha Feng was. They had done all they could, hoping to save the nameless maiden, even trying their best to convince her to stay out of trouble, yet their attempt would only end in failure. She would still stand against Li Xiye for the sake of her organization, bringing up the forbidden battle. It was another duel of the century, only that it would not take place in the Forbidden City. One thing would still be certain. The differing paths of swords would still converge, and one would have to yield. Before going to the fight, Su Shi would hand everything over to the player and unleash herself against Li Xiye, who she acknowledged to be her equal in the sword. Talents among the netizens had already made the move, writing Li Xiye C Su Shi ships in fanfiction. They had been pretty well written too, all to warn players C that these two should never meet, or a heartwrenching battle would unfold. This was just like playing the Daily Life of Cao Cao, where Xiaohou Yuan and Huang Zhong must never meet, or some calamity would occur. Players could try their best to prevent this battle from happening, but the Nameless Swordswoman never ran out of new methods of dying. Not unless they were the popular woman gamer C Ah Yu. She had by some means found a Noble Soul of the Nameless Maiden ending. Ah Yu came upon a very different ending, earning it a high view count and popularity. She met the same sure-death events, but with raw skills, Ah Yu, or rather, the holy monk Ah Guang, overcame them and prevented Su Shis death again and again, maxing out their relationship points to the highest it could possibly go. She steadfastedly stood by the nameless maiden, even when going up against the entire Kingdom of Zhao, making an enemy of the Chun Yang school. They even nearly managed to kill Yan Qingmeng, if not for her contracted youkai minion. This youkai turned out to be Zhao King Su Hu. Holy Monk Ah Guang managed to strip it of its human flesh, and it acted as the last boss of Ah Yus playthrough. He had trained himself in the demon arts, which was one of the reasons why he fed on humans. Confirmed death scenes also included the fight between Su Shi and Li Xiye, but at that moment, Ah Guang had intercepted the battle, thus saving Su Shi, but having to fight Li Xiye himself. It was then revealed here that Ah Guang had found his own path of the sword. Wielding his Sword of the Buddha, he challenged Li Xiye in Su Shis place. This had caused an uproar on the internet. The fight scene itself did not disappoint either. Most of all, the complexity of the battle had been enough to dissuade most from even attempting it. The difficulty had been overwhelming, nigh-impossible, even. On her first attempt, Ah Guang died once due to a slip-up, and also because Ah Yu had decided not to use any recovery potions in the fight. Even after Li Xiye unleashed his trump cards like Myth of the Sword God, the Legend of the Unfallen King reached its end, as Ah Guang finally prevailed. Of course, as Li Xiye had plot armor, his life was never in danger. Ah Yu had forcefully fought Li Xiye off to prevent Su Shis death, making sure that she does not die, shining a bleak ray of hope upon her viewers. Ah Yu had successfully saved Su Shi from many sure-death events and even crossed swords with Li Xiye for her sake. The DLC had changed from The Law of Humane Justice to The Law of Saving a Nameless Maiden from the Grasps of The Grim Reaper. Players cheered in unison. If only this route had been more accessible, players might just have find it in their hearts to forgive Zha Feng. As things were, this route had been riddled with such a ridiculous amount of sure-death events. Just as Ah Yu believed that she had done all she could to prevent Su Shis death, she was quickly proven wrong. Even being completely bonded to a player who could defeat the mighty Li Xiye, Su Shi was killed in a frame-locked CG attempting save Holy Monk Ah Guang. Unless you modded or hacked the game, you could only watch helplessly as she died tragically yet again. It was at this point when even Zhao Youyue lost hope. She also knew why Zha Feng was so well known. To put things optimistically, all that grinding for bond points had not been put to waste as Su Shi had been willing to sacrifice her life for the players without being told. Fortunately, Zhao Youyue came prepared C she had died so many times in the virtual world that it became a daily occurrence to her. Those who died in the hands of a member of the Samsara Palace could join them and perform missions to save up points. If enough points were saved up, they would be able to be summoned by the player as Holy Spirits. This was exactly what Su Shi wanted, to be reborn as a Holy Spirit and take down the final boss Su Hu alongside the player, while attaining her own revenge. Zhao Youyue had tried her best to create an ending that was not exactly bad, but viewers were still unable to accept it. They continued to rage at Zha Feng. The key point was that Zhao Youyues playthrough had demonstrated all of the nameless maidens cuteness. It had been demonstrated in its entirety on her stream, providing viewers with a feeling of ease. Most infuriating was the CG-locked death that occurred when players and viewers alike had their hopes at their highest. It was wonderfully done, therefore it was also tragically heartbreaking. Who then, could still restrain themselves at that point? Chapter 507 An Even Deeper Impression Livestreamers had experienced a spike in viewership early in the year. Viewers came in many forms, including even those who got angry at the streamers, bearing grudges as they revisited and attended every consecutive stream after that. This was proof that streaming could grant viewers a good time. Some might think that watching streams would be fun. Some got to place themselves in the shoes of exceptionally skilled streamers. How fun was that? Some games were also nothing short of insanity, and playing it was only suicidal. Watching a streamer would relieve oneself of that strain. You could even have some popcorn while watching another struggle to within half an inch of their lives. As Tales of Wuxia 3 took to the headlines, famous League of Legends streamer PDD [1] had given a shot at it, only to be slaughtered by the very first boss multiple times. He had started questioning if the game was even beatable. Depression Pig [2] lived up to his name as he got slaughtered, providing his viewers with much entertainment. At one point, he got eaten up by a mimic trap, and a great deal of humor it provided his viewers. He praised the game for its marvelous graphics and art, but criticized its merciless nature. Viewers jumped from streamer to streamer, all to see them getting their cherries popped by Zha Feng. The early instances of falling into his traps were the best. Entertainment-based streams provided entertainment. Skilled-based streams like Ah Yus granted viewers a joyride. Watching her play as the Holy Monk, they would feel as if they had been placed in his shoes, where Killing was a self-defense, and slay but do not slay humans C words of Ah Guang, the Sword of Buddha. They watched her playthrough with more gusto, not to be turned away by depression. They have already gotten to know the true Su Shi, so the pain of losing her again would sting less. Also, Wu Shun had barely interacted with Su Shi. As a result, he did not progress much on her story. Having been thoroughly misdirected, he had placed all of his focus on his number one waifu, Yan Qingmeng. Nobody could blame him for it, the twist in the DLC had blindsided just about everyone. At the end of it, players finally learned of the truth and that they were actually that of the opposition. The more they helped Su Hu, the sooner they heralded the destruction of the Anonymous City. It had been most depressing. Even the iron-willed Wu Shun himself admitted that he had not been prepared for such powerful mental assaults by Zha Feng. It had shaken him so badly that he was absent from streaming for three days straight. Viewers recovered sooner than he did and moved on to watch Ah Yus stream, witnessing her might with the staff. In the dark and cruel world of Tales of Wuxia 3, a pro took the leaderboard by storm C the Holy Monk, Ah Guang. In Ah Yus playthrough, she pumped Su Shi with so much love that it should have been banned! As they got closer than ever, viewers would only feel the bitterness of loss and separation all the more. As Ah Guang fought to save the nameless maiden Su Shi, viewers had cheered him on, their hopes and spirits rising in tandem with the battles. In the hands of Ah Yus skill, it seemed highly possible that this end might actually spare her. It was at the peak of their emotions when Su Shi still ended up dying to save the players life. She had thrown herself into the thick of things without a moments hesitation, and that made matters even worse. Every viewer on Zhao Youyues stream lost their hearts there and then. They probably felt even more sorrow than the Holy Monk. As Zhao Youyue had prepared her heart for such an ending. Anyway, her heart had ran out of sadness to mourn for this latest death. On the other hand, viewers abandoned the last vestiges of their hope. If not even Ah Yu could succeed, how would others be able to catch the moment? Reality had struck them like a mack truck over their skulls. Ah Yu may have succeeded in saving Su Shi multiple times, and they may have almost maxed out their relationships, but she actually died when their bond points were at its peak! Apparently, a maxed bond would only unlock an additional CG cutscene where Su Shi gave her life for the players. Having no power over their own characters, they could only watch Su Shi take the heart-wrenching, fatal blow. Lets say you prevented your bond points from reaching that amount. Su Shi would still die at an earlier point of the game by some other means. Of course, these deaths could have been prevented, but the player needed to be as skilled as Ah Yu, at the very least. In Ah Yus stream, Su Shis death had struck like a gigantic wave. Compared to Wu Shuns wave, hers was a Tsunami. Ah Yus streams had more active viewers compared to Wu Shun, as she had managed to draw out far more reactions from Su Shi, and all that Ah Yu did for her had touched the hearts of viewers. More than ever did they hope that Su Shi survives. Apparently, Su Shi only ended up dying again. How could the viewers not react severely to that? At that point, Su Shi was already their waifus. Zha Feng basically killed off their waifu before smashing the last of their hopes. Even if Zhao Youyue was to continue playing and work hard during her daily grinds of sidequests while helping others in their co-op missions or even hunt other players without completing the mission, she could still receive points that could be used to rerun a route or turn a fallen character into a Heroic Spirit [1] who would fight for them. Of course, Zhao Youyue chose Su Shi as her heroic spirit, giving her the opportunity to complete her revenge by her own hands. This might be the best of ends, who knows. Zhao Youyue believed that she had completed the DLC at long last, while also boosting the nameless maidens popularity. Little did she expect the community to go up in flames! Translation Note: [1] Heroic Spirit: A Fate reference. In the Fate series, heroic heroes will be turned into Heroic spirits to fight in a war called the Holy Grail War. Chapter 508 Achieving Iconic Status! Perhaps it had been a necessary evil, turning a tragic character into an icon. Old Sly Zha Feng took far more flak than ever! A single DLC had transcended Tale of Wuxia 3 to new heights. More and more players were joining the crowd. Of course, people still chose the easier path of watching streamers player. The supercalifragilisticexpialidocious graphics made the streams no less than actual blockbusters. The viewership outnumbered the already numerous players by a huge margin. Either way, Old Sly Zha Fengs bad intentions and malice had spread mercilessly among the masses. Countless were affected! Before we proceed, lets talk about web novels. With a small readership, creators were at liberty of peppering their poor readers with whatever poison they liked. The risk was minimal. If a web novel suddenly gains recognition, the fresh-blooded readers would not have the same endurance as the minor loyal fans had. In Zha Fengs case, never had the internet witnessed any single name being flamed to such an extent! In the past, Ive only heard of the name C Old Sly Zha Feng. Things like Zha Fengs bad intention, Zha Fengs conspiracy, Zha Fengs mercy, were all popular memes that I never got interested enough to investigate. I never expected to one day personally experience Zha Fengs bad intentions. When I learned that my wife, the beautiful and gentle nameless girl had to die no matter what, my heart was thoroughly broken! May the Heavens punish Old Sly Zha Feng. Ive never seen any game producer as twisted and ruthless as him. He simply wants Jane Doe Su dead, leaving the delusion of saving her to us. Even a highly skilled player like Ah Yu could only watch the CG animation helplessly and sigh I sincerely beg for Old Sly Zha Fengs home address. In any case, Ill definitely send a bomb and blow up the person who killed my wife! Ive prepared many blade pieces and sent them directly to Fenghuo Gaming Company. Thats the only way I would able to vent the depression in my heart Im somehow impressed by Old Sly Zha Feng. This guy may be the first person ever who could not hide behind Su Lis blessing. Hes really something! Im going to list out all twisted shit this Old Sly Zha Feng concocted throughout all these years. Of course, the first place absolutely goes to the beautiful and gentle nameless girl, and her depressing plot, and her unsavable nature. The more people tried to save her, the more she approaches death! In all fairness, he may have just created the most unforgettable gal ever. She has left us with eternal warmth and sorrow I did not play the game myself, but Ive watched Ah Yus torment from the beginning till the end, and my heart feels thoroughly uncomfortable. Ill never touch this game in this life, as I really dont want to experience that sorrow firsthand. It was definitely the time to settle old debts. Someone uncovered the interview with Old Sly Zha Feng just before the game was launched. The moment he started pointedly promoting character Yan Qingmeng, they saw it for what it was. It was his deep-seated malice. He had planned this even before it began! Watching the video again clearly showed the malice in his eyes. Jane Doe Su was supposed to be the main female character within the new DLC. He had deliberately misled everyone into bad ends! After that, players immediately created a new file, eager to redeem themselves. They firmly stood on the beautiful and gentle girls side, hoping for a better end. Little did they know that the game was totally broken C there are no good ends! Old Sly Zha Feng knew no limits. He would happily kill his players with broken hearts! Someone pointed out, If this guy causes such heartache, why do you guys still play? Are you guys actually Masochists? The game had been undeniably well-made, you just cant stop yourself! This was a twisted mess. Difficult as it was, once the frontliner players have created concise guides, anyone could pick it up, having gained the gist of it At the same time, they could feel good about themselves, joining the elite, hardcore gaming community. Lets all pretend to be awesome! Besides, Jane Doe Sus ending might be tragically fatalistic. Nevertheless, she had left behind a gift of true, sincere warmth. Most importantly, having her by your side decreased the difficulty level by several levels. It was a win-win situation! The process of building and expanding the anonymous city could even be treated as a kind of farming game. Experience players in that aspect would be all too aware of the joy of upgrading a city Some players defended Old Sly Zha Feng, saying that he committed the necessary evil for a good reason. He had to prevent the game from becoming a repetitive, farming, dating, dress up and makeup kind of game. No matter what, he could only allow Jane Doe Su to accompany players for a while. If players grew too dependent on her, things would only end up badly. This was also an exemplification of Zha Fengs bad intention. He had deliberately created Jane Doe Su, deceiving players into thinking that she was a walking difficulty reducer. When the plot finally killed her, players would only have to continue suffering All in all, Jane Doe Su had completely, thoroughly demonstrated Zha Fengs mercy and Zha Fengs bad intention. Without a doubt, she would definitely be the most unforgettable character in this game series. She had started off as a passerby, she had ended up being the icon. The perpetrator Lady Zhao had been successful once again! The beautiful and gentle nameless girl was memorialized by countless players and audiences. Old Sly Zha Feng took in all the anger. Mascot Su Li no longer carried the pan. Lady Zhao was busy surveying a new iconic character card that had just appeared on her Two Dimensional Gate a moment ago Jane Doe Su. This card seemed even cooler, compared to all her other cards. Was this due to her high energy level? At first glance, the girl in the card seemed to be clad in grey, a black blindfold wrapped around her eyes. Her sword C Flying Sword of Myriad Colors sat within its scabbard. Upon taking a closer look, Zhao Youyue saw the girls coat disappearing, exposing her snow-white outfit. Her blindfold had also vanished similarly. Her pure, bright eyes greeted the horizon. Her sword was now out of its scabbard. Of course, Jane Doe Su did not require a sword. She was a swordless swordswoman. She could wield a blade of glass and still remain as lethal! Zhao Youyue was now curious to find out the effects of activating such a card in reality Chapter 509 : Always ready to roll Zhao Youyue had grown adept at utilizing iconic character cards. At that moment, she was in a particularly nice mood. After all, she had worked on this for so long. It was time she reaped what she sowed. It felt just like slogging through an extremely difficult game and finally defeating the boss. This was her first time activating a character who had actual combat capabilities. The most noticeable difference she felt was the escalation and enhancement of her entire being! Her senses were now unprecedentedly keen. The sunlight was almost blinding to her eyes. She had the sudden urge of wrapping her eyes in some fabric. Her empty hands felt strangely naked Her waist felt exposed without a sword hanging from it. Was this how a peerless swordswoman felt, all the time? A Jane Doe Su possessed Zhao Youyue suddenly sensed movement. Apparently, her pet Xiao Hei had come into her bedroom. Zhao Youyue reacted in a most bizzare manner. She did a full backflip, gaining some distance from Xiao Hei! She had acted purely on instinct! An onlooker might have found it inexplicably cool. If one thought more on it, such movements might seem odd and otherworldly. At the same time, they would question their reality, wondering if they were living in a game. If not, how could someone roll so skillfully? How many times has she actually practiced?! Normal people did not roll for nothing. Even in an actual fight, a professional pugilist would attempt to evade an opponent by means of footwork, and that would already be a sight to marvel. Rolling, tumbling about was more of a classical RPG element. Of course, while rolling, one would also be immune to all damage. This was why rollers were highly popular. Rolling at the perfect time allowed one to kill a boss without taking damage. They were almost invincible when it came to 1 on 1. No matter how the boss raged and tore the entire map up, their prey would always elude them. As long as they timed it right, the boss would never be able to touch them. What rollers actually feared was being mobbed, surrounded, and cornered. Rolling about in the midst of a mob always left at least one adversary prepared to smack the daylights out of you upon straightening up from your folly. It made rolling look as silly as it was C ineffective and unnecessary. The difficulty of a humanoid enemy within Tale of Wuxia 3: Swords of the Future lay on how proficient it was a rolling. Even an experienced player like Wu Shun was so thoroughly abused by Jane Doe Su that he totally lost the courage to fight her again. Why was that? She could not be touched whatsoever! Be it her small leaps, or her almost casual rolls, they rendered all of Wu Shuns attacks useless! Of course, Wu Shuns style encumbered him even further. His character was cumbersome, aggressive and reckless. He had lots of HP, but that was just about it. In the Tales of Wuxia, HP meant nothing to a boss. Did you really expect a boss to remain clueless about your weaknesses and vulnerable frames? Jane Doe Su was not only good at rolling and backstabbing C she was also a master a parrying. After a successful parry, the player could only watch helplessly as she deals a judgment blow. Such attacks were almost one-hit-KOs. At least they would be rewarded with a spectacular animation! So many had been misled by the forerunner Wu Shun and ended up having to fight Jane Doe Su. Some of these players were persistent, and were too stubborn for their own good. They just wanted to defeat her. Who knows, defeating her might change things. If you sufficiently wounded her, she might be unable to fight Li Xiye. Wasnt this another method of protecting her? For these highly skilled players, they were certain that the presence of a HP bar indicated the possibility of them winning a fight! These stubborn players put themselves through the ordeal again and again. Throughout the process, their feelings for Jane Doe Su only grew. They had been abused to the point of falling head over heels for her! She was just like the beautiful and gentle boss Maria within Bloodborne who was very powerful and pretty. Her dual wield knives ripped countless of players into shreds. It only made her more popular than ever. Players even considered dying by her beautiful hands to be pure bliss Some players had even compiled their various deaths and fancy methods of dying in Jane Doe Sus hands. They had grown completely addicted to being killed by her. It was an odd form of joy. Those game masters were incredible. Someone even found a way to push Jane Doe Su back. He had no choice but to use a swordsman character with immense attack power and agility. One touch would have killed him, but he had to fight against her in terms of skills, memorizing all her techniques and moves thoroughly. Either way, he sent out a clear message, telling the ordinary players to stop wasting their time fighting against her. Push her back they did, until she took off her coat and blindfold, revealing her white outfit. Either way, a rare achievement trophy could be obtained. When that happens, Li Xiye entered the scene and performed the plot kill. Once again, Zha Fengs bad intentions had struck. After all, the gaming masters had put in so much effort, dying a million times, finally forcing Jane Doe Su to shed her coat. In the end, it was just an illusion of choice. Why even try to defeat her in the first place? Regular players almost went mad. Zha Feng spoke up, Its certainly very significant. As long as youve obtained that achievement, from now on, you can defeat others in single combat, like a boss within Tales of Wuxia. You need not be afraid of anyone. Jane Doe Su has turned you into a peerless master! Many netizens had smashed the like button in response. The slow-handed players gloated, mocking the post, Old Sly Zha Feng indeed. Hes able to cheat even the high-skilled players. I thought those guys belonged to another realm. Seeing them get cheated for once has been rather refreshing. Ill definitely give Jane Doe Su a like for abusing the highly-skilled players. As expected from my wife. Awesome! Right at that very moment, Zhao Youyue was getting weary of her heightened vigilance. Her nerves were as tensed as violin strings that have been stretched to their limits. She was prepared to roll at the first sign of movement As Jane Doe Su had come from such a dark, cruel world, Zhao Youyue could actually understand why. This character was constantly on guard, and it was prepared for action at the movement of a leaf! Chapter 510 Sword Dancer Now, Zhao Youyue could justifiably say that she no longer had to worry about her personal safety issues. Even gunfire would not faze her. Rolls and leaps would save her life. In the game, some players had attempted to kill Jane Doe Su by using techniques such as The Poisonous Flying Knife of Justice, and The Arrow of Justice. Even those projectiles had been useless. She somehow rolled away, not even sparing the thinnest sheets of errors She was the Law of Humane Justice. How could the Law of Humane Justice possibly be afraid of being assassinated by some gangsters? Now that Zhao Youyue was Jane Doe Su in reality, she felt as if she could take on just about anything. Of course, if the enemy whipped out a bazooka or something, she would be left helpless. But, who would possibly use such a weapon to assassinate someone? The possibility of her being targeted for an assassination was actually beyond slim. Now that she had obtained the Jane Doe Su character card, her personal safety issues could be put at rest. She was even confident that she would no longer require bodyguards. Of course, Zhao Youyue would not fall into complacency. Having this iconic character card active also led to her feeling wild and reckless. She felt like charging out into the world, finding a target to kill. Zhao Youyues nature could probably curb these feelings. Activating the card for the briefest of instances had already made her agonizingly uncomfortable, both mentally and physically. Such a powerful character card was almost overwhelming to her senses Zhao Youyue promptly turned the card off. She felt as if she had just returned from hell. This was why Jane Doe Su had been so adamant to live in the dark, yet her heart always directed towards the light! If she had Jane Doe Sus power, she might have acted the same. Her power had not been casually obtained, it was something that she had been honing unremittingly since childhood Jane Doe Su was a stubborn girl. She was relatively obtuse yet honest. Such individuals would be blessed in the martial arts training aspect. In other aspects, she would be comparatively weak. Some players criticized that if Jane Doe Su had half of Yan Qingmengs ability at speaking, they would not have ended up being cheated so devastatingly by Deity Yan. It would have been a far better choice, for Jane Doe Su actually had what it took to become an idol for the sake of the anonymous city. Why stay as a silly girl, saving people everywhere C alone, with a single sword? In the end, more than half the people she had saved were ruthless and cruel-hearted Why are you players laughing? Im talking about you guys! But as time went by, everything was eventually revealed. People gradually understood the simple mind of Jane Doe Su. She became highly popular among male players. She also gave others reason to be pleased with themselves. As one played a game, he or she would feel like a God. Even a slow-handed player would never admit that he had a lower IQ than a computer. This was Old Sly Zha Fengs game, of course it cheated on everyone and everything. Therefore, players preferred pretending to be awesome, while commenting feverishly on national events within the game. They were just like modern persons who had traveled back to ancient times and other unknown worlds. They might not be powerful, but they were exceptionally confident in their own knowledge. Players who had walked firmly on the path of the beautiful and gentle Jane Doe Su would experience the pleasure of slowly dominating, and ordering Jane Doe Su about. Of course, such pleasure would be short-lived. Within the process, they would fall in love, having been captivated by such a silly girl. When the girl fails to escape her death once again, the players would only suffer heartbreak, all over again! Jane Doe Su had grown rather popular indeed. More and more of her fanart and doujinshi were released. Female live streamers started cosplaying as her. This was just like the beautiful and gentle 2B from the other world. One need not play the game to learn of her. Her influence had spanned beyond the game. All her related products were selling exceptionally well! Such was the power of an iconic character! Speaking of Jane Doe Su cosplays, let us speak of Demon King, also known as I am a Lolicon II. She was a live streamer of extreme beauty and a great body. She was capable of pulling off convincing 2D characters cosplays, making it seem like they existed in real life. This time, she had cosplayed Jane Doe Su as well, and many audiences had been stunned by her beauty. Of course, others slammed her for it, saying that Jane Doe Su did not have such a vulgar body. Jane Doe Su was indeed a pitiful creature. She lived her entire life like an ascetic. She was even worthy of quoting the classical paragraph within How the Steel Was Tempered. Something that went along the lines of, A human should live his life this way. When . This Demon King was awfully lazy. She was ridiculed as Im everywhere except the live streaming room. She was also a self-proclaimed game lover. Her playthrough of the DLC had circulated around a lesbian route with Jane Doe Su. Thats right. She played a female character, teasing Jane Doe Su in all manner. It had been a feast for her male viewers. Her viewers would spend sleepless nights, fantasizing about what that could have been. Of course, Zhao Youyue was the genuine hidden cosplay boss, considering the fact that those characters and her were basically one. She had already sought out for someone to tailor-make her a Jane Doe Sus costume. Lets not forget the blindfold! She had felt so overwhelmed earlier on, as she had been without a blindfold to shield her eyes After all, a Jane Doe Su without a blindfold was in her second stage of transformation. It was as if she had casted the great spell C Demon Disintegration[1]. A grey-clad, blindfolded Jane Doe Su was subdued and inhibited. Zhao Youyue started to put herself through daily training. Otherwise, she would never be able to control this Jane Doe Su character card completely. She also started taking a leaf out of Jane Doe Sus memory, and started practicing in sword dance! Sword dancer, Zhao Youyue, heres my debut! The only thing missing now was the sword As the world would always adjust to accommodate for her power levels, Zhao Youyue would never be able to emulate Jane Doe Su entirely. Still, this was good training for her mind and body, and it led to her perfection, so all was good. Translation Note: [1] Demon Disintegration C A kind of fictional great martial art spell. The spell can stimulate the potential of the casters body, so that his power is greatly enhanced. After the spell duration ended, the casters body function will be severely degraded, or he will die. Chapter 511 Chapter 511: Protagonist State Online Zhao Youyue felt as if every drop of energy had been bled out of her. She was mentally and physically exhausted. Somehow, she was already regretting using this card. Switching to such a powerful card was nothing short of reckless One could tell C Jane Doe Su was highly powerful. She was almost too potent, in fact. She almost could be considered to be at the pinnacle of power in a low-level martial art world. Zhao Youyue may be in the pink of health, but her body was simply not honed for such extreme levels of mental and physical attunement. This was just like forcing a dirt-cheap low-end computer to run a brand new triple-A game at ultra settings. Exhausted, Zhao Youyue dozed off early that night. At first light, she switched on the Xu Jing card, which was arguably most suited for this purpose. She accessed Jane Doe Sus memories and started training her body accordingly. Of course, the results would never be like that of a fictional martial arts world. Still, compared to more conventional training methods, this sword dance training from Jane Doe Su was definitely anything but conventional! Zhao Youyue had fought tooth and nail to get her body adapted to Jane Doe Sus high spec requirements. Of course, without Xu Jings card, she would have given up in no time at all. She had always been an early riser, but she would wrap her fingers around her phone and get lost in another world for the following hours. This time, with a very awesome looking gemstone cane that was often used by royal families in hand, donning a pure-white outfit, she was practicing with her sword C in the garden, at the top floor of the high-grade apartment owned by her family. If not her apartment, she could always find another spot. In such a big villa, how could she not able to find a place to train in secret? Real life martial artists would raise an eyebrow and ask, are you sure you should be picking up a sword without some basic martial arts foundation? That would not be a problem for Zhao Youyue. Jane Doe Su never got involved in those basics either. She had honed her body into the single-mindedness of the sword, be it power, agility, flexibility. She was both a female swordsman and a dancer Therefore, Zhao Youyue had also acquired the keen sense of rhythm that a dancer would possess. If she ever took up dancing, she would be prodigious. She had inherited everything from Jane Doe Su. Limited as her powers were in this strict, rigid world, those limiters would be quickly discarded when Zhao Youyue steps into a compatible world! As it was, Zhao Youyue belonged to reality. A reality that adjusted and balanced stats to fall within its boundaries. Zhao Youyue quickly bonked her head against the ceiling after some more sword dancing. It was nothing like what Jane Doe Su was in her Wuxia world. Anyhow, she could easily defend herself from danger now. She might even be able to play the heroine and start saving damsels in distress. Of course, this needed time. Strength did not come out of anywhere, especially in this reality. There were laws and rules to obey. After obtaining Xu Jing card, Zhao Youyue had to study hard for a long time before finally assimilating that girls nature and becoming one with it. It almost took her three years before she could be an actual elite scholar and break records in the national examinations Zhao Youyue had been highly fortunate to have obtained Xu Jings card before obtaining Jane Doe Sus card. If not, her laziness would have made it impossible for her to make any progress. There was a reason why she had decided to wave a cane about, instead of a sword. It was a calculated decision, on part of Zhao Youyue. Walking about with a sword was odd, to begin with. She would most definitely attract unwanted attention, from the public and the law. Waving a cane about would be less conspicuous. Canes would also make you look pretty swag. Take a look at the aristocrats of old and their ornamental canes. The character Tokiomi Tohsaka wielded a Ruby cane, looking as elegant as a noble could be. At least before he was promptly strung up and beaten. That noble visage was quickly reduced to The Pan of this Generation. His supposed nobility became accompanied by a lifetime joke, Everything is the fault of time If only he could wield his cane like a sword, he might not have suffered such a fate Unfortunately, canes did not simply transform into swords, not in this reality. Otherwise, Zhao Youyue would have turned it into a whip C playing the role of the cane-wielding hunter from Bloodborne. That was cool and awesome in equal measure! Anyway, Lady Zhao would get herself a gemstone staff, while remaining seated on a mobile throne. Then, let those who were raised by her no her friends, such as Han Leng, push her from behind. She would both be superior and cool. Try to look past this passerby if you can! Visualizing the scene alone gave Zhao Youyue much pleasure. The prospect of being almost illegally cool made her giddy with excitement. Let them assume that her legs were non-functional. Let them assume that she had a serious case of short-sightedness. Rumors about her being disabled would still be rumors, regardless. Lets make our university debut a big one Zhao Youyue had started to grow her hair out again. Afterall, she was no longer a high school student. She was going to embrace her university life with open arms and spend her days idling about more than ever. Having remained a passerby for so long, it was time to be at the center of everyones universes again. As Jane Doe Su C provided that she has her combat power bang on by then C she would be able to handle all forms of trouble without a problem! Before her university semester began, Zhao Youyue had one more thing to do. She had promised to go play with Su Li at her house. Apparently, Su Li had two younger, cute sisters. One was just about to start her eleventh grade; the other was just about to enter junior high. The former was Su Jue, the latter was Su Lin. Zhao Youyue had seen their photos before. They were both very beautiful C as expected of the Goddess mangakas kin. Even a vainpot narcissist like Lady Zhao approved of their looks. Su Li loved her younger sisters very much as well. She had always bragged to Lady Zhao about how clever they were; how intimate they were As the single daughter, those tales actually struck a sore spot. She often lamented about not having any sisters whatsoever. If only God gave her the opportunity to show them her love Of course, Lady Zhaos love would be as powerful as always. She would smile gently lulling everyone into hanging on to every single one of her words. It was not okay to not be good girls in front of Lady Zhao. At that moment, Zhao Youyue had completed her first set of sword dance moves. She dipped her staff into the ground. The gentle breeze took her long hair up. She took in the sun, her snow-white clothes making her all the more dazzling. She had never felt so good, so strong before. Something told her that she would be able to take on ten grown men at once. Suddenly, she heard a fierce bark. An inexplicable form of fear crept up her spine Chapter 512 Chapter 512: Interchangeable Temperaments What a joke. How could Lady Zhao possibly be afraid of real-life, regular dogs? No dog would be able to withstand her staff. Those so-called evil dogs from the gaming world were nothing like their real-life counterparts! With that thought, she chose to leave. She had no intention of committing animal abuse in public A few days later, Zhao Youyue received Su Lis invitation to go to her house to play. After all, it was already late August. Her University would start on September. Su Lis house was in Jiangnan Province. To be precise, it was in a village in a sleepier, slower part of Jiangnan Province. It was not even accessible by highspeed rail. Therefore, Zhao Youyue and Su Li first had to get there by bus. Then, they had to switch to car where paddy fields greeted them from both sides before finally arriving at the village. Su Li was most apologetic, mainly because she had not yet learned how to drive. She had often disregarded the necessity of the skill. Modern public transportation was so well-developed that public buses should be able to take people just about anywhere, in big cities at least Su Li had miscalculated. She did not expect going back to her house to be such a complicated matter, mainly because she seldom had to return home since being independent. Her parents were simply too annoying, constantly urging her to leave behind her peaceful bachelorette life. Fortunately, she had become extremely famous within the manga and illustration world. She had an extremely high income which also meant her being financially independent, and was the pillar among her family. Therefore, her elders could not make decisions for her. Ordinary men would feel inadequate. After all, money was the modern ages lingua franca. She could do anything she wanted with it. Su Li found it highly embarrassing to go back home via Lady Zhaos car. Even if Zhao Youyue had insisted, she would have been too embarrassed to accept the offer. Fortunately, Lady Zhao had been as empathetic as always. She smiled and said, Im not some sheltered, pampered lady. Its just a few hours of sitting in a bus. With my phone in hand, time would always fly Su Li was most touched, seeing how Lady Zhao was willing to put herself through great inconvenience for her sake. Su Li made up her mind to pick up driving and chauffer Lady Zhao herself in the future. It was her only way of making amends. The two of them hopped up a big bus. Once again, long-haired Zhao Youyue started drawing in stares like moth to flame. Was that really the case? More than her pretty face, more than her long hair, it was her freaking gem-encrusted walking cane C or as she called it C her staff. Ordinary people might dismiss such a staff as fake. The gemstone had to be fake. With the advancement of technology, synthetic products sometimes even surpassed their originators Well, they had it right. That huge, giant gemstone at the top of Zhao Youyues staff was indeed a fake. But anything fake in Zhao Youyues hands had to be the real thing! Take a look at Su Li. Lady Zhaos sudden interest in staffs was a mystery to her. Nevertheless, all she needed was to look upon the gorgeous staff, and immediately assumed that it had to be extremely valuable. This was just like how players had reacted in Tale of Wuxia 3. Not once was Jane Doe Sus Flying Sword of Myriad Colors taken as what it was. That sword had been nothing but a beautiful ornament. Someone like Jane Doe Su could wield grass and massacre a town if she wanted to, what of a sword? If she could turn a blade of grass into a sword, why not wave a cane about! Su Li attempted a subtle hint, My Lady, people from where I came from are country bumpkins. Are you sure you should be bringing along something so valuable? Zhao Youyue smiled. I dont see anything valuable. With this, however, everything would be alright. She held no staff in her hands; it was a sharp, deadly sword. Su Li entered the bus with Zhao Youyue and almost immediately started scanning the bus for big, beefy men. She could not help thinking that they might be the legendary bodyguards in plain clothes, protecting Lady Zhao and her valuable staff at all times Zhao Youyue was all alone on this day. She was now highly confident in her capabilities of defending herself. Thanks to Xu Jing cards highly reliable learning ability, she could perform a complete series of sword dances, even without her Jane Doe Su card. Switching on the card would only elevate her abilities into something else entirely. The only problem was the consequential sequel titled, Her empty, drained body. If Su Li ever learned that Zhao Youyue was without her guards, she would have freaked out. In her mind, Lady Zhao was the perfect rich Lady. Perfect rich ladies got themselves kidnapped all the time. Even her bodyguards had to be as perfect as she was, capable of keeping up with cars on foot. Of course, Lady Zhao would be completely safe at all times. Su Lis imagination was really something My Lady, I thought you would be difficult to please, with extremely high standards. You are so grand that the world shies away from your glory. Ive never expected such a day to come, sitting together with you on a bus. Su Li choked out emotionally. Within her mind, Zhao Youyue was forever elegant and poised. Her standards of living had to be nothing short of perfect. I think youve been deceived, Sister Li. Im only pretending to be like a Lady. Its a trend these days C adding a character setting to yourself. Only a good actor could get the paparazzi and the spotlight. If not, nobody would spare you a second glance, Zhao Youyue tinkled through another one of her dazzling smiles. My Lady, youre just saying that to make me feel good again. I understand. You dont want to get me lost in guilt. Once we get there, Ill definitely treat you nicely. My sisters are extremely cute, youll see! said Su Li firmly. Zhao Youyue sighed helplessly. She was actually telling the truth. She had a passerby side that Su Li could never fathom. She was a Lady in name, but to others, she was just an ordinary girl She was just too unassuming to be anything more. That all changed when she started imitating the Lady characters within novels and mangas, fulfilling stereotypes to the left and right. Meeting up with business associates such as writers and creators in her limo did not help either. It gave them inspiration and real-life references. As expected of a Lady. Thats a real-life Lady, larger than life there Su Li had no doubts about it. Now that Lady Zhao was walking about with a gemstone staff, all she lacked was a crown on her head! All of this was a hoax. The real Zhao Youyue had none of these traits. The only genuine part about her was her desire for something. If she desired for people to view her as a lady, she could make it happen. If she desired for people to view her as impoverished, she could make it happen. Those character cards that had become a part of her blurred the line between an act and reality. As she had predicted, the journey quickly came to pass as she chatted happily with Su Li, while keeping her fingers busy on the screen of her phone. Chapter 513 Chapter 513: Arrival Zhao Youyues ability to change her temperament like a chameleon had its uses. For instance, her Missy persona may be a little off-putting to some. After all, missy was sometimes synonymous with arrogant, pretentious, and hard to get along with. All of these attributes were prone to be hated. However, novels and mangas welcomed these characters very much. Male-oriented works without such characters were most definitely flawed. It was just like how female-oriented works really needed Princes. After hearing that Su Lis father would personally drive to the bus station to her pick up, the drama queen Lady Zhao swapped out her personas. From a stuck-up, ethereal lady, she became a down-to-earth, approachable girl from next door. The type who would be the teachers pet in schools. She allowed Su Li to introduce her. Of course, there was no need to mention anything about her family background. Su Li could simply introduce her as an elite scholar. This was one of the benefits of being a scholar. Any parent would approve of a student. They were the ideal friend material! Once again, Su Li was touched by Lady Zhaos actions. Lady Zhao seemed so much more like her pleasantly self on this day. She had even suffered quite a bit, lowering herself to the point of taking a public bus. Moreover, she went an extra mile to hide her identity. Lady Zhao was really taking special care to keep her comfortable! Lady Zhao was really the bestest friend she could ever have On the way, Su Li brought up Tale of Wuxia 3: Swords of the Futures latest DLC. It had been extremely popular. Surprisingly, she was a little disappointed. Nobody was actually condemning her this time round. Instead, the culprit Old Sly Zha Feng was being so heavily slammed that he could have been smothered to death. Actually, it was my paintbrush and its mysterious power that gave the game such a dark, depressing tone, but nobody came to mess with me this time around. I feel kinda left out. What sins could the game producer Zha Feng have committed? How is he getting all the attention and hate Su Li was a little unhappy. Su Li had been moving like a whirlwind through the different stages of disbelief. It had started from her feeble attempts of defending herself, to resignedly carrying the pan, and finally believing in her own mysterious powers. This left Zhao Youyue speechless. She had put in a lot of effort to keep Su Li free of all the blame and drama. She totally did not see Su Li embracing this role! The game producer Zha Feng is truly talented. I remember watching his initial interview. Those black-rimmed glasses just complement his cunning eyes. Even so, his fans clearly appreciated that, in a way. Anyone who gets called Old Sly these days have to be capable At least, as one of the top artists, you still get some attention. Nobody cares about a voice actress like me at all. Maybe, once everything dies down a little, someone might notice me, Zhao Youyue lamented. This time, she had managed to create the iconic character Jane Doe Su. Admittedly, she had to hand over the credit to Old Sly Zha Feng. She had only rolled the ball, and he had kept it going, unlike the usual case. Of course, lets not forget his massive game production team and Su Li, an illustrator who was improving by the day. It was a half sleeping victory for Zhao Youyue this time. This proved that she was, by no means, an African. Of course, she could not be considered a European Emperor as well, so she was a pure Asian![1] Soon after arriving at the bus station, Zhao Youyue met Su Lis father, who had come to pick Su Li up personally. His name was Su Weiguo. Su Weiguo worked in an enterprise in town. He had never stopped working, even though Su Lis earnings were already enough to support him until the day of his death. However, all parents were like this. No matter how successful their children were, they would not be so thick-skinned as to rely on their children, unless they were really getting old, or retired. Clearly, Su Weiguo has not reached the age of retirement yet. Well, Su Li did pay for his car. His eldest daughters blinding success had been a source of pride and joy. The only problem was her having graduated more than two years ago, but she was not yet even looking for a boyfriend. That bit was worrisome! Su Weiguo was a typical Chinese parent. As their children studied, they would try to prevent young love in all sorts of ways. However, right after their children graduated from university, they impatiently wanted them to find a good partner, marry, and have children As she studied, Su Li never fell in love. Of course, she had the more than the looks to garner suitors, but she had an inferiority complex, and was somewhat a little arrogant. These types were destined to remain single. When someone does manage to pique her interest, the same would not apply to the other party, and vice versa. It was not long after that before Su Li indulged herself in her illustrations. Since her works greatly pleased her, she became disinterested in love, relationships, and whatsoever. Even dog food[2] did not affect her. This was truly worrisome. If dog food tortured people, it meant that they were eager for some dog food, for someone to love them but Su Li had no such desire at all. Too many things in the world could replace men and please her. For example, drawing, money, Lady Zhao, wait one of it was not like the others. In fact, as a creator, her spiritual world was abnormally well-fed. She was also pleased regarding material wealth and did not lack love. Why would she still need men? To reproduce? That was the least of her worries. It was not like humans would be extinct if she did not reproduce, right? Therefore, nothing could bring more happiness than being single. Su Li firmly believed this. Fortunately, now that she was a successful person, she was the real pillar of the family. Thus, she had the right to refuse any sort of boring, blind date shenanigans. Of course, Su Weiguo met Zhao Youyue with much enthusiasm, as Su Li had often spoken about Zhao Youyue, prior to this. First of all, Zhao Youyue was a loyal fan. But Su Weiguo could not care less about fans, not unless he learned of how much money Lady Zhao had actually spent rewarding Su Li as a fan. More importantly, she had given Su Li access to priceless connections and resources. Her selection of works for SU Li had also been indispensable. There was no way Su Li could ever return the favor. Su Weiguo had zoned in on Zhao Youyues identity as an elite scholar. She was the top scorer for liberal arts in Jiangnan Provinces college entrance examinations this year C that was quite an achievement! The top scorer in the college entrance examinations was actually a fan of his eldest daughter. It was truly an honor! His second daughter, Su Jue, was just about to enter her second year of high school. It would be great if an elite scholar like Zhao Youyue could share her college entrance examination experience with his second daughter. A top scorer like her would definitely be very focused and serious about her studies. Also, she most certainly had her own set of secret books. If he found out that most of the people who learned from Zhao Youyue ended up flunking their college entrance examinations, he would definitely change his mind. She was a walking bad omen! It could not be helped. Zhao Youyue only had one secret to learning, and that was to activate her cheat mode. Whats more, it was not old-fashioned cheating like you and me with our little notes hidden beneath our armpits and undergarments, those were cheats on the level of reality Translation note : [1] African,European Emperor and Asian are Chinese internet slangs, usually used when referring to card collection type of games. European Emperor is used to describe someone who is very lucky in these games. They have white skin (the best luck) and get the best cards. When the people in China use these terms, they are probably assuming that Europeans have white skin, although clearly, that does not apply to all Europeans. Hence, they probably also assume that Africans have black skin (bad luck/the worst luck) (black is the total opposite of white, so if white skin means the best luck, black skin means bad luck). Asians usually have yellow skin (average luck), as yellow skin is in between white and black, the two extremities. So, the author here inserts these internet slangs into the story to fit Zhao Youyues situation. Zhao Youyue got a half sleeping victory this time, meaning she was not super lucky (thus she cannot be considered a European Emperor), but she was also not super unlucky (thus not African as well). She falls in between the both; thus she is a pure Asian (average luck). [2] Dog food is an internet slang which refers to lovers that openly show off their affection towards each other in public. Chapter 514 Chapter 514: Family Banquet Su Weiguo drove directly to the best restaurant in town, where he had already made reservations. It had not been cheap, costing him over a thousand. It should have wounded his spendthrift self, but he thought that it was worthwhile. His daughter had only given him more reason to be proud of her, even bringing along an elite scholar like Zhao Youyue. He had to ensure that they were properly welcomed. Su Lis mother, grandfather, grandmother, and her two sisters were already waiting in the restaurant. It was quite a lively family gathering. Zhao Youyue was probably the only outsider there. Of course, as Zhao Youyue had already been invited to have a meal together with Su Lis family, they did not consider her as one. Su Li had long told her family that Zhao Youyue was her bestest friend, her dearest girlfriend. Without Lady Zhao, one of her many long weekends should have killed her already! With such a big age gap, they could still become the best of friends? Su Weiguo was rather puzzled. Still, considering the fact that that authors and readers who picked their books should share many common interests, age was not really a problem at all Su Weiguo thought that it was quite a pity. If Zhao Youyue had been a boy, things would be good. Looking at how intimate the both of them were, at least he would not have to worry about Su Li going single for the rest of her life. Su Li had everything else going for her, Su Weiguo only hoped that she could marry an honest man and complete the loop. That was all she needed for a peaceful and happy life. It did not matter if she slipped up once in a while. His daughter was so beautiful and talented. Of course, her other half would always forgive her The old Zhao Youyue would rather die than impose on a family banquet where she was the only stranger. It was all too awkward for her. However, she was different now. She had grown many more layers of skin on her face. Moreover, she was really close to Su Li. A caring lady like Su Li would never put her in a spot. Zhao Youyue was still very confident in Su Li. For example, moments ago, Su Weiguo could not help but ask out of curiosity, Xiao Zhao, why are you using a crutch for support? What the f*ck, what do you mean crutch? Its a staff; a jewel-encrusted staff, to be precise. Im cosplaying as Tokiomi Tohsaka, although the jewel is fake Zhao Youyue was a little unhappy, but she just pouted for a bit before forcing a pleasant smile. Observant Su Li immediately stepped in. Lady Erm, little sister Youyues body is a little frail, and she has some leg problems, so she has to use this crut staff! Su Li quickly explained. Naturally, once Su Weiguo heard that, he was once again in awe. Zhao Youyue was so studious, and she talked in such a gentle, soft manner. She was the precious princessly type of girl that only the city of Jiangnan could produce. He did not expect her to also be physically challenged, broken in body but firm in spirit. Life had not been easy for her! Su Weiguo could not tell that Zhao Youyue was a missy at all. On the contrary, he believed that her family was probably living in poverty. Why else, would she possibly be the top scorer? In this era, only the poor would take their studies seriously Su Weiguos mind had remained where it was from one or two decades back, even as time left him in the dust. After all, a long time ago, one could change their destiny by enrolling in a university. Nowadays, university students were nevermind. He believed that it would be better for those that were from poor families to start working earlier or to attend a vocational high school and pick up some skills. It just might help them live through the cruel world. Of coures, Su Li had assumed that Lady Zhao was going through another severe bout of sophohigh syndrome. If only she knew that Lady Zhao actually believed herself to be a peerless swordsmaster at that point. That staff was no crutch; she ruled the world with it. Shortly after that, Zhao Youyue met Su Lis family members. She seemed anything but typical Zhao Youyue. She greeted them naturally and courteously as they were introduced to her, one after another. Hiding behind her not-exactly-guise of a brilliant student and top scorer in the college entrance examinations, she deceived all these new faces. Finally, the long-awaited meeting with Su Lis two sisters came to pass. The second sister C Su Jue did not seem much to be a talker. As she was glued to her mobile phone the entire time, she became a target for Su Lis mother to demonstrate her motherly nagging. When it finally became too much, she hunched over and ate her food in silence. She seemed to be on the verge of bursting out in a fit. The younger Su Lin, was far livelier, befitting of her age. She was closer to Su Li and kept asking for hugs and kisses. She deliberately did it in front of Zhao Youyue, in a show of ownership. She could not be blamed, for Su Li kept repeatedly referring to Zhao Youyue as little sister Youyue. No one could snatch the best sister in the world from her! Ironically, it only made Zhao Youyue more convinced of her cuteness. She had prepared gifts for the both of them. They were not expensive, but it represented her kind thoughts. Su Lis family gave Zhao Youyue an excellent impression. She even felt good about Su Jue who was addicted to her mobile phone. The table was releasing all those boredom hormones. Of course even she would feel the urge of playing her mobile phone as well Of course, she held the urge down. This was to spare Su Li some face. Moreover, Su Lis parents were highly interested in her top scorer in the college entrance examinations identity. Thus she was bombarded with questions. Then, her parents proceeded to educate Su Jue. Look at how perfect Zhao Youyue is! Zhao Youyue empathized with Su Jue, even though she was clearly from another family! Zhao Youyue only hoped that Su Jue would not be resentful. She was probably the prettiest among the three sisters of the Su family. Her complexion was flawless. Her name could not have been a better fit, she was as truly pretty as a jade[1]. Su Jue was actually doing pretty well in school. She was currently attending the best high school in the city. She also had a knack for calligraphy, surpassing that of even Zhao Youyues skills. Zhao Youyues words were pure and beautiful, but she had never learned calligraphy before. Meals were usually very enjoyable for guests. Of course, Su Li was probably very upset, because Su Lis grandparents and parents had once again asked an old-fashioned question during the meal. Have you found a partner yet? If you still do not want to look for one, it could get really difficult for you! Questions on whether she had found a partner were common table talk. Previously, Su Li always say the same thing. You guys are really annoying. Do I look like I really want to get married? Today, she almost blurted out an entirely different answer. You know what? I only like girls. I dont want to get married to someone else. I want to take someone else as my wife! Well, who are you going to take as your wife? Hehe. Ive already brought her here to meet you personally, dont you know that? Of course, Su Li managed to reel it in. Instead, she was forced to agree on going on a blind date This was purely Zhao Youyues fault. To please Su Lis elders, Lady Zhao had chimed in. Blind dates did not mean that you had to date right away. You could just meet the other person and get to know them a little. Who knows, it might even be really fun. The internet was rich with reviews of people sharing their blind date experiences, and they were usually very interesting. Who knows, it could even serve as inspiration for her work! Su Li agreed begrudgingly. She knew that Lady Zhao was just being playful again C and there was no way to stop her! At first, Su Lis elders were surprised. Then, they were overjoyed. Getting Su Li to agree on anything like this was nothing but impossible. Their impression on Zhao Youyue only rose through the roof Zhao Youyue smiled sweetly. Su Jue, who had been really quiet the whole time, suddenly realized something. She shot icicles in Zhao Youyues direction. Translation note : [1] Su Jues name in Chinese characters is , the second word of her name means precious gems. Chapter 515 Su Jue did not really like Zhao Youyue. Before this, she had been asked to learn from Zhao Youyue. That was fine and all, but wasnt Zhao Youyue being a little too clingy to her dearest big sister Su Li! Su Li was probably too used to playing the role of a big sister. As Zhao Youyue repeated the words big sister Li, the hapless lady only lost herself into the role. As the meal went on, she became pointedly considerate towards Lady Zhao. She picked food for Lady Zhao very carefully, choosing only her favorites Su Li knew that Lady Zhao was very picky about food. In fact, her own standards had been influenced by the upper-class lady. She had spent her weekends at the classier parts of cities, indulging in all manner of delicacies. Now that she was back home, this feast paled in comparison to what she usually ate. It was average at most. There was just too much fish and meat. Such flavors would become bland in no time. If she knew that it would have turned out this way, she would have ordered vegetarian dishes instead. Simpler dishes would have been preferable. Su Li had initially assumed that Zhao Youyue would not be able to stomach such food. Zhao Youyue had once told her a story about how her pickiness with food ended up causing others a lot of trouble. Once, while having a meal with many brilliant students from the school, they ended up arguing because they could not agree on what to eat This was a particularly embarrassing recollection of Zhao Youyues. She might have been too young at that time. She had not yet experienced many different world of works at that time, and was not yet an unfathomable drama queen. She had only ended up damaged her reputation. To those brilliant students, Zhao Youyue had been too much of a Missy C she was too picky for her own good. It would be impossible for anyone to get along with her! Thanks to that incident, Huang Zongchao, the advance entree of the Capital University also had an unfavorable impression of Zhao Youyue. He could not deny that Zhao Youyue was a broken character with fully maxed-out stats in all fields, including her appearance and academic prowess. But she was just too difficult to get along with. An average man would die of aneurysms in record time! But the world had its share of unusual men. Creators would feel that a girl like her was unique and extraordinary. She was qualified to do whatever she wanted. Giving an arm and leg to accommodate her would be a given Yet again, Su Li was surprised. Lady Zhao actually seemed content with the meal. She seemed to have completely changed her character. The person who came home with Su Li was not a missy, but a down-to-earth, amicable, girl next door. The kind of girl who was virtuous, knowledgeable and rational. Su Li was really not used to this. She felt that Lady Zhao was going out of her way to give her face. She truly considered Su Li as her big sister C thus she was willing to sacrifice herself. It was way too touching. Hence, she took great care of Zhao Youyue, as if she was the perfect big sister. She had fallen thrall to Lady Zhao C there was no escape. If Su Li was the male protagonist of various novels and anime, then Zhao Youyue was the kind of character that appeared out of nowhere. When she did, she would produce more moe-waves while remaining poised as a missy who was also an adorable little sister. After all, big sister Li was rolling off the Ladys tongue like smooth nectar. Su Lis sister, Su Jue, was undoubtedly the protagonists childhood sweetheart. Such a character would surely butt heads with a Zhao Youyue archetype! They were predestined nemesis! Moreover, such characters often defeated the childhood friend, albeit not at a 100% rate, if not 90% Although Su Jue was very quiet and reserved when she saw Su Li, she actually cared for her big sister deeply. However, when she saw her big sister taking care of a stranger and calling her little sister Youyue, her mood went foul. She felt like her big sister had been snatched away! This was how Umaru found out that her big brother Taihei, the best big brother in the world, suddenly had a cute little sister named Hikari out of the blue. Obviously, she would not tolerate anyone threatening to usurp her position![1] Of course, Umaru did not only have to deal with people snatching her brother; there were others wanting to be her new sister-in-law! Her brother, who was the best brother in the world, only sat quietly at home. It was the harem that came pouring in from all directions Su Jue thought that she knew Su Li better than anyone. She knew that her sister did not want to find a partner for the time being. She absolutely despised things like blind dates. However, that Zhao Youyue actually attempted to curry favor with the elders, standing on their side. That was pure betrayal! Su Li had actually forced herself to tolerate the behavior of little sister Youyue. How much did big sister Su Li actually care for this sly woman? The rebellious period of Su Jues youth had arrived. She was a relatively normal female high school student, unlike Zhao Youyue. Zhao Youyues mental age was already much higher than the average high school student. She was clearly compatible with Su Li, who had already graduated from university and was a working adult. They shared many common interests and topics of conversation Su Jue now detested Zhao Youyue. That woman was out to snatch her big sister. Well, not under her watch! From which hole did this Zhao Youyue crawl out from? If she wanted to talk about loyal reading, Su Jue was her big sisters most loyal reader. She also liked to draw and was very talented at it. Of course, her talent in calligraphy overshadowed her talent in drawing. Her dream had always been to work alongside her big sister C so that she could always be with her sister! After all, it was not easy being a mangaka. She would be her big sisters assistant for free. No matter what, she wanted to be with her sister all the time Su Jue knew that it was her sister who enabled the family to live a good life. Every time she came back, Su Li would bring her two little sisters out shopping to relieve all the shops of their stock. They could get just about anything they desired. Hence, every time Su Li came home, Su Jue would be at the top of cloud nine. This time, however, Su Li actually brought another little sister home. She was a little older than Su Jue, and Su Li doted on her very much. This made Su Jue extremely unhappy! Su Jue felt as if her big sister had cheated on her. Although this may seem twisted, it was the only way you could put the contents of her thoughts in words. Big sister Su Li had always been hers, no one had the right to snatch her away! Su Jue was probably the only one who was unhappy throughout the meal. She was preoccupied with thoughts of getting her big sister back. It showed on her face Su Jue came out of the toilet and found her little sister Su Lin was waiting for her. Su Lin, the youngest one, was a very cute girl. She just got into junior high school and was very petite. She would be the noisy Loli. Second sis, this is a big crisis, that woman is going to snatch big sis away! Su Lin gushed urgently. Her lively, lovely demeanor had vanished completely. Su Lin was awfully bright for her age. If she had any shortcomings, it would be her slothful nature. She may be small, but her heart had enough room for both sisters. She wanted to leech off them and do nothing at home all day. How comfortable would that be If you really think so, why did you still get so close to that Zhao Youyue or whatever shes called? Su Jue threw a fit. She thought that her younger sister had betrayed her. She had recognized a thief as her sister! As for who was the real thief was, anyone could guess. Translation note : [1] Author is referring to the anime Himouto! Umaru-chan. Chapter 516 Second sister, you are being too blunt. As Sun Tzu once said, know yourself and know your enemy, and you will never be defeated. This Zhao Youyue is very powerful. Shes even better than us as getting on the good side of the elders. Shes a big boss. We must learn more about her first! youngest sister Su said, raising a knowing finger. She was nothing like the innocent little girl at the meal table. She was far too mature to be a Loli who had just graduated from elementary school. How was I blunt? Im as cunning as a fox, alright? All my classmates have been basically wrapped around my little finger. All the town boys my age have confessed to me. I only need snap my fingers, and theyll move heaven and earth for me! Su Jue retorted defensively. There were indeed many boys of the same age as Su Jue in town. Among them, few were her close childhood friends. They could be considered her childhood sweethearts. She would meet these friends on a monthly basis, and they all took great care of her. Of course, Su Jue would take it as a sign of infatuation Second sister, why are you still so confident about yourself? I cant understand how you even come up to that conclusion. Lets talk about the one closest to you, Hu Xiaotian. Doesnt he already have a girlfriend? Youngest sister Su never held any punches back. He only has a girlfriend in name C he isnt serious about it. He just found one for insurance. He knows that even if he confesses to me, I would never accept him. Believe it or not, as long as I ask him to beat someone up, he will. He has a lot of connections! Su Jue said firmly. In this world, China was a disadvantageous place for grassroots. In town, there were many active social organizations. In some places, local clans were also very powerful. Second sister, I think its better if you dissociate yourself with Hu Xiaotian. After he stopped attending high school, he joined the mafia. He has changed a lot. Its better to stay away from someone like him. Little Su advised. Hu Xiaotian is different. Youre too young. You wont understand the friendship we share. Forget it; its time to go home. By the way; just so you know, Zhao Youyue is going to stay over at our house, and shell be sleeping with big sis! What? How dare she! I havent even slept with big sis since junior high. Im really pissed now, Xiao Lin! In a flash, Su Jue had transformed into an angry wife. Her unbridled obsession over her big sister rushed out to meet sunlight. Su Jue still trusted her younger sister very much. She was a reliable early bloomer. She read all sorts of books on a daily basis. Her topics encompassed just about everything, whether it was a famous book or something she picked out of a forgotten corner. Hence, Su Lin vocabulary was nothing like a Loli who just starting junior high. Instead, when she spoke, others would suspect that she was a reincarnated person. When Su Jue learned of Su Shi, a great writer of the Song Dynasty in school, her teacher had much to say about Su Shis little sister, saying that Su Shis little sister Little sister Su was very clever and talented. This made Su Jue regard her little sister highly. Logically speaking, Su Lin, who was doted on by the whole family, should have a bad relationship with Su Jue, the middle child who received the least love and attention from the family. However, little Su was just too good at getting on the good side of others. Perhaps this was the advantage of being an early bloomer, one who had learned the ways of the world at an early age. Dont be unhappy, second sister. You can sleep with me instead, hehe. Youngest sister Su hugged Su Jue and said softly. Still upset, Su Jue stroke her sisters head absent-mindedly. She was not against the idea of sleeping with her younger sister. After all, they were all used to it. When they were young, and when things got particularly difficult, they would be short of blankets. Hence, the three sisters had to sleep together. This was Su Jues warmest memory. Zhao Youyue ended up having to stay at Su Lis house, although she did not really want to. Of course, this was all because Su Li had been much too enthusiastic about it. However, Su Li had also mentioned that the small motels in town were not really safe. She would have no peace of mind if Lady Zhao went to live in such a place all by herself. If Zhao Youyue insisted on going there, Su Li would definitely tag along. Su Lis house was rather nice. After gaining fame and fortune, how could she permit her parents to live in a state of disrepair? Their new house was markedly cozier and furnished. It was still nothing like Lady Zhaos house, a luxurious villa. Even so, they lived very comfortably. At least it had guestrooms to spare. Men would never comprehend the bond and skinship between girls. If Su Li and Zhao Youyue were both men, sharing a bed would have been out of the question. Of course, it would be more comfortable for each person to be assigned a room of their own. Blood brothers might have no qualms about sharing beds. The only problem is that they would never run out of words to exchange, and they would stay up all night talking. Some people may find this gay, but men did this all the time in the olden days. Modern people were simply too depraved in way of thought. Girls were different. Girls of old, girls of now, they exhibited that mysterious cohesion. There would be nothing odd about them, and nobody would start screaming yuri! yuri! in their minds. It was just another daily occurrence. Which brings us to another point. Why is it that men always found Yuri more acceptable than Yaoi? Of course, we are limiting these relationships to their fictional counterparts. LGBT still faced massive discrimination on a daily basis. It was not widely understood, nor accepted. These people would be victims of prejudice. Moreover, real-life homosexual couples were rarely good-looking. This often left people frustrated. A wise man once said this: If someone looked good, male or female, gay or nay, either way, all would be forgiven. Such was the nature of our superficial society. Money, looks, either one of the two would do. Both would be a bonus. It was not like Zhao Youyue had not slept with Su Li before C I mean, shared a bed with Su Li. Sometimes, they would go to other provinces over the weekend. They sometimes traveled to another big city, where they would book a hotel room. They were more accustomed to it than one could imagine. Therefore, upon reaching Su Lis house, Su Lis second sister, Su Jue, took the opportunity to talk to her big sister as Zhao Youyue showered. She mentioned how they had extra rooms in the house, and that there was no need for the both of them to sleep together. However, Su Li smiled and said, Its fine. Were already used to it. I also have things to discuss with little sister Youyue regarding my manga, so its more convenient if we shared a bed. Su Jue was shocked to the core. She was taken aback by the three words C used to it. Then, she saw the smile on her big sisters face. It was the smile of a happy wife. Her heart twisted into a painful knot. Why are you guys so used to sleeping together? Zhao is she also a mangaka? Isnt she just one of your readers, big sis? Su Jue wondered. Some readers are different from other readers. Some of them actually have the talent to create, but theyre just not bothered to. Of course, they could contribute in their own way, by giving suggestions, Su Li explained. Of course, to be such a reader, you first have to be as classy as a missy, beautiful, be able to bring the author on awesome trips all over the world, and sleep with the author Wow, if you look at it, Lady Zhao was the perfect reader! Therefore, Su Li the dog was thrilled to be her dog. Chapter 517 That night, Zhao Youyue slept in Su Lis room. It had been kept in immaculate condition. Even the blankets smelled of sunshine. As usual, the two of them had a lot of things to talk about. Sometimes, when they talked about their favorite novels and mangas, they would end up agreeing on certain characters or certain plotlines. Such rapport was often pleasing. Creators usually shared common thoughts with other creators, especially those of the same genre. Zhao Youyue may seem to be nothing but a fulltime reader, but she was most definitely a creator in part. Her actions in the world of works was also a form of creation. The two ladies dozed off in the midst of chatting. On the other end, sister-obsessed Su Jue rolled about in her bed, slumber escaping her. This was the power of jealousy. Jealousy makes a person forget herself. Jealousy turns the beautiful into something hideous. Jealous could Su Jue was frustrated. She was unable to come up with any method of getting her sister back. She could only do something to vent her frustration. Therefore, she contacted Hu Xiaotian, a man of apparent influence and stance. He was someone who was very righteous and loyal. He was a silly boy that liked to fight. At least, Hu Xiaotian was such a person last time. Of course, when Hu Xiaotian heard from Su Jue, he was very happy. This was his childhood friend after all. Furthermore, back in school, he had gotten himself into countless fights because of Su Jue. This was probably why Su Jue thought that he really liked her. It was a pity that they were so close to each other, even their houses were practically touching each other Naturally, Su Jue was unhappy when she learned that Hu Xiaotian had gotten himself a girlfriend. Unfortunately, in her mind, Hu Xiaotian was far less important, compared to her big sister. Such news was still bearable. As long as he continued listening to her like before, that would be fine. Hu Xiaotian was a simple kid. When he fought, he did not fight for Su Jue. Su Jue simply gave him an excuse to fight, and it was convenient for him, so he would pounce on the opportunity. He loved a good scrap. Now that he had many connections on the streets, people called him Timely Rain. In the process of him upholding justice, there would always be an evil force lurking about, so this always gave him the opportunity to fight. It was his eternal bliss. Hu Xiaotian only regretted not having been born in the ancient times. Modern life was too easy. Machines and technology made everything too simple. People only exercised for their health. The world was vast. If it had been in the ancient times, how many fights were waiting to be plucked like ripe fruits? Well, he could always opt for the path of a professional athlete. Sadly Hu Xiaotian did not find the prospect as interesting. His favorite weapon was the baseball bat. Was there any sport that involved smacking the snot out of someone with a baseball bat? A baseball bat was only meant for sports, but he liked to use it to beat people. Of course, he always found a noble cause to justify his actions. Beating someone up was not just an act of violence or murder. It was an art. When Hu Xiaotian came upon this epiphany, he had become one with the Oops, someone who was born violent and viewed combat as art. Only a creator would create such a character. When Hu Xiaotian heard that Su Jue wanted him to scare off a despicable foreigner, he was immediately interested. Wasnt it normal for foreigners to come to local areas and offend the locals? In such cases, it was up to simple and hospitable locals like him to humor them in a variety of ways. Hu Xiaotian was indeed an idiot. He agreed to Su Jues request immediately, without even asking if the despicable foreigner was a male or female. He even said that he had one hundred ways of turning the person over a new leaf. He would wash away the foreigners despicable attributes and make him understand what truth and justice was. Of course, Hu Xiaotian had assumed that the despicable foreigner was a man. Beating men completed him! Afterall, girls to beat up were very scarce. Moreoever, he would never lay a finger on a female. He liked pretty girls very much because trouble often revolved around pretty girls. More trouble meant more opportunities for him to fight! Hence, Hu Xiaotian started drawing up his plans, from the location of the fight, down to the time. He was also ready to watch the surrounding audience cheer him on, the local man of justice. Then, he met the despicable foreigner that Su Jue mentioned. Zhao Youyue was accompanying Su Li on her blind date. They were heading to a coffee shop in town C a suitable dating location. Apparently, the man was fairly successful. He had a job in the financial industry in the city. However, he was also from the same town. Getting to know one another shouldnt take long. Now that both of them were home, as per the request of their parents, they were meeting each other to see if anything could be made out of it. Of course, Hu Xiaotian knew who Su Li was. He called Su Li big sister. As he always appeared mentally retarded, Su Li used to take extra care of him, a childhood friend of her little sister. However, Su Li did not like how he started fights with others all the time, even though he only fought for Su Jue. Undoubtedly, the velvety long-haired, goddess-like Lady Zhao was the one that caught Hu Xiaotians attention. He had never met a girl with such grace and temperament! Of course, Zhao Youyue accompanied Su Li on her blind date only to cause some trouble. After all, Su Li had always insisted that she had no interest in men, at least for now. She only agreed to go on a blind date because she had played into Lady Zhaos hands. Hence, in any case, Lady Zhao was here to ruin this blind date! After all, Zhao Youyue still loved Su Li, or rather, they both loved each other. So, Zhao Youyue skillfully brought out the most enjoyable persona of hers, Precious Missy. It was the easiest to cause trouble with this character, because a missy could be unscrupulously self-willed and annoying. People would easily feel poorly about her. Men with high self-esteem probably hated girls like Zhao Youyue the most, as she was a control-freak. Such a missy was actually best friends with Su Li. Thinking about it, Su Li was probably no better. They were villains colluding together, jackals of the same tribe! On that day, Zhao Youyue was dressed expensively, pretentiously and stylishly, following the latest trends. She was no longer dressed like the girl next door that Su Lis family knew. In fact, she totally looked out of place in such a humble town. Girls like her screamed Big city with their looks alone. Such fashion was a perfect match for the velvety, long-haired Zhao Youyue. This way, her goddess temperament would sear through, and she would become so dazzling that nobody would be able to meet her eyes. Therefore, Hu Xiaotian, who had never once set foot outside this small town turned into stone. He was initially looking for an opportunity to beat the despicable foreigner up and get some justice for Su Jue. Whats this goddess doing here?! Chapter 518 Su Lis blind date was a Yi Renjie. No matter how you looked at it, his credentials were rather substantial. After all, not just anyone could gain the acknowledgment of Su Lis parents. They were dead serious about potential suitors for their outstanding daughter. Unfortunately, Su Li had no interest in marriage. Also, what common ground did she share with an elite investor. She would be the eccentric one out of the pair. Fending him off would be the best option On the contrary, Zhao Youyue was a friendly young girl. She could befriend just about anyone she wanted. There was nothing she could not talk about, and she was never shy to strangers. Even eccentric individuals like Han Leng yearned to talk to Lady Zhao. Regular girls bored Han Leng. His attitude was an accurate representation of his name, cold and lonely for all eternity. Perhaps this was why Han Leng treated Lady Zhao differently. He could not find anyone else who sat on the same page. Lady Zhao was born with this extraordinary talent of public relationship. Su Li excused herself to the ladies, leaving Zhao Youyue to deal with the awkward situation. Well, who asked her to be such a busybody in the first place? Yi Renjie was a decent man. At least, that was how he appeared. Nevertheless, he treated this date seriously. He wanted to leave a strong first impression in the heart of a beautiful girl like Su Li. Su Li did not want to hurt this mans feelings. He seemed to be a nice guy. Their parents knew each other as they were from the same town. Going overboard might involve her parents. Zhao Youyue sat before Yi Renjie, making no attempt to hide her annoyance and contempt. He might be an elite in his career, but he was a nobody to her. Indeed, nobody could touch the hem of the Zhao Familys robes, even with whole lifes hard work. Plus, he was not remarkably talented, nor had he been born with a silver spoon in his mouth. China was rapidly growing, albeit in a structured and well-planned manner. Under such conditions, the wealthy only grew wealthier. Plebians could only dream of sharing the skyline with them. Yi Renjie quickly averted his eyes. He fought to retain his elegant demeanor, not wanting to appear unhinged by Zhao Youyues expression. Yi Renjie, isnt it? Name a price. How much to give up on her. Zhao Youyue tried to put up her best impression of an overprotective guardian. She never had the will or guts to be a mean person. Arrogance was a close substitute. From the way you worded it, it seems like this date had been an automatic fail. Thank goodness! Yi Renjie spoke as if the weight on his chest had been lifted. Huh? Whats that supposed to mean, our Lady Su Li is not good enough for you? His words triggered Zhao Youyue. Of course not, Im just not interested in women Unexpectedly, Yi Renjie confessed. Zhao Youyue blinked in surprise, So, you like men? Well thats not entirely true. Well, whats your preference? Actually, none whatsoever. Then what was with that gentlemanly goody act, sister Su did not have the heart to reject you. I had to present myself perfectly to imply my lack of interests in her well-being. I satisfy everybody, my parents, and Su Li. A token of respect and courtesy, if you must say. If I cared about her, I would have been nervous and jumpy, you dont see such composed men on first dates. You are so weird. I never thought that guys like you existed. Maybe, but I think its completely normal. I just wanted to pass my time. If it actually ended up with something, I would just go with the flow. Who would my bride be? It doesnt really matter to me. Even if you wife cheated on you, it wouldnt matter? Of course not. It depends. Maybe not enough for me to throw a fit, but I wont just leave it be. That sounds awfully like you not giving a damn. Youre letting others take your life out of your hands. If everyone is happy, why not? Thats boring. How could that life carry any meaning? I think the quintessence of human inheritance is to get a wife and create a new line down the family tree. This world needs people to strive for perfection in everything, creating wonders along their way. It needs people like me, keeping the foundations stable. Yi Renjie finished off his sentence by leaving the table for the bill. He apologized to Su Li, saying that they were not meant for each other. Yi Renjie knew plenty of girls who did not know how to reject a man. Smart ladies left hints. All he had to do was pick up the memo and make his exit. Everyone would leave the place all the merrier. Zhao Youyue was right about him being weird. He might be amicable and pleasing to the ladies, but it was all just a facade. His true nature was that of a sadist. Marriage was just a ceremony set upon him by his parents to lengthen the existence of their genealogy. Any healthy female who was capable of bearing offsprings would suffice. Pretty ladies came to him all the time. He came from a rather decent family, and had a stable career to boot. Ladies often got deceived by such frauds. Beneath his premediated gestures of chivalry, he was a cold machine. Everything he did was for family inheritance. Thrusting himself into a womans body gave him no pleasure. Only two words would ring in his head C mission accomplished. The smile on his face was not for himself, but to meet the expectations of others. Fortunately, such men were truly uncommon. It was a sad, sad existence. He shared more resemblances with a machine than a living being. Nevertheless, if he keeps these thoughts to himself, he would be the ideal gentleman. He had the mannerisms and demeanor of the ideal husband. Chapter 519 Dear Lady Zhao, please enlighten me. How did you ward him off? He was trying so hard too, it must have been hard to lie to him! Su Li curiously asked. He is just another fraud, another weirdo guy trying to act normal. I did nothing. He was as interested in this date as you are, he probably hates it just as much. He was only doing it for the sake of humanity and his parents and whatnot. He has no desires of his own to speak of, Zhao Youyue explained. Su Li remained in stunned silence, trying to wrap her mind around the weirdness of her date. It was not something worth remembering anyway. Such creatures lurked under the skins of men all over the place. Humans should always seek a purpose of their own. Dreams are above and beyond love and family. We are not animals who live only to breed. We think therefore we are, and that is why we have dreams. Su Li said, almost carefully. That is extremely selfish. If everybody thinks that way, this world would end up in disaster. But you are right. Thats how you live in bliss. It is better to indulge in our own passion than live a painful existence of falsehoods, Zhao Youyue replied. How should people spend their lives in this world? It had always been a sophisticated yet straightforward question with no fixed answers. Some did not even see a point in asking such a question. That was a blessing in itself. Zhao Youyue and Su Li left the cafe. Lo and behold, the power of attraction happened right there. As the hero in her latest gaming broadcasts, the duos found themselves in a scene that only existed in novels. Three street thugs approached Zhao Youyue and Su Li and surrounded them in an alley. They looked like the stereotypical thug, even smelling like them. Its a shame they did not have mohawks. Hey little missus, care to join us in our game? The leader of the thugs walked up and said. Modern thugs were not often this bold. It took a lot of guts for them to speak to a girl Lady Zhaos mighty aura seemed to repress them, if a little. They seemed awkwardly defensive. Excitement streamed through Zhao Youyues blood as she zoned in on the defensive thugs. She could almost feel her staff dancing in her hand. Without hesitation, she snarled, Get lost, scumbag! Zhao Youyue apprehensively awaited for their move Su Li went pale. Did she just pick a fight with three grown men? Hiding in the shadows was Hu Xiaotian, clutching his baseball bat. This was the long-awaited moment for him to rescue the damsels in distress! These three thugs must be new in town. Who the heck behaved like that? This was like pulling out the pages of history in a modern age. So embarrassing! Thugs were a gag in modern novels. They were the lowest lifeform of all living beings and had little reason to exist! We can add one more note to their list of reasons for existing. Lady Zhao needed some live targets for her sword! The leader of the thugs actually took a step back. He yelled in fear, What happened to the girls these days! So fiesty! Couldnt we just leave? And so, the thugs ran away, having lost the will to fight. Perhaps it daytime, or perhaps it was the immense aura of this girl that chased them off Deeply impressed by Zhao Youyues brave act, Su Li praised Lady Zhao, you are amazing! Just by one shout, you chased away three men! I suppose your bodyguards are just nearby right? It was almost a rhetorical question. Su Li was quite sure of the answer. If they had not been nearby, how could Lady Zhao have been so brave? Zhao Youyue was disappointed with the turn of events. It had been such a perfect time to test her swordsmanship Must she trigger Altair card and enter the realm of martial arts for her to take her staff out for the test drive? I was supposed to accompany your for a date. No bodyguards necessary, Zhao Youyue sighed, still disappointed. Oh What? No bodyguards? Su Li went pale again. Lady Zhao had not brought any bodyguards to this corrupted town. She was like a sheep wandering off alone in the forest! Guilt filled Su Lis heart within seconds. She blamed herself for risking the safety of Lady Zhao. If she acted so recklessly without her bodyguards, she might be kidnapped anytime! Su Li would never live with herself! We will leave by tomorrow, let us go back to the province immediately. It is too dangerous to stay here, Su Li seriously started planning their journey back home. Do not be afraid, Sister Li. I am here to protect you. No one could even touch your hair with me around. Zhao Youyue acted just like the anonymous Lady Su. Hu Xiaotian was speechless. His baseball bat almost slipped from his limp fingers. He was so sure that it was his moment to shine. Of course, he was not there to impress girls. He simply itched for a fight, and fights came very rarely in this day and age. Ordinary people would not understand the euphoria Hu Xiaotian experiences, as his baseball bat trembles in his hands, echoing the impact of the last blow. The melody of his bat colliding against bone was simply delightful. One of his hobbies was to lure scumbags for a fight. These bad guys were highly uncommon. And those who were the real deal would not just cause trouble in broad daylight. Hu Xiaotian loved to give himself loosely termed justifications to get himself in a fight. Only then could he uphold the name of justice and reshape his bat Chapter 520 Ordinary people only got involved in such fights of justice in console games. Hu Xiaotian lived in another level. He had fabricated his persona as a dedicated servant of justice and forced villains to fight him in reality. As a result of his hobby, he was idolized by the street-dwellers! Young thugs praised Hu Xiaotian as well. He proved to them with his sweat and blood that even a thug could fight in the name of justice! Hu Xiaotian was considered a useable pawn for some gangster boss. With perfect planning, he could be placed at a rivals area and cause havoc. All they had to do was cause a scene where justice was needed. They had to take some minor losses in order to prevent Hu Xiaotian from finding out the truth Common thugs despised Hu Xiaotian for his deeds. What he did was against the unwritten law of gangsters and brotherhood. How could he be fighting for the name of justice when other gangsters profited from the chaos? Was he a spy? Definitely not. Hu Xiaotian was the leader of Justice Gang. It charged others a higher rate, with better benefits. The people under their protection could ask for their help in claiming a bad debt or collecting sensitive packages. Never once were their requests ever turned down, never once would they fail to deliver. Hu Xiaotian treated his gang as a company. It was his vision to bring his gang to a brighter future. His company name was the League of the Righteous. Some people were confused with other multinational companies or rival gangs with superpowers. After all, there was something called the Justice League[1] People on the street usually stayed away from Hu Xiaotian and his gang. To them, it was a great honor to die in the name of justice. In every fight, they would not bow to any criminals and would fight to their deaths if they had to. Such spirit! They were not embarrassed to be street punks or gangsters. They honored themselves with their acts of protecting people in the name of justice, even if it was against the law. Little did anybody know that Hu Xiaotian was driven by his personal interests. He loved to fight! Profit was never his priority. That was the main reason why his League of the Righteous expanded slowly. Even so, he won the hearts of people by fighting for the greater good! No matter why he fought, people would still think that it had been a fight of justice. He had even been pardoned for involuntary manslaughter. After all, he only fought criminals and bad guys. All bad guys deserved to die! The fist of Hu Xiaotian shall judge those who cannot be judged by law! Hu Xiaotian never fought to kill. His fists were only meant to imprint regret and remorse in the soul of his opponents. He would gladly enlighten them with his punches until they turned over a new leaf What happened had been completely unexpected. Hu Xiaotian had been completely pumped up for a fight, but those three thugs had been scared off by a beautiful young lady. She had merely shouted at them! Thugs these days were so weak! Zhao Youyue noticed the baseball bat in Hu Xiaotians grip. Since the three thugs were too afraid to fight, this man could be a worthy opponent. Only gangsters carried baseball bats about, right? Hu Xiaotian was tall and muscular. He always wore a black coat over a white shirt, without a tie nor a buttoned-up top collar. With his jarhead hairstyle, he intimidated many without saying a word. He had the good looks though, falling into the strike zone of certain girls. After all, who would not feel safe beside him? Of course, Hu Xiaotian was more interested in fighting than earning a girls affection. Zhao Youyue walked towards him without a word, staff in hand. Her arrogant expression almost begged for a fight. She was looking for a reason to draw her sword Lady Zhao also loved to fight for the name of justice. She was hoping to use her weak outlook as bait to punish the ill-willed people. A fight between these two defenders of the righteous would never take place. Hu Xiaotian would never fight a girl. Girls, especially the pretty ones, were the best bait, just like the three thugs who almost took the bait. It was a shame that they never bit down. Hu Xiaotian was disappointed with the cowardness. But didnt the little missy seem just as disappointed? Are you not Xiao Tian? Why are you here? Su Li rushed to stop Lady Zhao from causing any trouble. She knew this baseball bat-wielding kid. He was her younger sisters childhood friend, the little brother she had watched over. Hu Xiaotian childhood had been a harsh one. He was a victim of family violence, and was often forced to hide in Su Lis house. Her mother ran away with another man. His dad was a gangsters who died in a gang fight. Nobody knew that Hu Xiaotian had joined the fight and executed his dad in the name of justice. He felt no grief for his old mans passing. On the contrary, he was almost overcome with intense emotions of relief and joy. At that moment, he appreciated all the beatings that his dad gave him. Because of all these injustices that his dad had committed, he had relished beating his dad to death Somehow he wished there were other despicable family members for him to kill in the name of justice. Vigilantes were not always appreciated, especially as of late. They were as much as criminals as those they claimed to punish. It has been a while, Big Sister! Hu Xiaotian greeted Su Li enthusiastically. Hu Xiaotian would never forget how much Su Li helped him in the past. He always hoped that Su Li would one day request for him to kill someone or burn something down. He could never repay his debt! Oh? You guys know each other? Zhao Youyue quickly removed her war face, instantly reverting to courteous Lady Zhao. I cared for Xiao Tian when he was young. He was a good boy. I used to read stories to him and my sisters. Stories of morals and life, mostly, Su Li smiled. Hu Xiaotian scratched his head in embarrassment. Su Li was one of the reasons he became partners with justice. If not influenced by Su Li, he would have ended up like his old man. Su Li had showed him what was worth protecting in the name of justice. Since then, it became raison detre. Su Lis family was at the top of Hu Xiaotians protection list. He would lay down his life for them. Then, Su Li introduced them to each other. Translation Note: [1] Justice League is a 2017 American superhero film based on the DC Comics superhero team of the same name, distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures. It is the follow-up to 2016s Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice and the fifth installment in the DC Extended Universe (DCEU). The film is directed by Zack Snyder, written by Joss Whedon and Chris Terrio, and features an ensemble cast that includes Ben Affleck, Henry Cavill, Gal Gadot, Ezra Miller, Jason Momoa, and Ray Fisher as the titular team, with Amy Adams, Jeremy Irons, Diane Lane, Connie Nielsen, and J. K. Simmons in supporting roles. In the film, Batman and Wonder Woman recruit The Flash, Aquaman, and Cyborg after Supermans death to save the world from the catastrophic threat of Steppenwolf and his army of Parademons. Chapter 521 Su Li was still troubled by the fact that Zhao Youyue did not have a single bodyguard sweeping the area. The first thing that came to mind was to drag Lady Zhao back to her home at that very moment. Such a location was far too hostile, too dangerous for a blooming flower like Lady Zhao. When Hu Xiaotian showed up, Su Li recalled him running a security company of his own called The League of Righteousness. What good timing! She could hire his services as Lady Zhao did not seem like she would budge anytime soon. Hu Xiaotian was delighted. He could never refuse Big Sister Su Lis request. No payments required! The only person upset by this outcome was no other than Su Lis second sister, Su Yu. She confronted him in a rage. I asked you to scare you-know-who off, how could you end up as you-know-whos bodyguard instead? Hu Xiaotian declared firmly that he would never harm anyone dear to Big Sister. Besides, you-know-who was nothing like the evil force that set off his justice alarm. He had no right to even intimidate her. Zhao Youyue even challenged Hu Xiaotian to a friendly spar. Finally, she had her chance to put her cane to the test. Even so, she did not find the satisfaction she yearned for, as Hu Xiaotian was holding back throughout the fight. If anything, she learned that Hu Xiaotian was very strong indeed. Not long after, it was time to say goodbye. Zhao Youyue traversed the field all by herself. She came upon and pond and gazed upon its still surface. The view was not exactly beautiful, but the air was refreshing. The end of August had set in. The weather took a turn for the colder. A roguish character shadowed Zhao Youyue, maintaining a certain distance at all times. He was Hu Xiaotian. Protecting Zhao Youyue was currently his top priority. It was no easy task, as Lady Zhao deliberately provoked villains from the left and right into attacking her. She even made some new enemies with the local gangs. Of course, these events served as more opportunities for Hu Xiaotian to fight. Zhao Youyue also got to stretch her limbs and hone her swordsmanship further Regrettably, these opponents were far too weak. She never even got to activate Lady Sus Card. Hu Xiaotians immense strength only made the window of opportunity smaller than ever. He alone was more than enough for most of the fights. Zhao Youyue learned much more of Hu Xiaotians past. His violent childhood of abuse and mistreatment had set him on this path of brutal vigilantism. He might actually be the real-life version of Jane Doe Su! Thanks for helping out these past few days, goatee Zhao Youyue abruptly stopped mid-stride, turning her head, flashing her smile in the process. Her silky, dark locks served as the ideal frame to her perfect smile. Such beauty! Hu Xiaotian was only interested in fighting and conditioning his body. He was entirely immune to such charm, even if they caused other men to drop dead. He modestly replied, It was no trouble at all, Lady Zhao. If you had not started all those fights, it would have been very boring and please, do not call me Goatee. I have a chin as bare as a babys buttocks. Zhao Youyue had a practiced eye when it came to judging the characters of others. She had pieced the simple puzzle of Hu Xiaotian together on day one. Eccentric and damaged as he was, she had no qualms about making friends with odder individuals, as long as they could serve a purpose. Grow something out then! Hmmm, make it a mustache, it matches your face well, Zhao Youyue suggested out of the blue. Really? Hu Xiaotian scratched his head in doubt. Lady Zhaos words had to be full of wisdom, even if he could not see it. She had been to so many places and have met so many people. Plus, Big Sister Su Li was more ravishing than ever. Lady Zhao must have had played a significant role in that part. Zhao Youyue laughed helplessly when she saw Hu Xiaotians adorable, dumbfounded expression. She handed him her name card. With her arrogant war face, she said sternly, Hey, goatee. Call me if you ever need the cavalry. Hu Xiaotian put away Lady Zhaos name card carefully, dubious on ever having to use it. Since childhood, he had settled all his problems by himself. He would never call Lady Zhao for help, even if he ever got himself into a major pinch. He had a reputation to uphold. He was all too aware of the fact that they were of two entirely different worlds. Being in close proximity to the Lady these past few days had given him new insight. He was no fool and could see that Lady Zhao had made it her hobby to meddle in the affairs of those around her, remolding them to her preferences. He held nothing against her for that, for his world was unremarkable and small. Perhaps one day, he would venture out to conquer bigger worlds. Zhao Youyue turned away as quickly as she had stopped and said, Consider this a parting gift! Goodbye! It was at that moment when Hu Xiantian realized C Lady Zhaos rear view was the most beautiful thing ever. Even her dazzling smile paled in comparison to it. Sadly, his days of tailing her would soon come to pass. These few days of fighting alongside Lady Zhao had been an exciting adventure for Hu Xiaotian. He would come to miss being commanded to do the most random of things and the odd pet names she bestowed upon him. His deepest wish was only to fight to his hearts content, and Lady Zhao had actually made it possible. Lady Zhao was like a genie in a magic lamp. This was probably why everyone tripped over themselves chasing after Lady Zhao. Pursuing her was no different from pursuing ones dreams. Zhao Youyue left the small town, satisfied with her experience. For her, this was like clearing a stage in a game, so returning here would be moot. Some places were only best visited once. Revisiting them might only sully the precious memories. It would be best to leave them untouched. This is why photos are taken as mementos. After Su Li and Zhao Youyue left town, Su Yu stormed her way to Hu Xiaotian. Not only did this bastard not bully Lady Zhao, on the contrary, he became her pet dog! Hu Xiaotian, dont you have a spine? No, I dont What?! Are you still a man? No, I. Yes I am. How could you lick the shoes of that disgusting noblewoman! Lady Zhao is not disgusting at all. She is prettier than you are. Far more elegant too. She is an angel. An angel who gifted me with so many more fights under her belt Do you even realize what youre saying?! How dare you! This is so frustrating! Su Yu was left more infuriated than before. She suddenly recalled something. Hey, you never once showed me that new girlfriend of yours! Do you have her photo? Oh, who am I kidding, of course, you would. Show it to me! Hu Xiaotian stretched out his hands, as if signaling to Su Yu that these were his girlfriends C Jill and Lily. Su Yu laughed bitterly. So much for girlfriends! She snatched his phone from his pocket and scrolled through his albums. Her smile froze solid the moment she saw the only photo ever taken by his camera. It was the rear view of a particularly annoying young brat. A dreamy, surreal sight. Chapter 522 At long last, Zhao Youyue stepped into her house again. Instead of feeling exhausted, she somehow felt more energetic than usual. She was merely a top scholar. Her only sports-related credentials had been ill-gotten through her mini four-wheel-drive racers card. Things were different now. She exercised on a daily basis. She was truly pursuing the path of the sword. Her body was highly-conditioned now, opening a new world for her to conquer C the world of sports. Her tailormade Jane Doe Su cape and blindfold arrived by post. She picked them up purposefully, like a superhero surveying his first ever completed work outfit. Now, she could start her journey as a swordswoman with Jane Doe Sus card. She had contracted Hu Xiaotians ailment C the one that provided the inexplicable curiosity that asked questions like: How does a human skull react to a chance meeting with a long, hard object like a baseball bat, or a cane? Such meetings had almost no place in the modern society. Weapons had grown far more sophisticated and intangible, such as power and wealth. If things too k a turn for the worst, she could still make use of her influential identity as Zhao Youyue and solve the crisis at hand. Of course, it would take a lot before that happens. Nevertheless, Zhao Youyue would not be deterred from the path of the sword. It may no longer be as relevant as it was in another era, but it would find its purpose when the Two-Dimensional Gate takes her to more worlds. Bodyguards were useful, but guarding oneselfs body was the more immediate and self-dependent option. Furthermore, Zhao Youyues sword dance looked more like a classical form of dance. Nobody would assume that it was capable of taking lives. It also had an ultimate skill C Fairy from Wonderland. When Zhao Youyue reached home, Tale of Wuxia 3: Swords of the Future was experiencing the peak of its popularity. Physical merchandise was selling like hotcakes. Various characters from the roster became centerpieces of the industry, including the notorious Yan Qingmeng. Deity Yan was still beautiful in every way. This character had led to the rise of various fanmade novels and comic spin-offs. Most male protagonists had ended up saving Jane Doe Su while imprisoning Yan Qingmeng as a sex slave. Zhao Youyue started picking up novels that featured other existing characters, especially the characters she controlled before. Her characters always had a certain degree of recognition. Some of them even became the protagonists of adult novels But, who was Lady Zhao? She was not ashamed to read adult novels at all. After she was done, she would leave her thoughts in the comment section, using odd, flavoring-based analogy. Her writing skills were enough to produce her own stories. Even so, she preferred to randomly criticize the writers creativity. If she had been a fellow author, her comments would seem to come from a rivals hatred As the difficulty of the game spiked, more players became attracted to the game. Finally, a VA enthusiast took notice of the credits. Freaking Ah Yu voiced Jane Doe Su! It only got crazier. More digging revealed that most of the background music of the game had been composed by Ah Yu Such discovery only drew more fans to the game. Some VA enthusiasts quickly chanted, The Great Deity Ah Yu. It was typical of VA enthusiasts to track down a VAs filmography Ah Yu did not have much of a track record. The only notable character she had voiced was Yu Shengfan. Even so, she had gained a considerable number of fans. Even so, that was only after people found that she was a popular broadcaster as well. Ah Yus VA fans were a small but loyal following. Her other fans were more interested in her face, her music, and her gaming skills. She was simply extraordinary in all three aspects. She did not have much interest in voice acting. Several major anime production studios had sent her invitations, only to be rejected. Her small, hardcore VA fanbase waited with every passing day with bated breath. They would always attempt to speculate on her next role. Knowing that she had played a part in this triple-A game was amazing news! They all started playing the game. Sadly, they found themselves stuck before they could even meet Jane Doe Su While cursing Zha Fengs name to damnation, they searched for online tutorials. The uploader of a famous video Nerds are so disgusting had uploaded a video titled, Flirting with Dear Jane Doe Su. While most of Jane Doe Sus were strictly available in only text, her lines in the CG cutscenes were fully-voiced. Her VA fans could only watch the highlights of these videos. Some netizens started to comment Ah Yu and Deity Su are more similar than youd think. Some of that womans power might have rubbed off her Look at her voice roles neither Yu Shengfan nor Jane Doe Su ended with happy endings Ah Yu has so much potential. First was a talkative character, now it is a character who barely speaks. Both of them became epic characters! Its a shame she did not pursue her voice-acting career Are you joking? I think Ah Yu is better in music, yet she did not pursue that path either. Thats a bigger waste, right? No, Ah Yu should become a professional gamer. It is time someone showed those Koreans in LoL that they were not the best Ah Yu should focus on her studies. Please bear in mind that she studied her ass off getting the title of the best scholar in Jiangnan Province. The next chapter in her studies are coming soon enough. Why did she not choose any university in Beijing? It has been a while since Ah Yu showed her face in any of broadcasts. She has faded into obscurity even on Weibo. People are starting to forget her I agree! Ah Yus beauty was always beyond compare. Shes gone so off-grid that I would not even recognize her on the streets! Such is the privilege of a genius. She could be famous anytime she wanted. Popularity is just another statistic. September came. Lady Zhao started a new chapter in life as a university student. Firstly, the legendary army camp that was everyones greatest fear Chapter 523 Zhao Youyue had initially been rather apprehensive about the legendary military training. She had even considered resorting to her personal connections. The Zhao Familys name was a force to reckon with. The Jane Doe Su card changed anything. Jane Doe Su was a peerless master in a lower-leveled martial arts world, why would she be afraid of a little military training? Furthermore, a dormitory would not be preferable. Jiangnan University was not that far off Zhao Youyues house. This was why her mother Wang Hua always had the opportunity to return home every single day. There was absolutely no need for Zhao Youyue to stay in the student accommodation at the university. She could follow Wang Hua back home every day. However, Zhao Youyue had never lived in a female dormitory before. University dorms were a time of great bonding with your roommates. Zhao Youyue liked having more friends. That ultimately made her decide on staying in the dormitory. Insomnia and unfamiliar beds were the least of her concerns. She only need enter the literary world, and her real-world body would enter the stage 6 rapid-eye-movement. Someone could scream in her ears, and she would not twitch one bit. She would wake up the next morning, fully rested. Her bodys circadian rhythm was the marvel of many others. Her stay in the dormitory was not a necessity, it was by choice. She could always return home anytime she desired. A dormitory only served as the basis of a new stronghold in school. It also gave her room to take naps in the middle of the day. Zhao Youyue eventually chose not to use her special privileges. She deliberately sought out eccentric roommates with unusual upbringings. Who knows, she stood to gain something from such acquaintances. The elders of the dignitaries children would find such an opportunity to be of the highest honor. Universities were not just places of study. It was where people socialized, almost serving the roles of small clubs. Zhao Youyue went to Jiangnan University [1] and completed her registration process. She did not have to go through any extras that were required of other students. When students from other provinces or other cities arrived by train, seniors from the university would pick them up. This was almost a part-time job for them. This was of a great help to the freshmen. It was to be expected of the Student Councils. A Student Councils power stretched much farther in Chinese universities of this world, compared to any other planet. A president of the Student Council is a highly sought-after and competitive position in a first-class university. Students who are keen on gaining power and influence would even have the first-hand experience of actual power during their university days. However, being a member of the Student Council was no easy task. Elections spanned over entire campuses. Any students involved in clubs and associations would follow through with interest, as this concerned their annual funds and budget. Those who were not involved in clubs or associations would be indifferent to it. The student association was just another distant world. These students were like the citizens at the bottom rung of society. They would not even know the name of their citys mayor. At least they should know what powers a mayor wielded, right? Well, these were the rulers of universities. The Student Council in a world-class university could convene a school-wide meeting whenever necessary. Of course, no Student Council President actually dared abuse this power. If the Student Councils President could not live up to their election promises, expect not to survive the mid-year elections. Evidently, being a Student Councils President was being a figure of authority who wielded immense power, making decisions for the clubs and allocating their funds, from amounts that ranged from tens of thousands to the millions. It was as demanding as it was elevated. Many presidents caved in after one year. However, one year of such experience under their belts and in their resumes was enough to put them in a different category from others; they would be a very much sought-after talent as alumni. In conclusion, the Student Council, clubs, and associations in this world were far more important compared to the other world. The Student Council from the other world was practically a living dummy. The majority of students would not even care to learn the name of their Student President. Of course, many would still scramble for the position. Leaders from the Student Council could even wave a feather duster as a token of authority and come up with unspoken rules Therefore, corruption, gerrymandering, filibusters and other shenanigans would exist with such colossal power. Members in the lower echelons of the hierarchy would fight tooth and nail for a better position, no holds barred. Zhao Youyues luxury car pulled up at the elegant front gate of Jiangnan University. Jiangnan University ranked among the top five universities in China and the top ten universities in the world. Evidently, it had a long historical standing. The university campus was filled with many historic buildings of ancient heritage. Even some of its gates retained their ancient, reactionary architecture. Surprisingly, this particular school gate was avant garde in contrast. Zhao Youyue had brought little luggage. Her house was close by anyway, so she could always have items sent over should the need arise. This was why she had the luxury of packing light. If Zhao Youyue had wanted to bring all of her clothes, shoes, and bags, there might not even be enough space in the entire dormitory Zhao Youyue was still relatively low-key on that day C by her standards, of course. Her luscious, long hair was tied into a ponytail which significantly subdued her Goddess aura. Her clothing was not all luxurious and classy. They looked like casualwear from Taobao. She did not even bring any of her favorite luxury bags along. She only brought an unassuming, canvas rucksack. Of course, she wore canvas shoes as well. Her loose-fitting jeans hid her figure from sight. Even a short skirt paired with leggings would have flaunted her graceful legs and drew everyones attention. Zhao Youyue had chosen not to do so. Her current attire did such a great job at masking her aura that even if someone sees her coming down from a luxury car, their minds would work ways to conclude that she might not even be the luxury cars owner. It was pure luck that she got on it Undoubtedly, Drama Queen Zhao Youyue was on one of her side-persona trips again. This was her regular, freshman persona. You could easily look past her unless you gave attention to the details of her makeup-free face. Zhao Youyue did not bring her gem staff along either. She dragged her luggage and went into the campus alone, as she did not want Uncle Liu accompanying her. The loyal chauffer had even intended to spread her bedsheets. Zhao Youyue obviously enjoyed the feeling of obscurity at that moment. From her safe vantage point, she discovered that many freshmen were accompanied by their parents, and were lugging along their belongings The most unfortunate ones would be those who came alone, carrying three-people worth of luggage. They had to stop for repeated breaks and catch their breaths. Some warm-hearted seniors would pick on freshmen who struggled with their luggage. If they were within their strike-zones, these seniors would be thick-skinned and insist on helping all the more Translation note: [1] Jiangnan University (ϴѧ) is a university located in Wuxi, Jiangsu, China. It is a key national university of the Project 211 and is directly administrated by the Chinese Ministry of Education. It is also a Chinese Ministry of Education Double First Class Discipline University, with Double First Class status in certain disciplines. Chapter 524 Zhao Youyue may have attempted to go incognito, but it was not enough to escape the sight of some warm-hearted seniors. Unfortunately, she had far too little on her. Her single hand carrier was not even large, that even the thick-faced seniors would still be embarrassed to approach her on the premise of helping If they went ahead, it would look transparently ridiculous. As students of a prestigious institution, they still needed to show some self-restraint. Barefaced Zhao Youyue was one of the rarest occurrences on the planet. She would habitually put some light makeup on no matter how casual the occasion was, as it would increase her notability by a few levels. In such a superficial era, makeup meant the world to women. An expert makeup artist would always surpass a barefaced natural beauty. Lady Zhao was most certainly a chameleon of personas. Her barefaced self did not fall behind the results of full-on makeup, and it would have been almost impossible to tell if she had any on. She was Ah Yu, the female live streamer that was once tremendously popular online. Everyone had forgotten how Ah Yu looked like, only because she had not appeared for a long time Even though no one came forward to carry her luggage, some kind-hearted people still gave her directions, pointing her to the registration area of the Department of Chinese Language and Literature. One such individual was a female senior. This was probably out of kindness. Of course, her help was appreciated but unnecessary, as Zhao Youyue would have reached her destination eventually. Still, Jiangnan University was massive. A bicycle might be necessary if she intended to save time. Zhao Youyue arrived at the registration area without incident. This place did not just contain the Department of Chinese Language and Literature, but other departments as well. A large crowd had already gathered there. Those responsible for registering the new students were handing out campus cards. Others were ushering the freshman to the dormitories. The Department of Chinese Language and Literature contained a significant majority of girls. A group of female seniors were chattering most enthusiastically, their laughter echoing through the hall. They were all top tier girls who were not lacking concerning beauty. It was a feast for Lady Zhaos eyes C she always had an eye for beauty. Some freshmen were natural social butterflies who would use this opportunity to just worm their way into being friends with the seniors. It would always be helpful to have them watching your back. They might even gain access to the hot topics in campus. Zhao Youyue overheard something C Senior, senior! I heard that there is some very famous genius in our term! Is there really such a person? Zhao Youyue would have floated off the ground if she had wings. They were probably talking about her. Ah, I cant help being a genius, sorry not sorry! Apparently, going incognito did not help much Just as she was having such thoughts, she heard the female senior who had been the target of the question chirping excitedly, You are referring to the genius author Han Leng, right? You are right, he was accepted by special admission. Ah, I wish I enrolled a year later, then I could have been in the same year as Master Han Leng! Ha ha ha, I feel so excited! Master Han Leng is really very handsome, but I have never seen him in real life. I think I have read his Beautiful April over five times already. Now I am just waiting for his new masterpiece, but he is just taking too long The boys in the Department of Chinese Language and Literature felt irritated when they heard the excited chirps and giggles of the fan-girls. They discussed in a low voice: Why the heck does Han Leng even need to attend university. Cant he just be a full-time author straight away? It must feel great being able to show-off on a university campus. There are also fans for him to hook up with. If it were me, I would have done the same as him! Isnt Han Leng basically a Clueless Chick Magnet who would never get in bed with a female? You actually buy into that? Celebrities would pull off whatever acts they like. You have no idea what theyre like in their personal lives. Han Leng is secretly a pervert. Thats right, a cross-dressing pervert! He is Lady Boss Leng Zi! Ah, why did Leng Zi have to be a man. If he was a girl that would be so great The most famous person among the freshmen is probably Han Leng. Ive heard that his arrival attracted the spotlights from many sources. Loads of fangirls have followed him into enrolment! Wait a minute, I feel like we are forgetting another person, another great genius. Why cant I recall his name? Dont think too much about it. Other than Han Leng, who was popular in high school? Zhao Youyue heaved a sigh of relief. Her name Zhao Youyue itself released an aura of neglect. Everyone would know who Ah Yu was. But if you mentioned Zhao Youyue, people might be taken aback. Who was this Zhao Youyue? This was to be expected. Her live streamer handle was far more popular than her actual name. Her real name had just about recognition as dirt on the sidewalk. Zhao Youyue shrugged, remaining indifferent about it. She finished up her registration process, signed her name on the freshmen registry, took her campus card. She followed her assigned usherette and went to her prospective dormitory. The usherette was relatively silent during the entire walk. She treated this purely as a task for her and did not appear to be interested in being friends with Zhao Youyue. Perhaps, this freshman just seemed too unassuming and mediocre. She would soon forget this face among the sea of freshmen. We could only conclude that Zhao Youyues disguise had been quite a success. Zhao Youyue could not help but think about Han Leng. They had not contacted each other for a long time. She did not even know that Han Leng had been accepted into Jiangnan University by special admission, and was even in the same department as she was The vain and prideful Zhao Youyue started assuming that the Great Scholar Han might just have a crush on her. Nah. It cant be right. She quickly shook the thought away before it even took solid form. Word out was that Han Leng had a heart of ice. He couldnt care less about the opposite sex, much less fellow humans. Lady Zhao was no exception. When the internet started spreading a small rumor about Han Leng and Ah Yu, the talented author had flatly denied the rumors. He had been so vehement that most parties quickly desisted. Then, he had cut off all contact with Zhao Youyue, as if Lady Zhao was some scourge. At that time, Zhao Youyue was preoccupied with the success of Jane Doe Su and had no time to deal with Han Leng. She had been the one to initiate most of their conversations about literature and writing. He had never once rolled the first stone. If anything, he rolled away from her general direction, and made sure to keep going. It was as if he was a devil who uproots flags [1] Because of this, Zhao Youyue was deeply convinced that Han Leng was not interested in her at all. Now then, why would he choose this particular university and department? It was probably a mere coincidence. Zhao Youyue decided that Han Leng indeed had a deep-seated passion for literature. After all, Jiangnan Universitys Department of Chinese Language and Literature was rather formidable. Many famous authors originated from there. Her stupid mom could also be considered a famous author, albeit a failed one Translation note: [1] devil who uproots flags (ħ) is a galgame term, whereby a person pulls out a flag which they have planted. A flag is anything that happens with the female character (eg, a landmark dialogue or event). Chapter 525 Zhao Youyue finally arrived at her dormitory and spotted a note taped on the door. There were 4 names on the door. Other than Zhao Youyue, there were Zhou Cai, Yu Xuefei, and He Weiwei. These three people were probably Zhao Youyues roommates. She walked in to find a lone occupant. The person sat on the balcony, reading a book in silence. She had glasses on, which only amplified her scholarly vibe. In terms of looks, she was more than decent. Boys who fancied bookworm-styled girls might gush at the sight of her. The girl sensed movement and spotted Zhao Youyue just entering the dorm. Apart from raising her head, she did not seem to know how to follow up. Perhaps she was rather introverted, for she soon lowered her head back down. Zhao Youyue was unperturbed, as always. She took the initiative to approach the girl, introducing herself gracefully. Her face had such a dazzling smile that no one could reject her. Even if Zhao Youyue was currently dressed up as a side character, her actions were nothing like one. Her entire being brimmed with charm, and she was simply irresistible. My name is Yu Xuefei, nice to meet you. Yu Xuefei replied cautiously, almost working up a sweat as she forced a smile through. Yu Xuefeis first impression of this Zhao Youyue was an easy-going, no fuss individual. She was so approachable and had such a dazzling smile After an exchange of pleasantries, Zhao Youyue swiftly cleaned and tidied her bed in an organized manner. Even though she was from a wealthy background, she had inherited everything from Xu Jing [1] the poor elite scholar. This was why Lady Zhao was far more capable and independent than one might think. A blanket had already been prepared by the university. Zhao Youyue took mere minutes to get things done, which further impressed Yu Xuefei. Her parents had accompanied her to the university. She had even came early, hoping that her parents would sort everything out for her before her roommates showed up If not, Yu Xuefei would be very embarrassed. It would be evident that she was awful at taking care of herself. It was true, but it would be better if it was kept under the rug. Moreover, she lacked in that department for a good reason. She had used all of her time and energy to focus on her studies. If not, how did she get accepted into this prestigious school of a foreign province? After her parents sorted out everything for Yu Xuefei, she had hushly urged them to leave. The fact that her father was a laborer and her mother was a village teacher was just as embarrassing Her parents had even wanted to help clean the entire dormitory up. Anyone could imagine how filthy school facilities were at the beginning of a new semester, even if the previous occupants and users had already been tasked to clean them before departing. Of course, prospective graduates would have no interest in lingering for a second longer. Well clean it alright, but just enough for appearances. The following two to three months would be enough for dust to blanket the area. When Zhao Youyue entered the dorm, she quickly spotted airborne filth as the sunlight beamed through the dorm. Lady Zhao was quick-witted, even when dressed unassumingly. Those who thought otherwise had only been deceived Yu Xuefei hastily rejected her parents idea. She was not the only one living in the dorm. Why should her parents clean the room? Just because she was here first? She did not even stay to have lunch with her parents and got them to leave promptly. Just because she wanted to leave a legendary impression on her roommates, she took out a chair and sat on the balcony. She took out a classy title C Collection of essays by Mo Ran Hong Chen and left it open in her palms. Why was the book said to be full of class? Not many people knew about Mo Ran Hong Chens existence, but she did. Mo Ran Hong Chen was Jiangnan Universitys famous Professor of Chinese Language and Literature. Her real name was Wang Hua. She had even received a few literary awards, but practically no one bought her books. This was why it was full of class; it was such a highbrow book! If her roommates ever asked about it, she could put on airs and demonstrate her sophisticated knowledge of Chinas contemporary authors. It would help if they spreaded word about that, too. If Professor Wang Hua heard about it, wouldnt she be impressed? Unfortunately, this Zhao Youyue did not ask too much about it. The most reaction elicited from her was a double take and a surprised blink. Then, she had hesitantly withdrawn to tidy up her section of the room Her roommate must have been amazed by her sophisticated taste. An objective achieved, nonetheless! Yu Xuefei could not actually tell if Wang Huas essays were good. Well, since Wang Hua had received so many literary awards and was even a committee of the China Writers Association and the Vice-Chair of Jiangnan Provinces China Writers Association, this meant that she had to be something! If Wang Hua had been aware that there was a fangirl of hers in her daughters dormitory, she would have been ecstatic! Then, she would ask her lazyegg [2] to learn from the fangirl Naturally, Zhao Youyue was slightly puzzled at the discovery. She decided to dismiss it as a hallucination. After Zhao Youyue finished tidying up her bed, she took note of the surrounding filth. She picked a broom up and got busy. Her behavior caused Yu Xuefei to nod her head unconsciously. This roommate who had been clad in Taobao clothes from head to toe was most diligent. She suited the working class perfectly. Not bad, not bad. Yu Xuefei did not even intend to help out. This was natural order manifested. The world was a complex collection of cogs, and each cog had to do its part. She was a top student from a prestigious school. She was meant for greatness in the future Even if she had not yet decided on it. The only thing Yu Xuefei did was to slightly move the chair for Zhao Youyue to sweep the floor beneath her. Then, she praised Zhao Youyue happily, Zhao Youyue, you are so good at doing chores! I admire you so much. My dad and mom would never let me do anything at home. Zhao Youyue smiled in understanding. She barely did any chores at home. If she was staying at a resort, there would be housekeepers and maids flocking about. Cleaners came every week to hold the fort down at her luxury apartment. However, Zhao Youyue was very highly accustomed to such life in the literary world. After all, Xu Jing was highly independent, having lived in poverty her entire life. She had to take care of her bedridden father, and handled just about anything at home. After Zhao Youyue swept the floor, she picked up the floor mop to finish up. In the process, her two other roommates arrived. Thus, such a scene greeted them. Translation note: [1] Xu Jing () is an iconic character in Pure Romance. [2] lazyegg (С) refers to Zhao Youyue her. It normally refers to Gudetama. Gudetama is a Sanrio character introduced in 2013 based on an egg lacking in spunk. Their name is a play on gude gude; used to describe someone with no energy or strength and possibly tama from tamago (egg) Chapter 526 The contrast in this scene was somewhat striking. A scholarly bookworm was pouring herself over a book almost leisurely. She looked like a true intellectual. The other was a plainly-dressed girl who had her hair done up in a generic ponytail, cleaning the entire dorm in earnest. Zhou Cai was slightly chubby and had average looks, with short hair. Her face was also infested with acne. She might even be downright unpleasant to look at for some. Nothing about her had any hint of feminity. Such a shame. But when she saw the scene, she had set her luggage down and hurried up to Zhao Youyue, saying, Let me help you! You dont have to. I am almost done with mopping the floor already. I just wanted to clean up a little. It was no trouble at all. Zhao Youyue wiped the sweat off her forehead, revealing an affectionate smile. It was already September, but Jiangnan was still rather humid. The upcoming military training would probably be very tough, and the freshman would beg for the rain every single day. Zhou Cai was wholly healed by her roommates tender smile. It took her just a few seconds of peering into Zhao Youyues face before realizing that this girl was drop-dead gorgeous, and had flawless skin to boot! Fortunately Zhou Cai was not one to fuss over her personal appearance. If not, she would have been extremely jealous of this new roommate who seemed to have snatched all the beauty in the world away and kept it to herself Most importantly, this roommate had an amazing personality that cant possibly be misjudged. Zhou Cai got to know Zhao Youyues name instantly. However, she did not spare the scholarly girl a second glance. She got to arranging her bed. Zhou Cai obviously came by herself. Despite being a girl, something about her hinted at some strength that belied her motherly nature. Perhaps it had something to do with her sturdy build. Lets avoid using the word fat, thats just mean. Not far behind Zhou Cai was a He Weiwei. She was not alone, an elderly woman was escorting her. She called her aunt, this aunt looked more like a maid than someone related to her. Hey, put the mop down. Let my aunt handle this. She is a professional! He Weiwei snatched the mop out of Zhao Youyues hands and handed it to her aunt. Then, she flashed a friendly smile at Zhao Youyue and introduced herself enthusiastically. She did not even look at the other two roommates. This was because she was part of the good-looks club, and club members stuck together! Among the four of them, He Weiwei was probably the most distinct. Her hair had been dyed gold, she had exquisite makeup on, and her ears had been pierced more than once, each. Some might find her fashionable, others bizarre She looked wealthy. Each article of clothing on her looked like they cost thousands each, even if they were nothing compared to Lady Zhaos cheaper section of the wardrobe that was tenfold that amount each. All-in-all, He Weiwei was a Ms. Perfect. [1] Zhao Youyue? That is a nice name! My name is He Weiwei, nice to meet you! After He Weiwei introduced herself, she burst into typical girl chatter. She even mentioned that her contact information had been sought after by a few seniors. They were helping her to carry her luggage enthusiastically. Unfortunately, the contact information that she gave had been fake Ha ha ha, boys from such a prestigious school would settle for an average like me. A small trick like this could already wrap them around my fingers! Ha ha ha! He Weiwei appeared to be the rather domineering narcissist. Unexpectedly, few actually hated her. After Zhao Youyue dealt with this quirky Ms. Perfect,, she enthusiastically helped sturdy Zhou Cai make her bed. In just a day, she had earned the acknowledgment of all three roommates. Zhao Youyue was just too good at farming favor points Zhao Youyue had offered to help He Weiwei, but she was quickly turned down. He Weiwei felt that it was the right choice to leave everything to her aunt. Zhao Youyue was disturbed by that sentiment and felt that it was the right thing to ease the aunts burden. Finally, Yu Xuefei C who had been engrossed over her book on the balcony snapped. These two new roommates had disregarded her existence altogether. The humiliation was unbearable. Among her three new roommates, Zhao Youyue was the only one who was pleasing to her eyes. The other two roommates, not so much. One was a chubby girl and had so many pimples on her face that she looked like a toad. She was disgusted to be roommates with such a person. The other girl had cheap gold dye on, and she looked like a God damn skank. How did such a girl get accepted into this respectable establishment? She must have let herself in through the back door. However, Yu Xuefei had been listening intently to their conversation from the beginning and had learned the names of the other two roommates. This had saved her time from introducing herself. Yu Xuefei finally stood up. She purposely hugged her book, its back against her chest, just to let her roommates catch sight of the title, Mo Ran Hong Chen. It was time someone took the initiative and asked her about it Unfortunately, her other two roommates were worse off than Zhao Youyue. At least Zhao Youyue had clearly been taken aback. The other two acted as if she was an invisible scholar. Yu Xuefei took her spot beside Zhao Youyue and continued to rain praises on her, saying, Zhao Youyue, you are so helpful! The dormitorys cleanliness is up to you from now on. You would be able to do a good job! Yu Xuefei felt that her praise was on point. Leaving the cleanliness of the dormitory to Zhao Youyue was appropriate. This way, she could study with a peace of mind, in a clean environment to boot Zhou Cai protested almost immediately, How could you leave the cleanliness of the dorm to just one person? We should take turns cleaning it. You should not take advantage of Zhao Youyue just because she is kind-hearted. Yu Xuefei adjusted her glasses and clicked her tongue while saying toad! in her heart. Being rebutted that way had made her lose face. She was used to being a leader of sorts back in high school. I know for sure that Zhao Youyue is a kind person. Shes under my protection from now on, and no one could bully her. He Weiwei narcissistically ran her fingers through her golden hair. Did we forget to mention that it had been permed to resemble golden curly fries? He Weiwei was like a lioness protecting her cub. Every single word in that line had been forceful and severe. Dont misunderstand my words, guys! I really admire Zhao Youyue, how could I bully her? Maybe I just did not know how to phrase it better, Yu Xuefei said, forcing a laugh. Translation note: [1] Ms. Perfect (׸) is a term for women who are fair-skinned, rich and beautiful. Chapter 527 Zhao Youyue had never thought that none of her roommates would back down from a small dispute on their very first day Luckily she had been assigned to a four-person dormitory. If it was a six-person dormitory, wouldnt the situation have been more complicated? Zhao Youyue could only smooth things over now. She used her excellent communication skills to ease the awkward atmosphere in the dormitory. Zhou Cai, who was a chubby girl and the most average in appearance among the four of them was a gamer. After settling down, she took out her gaming laptop in a hurry and started gaming on her own. Unexpectedly, it was Tale of Wuxia 3: Swords of the Future. She played using a keyboard and a mouse, which was harder than using a controller on a game console. However, it became evident that she was having no troubles whatsoever. Add on the fact that she was actually playing as a swordsman C a class that required great skill, you could deduce that she was an expert. She was nothing like what average female gamers were known for C their butterfingers. Few girls could play such a difficult indie game. Zhou Chai was one of them. Apparently, she was not so average, after all. Yu Xuefei gave up using the collection of essays book as a buffer for her image. She sauntered up her bed and took out her brand new iPhone X, while secretly observing her roommates reactions, hoping to see some envious looks on their faces Yu Xuefei was bound to be disappointed. Zhou Cai was completely indulged in gaming, He Weiwei was chatting silently with Zhao Youyue. Everyone did not even spare her a second glance. This left her dejected. She was not getting the attention she wanted. Her mind fled back to the past when she was the star of her county key high school. [1] She had been the queen bee, the teachers pet, the centerpiece. Her results brought honor to her school. She did not expect that her roommates to actually view her poorly on just the first day of entering university. Only Zhao Youyue was treating her somewhat positively. Yu Xuefei decided to get closer to Zhao Youyue as she did not want to be alone in the dorm. She did not feel too good about the other two roommates. It would be better for her to distance herself from the fashionable golden-haired, wealthy-looking girl. If she let her guard down, that woman would turn her into her golden leaf [2] As Yu Xuefei was lost in thought, He Weiwei was already moving just as expected. Zhao Youyue struck her as a simple errand girl. She made her move on her, Zhao Youyue, I think you are just too gentle a girl for your own good. This is not right. Girls must know how to protect themselves. When facing unreasonable requests from other people, you must learn to reject them. Zhao Youyues disguise had been a massive success. In reality, she was nothing close to gentle. However, if she could label herself as gentle and kind, then no matter what she did, she would be standing on a moral high ground. Anyone who wanted to go against her would be the bad person. I only did such a trivial thing. It was nothing like what you exaggerated. Zhao Youyue said that kindly. She had given other people a feeling that she would never live with herself C if she ever stepped on anothers shoes. Anger and her seemed to be an impossible mix. He Weiwei sighed helplessly and patted the other girls shoulder in a big-sister manner, A girl like you would really cause others to worry about you. People would really take advantage of you. Who knows, some boy might actually count on your inability to refuse others. He might organize some grand event and invite a group of people to clamor around you as he confesses his love for you, and you would have no choice but to accept. Boys in the university are nothing like those brats in high school. Anyway, Ive got your back. Come look for me if youre in trouble. Zhao Youyue smiled and said, Thanks Sister Weiwei. Sister Weiwei, you are really kind! Zhao Youyues words were pleasing to her ears. Furthermore, those words meant that she has agreed to be her friend. Not bad. He Weiwei then told Zhao Youyue about her high school life. When she was in high school, she was the schools central figure and always had guys and girls gathered around her. First, they had to be attractive in their appearance, and secondly, they had to be talented in a way. Their academics did not matter. Anyone who could join her clique would live life to the fullest. Now that He Weiwei is in university, she would behave according to how she did during her high school days. First, she would form a clique in her class. Walking together on the road, through the hallways, they would be badass and cool. They could even go on trips during the holidays. She would not have to worry about being alone. To He Weiwei, those who were always alone were rather pitiful. They existed in a state of abandonment and solitude. This was why they could only spend the entire day being addicted to virtual worlds. Otakus were disgusting. Zhou Cai, who continued hacking and slashing at pixels, was already put into such a classification. As for Yu Xuefei, she could not even stand her. She was an overly selfish person, and stank of schemes and mischief. As for Zhao Youyue, she looked like dumb blonde [3] and was a girl who she could nurture. As long as she could be friends with this kind of girl, she would not have to worry about any schemes or whatnot. It would give her a peace of mind. Zhao Youyue was modest, simple, sincere. They could be friends forever. At that time, the Department of Chinese Language and Literatures dean arrived. Her name was Xing Na. She looked confident and decisive, clad in a flowing long coat, surveying the new students with a studied gaze, through her curtains of long hair. She was most certainly not bad-looking. Time passed unknowingly, and it was already evening. Basically, students who were supposed to register have all done so. Those who did not had unforeseeable reasons and could only postpone their registration. When Xing Na saw Zhao Youyue, she became less stern. Undoubtedly, she knew of Zhao Youyues real identity. Of course, she did not reveal it and only told Lady Zhao to see her immediately if she faced any problems in school. She gave out her contact information to everyone in the dorm. Of course, she only cared about Zhao Youyue. This was natural. After all, Zhao Youyue did not hail from an ordinary background. Her mother Wang Hua was a professor in this university, and a high-ranking official in the Jiangnan Chinese Writers Association. It was completely worth getting on the good side of Wang Hua through her daughter. Perhaps, getting on the good side was too much. Lets call it, acquiring affinity. Translation note: [1] key high school (ص) is a type of school in China. Secondary schools in China are divided into key and ordinary schools. Designated key schools are schools distinguished from ordinary schools by their academic reputation and are generally allocated more resources by the state. This stratified structure has given key schools numerous privileges. They can select the best students through city-wide or region-wide examination and transfer the best teachers in the area to teach in their school. They receive much more funding from the government, and in getting funds for upgrading equipment or the purchase of expensive items such as computers, they always have priority. Because of these advantages, key schools often boast 90 to 99 percent admission rates to universities [2] green leaf (Ҷ) is a metaphor for an actor playing a supporting role. [3] dumb blonde (ɵ) is a China slang. It could be used as a good word to describe people who are so sweet and cute, a little silly. It could also be a negative word to express someone who is really dumb. These people may usually put themselves or others in the bad situation or cause trouble. Mostly it is used to describe a girls character. Chapter 528 Zhao Youyues roommates did not notice Xing Nas special treatment towards her. They were too naive to figure out the truth behind their relationship and simply thought that it was Zhao Youyues charm and looks that earned Xing Nas favor at that moment. If Zhao Youyue was to activate her Goddess Aura when in the dorm, she would never receive such favorable impressions from her roommates. It would not be illogical C as goddesses were simply beyond approach. You could only envy them from afar, or spite them. Keeping a low profile and maintaining a positive, straightforward attitude made her far more approachable. After all, you would never have to worry about being a side character when friends with such a simple woman. He Weiwei was the complete opposite of Zhao Youyue. She had gone out of her way to apply exquisite makeup, don expensive clothes that she seldom wore, and got her hair done up just for this day. Her actions had only created the opposite effect, she became relatively difficult to approach. Very few students dressed up like that in their freshmen years. The same could not be said about upperclassmen, which was why people often did timelapse compilations that showed the transformation processes of Evolution of Goddesses. In this age, ugly females could beautify themselves with the power of makeup, giving birth to the saying, There are no ugly girls, only lazy girls. Lady Zhaos makeup skills were maxed out. But she had been a passerby for too long, and the refraction of light through the dust, paired with the image of her diligently mopping the floor had created a different level of charm. There was no helping it, as Zhao Youyue was an extremely hypocritical person. She was used to wearing several different masks, adding to her socializing skills, allowing her to be a flankey. Her sleek, suave social skills would eliminate chances of her making any enemies. Everyone once ignored her. Now they all liked her?! Could this be the evolution of a side character into a main character?! Under the guidance of counselor Xing Na, students of the Chinese Linguist Stream would first gather at the specialized College of Literature. The form teacher carried out a brief class meeting, and later brought to tour the school grounds by the assistant teacher. Free time would come after that, and they could finally go enjoy dinner. Zhao Youyue finally got to meet the other girls in her class. She tried to look out for more bishoujos, but was disappointed. No matter how she looked, Weiwei was still the most beautiful one she had encountered thus far. As expected, makeup was king. Still, Zhao Youyue could spot some who had potential. After all, these were gods of studying. Female gods of studying were highly common, but beautiful study goddesses were as scarce as finding an oasis in a desert. As for Goddess study Goddesses, they took the internet by storm. Everyone may think that beautiful study goddesses were practically impossible. Beautiful girls would be get chased around by suitors during high school, and the distraction would send them tumbling down the abyss of love. Beautiful girls would be distracted as often as rich men got corrupted. As Zhao Youyue expected, He Weiwei easily stood out, catching the eyes of all female classmates in no time. Multiple types of looks converged into one, ranging from looks of jealousy, disdain and outright scorn. They did not think that He Weiwei belonged there. In reality, He Weiwei had gained entry with her brainpower alone, and this was already worth respect. He Weiwei seemed to be no stranger to these glares. She completely ignored the gazes. As long as her friends liked her, that would be enough. 20 minutes of walking later, they arrived at Daven College building. The building looked antique from the outside, but was relatively modernized inside. The only downside was the lack of lifts, with the highest floor being the fourth floor. The venue for the class meeting was located on the second floor. When Zhao Youyue and gang entered the classroom, they noticed that the boys of the Chinese Linguist Stream were already there, but they were very low in number. There were only 7 of them, whereas there were over 20 girls, about 3 times the amount of males. Without question, Han Leng stood out among them. Compared to his high school days, he was now lean and fit, he looked far better, but one might be unsure whether to call him handsome or beautiful, as he had that feminine sort of beauty that made his cross-dressing such a success. He was perfection. Han Leng was mingling with the males very well indeed. [1] Contrary to rumors, they had found him very fun to interact with. It might be too much to refer to their actions as bootlicking, lets just call them good friends. However, one guy never showed a slither of interest in Han Leng. He sat alone in a corner, holding his chin in a hand while looking outside. His eyes were devoid of any emotions, giving the impression that nothing would excite him. Even when the girls entered the classroom, he did not turn around. On the other hand, the boys around Han Leng grew excited. They were already university students. Why cant they get involved in romance now? Girls of the same age may not be suitable for romance because of the height difference. Their love would be an extremely awkward one, but these 3 years did not include first love experiences. Now that they were in university, they could finally create love stories. WTF?! Look at that golden-haired chick! That body and face! Who would have thought that such a chick exists in the Chinese Linguist Stream?! You are right!!! But her BMI [2] does not seem favorable Wasnt there that rumor about Jiangnan University having the most bishoujos? Did that turn out to be a lie? Maybe we drew the short straw in the Chinese Linguist Stream? Would the bishoujos all be at the Foreign Language Stream? No, that is not right They must be in the Science and Engineering Stream The power of foils Young Master Han, do any of them catch your eyes? Compared to your female fans, how is that person? Zhang Xiang, one of Han Lengs new friends asked. Han Leng almost immediately spotted the passerby mode Lady Zhao and blinked in surprise. This blasted Lady Zhao was a bloody chameleon. She may not have succeeded in concealing her pretty face, but she was covered in cheap clothes, and had that deadly, flowing hair of silk hidden in a ponytail. She looked just like a typical freshman. Han Leng was looking forward to Lady Zhaos upgrades, as one would expect when stepping into a university. He wanted her to step into a crowd and bedazzle the satellites of alien planets. Thats what Han Leng had hoped for. Translation Note: [1] A pun regarding Han Leng: In the name Han Leng C , Han is the last name while Leng is the first name. Leng () means cold. [2] BMI: Body Mass Index, used to determine whether a person was growing healthily, based on their height and mass. Chapter 529 The university form teacher was a walking loudspeaker. However, he avoided putting students into awkward spots, unless the student was already attracting negative attention to him or herself. Even so, such extreme cases would be handled by a superior, while the teacher who had called in the cavalry only needed to remain silently by the sidelines. Rumors had it that form teachers were actually there solely to maintain the balance, without having any true power. They would be adept at turning a blind eye to just about anything. If they ever tried to take matters into their own hands, their attempts would end up backfiring, and they would suffer unnecessarily. Just about any teacher could get picked at random for this role, even against their desires, leading to many unenthusiastic form teachers. If they ever took their roles seriously, they would only get unneeded hate piled on them. Students always preferred fun, productive teachers who got them engaged into class activities, while providing all the main points that were hot topics for examinations. They did everything in their power to prevent their students from failing, even going so far as to evaluate their papers with leniency when the need called for it. If such leniency still failed to prevent failures, the students only had themselves to blame Of course, such teachers needed to keep up appearances, especially during rollcalls. A word of advice for teachers C do your rollcalls at the start of class, not in the middle or at the end, forcing your students to attend your lessons. Nobody likes that. Students hated teachers who crammed everything into their lessons, teachers who went by the book, providing no insight of their own, while marking their papers and assignments as standard. Such teachers practically left no escape options for students. Watching students suffer was their joy. Such teachers might instill fear and respect, but even so, they could be categorized into those who truly wanted nothing but the best for their studnets, unlike certain lecturers who would slander other lecturers when attending their lectures. How did such people end up being lecturers, anyway? Zhao Youyues form teacher was a mousey looking generic baldy, but he was well versed in sprouting nonsense. He could get hung up on a single point for over half an hour. He had a knack of inserting his past and flashbacks into unrelated matters. Apparently, his last batch of students had been garbage, and he had voiced out hopes that this batch would be better. Next up was the self-introduction phrase. Good-looking students immediately gained high expectations. In this case, Han Lengs celebrity aura and popularity also brought a great deal of pressure upon him. Of course, his peers respected him C on the outside, at least, but more than one of them did not believe that he belonged in the same room as them. His results had not even been close to passing, and yet here he was. If Han Leng was the golden egg of his batch, his female counterpart would most definitely be the golden-haired He Weiwei. She had gone through lengths to prepare her self-introduction materials, and hoped to deliver an impactful first impression. Among the points she voiced out was her hope to make many friends in this university. As she was expressing such a desire, she had gazed straight into Han Lengs eyes, as if she was implicitly marking him as a target for her social circle. With his help, she would experience a massive boost in reputation. Of course, Han Leng remained unfazed, living up the rumors of not looking at girls straight in the eye. He turned back to his group of men and listened to their talk about the girls in class. Apparently, they had utterly forgotten about Zhao Youyue. Han Leng took note of this. As expected of Lady Zhao? Every time when they got to a new environment, she could blend in with the commoners. MI6 would be proud. Another girl stood out during the self-introductions. She was another of Zhao Youyues roommate, Yu Xuefei. She seemed to have self-appointed herself as class monitor. As she spoke, she kept mentioning her high school life, how she took pride in helping and serving the students, so if everyone trusted her, she would like to continue supporting and serving the students. Listening to this, He Weiwei laughed out. Clearly you are the kind who takes undue credit as your own, while pushing the blame to those around you if anything went wrong. If not so, why did I open the door to see her doing all the housework, this afternoon?! He Weiwei was clearly standing up for Zhao Youyue. She was voicing her disgust towards Yu Xuefei to Zhao Youyue. Zhao Youyue couldnt care less about that small incident, but she was annoyed at the prospect of facing these conflicts and arguments in the future. Two of her roommates had already made enemies of each other on the very day school started. It could only get worse from there. Zhao Youyue had never expected this to be a common sight, but her travels in various worlds had given her great insight. Most girls dorms should be quiet and harmonious. The next 4 years would be spent together, no matter what. Was there a need to create such a scene? The only explanation for this epic banging of heads was that He Weiwei and Yu Xuefei were equally hard-headed. They both had bright and positive high school lives. They were both used to being the center of attention, they were both used to leading weaker minds. One would have to yield eventually, but for now, sparks would fly. Of course Zhao Youyue was also such a person, but she took a more discreet and infinitely more deadly approach. Her victims would fall into her trap, unbeknownst to their steps. By the time they learn of the position they were in, they would have already tasted the enjoyment of being Lady Zhaos underling, and would never escape ever. The other girls seemed passive and indifferent to the power struggle. This did not mean that it would be the end of surprises, as others could be hiding in plain sight, like Zhao Youyue. The headmasters position in this institute was unlike that of their high school counterparts. They held absolute power, and nothing could topple them. Ambitious, determined individuals no doubt eyes this position. Not everyone was able to be as free and easy like Zhao Youyue, as her standing was already high enough, and there was no longer any reason for her to care and fight over such puny matters. Other than Han Leng, another boy was grabbing attention in a different manner. The classroom was huge, and most guys sat in front, but this individual had remained huddle up in a corner, as if he had been there his entire life. His name was Du Hang. It was a generic, regular name. Even his self-introduction had been brief and simple. His messy hairstyle, his aloof smile, his lopsided eyes were outstanding in their own way. His smile was not one of friendliness, it was cynical, and silently jeered those who were greeted by it. Du Hang was one who had completely given in to loneliness A person who was truly strong did not need any aid. He was a lone rider, and the world was his backdrop. This was Du Hangs life. He carried with him the Bible of Solitude. As he remained self-entitled in his lone rider persona, sneering at himself, little did he realize that he was exhibiting the traits of a typical chuunibyou. Chapter 530 Du Hang was a man who possessed exceedingly high IQ and EQ. He was far more mature, compared to his peers, but he was terrible at putting on airs and socializing, which is why he did not get along with those in his class. He had the academic intuition to earn his spot in the room, but chose to remain in a cold dark corner of the room, surveying his peers make fools out of themselves under heavy eyelids. Du Hang did not have any friends. He was less interested in love. All these were facades and falsehoods to him. Making friends, dating girls, they all required the donning of masks and putting on airs. The same was true, even when confronting another. All the worlds a stage, and all the men and women merely players. Based on that logic, the more you loved someone, the more you would be lying to yourself. Du Hang wanted nothing more than genuine relationships, minus all those masquerades. This was exactly how had was back in high school, sitting in a corner while watching others enjoy their youth. In his eyes, youthfulness was nothing more than a sinful lie used to cheat those around a person and even the person himself. The word youth was a sugarcoat that society and its people used. These days, the term youth alone was enough to gain compassion and empathy. Everything that ranged from lies, secrets, crime and even failure were just spices of the main dish. If one claimed that failure was the symbol of youth, wouldnt that mean that those who failed to make any friends were enjoying their youth? No one would agree to such a statement, it made too much sense and threatened to ruin the foundations of society itself. Du Hang thought on and on about this, and keyed it down on his phone. As a creator, immortalizing your epiphanies was key. The only other person in that room that Du Hang took note of was Han Leng. He had read Han Lengs Beautiful April and could not deny that it was a masterpiece. Only a genius could have created this. Du Hang hoped that he could have a little chat with Han Leng someday. He had much to ask. How did he manage to create a female character like Chu Luoxun? What sort of experiences did he have in life to inspire him so? Although he had such thoughts, Du Hang could not do so. Han Leng was already so conspicuous that he had ended up as a freaking gang leader. He had no choice but to give up the idea of approaching the other creator for now. He could not deny that jealousy had a role in this, but he and Han Leng were of two different realms. The class meeting ended uneventfully. Du Hang waited until everyone had filed out before slowly getting to his feet. Stuffing his hands into his pocket, he habitually looked down and lurched forward, hunching his back as he walked like it was second nature. Around Du Hang was an aura of solitary which repelled those who got close to him. No It should be said that there was no one around to come close to him. They had no reason to, not unless he reveals that he was a debuted writer. He was an actual writer, even if he differed from Han Leng, whose writing gave life to his characters[1]. He was not famous like Han Leng, and he had not yet written any best sellers, but he was a decent writer, nevertheless. He was constantly improving himself, day by day. Who knows? His principles may one day be understood and treated as law by his fans, and he would be called Almighty Teacher or something. After the school tour, Du Hang casually scouted around the school that he would spend the next 4 years of his life in. Little did he expect to be interrupted by another person, much less a girl! Oi, what kind of third-rate novel story progression is this? Sitting in the corner all the time and not socializing had created such a solitary aura around him, and now a girl was curiously checking him out? Was he actually that attractive? Du Hang entertained the latter thought for a moment, before quickly sneering cynically. It befitted a cocky, evil tyrant, and he was not sneering at others, but himself. He lived in solitude and suffered from severe chuunibyou issues, but deep down, did he still yearn for human attention? How are you, Du Hang? Enjoying yourself? Zhao Youyue said, flashing a warm smile. Everyone could see through her intentions. She was curious about the class to-be resident loner. This was Zhao Youyue. What others could not do; she would love to try doing so. She would even try getting along with psychos. Perhaps she found joy in such meetings? Du Hang gave her the impression of a lone wolf. Perhaps she could reform this one. Du Hang managed to retain his composure. After taunting himself, he became one with the wind and answered, The view is great, but the people here should be ok, I guess I am really sorry, but I was not paying attention to your self-introduction from earlier What was your name again? I am Zhao Youyue. Sorry for my lack of existence Zao Youyue? [2] Err Its Zhao Youyue To be honest, names are not that important. So? What do you want? Is it that weird to be chatting with a classmate? If you want an explanation regardless, I saw you alone, and thought that you might be bored. Of course it is weird. Other guys would think of weird stuff like Does she like me? etc. I am positive about that. Eh? Do all guys overthink like this all the time? You dont, Zhao Youyue replied curiously. Du Hang became extremely serious. His lazy eyes glowed with uncharacteristic certainty as he solemnly replied That is because I hate tender girls. Zhao Youyue gave a knowing smile and replied, Oh I understand, warmth, tenderness, theyre all acts of deception. Du Hang raised an eyebrow in surprise. He had thought that Zhao Youyue was one of those tender girls who easily caused misunderstandings wherever they went. He hated tender girls. A simple greeting from one could cause a guy to have a bee in ones bonnet. If the opposition were to send a message, the guy would not be able to calm down as the message had already started tremors in his heart. However, he understood that it was just plain warmth. The same, indiscriminating warmth towards others. Such a thing was almost forgotten by him. If one said that the truth is always cruel, then lies are always tender. If warmth was just a lie C the frustration of being deceived by it, time after time would then end up in distrust. That was why Du Hang hated tender girls, even if she was simple and sincere. Translation Notes: [1]: Reference to the book һ [2]: Zao Youyue: and Խ sound just the same. Chapter 531 Zhao Youyue was nothing like a tender girl, even if her actions suggested otherwise. Her top-tier academic track record only added on to the facade. More would show her far more affection and favorability, giving her the upper ground. Few men like Du Hang C hating girls with all their hearts C existed, living in their solidarity worlds. Conversely, most guys fancied tender girls, as they warmed up their souls. But what if that warmth was not genuine? Lies had their purposes to fulfill. For instance, white lies were a necessary evil, a blessing in disguise, if you must. If lies did not exist, the entire world would fall into chaos. Du Hang was aware of this, but being chuunibyou was the only thing that prevented him from creating mediocre, subpar stories. Sadly, chuunibyous could never be saved. It was a sickness that ran deep in their veins. Du Hang did not act any differently towards Zhao Youyue, despite the fact that an actual bishoujo had approached him. This caused Du Hang to suspect if he was actually good looking. Perhaps he had the clueless chick magnet trait of a certain celebrity. But, so what if its a bishoujo? The world was infested with them, and their suitors outnumbered them. Whats the point of getting his hopes up for the impossible? The irony of the matter was that those who yearned for such girls often stared down at them over the tip of their noses, hating the fact that they desired such girls, yet the reality was constantly slapping them in the face. It was the worst of pipe dreams. Preparing for the impossible was a waste of time and effort. Girls and guys needed to resonate in real life, their two hearts needed to merge into one. That was the only truth. Sadly, such relationships only existed in literature. Du Hang had resigned to reality. At that moment, Du Hang was treating this bishoujo like just another guy to talk to, roaming aimlessly around the compound. A talk between men was the most meaningless, fruitful, time-wasting, fulfilling activity ever. A topic that never fails to catch on would always be about girls. Making the use of every possible form of trickery and phrases to prevent a friend from slipping away must be a form of friendship between girls, I suppose. I would suggest paying attention, as displeasing suggestions tend to be truly helpful. Damn I feel lucky that I wasnt born a girl, Du Hang drawled lazily, complaining about girls to the girl beside him. Zhao Youyue did not appear to take offense, or even consider herself as one of those girls he was complaining about. Girls who were inferior to her were by no means below average. They may all have the ability to enter a renowned university, but the supreme scholar Youyue alone had been enough to deny them entry. Zhao Youyue never intended to have this happen. All she wanted was to bring companions along to have fun watching movies, having meals, shopping. One would most certainly be lonely without company, so why not fix that if you could? Those with a degree of self-restraint would be immune to boarding Zhao Youyues ship. Those who have already gotten addicted to the experience would have already descended into the abyss, as having fun clearly had far more meaning than studying. Du Sensei, you are truly as transparent as glass, arent you! Complaining about girls in front of a girl. Shouldnt you at least put on a mask? Zhao Youyue smiled knowingly. Lady Zhao enjoyed giving anyone a nickname if she could help it. For instance, Han Leng was Little Genius Han. After a short chat with Du Hang, she had already started calling him Du Sensei, as he often digressed into long ramblings of logic and reasoning. Du Hang retained his usual posture of shambling lifelessly, hunched over and hands in pockets, staring at the world through the lenses of dead fish, beneath heavy eyelids. After hearing Zhao Youyues reply, he tilted his head slightly to look at her, only then remembering that there was indeed a girl by his side. Well, so what? Without dropping a beat, he mused, Talking badly about girls behind their backs would be uncouth, so the lesser of two evils would be to do it to a girl upright. Not that my opinion matters much if the girl is self-conceited, right? Zhao Youyues smile froze, but she could not deny the twisted logic behind Du Senseis false reasoning. Still, wasnt he afraid of making an enemy out of womankind? Zhao Youyue simply had to ask. Heh. womankind huh Du Hang mumbled, So you hate me now? If so, you can stop talking to me. Not everyone needs a companion along their side. Peace is just as welcome. As if Du Hang had found a chance to prove his theory, he continued rambling as if wanting Zhao Youyue to hear it C but it was just borderline audible. To me, a person is happiest when they hear what they want to hear, even if they are subconsciously aware of its half-truths. They would feel so due to the feeling of acceptance and acknowledgment, knowing that they meant something to the world. In other words, if one is able to accept themselves, then there would be no need for the acknowledgment of others. That is why lone warriors are content being the center of their own universes. Du Hang took out his phone with glee and quickly committed his words to digital storage. He truly loved himself for being such a philosopher. He was amazing, being able to please himself without the pointless support of others. Wait, wasnt that what Gods did? Not unless you were a Greek God, of course. Zhao Youyue studied the self-indulgent Du Sensei who had fallen into a trance-like stupor. If she had to be truthful, she would admit hating such guys. Guys who could not even be bothered pretending to be gentlemen, or at least pity anyone else. As a matter of fact, any normal girl would surely hate such guys. This was not a matter of EQ deficit. Du Hang was very much well-versed in the arts of sugarcoating. He could sweep any girl off her feet, only if he wanted to. However, that was not the true him, so he would never do such a thing. He had no need for sweet-talks, sugarcoats, no friends, regardless of gender. He would not put a mask on to get friends, even if the true him was too much of a douche to have friends. His mouth produced nothing but harsh truths. Zhao Youyue was the polar opposite. She saw through pretenses like it was glass, and could create the most elaborate smokescreens around her own pretenses In this case, she acted accordingly by her wise, accurate judgment. She smiled and chirped, You are kind of weird, and you love listening to yourself just a little too much, but I dont think anybody would hate you for that. Chapter 532 If you hate me then- Huh? You do not hate me? Du Hang was shocked. He had complained about girls in front of Zhao Youyue, and even treated her starting the conversation as unworthy, but he still had not earned her ire. Du Hang tilted his head to glance at Zhao Youyue, yet the signs of a fake polite smile could not be seen. He had no idea how could a fake smile appear so genuine C normal people would never be able to tell. They would think that she was the most genuine, kindest, warmest person ever. The look on Zhao Youyues face was one of intelligent coldness, saying I do not hate you, those were her true feelings C and nothing of it indicated her pretentious aloofness. Zhao Youyue knew just how to deal with just about any character out there C she knew what to say, and who to say it to. Du Hang took a blow to the heart, but quickly filled his mind with cynical, self-abusive thoughts. Was he actually a masochist? A beautiful maiden starting a conversation with a kind smile would not excite him, but looking at Zhao Youyues cold expression showed an elegant indifference. Somehow he thought that it was the most beautiful expression she could ever make. He had to be insane! You do not hate me? That is unwise. Fortunately, people have not yet identified me as the resident lurch, or your actions would appear stupid to the passerby. So, please do not get yourself dragged into the hellish swamp with me. Just flash a smile here and there as you are so adept at! Du Hang said, struggling to maintain his composure. You know, maintaining a smile is very tiring. I act according to whom Im speaking to. For someone like you, I chose such an approach. So, was it effective? Zhao Youyue immediately flashed a brilliant smile as she uttered the last sentence, like one of those face-swapping mask performers. As I thought. I saw that coming. So you still hate me, right? Its all the same to me, Du Hang tried to keep his impassive mask on. By hiding ones thoughts, a person would be able to sweet-talk others, according to how they like it while settling matters. The entire world does this. It is the same as an elite scholar topping the charts in terms of grades, only to laugh it off and tell others that it was just coincidence; like a bishoujo surrounded by a batch of average-looking girls complaining about how theyre gaining weight, popping acne and all that to make themselves look ugly. High standards demand high expectations, and that produces high stress. Du Hang continued rambling on and went off the rails on his ideologies, trying his best to hide his surprise. He did not expect a regular to be capable of such masquerading. He forced himself to remain uninterested, even if it went against his own ideals about transparency and blunt honesty. He hated himself for doing so. Does one have to lie to oneself before learning of the truth? Alright, alright, Du Sensei. Enough with the philosophy! Let us talk about something much relaxing and interesting, shall we? Who do you think the most beautiful girl in our class is? This was Zhao Youyue asking a magic mirror. Mirror Mirror on the wall, who is the fairest of them all? [1] Other men would go with the flow, flattering Zhao Youyue, as the bishoujo had asked the question herself. It was a subtle move, but it would increase her favorability, would it not? Du Hang remained himself and picked the unpopular route, as always. He probably thought that he was talking to another guy, and this was a men-only discussion. Blondie looked pretty good. Or at least, she knows just how to throw herself into the strike zone of most males, Du Hang said. A more accurate description would be C she attracted the most attention, even if she was not the most natural. Oho! Shes my roomie! Her name is He Weiwei. Wanna get closer to her? Im here to help! Zhao Youyue smiled. You already know my answer, so why ask? This world is not short of beauties. If Im to introduce myself to a beauty everytime I see one, are you asking me to get the contact numbers of every beauty in the world? I am not interested in interacting with girls. Most of them are just too good at hiding their true selves. Theyre torturing themselves; theyre torturing their victims, theyre torturing their best friends who happen to be just as good at torturing. Girls are cunning tricky beings that know how to make use of their beauty. Theyve been doing that since the start of time. They would always search for the ideal vantage points, picking off their victims without getting within range. Such intelligence is dumb. Eventually, they would come to their senses, only to see how much of their true selves have left them. In the end, the material wealth their beauty has earned them would save them from that damning revelation yet the materialistic payback will help provide them with mental support, yet that is all still materialistic. Zhao Youyue had almost solved the Du Hang puzzle, and it had barely taken her any effort. He did not seem to be a man of words, but when the right buttons are pressed, he could rail on forever. The only issue was his inability of finding an outlet, or a kindred spirit who shared his wisdom. Having no fixed target, he had resorted to indiscriminately shotgunning his words about whenever the opportunity presented itself, regardless of how his targets felt about it. Zhao Youyue suddenly recalled something and took out her phone to browse through her photos. Of course, she was not looking for her own photos, despite her love of taking selfies. Her selfies were so beautiful that everyone in the class would not believe that it was her. There was no need to start a fight over her selfies. Her bad habits were re-emerging, thus she quickly retrieved Han Lengs cross-dressing album C which was no less in terms of beauty. She showed the pictures to Du Hang, gleefully saying, I think the most beautiful lady in our class is him, Little Angel Ah Leng! Oh right! Youre dormmates, right? Du Hang.exe crashed when he saw Han Lengs ultimate cross-dressing. He stared blankly at the picture, enjoying it for some time before waking from his trance, the philosophy long fled from his mind, replaced by male hormones- OH MY GOD! THERES SUCH A BEAUTIFUL GUY IN THIS WORLD? HE MUST BE AN ANGEL! Then, he thought of Han Lengs talented writing. His random scribbles were enough to grace the earth with beautiful poetic writing. The philosophies he wrote was childs play compared to Leng Zis writing. His philosophy may be well-written, but the word count was enough to send readers puking. Du Hang liked his writing, but he could not deny that Leng Zi was a genius. Du Hang had heard of Han Lengs beauty as a cross-dresser over the internet, but had dismissed most of it as rumors. He had never thought that they were true. This was a freaking beauty! Du Hangs shell broke down. He could no longer remain lurching about! Translation Notes: [1] The magic spell used to activate the magic mirror from Snow White and The Seven Dwarfs Chapter 533 Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation What a pity sighed Du Hang, trying his best to tear his eyes free of the beautiful sight. What pity? asked Zhao Youyue. Han Leng is not living in the school dormitory. He has some off-site accommodation. I can only say that hes indeed a famous writer, replied Du Hang. Zhao Youyue had not expected that. Still, Han Leng was indeed very famous now. He was the combination of Han Han and Guo Jingming of the other world. It would not be too surprising for him to rent a high-grade apartment outside. He would have the space, time and peace to write. After all, Han Leng was not here to make friends. Friends were just as useful as studying. They all served no purpose. However, walking within the halls of a university may grant him some inspiration for a new book Most importantly, Lady Zhao had chosen this university, and this department. Thus, Han Leng had followed suit, knowing full well that it would not make any progress on his attempts to distance himself from her. Han Leng finally decided to maintain just the right distance. Give the Lady her space, do not get her suspicious, do not get her annoyed. That would all be enough. Many people had seen Zhao Youyue and Du Hang having a long chat. They noticed such a scene, not because of Zhao Youyue, but Du Hang the loner. The heterogeneous Du Hang would always get noticed due to his extreme, lone ranger vibe. This was the other extreme of being distinct. Undoubtedly, such people did not seek for attention by this manner. If one ever yearned for attention, they could always turn to move conventional methods like talents, academics, appearance, etc. Du Hangs appearance was by not means ugly. Girls would never turn him away. It was then C people started noticing a girl walking beside him Huh This girl She seems to be from our class as well.. Wait.. What was her name? Think damnit, think Oh, Her name is Zhao Youyue! Wait Why did we not notice her during the self-introduction session? Shes such a cute and beautiful, pure-looking girl. Shes a natural beauty, we dont even see a speck of makeup on her face! She has the right to look down on us, right? Shocked! Why is there such a beautiful girl hiding in the class? Why did I subconsciously ignore her just now? Who is she to that loner? Are they actually a couple? Many students in the class finally noticed Zhao Youyue, only because they had noticed Du Hang first. Such thoughts started emerging in their heads. The over friendly Zhang Xiang could not help speaking to Han Leng, Master Han Leng, I just only realized that He Weiweis not the only beauty in class, we actually have one of those natural beauties here! She really seems very simple and honest. Such a girl would be easy pickings, right? I hope shes not already taken by Du Hang Han Leng had been avoiding making eye contact with Zhao Youyue. He was afraid that he would not be able to hide his guilt. He still very much regretted his impulsive behavior before the college entrance exams. He feared that he had already ruined Lady Zhaos reputation. Ever since that incident, he did not even have the guts to face her. The desire of inviting her to the independent bookstore where they could share their mutual love for bookstore at him. But he had fought his other self with tooth and nail to hold himself back. Another girl might consider him a cold, violent maniac. Who the heck breaks all ties due to the slightest of disagreements? However, Zhao Youyue would never go that far. She was not even bothered about anything that happened right before the college entrance exam, as she had been lost in the Xu Jing character card. That girl had possessed Lady Zhao, turning her into a studious freak. She had no extra energy to be concerned about the chaos on the internet. By the time the college entrance exams ended, all the hype had died down. Zhao Youyue had turned her attention over to the Two Dimensional Gate. She had placed a lot of effort into shaping the iconic character card C Jane Doe Su. To an extent, she had almost entirely disassociated herself from reality. She had not jumped to conclusions when Han Leng fell silent. She had only believed that he had been focused on the writing of his new book Now that Zhang Xiang had brought her up, Han Leng took the opportunity to finally gaze at Zhao Youyue. He forced himself to remain calm and stiffly turned towards her. He spotted her walking beside a guy who was exuding a solitude and rotten sense. Lady Zhao was doing more listening than anything else. She had always been a silent listener. That guy did not seem to be running out of words anytime now. Han Leng did not like what he was seeing, even though he knew just how ice cold Lady Zhao was. She only seemed to be approachable on the surface. Males should be of no interest to her. Even so, Han Leng could not completely convince himself of that. Just as he got nervous with himself, he quickly shook the thought away. What rights do I have to deserve her anyway? Besides, if Zhao Youyue had really fallen in love with someone, he would be somewhat relieved. He could finally move on. Bookish youths like Han Leng admired such girls the most. Stubborn, unobtainable girls who went about their own path. Falling in love with him would actually be a disappointment. Everything he had thought he knew about her would shatter. Her falling in love with him would quickly kill off his interest. How unreasonable and irrational these talented writers were. Han Leng loved the Goddess who did not love anyone, forever independent. Du Hang wanted real things. He considered 90% of the relationships between couples to be fake. Of course Han Leng would be a loner. No girl could get close to him, and the one girl he actually admired would lose her charm if she actually reciprocated his feelings. Du Hang was another loner. He disdained pleasing others. Beautiful girls were nothing in his eyes, only shards of fake images that he had already deconstructed in his mind. The perfect, genuine girls only appeared in his writings. Of course, if such a girl actually existed in reality, she would live a most painful existence. Writers truly loved such scenarios. Reality was imperfect. Reality had no girls for them to take. Thus, their pens could create girls of their own. Ordinary folk would most certainly consider these eccentric thoughts to be that of a loser in denial. They had no girl to call their own, thus they could only fantasize. What a pity This was exactly why they were ordinary people, not writers. Of course, most writers just ordinary folk. They only treated writing as an occupation. But they were not living. They were merely existing, even if they wrote well; even if their income reached six digits, seven, or seventy. Chapter 534 Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation Well If you want to pursue her, you can actually ask me to write a love letter for you. Im quite the expert, Han Leng said, managing a tone that was somewhat half serious and half joke. Zhang Xiang immediately waved the offer off, saying that he did not dare cause Master Han Leng any trouble. He found the idea peculiar. Who pursued girls with love letters nowadays? Even Chinese Studies students would not do so. Instead of writing a love letter, why not find an opportunity to get hold of a girls contact? Start off with some small talk, take it step by step, until you go on an actual date. Never, ever do something stupid like taking a knee and confessing. Guys who got things moving through confessions often died disastrously. Confession was a most delicate matter, it would only succeed when all requirements were met. It was an unnecessity. Love could also occur naturally. Still, confessing would be far more romantic than not doing so. Some fakers viewed it as a formality. I think that Zhao Youyue and Du Hang were once classmates. Thats the only explanation, said another male student, popping up beside Han Leng. A slight twitch flickered across Han Lengs mouth. Lady Zhaos high school classmate was right here! Hmm.. it appears that this girl was the one who took the initiative to talk to the guy. She looks like one of those sociable ones. Ive to seize the opportunity said another male student. Han Leng muttered in his heart, Lady Zhao is most approachable, she treats everyone similarly, regardless of the gender. Being approachable was one thing, but her heart was as immovable as a rock. Many guys who knew their places had given up after they figured out Lady Zhaos identity, and how she enjoyed leisurely life as a Lady. Poverty had hindered their imagination. Han Leng was puzzled. Why hadnt his classmates figured out her real identity yet? Ah Yu was fairly popular on the internet as a live broadcaster, VA, singer, violinist. She was also closely related to the top 2nd generation stars Zhao Hao and Ding Yuncong. Anyone who was computer-literate would know who she was. Miraculously, they actually had really treated Zhao Youyue as a passerby classmate, and had only noticed her natural beauty much later As expected from Lady Zhao, I guess? Being able to conceal her divine aura, mingling among commoners and nobility alike? As the male students chattered about, the female students got engaged in their own discussion. Most of the girls seemed to have noticed Zhao Youyue since the beginning. A Zhang Liting had even taken the opportunity to speak to another girl right under He Weiweis nose, saying that she considered Zhao Youyue to be the most beautiful girl in class. A natural beauty who actually settled for a simple ponytail was far better than a makeup-laden, attention-seeker. If He Weiwei had been narrow-minded, she might have taken offense at that. However, she was far too egotistical to take the words of lesser women to heart. She had already recognized Zhao Youyue as her subordinate. That beauty was already part of the small group that she was going to build. Increasing the average attractiveness level of the group would be great! Other girls began to gossip about the relationship between Zhao Youyue and Du Hang. Some of them seemed to breathe a collective sigh of relief. It was as if Zhao Youyues behavior clearly showed that she already belonged to someone. Unfortunately, in her case, its like a beautiful flower inserting itself into soft, mushy cow dung. Thus, they did not have to worry about Zhao Youyue competing against them for the truly rare resources Such a shame. Shes beautiful, but shes all wasted on that guy. Whats that guys name? Is it Du Hang? I really cant spot his charm at all. Hes not good looking. Poor fashion sense too Grouchy, surly, unsociable, all on the first day, hes certainly one of a kind. He must be an otaku. And then, hell evolve into a fatty otaku within the four years of his uni-life and earn another nickname C Fatty Du. That is his future. Hee hee hee An autistic patient. The girls threw the harshest of insults in their hearts. Unfortunately, not one of them actually voiced out their thoughts. If they had said that to his face, he might have fallen for them on the spot. He Weiwei was also somewhat dissatisfied with Zhao Youyues behavior, taking the initiative to talk to a male student. She had no objections about Zhao Youyues taking the initiative. She did have objections about Zhao Youyue picking such trash. If she had approached Han Leng instead, all would have been well. She could have even taken the opportunity to include Han Leng in her collection. He Weiwei was playing some sort of card collection game. She intended to have a full SSR deck. She considered guys like Du Hang to be trash quality, the type you discarded or sacrificed. Thus, He Weiwei finally could not resist walking towards them. She came to Zhao Youyues side, copmletely looking past Du Hang, and spoke to Zhao Youyue, Is he your classmate? Zhao Youyue nodded, Yes. High school classmate? No, hes my university classmate. As expected Huh? What do you mean university classmate? You two have never met? He Weiwei was shocked. Dont we know each other now? said Zhao Youyue, smiling faintly. He Weiwei looked flabbergasted. She tugged on Zhao Youyues hand, leading her away from Du Hang slightly. She softly chastised, Arent you worried of causing a misunderstanding? Male students would always climb upwards along the pole. What if he thinks youre totally into him? Some men would fall head over heels for you with a simple Thank you! Oh, hes not like that I just thought he seemed too lonely. Isnt that pitiful? I wanted to help him get along with the others, said Zhao Youyue earnestly, as if it meant the world to her. He Weiwei was truly getting concerned about this foolish Zhao Youyue. Even if she was cute, innocent, and lovely, a line must be drawn. He Weiwei was like a lioness nursing her cubs. She wanted to protect Zhao Youyue. People might not believe this, but He Weiwei was actually serving her friends, protecting them, even though appearances suggested that she was claiming the throne within a small group. He Weiwei looked just like the stereotypical sexy bitch. Theres no such group in university. Dont be such a busybody. Youll only end up hurting yourself, He Weiwei said earnestly. He Weiwei turned to threaten Du Hang. When she turned her head, the man had already slipped away. He had somehow reached Han Lengs side Han Leng was most curious. How was this guy related to Lady Zhao? That was unlikely. They were beings of opposite worlds. Han Leng always found friends with just about anything, regardless of the gender. He was already surrounded by a gang of his own. He was everyones Han Leng. After all, he was a super famous writer. On the other hand, Du Hang only had himself. All the students in the class now had a preliminary understanding of the campus. Night had fallen, it was time for dinner. He Weiwei wanted nothing more than to invite Zhao Youyue for dinner. At the same time, she intended to teach Zhao Youyue a nice lesson during dinner. Being too kind was a form of irresponsibility! Chapter 535 Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation Zhao Youyue thought, If I only have dinner with He Weiwei, my other two roommates would be left out, wouldnt they? Thus, she decided to invite the entire dormitory over. Apparently, she had not considered their varying personalities. Yu Xuefei would rather die than share a table with He Weiwei. Zhou Cai simply wanted to get over dinner as soon and possible and get back to her gaming Zhou Cai was not yet an otaku, but she was well on her way to being one. Her three years in high school seemed to have been one of prohibitions and taboos. Therefore, upon entering university, she did what she loved voraciously. She had no concern about things such as her interpersonal relationships and social life in university. He Weiwei was proud to dine with Zhao Youyue. She started imparting her knowledge to Zhao Youyue, This isnt a gentle world. A kind girl like you should get to know more about harsh reality, so that youre able to prevent yourself from getting hurt. While the female dormitory had separated itself into numerous factions, the males ate together as a united group. They had chosen to eat at the commercial street opposite campus. That street hosted a variety of restaurants and places for entertainment. Watching a movie after dinner was simply enjoyable. So what if entry to the dormitories had been closed after a late nights movie? There were way too many small hotels around. This was how university students lived. Zhao Youyue and He Weiwei walked as a pair. They bumped into Han Leng and his entourage. Excluding the genius author, the other three were roommates. They shared a dorm with Du Hang, who was unsurprisingly absent from the group. That loner would be more than happy to enjoy dinner alone. He could eat in peace, return to his dorm without any detours; he could write and reflect in peace after that. He Weiwei wanted nothing more than to initiate a conversation with Han Leng. But his aura was overpowering. She did not have the courage to face it. Little did she know that someone had been responsible for the creation of this aura. A potter had broken him down and remolded him into this dazzling figure today. He Weiwei said, I did not expect to be seeing the Han Leng here. He is probably the star of our class. They say that he is some impossibly dense clueless chick magnet looks like those rumors are not unfounded. Who knows what runs through his mind. He might not consider himself a regular male at this point; you wont even understand half the things hell talk about Just as He Weiwei lamented about the waste of good looks, Zhao Youyue had already stepped up and smiled at Han Leng. Elite scholar Han, lets have dinner together? He Weiwei could not even bear to look at Zhao Youyue anymore. Why was this foolish girl being so blatantly blunt? Having Han Leng among them would most certainly be good, but wasnt this asking for him to slap you in the face? Han Lengs gang exchanged excited looks, prepared to watch a scene from a soap opera. Earlier on, a passionate and outgoing girl in class had invited Han Leng to dinner. Han Leng had turned her down without a moments pause. He had behaved just as rumored C treating girls harshly, doing things that only sealed his forever alone fate. Han Leng looked at Lady Zhao who he had not spoken to for a long time. At that moment, he was troubled. He could not deny, not even to his prideful self, that she was every bit as beautiful and as amazing as the world could create. Everything about her sent every cell in his body into a frenzy. She was just like the girl in his fantasies, the girl he breathed ink into and gave her life Writers always created their ideal female characters, fulfilling the ultimate desires of their hearts. These girls in their fantasies would be unmatched C reality would never be able to come up with an answer to them. Even so, Zhao Youyue had always haunted him mysteriously she had traveled from another world, across another dimension to meet him C the girl in his fantasies. Before Han Leng could speak, He Weiwei scurried forth. Sorry to bother you, was just at the tip of her tongue. Her mind was already working on the next step. She would turn around and chastise Zhao Youyue once again. Such behavior only asked for trouble. Han Leng was basically the unofficial synonym for unapproachable, but that naive girl was doing anything but that. This was a disaster! Sure. Your call, my La old classmate, said Han Leng, as if he had transformed from a clueless chick magnet into a loyal dog. At first, Han Leng had subconsciously wanted to call her my Lady. Being sharp of mind, he had quickly figured out that Lady Zhao was still going incognito. She was deliberately wrapping herself up in that Taobao garbage. Was this a sheep among wolves stunt? Whenever Han Leng found himself in Zhao Youyues presence, he always looked out for her, as if he was her right-hand strategist. He quickly picked up the pace and helped maintain her guise. Ruining her plans would only displease her. The Lady would only punish him for it; he would be subject to endless humiliation. Lady Zhao was always full of surprises. Han Leng had been dragged into her antics for too often. He had always fought to retain his composure whenever it occurred. It had strengthened the tensile strength of his poker face Han Leng accepted Zhao Youyues invitation with pleasure. He Weiwei, Zhang Xiang, and the others were shocked. What the hell? What magic was this? Why did Han Leng accept her invitation just like that? He truly seemed to trust this lady! How could he be so skillful at being so obedient to her? Zhao Youyue nodded with satisfaction. Then, she habitually took over the situation. She said, I have done quite some research about tasty foods. How about I bring you guys someplace nice? Sure. Im looking forward to it very much, Han Leng chimed in, reading her intentions as always. Alright, Ill leave the bill to you. Youre the richest person among us. Ive always wanted to enjoy being treated by a tycoon, Zhao Youyue continued firing her orders across the planet. No problem, Han Leng gave her a meaningful, grateful stare. He had feared that she would have taken it upon herself to pay for everything, and nobody, including him, would have a say in that. Whenever he and Su Li followed her out, she had often footed the expenses, as if she was their caretaker. By ancient standards they would be one of those bootlicking, foodie leeches. In the ancient days, there was Lord Mengchang who had three thousand leeches. Lady Zhao was currently walking on the same path as well. She had always deeply appreciated talented writers. Some would accept the role of a foodie leech with glee, others more begrudgingly. Han Leng was the latter. He had often been irritable and quarrelsome. Unbeknownst to him, that fire had long died out Now that Lady Zhao had appointed him to donate the blood, he considered that as a sign of respect. She had given him the honors. This should also mean that Zhao Youyue had forgiven him for his recent transgressions. Han Lengs downcast mood took a turn for joy. Han Leng the great overthinker. Zhao Youyue had not even been aware of the recent drama surrounded their names. If Han Leng went down on one knee to apologize, he would only elicit the most perplexed version of Zhao Youyue. What the heck happened to elite scholar Han? Sigh. The curse of being a genius writer. These guys can never tell the difference between reality and otherwise. The classmates were more dumbfounded than ever. Whats going on here? Han Leng was widely-known as an obstinate, unruly, cold-faced writer. Why was he being so obedient in front of a girl? The rumors were not adding up! He Weiwei was at a loss of words. She had never expected things to take such a turn. When she came to her senses, she blurted out, You two How are you guys related? Chapter 536 Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation Ah, this is Han Leng, I call him elite scholar Han, he was a celebrity back in my high school. A nobody like me was privileged to share a desk with him in class, said Zhao Youyue as meekly as she could, blowing Han Leng out of proportions. Of course, no one bought this. If you are truly a nobody, why was Han Leng acting like he was your son? Everyone looked at Han Leng with curiosity. A slight twitch flickered across Han Lengs mouth. He forcefully explained, Oh please, shes not a nobody? Shes the high school star. She had been No. 1 throughout the entire same grade for every single examination. She was even the champion among Arts students of Jiangnan Province for the college entrance exam. If you guys were from Jiangnan Province, you should know her. I may not have performed well and basically wormed my way into University with my writings, but I have quite the respect towards elite scholars. Everyone reluctantly accepted Han Lengs explanation. Han Leng?Respect elite scholars? His entire novel had been satirizing examination machines and student factories or something along those lines Since Han Leng and Zhao Youyue were once deskmates, it did make sense for them to have a close relationship. Of course, some took it a step further and wondered if Han Leng actually had a crush on his old classmate? Thanks to Han Leng, Zhao Youyue got to shine for a bit. The classmates probably thought that it was wise to follow suit Even Han Leng was meekly obeying her orders. He Weiwei did not mind this one bit. On the contrary, she was rather delighted to learn that Zhao Youyue and Han Leng were old classmates. She had been wanting to reel in Han Leng. Han Leng no longer treated He Weiwei as coldly upon learning that she was Zhao Youyues roommate. The Lady seemed to approve of her C who could question her judgment? Han Leng had seen Zhao Youyue cycling through all kinds of beautiful girls molding them to her preferences. Lady Zhao truly had many female friends. Of course, very few of them found a place in her heart. Lady Zhao had simply taken you from the shelves, because you conveniently fitted her needs for companionship at that moment. Having too many female friends would not be good either. Afterall, Zhao Youyue could always contact another if one was unavailable. Which girl had the willpower to deny her invitation? An invitation from Zhao Youyue meant eating, drinking, and having fun for free. Also, if you tailed Lady Zhao without a fuss as she went on a shopping spree in those luxury stores, you might just receive a gift from her C if she happened to be in a good mood. Her gifts were worth thousands C nothing that regular girls would purchase for themselves! Obviously, not many girls remained in Lady Zhaos for long. As expected, she was still drawn to talent and eccentricity, be it drawing, literature, music They were her pets, and Lady Zhao preferred the exotic variety. Otherwise, youre just a single-use disposable. Some girls had no clue where they stood, and allowed themselves to be deluded into thinking that they could continue taking advantage of the Lady. They truly believed that they were best buddies with Lady Zhao. Hadnt they ever heard of phrases like sisters in appearance, friendship on a bed of plastic flowers? If one was a bestie just because she had once dined and shopped with Lady Zhao, Lady Zhao would have an army of besties. Sometimes, Han Leng wondered if Zhao Youyue was a not-so-closet lesbian. If not, why did she constantly surround herself with all kinds of girls? She had even gotten him involved in crossdressing Zhao Youyue was relatively familiar with this commercial street. Rather, she knew the surrounding areas of Jiangnan University. After all, her mother worked in this campus. They went on shopping trips around the area occasionally. It came as no surprise when Zhao Youyue almost casually found a local, cost-effective restaurant. It was suitable for small gatherings among classmates. It was not some high-end restaurant, but one more catered to these newbies who had just entered university life. Lady Zhao was one-of-a-kind. She attended school to enjoy the pleasures of leisurely school life. To her, high school and universities were one and the same. Time to resume her leisurely life Zhao Youyue finished ordering the dishes with great efficiency. She had learnt her lesson from the past. According to her previous style, she would have definitely ordered each and every single dish, as she was not here to fill her stomach, but to taste the foods. She was no longer as extravagant and wasteful. Perhaps it also had something to do with her incognito mode. Even her glorious hair was hiding in plain sight as a ponytail. Letting her hair down would cast a shadow upon this mortal plains. Her hair was her Ladys crown! The male students jumped at the chance to order some beer. Han Leng wisely stayed out of it. He expressed his intentions to continue writing after dinner once he got back home, so he had to sit this one out. Nobody forced him into it. After a few glasses of beer and some tasty dishes, everyone got to know a little more about each other. Ah, university bliss Zhao Youyue soon learned names of the other two male students. Heavyset Ning Yao was deep into rock music. He hoped to form a band in university. He even hoped to produce some songs of his own, and to make it on stage during the famous Music Festival within the campus. Xiao Yu was diminutive and scrawny. Everyone affectionately called him Little Fish[1]. He barely stood over 170cm, but was already with girlfriend, and much love did they share. It was not even a long distance love relationship. His girlfriend had also successfully entered a university in Jiangnan Provincial. They would date on a weekly basis, enjoying their wonderful uni-life. Out of the blue, this Xiao Yu started bragging about how unfaithful he was and how good he was at hooking up with girls. Perhaps it was the alcohol talking, even though he had only taken a bottle. His ramblings became less restrained, and he even started picking up on Zhao Youyue. He even admitted that if he ever met a pure elite scholar like Zhao Youyue, he would definitely pursue her, by all means! Beside him, Zhang Xiang quickly grabbed the little man by the shoulders and started shaking him to his senses, Oy, wake up! Not even Master Han has said anything; it wont be your turn anytime soon! Zhang Liang was another interested character. He already started forcing the class flower title upon Zhao Youyue during dinner. He seemed to have forgotten that he once decided that the beautiful blonde girl beside Zhao Youyue was the most beautiful girl in class. Lady Zhao remained impassive. How would such schoolboy pickup lines vacillate her? She was way better at picking up girls than their multiple lifetimes could ever be! She focused her attention on He Weiwei during dinner. He Weiwei was lullingly coaxed into a state of semi-conscious obedience the educator would-be was now the educated! Was this a coup, or a transference of power? Either way, it was a great success Translation Note: [1] Little Fish C Little Fish is the nickname for this boy named Xiao Yu. Xiao Yu (Ф) is his actual name. Whereas the nickname Little Fish(С) is actually a nickname which is also pronounced as Xiao Yu in Chinese. There are many Chinese words with the same pronunciation. Therefore, Chinese always applies terms with the same pronunciation as a nickname onto a persons actual name. Chapter 537 Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation This precursory class gathering had been a great success. Everyone enjoyed themselves very much, and a small group had more or less been successfully formed. Everyone exchanged numbers. It would be reasonable to invite each other for meals and entertainment. After that, Zhao Youyue and He Weiwei went back to the dormitory together. This was the first time Zhao Youyue had ever stayed in a female dormitory. It was a new experience for her. She considered the conditions to be somewhat tough. The beds on campus were hard and stuffy. Han Leng could not wrap his mind around her staying on-site either. Wasnt the Lady bringing needless hardship upon herself? Han Leng had no inspiration to gain from living in a dormitory C he had been living that way since junior high. This male dormitory on campus was not very different, apart from being able to communicate with each other, gaming together If you wanted that experience, you could always drop by the cybercafe. The cybercafes around the campus were the atmospheric battlefields. Some students only considered laptop gaming as a last resort. If you wanted a wholesome experience, cybercafes provided powerful machines, complete with super fast refresh-rate curved monitors. Han Leng could see many more methods of making more friends. Males flocked to him, just like females did to Lady Zhao. Girls loved to play with Zhao Youyue. Boys certainly loved to play with Han Leng just as much. Even the great loner Du Hang was somewhat interested in Han Leng as well. When Zhao Youyue returned to her dormitory, she found Zhao Cai still lost in her gaming world. Such hardcore female gamers were rare. Yu Xuefei was flat on her back, watching some drama series on her tablet. The whole room was actually rather harmonious. They had even shut each other out with their respective earphones. Zhao Youyue was pleased. This was how a dormitory should be. Why did they have to be so hostile towards each other? Very soon, Zhao Youyue started to experience the inconvenience of staying in the dormitory. She had grown up soaking herself in bathtubs. Now, which dormitory would provide a bathtub? She further learned that there was no hot water available. She would have to fetch hot water using a thermos by herself. Of course, water wasnt free either. A campus card was required. Male students could probably stand like statues and let the cold water wash over them. Lady Zhao much preferred hot water. Zhao Youyue tried to tell herself that this was a form of training for her. Of course, if she found it too difficult, she could very well switch on the Xu Jing card. To Xu Jing who had been raised in poverty, this place may very well be heaven. Zhao Youyue chose to soldier on. She activated Xu jing and got her through the first day. She even offered some advice to He Weiwei during the process C who was also staying in the dormitory for the first time. This had certainly increased He Weiweis favorability towards her. However, some little misunderstandings occurred along the way. He Weiwei truly considered Zhao Youyue to be a girl from an impoverished family. Not only she did not look down on Zhao Youyue; she felt that Zhao Youyue was truly incredible. She intended to learn much from Zhao Youyue Before going to sleep, classmates from another dormitory stopped by Zhao Youyues dormitory. All four of them were from the same room. They seemed to have clicked together well, unlike Zhao Youyues warzone of a dormitory. Zhao Youyue and He Weiwei welcomed them in. The other two did not seem interested in knowing more of their classmates. That was alright Zhou Cai. She could not be bothered about interpersonal communications. In addition to playing hardcore Single-Player games, she was also playing the online game JX 3. She was a lady boss player within the game, and the Goddess within the heart of many male players C even though she often insisted that she looked nothing like her avatar. Such a statement had misled into thinking that she was not just a Goddess C she was a modest, humble Goddess. However, if male players ever saw her appearance in real life, they would truly be disappointed. She was not modest, she was just truthful. Girls truly need the appearance attribute in this world. Beautiful female gamers would be totally moe. It was just like the character Himouto! Umaru-chan. Otherwise, they would just be miserable otakus. Yu Xuefei was too lazy to get off her bed and say hello to those visitors. She did not deem them necessary in her quest of being class rep. Perhaps if she volunteered herself by then, many would agreed She had earned this spot back in high school. No one else dared to volunteer themselves, so the position basically flew into her hands. After that, she could offload just about everything to her vice class rep, and enjoy her leisurely position. This was how leaders functioned. Let the ones under your command do your job while taking their credits in the process. Offload the blame to them. Your minions are numerous, and they could share the brunt. As a leader, how could any of the flames even lick her toes? Zhao Youyue and He Weiwei committed these new faces to memory. The female students seemed to like the passerby Zhao Youyue. She was so gentle and lovable. She was the perfect friend. He Weiwei was not as popular as Zhao Youyue. After all, she had indeed enjoyed the limelight today, at the cost of her fellow females. Also, He Weiwei had apparently let it slip that she had just returned from dinner with Han Leng. In an understatement, she had said that Han Leng was not hardly as approachable as the media described, nor as cold. He had been a most gracious host who footed the bill. He Weiwei certainly knew why Han Leng was not cold. It was all thanks to the old deskmate Zhao Youyue. However, she had worded things, as if Han Leng favored her. This suppressed the arrogant attitude of the four classmates. One of them seemed to get awfully uncomfortable, as she was the girl who took the initiative to invite Han Leng for dinner and ended up being blatantly rejected. She had claimed to be one of his biggest fans, and truly loved his words. She had repeatedly read Beautiful April countless of times However, all of that had been pointless. Han Leng was inexplicably skillful at rejecting proactive girls. He Weiwei successfully raised herself on a pedestal. She could enjoy that position, at the cost of her peers. More rumors about her might spread, involving words like b*tch, vixen. Zhao Youyue surveyed the scene with a keen eye. She had no opinions of her own to offer C to each her own methods. He Weiwei was the kind of person who treated those who were pleasing in her eyes favorably while despising the others. Chapter 538 Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation Usually, after lights-out, night-chat would closely follow. Boys would talk about the most beautiful girls in class, while girls would get into trivia and celebrity gossip. Unfortunately, Zhao Youyues dormitory was too peaceful for its own good. Nobody felt like talking. This was probably due to He Weiwei and Yu Xuefeis tit-for-tat, which ruined the first day of school for more than two. Zhao Youyue could only hope that they would reconcile in the future. However, neither He Weiwei and Yu Xuefei were easy-going or casual. They could probably keep this cold war up until God knows when and reach a point where they became invisible to each others eyes. Zhao Youyue quickly fell asleep as usual. She quickly arrived in front of the Two Dimensional Gate, but it was still sealed shut. However, Zhao Youyue could still appreciate all the iconic characters that she had created. Zhao Youyues recent favorite was of course, Jane Doe Su. From different angles, Su Shis character card looked different. Deep in her heart, Zhao Youyue was thoroughly pleased. She thought that Su Shi was simply too cool. It was a pity that her abilities would be tied down in this world. Even so, Zhao Youyue believed that this card would trounce her upcoming military training. No matter what, Su Shi was a peerless warrior in a low-skilled Wuxia world. Why would she be afraid of some minor military training in the real world? Zhao Youyue thought of something. She summoned Su Shi in her consciousness. Of course, this was no different from someone else fantasizing over something. However, ordinary people would always be semi-conscious, no matter how lucid their dreams were. They would hardly be in control of their actions. However, as Zhao Youyue was becoming more and more skilled at using the Two Dimensional Gate, her consciousness, or rather, her soul had gained far more presence than before. Now, she had full control over herself. After summoning Su Shi, Zhao Youyue looked at her beautiful face. Of course, her coolness was marred by her innocence and naivety. Although she knew very well that this was just one of her many personalities, she could not help but get affectionate with this Su Shi. She planted a kiss on the nameless lady, letting her hands roam over the princess body. Finally, she hugged the nameless lady to sleep. It was the most enriching experience ever. Perhaps, this was the so-called act of falling in love with yourself is the ultimate romance. Of course, this was just Lady Zhaos wishful thinking. This character only existed in her consciousness. There was no way this character could appear in reality, unless through her own body. She definitely had multiple personality not-so disorder. Was she turning schizophrenic? She would just like be one of those characters you see in television In actuality, there was still quite a big difference, because Zhao Youyues main personality was the dominant one. Even if she used a character card, she would not completely lose control of her body. Her body was a host of the iconic characters that she had created, allowing them to co-pilot her body. In the process, her main personality would undergo a watch-and-learn process. As a result, those character cards may not always be necessary for all circumstances. For example, gaming with the Yu Shengfan card was the ultimate cheat. It improved her gaming abilities tremendously. Currently, she no longer needed the card to be a more than decent gamer. The long-term use of the Yu Shengfan card had imprinted on her. Zhao Youyue would never have to worry about the characters becoming dominant over her main personality. This was the essential difference between her and those who have actual multiple personality disorders. The others definitely could not switch between their various personalities at will. As she was able to hug her dearest sister to sleep in her dreams, Zhao Youyue slept very well. Unexpectedly, she overcame the harsh conditions in the dormitory. While Zhao Youyues room feel completely silent, the male dormitory raved on. Of course, there was no way that Du Hang would join the conversation. His three roommates were chattering away C Zhang Xiang, Xiao Yu, and Ning Yao. Obviously, their excitement from before had not died down. They just had a meal together with Han Leng, Zhao Youyue, and He Weiwei. Its truly like a dream. I actually ate with someone as great as Han Leng and also two of the prettiest girls in class for my first dinner in this new school! After the lights went out and the internet connection was disabled, Zhang Xiang shared his thoughts. Do you guys think Zhao Youyue or He Weiwei is prettier? Xiao Yu, who had a girlfriend but always bragged about how good he was at flirting around and getting girls to like him, decisively began to discuss the pretty girls in the class. They both have their own merits. He Weiwei definitely has fashion sense, but Zhao Youyues foundations are invincible. Even without makeup, shes drop-dead gorgeous. When everyone gets in their military garb later on, she would definitely stand out from the crowd C no kidding. Zhang Xiang asserted. Dont you guys think that Han Leng gives in to Zhao Youyue way too much? They cant just be as simple as deskmates, right? The fatty, aspiring rockstar Ning Yao chimed in. Even heroes have a weakness for the charms of a beautiful woman. Xiao Yu chuckled. I originally thought that Mister Han liked Zhao Youyue as well, but after observing them, I realized that he probably doesnt really like her at all. When a guy likes a girl, they would often take the initiative to get closer to the girl. However, Mister Han has no intention of taking the initiative at all. Hes deliberately keeping a distance from her. I really cant understand this, Zhang Xiang wondered. Du Hang, Du Hang. It seemed like Zhao Youyue took the initiative to talk to you just now. What did you guys talk about? Ning Yao suddenly asked Du Hang. Du Hang was different from the others in the dormitory. He was too lazy even to attend the meal and had isolated himself. Even so, the other three people in his dormitory had no intention of leaving him out. They still treated him as their roommate. Not attending dormitory group activities was not really a big deal. Du Hang did not exactly draw in hatred from people. Du Hang was quiet and lonely, but he did not step on anyones toes. He only loathed himself far too much. Du Hang had actually been listening in on their conversation. He was actually rather curious about Zhao Youyue. His big reaction towards Han Leng had all been a ploy. He had not expected to get involved in the topic. Nothing much. She probably just spoke to me by chance. Perhaps she was just too nice for her own good. She may have just been taking sympathy on lonely old me? Du Hang mocked himself. Damn! I couldnt tell. Old Du, youre full of tricks. You acted all autistic to gain Zhao Youyues sympathy! Zhang Xiang snarled. So thats how it was. Du Hang, youre a closet master of pickups. Next time, we could share and exchange our experiences. Xiao Yu laughed. Zhao Youyue is really quite a good girl. Her personality is even better than her looks. Shell draw in men like moths to flame, and one of them would catch on eventually. If you want to remain in the running, youll have to move quickly, Ning Yao said unhesitatingly. Everyone other than Du Hang agreed with him. His three roommates were far too naive. Zhao Youyue was a walking library of masks. Chasing after her would genuinely burn them like the moths that they were Chapter 539 Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation The closer people were to Zhao Youyue, the more they felt her charm. Her charm did not originate from her good looks, but from her behavior. Or, it should be said that Zhao Youyue had the ability to make others ignore her good looks and notice her strengths elsewhere, instead. When they finally notice her good looks once again, they would all be extremely shocked C how could Zhao Youyue be this beautiful? Therefore, one could only imagine how deep of an impression Zhao Youyue left on the people around her, and how strong her sense of presence was. On the contrary, if Zhao Youyue burst into the scene like a shooting star, people would be too blinded to see what she intended to display. This might be one of the shortcomings of being pretty, although it had more than its fair share of graces. Imagine worrying about being so beautiful C to the point that others would treat them as someone who only looked good and was nothing else. Zhao Youyue was a girl that nobody could hate. Even if Du Hang thought that she was hidden beneath folds of complex layers of deception -but he could not reveal her thoughts either, so what could he do about it? Freshmen had much to do in their first year. They had to attend the opening ceremony and the orientation of the liberal arts school. The seniors of the liberal arts school would perform for the freshmen, so there would be a few performances here and there. After all, most of the students in the liberal arts school were basically equipped with a degree of artistic skills. However, they were not professionals. There would be no world-class performances. If a veteran like Zhao Youyue went upstage, she would blow everyone away. Unfortunately, everyone seemed to have forgotten about her. Therefore, she could only look forward to the following year. By then, Zhao Youyue would become a senior; and she would have already built up her reputation during her freshman year. Hence, no matter how hard she tried to keep a low profile, nobody would let her off the hook. The military training uniform made its way to the students. It included things like shoes and such. The rubber shoes that came along with them were really uncomfortable. Walking in them was torture. Students had to prepare soft insoles, or they could simply use the legendary sanitary napkin insoles that seemed to be more comfortable than the normal insoles. Many boys opted for the latter. They found this to be most exciting, as it gave them a reason to openly buy something that was exclusively meant for girls. When Zhao Youyue found these preparations interesting, as it was something new to her. Although she had the Su Shi card, it did not make her arrogant. She prepared everything that was necessary. For example, fundamental things like her sunscreen and such. New students often looked like they came back from Africa after the military training. At least 70% of them came back tanned and skinny. It was a cruel fate for beautiful females! Most boys were not worried at all. Some boys who thought themselves manly would actually think that applying sunscreen was something only a girl would do. Perhaps, they also agreed with the saying if ones room does not smell bad, they are either gay or a sissy. On the contrary, cleanliness was a good habit. It was also necessary to pay attention to the ones health and appearance, regardless of gender. However, not many boys could do this. They just wanted to show their masculinity. Zhao Youyue did not intend to escape from the military training at all. However, the smart Han Leng had already asked for a sick leave. This was probably the privilege of being a celebrity. However, from time to time, while wearing the camouflage uniform, Han Leng would sit in the shade under the trees and watch everyone else train. He was trying to attract hatred on purpose. The first day of training started. Every day, Zhao Youyue was always the first to wake up in the dormitory, because she always slept early. He Weiwei called her an old person. Nowadays, if one did not play with their mobile phone until one or two past midnight, could they be considered a university student? He Weiwei was also quite curious as to why Zhao Youyue could enter dreamland so quickly, as soon as the lights were switched off. The dormitory was usually quite noisy at that time After all, Zhou Cai brushed her teeth and washed her face only after the lights were switched off. This habit of hers annoyed Yu Xuefei even further. Yu Xuefei felt that Zhou Cais procrastination was particularly annoying. However, Zhou Cai could not give two hoots about that. She was also not planning to change her habit anytime soon. Of course, if Zhao Youyue stood up and said something instead, Zhou Cai would probably listen to her. However, there was nothing that could prevent Zhao Youyue from sleeping. It was not that she did not like to play with her mobile phone. The young lady in her dreams was just more irresistible. Zhou Cai also slept the latest in the entire dormitory. Two in the morning was relatively early for her. Every day, after waking up, Zhao Youyue moved about the dormitory cautiously, careful not to make any noise, as she was afraid she would disturb the others. From this, it could be seen that Zhao Youyue had been raised well and had great personal qualities. Dormitories had their fair shares of early worms, but none of them were like her. As they slept at night, they would scold anyone who made a the slightest of noises. However, when they made noise, they would act like they had the rights to. This was one of the features of the so-called best roommates. People often complained about these roommates over the internet. Some roommates liked to take advantage of their other roommates by using their items. Perhaps that was their acknowledgment of their friendship. However, even friends only did this once or twice. Some thick-skinned people could do it countless of times. In the beginning, they might consult the other roommate before doing it, but later on, they would directly take it. It was not exactly a nice thing to do. This was unless they met someone like Zhao Youyue, a girl who did not care about these kinds of things at all. However, it also may be coincidental, but Zhao Youyue always had flower protectors around her. Whenever some people took advantage of Zhao Xiaoyue, these protectors would rise up and protect Zhao Youyue. Some sincerely wanted to protect Zhao Youyue. Others did it because she seemed highly resourceful. If these resources got robbed away, wouldnt their own share be reduced? Therefore, they had to protect the interests of Lady Zhao resolutely! He Weiwei was one of the sincere types. However, after spending the past few days with Zhao Youyue, she had also got an inkling that Zhao Youyue did not seem to be the poor elite scholar she had once imagined Although Zhao Youyue dressed cheaply, her skin care products and such were definitely high-end goods. Even her cup was no laughing matter. If it was the real deal, it should cost at least a few thousand yuan, right? Also, in her free time, she liked to make some tea. Those tea leaves she used were no lightweights! All in all, as long as someone paid attention to the details, they could definitely tell that Zhao Youyue was something else Of course, He Weiwei benefited from this. In fact, the entire dormitory benefited from this. As Zhao Youyue was born a giver, she had unknowingly exposed herself. This was probably the joy of the so-called rich people. People always asked such a question: Were rich people truly happy? In actuality, the happiness of the rich was not something that ordinary people could imagine. If you had money, you could be open-minded. You would not care C even if others took advantage of you. You could also use your money to buy the favor of those around you. Yu Xuefei annoyed He Weiwei greatly. The former was a thick-skinned girl with a severe case of princess syndrome. If anyone gave a person like Yu Xuefei an inch, she would take a yard. On the contrary, Zhou Cai indulged herself in the virtual world a little too excessively, but she was not a girl who excessively took advantage of others. Chapter 540 Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation After Zhao Youyue washed up, she carefully applied sunscreen to parts of her body that might get exposed to the sun. Of course, she was using top-quality products that guaranteed excellent results. Her mother had recommended some of them. Prior to this, Wang Hua had nagged at her daughter in various ways. She felt that her daughter would definitely be unable to handle the harsh conditions in the girls dormitory. She had also said that the military training would be even more difficult. If Zhao Youyue was not confident about it, she could seek help from her great mother C the assistant dean of the liberal arts school. In actuality, Wang Hua wanted Zhao Youyue to seek help and put her privilege to good use. After all, as a member of the Zhao family, there was really no need for her to suffer like all the other freshmen. What was the point? However, Zhao Youyue had her character cards C it was her time to shine. This made her father Zhao Jiayi very proud. He wanted his daughter to suffer a little and have a taste of the real world, for once. Even so, in his opinion, this was no big deal at all. She was just going to do what all the ordinary students did. That was pretty comfortable, wasnt it? Zhao Youyue was most certainly not the typical missy. Unless she deliberately transforms into a drama queen sometimes to roleplay the perfect missy character which appeared in novels or mangas, she would not be so pretentious. She could hold her own, and she was not picky about many things. Wang Hua was clearly worried about her dearest daughter, she was unwilling to let her suffer. On the outside, she had told her stupid daughter not to regret her decision and not to look for her mother later on Zhao Youyue finally put on the camouflage military uniform and the military cap, still keeping her ponytail. She had see-through bangs that flowed down her forehead. She looked particularly pure and pleasant. Zhao Youyue had already armed herself. Her preparations had been adequate. She had also put on the military shoes, which she had made significantly more comfortable. Anyhow, it was still better than the shoes of Jane Doe Su. Jane Doe Su was just too impoverished. All the money she earned was invested into the anonymous city, with none to spare for herself. After she was done, the other people in the dormitory were still asleep. They did not seem to be worried about oversleeping on the first day of the military training The reason was simple. Zhao Youyue would definitely wake them up, anyway! This actually infuriated Zhao Youyue. She could not possibly stay in the dormitory every single day. One day, if she happened to be absent, these roommates might even miss their CET4 and CET6 tests.[1] In recent times, countless university students have registered for examinations and paid the fees, but they often ended up missing the exam. Then, they would repeat the process indefinitely. They would repeatedly pay for the registration fee, never to actually attend the exam once. However, now that Zhao Youyue was still here, of course, she would do her best to wake her roommates up. She was not one of those best roommates who would gleefully let her roommates oversleep, while going to class alone, not bothered to see whether her roommates were dead or alive. Zhao Youyue had seen such scenes in high school. However, at that time, she had been a day student. Five out of eight people in a dormitory had once missed an afternoon class. Apparently, they all took naps and collectively overslept. Why didnt the other three wake them up? Such evil. Some people wanted to watch the world burn. It pleased them. Who said that harming others did not benefit oneself? Ones misfortune could be the joy of another. Zhao Youyue successfully woke all her roommates up. Yu Xuefeis reaction had been most melodramatic. She had expressed her utmost gratitude towards Zhao Youyue, not forgetting to ask if she could use Zhao Youyues sunscreen Apparently, Yu Xuefei also found that, other than the clothes she wore, her roommate Zhao Youyue used products that were so high-end C beyond anything she would even consider buying. Zhao Youyue had just been about to comply, but He Weiwei had jumped out like a lioness guarding its cub and venomously shot down Yu Xuefeis request. She then pointed out that Yu Xuefei had previously used Zhao Youyues shampoo, shower gel, hand cream and more. Yu Xuefei had even taken two bottles of mineral water that cost 18 yuan each to drink. How could her skin be this thick? He Weiweis personality was just like so. She did not beat around the bush. If she despised you, she despised you. She would never give you any face. Even so, He Weiwei had held herself back repeatedly. She did not want to seem like she was controlling Zhao Youyue and making decisions on her behalf. However, she truly could not stand Yu Xuefei any longer. Yu Xuefei was not even poor. Why did she have to take advantage of others? Whatever. I wont use it then. Its not even yours. Why are you getting so worked up? Its because you want to use it as well, right? And you still dare to act like youre nobler than I am, Yu Xuefei said. Im definitely not as thick-skinned and shameless as you are. I always give Youyue money when I ask her to buy stuff for me. I trust her a 100%! As a good friend of hers, I have to protect her interests from being violated. Even I cant bring myself to take advantage of my friends. He Weiwei gave another tit-for-tat. Hehe, youre so good at talking, I think you can talk better than you can sing. But isnt this all because shes so demure and easy to control? Youyue, I advise that you stay away from this vixen. Dont you feel like youre being completely controlled by her? You need your freedom! Yu Xuefei said. Zhou Cai only gazed at the scene out of the corner of her eyes. She was enjoying the show. It seemed like she was not planning to help mediate the dispute. Zhou Cai did not really like He Weiwei or Yu Xuefei. The two of them were just destined to offend each other. They could argue just about almost anything. However, when the two of them quarreled, they had been able to restrain themselves. They did not resort to violence; they limited it to verbal arguments. When Zhao Youyue saw the two of them were quarreling again, she rushed to stop them. Of course, she was biased towards He Weiwei. She was not that stupid. She had not been unaware of events. In actuality, deep down in her heart, she knew everything. She had figured everyone out. After Zhao Youyue stepped in, Yu Xuefei backed off. She knew that she was on the lower ground to Zhao Youyues good side. Only time would mend these wounds. Regretfully, she had been one step behind He Weiwei. It was a crucial, one step. She admitted that she had made a mistake. She had thought that Zhao Youyue was just an ordinary person. She never thought that she would be the real big boss. Yu Xuefei was not stupid. Her mind was sharp, and she was good at grasping the details. She had been with Zhao Youyue for a few days. Naturally, she would be able to tell that Zhao Youyue had a good family background. Unfortunately, Yu Xuefei could not control her greed at times. Some girls just couldnt help themselves, even if they were well aware of their wrongdoings. Seeing that Zhao Youyue had stepped in, Zhou Cai went to wash up. The big boss of this dormitory was obviously Lady Zhao. She could always control any situation with ease. Zhou Cai was the hero among girls. She did not make any preparations for the military training at all. She could not care less about getting tanned and such. She simply left the room, just like that. Even when Zhao Youyue had asked her to apply some sunscreen, she had waved her off. There was nothing to be afraid of! Translation note : [1] The College English Test (Chinese: ѧӢԣѧӢ), better known as CET, is a national English as a foreign language test in the Peoples Republic of China. It examines the English proficiency of undergraduate and postgraduate students in China. It is meant to ensure that Chinese undergraduates and postgraduates reach the required English levels specified in the National College English Teaching Syllabuses (NCETS). This test has existed in China for 26 years and now 18 million people take it annually. It includes two levels CET4 (רҵļ) and CET6 (רҵ). Chapter 541 Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation The university seemed to attempt verifying the real prettiest girl among the lot, as all the girls were made to wear the camo uniform and completely remove their makeup. Zhao Youyue, originally a side-character C suddenly became the most dazzling existence among her whole class, or rather, among all the other freshmen! This was a first, for Zhao Youyue was not deliberately attempting to stand out. However, when everyone had to put on the same clothes and when all the other girls had to abandon all their external factors, the winner was obvious! Zhao Youyue and her three roommates arrived at the field and joined their group. Other than the male students who met her yesterday, the other classmates were extremely shocked - - Who are you, beautiful? Are you really from the Chinese department as well? He Weiwei, who relied on her blonde hair and fashion was now almost unnoticeable in the military uniform and cap. We can only imagine how much fashion actually affected a girls appearance. It was also a clear indicator of how of a headstart Zhao Youyue had over the other girls in such circumstances. She had been genetically gifted, thats all we can say. Indeed, cotton roses from clear waters are naturally beautiful[1]. The current situation had made it impossible for her to be a side-character C even if she wanted to. She was a firefly in the darkness of night C absolutely eye-catching. Zhao Youyue finally realized that all eyes were on her. This genuinely surprised her a little. She had not even donned her armor of Goddess C she had not yet combed her black, long, straight hair out. Her goddess aura was stashed away, deep in some closet. Whats going on now? People were not blind. Beauty does not lie either. Currently, the fashionable girls had been tied down by the military uniforms, it only made the difference all the more shocking. A precious, natural jade like Zhao Youyue would only stand out. Her classmates were not the only ones shocked. In a short time, other departments also noticed Zhao Youyue. The Faculty of Science had gathered right beside them. Unsurprisingly, it had far more boys and very few girls. The wolves were starving, and there was little meat to go around. Not only was the meat scarce, the quality was also lacking. How frustrating! The boys from the Faculty of Science became highly envious of the boys from the Chinese Department, Foreign Language Department and such. These departments would always be filled with girls. As there was a large number of girls, chances of encountering a beauty also soared. Of course, the rare beauty still had a possibility of appearing in a small clump, albeit far lower. Most of the time, such rare beauties would also be elite scholars. The boys from the Faculty of Science grew very excited. A boy named Liu Yue had arrived at the field early. He was chatting away with his newly acquainted roommate Kong Fei while looking at girls. All boys are experts in the art of girl gazing. It was an act they could involve themselves in, regardless of the circumstances. They knew the perfect vantage points, the perfect timings. For example, sitting close to the tray-return station while eating at the cafeteria. Munch their food slowly like goats while waiting for girls to return their trays and tableware, watching their every action. Do it for three years in high school, and you would already be a master. Masters never stopped, even after perfection. They would hone their skills and find new heights, so why not train for the next four years in university life? Even so, they never actually went up and initiated conversations. Still, this did not deny them the right to continuing ogling. These wizards could keep honing their art for the rest of their lives, anyway. On the way to work, in the lift, on the streets, right? Fortunately, it was not illegal to look at pretty girls, or else 80% of men would already have been arrested. Before Zhao Youyue appeared, Liu Yue had been frequently bugging Kong Fei with the same question, Brother Fei, look, look, hows that girl? How many points on a scale of one to ten? Kong Fei was stoic, analyticial, and reflective. His squad jaw made him seem prim, proper, and straight-laced. He gave off an iron straight man[2] vibe. However, this straight-laced man was currently bored. Whenever Liu Yue asked him to rate a girl, he would make no attempt at raking his eyes over the girls body, letting his stare linger, even. Often, he would reply, Shes alright, not too bad. Six points, six points. In actuality, all the girls that Liu Yue pointed out were of high quality, but they had all been weighed down by the camouflage uniform. Kong Feis standards were ridiculously high, so nobody in particular caught his eye. Hence, all he did was say 666, as he was unwilling to give even 7 points to any girl. There were indeed a lot of beautiful women in the world, however, if a girl really wanted to bedazzle someone in a glance, she would have to rely on external aid, unless she had really good genes. Holy shit! Quick! Look! A super beauty has appeared. She can definitely be called the military training goddess. Wow, I did not expect such a beauty among the freshmen! Brother Fei, rate this one! Liu Yue excitedly patted Kong Feis shoulders, pointing at Zhao Youyue, who at that moment, seriously believed her incognito mode was still holding up flawlessly. It was not, and the reason was extremely simple. All the other girls were basically in their own incognito modes at that point, whether they wanted it or not. Of course a natural beauty would stand out! When Kong Fei caught sight of Zhao Youyue, his voice got caught in his throat. All he saw was an extremely beautiful girl basking in the glorious morning sun, demurely stepping towards the field. Even though she was wearing a rustic military uniform and a military cap, her beauty forced itself out of those wrappings. She did not seem confident in her appearance, so her head was slightly lowered, much to his chagrin Even so, more and more eyes found themselves stuck to her. This may seem unrealistic, but it was really happening! Of course, Zhao Youyue did not expect such results. Why was everyone focused on a side-character like her? She was the master of disguises, wasnt she? Eight points, no, I might even give her nine points! Shes bloody flawless. The rustic military uniform is getting in the way, so I can only give a rough estimate. Also, her temperament is still somewhat lacking. Shes not confident enough. A real goddess would hold her head up high and walk with confidence. A real goddess would meet everyones gazes instead of keeping her head down. To boys who like to look at pretty girls, her actions come off as unfriendly. Kong Fei suppressed the throbbing of his heart and fought to keep his voice level. Brother Fei, Ive really had enough of you. You wouldnt give her a ten? I actually think that a beautiful jade who doesnt even know how beautiful she is C would be perfect. She looks really gentle and considerate. If you have a girl like her as a girlfriend or wife, youve already succeeded in life! Liu Yue said very excitedly. Kong Fei rolled his eyes and said, Brother, I think its time for you to wake up. Do you actually believe that you can get a girl like her? Liu Yue felt like firing back something like, never try never know, but he ended up sighing instead. He was not handsome, not wealthy, and he had no special talents. In High school, his results stood out among his peers. The problem was that this university made him look mediocre Liu Yue immediately felt the despair. It was impossible for him, afterall. Translation note : [1] Cotton roses from clear waters are naturally beautiful (ˮܽ,Ȼȥ) is a Chinese proverb. [2] Iron straight man (ֱ) is used to describe direct, insensitive, and headstrong men who do not understand women wel Chapter 542 Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation Responsible, rational straight men always thought this way. They would always match themselves up against the girl, wondering if they would be able to provide her happiness and so on. They would also feel the need to improve themselves before they tried to chase the girl. This was not wrong. However, girls easily get swept off their feet by just about any guy who had the guts to take the first step, even if the man was a total, irresponsible slob. This was why the world was full of puzzled good men who often thought to themselves, why is she dating that douchebag? In the end, they would only be filled with resentment - - she has terrible taste! Surely enough, 2D girls are perfect. They are my real wives, only they truly understand me! Hence, only otakus could see through the flaws of 3D girls - - a lack of taste. Of course, in the end, most otakus would have to find a 3D girl and make do. It was their duty to get married and produce children eventually, ensuring that their bloodlines do not die off, right? True otakus had already resigned to spending their lives alone. They understood that their 2D girls were their real love. One day, when artificial intelligence develops sufficiently, and 2D girls are able to possess the bodies of androids, these otakus would find true happiness. Brother Fei, what is this talk of chasing girls? Thats really too superficial. Im happy to look at beautiful girls and appreciate their beauty from afar. If I really attempted to chase one, wouldnt I only cause trouble for myself? Liu Yue laughed off the sting with a smile, but bitterness filled his heart. There goes his chance again. Kong Fei smiled knowingly, not exposing Liu Yues real thoughts. In the end, the girl was far too modest for her own good. She was so beautiful C the average boy would not even dare meet her eyes. Would this make it easier for guys who took the initiative? It was none of his business. He had a square face, but he was actually also an anime fanatic. He was not exactly an otaku, but it did not prevent him from taking 2D girls as his wife C 3D girls were all scums! He felt that the most hurtful thing was some people saying - - Ive seen your wifes life story, and youre not the protagonist! He also hated it when people said that his wife was akin to a public bus, although this seemed to be the fact. The cuter she was, the more people shared her Liu Yue and Kong Fei were not the only boys who had their eyes on Zhao Youyue. Her incognito mode had shattered into pieces. Some of the more passionate boys were already thinking of making a move on her. So what if youre not a good match? When it comes to getting a girl, you only need be bold and have the hide of a rhino. So what if you did not have looks, talent, or wealth? You only needed a manly, sincere heart!! Wait, you dont even need that, you just have to pretend to have one! 60 to 70 percent of girls would be obtained that way. Boys could then curse at the remaining 30 to 40 percent. Such materialistic, judgmental girls, to cast aside their sincerity so blindly! It was not easy being a pretty girl. No matter what a pretty girl did, she would be in the wrong. It was truly the root of all their troubles. Zhao Youyue had failed to remain low-key. This undoubtedly spelled trouble to her, as university was not exactly like high school. In high school, couples had to keep their relationships under wraps. However, in universities, boys could openly take action in numerous ways. Lets see how Zhao Youyue handles this. Oh, woe is she to be cursed with such great charm. How troublesome indeed. It was as troublesome as how being rich was just as troublesome! Would a girl be happy to be so beautiful? To an extent! If not, why were the main female protagonists of transmigration novels so beautiful? Girls were far more complicated than the other sex. They would inevitably feel envy and jealousy. Zhao Youyues female classmates were dumbfounded. At the end of the day, she was the most beautiful girl? Others wanted to see how He Weiwei would react to this. Her fame was being robbed from her. Would she feel angry? Would her heart be stifled? After all, no matter how you looked at it, He Weiwei could not be a decent person. Unfortunately, these girls were disappointed. He Weiwei only made herself look good in order to attract similarly good-looking ones. The moment she entered the dormitory, Zhao Youyue had immediately caught her eye. Thats exactly what she wanted, right? If anything, she hoped to nurture that beauty. Being friends with a peerless beauty would only increase her reputation. Some readers must be wondering. Zhao Youyue was not this beautiful in high school, right? Lets talk about the Two Dimensional Gate and character cards. The more Zhao Youyue uses the character cards, more of their powers would remain imprinted on her. Now, name me one less-than-decent looking character card. Naturally, other than their powers, the settings of these iconic female characters would slowly grow on Zhao Youyue, turning her from plain into something far more The changes happened very gradually, very subtly. It was so gradual that those around her would never notice. It was just like the natural growth of a person. Furthermore, her classmates had been engrossed in their studies. Now that Zhao Youyue was in university, anyone who laid their eyes upon her for the first time would receive the full blast of her beauty! And so, the military training began. Zhao Youyues class was paired up with another Chinese Department-based course. They formed a company of about 60 people. These 60 people would be placed under the command of a single instructor. As the girls far outnumbered the men, instructor Ma did not go all drill sergeant on them. Instructor Ma was rather young. He could not be blamed for being affected by beautiful ladies. Of course, as a professional, he still had certain standards to live up to. He dealt with the thorny men unceremoniously, having them stand in ridiculous poses. Naturally, they served as a warning to others. September was not the hottest month of the year, but the sun was not the most merciful existence around. Furthermore, military training lasted for almost an entire day. This new routine would not let up until it was near its end. At that stage, rest times would be given more often, and various casual activities like singing songs would become more frequent. Nobody dared even dream about these coming days, not when they were just at the starting line. Training after drills came barreling at them endlessly. Each proper step had to be broken down into several smaller steps. The most agonizing position would have to be the one involving standing on one foot midstride, while having the other foot raised just as much as your platoon members As they marched, some oddities occurred, such as marching with your lead hand and foot on the same side, or being unable to tell right from left. This training finally demonstrated the definition of teamwork and collectivity to the group. Chapter 543 Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation Most students found military training to be a pain in the ass. Things were different for Zhao Youyue now. She trained with her sword every morning. Her physical strength was more than enough for military activities. Jane Doe Sus self-styled sword dance was more than just a show. Zhao Youyue noticed that her skin did not turn dark like the others. Sunblock lotions were only meant to block harmful ultraviolet sunray. Apparently, this was another one of Lady Sus powers. Otherwise, three weeks would have been enough to turn her into an African native. Zhao Youyue outshone others with her beauty and dedication in military training. Instructor Ma was impressed by her performance, and often asked for her help when it came to demonstrations. Those were the favorite moments of the male students. It was a rare refreshing sight in the midst of all these torturing exercises. Boys would always be motivated by the sight of a beautiful girl. A girl watching a game of basketball or football match was a wide-area buff that double every male players stats. Zhao Youyue was not just an ordinary girl. With her in the group, instructor Ma did not face any trouble carrying out his training program. He had been initially warned by his colleagues on how tough it would be to get these university students to move their asses. He was equally worried about the trouble he might get into if he ever got too harsh on the students. The first day of military training ended. His worries had been proven to be unfounded. It was time for him to narrow down the candidates for the best soldier. His decision was crystal clear C and he was certain nobody would question him. It was obvious Zhao Youyue outperformed everybody else. Instructor Ma could barely remember most of his students, but he could easily close his eyes and recreate Zhao Youyue in her entirety, within his mind! For everything she did, Zhao Youyue always had a goal to achieve. She never intended to impress any instructors. It was the same as earning the title of best student in High School. She never aimed for the prize, but the entitlement and special treatment of being the best. People would treat her differently not because of her family background, but because she was the best of the best. Zhao Youyue had successfully impressed her instructor. She was granted the choice to stay in the hostel or go back to her house. Since she stayed at home, she prepared her bed with her blanket wrapped over it like a typical soldiers bed, and a pillow at the end on her bed. After all, she only needed to do it once. Therefore, her housekeeping scores were always ten out of ten. Others had to wake up earlier C just to make their beds right Staying in the hostel for the first few days had been fun. After that, Zhao Youyue started to miss her home. She called her mother Wang Hua, pretending to be homesick. In no time at all, she was on her mothers car, on the way back to her house. Of course, she was back before daybreak. She would not want to miss a chance for her to build up herself physically. Military training in other universities often involved midnight exercises C simulating emergency responses to night raids. However, Jiangnan University was not as strict. Students could sleep peacefully at night without thinking about rude awakenings. Night owls like Zhou Cai, almost relished such training. She might even be wide awake at the sound of the siren. Zhou Cai always remained at peak activity until late at night, even if her body exhausted. She was not worried about oversleeping for next days training. Zhao Youyue would always wake her up! Zhao Youyue left the hostel before dinner. Her mother Wang Hua fetched her to any restaurant she wanted. Wang Hua would always dote on her daughter, despite all the nagging and name-calling. She even satirized the fact that Zhao Youyue had been chosen as the best soldier, but she had abandoned her troops, just because she did not want to make her bed every morning. Please dont make such hasty conclusions, old mama. I have been praised by instructors and fellow students in training. Not staying in the hostel is no fuss at all, said Zhao Youyue confidently. In fact, the title meant little to her. All she wanted at that moment was a relaxing hot bath. She was a pampered child after all, not the poor girl with a pretty face that could withstand any pressure and hardship. If she had to live that way for a few more days, she would have lost it. She laughed when people spoke about Ladys Zhao determination. Why would she need Xu Jings character card if it was commendable? Zhao Youyue was not some deity. She was just as flawed as any human. She only did a better job of hiding it. Stop calling me old mama. Here, have more of these and stop talking. Wang Hua treated her daughter to a fine dinner. After all the hard training she had gone through, she deserved a consolation. Somehow, she was proud of her daughter. She had earned acclaim on her first-day of training and people have started to call her, Goddess of the Military Training. Some seniors even went to the camp to find out who she was. Even the School magazine society had prepared to interview Zhao Youyue. They planned to post pictures of her on the Jiangnan University website as an advertisement for the university. Other prominent societies and clubs in school started to make their move as well. It seemed like everybody wanted Zhao Youyue to be a part of them. All, except for the Student Union society. It was the only society with actual influence in the university. Most of the students wanted to be part of it; they craved to be the leaders of the students. Therefore, it never needed to come to anyone C only the opposite. Zhao Youyue was not interested in joining any societies or clubs. She had the tendency of supporting others on their cause and awarding others for their despicable acts. One particular organization suited her. Chapter 544 Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation Zhao Jiayi was not surprised to learn that Zhao Youyue had opted out of her hostel, just because she was too lazy to do her bed. It was his daughter. He was the loving father who allowed his daughter to do as she pleased. Such behavior was why Zhao Youyue discovered her talents only in high school C not earlier. To forge iron into a sword, it must first be heated and tempered. A lenient, lazy blacksmith had almost cost Zhao Youyue all her talents. Fortunately Chu Luoxuns character card buffered that back up. Wang Hua was to blame as well. She sound strict, but nobody pampered her sloth any more than she possibly could. Her fights with Zhao Youyue were usually caused by her spending too much time fooling around. They were like two good friends in primary school. A joke would start, and they pushed each other gently to express disagreement. By the end of the day, they would refuse to talk to each other after a terrible fist fight. By the next few days, they would be happily playing together again. This endless loop would never end when two parties were literally related by blood and soul. Zhao Jiayi had grown addicted to a new game C They Are Billions. [1] They Are Billions was a post-apocalyptic real-time strategy survival video game where the player would be tossed in a randomly generated steampunk themed, zombie-infested world. Only a handful of humans survived, and their fates were in the players hands. The player had to protect the surviving humans by developing improved weaponry and defences. Zombies fearlessly swarmed any human in sight with one sole purpose: to eliminate humanity from the surface of the earth. Once a human gets infected, there was no turning back. Zhao Jiayi was a fan of strategy games. Before this game, he had been obsessed with Stellaris and Sid Meiers Civilization. These game sucked the players into their worlds, robbing them of all track of time. After one game or two, players would often be left wondering C how had they been gone for so long? On the contrary, Zhao Youyue did not find any excitement in strategy games. In fact, she would find gaming as a whole boring, if she did not possess Little Yus card. It was only after having obtained that character card did she start with highly demanding games such as League of Legends and PlayerUnknowns Battlegrounds. Her current game was Tales of Wuxia 3: Swords of the Future. Her personal preference did not stop her from admiring her dads figure, bent towards the screen as he gamed. Since childhood, she often enjoyed watching her dad play his favorite games, such as Command & Conquer: Red Alert, Age of Empires and Warcraft: Orcs & Humans. [2][3][4] One of her favorite past times was to watch her dad play Age of Empires. The scene of numerous calvary marching towards the north and leveling buildings was breathtaking. Once you have mastered my strategy of army assembly, you could just press A and click anywhere you want, Zhao Jiayi had once told his innocent toddler Zhao Youyue, his eyes glittering with pride. Being accompanied by own daughter while playing games had been a most cherished memory. Now that she was fully grown, she had her own preferred games, and they were on different routes now. Zhao Youyue was done soaking herself in the bathtub. She put on her pajamas on and strolled to her dads gaming room. While watching her dad playing games, a sudden image flashed in her mind. It was her violin teacher, aunt Liu Yuxi, and her dad. Somehow, she thought that they would make a great couple. Though Liu Yuxi was old mamas best friend, she seemed to hate Wang Huas husband, Zhao Jiayi. She took a seat beside her father and quietly watched him game on They Are Billions. As he clicked away, Zhao Jiayi started to ask his daughter about her new university life. As he shifted his attention to talk to her daughter, he lost track of one of his sniper squads, clicking them directly into the path of a zombie swarm. Poor snipers, they became zombie food. There was nothing much he could do about it, other than to load a saved file. Little You, now that you are a university student, it is time for you to start thinking about getting into a relationship. If you see any boy who is worthy of you, just do your best to win his heart. I trust your judgment. As long as you like him, all should be well, Zhao Jiayi said, almost casually. I am obsessed with learning now, a relationship can wait. I want to do greater things in life, Zhao Youyue replied with a smile. Zhao Jiayi remained silent. He did not want to constrain his daughter from a relationship while she was still a student. Parents who did that often stressed their children to get married right after their graduation. Zhao Jiayi assumed that Zhao Youyue had yet to find a guy she liked. It never once crossed his mind that no boys were on par with his daughter. She was just too good at everything, nothing would impress her. Other than that, she was not lacking in friendship. She might only have a handful of friends, but she did have lots of adorable and playful pets. Zhao Jiayis words served as a reminder for Zhao Youyue. To tighten her grip on family influence and wealth, she must continue to enhance her skill and better herself. One day, she would have to contribute to her family. Although her father did not pressure her on her relationships, she might be forced into marriage when the time was right. If she was not interested in anyone, her family would decide on her spouse. Zhao Youyue had to prepare herself for this possibility. Given her familys standing in this society, was it possible to remain single at all times? Such an idea struck Zhao Youyue like lightning, opening her eyes to a possible future. She now had to fight fire with fire. She had high hopes in her Two Dimensional Gate. It had been able to open a path into a martial art and magical world of low energy level. She was certain that it would soon be able to bring her to worlds with a higher energy level. Zhao Youyue had to acquire more skills. The Two Dimensional Gate could enhance her with different sets of skills with higher energy levels, preferably. At the same time, she would draft out a new development plan for her company. The companys focus at the moment was limited to the entertainment sector. Perhaps she should plagiarize some Black Technology from another world for her company to monopolize the market.[5] That would be better than running a company like Umbrella Corps. [6] By then, who could stop her from staying single? Her life goal had been set. Perhaps it is time for her to begin her own journey. She should get things started by gathering the authors of science fiction and produce an iconic science fiction novel Before that, she had to build a firm foundation for her Black Technology company. It had to be well-funded. Her current company lacked cash flow at the moment. Entertainment businesses could only reap in limited profits. Each year, her publishing company only generated a few hundred thousands dollars worth of income. To her, that was mere pocket money. Even her livestreams paid more Translation Note: [1] They Are Billions is a post-apocalyptic real-time strategy survival video game developed and published by Numantian Games. Available exclusively on Microsoft Windows, it was released onto Steams Early Access program in December 2017. They Are Billions pits the player in a randomly generated steampunk themed, zombie-infested world. The players goal is to build a base to protect themselves, by planning the layout and defenses, exploring the map, collecting resources and expanding while fighting the local zombie population at the same time. Infected villages, called Villages of Doom, can be pillaged for resources, although a backlash of zombie swarms can result. [2] Command & Conquer: Red Alert is a real-time strategy video game of the Command & Conquer franchise, produced by Westwood Studios and released by Virgin Interactive Entertainment in 1996. [3] Age of Empires is a series of historical real-time strategy video games, originally developed by Ensemble Studios and published by Microsoft Studios. The first title of the series was Age of Empires, released in 1997. [4] Warcraft: Orcs & Humans is a real-time strategy game (RTS), developed by Blizzard Entertainment and published by Blizzard and Interplay Productions. The MS-DOS version was released on 23 November 1994 and the Macintosh version in early 1996. [5] Black Technology is a term used in Full Metal Panic!. is technology that is far more advanced than those of the real world. They are created by a category of humans called the Whispered. With the origins of Black Technology being a tightly kept secret, the general populace is unaware that the Whispered exist, let alone that they are the sole source of Black Technology or that the term Black Technology exists and is used to distinguish from conventionally developed technology. Pieces of Black Technology, such as Arm Slaves, have become as ordinary and commonplace as the real worlds F-22s. So the ordinary civilian is unaware of the vast difference in technological advancement. Chapter 545 Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation The dorm room was left with only three students. They could not get used to the absence of Zhao Youyue. Yu Xuefei went to bed right after she set the alarm for the following morning. Oversleeping was the last thing she wanted. Hence she decided to sleep early that night. The atmosphere was way too different, without Zhao Youyue. He Weiwei did not have the mood to start a fight with Yu Xuefei. She would only do so for the sake of her favorite girl. The air seemed to freeze with just three people in the room. Zhao Youyue often warmed Zhou Cais heart with extra care and kindness. Zhou Cai was aware that her outlook was less than ordinary. She was not pretty, her figure was not appealing. Usually, she stayed away from people since she was not good with words, assuming that people did not like her. She did not want to cause anyone trouble. However, Zhao Youyue had given her a lot of attention. Being blessed with Zhao Youyue had given her much more warmth in her heart than she had ever experienced. Zhao Youyue would have treated anyone else the same. Most people only talked about equality. Their behavior and actions almost always proved otherwise. Zhou Cai was impressed that Zhao Youyue actually walked the talk. She could not blame the others. Those were just the ugly traits of human genes. It would be impossible to completely control ones instinct and act otherwise. Meanwhile, Zhao Youyue took the opportunity to catch up with her high school classmate Bai Yunshan by calling her through the phone. Though they were studying in the same university, Bai Yunshan had not chosen Chinese Literature. Instead, she took management as her major. They had been sent to different camps for military training as well. Zhao Youyue was placed on the universitys field, and Bai Yunshan was in the basketball court. For the convenience of military training, Bai Yunshan had cut her hair short and stopped putting on makeup. She was back to her unattractive self again. He Weiwei was not born attractive either. They both put effort into their makeup and turned themselves beautiful. Bai Yunshan showed Zhao Youyue a few of her military training photos. Her performance was exceptional, even Zhao Youyue was impressed. However, a lot of people believed that Zhao Youyue outperformed Bai Yunshan. She was disciplined and dedicated. Most of all, she was beautiful and attractive, while Bai Yunshan was not. It was a pain in the ass. Zhao Youyue had tried her best to stay low profile, but no matter where she went, eyes would still be on her. Bai Yunshan had informed Zhao Youyue that her fame as the Goddess of the Military Training had actually reached Bai Yunshans camp on the first day. Even the management was heard discussing it. Some of the boys had even wanted to sneak out of the basketball court to find out what Zhao Youyue looked like. The voice on the other end of the phone sounded proud and pleased. Bai Yunshan still often wondered, how had such an extraordinary girl remained low profile during high school. Compared to Zhao Youyue, she was way less attractive, but she had been shoved into the limelight as the iceberg goddess. Bai Yunshan had not been comfortable with that sudden burst of popularity. She felt as if she had taken something away from Zhao Youyue. All she ever wanted was to stay by Zhao Youyues side and watch her shines. Most of the students were not willing to become Bai Yunshans friend. She never paid attention to the others reactions when expressing her thoughts. Everything had to be right in her own judgment. People around her were constrained by her mindset, having lost the freedom to do things they liked. The wrong must be fixed until they are right. Such was the ideology of Bai Yunshan. She would not tolerate anything inappropriate. Nevertheless, she accepted Zhao Youyues behavior. Zhao Youyue had been somehow able to slip past Bai Yunshan expectations. Bai Yunshan could not find any faults in her actions. Bai Yunshan would never let anything go to waste. She would make sure that there was nothing left on her plate after every meal. Whenever Zhao Youyue cooked for both of them, she only prepared the portion for two people so they could finish it together. Bai Yunshan knew that Zhao Youyue acted differently around her. She still remembered how Zhao Youyue had often lied to the teachers in class and made fun of them in front of the students. The teachers had no choice but to play along, as her results were exceptional. Who would believe that the top student was actually despicable? What else could Bai Yunshan do? She never understood how Zhao Youyue always achieved her goals, in spite of her atrocious behavior. No matter how cunning Zhao Youyue could be, she was completely sincere to Bai Yunshan as a friend. This showed in her actions. Zhao Youyue was aware that she was imperfect. Deep down in her bones, she was evil. Her wrongdoings could be published in a novel. Why would people still love her so much? Bai Yunshan was not the only person. Everyone Zhao Youyue ever knew would write her a recommendation letter if they were asked to. Perhaps, this was the effects of the legendary everybodys favorite aura that Mary Sues possessed. Of course, Mary Sues had as many haters as their fans. They believed that these creatures were frauds, and hated them. Even if they thought so, they would never let it show. Zhao Youyue booked Bai Yunshan for a date for the weekend. She called Jiang Qing over as well. After all, they were the three best friends in high school. Only Zhao Youyue could organize such a gathering. Among friends, someone had to be eager enough to ask everybody out, one by one. Without them, friendship would fade in time. It was now the fourth day of military training. The University News society began their move. Their goal was crystal clear: to interview the beautiful Zhao Youyue and spread her name across the university. The president of the University News society decided to lead the convoy himself. He had prepared a series of questions for this interview. Chapter 546 Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation The president of the Universitys News society was Cao Chuanguang. He was a rather well-known year three student. Almost everyone in the society was famous for something. As the sole management behind the universitys university, they were well-funded. However, they had no power over its contents. Student Union society made all those decisions. Cao Chuanguang called himself one of the fantastic four in Jiangnan University. He was proud of his charm and his family background. He was just like Gaston in the story of Beauty and the Beast! He did not have any past relationships in university. Perhaps he was not good at flirting, or perhaps, he was so confident about himself, he thought that girls had to do the chasing. Undoubtedly, Cao Chuanguang had his own group of secret admirers. Girls often dropped hints when speaking to him, but Cao Chuanguang never once bit. He always set his sights for a better option out there. Why would he settle down with just one, if he deserved more than one? Men would always be men. They gave an excuse for the failure of having a girlfriend by claiming that they deserved more than just one lady, stubbornly remaining in the desert that they could not see? Even after a lone cactus slams its spikes into their faces, they would still boast about the imaginary trees in their imaginary forests. Never once had Cao Chuanguang ever doubted his courting capabilities. He wanted to gather a cult following of fangirls so that he would have a variety of choices lying before him when he finally makes his selection. He would flirt with anyone who approached him C while looking for the right one. Finally, she showed up. He found her among the crowd of green uniforms. The ugly, dull uniform got in the way, yet it also enhanced her innocent, demure appearance, making her seem more obedient and cooperative than ever. Men would drop dead at her sight Cao Chuanguang had thought that the accounts of her appearance had been exaggerated. They were making her out to be a bloody angel on earth, and that was just ridiculous. Every year, people spoke of The prettiest girl on earth, and not once has Cao Chuanguang not been disappointed. A beautiful girl who poured her heart and soul into studying and learning. What era was this? Cao Chuanguang used his influence in the society to arrange an interview. After all, it was a rare opportunity to promote military training in Jiangnan Univerisity. Some of the boys in society knew what their vain president was actually up to. Men with status and influence would never run out of methods when it came to courting ladies they fancied. They would show how capable and powerful they were, just like male peacocks. The University News society was equipped with advanced tools. Cao Chuanguang brought his personal single lens reflex camera as a backup. He was confident that his creativity in photo shooting separated him from those who were merely familiar with the various functions of the camera. In every comic exhibition he went, he always took his single lens reflex camera along with him. He took photos of cosplayers that he was fond of, and even admitted his intentions of doing so: to spend one night with them. Unfortunately, he was never offered an opportunity. Was he not skilled enough at photo editing? Photo editing only needed by ugly cosplayers. Such were his thoughts, and also why cosplayers often shunned him. Without photo editing, how could the effect be anywhere like the comics? Most males who crossplayed female characters had to rely heavily on photo editing, unless they had natural talent. Cao Chuanguang assembled a few of his best members in society, and started his crusade for the girl meant for his life. Nobody else was fit to be his girlfriend other than junior Zhao Youyue. It was the time to show the world C this was the type of girl Cao Chuanguang had been looking for! As usual, men did not go after a beautiful girl because they were nice to look at. Most of the time, they wanted to earn the pride of having such a beauty walk beside them. Humans always formed relationships with ulterior motives in mind. The only sincere relationship would most probably be their first love, and nothing else. Loneliness often drove them into subsequent relationships. As they grew increasingly jealous of the lovey-dovey couples around them, they would settle for any girl who dropped the slightest flutter of a feather. Zhao Youyue was clearly different. She was content and happy to remain single. As she was so talented, she efficiently fulfilled her life with many other meaningful activities. Love is wonderful and should be taken as a blessing, but how does one tell if that love was true? Nobody could lie to themselves. Some chose to stay single until they found one, and some chose to be with someone to pass the time. Yet others refused to stay single and often made fun of the single people. In China, every celebration could be a Valentines Day. It served as an opportunity to chase away loneliness with the warmth of others body. The question then, was where are our hearts in all this? In the midst of the crowd, people often recalled the moment when their first love moved their hearts. Currently, they might have their spouses in their arms, but most of them were merely hollow shells of dolls without love. Cao Chuanguang announced the arrival of the University News team to interview Zhao Youyue. His actions sowed discord among the boys in camp. Obviously, this interview was meant for something else. These rotten seniors sure got to work in no time at all, huh. Are you trying to steal our goddess? Some of the guys moved their attention to the figure hidden in the shadow of a nearby tree. He was no other than Han Leng, the guy who excused himself from training with a medical excuse, yet always showed up in camp offered to buy drinks for Zhao Youyue. What was going on between them? Zhao Youyue clearly welcomed his services. Nevertheless, they would rather have Han Leng woe the Goddess C better him than any of these rotten seniors! Han Leng was the only one who remained calm. He knew Lady Zhao all too well. It would take a miracle for these seniors to breach Zhao Youyues heart. In this world, there is a type of girl that you should never fear cheating on you. Before she cheats on you, her heart must first be breached by someone else. She was the one who breaches hearts. It was a pity that the opposite would never be remotely possible. Chapter 547 Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation Greetings student Zhao, I am the president of University News society, Cao Chuanguang. On behalf of the university, it is my honor to interview you. What do you think about military training? Cao Chuanguang rolled the ball deftly. He may have decided to court Zhao Youyue, but he took things slow. The game has to start off with a proper introduction and casual conversation. He had to do it right. No matter what happens, it was the utmost priority to get close with Zhao Youyue. That would almost guarantee her contact number in return. Zhao Youyue had been through countless interviews. This president of University New society was a fool to ask such a stiff question. Military training was completely pointless, but Zhao Youyue had to take the popular answer, I think military training is good. It instills discipline. It is necessary, and I enjoyed my training. I will do my best. What a wonderful speech from student Zhao. According to our research, you have been crowned as Goddess of the Military Training. What do you think about this? Cao Chuanguang praised Zhao Youyue, hoped to leave a good impression. Zhao Youyue knew what flattery was at first glance. Only Su Li was good enough to please Zhao Youyue with words. It was not just soft words for the ears, only smart people like Zhao Youyue would understand the praises and be happy about it. This president was not even trying hard. Why would such a lame question be asked by school officials? It was an expected chain of events. She was so popular on the internet, the seniors have now discovered her. Was it all juniors who never surfed the internet in their lives? Yes, she WAS popular in the past. Her livestream and weibo both went dark for a period of time, and people soon forgot her. She never made any appearances on the internet, people only remembered her as a beautiful, talented girl. Another factor affected Ah Yu. The Douyu number one male broadcaster had been eliminated from broadcasting industry for some reason. As its reputation took a fall, Douyu lost a great deal of viewers. Most of them switched to another platform that was known for broadcasting live hacks As Douyu went into obscurity, so did Ah Yu. That mattered little to Ah Yu. It was just a past time, it was not even a part-time job. Zhao Youyue was used to nicknames. Everybody could be crowned as goddess these days. Why should she feel proud just because of a title like, Goddess of the Military Training? She did not speak out her mind, My fellow students are just being generous. I am just an ordinary girl who followed the instruction of instructors in training. Please stop calling me by that name. There are better soldiers out there. Members of University News society were impressed by her humility. Most beautiful ladies often bragged about how pretty and different they were, compared to other female beings. They thought that the world was theirs, and people would fight on their behalves like slaves and servants. Cao Chuanguang had not expected this junior to act in such a manner. He thought that he could get into her head that way. Once she took the bait, it would not be hard to have her act as his girlfriend. Cao Chuanguang resumed the interview with meaningless questions. If he had not announced that it was an interview, onlookers might have suspected this to be nothing more than idle chatter. There was no sense of professionalism in those questions. Zhao Youyue did not mind it. In fact, she was bored with the military training after the first few days. She was not afraid of getting tired, nor was she afraid of getting dark under the sun. Every day, she had to repeat the same thing over and over again. Now, this interview served as an opportunity to slack from her repetitive routine. Of course, she would make use of it. Zhao Youyue replied those trash questions with equally pointless answers. Those questions were merely a probe to test her character. She cluelessly played along, just like Ma Huateng.[1] Ma Huatengs gag was made after his answer in an interview regarding his involvement in King of Glory. He could have just said yes or no. Instead, he went for more than ten minutes. Finally, Cao Chuanguang could not hold it back and asked Zhao Youyue if she had ever thought of a romantic relationship in university. He made it sounded like a joke, emphasizing that it was a curious question among other students. Zhao Youyue could have refused by saying that she did not want to talk about it. However, she chose to brag about it. Thats a very good question, I would like to know about it as well. In my high school, there were always rumors about who and who were together, or who stayed single. Once there are fresh news and rumors, I would be the first to know about it its more like a habit of mine. It took Zhao Youyue three minutes to brag about how much of a busybody she was. Of course, this wasnt true. She barely remembered the names of her classmates. Yet there she was, somehow reminiscing about something. The news team was left speechless. They always say that if we do not experience a drama-filled romance in our university life, it is considered as wasting our time in university. There must be a reason behind this, since most people agree with it. However, how many of us could actually do that? I mean, everybody knows that academic results are the most important thing that we should be concerned about in university. If we indulge in relationships and romances, it would affect our academic performance. Therefore The more she bragged, the more holes opened up. Zhao Youyue enjoyed herself at that moment. Han Leng appeared out of nowhere with a smile. Nobody knew when he had started to watch this interview with the crowd. He knew that Lady Zhao was aware of this senior intention and would play along with it. The scariest part was the president did not know that he had turned into her plaything at that moment. Translation Note: [1] Ma Huateng (Chinese: ; pinyin: M Hutng, born on October 29, 1971), also known as Pony Ma,[2] is a Chinese business magnate, investor, philanthropist, engineer, internet and technology entrepreneur. He is the founder, chairman and chief executive officer of Tencent, Asias most valuable company, one of the largest Internet and technology companies, and the biggest investment, gaming and entertainment conglomerate in the world. Chapter 548 Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation Han Leng was a tsundere. He often told himself that he could not care less about whether Lady Zhao got into a relationship with other guys. If Lady Zhao could bid farewell to her single status, he would finally be free. However, after he discovered a certain seniors intentions of pursuing Lady Zhao, only then did he realize that he actually cared very much about her still. Humans are like so. They are never rational, never logical. However, after Han Leng silently listened to Lady Zhaos response, he became relieved. He scolded himself in his heart. Why did he not have any self-control As Lady Zhao made a mockery out of the question, Han Leng found himself more entranced than ever. He knew that if he did the same thing, he would be shot down like this too. Cao Chuanguang did not seem to notice the grave he was digging for himself. He was reading the situation in a non-existent light. To him, Zhao Youyue was earnestly answering all of his questions in detail. It was a sign that she liked him, that she was comfortable to open up to him. Exhilarated, he could not help but offer an invitation to Zhao Youyue and said, Why dont we have lunch together at the Newspaper Club. I could show you about as I am very familiar with the surroundings of Jiangnan University. Cao Chuanguang was quick-witted. He had worded things in a way that suggested lunch meant eating with the entire Newspaper Club. In reality, he was only doing this to lower Zhao Yuoyues guard. Obviously, he would be the only person going out on a date at that time. Would his club members dare to wreck the club presidents plan of hanging out with a girl? Zhao Youyue grinned silently. How kind of him indeed! she thought. Unfortunately, I am very familiar with the surroundings of Jiangnan University. I have no idea how many times Ive had to tag along as my stupid mom tried to show her workplace off to me Obviously, Zhao Youyue did not say this. She had to find a way to tactfully reject him. She could not help but think about Bai Yunshan and thought about going out for lunch with her. Unfortunately, Bai Yunshan was not studying at Jiangnan University. She did study in Jiangnan City, which meant that they could only meet during the weekends. I already have plans tonight, Zhao Youyue said, almost casually. Cao Chuanguang knew that it was an excuse. He did not even think that he was too eager or impatient. On the contrary, he wasnt pushing her hard enough. How could someone be afraid of rejection when picking up a girl? He must press on! Oh? Who is it, huh? A very good friend of mine from high school. That person must be a girl. Come on, invite her too! The more, the merrier! Cao Chuanguang did not drop a beat. Zhao Youyues smile finally faded. What kind of President of a Newspaper Club would be so ignorant? Does this guy even know how to talk to a girl? She was going to meet her close friend, but this stranger had the gall to invite himself? Zhao Youyue had been neutral about Cao Chuanguang. She had seen through his ulterior motives, but far too many boys had already shown their interest in here. Only weird talented authors like Han Leng and Du Hang could remain unmoved. They probably loved their own creations more than actual three-dimensional girls. Naturally, Zhao Youyue was quite skilled at dealing with these suitors. Basically, she could ward them off, without embarrassing or offending them. She had never met such a stubborn bull, not during her high school days. She did not expect to bump into one, right here. Congratulations, Cao Chuanguang you have earned the Ladys ire. She happened to glance at Han Leng who was staring blankly at them, as if he was trying to hide a smile. She then said, My friend is not a girl C hes a guy. While Zhao Youyue said that, she made sure to show a remorseful, shy expression. She looked like a girl who was in love. Of course, that was just an act. Cao Chuanguang was disheartened. A male high school friend? If that was true, this had to be more than a regular friendship, right? Cao Chuanguang could not believe this brutal truth. He blurted out, That is impossible. That has to be an excuse! Han Leng sensed danger coming and quickly turned to leave. It was too late. Lady Zhaos finger was already directed at him. He felt like a dog being tugged by a leash. Softly, gently, she said, Of course its not an excuse. Han Leng is my high school friend. Yea, its Han Leng, possibly the most popular freshman of the year. He is my friend, and I am his most loyal fan! He was the one who invited me. I could not reject my idol at all C I worship him so much. Han Leng froze, a chill running down his core. He was shocked. Bloody shameless Lady! That was one of the most elaborately crafted excuses ever! She sure works light on her feet! Loyal fan? Worshipped idol? Is that why you forced me to cross-dress? Are you that sort of fanatical fan who would sacrifice your idol to the Gods! Han Leng started fuming and silently cursed Lady Zhao. Even so, the facts could not be denied. Zhao Youyue had indeed spent quite some money on Han Leng. If Han Leng had continued writing web novels, who knows, Lady Zhao could even be his Golden Sect Master for fun. It would be just like how she held Su Li up. Lady Youyue was a rather big name in that industry. Many Qidian readers had even teased her, asking if she had a nouveau riche [1] system. She would fulfill quotas every single day C achieving a Silver Sect Master status was as easy as eating and drinking water. A Golden Sect Master status would not be any more difficult. It only lay in her decision of doing so. Youyues identity had never been revealed. They could not associate her with Ah Yu at all. The web novel circle is just a small circle. Only experienced authors and readers would know about her, but the vast majority of web novel readers who did not pay any attention to the fan rankings, comments section or readers group would not even know who she was. They might even think that she was a marketing stunt. If not, which tycoon would actually spend tens of thousands for a tip? Come on, stop joking! It was the time to use the sentence, poverty had limited their imagination. As Han Leng continued cursing silently, his body could not help but walk towards Zhao Youyue. He had a cold expression on his face which made him look just like an idol. Then, he faintly said, Thats right, she already has a date. Cao Chuanguang then saw that Han Leng was also wearing the military training uniform, and could not help but say bitterly, Arent you supposed to be in training? I am sick, Han Leng shot back, his face cold and aloof as ever. At least act like youre sick! Cao Chuanguang thought about Han Lengs reputation and status and shuddered. He coughed dryly and decided to retreat first. His mind started to work on smearing Han Lengs reputation. Even Zhao Youyue had been driven out of his mind. He had transferred all of his attention, his hatred towards Han Leng Translation note: [1] nouveau rich () are people who have recently acquired wealth, typically those perceived as ostentatious or lacking in good taste. Chapter 549 Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation Luckily, Cao Chuanguang had not interviewed Zhao Youyue within her companys sights[1]. If not students would have been treated to a huge scene. Enough rumors were going about already, as things were. Han Leng had spoiled his plans. Cao Chuanguang chose to retreat for now, but there was no way that he would just give up like that. His determination should never be underestimated After Cao Chuanguang left, Han Leng finally let out a sigh. He whined to Zhao Youyue, Lady Zhao, wasnt it too much for you to cheat him like that? Zhao Youyue looked as if she did not see any cheats happening. She laughed, What I said was all the truth. I will treat you to dinner, Great Scholar Han. It was the same old commanding tone. It was as if her invitation for dinner was the reward for his excellent performance. Like how Zhao Youyue discovered Su Lis usefulness in a particular area, she too discovered Han Lengs usefulness. No, thank you. It would be a waste of time to eat with someone like you. Who knows, I might be dragged along for a shopping spree after that. I would die of exhaustion, Han Leng rejected decisively. That was a lie. He was very comfortable being Lady Zhaos servant whenever he was with her. He was not afraid of being exhausted. Rather, he was happy to serve her. However, he had heard that Lady Zhao had her own plans already, and it was with some beautiful chick. He should be self-conscious about himself and should not disturb her plans Knowing Zhao Youyue, if she truly wanted him to come over for dinner, she might as well issue an imperial edict. Alright, next time then. I will call Bai Yunshan first, Zhao Youyue transitioned smoothly. Zhao Youyue was comfortable around Han Leng, only because she was certain that he did not like her at all C and that he had no intentions of being eagerly attentive around her. This even led to Zhao Youyue forgetting Han Lengs gender sometimes. She would treat him as a female friend, like Bai Yunshan. After hearing the name Bai Yunshan, Han Leng said in his heart, as expected. The same, few beautiful girls who were in Lady Zhaos inner circle. After that, Zhao Youyue returned to her own company and continued the military training. She retained a look of diligence. No one could see any traces of her being irritated or lazy. Instructor Ma saw this, and increased his evaluation of her behavior even more. This girl was worthy of the position C military trainings pacemaker. That night, Zhao Youyue spent quality time with Bai Yunshan. They had dinner at the business district close to Bai Yunshans university. It would be convenient, for she needed to return to her dorm promptly. Bai Yunshan rejected Zhao Youyues idea of sleeping over at her place. That would be an awkward occasion of meeting Zhao Youyues parents That would not be right. As a student who abided by the school rules, she would never bypass curfews and sleep outside. The Student Council Body would inspect the dorms once in a while. If they found out that someone had stayed overnight outside the dorm, they would slam demerit points on you! There would be no hope of getting the military training pacemaker position. Bai Yunshan was a very consistent student and was even more upright as a person. She was not like Zhao Youyue, the two-faced bum. She may have started off low-key, but grew increasingly arrogant and headstrong. At that time, she felt that she had farmed enough favorability points from others and was the perfect student. It gave her the right to do as she pleased Naturally, Zhao Youyue chose to ridicule her senior, Cao Chuanguang, as they ate. Then, she lamented about guys in university being so thirsty. She also gossiped excitedly, inquiring if Bai Yunshan had set her eyes on any particular males. Bai Yunshan refused decisively. She was not in the mood to get into a relationship with someone. A university was an educational establishment. At the same time, she did not see any point in love. Being in a relationship is just like finding someone to eat with, go shopping together or watch a movie with. I have you already, why should I find someone else? Bai Yunshan analyzed rationally. When Zhao Youyue heard that, she moved beside Bai Yunshan immediately. She hugged her best friend and stroked her intimately. It was rather unfortunate. Bai Yunshan was very flat and could not be compared with Angel Jiang Qings lethal pair of weapons Alright, thats it. You should stop behaving like a child, Zhao Youyue. I dont know what to do with you! Bai Yunshan struggled verbally and allowed her only best friend to do whatever she pleased. Sometimes, Bai Yunshan thought that she was an incredible person. She was clearly someone who could not tolerate others and was always harsh to other people, which was why no one wanted to be her friend. Why was she so comfortable around Zhao Youyue? There were times when she actually felt Zhao Youyues kindness and goodwill. At the same time, she knew that if she ever placed strict demands on Zhao Youyue, the lady would meet them all without breaking a sweat. She did not want to admit that there were geniuses in this world, but she could not deny it, not when Zhao Youyue was in her face. After dinner, Bai Yunshan earnestly went back to her dorm. At the same time, she urged Zhao Youyue to return to her own. Things would be quite troublesome if her student council ever discovered that she was not sleeping in her dorm. For this reason, Bai Yunshan even made a special mention about the Student Council. However, Zhao Youyue suddenly cut her off, You mean, if I could join the Student Council and become the big boss in there, I would have special privileges? What kind of crooked ideas are you plotting again? You were the same way during high school I understand now! You never once joined the Student Council in high school, only because they did not have many privileges! Youre right. Why should I join if there are no special privileges or any feelings of superiority? Should I serve the people, just because I hold a position there? Zhao Youyue, there is something wrong with your head. Thats how the world works. Ah, how did I become friends with you! Your world, my world theyre polar opposites. We are enemies! Why dont you join the Student Council as well? You should smash my evil schemes and prevent someone like me from using evil forces to rule over the Student Council. Bai Yunshan actually paused and through it over. She was currently at a loss over her selection of clubs. Now that Zhao Youyue the scoundrel was going to the Student Council and stir up trouble, she felt that she could not allow Zhao Youyues conniving ways to go on Zhao Youyues worldview needed to be corrected, but her abilities were downright terrifying. A righteous person like Bai Yunshan was needed to control that kind of evil forces, and point Zhao Youyue in the right path. Zhao Youyue smiled faintly and felt that she had just placed down a chess piece in the Student Council. She was prepared to go back and find out more about this extremely powerful organization in university. She even considered creating a powerful, domineering Student Council President character with the Two Dimensional Gate Translation note: [1] company () is a military unit, typically consisting of 80C150 soldiers and usually commanded by a major or a captain. Chapter 550 Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation Iconic Student Council Presidents flashed through Zhao Youyues mind. Most of them had been females. Look at Student Council Presidents like Katsura Hinagiku [1], Misaki Usui [2], Tomoyo Sakagami [3], and Medaka Kurokami. [4] They were all super popular and adored. At the same time, their abilities were terrifying, almost to the point of reality-altering. She recalled one male Student Council President in particular from Classroom of the Elite [5]. He was a big-shot character as well. Well, there was no need for a Student Council President character card for now. After all, if she wanted to be a Student Council President, she had to use some special tricks, or be a junior student first. Who knows, she might be kicked out just after one term. It could not be helped, too many people were after this position, as it actually possessed actual power! A term of the Student Councils President position spanned over only half a semester. Those who could participate in the elections would need to be a department head in the Student Council. If they wanted to be successful in the election, then no doubt, they would have to create their own election campaign team. If not, they would stand alone, even after being elected. Wouldnt this be like a one-man army? Zhao Youyue intently studied the organizational structure of Jiangnan Universitys Student Council after she got back home. She was even prepared to collect the resumes of the past Student Council Presidents. She had set her heart on using her evil will to influence the Student Council. The more she discovered about Jiangnan Universitys Student Council, the more she understood how much power it actually had! The Student Council President could stay past curfew? That was not a problem at all! The Student Council President would have to deal with all kinds of problem every day, and would even have to fight and scheme against those evil adults at night. Staying out at night was proof of the Student Council Presidents greatness! However, Zhao Youyue wanted to ridicule the system. Why not change the Student Council Presidents election into something like a Presidential election? Furthermore, wasnt one term too short, if it was only half a semester? Its as if youve just finished your song on stage, and someone else is already waiting for his turn[6]. Are there even any handover processes? As Zhao Youyue studied the resumes of past Student Council Presidents, she discovered that one had actually held power for 3 terms straight. Being the President for half a semester would be a sorry state. They could not even be the Student Council President for an entire school year. What meaning was there in this title? You might as well go back home and rear pigs! Zhao Youyue liked doing the impossible. The euphoric success and triumph that followed would be intoxicating. Something told her that the Student Council Presidents throne was already hers. This way, she could raise No, thats not right. She could exercise her authority over others. She could show them the way. This was what a responsible ruler did with power! Zhao Youyue even considered becoming a corrupt official. It was just like how she witnessed her own father playing Zhuge Liang in the Romance of the Three Kingdoms XIII. He had even come up with ideas like one-person Northern Expeditions. First, Zhao Youyues father had Zhuge Liang resign from his position as the Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Shu. Then, he became a merchant in the villages. After he earned quite some money, he would seek refuge in the Kingdom of Wei. He would later get promoted to high-ranking positions in the Kingdom of Wei and control the treasury. Then, he would embezzle money meant for the military of the Kingdom of Zhao, and even transfer the troops to the border. Finally, he would align himself with Sima Yi and turn him to his side. He would then recommend Sima Yi to the Kingdom of Shu. Just like that, he would remove all of the high-ranking officials and generals from the Kingdom of Wei, and finally revive the Han Dynasty! Zhao Youyue had laughed hysterically throughout the playthrough. Her father was truly something! Unfortunately, that was just a game. If not, it would have been impossible to be successful in a one-man Northern Expedition. Nevertheless, a doting daughter had learned much from her father. She was self-taught in concepts like the Thick Black Theory [7]. Becoming a Student Council President might even help expand her company. She could even learn about how money and power got involved in transactions within officialdoms! As long as she could perform her duties until the entire university was satisfied, she could retain her position indefinitely. However, she now had a big question to solve. How was she going to get elected quickly? She had gone through the resumes of all past Presidents of the Student Council and discovered that one of the earliest Presidents got successfully elected when he was a sophomore. However, the sad part was, he was kicked out just after one term in the position. The reason was simple. Those experienced seniors in the Student Council never once obeyed him. At the same time, he did not have his own grassroots. In the end, he accomplished nothing in his term. Not only was the school unsatisfied, the entire student body was dissatisfied. How did he even get elected? Well, he was somewhat lucky. He was rather popular online and became viral from creating game walkthrough videos. Coincidentally, he somehow became the Assistant Department Head of the Student Council Publicity Department. He then had a bright idea about using his identity to run for elections. Originally, he only wanted to try things out casually. After campaigning with his game walkthrough videos, he did not expect to find so many of his fans in the university At the same time, few had expected a sophomore to contest in the election for the Student Council President. Since he would not win anyway, theres no harm throwing a few votes his way, right? His campaign slogan was to develop the e-sports community in the university and allow everyone to game happily. This struck the G-spot of some guys. Therefore, otakus who were normally too lazy to vote actually went out in droves and blew up the ballot boxes. Therefore, the election story happened just like that. Unfortunately, this miracle only lasted for half a semester. Even so, Zhao Youyue was greatly inspired by the chain of events! The first thing to be made clear was that the Student Council President would be the core leader of the Student Council. There would be a Vice President to aid him. There were also several administrative departments in the Student Council. It would typically be comprised of the Office of the Secretary (the Secretariat), the Class Relations Department (Class Member Relations Department), Publicity Department, Organizations Department, Learning Department, Social Practice Department, Sports Department, Arts Department, Student Life Department, Disciplinary Department (Disciplinary Inspection Department), Dormitory Supervisor Department (Male Department of Internal Affairs and Female Administrative Department), Public Relations Department (Publicity Department), Clubs and Associations Department, and the Technology Department. Each department would be led by a Department Head, two Assistant Department Heads, one Department Secretary, and several Officers. Students who were eligible to run for the Student Council President election would have at least be an Assistant Department Head. In reality, other than that lucky guy, no Assistant Department Head would dare run for the Student Council President election. There was simply no meaning in it. A majority of those who would seriously run for elections were Department Heads. They would usually be Department Heads of powerful departments like the Public Relations Department or the Clubs and Associations Department. Department Heads of those small departments would not even dare to think about running. Other departments even had a lack of funding and would sometimes be treated as if they were invisible. Zhao Youyue saw her point of entry! After all, side characters easily rose to renown in peace and silence, blindsiding the big dogs. Assembling the members of the department could be done in silence as well, there would be little to no voluntary applications Translation note: [1] Katsura Hinagiku () is a character in the Anime Hayate no Gotoku!. She is an all-rounder student and the current student council president of Hakuo Academy. [2] Misaki Usui (D) is a character in the Anime Kaichou Wa Maid-Sama!. She was known as the Demon President as the former Student Council President of Seika High School. [3] Tomoyo Sakagami (Ǵ) is a character in the Anime Clannad. She is the Student Council President of Hikarizaka Private High School. [4] Medaka Kurokami (Ŀ) is the female protagonist of the series Medaka Box. A freshman of Class 13, she was the 98th and later 99th Student Council president of Hakoniwa Academy. [5] Classroom of the Elite (ӭʵ) is an Anime series. [6] It is as if you have just finished singing and I am already on the stage waiting for my turn (㷽ҷdz) is an idiom generally used to describe constant power changes. [7] Thick Black Theory () is a philosophical treatise written by Li Zongwu (), a disgruntled politician and scholar born at the end of Qing dynasty. The Thick Black Theory describes the ruthless and hypocritical means men use to obtain and hold power. Chapter 551 Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation Zhao Youyue had even consulted her stupid mom regarding the Student Council matters. She did not even attempt to conceal her own wild ambitions. Wang Hua was the Assistant Dean of the Literature Department C an extremely important figure in Jiangnan University. Zhao Youyue would not have to worry about failing a subject. With her study skills, it was practically impossible to fail any subjects. Such students were not altogether uncommon in the world. They would not just be working hard in their studies, they would also be working hard on improving their interpersonal relationships. This way, the idiom, When difficulties arise in one place, aid pours in from everywhere could be applied to their exams. Even if their abysmal scores were impossible to justify C they could choose to contact their lecturers and send them some gifts. They would beg, clawing the earth for the borderline sixty marks. As long as the lecturer had a heart made of softer materials than stone, any lecturer would help out. Of course, this was only a possibility, provided that the student was in a good relationship with the lecturer. If not, the lecturer would not even spare the gift a second glance. Afterall, no student would throw gifts to their lecturers unconditionally. Even then, such students were highly sparse. Even if many students knew of the benefits they could earn from bootlicking their lecturers, a majority of them would not do it. Firstly, their hides were not that thick. Secondly, they were too lazy. Gaming in their dormitories was a better use of their time. Lazy university students would sleep on the teachers desk if provided the opportunity. But there would be varying degrees of laziness. One type would be failing subjects to the left and right, while the other would always graze through with borderline scores. Both types of lazy students would retort with the identical C Study? Whats the use of that! However, the end result would be completely different. Unsurprisingly, Wang Hua was a highly popular goddess professor at Jiangnan University. Some otaku fanboys would even confess to her, Mrs, I I like you. Her failure rate was also practically non-existent. After all, literature was a ridiculously simple subject. Write some bullshit, fill your paper with ink; who is to stop you from passing? Pure literature carried no truth of its own. People could interpret and fabricate their own truths from any angle possible. The two of you would see the same object, but your mind would cast a different light on it, and a different shadow would be produced. It was nothing like those science-based examinations. You can only be wrong, or right C it was binary. This was why science majors failed most of the time Wang Hua was an awful writer, but a semi-decent lecturer. She was knowledgeable and had the most creative methods of getting her points across. Most importantly, she was beautiful. After all that, it would be very odd to be unpopular! Being the daughter of her stupid mom was a trump card in itself. If used at a crucial juncture, it would be a game-changer C especially during the election However, there was a need for her to hide her identity for now. Showing her hand too early would only turn her into a half-wit. Lazy egg, are you serious? Wang Hua finally noticed something. She had always been slow to the uptake, but she would eventually get there, regardless. While peeling an apple for her daughter, she peered over her shoulder and saw her daughter researching the previous Student Council Presidents. Even that wealth of information had failed to satisfy her little sloth, and that sloth was actually probing her for even more details Wang Hua initially thought that her daughter was just caught up in the heat of the moment. As things were right now, her daughter had clearly set her heart on it. That scheming, devious little sloth Of course I am serious. I did not know that university-level Student Councils would be this awesome. Zhao Youyue, said sounding hurt. Her mother was always underestimating her. I think youre overestimating them. Even if the Student Council President position is as powerful as youre making it out to be, nobody could remain there for long. Its precisely because of that brief candle, that the officials have no qualms giving them that much power. Theyre counting on that short career to restrict what the Student Council President could do, Wang Hua went on, The Studen Council President is almost always a junior student. Retaining power for a single semester would already be nothing short of a miracle. So what if you burn brightly if its too brief for anyone to take notice? Its an illusion of real power. Well, let me ask you a question. If a person becomes the Student Council President, could they abolish any clubs or associations at their own discretion? For example, the Newspaper Club or something like that, hehe Zhao Youyue seemed to just breeze over that clubs name, using it as an example. Only in theory, but no Student Council President would abuse their powers like that. The most they could do is choke their fundings out The Newspaper Club is a major club. They work closely with the Student Councils Publicity Department. The President of the Newspaper club could even use this as a springboard to directly join the Student Council, conveniently becoming the Assistant Department Head of the Publicity Department. All things said, no Student Council President would mess around with the Newspaper Club. It almost has the Student Council at its mercy. If anything, they would only increase their funds. After all, the school newspaper and magazine, Jiangnan Style, is highly popular among the students. It is even circulated in other Jiangnan Province universities. Can you imagine how much backing the Newspaper Club has? Wang Hua explained in detail. She was on rather good terms with the Newspaper Club. At times, the magazine would invite Wang Hua C the popular pure literature author to contribute to the magazine. The payment would something like RMB 2000 for one thousand words. This classified them as nothing more than short stories. The editors of the school-run magazine had never actually considered asking her for full-length novels. Wang Hua could see through their intentions like clear glass. They were simply expressing their goodwill to her, giving her face Tsk. Looks like the Newspaper Club is pretty impressive. No wonder Zhao Youyues smile only grew. She had initially wanted to become the Student Council President, earning its special privileges and the power to do whatever she desired. Then she would kill off a particularly narcissistic senior. Now that she had learned more about the situation, it would not be as easy as she thought. But this was the exhilarating challenge she lacked in life, right? Wait a minute. Mom, you said that the Newspaper Club President could join the Student Councils Publicity Department in some way and become its Assistant Head Department? Does this mean that as long as you are the President of a Club, you could become an Assistant Department Head of a department in the Student Council? Doesnt this immediately make that person eligible to run for the Student Council President election? Zhao Youyue asked, as if she had seen a new light. Wang Hua opened her mouth to deny it. She haltingly changed her mind, settling for a nod instead. Well, heres how things work. In theory, a President of a Club is equivalent to an Assistant Department Head of a Student Council. But we only see that in clubs that the Student Council keeps close to its heart. What chances would Presidents of tiny clubs have? Furthermore, many Department Secretaries and Officials would have their eyes on the Assistant Department Head position. That particular clubs President has to be well-liked and highly capable in order to heads and shoulders above his counterparts and be picked for the position. Wang Huas remarks had made it clear to her lazy egg C life had no simple shortcuts. The Student Council valued experience above all else. She should join the Student Council and start on the first rung. This was the Kingly way [1]! However, Zhao Youyue was not Bai Yunshan. She had no respect for law and order. Translation note: [1] Kingly way () refers to the pathway of a King. It means choosing the correct procedures and methods. Chapter 552 Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation The Kingly way was, of course, respectable, upright, and excellent. It might even be the most foolproof route. Many capable and ambitious university freshmen had relied on this pathway, first joining a popular department that had a good standing in the Student Council. While several departments were financially sound, one of the most outstanding departments would be the Disciplinary Department. They would start off as lackeys, performing typical errands like dormitory inspections. The best scenario would be a promotion in just a semester. They could work harder in the next semester, possibly even getting promoted to a Secretariat position. Getting promoted to Assistant Department Head as a sophomore was most likely the threshold. Most students might remain as Assistant Department Heads for their entire four years in university. Otherwise, they could technically promote themselves by stepping down as Assistant Department Head of a powerful department in exchange for the Department Head position of unpopular, poorly funded departments. Not many Assistant Department Heads would take this path. They would rather stay on as the Assistant Department Head of a respectable department. Going to an unpopular department was like being kicked upstairs [1], leaving their positions for the taking of others. Being an Assistant Department Head of a powerful department was impressive enough. Take a look at the Disciplinary Department. You could help your junior deal with anyone they want, isnt it beautiful? Sensible students knew that they had to take the initiative and shower the Disciplinary Department with gifts, especially if they could not afford to be checked on. Without treating their comrades from their Disciplinary Department to scrumptious meals, would they still have a right to weave around the rules? The Department Head of the Disciplinary Department would be occupied with more significant things in mind like C Campaigning for the Student Council President election, for one! Even if the Department Head knew that being a Student Council President would only amount to a short moment of elation, it would be enough of an accomplishment. Whenever a Student Council meeting was held, they often got the witness the Student Council President eloquently getting his points across while controlling the movement of fundings in colossal volumes. They could even use their identity as Jiangnan Universitys Student Council President to participate in all sorts of activities and exchange blows with Student Council Presidents from other top universities. How fun was that? This was the taste of power, as short-lived as it was. Further, as Jiangnan University was the big brother of Jiangnan Province, Jiangnan Universitys Student Council President was more or less the Sect Master as they co-organized activities like School Carnivals and Cultural Festivals in conjunction with other universities. They even had some power over the affairs of other top universities. Quite a ridiculously dominant position, wasnt it? The moment they got into the Student Council, their mind would be lost on the thought of sitting at the head of the table in the luxurious meeting room. They could exercise its authority to the fullest while overlooking the entire university. At that moment, they would be the center of the entire university. It wouldnt take long for reality to smack them in the face. Only experts, prodigies, or cheaters would seize the throne effectively. An example of such a person was Huang Zongchao, the elite scholar of Zhao Youyues high school. He had applied for an early decision [2] and was promptly accepted by the Tokyo Metropolitan University. Knowing him, it would be no surprise if he immediately started vying for a spot in the Student Council President of the Tokyo Metropolitan University. Of course, that was a tall order. Tokyo Metropolitan University would, of course, be occupied by several Tokyo natives. Huang Zongchao, a hardworking genius elite scholar from a small town would have a lot of ground to cover. Experts belonged to a category of their own. Students from prominent families would be another, and they had their own methods. They would throw money into the Student Council and get the ball running for the most extravagant of events and activities. This would garner support from more clubs and keep their ratings up. So what if their capabilities were mediocre? Money was the key to everything! Some past Student Council Presidents of Jiangnan University had once used such methods to satisfy their cravings. With this experience below their belts, they quickly found a path into officialdom after graduating from university, rising up the ranks at lightning speed. You could be set for life! Which big company would not hunt for a past Student Council President from Jiangnan University? The companys senior management considered someone who had fought through a most arduous gauntlet and finally sat on the throne to be exceptional. Student Council Presidents who seemed mediocre also had their own forte. Perhaps they were rich, or they had powerful families. If the Student Council President had neither of the two and was just as mediocre, it only meant that they had a way with people. It was brilliant leadership in play Student Council Presidents in this world had so many perks, powers, and promising futures. What of Chinese Student Council Presidents from the other world? The heck are those? The students might never even learn the name of the reigning Student Council President during the time. One did gain online notoriety by cheating with someone elses girlfriend Would the Student Council President of this world lack any chicks? Of course not. He would definitely be the winner in life. The power in his hands had enough charm to make any girls fall in love with him! Of course, the President must cherish his own reputation and act appropriately, if he wanted to remain on his seat for more than half a semester. If their competitors ever dig out an ugly past, the school would learn of it in no time, and that was it. Becoming a garbage stud when elected as President. Hurry up and resign. Do not make a fool of yourself in front of others. Zhao Youyue fully understood the Kingly way, but she also fully understood that it did not suit her. Walking down such a path would only earn her the Student Council President when she is in her junior year. That was slow, way too slow! Being elected as a sophomore was almost out of the question. She should be the Student Council President as a freshman, and then be re-elected as many times as necessary until she graduated! If anyone gained access to such thoughts, she would be treated like a delusional idiot. Zhao Youyue did not find the idea remotely far-fetched. The other world had Donald Trump. Everyone thought that he was in it for a prank, and to split the existing votes. How the heck did he end up winning the entire thing? That only goes to show that factors like qualifications, track records, they were all a lie. They only deceived the masses below into working their souls off for a cause they were shown. The Student Council President would be elected by the majority decision of the entire student body. Those who were eligible to run for elections had to at least be an Assistant Department Head in a Student Council department. It was, simple, right? First, Zhao Youyue had to be an Assistant Department Head of any department in the Student Council. It would not matter, even if the department was meager and neglected. She just needed the Assistant Department Head title. She wanted to make herself known to the entire student body and smother them with her presence. A Student Council President had to be a heroine! That would be the time to shed her side character wrappings! Many members of the Student Council were bound by things known as conventions and unspoken rules. They insisted that only Department Heads from powerful departments were qualified to run for elections. An Assistant Department Head running for the election was only asking for abuse. Moreover, they most certainly lacked the experience to hold any sway over the masses That was not a problem for Zhao Youyue. If she could not convince the masses, she simply had to sack the ones who stuck out. The majority would most certainly bow to her. The more pertinent issue now was becoming an Assistant Department Head, which was no easy task in itself. And so, Zhao Youyue decided to start a club of her own and claim be her own President. That was enough to put her in the running for a spot in the Student Council! Translation note: [1] Kicked upstairs () means to promote someone to a higher rank or position, especially one that carries less power. [2] Early decision (ǰ¼ȡ) is a common policy used in college admissions for admitting freshmen to undergraduate programs. It is used to indicate to the university or college that the candidate considers that institution to be his or her top choice. Chapter 553 Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation The last thing regular freshmen dared to do was to establish a group of their own in a hostile, established world. Why look for trouble when you could live your days out peacefully, and without incident? Even if they wanted to join a club, they had better find something suitable and safe. Everything had an opposite, and these obedient slaves had theirs. Those individuals believed that joining clubs was a waste of time, they could get their daily fixes from gaming. Their dorm rooms would be their refuge, their bunkers. Societies were not lacking in terms of variety, whether it was music, literature or dancing. There were so many types of music that there would be more than one society of it. Genre aside, their founders most likely had differing ideals like those who had the passion but lacked the talent, such as plump Ning Xia C Du Hangs classmate. With so many established societies around, there was no point in creating a new, redundant group. Even if your application gets approved, no one would really take notice. Those who actually dedicated themselves to club activities were rarities. Why else would clubs work so hard trying to recruit new leaves at the start of the year? Zhao Youyue quickly ran into another wall. She lacked charisma and the necessary connections. A society needed at least 5 members and 1 teacher advisor to be formed, even if the teacher advisor was just there for show. Finding a teacher advisor should not be too much of a problem. Zhao Youyue would always have someone for that role, her mom. As for her members, theres always Han Leng. She need not even gain his consent. Bai Yunshan was supposed to be available, but knowing her, she would definitely join the student council. That might be troublesome. Zhao Youyue did not want to blindly drag any random person into this society either. This random society was nothing more than her ticket to the student council. Of course, she would want to drag her members in tow wherever she went, this case being the student council. He Weiwei was a fine candidate, as the enterprising lady had already established several connections during the first few days of school. Of course, this only worked if He Weiwei had not yet already decided a society for herself. Even if He Weiwei and Han Leng were no longer variables, she still lacked two. There was no choice. It was time to call for military support. The Military Training was still going on as usual. All new leaves only had one mission, to memorize the school rules. They would be tested in the form of a written examination. Failing this examination meant a cumbersome, unnecessary retaking. It utterly deserved the groans and whining that it elicited. The daily morning exercises were tiring enough, but now, these pesky rules had come to plague their minds. Was this all to prevent them from rebelling against the human race? It was already hot enough. But the merciless Heavens still refused to side with humans, watering the world with intense sunlight every day. It was already September, but the Heavens were still living in the heat haze of July. Most students had their skins roasted to perfection, except for Zhao Youyue who seemed to be the sole child of Heaven. The girls who flocked around Zhao Youyue increased without her noticing, especially during recess time. Classmates from different dorms would come over at random to peek spy on her. Some were direct enough to ask her for secrets on maintaining her snow white, smooth skin during such weather. Some were polite, some acted like the bad cop in an interrogation, making it seem like Zhao Youyue was keeping something from them. This was all due to the differences in physique! This small fuss aside, Zhao Youyue would return to her home every single day, where all manner of supplements and skin care products lined themselves up on shelves, including products like face masks and the like. How could this compare to regular dormitory dwellers who had to fight for their lives every single day? Napping along would already ruin a perfect bed. Zhao Youyues had already been stacked with pillows and a Tofu-soft blanket. It looked more like a shrine than a bed. Whenever the dorm inspectors made their rounds, they would always use Zhao Youyues tidy bed as an example C unbeknownst to the fact that it was not actually used as a bed, to begin with. They would bark out orders to the others dorm members, ensuring that they emulated her as much as they were able. Zhou Cai, who had the misfortune of sharing a dormitory with Zhao Youyue, would often be lectured by the inspector. The inspector had seemingly treated Zhou Cai as a stain, one who lacked beauty and was fat on top of that. Her lackadaisical attitude during training did not help either, for she had a knack of nodding off while standing at attention, not being able to follow through verbal commands, etc. Their barkings were not unfounded, for Zhou Cais blanket looked more like rolled up dumplings, as she apparently lacked the luxury of time. Perhaps such small matters were the least of her priorities, perhaps she simply could not understand the importance of folding her blanket and tidying her bed. A neatly folded blanket would still end the same as a regular blanket after a good nights sleep, right? Why tidy it up, only to have it undone the next day? Failing to see the necessity of such a discipline, she refused to participate, earning the shouting of inspectors, with lines like rotten rat shit or a pot of soiled porridge. The tension between Zhou Cai and Yu Xuefei thus worsened, as Yu Xuefei truly treasured pride and glory. After all, the honor of the dorm depended on everyone including Zhou Cai, as they would be tested and evaluated as a whole. However, Zhou Cai remained adamant with her I dont care attitude, and continued excusing herself from all roll calls and gathering. Who cares about honor? I just need my space. Zhou Cai thought that Zhou Youyue had been most sneaky. She had liberated herself from the daily hell of folding blankets. Sadly, Zhou Cai was not a native. She came from out of town and was thus prevented from using the same tactics as Zhou Youyue. That woman did not even need to touch her blankets now. She wanted to pile up her blankets the same way Zhou Youyue. Let others admire it as a work of art. Zhou Youyues natural prowess, snow white skin, and the inspectors high praise of her was a recipe for jealousy. And so, started the rumor regarding Zhou Youyues nightly absence. Some witnesses even boldly stated that they saw Zhao Youyue entering a luxurious car. Who knows if there was a sugar-daddy in the car. It was a trend for guys to come around universities at the start of each year, fishing for chicks. Chapter 554 Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation Zhao Youyue did not always take her moms car home every time. Sometimes, Wang Hua had night classes and school paperwork to complete. It was understandable for a woman in her position. Due to this, Zhao Youyue had Uncle Liu fetch her instead. He would pick her up in the shopping streets not far away from the schools, away from the school gates. Apparently, they had not been discreet enough. Zhao Youyue had never once revealed her position to others in the school. Naturally, those who had something against her would send their minds to the gutter. This world was extremely harsh to beautiful girls. Every bad news would mostly be related to beautiful girls. The slightest sliver of thread would instantly put them under suspicion. As a passerby, Zhao Youyue would never be the subject of rumors such as being spoon-fed by rich guys or prostitute. As time passed in the military training, she started to stand out. Rumors quickly followed. Words have a way of morphing when passed by hearsay from one human to another. Eventually, the message would turn into something that does not remotely resemble its original form. It might start off as hard facts such as I saw Zhao Youyue entering a luxurious car, but the second person might add something such as I heard that someone saw Zhao Youyue entering a luxurious car nervously, as if she was afraid of something. Why is that so? Eventually, it would turn into something like Zhao Youyue being picked up by a sugar daddy. It would get repeated with increasing intensity and conviction. Eventually, it would be accompanied with a line such as my friend saw it with her own two eyes. This rumor did not just appear out of the blue. It had been brewed, left to ferment, baked in the sun, heat-treated. Finally, Zhao Youyues nickname as the Military Goddess had already spread to each corner of the school C even when the News Society remained silent. Thats right. Zhao Youyue had earned the denial of Cao Chuanguang, the President of the News Society. Cao Chuanguang lacked the critical essence of chivalry. He instead resorted to stalk girls, learning more about them until he could blackmail them into dating him. Student Council members favored intimidation as their primary weapon of choice. Cao Chuanguang seemed to be extremely proud of his position as the president of the News Society. He even bragged about how he was best buddies with the current Student Council President, and how he had a father and son relationship with the Head of its Advertising Committee. He even revealed how he planned transfer to the student council if he had to retire, becoming the sub-head of the Advertising Committee. The current Head of Advertising Committee was in his fourth year. Naturally, one need not ask to see who his successor would be. It might not just end there C being President of a major Committee like this gave him great odds of becoming the next Student Countil President himself! How could Zhao Youyue not be pissed about that? Does being the girlfriend of the Student Council President not give you any sense of superiority? You would be the leading lady! Zhao Youyue, if you defy me and make an enemy out of me now, you would be making an enemy out of the entire future student council. You wont prevail. Such bare intimidation disgusted Zhao Youyue to no end. She was puzzled. How did such a person actually make it into this respectable institute, on top of that earning the position of President in the News Society. He did not just intimidate her, he attempted to bribe her with words, saying that the News Society had the power to make Zhao Youyue popular C not only in school C her popularity might spread way past that. No matter how beautiful one is, word of mouth was no match for the power of publications and social media. Cao Chuanguang even started ignoring Zhao Youyues use of Han Leng as a meatshield. That pretty-boy author had no power here. He could start a demonstration with his fans at most, but such gestures were powerless in the face of actual authority. Cao Chuanguang even brought up the dark example of another schools Student Council President who was caught meddling with the unspoken rules. He had learned of this when both schools once worked hand-in-hand for an event. Its shock-factor had never once let him down. I did not want to do this either. All I wanted was to go out with you. I courted you sincerely. Why did you make me do this? As your senpai, Ill have to show you the bleak reality of the adult world. Ill stop at nothing to show you how much you mean to me, Cao Chuanguang said smugly. What a shame. Cao Chuanguang never followed through with actions. Zhao Youyue would have been delighted to make use of her sword skills and martial arts and show his body true pain. Zhao Youyue did not reveal any of this to Han Leng. This was beyond his reach. He also had no place in her heart, as his past actions had proven it. He simply considered them to be old acquaintances from high school. Back then, Zhao Youyue had dragged him into the interview as a harmless prank. This was now a serious issue, and joking was no longer in the question. Cao Chuanguang was beyond the point of saving. Zhao Youyue would have to get slightly serious and count on her own strength to eliminate the threat. Zhao Youyue knew that a physical beating would not end her problems, much less murder. In the real world, unprovoked fighting and killing was unforgivable. She would destroy him mentally C she would destroy his most previous asset. In this case, her targets assets were obvious. He valued his power above all else. Being the President of the News Society was a source of his pride and joy. To think that he was actually aiming to be the next Student Council President. It goes to show how much stock he had placed in his strength and position. Zhao Youyue simply needed to snatch away all his power. How would he feel if his power and position all went up in smoke in the blink of an eye? However, Zhao Youyue had a more immediate problem to handle. The rumors were getting out of hand. She had reason to suspect that Cao Chuanguang was behind it all. He did say that he intended to show her just how much she meant to him. Zhao Youyue had the wrong person in her cross sights. The rumor had actually stemmed from the envy of others. She had the MC aura around her. What kind of MC would not be the subject of envy? Thanks to the rumor, Zhao Youyue not only became known for her looks, she was now a bitch with looks. Chapter 555 Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation Zhao Youyue had never been one to concern herself with rumors. In fact, any form of attention, negative or otherwise, would have been enough to please the past her. She had to matter to someone else if they bothered to create rumors about her, right? It comes as no surprise to us that all she needed was to reveal her identity. All rumors would self-destruct, and her accusers would promptly make themselves scarce, without trace. But Zhao Youyue loved a challenge, and an opportunity had presented itself. Zhao Youyue decided to opt for the entrapment route. She was not worried about subjecting others to cruel fates. They had it coming for them. However, there is the saying Ones true feelings are never that easily found. It not only applied to ones relationship, but also their most intimate thoughts, that may not yet be known to themselves. Zhao Youyue was worried about Bai Yunshan. She had successfully applied to the student council. On top of that, she had to select the Disciplinary Department. Of course she would. Based on her personality, she would never show mercy, even if she were to draw in the hate of the world upon herself and the department. If her keen senses ever latch on to an offender, they could kiss their peaceful school life goodbye. Bai Yunshan was particularly furious with the rumors concerning Zhao Youyue faced. She remembered how she had once boycotted by others when she was younger, and how the rumors had turned her life into a living hell. Despite that, they never once let up, and she was never able to clear up the misunderstandings. All she could do back then was to live her own life and survive. She never got to understand why others had such evil thoughts. She was simply performing her duties, upholding justice. Not a single person attempted to understand her. She only got label after label smacked on her, such as boring strict harsh etc. Ironically, Zhao Youyue ended up comforting her friend. She was probably the only person who truly understood Bai Yunshan. She knew all too well that this one waved the flag of justice. It was the very nature of her soul, and she would remain like so for the rest of her life. For Gods sake, that woman still addressed Zhao Youyue by her full name, even though they were basically blood sisters. If it had been someone else, they would have protested. Zhao Youyue knew her, and was able to accept that wholeheartedly. On the other hand, Zhao Youyue called Bai Yunshan anything she wanted. Even Madam was okay, as she was said to be related to a high ranking military personnel. Every time when Zhao Youyue called Bai Yunshan Madam, Bai Yunshan would not be able to stop the image of others addressing herself like so from appearing in her mind. The more she thought about it, the more interesting the idea became. It did not seem like much, but it somehow gave her an inexplicable sense of excitement. Unlike other girls, Zhao Youyue had an easygoing personality. That, coupled with her all-seeing eyes gave her the insight that made it possible to get close to just about anyone. If one did not interest her, she would simply remain well-mannered and courteous. She would never deliberately seek for the destruction of anothers public image, unless it was someone like Cao Chuanguang. That man did not even care about how the world viewed him, he was already beyond saving. Stalking may be effective on some girls, but it only disgusted Zhao Youyue. She could not fathom the existence of such a person. Unfortunately, she had no reality-altering powers. Cao Chuanguang would always be the blackmailing, conniving stalker who would stop at nothing to get the girl he wants. A gentleman would know how to respect a lady. These gentlemen were now extinct. The internet had made it possible for humans to be awfully blunt with each other while suffering none of the repercussions. The world now treated good-hearted individuals poorly, and the friendliness was now a mockery of what it once was. This was why girls often used the line, You are a good person to decline a confession, making a good person seem like the evil one. Bai Yunshan finally calmed down after Zhao Youyues incessant comforting. However, she was still unable to accept it in her heart. She felt helpless in the face of a faceless society. They only helped conceal the origin of the rumors. So what if you actually found the source? The damage was already done. Also, that person only said that they saw Zhao Youyue entering a luxurious car, and it was nothing but the truth. It was the transitioning that twisted fact into fiction. If you were to actually convey the rumor in its current form to the originator, he would be shocked silly. The reason has made itself known to him, and it matched his witnessing! So thats why she entered the car, I understand it now. Sigh Girls these days. The military training had just started, but they have already fallen to such a state. In the end, Bai Yunshan could only maintain her cool and stern self, warning Zhao Youyue not to lower her guard. Rumors would usually falter in the face of truth, but they were juicier, and more interesting. Many would prefer listening to exciting fiction than boring fact. Bai Yunshan concluded that meeting with a bold closing statement. Even if the whole world were to make themselves Zhao Youyues enemy, she would still stand by her side. It was not long before Zhao Youyue received another series of chastising, but she knew of Bai Yunshans motive and her past, and took it with a smile on her face. Beneath Bai Yunshans cold and stern way of treating others, she was actually a real softy. She might just be too soft for the harsh, cruel world. The support from her dear friend gave her warmth in those uncomfortable moments. After that came Han Leng. At first, Han Leng had treated it like a joke, thinking that Milady had finally lost her cool and got herself a luxurious car to go back home, only to be spotted by someone else. So much for clandestine. However as time went on, he saw the rumors turning into nonsense. The Milady took her luxurious car back home turned into Zhao Youyue declined to return to her dorm as she would rather be fed by a rich old man. The female race had done little to defend itself. News of university girls being cheated on or selling their chastities away were simply too prevalent, and the public had been long convinced that university girls were dumb, gullible whores. These were most likely students of Fake Universities. Those female students could not even be called university ladies. They only existed to destroy the outlook of universities in the publics view. Terms like selling ones virginity or prostitution may be disgusting to some, but these girls still had the guts to return to school by day. How audacious! Han Leng did not believe that he would be able to restrain himself for long if this went on. Why was the Milady so calm, acting like she was not even aware of the rumor? Did she have a plan up her sleeves again? Although he had never contacted Zhao Youyue under his own accord, hiding far away from her, Han Leng could not bear to watch any longer and went and contact her regarding this issue. He was determined to protect Zhao Youyue from the upcoming onslaught. Chapter 556 Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation Eh? Genius Han actually took it upon himself to contact me? I am so terrified! My idol has reached out this humble fan? Zhao Youyue said it mockingly, even though her tone could have convinced any learned onlooker. It was the material of Oscars. Some guys actually fancied such girls, as they found such personalities cute, even if it was weird to others. Han Leng was as clueless as a clueless chick magnet could ever be. He behaved just like how he did when he visited cafes with Zhao Youyue during their high school years. He only knew how to talk about literature, without touching on any of his inner thoughts. Such an act was so well done that even the perceptive Zhao Youyue was utterly convinced that he had no interest in her. Looking at it from another perspective, Han Leng was quite an actor himself. If he were to expose his inner thoughts, would he still be able to remain friends with Lady Zhao? Those who maintained their supposed friendships after confessing to each other were lying to themselves. The awkwardness would snuff out the relationship. Milady! Now is not the time to joke about! Your reputation would go up in smoke if you dont do anything about it! Han Leng said in hushed worry. It was mid-day, and the two of them met in a library. Han Leng had dressed in such an odd fashion that concealed his face; as if he was afraid that someone would find out that he had been able to ask the Military War Goddess, the Flower of the School Zhao Youyue out. Ever since he became famous, he always met with Zhao Youyue in all sorts of disguises. It annoyed Zhao Youyue, but it also drew her merciless teasing. Han Leng had maintained that it was simply the burden of being a celebrity. It may seem that he treated his female fans harshly, but it was a tactic that made use of the fetishes of others. He could not mislead others into thinking that he was no longer without a girlfriend C it would shatter the image that he had worked so hard to build. His current character was doing its job well. Who cared if his writing was haphazard, they would still buy it. Han Leng had even exaggerated about having many female fans, and how some of them were beautiful and talented. As long as he remained single, he would be able to hit on his female fans. Such was the dream life of a writer. Zhao Youyue was genuinely neutral about that and remained calm. However, for an instant, she felt that the old Han Leng was cuter. Han Lengs words and actions earned Zhao Youyues full trust. He was the only person not fooled by that endless string of lies C he did not want to trouble her. He felt that he had become that friend A. The only difference being that friend A in novels was the main character, and he was not. Creators functioned like so. Painfully aware that they were not the main characters, they would reimagine a new world that altered the reality of that fact. Reality was always cruel, fantasy was warm and welcoming. Zhao Youyue heard what Han Leng said, and smiled while replying My reputation does not mean anything. I did not count on my reputation to earn my spot here anyway. How about you hurry up before your reputation runs out? Han Leng was slightly shocked. Although Miladys face had that same old smile, he somehow felt a tinge of resentment from her speech. No This must have been a mistake. Milady has always been a proud and lonely girl; he could not allow himself to be deceived. Could it be that Milady has yet to learn about those nasty rumors? Although I do not live in-campus, I heard that these rumors have already reached the boys dorm. This is no joke C guys are more capable of gossiping than you can imagine. The wildfires of that rumor is already raging out of control, yet here you sit without a care. If you let this situation persist, that rumor will soon be everybodys truth! Han Leng was a man of few words, but he now rambled on and on about the situation. He had seen enough and was no longer able to watch Zhao Youyue being slandered any longer, yet he also knew that Zhao Youyue enjoyed taking the wheel in her own hands. The classic Zhao Youyue method was to act like the prey and gobble down those who dared take the bait, but if she took a moment longer to act, she might end up being the actual prey. Well, why didnt anyone spread rumors about me back in high school? Zhao Youyue remained calm and said with a smile. Han Leng was unable to answer. In actuality, what that perplexed him the most was the fact that not a single person had yet to uncover her true identity, considering how easily it could be found on the internet. The name Zhao Youyue seemed to be the codewords that activated an invisible cloaking device. On the other hand, Ah Yu triggered a truth bomb of nuclear proportions. Perhaps those high schoolers were simple and thoroughly indoctrinated by the sorry excuse they call, education. Milady, your beauty only grows with time C you can no longer stay low as before, and beautiful girls always attract rumors. Jiang Qing was a prior victim of this, wasnt she? Han Leng praised Zhao Youyue without even realizing it (sneer) It seems like the Genius Han is actually well versed in praising others, huh. Not bad, not bad, there is finally some improvement. Dont fret about the rumors, you were there from the beginning, just sit back and watch. You can just go ahead and hit on chicks. There is no need to worry, the truth will always be the truth, and lies will only expose themselves in the end. Zhao Youyues smile became much brighter. Han Leng was like a knight who would rush into the enemies den, armed with just a sword and a shield. He sought to rid the world of the rumor, but his methods were crude and simple. Zhao Youyue only needed to reveal her true identity and quell the storm, so what was with the wait? Did she intend to reveal the truth when the rumor was at its peak? Was that actually her idea of providing the most shock? Wait up was Zhao Youyue actually using this rumor to spread her name? Oh right! I decided to create a club, and you are to be my vice-president! You are not in any clubs yet, arent you? Well, if you are, be a dear and write them a nice note expressing your withdrawal. There shouldnt be any problems, right? Han Leng felt as if he had just passed some kind of interview, having just earned Lady Zhaos approval But he also sense a trap looming somewhere beyond his sight C it was best to distance himself before falling for the trap. The literature club had already sent me an invitation though, and you know how deeply in love am I with literature. There are so many who adore and look up to me in the club How could I possibly decline? Han Leng said, showing how keen he was to distance himself from Lady Zhao. In reality, he was extremely curious to know more about this club, and its purpose. Anything created by Lady Zhao could not possibly be ordinary. Chapter 557 Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation Zhao Youyue could not help but feel a tinge of disappointment. It was already such a crucial point, and he was still talking about literature. She was not forming a society for fun C she had a motive, and that was to slip into the student council, earn the title of Deputy Minister, then gain the rights to vote in the Student Council president voting. It was all part of her plan to step into a higher realm. Once she becomes the Student Council President, she would gain the rights and power to do as she wished. No matter what, Han Leng was still her old classmate. He did not seem overtly keen on getting close to her, but at the very least, he was still loyal to her faction, which would have to suffice. With Han Lengs talent, becoming the Deputy Head of the Advertising Department would not be too far-fetched an idea. He was almost unbeatable when it came to the pen. He would boost their standing on no time at all. Han Lengs reputation alone would be enough to qualify for a dedicated column in the school magazine. Who cares about the content when sales would rocket up with a casual slide across the paper with his pen and a few hundred words. Zhao Youyue was already almost treating herself as the Student Council President. She was working to surround herself with her trusted cohorts and lieutenants. She was convinced that such a mindset would constant remind herself of her lust for that spot. An instance of complacency might just be enough to make her forget her goals. Considering the positions that Lady Zhao had once chaired or was still chairing, even the top institutes Student Council President position would not matter much to her. It was nothing compared to her moviemaking studio, it was nothing to what her Two Dimensional Gate could ever provide. She may not yet have access to certain resources as she had yet to obtain a governess character card, but that was just a matter of time. Zhao Youyue was not born a genius. Even if she gave her maximum effort, she would not have amounted to much. Without her Two Dimensional Gate, she might have truly ended up as a boring old Milady throughout her entire life. Of course, others may think that being a Milady was enough of an achievement, but Zhao Youyue was a prideful one. She wanted to stand with her own two legs, minus her connections. Those underhanded methods were too shameful. She intended to continue working with her own strength and prove her worth. The past Zhao Youyue might have lacked the initiative and means of doing so. Her helplessness only contributed to her past selfs solitary coldness. As her proficiency over the Two Dimensional Gate grew, her very being was reformed, remolded. Now provided with the means, she could begin her conquest and claim her spot above others. Zhao Youyue had the mind of a monarch, but she was no tyrant. She was somewhat in the same vein as a Yin King [1]. She used her calm, warm voice to instill an inexplicable sense of compliance and obedience to her subjects. They would obey without a question, and the thought of hesitating would not even cross their minds. Zhao Youyue had moved on to her new stage. The play was just beginning. She led Han Leng to the lone corner on the 3rd floor of a certain library. Maybe it was due to the school opening just recently, or maybe because it was noon. Either way, the library was almost completely empty. When exam periods draw closer, that library would turn into a warzone. When it came to the library of Jiangnan University, lines might spill to the outside entrance. At that time, phrases like Have you seen the rising sun at Jiangnan University? would be irrelevant, but that was how hardworking students or crammers lived. Zhao Youyue leaned back against a bookshelf, folding her arms across her chest. She gazed at Han Leng, but did not immediately start speaking. The tense silence only made her seem more authoritative than ever. Han Leng had always been extremely uncomfortable whenever he got alone with Lady Zhao. The empty library left him no one else to turn to, no distractions to relief his mind. An empty, cold, silent library may seem romantic to some, but he made no move on her. It did not make him the gentleman, but rather, a well-behaved primary school student. A braver man might just go for a kabe-don [2]. It sure sounds exciting to kabe-don a Milady. Looking at how proud and confident the Milady was, the experience would be entirely different. It would only work if the one doing the kabe-don actually surpassed her standing and status. But didnt some guys love the crushing sensation of servility beneath a girl? They would be the noble knight serving a queen, wouldnt they? In the end, delusions would remain as delusions. Zhao Youyue knew very well that Han Leng was not that sort of guy, so she had no qualms about meeting him in such a manner. If it was someone else, she would have had her guard up, as if she was dealing with Cao Chuanguang, and there was no way she would agree to it. She might just find the mercy in her heart to not set her entire team of bodyguards on that man like a pack of wolves C but she would definitely bring her cane along. Lady Zhao was one who treated the honest and the obedient appropriately. If the honest and obedient had talent to add on to his already favorable traits, she might even praise him. If he becomes an irreplaceable asset, she would not hesitate to shower him with rewards. She was different, compared to those who treated honest people as spare tires. Such girls only knew how to ask and ask, taking full advantage of the meek and honest. They would wear them out, tie them down until they had nothing left to give, before leaving them to waste away. Han Leng was already trembling in fear. He was starting to regret asking her out. In reality, he was just spouting bullshit that he heard from Zhang Xiang who had grown rather close to him. Zhang Xiang had tried to try to get Han Leng to join the literature club by raising the possibility of his popularity serving as the catalyst to forming a harem out of those female members. After all, literature club members had to be into literature, and Han Leng was a famous writer. He would be their ideal cup of tea. Guys were efficient producers of nonsense. When you pair them up together with their own kind, you would see the greatest form of teamwork mankind could ever witness C an ungodly amount of nonsense would spread around C and the main topic would undoubtedly be about girls. Han Leng was a stranger to picking up girls C but he was just as capable as the next guy when it came to spouting nonsense about hitting on girls or getting some girls into literature for him, etc. Due to this, Han Leng had habitually spouted a whole bunch of nonsense in front of Milady, only to finally notice that his 3 seconds of coolness had just gotten himself into a load of trouble. He would soon receive Miladys wrath if he did not shut up. Just when Han Leng could not take it anymore and was about to break down from his cool, arrogant composure, Zhao Youyue spoke up. She went straight to the point. I want to be the student council president, and Im offering you the chance to become a powerful figure yourself, second to only me. Han Leng was flustered. If she wanted to join the student council, why the heck open her own club? That was when Zhao Youyue laid out her plan to Han Leng. Upon hearing her plan, he was flustered in an entirely different direction. That actually works?! Translation Notes: [1] Yin King: Yin Wang can be translated to a king with virtue, yet it might also be a reference to the web novel series [2] Kabe-Don: ڥɥ, the action of slapping a wall fiercely, which produces the sound don. Often appears in shoujo manga and anime when a man forces a woman against the wall with one hand or leans against the wall and makes the sound of don, and this has become popular as a clever move of confession. Chapter 558 Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation Lady Zhao, you are a true f*cking genius! Han Leng knew all too well what the Student President throne of Jiangnan University was like. In this world, many works related to Universities spoke of things like club activities and the Student Council. Even positions like Discipline Committee Member could be considered as MOE attribute and applied onto a female character. 2D light novels on the market liked to use Universities as the setting. It was almost analogous to the Japanese light novels of the other world. Those Japanese light novels simply loved taking place in high schools. Their main protagonists would almost always be a Japanese high school student or a Chinese exchange student. In this world, those protagonists would be University students. Romantic comedies and the like found Universities to be most helpful in getting their points across. University students in romantic relationships was nature in motion. Anything else would be strange and different. High school students did not have this luxury as they would always be piled under a heavy workload. It would be extremely difficult, if not impossible, for a writer to write a realistic love novel that took place in high school, especially if that high school took inspiration from a famous real-life counterpart. Among the many works related to universities, the Student President usually appeared as a villain. If that Student President was a male, he would spend 80% of his time being humiliated by the protagonist. The girl in his eyes would almost surely fall in love with the protagonist. He was just there as a running gag and a heatsink for hatred. The fresh twist that broke from conventional writing would involve a Student President being one of the protagonists close friends. Proficient writers would even apply a dash of love-hate into the chemistry. Perhaps the Student President caused all forms of trouble for the protagonist, but he was actually a tsundere who appreciated the protagonist, and considered him an equal. He might even wish to invite the protagonist into the Student Council and assist him. Regardless of how Student Presidents were written as characters, they were all born to be majestic and pretentious. It was evident that these writers had spent their uni-lives being suppressed and dominated by their respective Student Presidents. If the Student President was a female character, it would be even easier to surmise about her relationship with the protagonist. If it was a Harem genre, she would definitely be one of the Harem members. Readers would almost die from the anticipation of seeing what happens when the Student President finally joins the Harem. If you insist on writing without adding the Student President into the Harem, you are just asking for a beating from the readers If she was the sole heroine, it would also make a fun read. The protagonist would be the man behind the student president, like a big boss behind the scene, whereas the Student President heroine was just his puppet, or his exclusive maid, even. Very, very few works had the protagonist personally becoming the Student President. It was an ambitious idea, but they would always be terribly written. The reason was ridiculously simple. The writer himself had never been a student president. He had no idea what a Student President actually was, and what he should be doing. If he attempted to write it in first-person-view, it would be riddled with flaws. What of those remarkable entities who had once been Student Presidents? Well. They wouldnt be caught dead stooping low enough to start writing light novels for any reason whatsoever. Most light novelists were probably on the same standard as web novelists. There would only be a higher percentage of pretentiousness among the light novelists. Just like their web novelist counterparts, they had their share of famous stars and perfectionists. No matter what industry were talking about, those who stood at the top would most definitely be awesome. Zhao Youyues classmate, Du Hang was a light novelist. The only issue was that he did not have fame. His career did not exceed a hundred thousand books. It was just barely enough for him to survive. Even so, he had adequate success for a great deal of attention from the university, but that is only if he exposed his identities. Many light novelists would not even live to see the light of a complimentary newbie award. We could only assume that the standards of light novels were still slightly higher than their online counterparts. Han Leng preferred reading to writing. He had read all sorts of books. If a writer did not actively read to widen his horizons, his produced works would most certainly end up shallow and childish. By simply being friends with Lady Zhao was a particularly eye-opening matter in itself. Now that he learned of her ambition to become the next Student President, he just had to get involved. These were real-time, front seat materials! If he ever wanted to write a novel that is set in a University in the future, he would create a Student President character who is way more realistic, compared to other writers! He would be as good as writing it from personal experience. Besides, Lady Zhao had not spared a single detail in her plans. He considered it an honor to be a loyal confidant. They were almost conspiring an actual rebellion! Knowing Lady Zhao, she might actually reach the Student Council presidents throne during her first year in university. This was history in the making! Novels involving University Student Council that were on the market were rather tame and low-key, compared to most books. If the Student President was a girl, she would most likely be a senior. No female character would ever become the Student President as a Year 1 junior! The Literature Society was only meant to be a casual past time. Ive no interest in it whatsoever. Besides, when talking about literary literacy, how could those female youths of the Literature Society compare to you, My Lady? Sorry, it should be Madam President, said Han Leng. A satisfied smile finally appeared on Zhao Youyues face. She commended him, Not bad. There will definitely be a place for you within the Student Council in future, Elite Scholar Han. I have complete faith in your capabilities. Han Leng had never expected that he would be able to get into a Student Council one day, much less be a part of its upper echelon. Now, he was very much convinced that he should jump aboard the Ladys pirate ship, plundering and pillaging to greatness. Wait a minute He was here to talk to Lady Zhao about the rumors. Why were they conspiring a rebellion instead? Lets take a look at the situation again. The reach of the rumors would directly correlate to Lady Zhaos headstart to renown. When her bad name finally reaches every corner of the campus, the impact would be far greater when she reverses the situation Compensation mentality. The desperate, guilt-ridden emotion that drove people into making amends after grossly misunderstanding someone. Would this become Lady Zhaos stepping stone to run for the Student Presidents position, instead? The more Han Leng thought about it, the more he found Lady Zhao to be more incredible than ever. They were playing a game of sure win chess. How could clarifying rumors be comparable to utilizing rumors? Lady Zhao must have seen this coming a mile away. That explained her deadly, ice calm! Han Leng finally realized how foolish he had been to confront Lady Zhao about this. But it was exactly due to such behavior that Lady Zhao was trusting him more than ever. He shrugged. He may have lost some, won some, but he stood here now, and that was good enough. Han Leng decided to move in the darkness, adding flavor to the existing rumors and preheat the oven. Good or bad, Lady Zhaos name would be known campus-wide and maybe more. When she launches her campaign, she would turn the entire situation around with a single phone call! Han Leng left the library, his questions answered, his soul greatly pleased C as if he had just wrapped up a great deal. He had gained the inspiration to write a new book. Of course, Dragon Raja was still in the running, but as a writer, wasnt it normal for him to probe his mind for something new? What do I call this new book? Love, Election and Chocolate? Maid Sama!? Shin Megami Tensei: Persona? Should I write this on a side account? If I dont, I might get beaten to death by Lady Zhao Chapter 559 Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation Zhao Youyues roommate, He Weiwei had most certainly aligned herself with the Lady as well. The longer she knew Zhao Youyue, the more she understood that Lady Zhaos identity was not that simple afterall. When He Weiwei returned to her dormitory, she coincidentally heard her classmate Zhong Xiaoli C from the dormitory to the opposite of hers, talking loudly about the Zhao Youyue rumors. Fate had given her the hearing to pick that up. Fate had given Zhong Xiaoli the ability to milk and splice rumors. It was people like Zhong Xiaoli that was why the rumors spread at an increasing rate on each passing day. Zhong Xiaoli was basically announcing to her room, Zhao Youyue next door is really misbehaving. Classes have not even begun, and she is already causing trouble during military training. This is a disgrace to our Chinese Studies. Im now starting to doubt how she got in here. With that beauty, it doesnt take much to imagine. A trade must have been made. Liu Dan, who was Zhong Xiaolis roommate, quickly joined in to remain on her good side Thats right, thats right. Zhao Youyue looks just like a vase. What talents could a vase possibly have? Liu Dan scoffed. She considered herself to be delicate, pretty and temperamental. If Zhao Youyue did not have her immunity against the sun, she would not have been able to stand out like so. Liu Dan even considered her own beauty to be on par with Zhao Youyues. It was true that girls relied heavily on their beauty. But reputation did not trail far behind that, regarding priority. Reputation gave you the headroom to be pretentious. The greater the reputation, the more you deserved to be pretentious. To become the widely recognized school flower, one had to rely on reputation. If not, you could have the beauty of the heavens, but no one would know of it. That beauty would be pointless. He Weiwei heard the girls next door gossiping unscrupulously. The blood rushed up her head. She marched to their door, and like a great general, she stood with her legs straight and apart, reprimanding those girls for those unfounded accusations. She went on saying how the mighty Zhao Youyue had a powerful, wealthy family. In retuen, Zhong Xiaoli replied flatly, Beautiful girls have their ways, it only depends on how little moral theyve retained. Well, they could spread their legs open and cash would flow in, right? He Weiwei was a loyal, protective friend. She almost erupted at those words. She dashed forward and swung her hand back to give that whelp a massive slap. Fortunately, her roommate Yu Xuefei just happened to return. She grabbed hold of the enraged He Weiwei and started dragging her back to their dormitory Yu Xuefei may not exactly be on good terms with He Weiwei, but they were dorm mates. Yu Xuefei also looked up to Zhao Youyue, and knew what kind of person that Lady really was. Naturally, she did not buy those rumors one bit. Sadly she was not as protective as He Weiwei, so she would not go around slapping everyone who spoke of the rumor. Also, she did not want to get into unnecessary trouble. Even if a female student started a physical fight, that would qualify as a breach of campus rules. During this military training period, discipline was particularly strict. Yu Xuefei did not want her roommate to cause trouble and get the entire dormitory punished. It was true that she did not like He Weiwei, but they have been living together for over ten days. Zhao Youyue no longer slept in the dormitory. Zhou Cai gamed pretty much the entire day. It was only inevitable that left without a choice, these two would start conversing. They may still bicker and disagree on everything, but some bonding had occurred. The no discord, no concord theory was not only applicable to boys, but it was relevant to girls as well. No matter what, she was not the unbearable presence of the room Unfortunately, such a presence did exist in the dormitory next door. Her name was Ma Shuang. Her name carried the meaning highly efficient. She was anything but that, to the extent that people have given up on criticizing her. This was a hot and sweaty time of the year, but she rarely ever took baths. She was not even bothered to wash her legs. The whole room was filled with that amazing fragrance. At that moment, Yu Xuefei had successfully dragged He Weiwei back to the doorway. Both girls took a whiff of the stench and frantically started to flee. Compared to the environment of the dormitory next door, their own residence was simply heaven. Whenever Zhao Youyue dropped by in the afternoon, she would take the initiative to clean the place up. She had even discussed with her roommates on how to redesign their dormitory, giving it some class and value. Zhao Youyue was most certainly a strange girl. She seldom stayed in the dormitory, yet she intended to build the dormitory up into a heavenly dormitory C the kind that would appear amazing in digital pictures on Weibo and social media Zhao Youyues bed would never possibly house a speck of dust. She had done such a tremendously convincing, superficial job. How could a perfectionist like her overlook anything? After the training, Zhao Youyue would swap out the blankets and bedsheets. She found them to be incompatible with her aesthetics. They would ruin her vision for the dormitory. Lets go, lets go. Theres poison in this dormitory! Yu Xuefei cried out, giving He Weiwei a final tug towards their own dormitory. That single line transferred all the hatred from He Weiwei to Yu Xuefei. Yu Xuefei was very concerned about her public impression. It also meant that she was really talented at offending others. She did not have any major problems C rather, she was riddled with numerous minor flaws. The Princess syndrome would be one of them. Zhong Xiaoli and Liudan were both embarrassed and furious. Both of them transferred their hatred towards the absent Ma Shuang. They had been most unlucky to be grouped with a slovenly roommate like Ma Shuang. Unfortunately, they were not the kind of people who dared confront their roommate face to face. The most they could do was to satisfy themselves in mutual hatred for the third party. Eventually, they got used to the situation This was just like the man who got locked up in a stinking toilet, and when he was finally released, he would look at everyone pinching their noses and ask, What smell? The smell that blasted them in their exhausted faces whenever they returned to their dormitory was awfully enjoyable. Let go of me! Didnt you hear their nonsense? Zhao Youyue simply went home in her familys car, but here they are, spinning tales out of nowhere. What the hell is this? He Weiwei fumed. I was saving you from trouble! Besides, Lady Zhao has such a mighty background, how could mere rumors ruffle her hair? Growing up until now, I, Yu Xuefei have never once looked up to anyone. But I truly admire Zhao Youyue. You only know how to blabber. Why dont you follow through with some action? If youre that good, prove it! I dont show, I only blabber. Forget it, Im not doing this with you again Have you found any clubs? When Yu Xuefei heard what He Weiwei asked, she suddenly became excited. She said, Of course! I picked the Student Council. I chose the Health Department! I wont pursue some crazy position that only exists in our dreams like the Student President. If I start somewhere early in my first year, I might just become a department head before graduating, right? Yu Xuefei now understood that this top university was nothing like her little, rural high school. There were way too many incredible entities around here. It had humbled, sobered her up, and she had set her sights on a more realistic ground. Health Department? Then youll have to take good care of that freaking room. You said it yourself just now. Theres poison in their dormitory! said He Weiwei, breaking out in laughter. What unlucky neighbors. They had encountered an ultra-rare presence that was only spoken in whispers over the internet. That smell almost knocked me out. Fortunately, all of us here have kept the dormitory clean said Yu Xuefei, still nauseated even after long leaving that foul place. Chapter 560 Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation He Weiwei reported the situation in the dormitory QQ group chat, as if they were treating the next door dormitory as enemies. The atmosphere of the entire dormitory turned harmonious not long after. Starting an external war was a very useful tactic to quell internal strife. He Weiwei and Yu Xuefei were supposed to be enemies. Fortunately, Yu Xuefei was the type to fight with her tongue and nothing else, or they would have already come to blows. They took verbal warfare to another level. Yu Xuefei had also declared in the group chat that she wanted to inspect the smelly dormitory next door, under her power as a discipline committee member of the Student Council. When Zhao Youyue learned that Yu Xuefei had joined the Student Council, she smiled within her heart. Not bad. Ive not yet joined and claimed the Student Council as my own, but my comrades are already pouring in to herald my arrival! Sister Weiwei, have you not joined any clubs yet? Zhao Youyue typed. Nope. Many have invited me, but they are all full of male students. Those clubs are like dens of wolves. So, which club do you intend to join, My Lady? replied He Weiwei. He Weiwei had started to call Zhao Youyue My Lady now. She had always considered such a title to be ridiculously fanciful, but she used it on Zhao Youyue in a half respectful, half ridicule tone. Im planning to build my own club, why dont you join mine? Oh? Building one yourself? Is there such an option? Im just doing this for my academic points. What type of club is it? Uh How about having afternoon tea after school? Or maybe a Snacks Department? Huh? He Weiwei was shocked. Was such a club even allowed? Would the Student Council approve of such a club, much less fund it? Such a club sounded ridiculous, but Lady Zhaos endless low-key luxurious lifestyle during peacetime had always amazed her. She had to admit. The idea of receiving funds and academic credits by leisurely eating and drinking was amazing It would be a reckless waste of Gods gift to pass by such an opportunity! Yu Xuefei started regretting her rash decision of joining the Student Council. I could have followed this Lady into a life of bliss and indulgement No, she had to remain strong. The Student Council was the most glorious route, the most respectful organization, and the one that would lead her far in life! Yu Xuefei felt that she could become the reliable Student Council backup of this Lady roommate. She would be her hidden backup, her source of power. Moreover, she would enjoy a taste of an officials life. For starters, she would definitely be utilizing what little authority she had to cause trouble to the dormitory next door. The idea of this rich Lady claiming the Student Council one day did not even occur to her. Why struggle in her small-scale battle, when the rich beautiful Lady would become the President herself? In the end, He Weiwei had joined Lady Zhao in a daze. And so, Zhao Youyues weird club now had three members. She was two members short from officially submitting the application. On the other hand, the training was finally nearing its end. Rumors related to Zhao Youyue had reached its peak. Her Lady identity was also revealed. This only raised more questions Do you really think that shes a Lady, just because shes rich? Have you ever sat down to think where her money came from? Isnt it obvious? Then, the focus of the rumors transferred to other aspects. Someone expressed, Even if Zhao Youyue is a Lady, she must be the most incompetent Lady. May I ask, what other talent does she have other than her beauty? So what if shes beautiful, so what if she has a rich family? It only proves that shes lucky and has mastered the art of reincarnation. But what does she have to offer for herself? There was no stopping the rumors now. Was this a coincidence? Was this planned? The training would be concluded with a literature and art evening party. Fate had seemed to have handed over a stage to Zhao Youyue to shine once again Right before the evening party, Zhao Youyue had the opportunity to glimmer a little. Two companies initiated a sing-off You guys, yeah. Im talking to you guys. Send someone out already! Dont keep us waiting! You first! Wheres your man? Dont have any? Hah!! One two three, faster faster faster! One two three four five, dont let us wait and suffer! One two three four five six seven, we can wait no longer! One two three four five six seven eight nine, do you guys actually have a presenter? The winds blowing, the drums beating, are you petrified by the terror? Such singing could not usually be called singing, per se. The winner was not the company that sang better C it was the company that sang louder. And so, the companies began to sing all sorts of iconic military songs such as Unity is Strength, Back from Target Practice, Green Flower in the Army. In the beginning, the singing challenge surely lived to its name. Participants even kept track of the rhythm and beat. It was a rather serious affair, albeit being a little monotonous. Now that the training was coming to an end, they have finally started to unwind. When two companies met, it was no longer a group effort. The two companies would send single representatives for song fights, and dance fights. Everyone enjoyed the process very much. Zhao Youyues company was up against another company. Both companies then sat opposite each other on the field. They had bunched together, leaving just enough space in the middle for two. The opposing company hailed from the Department of Economic Management. It paved the route to a somewhat popular profession in Jiangnan Province. It was practical, robust, and secure. It was relatively professional and practical, compared to the Chinese Studies course. Bai Yunshan had selected this profession. Zhao Youyue caught her best friends eye, and they started winking and waving enthusiastically at each other. Then, she sat back, enjoying the battle of talents happening in the middle. Most of them sang a song. Others threw out some street dance moves. Regardless of the skill level, performing in front of hundreds of people was already an admirable feat. Some of them were actually forcefully encouraged by students to perform. Stepping into the ring was worthy of respect, for several others would refuse to budge, no matter how much they were encouraged. Yu Xuefei was an example. She had made friends with many classmates. She was still very desperate for the class rep position. Thus, she was encouraged to go up the stage and showcase her talent, earning some glory for the company. Living up to her character, Yu Xuefei would rather die than go up the stage. She unleashed her I dont show, I only blabber excuses in its entirety, leaving those encouragers very disappointed. The competition was meant to be carried out in a lighter tone. The situation quickly turned the moment a male student stepped out and sang rather well. After his perfect performance, he got carried away. Half jokingly, half seriously, he had raised his nose and stated that no one from the Chinese Studies course would be able to defeat him in song. All the Chinese Studies students were tone deaf! The Economic Management course has won! This had sent the Economic Management course into a wave of laughter. The effect was tremendous. The Chinese Studies fell silent. Instructor Ma was furious. Werent the students of Chinese Studies supposed to be young artists? Why was there not even a single person who could sing? Reporting, instructor! Zhao Youyue is an excellent singer. She would totally trounce that guy! Han Leng, the patient of his company, came out of nowhere and shouted. He had had enough! Lady Zhao only continued to wink and laugh at Lady Bai. Han Lengs blood pressure went off the charts. That male student was simply too presumptuous. He had even started singing the song, Happened to Meet You. What blasphemy! The cover singer was trying to show off to the original singer! This was unbearable, it was absolutely intolerable! Lady Zhao, please get up the stage and bring the hammer of justice down! Chapter 561 Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation Han Leng knew the desires and interests of his Lady. If she had no reason to express herself, she would never budge. Anyway, the literature and art evening party was coming up next. She could pick her violin up and blow everyone away with a few strokes This singing challenge was nothing more than a speck of dust in her eyes. She would never see the need to step up. Even so, Han Leng was on the brink of nuclear fusion. He wanted to wipe the smiles of those pricks faces. When Han Leng finished talking, the rest of the students in the company looked towards Zhao Youyue, who merely looked mildly surprised. They never expected Zhao Youyue to be good at singing. The company had held many talent shows in the past. Not once had she stepped up to the occasion. Well, if you were good at something, shouldnt you be flaunting it? Why hide and selfishly keep it to yourself? Some female students suddenly perked up, as if they were just about to watch a movie that they have waited for years. Among them were Zhong Xiaoli and Liu Dan from the dormitory next door. They were thoroughly convinced that Zhao Youyue was a hollow vase. They had even started to doubt if she truly had to qualifications to enter this University. If not why did she take off in a luxury car, night after night? It was too suspicious! Naturally, they had been misled into thinking that Han Leng was trying to place Zhao Youyue in an awkward spot of humiliation. Thus, they started to encourage her, rousing the chant Sing, Zhao Youyue, Sing, Zhao Youyue! Zhao Youyue was nothing like her shilly-shally roommate, Yu Xuefei. That girl knew her place and limits. She could even butcher the national anthem and tear the foundations of the stage down. Which leads us to this encouragement culture. Many who had been highly encouraged had resorted to the national anthem to pull through the situation. It happened so frequently that an unwritten rule was soon established C the national anthem is not an option during talent shows. The presumptuous guy from the Economic Management company was called Wang Yin. He was not satisfied with that name, and hoped that he could one day legally change it to Bo Hu, as he considered his talent to be comparable to the likes of Tang Yin and Tang Bo Hu from the ancient times. It would come as no surprise if he knew of Zhao Youyues name. She had already been crowned as the Goddess of the Military Training, not long after training began. Countless female students were envious, jealous and hated her complexion that seemed to be immune to the powers of the sun. As time went by, she stood out like a stubborn nail, as more and more females got hammered down. Her beauty seemed to have been built upon the corpses of countless other female students. It would have been fine if those rumors remained as they were, but they suddenly turned into a mess. Some version so fit made it seem as if she was the representative of the so-called being a Goddess in front of people, but a b*tch behind the people. Many have started shunning her, as a result. Wang Yin never played any part in the spreading of the rumors. Sadly, after having submerged himself in the rumors for an extended period of time, his initial rating of 80% towards Zhao Youyue became skewed in the other direction. His heart started producing dark thoughts. Who knows, he could work a deal with her. She was such a beauty, he would be willing to spend tens of thousands for one night with her. What a waste of God-given beauty Men would have such thoughts when watching porn, lamenting the fact that such a beautiful girl actually chose to take part in such film. Wang Yin saw Zhao Youyue being encouraged to face the challenge. He could not help but feel sympathy for Zhao Youyue. She was nothing but a hollow, beautiful vase, and yet this vase was being tormented by her own company. Zhao Youyue stood up and walked onto the stage gracefully. She did not seem to be bothered about the mocking jeers at all, and she did not seem nervous being at the center of attention. Something told him that she had substantial experience in performing at grand scale events. She looked completely at home on stage. Zhao Youyue would have to perform without an instrument. Even Chu Luoxun might not be able to treat it like a breeze in the park. However, Han Leng produced an acoustic guitar from God-knows-where and handed it to Zhao Youyue. Now she could play the guitar and sing. A few strums would allow any song to transcend to the next level. A person could be equally good at the guitar as he or she is at singing. The trick however, was doing both simultaneously. Young artists drew in fanatic worshippers with this technique. It was old-school, but it was timeproof. It was literally and figuratively, the classic method of picking up girls. A great many male students might have an acoustic guitar lying about somewhere in their dormitories. They would practice some sort of beginner-level tune like Twinkle, twinkle little star. They would be able to satisfy themselves, fantasizing while hugging a guitar in a seated position, running their fingers across a few strings. No sound, let alone music might be produced, but they would be pleased in their happy little worlds. Obviously, the guitar was one of the most popular music instrument of choice among university students. It was far too common, but could never be overrated. Zhao Youyue casually checked the tuning of the guitar. Then, she spoke softly, Heed my call. The next moment, she became possessed by Chu Luoxun, the true Goddess of music. Beside her, Han Leng sensed a chill running down his spine. Once again, his writings were coming to life, before his very eyes. He knew very well that Zhao Youyue stood before him. But for some reason, whenever she showcased her superb musical talents, Chu Luoxun would flood his vision. Her scent, her voice, her mannerisms. As long as Chu Luoxun touches a musical instrument, her aura would flood over the surroundings in a way that words would never be able to describe. An optimistic and bright smile would appear on her face. Chu Luoxun enjoyed nothing more than to offer beautiful music to this wonderful world. Which song do you guys want to listen? Feel free to pick any song. Zhao Youyue suddenly called out, her voice unstrained, yet loud and clear. They were suddenly attending a Zhao Youyue concert. Zhao Youyue, or rather, Chu Luoxun, would most certainly know the popular pop songs of this world on an intimate level. She had sung them countless times during her livestreams, both as acoustic and full covers. When Zhao Youyue finished speaking the aura only intensified. Those who had been wanting to see her make a fool out of herself fell silent. For a while, they did not know what to do. They had never felt so conflicted before, trying to convince themselves that she was just bluffing Han Leng saw the entire crowd being suppressed by Zhao Youyues Goddess aura. He was no stranger to such a phenomenon. Before everyone could react, he pounced on the opportunity and called out, Sing the song My Old Deskmate by Old Wolf[1]. It is a classic campus song! This may be an alternate world where many golden songs had similar substitutes of counterparts, but some songs were simply irreplaceable, and the laws that govern time and space over parallel universes simply could not allow any alternate reality to miss out on them. Besides, the moment deemed it ideal for Chu Luoxun to sing a cover of a song everyone knew, rather than sing an original composition. Sometimes, one would have to listen to an unfamiliar new track multiple times before it grew on them. Okay. My Old Deskmate it is. After all, we are just at the start of a new journey, the future holds the key to many more eternal memories, said Zhao Youyue. Fixed deskmates no longer existed in Universities. Even classrooms would change occupants swiftly. No single course remained in the same room for long. The closest thing to deskmates might just be roommates, but even then, they might not necessarily be of the same course. Translation Note: [1] Old Wolf C The nickname of Wang Yang, a Chinese singer. There are two reasons why he has been given this nickname. One of the reasons is because his voice sounds like a wolf. Another reason is because he once sang the song Wolf by Qi Qin, a famous Chinese singer, during his girlfriends birthday. Before he sang, he had said that he was willing to accompany his girlfriend into old age and be an old wolf. Chapter 562 Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation Tomorrow, would you still remember Yesterday, you wrote in a diary Tomorrow, would that diary come to mind You, who cried the most Teachers who no longer remember you You, who never got a question right Only by chance Was I able to remember that you were once my deskmate Of whose bride did your sentimental self, be The reader of your diary The one who did your hair The one who made your wedding dress You have always been so careful Half my eraser was all you asked You had once said You loved to be with me On that day, the sky was pearl-blue Too slow did the days go by You were always complaining about how graduation was nowhere in sight It only took the blink of an eye, and we have lost sight of each other Who met the sentimental you Who consoled the crybaby you Who read the letter I wrote to you Pieces of that letter now fly with the wind The old days are long gone I am no longer without wife For her too, would I show our photos Telling her that you were once my deskmate The one who made your wedding dress La La When Lady Zhao got in her Chu Luoxuns possession mode, there would be no escape. She would play your heart like a fiddle, just like chefs who made light-emitting cuisine. Goddess Chu had forced the listeners into memory lane, whether they wanted to or not. The music did not come from her. It came from their souls, and she had merely shoved them through the doorway! Not even the instructors from both companies were exempt from this nostalgic sorrow. They were flung, decades back to days where they were once naive, immature and shallow. Instructor Ma seemed to have been struck harder than the others, as his impressive deskmates were all males! Didnt he have that one female deskmate back in grade school? Since junior high, not once was he placed beside a girl. He was actually pleased about that, as he considered having a female deskmate to be troublesome. You could never strike up a proper conversation with a girl, and any Freudian slip might end up stepping on their toes! Lets not talk about high schools. Teachers generally prevented opposite genders form mixing, unless it was a special case. Some teachers needed some elite scholars to guide the weakest links in class. Han Leng happened to be one-half of such a pairing. Of course, an elite scholar like Zhao Youyue only brought more harm than good. She would drag her deskmate along to have all sort of crazy fun. Study? Hah, study, my ass! Instructor Ma felt tears streaming down his cheeks. Why did I not get myself a female deskmate? I had been so pleased with it at that time. Why was I so stupid? He was not the only one currently lost in those long-repressed thoughts. Oh, how did they suddenly have the unquenchable urge to immediately call up their old deskmates and talk about those good old days. This soul music by Goddess Chu was comparable to aphrodisiac-laced cuisine. The results were highly potent Han Leng had basically fallen down into this memory pool with his arms wide open, back first. He had surrendered himself to the music he knew so well. Resisting would only make it hurt even more. His true deskmate was not actually Zhao Youyue, but Chen Haoran C who had gone to the capital to study at Chung Hua University. He was Han Lengs blood brother. They have constantly kept in touch, but that man would not stop bugging Han Leng about his younger sister Since when did Han Leng have a sister? Please, for the love of God, move on. Forget about Leng Zi. A genuine, straight man like Chen Haoran should not be offering his soul to Lucifer His memories with his deskmate Chen Haoran were warm, but his old days as Lady Zhaos deskmate were almost just as memorable. It was the time Han Leng underwent his extreme makeover, courtesy of Lady Zhao. She turned acne-infested, awkward him into a dashing, young and gorgeous writer. If not, how could he possibly have experienced such great sales by being the poster boy of his publishing company? Lady Zhao often took his heartstrings and wrapped them around her finger like cocoon silk, but she had been a truly loyal friend. She was not as petty as girls in general. Sometimes, Han Leng considered Lady Zhao the ideal friend. If they ever got into a romantic relationship, that admiration towards Lady Zhao might have slowly turned into disgust. This was not some sort of joke to scare you readers. There is a certain type of girl in this world. Getting into a love relationship with them would only give both parties agony. These girls would be too independent for their own good. They would not be concerned about the feelings of their male partners. Sadly, love involves a great deal of compromise and accommodation. Both parties have to give and take to make a relationship work. Lady Zhao only seemed to be gentle and highly tolerant towards females. When it came to males, she would automatically switch to her loyal best brothers mode. This probably had something to do with the fact that her soul contained the fusion of some male energy. She did not process thoughts like others. There was nobody that Lady Zhao loved more than herself. Her wifes were different selves of her. Guys probably wished to have a sweetheart who would rely on them when it came to just about everything. It granted them a sense of accomplishment, and they would take care of their girls more diligently than before, just like their younger sisters. At times, Lady Zhao would pretend to be a younger sister type, just to trigger those younger sister complex guys. She was a world-class actress She actually wished to adopt such a younger sister, herself Her song ended. Hundreds of listeners lingered in the deep aftertaste, before finding the way out of their souls. When they finally came to their senses and turned to Zhao Youyue who stood in the moonlight, hugging a guitar, their faces yearned for more, begged for more! She was simply superb, far too superb! She most definitely deserved to stand on stage with the worlds best. The whoever it was who was boasting about shamelessly just minutes ago should just bug off. Invincible singing? Hah! You arent even worthy of carrying Zhao Youyues shoes! Indeed, Wang Yin was crushed in all aspects. He wanted to scream there and then, that he was actually Zhao Youyues fan And so, gone were the bullshit rumors that ranged from Zhao Youyue being a talentless vase to those that claimed her to be an actual prostitute. Her guitar playing and singing skills were enough for her to be a private music teacher. Ah, wait C she could totally be a live streamer! Wait Female live streamer? Most of the students had visited Ah Yus live broadcast room before. They were suddenly struck by an overpowering sense of familiarity. Her music had reached out, tore through her passerby aura, and extracted memories of Ah Yu from these blinded fools Zhong Xiaoli and Liu Dan had never once seen any of Ah Yus streams. They seldom watched live streams, to begin with. Even so, this did not stop them from admiring Zhao Youyue. Liu Dan considered herself to be cute and beautiful, she believed that she was on par with Zhao Youyues in terms of charm. Even so, she was totally stunned. How could there be such a beautiful and talented girl in this world? She was cheating, she was hacking. How could regular players keep up? Zhao Youyue, encore, encore! Several listeners have suddenly been poisoned. Instantly, they lost their minds and morphed into her crazy fans. They were just like those foodie guests who ripped off their clothes in an orgasmic state after ingesting aphrodisiac-laced cuisine. Zhao Youyue, or rather, Goddess Chu would never bear to refuse her fans requests. She sang another two folk songs. Both were classical songs that only in this parallel world. In the end, Zhao Youyue switched off the character card and ended her performance. If not, according to Goddess Chus style, she could have sung all night long Thanks to the hacker Zhao Youyue, her company decisively earned the victory. At one point, other companies actually came over to join the concert. The first unforgettable memory of Uni-life was thus created for many on that day. On the other hand, Zhao Youyue could no longer conceal her identity. With this revelation, those pesky little rumors were quickly reduced to great jokes of the century! Chapter 563 Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation Surrounded by those who had fallen thrall to their own sweet memories, Du Hang stood alone in the real world. The music never reached his heart, or it actually did, but there was nothing worth reminiscing in his memory banks. He was always looking ahead. Even if there was no one in sight, he would never regret taking his solitary journey. The world would never run out of things to be regretful over. There was also a pesky saying that would somehow make itself relevant to everything C the past cannot be repeated. It was clear that until yesterday, they were still talking normally. However, all of a sudden, a void grew between them, and they never spoke to each other again. Well, things could be worse. At least they were still forcing smiles at each other. The smiles seemed to say, dont take it to heart, were still going to act like were good friends. Even so, somewhere in the corner of their minds, both parties would be implicitly aware C that things were not the same anymore. When did this even happen? Why did we even drift apart? How could I not have seen any of it before it was too late? My old deskmate? Werent all of you just the same? What was the difference? Everyone is passing the world by, and the world has none the less to care about. Now, these classmates were drowning in their emotions. Two days later, they would realize that those emotions were all but false, and they would move one, tossing them aside. Admittedly, Du Hang was objectively blown away by Zhao Youyues talent in music, but he still could not see the point in being so talented. It seemed to have meant a lot to her. He basically saw her glowing in power as she gained momentum and took the crowd in her hands. She did not glare like the sun, she glimmered like the stars. Even the suspected Asperger Du Hang was moved, if only slightly. He took his mobile phone out and tapped away - - I heard that the stars we see are no longer shining. The light that they once emitted would have to pass a myriad of dimensions before finally reaching our retinas. Everyone is imprisoned in the past. No matter how you plan to move forward, whenever you look up inadvertently, the actions of your past would always come down in torrents, just like the light from stars. They can neither be erased nor be brushed aside with laughter. They could only nag at you from the silent corner of your heart, only to be awakened in a moment of inadvertence. The corners of Du Hangs mouth lifted slightly. Perhaps, if he re-read this, many years in the far future, he would think of the starlight that she was emitting at this very moment. Du Hang was unlike many other students. He was not like those gullible rats who took rumors at face value. In his heart, he had firmly deduced that Zhao Youyue was 100% innocent. As a creator with a terrifyingly high IQ score, he saw through the world like it was made of glass. That was precisely why he was lonely. He made no attempt to don a mask on his face. He had no need to build relationships and please anyone. This was different compared to Bai Yunshans ignorance towards the feelings of others. He knew all too well how others felt, and that was why he chose to remain by his lonely old self. He was his best companion. Du Hangs roommates had previously gossiped about Zhao Youyues rumors. One of them could not help but say that they pitied Master Han C she somehow had him on a leash. He also consulted Du Hang about this matter. Du Hang only shoved a quote at his direction, in place of a proper reply - - In late Autumn, what exactly is everyone in the world doing?[1] The other three boys were speechless. What was that even supposed to mean? Talk normal, damnit! Was this why they called him Big Teacher Du? Were they currently in a philosophy class? Du Hang did not say anything more. He was not bothered to teach those who did not understand him. Of course, he might have gone into detail, had he been speaking to Zhao Youyue. Despite how he embraced his solitude, he had not yet exempted himself from having more interactions with pretty girls. In late Autumn, what exactly is everyone in the world doing? This was a famous quote. In this season, those who cared about what others in the world were doing, were those who were drowning in sadness and loneliness. Even if it was not those exact emotions, it was probably one produced when surrounded by loneliness. Loneliness, in its contrast, drew out the presence of others. To distract them from their loneliness, they would take more notice of others, trying to forget that they were individuals of their own. Conversely, this might be the representation of their desire for others to take notice of them. Others were mirrors that reflected light upon them. Essentially, others were nothing more than virtual images seen through their own filters, so there was only one existence C themselves. In the end, people only thought about themselves. Asking others in the world what they were doing was nothing more than an act to compare themselves to others, and learn of where they stood in the grand scale of the world. These people were merely reflecting on the actions carried throughout their meager existences. Stepping on others to prove oneself. It lacked sincerity. If it lacked sincerity, it was a wrong method. Therefore, only loneliness was justice. Loneliness was the correct solution. In Du Hangs opinion, Zhao Youyue was the correct solution. She fell victim to baseless rumors because she suddenly shot up into recognition, against her own will. Others who could not share her fame had to somehow pull her down to remain relevant. This was sad, but this was just how the world worked. He knew that he could not change the world. He could only share his justice with his readers. Du Hang had instantly seen through the truth behind the rumors, but he was too lazy to stand up and do something for Zhao Youyue. Moreover, he would definitely not go up to Zhao Youyue and tell her that he believed in her and such, even if he knew that this might gain her favor. What was the point? If he were to deal with the rumors, he would only stand in the line of unnecessary fire - - He could divert their attention by doing something even more outrageous than what those rumors purported. In the end, he would be the only one getting hurt. Du Hang had already attempted this, many times over during high school. He soon learned that it was not the solution C it only delayed the inevitable. In the process, he had learned much of the world and much about himself. It was better to lean back and wait for the world to change C if it could. If the situation spins wildly out of control that even the enigmatic Zhao Youyue starts to break down, his help might just become necessary. Consider him returning the goodwill given to him on the other day. She may have faked it, but he did not have to return it in kind. He would be sincere. Most gratifyingly, he had found the truth of the universe. Zhao Youyue was the correct solution to every problem. All by herself, she had torn through all her obstacles with sheer, brute sincerity. Over the past few days, photos of Zhao Youyue in her military outfit quickly spread all over the internet. As a military training goddess, she soared with popularity. Many netizens began to dig deeper into her identity. The truth shook them to the core! Was this not Miss Ah Yu? If it was not for her recent military training photos, her fans would have almost forgotten how Ah Yu looked like. She had not turned her camera on for such a long time. Moreover, photos of her on the internet were quite scarce, so much so that rumors were going around saying that Miss Ah Yu had been imprisoned her legendary family. Thus, she was no longer allowed to show her face Now that her pure, refreshing military training photos have finally made it on the internet, this has, of course, given Ah Yus hardcore loyal fans a big, pleasant surprise. Some people mentioned that Ah Yu was currently embroiled in disparaging, slanderous rumors that went all around her university. Of course, in a short time, her fans quickly rose to defend their champion! Translation note : [1] This is a notable quote by Wataru Watari, in his light novel My Youth Romantic Comedy Is Wrong, As I Expected. Chapter 564 Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation In fact, among the freshmen, some of them were actually fans of Ah Yu. The problem was that they only knew Ah Yu. They did not know Zhao Youyue The truth has come to light! Those who originally came up with the rumors quickly changed their minds, and various arguments started rising up - - If Zhao Youyue is Ah Yu, riding a luxury car is normal for her. Its meant to be. Shes an actual, big missy after all! I love watching her spend tons of money on games during her live streams. Thats the African thrill! Lady Ah Yu is probably the most wonderful live streamer in history, ever. She has never once encouraged the audience to send her gifts. In the beginning, she did not even thank people. Later, she started doing it out of courtesy. Well, the income she gets from her streams is probably just some pocket money to her, right? Man, those who started the rumors are really seeking death. Everyone knows that Ding Yuncong treats Ah Yu as his godsister. Her cousin seems to be Zhao Hao Zhao Ritian, the guy who loves car racing and crashing his cars. Each crash probably costs around ten million yuan. For rich second generations like them, its just a drizzle out of their pockets I think that rumors should only spread when Ah Yu actually stops riding in a luxury car one day. That would be big news! It can only be said that the quality of a small number of students in top universities is worrying. They would make up some rumors, based on their own imagination and spread it without investigating Zhao Youyues true identity in detail. Really disappointing. They are all blind. Those idiots even doubt if Ah Yu has the qualifications to enter Jiangnan University. Dont they know that shes the top candidate in Jiangnan Provinces college entrance examinations? Or, is it a norm for top candidates to go to Capital University or Chung Hua University? Is that how it is? As a junior in Jiangnan University and the Head of a certain department of the Student Council, Im very saddened by the fact that my little female freshman has had to undergo such an unpleasant experience. Ive decided to use this as an opportunity to run as President of the Student Council and seek justice for Miss Ah Yu! After the highly talked about rumors reached their peaks, they were promptly crushed by Zhao Youyues identity. Those who created those rumors were almost driven to insanity. How could they have been so stupid, so blind? The military training came to an end, but the topic was far from over. Zhao Youyue had been proven innocent. She was unanimously awarded the title, military training role model. This was most ironic, for this role model stayed out pretty late at night and did not even fold her blankets xxx However, Lady Zhao had gone through a heapful of filth. Is there any possible recompense for this? She had remained strong and positive throughout the military training. Moreover, she had claimed victory for her company through song and dance! Zhao Youyues sense of presence and popularity in school skyrocketed. Many already knew of Ah Yu. The real name of Miss Ah Yu was now imprinted in their minds. However, calling her by her real name was so awkward. Ah Yu really sounded a lot more affable. After the military training ended, Zhao Youyue no longer had to don the unsightly camouflage clothing. However, she did not continue to wear her old set of clothes, which was what ordinary university girls wore. Instead, she started wearing her Missy set of clothes. It was the type of luxury clothing that 500 words could not fully flesh out in those classy novels. Once again, she put on the mask of the iconic Missy character that only existed in fiction. She no longer had to pull her car up a distance away from the school gates. Some naysayers might just complain, it would be strange if a missy like her rode in a luxury car that was worth less than five million yuan, right? Zhao Youyue no longer tied her hair up into a student ponytail. Instead, she returned to the fiercer, imposing black, long, straight hairstyle. The goddess version of Lady Zhao has finally made her University debut, in full force! It was time to use her heroine form to expand her horizons and claim her domain! Now, she only needed one more person before she could bring her conceptualized FR Society into fruition. FR Society was short for Food Research Society. It sounded a little too serious, so she could not really turn it into an afternoon tea place where people gathered after class. That would be really embarrassing. After all, societies had to come up with real things to do. Students were supposed to feel that societies existed for a reason. During on-campus carnivals and festivals, societies would be there to please the lecturers and students Zhao Youyue wanted to use her identity as a Society President to run as Student Council President. That throne was hers to claim. On the other hand, she felt that FR Society was an excellent idea. In the future, she could open a food store in the university and get the students addicted to her food. If anyone was opposed to her being in the Student Council, she would deny them her cooking! Currently, the four members of the FR Society were Zhao Youyue, Han Leng, He Weiwei, and Zhou Cai. Zhou Cai was only recruited by Zhao Youyue to pull up the numbers. Zhao Youyue had agreed to grant her credits without having to attend meetings or participate in activities. It ws impossible to turn down such a deal! A girl like Zhou Cai might not be able to bring Zhao Youyue any help, but at least, she was not a troublemaker. That was good enough. Zhao Youyue did not spread the news about her new society. If she did, their applications would be overloaded. After all, she was now a veritable campus idol. Many bold boys wanted to approach her in various ways. Since Lady Zhao was not yet taken, there was no harm trying to pluck her petals, right? University was not like high school, where people could reject pursuits by saying they did not want to date yet. Therefore, Zhao Youyue had to tread carefully and seek out members who met her requirements. Then, she thought of Du Hang, the autistic boy who she now affectionately called Big Teacher Du. He was lonely and unapproachable. Even his roommates found it hard to approach him, let alone strangers. The military training had just concluded. It was only natural to find many wandering freshmen not yet in any societies of their own. Of course, someone like Du Hang would not see the need for societies. They were a complete waste of time. It was better to use the time to revise and write stories. What of credits? Participating in societies was not the only way to get credits. It was not necessary. At most, it was an effortless way to obtain credits, but there were other social practice activities to make up for those lone wolves. Du Hang had done his research. He was more comfortable working alone to obtain credits. He could do it all by himself. When the new, transformed Lady Zhao, glimmering with an entirely different temperament stepped up to Du Hang with a smile and told him that she wanted to be alone with him, Du Hangs whole mind came crashing down. Various looks from the other surrounding students also made him feel as if he was sitting on needles Du Hang did not like the feeling of being watched at all. He would rather be invisible. Many in this world might be eager to be the protagonist, but Du Hang, who was too woke, was not such a person. Protagonists experienced the excitement of being a protagonist, while supporting roles would be all the more unhappy. In Du Hangs case, he would be pleased to be a narrator. So, when facing the perfect smile of the goddess Lady Zhao, he used both of his hands to form a big cross. Chapter 565 Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation Zhao Youyue did not find Du Hangs refusal strange at all. After all, she was not something that everyone loved, like money. Wait, actually, not everyone was a fan of money. It sounds strange, but it was true. Such people probably lived in a different world. Regular folk might just as well give up trying to figure them out. Zhao Youyue was very used to being refused, so she handled it very skillfully. Firstly, she handed out a sincere invitation, which expressed how highly she thought of Du Hang. Of course, she still could not look up to someone talentless like him! What of Zhou Cai? Well, Zhou Cais computer skills were pretty good. Some people even thought that she was Majoring in Computer Science. What was she doing in the Chinese Department? With a straight face, she would reply, saying that her literacy skills were too poor. She simply wished to polish her skills She had done some research in private. The examinations in the Chinese department were really easy. She could cram the night before examinations and still pass with ease. Hence, she could spend more time on her hobbies. She did not come to this University to learn anything, nor was she here to socialize. All she wanted was the freedom that she had desired for so long! She had deliberately chosen to attend a university that was really far away from her home to be truly free. These four years of University life might be the most carefree and fun period in the lives of many. As a result, it would be over too soon. In a blink of an eye, those four years have passed. Then, when these people looked back, they would feel like they had not attended university at all. It was more like C University had attended them In any case, the fact that Zhou Cai could be in the same dormitory as Lady Zhao only meant that she was highly fortunate. Just by being the Ladys roommate alone had given the Lady a reason to reel her into her society. In this university, the bond between roommates was a strong one. Why? Zhao Youyue tilted her head to the side, looking slightly lost, as if Du Hang had made a huge mistake by refusing her invitation. If this situation had been in a novel where Du Hang was the main protagonist, Lady Zhaos admirers would have gathered and shot lasers. They would be incredibly envious and resentful at Du Hang. They would feel embarrassed, as the protagonist was giving them a live show on how to be a decent human being. Unfortunately, Du Hang was not the protagonist. Zhao Youyue was also a master tactician. She had memorized Du Hangs schedule and knew just where and when to find him. It was evening. After eating his dinner in the cafeteria, he always enjoyed walking alone in the playground. He enjoyed the feeling of being deep in thought while walking leisurely. Life might be meaningless to many because they occupied themselves with such unnecessary concerns. Some people wanted to stand taller, some wanted to earn more money, some wanted power C because life had made them do so. Some people had these desires because they were not satisfied. This was the only way it gave them life, and this gave that life meaning. Undoubtedly, this would save them the time spent on thinking about life, or simply the time wasted. For a loner like Du Hang, thinking about life was the purpose of life itself. Being deep in his existential musings only gave him more convictions in his own beliefs. He was very skeptical of the day when he would eventually drift with the tide. This was probably a type of sophohigh syndrome that people called everyone is drunk, I alone am sober. However, he would rather suffer from this syndrome for a lifetime. With her knowledge of Du Hangs routine, Zhao Youyue seized the opportunity to conquer an eccentric man like him. This nagging feeling told her that if this guy were to create something, he would definitely be able to come up with works that were pretty amazing C if he made adequate preparations. Why? As people always say, you dont need a reason to like someone. Of course, I dont need a reason to refuse someone as well. Youre not that narcissistic, right? Do you really think that as long as you open your mouth, everyone in the world would listen to you? Du Hang said calmly. It was harsh, but it was the blunt truth. Now, Zhao Youyue had been cleared of the rumors, and her Missy identity had also been exposed. All the students were talking about her, yearning for her. Hence, in such a situation, she would inevitably become full of herself, right? On the contrary, Im gratified with how you refused my invitation. Ill still come back to look for you, no, I think theres this one person who might be better at communicating with you, compared to me What exactly is it that you want? Zhao Youyue was still smiling. I dont crave language. I already have all I need. Its surely not a matter of hoping to understand each other, hoping to get along with each other, hoping to stay with each other and such. I dont need others to understand me. All I want is to understand and to make things clear. I want to understand so that I can have peace of mind, earn my tranquility. I fear the unknown. I feel that wanting to fully understand something is a self-righteous and arrogant desire. People would get fed up with you if youre very mean. Im hopelessly disgusted by this kind of people, Du Hang habitually said things that ordinary folk would never wrap their minds around. The average person would never understand his desires. Zhao Youyue felt that the best candidate to deal with this oddity would be Han Leng. Those two young hipsters definitely spoke a common language. At the end of the day, Lady Zhao was still better at getting along with girls. Zhao Youyue left, satisfied. She had been right about Du Hang. Then, she immediately contacted Han Leng, hoping that the little angel Leng Zi could shake Big Teacher Du Hang out of his autism. This was the perfect cure! Why me! Out of all the boys in the class, hes the one Im most unfamiliar with. Its impossible to communicate with him Of course, Han Leng was vehemently against the idea of trying to recruit Du Hang into the society. Du Hang was a complete stranger. Even so, he was intrigued by this fellow hipster. Lonely forces would always attract. Most ideal creators were lonely because their spiritual worlds outweighed the material world. Sadly, The Great Scholar Han had grown very arrogant at this point. He had grown accustomed to the fact that others would take the initiative to become friends with him, rather than the opposite. He was sure that if he took the initiative, he would be at a loss. Thinking of losing was already a loss. But if one lost a little beforehand, the thrill of winning would be all the more exceptional. Cut the crap. Ill give you his contact information. You can make your plans in your own time. First, start from the internet. Once you have a better relationship, you can also try sending some fan service photos (*RQ)~~ Thats all you have to do, wont you help me, Mister Leng Zi? Are you really going to let my society fail before your eyes and finally watch me fail to become the President of the Student Council? o(i_i)o My Lady, maybe you shouldnt overdo the cute acting. Its not like you at all. Im getting goosebumps! Also, dont call me Leng Zi, it always gives me a feeling like youre not up to something good You have one week then, its settled! Zhao Youyue barked out the order C there was no way Han Leng could refuse. Chapter 566 Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation The whole campus seemed to have become a new stage for Lady Zhao to showcase her glory. In the end, at the literary and artistic evening party, with violin in hand, she reintroduced the students to music once again! Many students who originally thought they would never be able to understand classical music such as that from violins, soon realized that they had been truly wrong about it. In the hands of Lady Zhao, the music seemed to stimulate more than hearing C it seemed to take form in their eyes, it seemed to gain smell. It surrounded them. They now understood what music that transcended language and actions was, they now understood what it was like, to resonate with music! Perhaps, initially, the only people who could achieve this would be the world-class connoisseurs of music. Hence, sometimes, classical music was highbrow, but Zhao Youyue, or rather Chu Luoxun, was able to make the highbrow music understandable to everyone who listened carefully. Thus, these people were moved by the music. This was the music of Chu Luoxun. It was not only for a tiny number of people, she had opened it up to the public! Therefore, the annual, formal evening party gained critical acclaim from many students. Some people had even bluntly claimed that the previous freshmens welcome party only had a playing house segment. Unfortunately, Lady Zhao had not been around back then. If not, they could have enjoyed her music. Of course, some nosy folk had also recorded a video of her performance at the evening party and had it uploaded onto the internet. Students who were there at her live performance rewatched the performance on video, only to comment - - It feels like youre in two totally different worlds when youre watching the video and listening to Ah Yu perform on the spot. I used to think that those who said this were merely exaggerating. Having experienced it personally, I have now learned that Ah Yus live performance is truly powered by some mysterious, magical force! As someone in the audience who was fortunate enough to be there in person, I must say that her music is really poisonous. I obviously didnt know what song she was playing, but I felt like I understood it. Its like me entering a different world and personally experiencing what the music was saying. Now I know what it means to resonate with music You can only look at Ah Yus beauty from the video. Of course, you can also lick her pair of beautiful long legs that are covered in black silk stockings. Unfortunately, those who were not at the scene missed the music that actually snuffed out her charm! All these guys who said they were there in person C they surely sound so iffy. Im skeptical. By the way, why didnt Ah Yu dress up formally? It would have made her look like a true noble! It was meant to be a relatively simple evening party. Unless you wanted to come with a bang, most of the performers would be dressed rather casually. They wore everyday clothes. If you dressed formally, you would probably be the odd one out? IwillalwayslikeLadyAhYu.jpg Its such a pity. No matter high quality the recording is, it still cant convey the deep connotation contained in my Ladys music. I have decided. Wherever my Lady performs the next time, I would definitely choose to be there in person. Otherwise, I would have missed a segment of my life. Obviously, Zhao Youyue did not pay much attention to the waves she had caused. If she could not cause any ripples as a main protagonist, did she still qualify as one? Her attention began to shift to the Two Dimensional Gate once again. Something told her that the cooldown time of the Two Dimensional Gate had almost concluded. The cooldown time was so short, only because she had reaped a rather substantial harvest from the spiritual source world. The Jane Doe Su card was basically useless in the real world, but it would flourish in the spiritual source world. So what if these ghostly entities had no physical forms? Jane Doe Su hailed from a world where devils and monsters were rampant. It was actually unclear if the low-skilled Wuxia world or if the spiritual world had a higher energy level. On the surface, some spiritual worlds would seem to be of a low energy level. The realism was precisely why their scare factor would be so convincing. Deadly situations that seemed to offer no escape whatsoever would appear at any moment. For example, Final Destination could be classified as a spiritual world, but what kind of energy level did it possess? It was almost unquantifiable. The entire series demonstrated the law of nature, causation, and the like. It most definitely possessed a higher energy level than reality. It would not be inferior to the so-called high-skilled Wuxia worlds and fantasy worlds. In such a world, the powers remained on a material level C it would not make any contact with any degree of hidden laws. Zhao Youyue actually thought that the division of energy levels was rather general in the Two Dimensional Gate. You could never quite put your finger to it, or place them in charts or graphs. As a result, she was sometimes left confused, as she could not identify the energy level of the different worlds. In the spiritual source world, Zhao Youyue became a student in a female high school that was full of Kaidan[1]. These kinds of Kaidan were widely spread across the real world. For example, the extremely iconic Wishing Stairs. Many rumors of it were circulating from schools in the real world. The rumors would say things like a certain staircase somewhere in the school having only 28 steps. However, if you walked there at midnight and counted each of the steps carefully, it would become 29 steps. As long as you made a wish while standing on that one extra step, the fox spirit would grant your wish Of course, many who did that almost successfully sought death. The spiritual source worlds were always filled with people who persistently sought death. Perhaps they could not be considered humans C but mere mental projections of dreamers from the real world. It was no surprise if people did strange things in their dreams. They would never have the guts to seek death in reality. Surely, they could do it in their dreams, right? Of course, in the eyes of the spiritual source world natives, such people were out of their minds. The female high school Zhao Youyue was attending not only had those who went to the Wishing Stairs, there were others who played with the Bunshinsaba and the Ouija Board every single day. They loved death so much that if denied them for a day, might just kill them from discomfort. Peeling apples in front of the mirror in the middle of the night was also an essential element. They wanted to see if Bloody Mary dared appear. Zhao Youyue really admired this gang of death-seeking people. She also wanted to thank them. If they did not like to seek death so much, she might never catch a glimpse of the real ghosts. If that was the case, it would have been impossible for her to replenish the energy of the Two Dimensional Gate by farming monsters to hasten the cooldown process. Indeed, Zhao Youyue could actually gain energy by cooperating with the monsters to torture the dead in the spiritual source world. Energy could also be obtained by killing monsters directly. The Jane Doe Su card had come at the right time. Otherwise, she would still have her doubts about holding her own in such a hostile world. Back then, she could only survive by transforming into a black cat. Just like that, by saving those death-seeking people in Whispering Corridors and killing spiritual creatures, she succeeded in replenishing the energy of the Two Dimensional Gate. Finally, she could activate the next world of works. Perhaps, whatever she did in the spiritual source world was also reflected in the real world. For example, the horror thriller film called Whispering Corridors that was released two years ago Translation note : [1] Kaidan (̸) (sometimes transliterated kwaidan) is a Japanese word consisting of two kanji: (kai) meaning strange, mysterious, rare, or bewitching apparition and Մ (dan) meaning talk or recited narrative. In its broadest sense, Kaidan refers to any ghost story or horror story, but it has an old-fashioned ring to it that carries the connotation of Edo period Japanese folktales. Chapter 567 Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation In the familiar world of the cognitive mind, or rather, the subconscious world, or even, a type of dream world, there was only one eye-catching, mysterious huge door in the vastness of space. This was because a few vivid figures were already standing at the door. These character cards were just like personality masks. Zhao Youyue could pick any of those masks at her discretion. She could even swap them out, any time she wanted. Zhao Youyue had not yet chosen to sacrifice any of her character cards. Even a highly popular character card like the Youyue Meow card was still spared. This character card had proven to be extremely useful in the spiritual source world. Moreover, it could prolong its lifespan by drawing energy from the spiritual source world. Hence, even with an expiry date, she could prolong its lifespan, one second at a time. Therefore, Zhao Youyue had to step into a random world, once again. Randomness may have been unpredictable, but she had not exactly lost anything from it. It was true that she had been shoved into some really bad works and recently, every Tom, Dick, and Harry seemed to have become creators. Bearing that in mind, she was prepared to enter a completely hopeless world. However, as long as she gets a random, reliable work that would provide her with a space to operate, she could achieve a win-win situation, together with the creator. For example, in the Tale of Wuxia game series, Jane Doe Su turned the game into an extremely hot topic. Because of her efforts, the game was now trending on the internet. The game was already reputable, to begin with, and she had turned it viral. It should be no surprise if Tale of Wuxia 3: Swords of the Future receives the Best RPG single player game award of the year. This had given Zhao Youyue a new lease of inspiration. The randomness of the Two Dimensional Gate had its graces. Now, she was ready to gamble on a new random world of works. Lady Zhao, who was essentially an African headman[1] was also very stubborn. She always felt that the next time she drew a card, no, the next random world, it would grant her a sleeping victory Actually, if you looked at all of Zhao Youyues character cards, the only real sleeping victory she had earned was with the literary girl Wen Qingyu, because Shi Jingnian was an extraordinarily talented genius. The other characters had more or less required the drama queen Zhao Youyue to put in lots of effort and perform. This was probably what an African headman was. Her efforts had far outweighed her luck, but she always wanted to proudly tell everyone that she had been lucky. Call her a European Emperor, please! Others would break out in laughter at that. The Two Dimensional Gate was not the only object that refused to gratify her. Zhao Youyue was a notorious African headman in many other games of chance. Many viewers enjoyed watching the stubborn Zhao Youyue spam her gachas. In cases where she was having extremely bad luck, money would pave a bloody road Tencent games were ideal for Lady Zhao. After all, if you had money, you can be the boss. This did not apply to NetEase games, though. Regardless of your wealth, NetEase games would remain as your boss, unless you directly bought their company over. Take a look at Fantasy Westward Journey. Zhao Youyue had personally spent money to get better in the game, but nothing had turned out as planned. All the weapons and accessories she got were no level light weapons, three super boost spiritual earrings with the exact same stats, and such were all fake. In this game, there was no such thing as no level equipment, whatsoever! However, when others spent money, they got the good stuff. With the amount of money Zhao Youyue had spent on the game, she could already buy those weapons in real life. However, the stubborn missy still believed that she was a European Emperor This time, Zhao Youyue skillfully entered the Two Dimensional Gate, once again. She should finally be able to enter a cooking world this time, right? She had even named her society FR Society. If she still did not get herself into such a world, her society was going to crumble. After all, Xu Jings cooking was only limited to home cooking. There would be no light-emitting cuisine on par with spiritual music of Goddess Chu. How would she be able to conquer the appetites of all the teachers and students in school? Wait. She shouldnt think like that. That was only asking for trouble. She should start thinking in the opposite direction. If she did not expect to enter a cooking world this time, would fate throw her a bone? At the same time, she also entertained the possibility of randomly entering a regular, urban world. She could still find a path by joining the culinary artists of that world. She would directly mess up the original idea of the story, which was an urban love story, and turn it into a gourmet one. That would work too, right? However, it would be very difficult to create an iconic character when a story is forcibly deviated from the original storyline. The biggest taboo for creators would be an unclear storyline. It was best to set the tone of the story at the beginning, and then write around it. Zhao Youyue had repeatedly thought about trying to create a work focused on delicacies. After all, she was very good at tasting food. Whenever she ate books with the Wen Qingyu card activated, she could even describe the taste of the books as various types of delicacies, at a level that surpassed the heroine in the original work. However, because Zhao Youyue often interacted with many creators, she understood very well that the process of creation was truly no easy task. The literary girl Wen Qingyu moved on to creation herself, only because she ran out of books to eat. However, reality had so many more books to offer, that Zhao Youyue would never be able to finish reading all of them. How could she possibly gain the motivation to start creating? Zhao Youyue actually regretted it very much. Wen Qingyus character was evidently more of a reader. She was better-suited as an editor, to advice creators and help them broaden their imaginations. She would have been very good at her job. Either way, she would not have to do it herself If she had known this earlier, she would have given Wen Qingyu similar settings as Xu Jing, who would be uncomfortable and would feel like dying if she did not study. However, if she did this, Wen Qingyu might not have turned out as demure and cute as she was. A creator like her who did not suffer from laziness, did not delay her updates, and did not look for various excuses to go and gather materials would be too dull. This was similar to how some people like a hard-working genius was not a genius at all. Only people who relied on their talents entirely could be considered geniuses. In the real world, the former would always trounce the latter. Among the many creators in the world, quite a few genius authors were really weird and were plagued by various problems. However, those who could really reach the peak were those that were born talented and equally hard-working Wen Qingyus quirk was that she loved reading more than writing. Whenever Zhao Youyue used this character card, she was always ready to write, but if there was a book beside her, she definitely had to pick and chew on it. Whenever she was with Han Leng, she would never resist eating the things he wrote. Why write a book by yourself, when you have so many books to eat?! Zhao Youyue felt truly helpless. If she forced herself to write something and tasted it, the experience would have been most awful. Works had to be written from the heart, or they would never reach the heart, or in this case, the stomach of the insightful. If a book was not iconic, it should have never been written, in the first place. It was not like she needed to earn money from books. It was like she had a father-son relationship with creators. They could just point at her, and she would be rewarded Perhaps, her best option was to look for creators who had great potential and invest in them ahead of time. Just as Zhao Youyue got busy imagining things, she finally saw the name of this new world - - Everyone in the World Other than Myself is in A Deep Sleep. Translation Note: [1] African headman is a Chinese internet slang, used often in card games to refer to the unluckiest of all unlucky people. Chapter 568 Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation Zhao Youyue was disappointed when she saw that title. She could almost feel lady luck patting her on the shoulder, yet Two Dimensional Gate had fooled her once again. Of all the millions of titles out there, why did it have to make such a choice? With such a lengthy title, this had to be a light novel on the physical market. Like online articles, several good light novels had been adapted as manga and anime. More often than not, the light novel fans would approve of the adaptations. They would be utterly convinced that this was how the author had envisioned it. Of course, this was the artists interpretation, not the authors. In general, light novels often came attached with illustrations. Those little teasers had the wonderful effect of boosting its sales. Some people even joked that the novels were actually freebies attached to the actual product C the illustrations. Of course, not all light novels had the fortune of being accompanied by excellent illustrations. Some artists would misinterpret the authors sentences, ruining those light novels with twisted intentions. Not only would the readers criticize the novel C authors also often ended up laughing at themselves, thinking never thought that I was so dark and evil. Zhao Youyue did not read much of light novels, because most of them were stories about girls. It was an easy, lazy tactic that boosted their novel sales. Include lively, lovely young girls, and make sure they are drawn well. Even the male protagonists would be all bright and cheery. They were always gentle and soft, they would be chivalrous when it came to just about everything. Who came up with the misconception that adorable young girls would only fall for gentle, soft guys? These homo sapiens would never last an hour in reality Zhao Youyue despised such men. She loved to read about more appealing, outstanding protagonists. In all the novella worlds that she had visited in the past, she would gather the main cast together and get something meaningful done together. That was how you got a novel to be iconic. Zhao Youyue felt her heart dropping into her gut as she read the synopsis of this The Whole World Is In A Deep Sleep Except For Myself The main protagonist was a student in junior high named, Ren Xing. One day, he woke up and found everybody else in a deep sleep for reasons unknown. He was no longer bound by the law, and started doing everything he pleased. Zhao Youyue raised an eyebrow when she learned of how the male protagonist woke the girls from their slumber. He had to perform sexual intercourse to wake the sleeping beauties to the left and right! No wonder it was a hit among male readers. She was impressed by the authors creativity. If the male protagonist did not attempt to awaken them, they might have remained unconscious forever. In other words, he had saved them from eternal slumber. To remain awake, they had to have regular sex with the male protagonist. How ridiculous! Male protagonist now had a solid reason to sleep with any girl he wanted, claiming I did not want this, but I must keep you awake, and you must enjoy this free world! If you do not allow me to do anything to your body, you would be asleep for the rest of your life Zhao Youyue was certain that only a man could have written this! Why would the Two Dimensional Gate send her here? To possess some hapless, sleeping lady and get screwed by this man in her sleep? To obtain a sex slave character card so that she was lustful and proficient in love-making, even when her physical body was still a virgin? Zhao Youyue took a glance at the female characters available. There were so many to choose from. Of course, they were all beautiful girls that a male protagonist would be more than willing to have sex with Each time he chose to have sex with a girl, there would be a flashback of his interactions with her on a regular day. On those days, he would not even dream of getting close to them. Now, for the sake of staying awake, they had to beg him for sex! He could just sit down and ask them to help themselves! Zhao Youyue stepped out of Two Dimensional Gate. This was a headache, and it truly frustrated her. She could always quit this world by committing suicide, but it would still be really unpleasant for her One must be awake and fully conscious before one could take her own life. This meant that she would have to get screwed by the protagonist, in her sleep no less, before she could wake! Zhao Youyue hated this author C Love The Taste Of The Rice In Her House. He had to be a fat otaku who wanted nothing more than to freeload and get free food. He even had to specify that it was a girls house! Such a long name! How lame! How should this author be referred to as, Her House, or The Rice? Furious at her current predicament, Zhao Youyue made up her mind to tear this world off its hinges! Zhao Youyue returned to reality and purchased this light novel C for research purposes. They actually published this in hard copy form! Why was not the Mythical Beast of River Crab real? Thats right! Mythical Beast of River Crab! She had been so furious about possibly getting her body defiled, that she almost forgot about her influence in the publishing industry. There was more than one method of restraining a novel! Now that she had been backed into a corner, she missed the sensation where she could force any author to obey her. Despicable humans. Zhao Youyue wanted to dig this author out of his hole and have a word with him. Why cant he at least provide an alternative to staying awake without having anything to do with sex It might be a little bit challenging for Lady Zhao, as this Whole World Is In A Deep Sleep Except Myself already had a fierce cult following. Men who wanted nothing more than to think with their little brothers loved to NOT use their brains here! Zhao Youyue could not just step in and blow the world up. Its author would not implement such a plot! It was decided. Zhao Youyue would meet this Love The Taste Of The Rice In Her House. He was really something special, to think of such reckless freedom Nevertheless, an author could only imagine this with his pen. It had always been the privilege of Zhao Family members to do as they pleased in reality! Chapter 569 Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation Zhao Youyue stayed focused on the Two Dimensional Gate. On the other hand, Han Leng was happy to inform Lady Zhao that he successfully persuaded Du Hang to join Lady Zhaos Food Research Society With five members, Zhao Youyue submitted her application to form a new society. As she had been exposed as the legendary Lady Zhao, her application hardly received any resistance. The Senior level of the student union was well-informed. They knew that Zhao Youyues mother was the famous professor at Jiangnan University, Wang Hua. She was also the deputy dean of the College of Liberal Arts. This was why the senior members of the student union were so lenient. The current President of the Student Union was certain that Lady Zhao was simply too bored with her studies. She was just doing this to kill time, or perhaps she did not want to be a low-level member of another society. There would be too many constraints and rules in place. As the President of her own society, she could enjoy her freedom while earning some free credits The President of the Student Union thought that he understood the thoughts of the wealthy very well. After all, he was born wealthy, himself. Who would have expected that to be Zhao Youyues first step towards knocking him off his throne? Either way, it was none of his concern. He did not plan to occupy that chair for long, he had already planted his name in the long list of past Student Union Presidents. Zhao Youyue rented her own community classroom with a small amount of funding. The fund was given based on the quality of activities, amount of members and performance record in-university. Her society would not have been approved if someone else had been in her position. With merely five members, the Student Union would raise questions concerning its possible activities and contribution to the university. If everyone decided to make a society with members of their chatting group, would that not be chaotic? Today, the society held its first meeting ever. Zhao Youyue was there way before everyone else. She had modified the layout of the room to suit the purpose of a secret base. A long table sat in the middle of the room. At the end of the table was a grand seat for the President. The rest of the members would be seated on both sides of the table. She had placed a set of expensive, exquisite tea sets on the table. Every food research would begin with tea. Who would question Lady Zhaos mastery in the art of tea brewery? Actually, Zhao Youyue knew nothing about it. She just loved to act, pretending that she knew what she was doing. The tea leaves she used were not cheap. It was meant to cover up her ineptitude when it actually came to making tea After this magnificent display of class, would you dare say that her tea was not good? As Han Leng and Du Hang got deep into some hipster topic that both parties seemed to enjoy thoroughly, they caught sight of something pleasant. Ladu Zhao was so serious about making tea, the tea she made was not merely a drink, it was the Way of Tea [1] It was just like a master swordsman slaying his opponents, not for the sake of killing people, but to sharpen his skills One look at Lady Zhaos eyes, and it was clear that they had been asked to experience the Way of Tea. They promptly halted their discussion and sat down as orderly as they could, tasting the tea that had been so passionately brewed. A long time after, Zhao Youyue was finally done with her tea ceremony. She would not have gained the respect of these two capable members if she had not done so. Please help yourself, said the goddess Zhao Youyue, her long and silky hair catching the light in the room. Han Leng and Du Hang were flattered. The luxurious cups of tea in their hands costed more than a few thousand RMB apiece. These cups had been custom-made in a manner that ordinary people would be deceived into underestimating their value. Even so, Han Leng and Du hang felt that Lady Zhao was far too generous to them, and it worried them Thanks to their last meeting, Du Hang had begun to dislike Lady Zhao, yet now, he felt like he was at home. He would not have been here if he had not been invited by Han Leng. It was Han Lengs remarkable writing skills that drew Du Hang here. Out of courtesy, Hang Leng and Du Hang both tasted Lady Zhaos exquisite tea. They could not rush through it like thirsty dogs, could they? They both had no idea on what the way of tea was, but they had to at least pretend to have some knowledge. After all, they were both learned authors who had a wealth of knowledge concerning literature and culture. Zhao Youyue turned around to look out the window, her back facing them. She had to hide her smile from both men. When she turned back, her face was solemn, intent. In a faint voice, she asked, How was my tea? It was just tea, but Han Leng pretended to study the lingering aftertaste on his lips and replied It was good. Your way of tea was splendid! You have put in a lot of practice and effort, it was amazing! Du Hang stared at Han Leng incredulously. He thought Lady Zhao was faking every moment, just like a freaking anime character. She was roleplaying one of those classy characters! He did not reject the idea of a noble Lady Zhao. He rejected the idea of blatantly imitating an anime character. Other authors and artists knew the archetype all too well. Very, very few must have seen the true Zhao Youyue at her best. Du Hang too did not know anything about the Way of Tea. He bluntly described the tea as nothing but ordinary tea and thanked the president for her afternoon tea. Zhao Youyue smiled with satisfaction. She asked Han Leng, Great Scholar Han, you once claimed that you are familiar with the authors of light novels. I am looking for a person. Han Leng shook his head, Not really. I do have some exposure to the authors of youth literacy and online literature As for light novels, Du Hang should be very familiar. A ray of light shimmered in Zhao Youyue eyes. She had sensed that Du Hang was talented in something. Was he perhaps a light novelist? Zhao Youyues eyes were full of hope. Du Hang could sense her intent C she hoped for an honest, sincere answer. Seated at the far end of the long table, Du Hang spoke rather softly, I do some light writing C you may call that light novel C sometimes. And your pen name is? Zhao Youyue asked anxiously. Translation Note: [1] The Japanese tea ceremony, also called the Way of Tea, is a Japanese cultural activity involving the ceremonial preparation and presentation of matcha (Ĩ), powdered green tea. In Japanese, it is called chanoyu (Μ) or sad, chad (), while the manner in which it is performed, or the art of its performance, is called (o)temae ([]ǰ; []ǰ). Zen Buddhism was a primary influence in the development of the Japanese tea ceremony. Much less commonly, Japanese tea practice uses leaf tea, primarily sencha, in which case it is known in Japanese as senchad (, the way of sencha) as opposed to chanoyu or chad. Chapter 570 Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation Its Du Hang. Du Hang was a little embarrassed to call himself an author in front of Lady Zhao. He did not have any notable light novels under his belt, yet. Isnt your real name Du Hang? You dont have a pen name? Both names sounded just the same, and it confused Zhao Youyue. No, that is not my own name. This is Du, as in crossing, Du Hang explained. Oh, I see What is your novels title? I will pay it a visit when I am free. Zhao Youyue pressed, gently yet imposingly. Du Hang was reluctant to answer. He did not really like the idea of promoting his work openly. After all, it was just a hobby, and it gave him some pocket money. Famous or otherwise, he still had fans of his own. You dont have to be polite about it. If it is good enough to be popular, you would have known about it. If you read it just to be polite, it would not benefit either one of us. Du Hang went straight to the point. Fortunately, Lady Zhao was familiar with such situations. She knew that no matter how spiky a porcupine was, its soft spot would be somewhere around. Talented people were always worth the respect. Talented people would always be self-confident and prideful. If they lost that personality, they would be nothing more than commoners. Han Leng spilled Du Hangs beans instead, Du Hangs light novels is a series that starts off with Girlish Number [1]. Its about a female voice actress. You might even call it satirical. He even said so himself! Although youre a voice actress yourself, you did not have to go through the arduous gauntlet that most professionals had to. Perhaps you could understand more about it by reading his book. With your beautiful face and voice, the sound system would not even matter. Zhao Youyue was suddenly interested in reading Du Hangs light novel. She thought that it was just a typical youth love story or comedy, or a harem with a male protagonist being surrounded by several adorable girls. Du Hang was not that predictable. It was a female protagonist with an uncommon profession C a voice actress! The light novel Whole World Is In A Deep Sleep Except Myself was still Zhao Youyues first priority on her shopping list. Now, Du Hangs Girlish Number was next. Du Hang corrected Han Leng in a severe tone. In fact, Zhao Youyue, or should I say Ah Yu, is one of the voice actresses Im impressed with. When I knew nothing about her, I thought that this actress was extremely serious in her career. She did not mimic anyone or showed her face just to gain extra fame. If I may say, she is a rare jewel in this industry. It is sad to see such a talent being set aside, because she never truly set foot in it. Or should I say that you were fortunate not to have been serious about it. Others would pressure and push you into following their footsteps until you get suffocated Is it just me, or you are praising me? Zhao Youyue was happier than ever. Du Hangs honesty was refreshing. This man was like a stone. He did not speak only to please. Every word from him was as true as day. Hearing praise from him would be a great honor. I was just being honest! I was particularly impressed by your take on Yu Fansheng. Lets not forget Altair and Jane Doe Su. Your voice C you became those characters. It was hard for me to think you and the characters are different people. Very few famous voice actors could do that! Du Hang was impressed and confused at the same time. He had a mild obsession with things, and one of his obsessions concerned the voice acting industry. In his free time, he kept up with the current media and made new connections. He did not have many friends who were his age since they shared no common topics. It was a side effect of being much mature than his age. Han Leng was an exception. The talented young author shared several common interests with him: creativity, arts, philosophy, and ideologies. It was always pleasant to click with another person, especially in a world that rejected you. With his powerful connections, Du Hang managed to learn more about the voice acting industry from the inside out. Since he was actually writing about it, he must have at least been to a live recording session, or some press conference, right? Once, he had accompanied a senior who was in the voice acting industry to a date with one of the famous voice actresses. These voice actresses were much prettier in person than their voices. They shot movies as well. Ordinary folk might think that it was easy for authors to date voice actress. Authors were often accused of having the authority to appoint voice actress for their animation. Nevertheless, Rosemarys The Strongest King was just one of the lucky animes that found critical acclaim without much effort. It had not been a perfect adaptation It would be safe to assume that the sales of light novels depended heavily on their anime adaptations. WIthout animes, nobody would have heard of light novels. Ordinary authors had no say in these adaptations. They could only watch from the sidelines in silence. Even Du Hangs senior was harshly rejected by these arrogant voice actresses. One of them even complained to Du Hang about his novel Girlish Number How dare this small-time author think so highly of himself? His novels did not even feature any form of illustrations. Look at his face, glimmering so proudly. So disgusting! When he asked others about her, they had responded in such a manner Oh, she just started. A freshie, I guess? All idols start fresh! She is no idol. She is a voice actress She has a pretty face and is able to organize events. These days, that would be enough to be an idol! Du Hang was one of the rare authors who wrote about female protagonists. People would often be misled into thinking that it was an innocent, adorable girl acting cute all the time. They would be shocked to see that the real thing was full of cynics and cruel beauties. His book even criticized its own readers who would rather fall to the fabricated deception than face this worlds harsh reality. No wonder its sales were suffering. Zhao Youyue was impressed by how observant Du Hang was. All of the characters she played: Yu Fansheng, Altair, and Jane Doe Su, were actually her in person. Only she alone could bring the life out of these characters Finally, she switched the topic. Great Teacher Du, do you know of an author named, Love The Taste Of The Rice In Her House? Translation Note: [1] Girlish Number (`åʥЩ` Grisshu Nanb, stylized as gi(a)rlish number)[a] is a Japanese multimedia project. It launched in the March 2016 issue of ASCII Media Works Dengeki Gs Magazine as a serial novel written by Wataru Watari, with illustrations by QP:flapper and Yamcha. A manga series drawn by Yki Dmoto is serialized in Dengeki Gs Comic. A 12-episode anime television series by Diomeda aired from October to December 2016. The story revolves around Chitose Karasuma, a voice actress who has been working in the anime industry for a year. Although she believes she is talented, she thinks the anime industry is rotten as she has only been voicing minor characters. One day, an opportunity arises for her to voice the main role in an upcoming anime adaptation of a light novel as an idol voice actress with four other girls. Chapter 571 Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation Du Hang was surprised to hear that pen name C Love The Taste Of Rice In Her House. It was not actually unknown to him. This persons real name was Ke Zheng, a veteran author that Du Hang had been trying to grab hold of, and consult about the inner workings of the voice actor industry. Indeed, he was a terrific senior writer, the plump shut-in that he was. He also happened to be the lecher type who would worship every girl who walks past him. In spite of those less-than-pleasant habits, he was an enthusiastic, learned connoisseur of voice acting. The renowned voice actress Zuo Ling Yin happened to be a favorite of his. In animes that Ayane Sakura gets featured in, bullet screens all over the internet would feature the wordings Praise the amazing Sakura! at least once.[1] Coincidentally, she worked in the same voice acting firm as Shong Gang. If Song Gang was the number one male actor in the firm, Ayane Sakura was undisputedly the number one female voice actor of the firm, even though she had debuted after Song Gang. In the animation piece titled The Strongest King, Song Gang had worked with Zhao Youyue as they recorded their lines together. He did not pale in comparison to her talent and thus rose to greater heights with her. Back then, Zhao Youyue did not even get the opportunity to reject Ke Zheng C he did not have the nerves to approach her and ask for a date. Even so, that past Zhao Youyue was a far cry from the current Zhao Youyue C a perfect, well-rounded, unanimously certified goddess. Ke Zheng had been wise to maintain his distance. He knew of his place, and he knew that intermediate light novelists had very little chance of procuring Zhao Youyue as a date. All in all, Du Hang respected Ke Zhengs skills, in spite of his inferior appearance. He would never hesitate to foot the bill whenever eating with his peers. He was a decent human being, as far as humans went C which wasnt exactly far. If anything, his writings were too graphic or explicit at times. Du Hang understood the necessary evil for this as there was an actual market for it. He had read Ke Zhengs debut work and had been genuinely amazed by the bizarre twists and turns in the plot. Eventually, that work had turned out to be a massive hit. It was a remarkable light novel that soon had its anime adaptation. This also happens to be why he had started attempting to date the voice actresses to the left and right, only to be harshly rejected in return. In the meantime, Ke Zheng was serializing the novel Whole World was In A Deep Sleep Except Myself. Du Hang had not yet read the novel, but he knew that fans of the genre would absolutely love it. Ever since Ke Zhengs debut, his readers were mostly made up of males, especially hikikomoris. He did not have a single female reader, so it would come as a surprise if a female actually knew his name. How on earth did this Lady Zhou get to know this fella? Du Hang felt pity welling in his heart. Pity for Ke Zheng. Did news of him getting demolished by a rookie voice actor spread among the peers in the field? Du Hang really had no idea how Lady Zhao could have came the pen name C Love The Taste Of Rice In Her House. Was she actually into such heavy, explicit male chauvinistic titles? Du Hang had always been convinced that Lady Zhao hid her true self behind the thickest of masks. Even so, it was rather absurd to think that her true self would come close to any of those hikikomoris. Du Hang was not a fan of these pretentious fakers, and he could not care less about their reasons. Lady Zhao was just as fake as anyone else, but after getting to know more of her, he gained a slight respect for her humility, considering how successful she had been as a voice actress. He decided to help the goddess get in contact with Ke Zheng. He briefly talked her through Ke Zhengs best traits C and since this was Du Hang, you knew he truly meant it, and it was likely to be true. After knowing that Du Hang actually knew the author C Love The Taste Of Rice In Her House, Zhao Youyue patted his shoulder gently, expressing that she was a devoted reader of his, and would like to ask him out for a date. Naturally, Zhao Youyue employed such a method very frequently. Numerous authors had fallen into her pockets that way. She would never try to actually change their thinking in reality; she merely wanted to tweak some changes, especially when it came to stubborn artists like Du Hang. Lady Zhao could earn a living with her face alone, but her tongue was far deadlier. How do you rate my chances C as a relatively green voice actress C when it comes to dating a light novelist? Zhao Youyue meekly said, as if she was truly a small fry. Du Hangs honest mind could never regard Xiao Yu as just another little voice actress. In fact, most light novelists out there would consider Xiao Yu to be the Goddess of strength and beauty. Ke Zheng would definitely be on the cloud nine if he was to know that the Ah Yu was actually asking for a date with him. Neverthelss, Zuo Lin Ying would still be number one in his heart. Ah Yu was still relatively new to the scene and was not near active enough to be serious. Relax, Ke Zheng is not that kind of arrogant, hard-to-get-along-with author. Hell also love having a little sister. He doesnt have one himself, but hes always writing about little sisters in his books. This was probably Du Hangs attempt of trying to portray Ke Zheng in as bright a picture as possible, not knowing that it actually sounded weird and would probably raise a few eyebrows. Fortunately, Zhao Youyue was not just any other ordinary girl. She thought that those hikikomoris were na?ve and adorable in their own way. The world could do with more of them. She loved being simple and direct, just like Han Leng. Other girls might not welcome the presence of these hikikomoris, or worse, they would outrightly despise them. The door opened, and He Weiwei strode in. Only Zhao Youyue gave her a nod of approval. The eccentric pairing of Han Leng and Du Hang did not even skip a beat in their incessant chattering. They paid no notice whatsoever to He Weiwei. They both acknowledged that only Lady Zhao was special C she was the only one who actually understood them. No matter how they explained themselves C nobody would accept them, so there was no point even trying. Lets cite a sentence by Du Hang C Assuming that others would understand you after explaining yourself is arrogance in its highest form. A chance meeting with a kindred spirit is euphoria in its ultimate form. He Weiwei was not one bit interested in Du Hang. On the other hand, she found Han Leng slightly attractive. If he was not already taken by Lady Zhao, she would have even approached him more proactively. On the other hand, Han Leng was not even bothered about her. To him, He Weiwei was the type of girl who was every bit as pervasive as the rest of the world. She would have nothing new to offer, nothing new to explore. And so, the first club activity ended with a rather unceremonious tea ceremony. Zhou Chai had lived up to her word and did not turn up, further cementing on her claims that joining the society was purely for the extra-curricular points. Translation Note: [1] Ayane Sakura (}c Sakura Ayane, born January 29, 1994) is a Japanese voice actress from Tokyo. She is affiliated with Im Enterprise.[1] Some of her major roles are Natsumi Koshigaya in Non Non Biyori, Tsubaki Sawabe in Your Lie in April, Iroha Isshiki in My Youth Romantic Comedy Is Wrong, As I Expected, Suzuka Dairenji in Tokyo Ravens, Ochako Uraraka in My Hero Academia, Cocoa Hoto in Is the Order a Rabbit? and Nao Tomori in Charlotte. She has also performed theme songs and character songs for various series she has appeared in. In 2018, she won the Best Supporting Actress award at the 12th Seiyu Awards. Chapter 572 Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation When Zhao Youyue reached her hometown, she went straight to the bookstore and bought Girlish Numbers and Everyone In The World Is In A Deep Sleep Other Than Myself. Looking at how both novels were displayed on the shelf, Girlish Numbers was clearly selling worse. Zhao Youyue spent a few days to finish both books. Girlish Numbers had more potential of becoming an iconic novel. Du Hangs storyline knew just how to showcase the adorable side of his female protagonist. This novel had the potential of producing a hilarious anime with its artwork alone as the female protagonist expresses her thoughts in her heart. It would be easy to make a series of facial expression emojis based on her face! Iconic novels did not always necessarily need emoji packages. But when emojis were needed, people would only use emojis from widely-known, recognized anime. When their friends catch sight of these emojis, they would start looking up the origin of such an adorable female protagonist. Who knows, the novel might even gain a new reader or two? Then There would be no more then. It was a story of a girl in the voice acting industry. It was a hateful, hostile world. The irony, cynical sarcasm would be a little too heavy-handed for some. Readers preferred something funny and delightful, even if it was fabricated. Undeniably, Du Hang had a remarkable talent for writing. If only he could stem his ego and write what the market actually wanted Zhao Youyue could not place her finger on how the other novel with that lengthy title actually became as popular as it was. The only rational explanation would be, miracles C truckloads of it. Generally, readers of light novels preferred the slow progression of a youth love story. One step at a time. Protagonists did not meticulously plan strategies; there was no need to rush it. On the contrary, it would not be a light novel if the protagonist achieved his goals a little too soon. It would be more similar to a hentai in the form of paragraphs and essays. If it was a hentai, why take the fuss to portray how the world looked like? This novel was not particularly hentaiish. After all, it was a novel meant for all ages, not just adults. This light novel actually created shockwaves the moment it debuted on the market. However, it quickly lost momentum when readers grew bored of its monotony and repetition. The author Love The Taste Of Rice In Her House never attempted to add anything fresh to the scene. He merely introduced new girls to the scene for the protagonist to wake. This novel did not deserve any of Zhao Youyues efforts. She had to leave this world without hurting herself. Destroying this novel would not be an option. Despite its deteriorating standard, it still had some readers. Destroying this novel would more than likely result in a backfire. She would have to get into a lengthy discussion with the author to initiate a passer-bys cameo. Since she only wanted a small-fry character, it was not asking for much. Thankfully, Du Hang had given her rather easy access to this otherwise troublesome author. With her reputation, looking for any author in the world would not be too far-fetched. But it would still be somewhat awkward to show up at the doorstep of an author and ask for a cameo character. A Cameo must look like it belonged to the storyline. It should be temporary C like a sneeze that would only bother readers momentarily and get forgotten not long after. A sudden cameo should not throw readers off the trail and get them to investigate on the cameo, instead. It was the weekend. Zhao Youyue would be meeting Ke Zhang C together with Su Li, Han Leng, and Du Hang. It was a meeting of authors; much would be discussed. Zhao Youyue was most definitely a creator herself. She had composed several soundtracks for a few animes and games. Her work was rather famous among the learned audience and authors. Professional musicians acknowledged Ah Yus talent. Her music was just as powerful as Hiroyuki Sawano.[1] It drew viewers into the thick of the scene itself; it sucked their souls into entirely new worlds. Fans of Hiroyuki Sawano loved to watch the process of composing music itself. Watching him write music was as fortunate as listening to his music! Therefore, Lady Zhao definitely belonged to the same vein as those authors. Of course, it was all thanks to Chu Luoxun. Through Zhao Youyues healthy body, her music talent manifested itself in reality and started transforming the world. Ke Zheng was not born in Jiangnan Province. He stayed a moderate distance from it C almost an hour away by train. Zhao Youyue had planned a two day trip over the weekend for this phenomenal group. Zhao Youyue and Su Li have done this together countless times. Du Hang had good reason to join in. He loved the idea of strengthening his network connection. Sharing ideas and thoughts over a meal was efficient and productive. Han Leng was the only one who did not enjoy himself. He did not like to socialize, especially at the taking the initiative to know someone part. However, he would never coldly reject anyone who approached him for small talk. He had tagged along because of Du Hang. Also, Lady Zhao had given him a direct order Fortunately for him, Du Hang was a good companion. Both of them were like twins, sharing the same page on almost every topic. On the other hand, Du Hang was a little too embarrassed to speak to Su Li. It had always been a dream for small-fry authors to meet Su Li, the goddess of illustrations. She was basically an angel who drew angels herself. Having her draw anything for you would be a blessing! These light novel authors never ran out of methods of drawing Su Lis attention. Su Lis nickname, The Illustrator of Death meant little to them. If things went south, she would be there to bear the pan. At one point, Du Hang had sheepishly asked Su Li for a signature. Han Leng disapproved of Du Hangs unmasked affection. To him, she was a cheap, unprincipled woman. She would do anything for money. Nevertheless, her artwork was commendable. They were top of the line. He had been fortunate enough to have Su Li draw for his Beautiful April. Translation Note: [1] Hiroyuki Sawano (Ұ֮ Sawano Hiroyuki, born 12 September 1980) was a Japanese composer and musician best known for his work on many anime, TV series, and movies. He was represented by Legendoor between 2006 and 2017, and is currently represented by VV-ALKLINE. In 2014, he started a new vocal project under the name SawanoHiroyuki[nZk]. Chapter 573 Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation Ke Zheng drove to the high-speed rail station by himself. After he heard that Xiao Du had brought over the legendary Lady Ah Yu and Su Li, the comics and illustrator goddess, he was ecstatic. It would be a great honor to be able to dine with these two fine ladies. Ke Zheng was a fat otaku whose mind housed every form of sexual fantasy known to humanity. It was the very reason why he was so good at what he wrote. However, he had also mastered the art of appearing decent in front of girls; they would never sense any form of creepiness coming from him. Of course, he had no luck with girls whatsoever This world did not treat ugly people very kindly. Some girls actually despised guys who would position themselves as low as possible, licking their shoes. Such guys would easily get cheated by their girlfriends. Those bad boys who would treat women as if they were their toys were surprisingly popular among girls Perhaps the harder it was to get a guy made it all the more valuable and all the more worthy of true love. Ke Zheng picked the group of four up in his car. When he caught sight of the two beauties C Lady Zhao and Su Li, his heart rate shot up. His really wanted to take a longer look at them, but instead glanced at them for a split second. On his face was the expression of a solemn monk in deep meditation, which made him look like someone who was not fond of women. As famous individuals, Zhao Youyue, Su Li, and Han Leng did not make enough public appearances to be instantly recognized by others. They were creators, not some celebrities who always popped up in the spotlight in numerous television programmes. Even if they were huge celebrities, it was not their faces that sold. If they actually had fanatic groupies [1] as fans, someone might just come up for a group photo. Ke Zheng politely greeted the three big shots. He showered them with as much praise as he could muster. It did not matter if it was Han Leng or Su Li, but he acted as if he knew them well. After all, their masterpieces preceded them; it was best if he flattered them. He was at a loss when it came to Lady Ah Yu, the master of all trades. Among the three, Lady Zhaos aura stood out the most prominently. It was apparent that the other two treated Lady Zhao as their central pillar. Ke Zheng quickly remembered that Ah Yu had been the voice of the iconic character C Yu Shengfan. He jumped on the idea and said, Lady Ah Yu, your voiceover for Yu Shengfan was too exemplary! You basically became her! Thats just mindblowing! You even won the Best New Voice Actress Award on your debut! Its such a shame that you did not attend the awards ceremony Ke Zheng was a hardcore voice-acting fan. It was too bad that the highly capable Lady Ah Yu never attended such events. She never once even participated in radio programmes that would attract many fans. Many fans would want to listen to how Ah Yu ridiculed Song Gang C the Harem King. After all, many voice actresses loved to eat, sleep and ridicule Song Gang. Song Gang was humble, hardworking, and was someone who absolutely feared women. It made him absolutely fun to tease Song Gang was an excellent voice actor in the voice acting world. The only voice actress he did not fear was probably Ai Yi, who won the Best New Voice Actress the same time he did. They had collaborated in numerous projects and shared great chemistry. In fact, they acted just like a cute couple in various broadcasting events. This led to the creation of a group called Song Gang and Ai Yi matchmaking association. When Zhao Youyue heard Ke Zhengs flattery, she fired back at him most skillfully. Flattering each other was part of business. You give me face; Ill give you yours. Furthermore, she was an earnest reader of his. She had read all of his serial novels. It was quick to find memes and highlights of his work on the internet. Lady Zhao had used these highlights to arm herself with the knowledge needed to flatter him. This left Ke Zheng weak in his knees. Damn, was he dreaming? This voice actress chick actually read his otaku-infested light novel that stank of sperm? On top of that, this was a beautiful voice actress! At that moment, he had almost betrayed the Ayane cult and switched to the Ah Yu cult. Either way, these two names shared a great deal of mutual fans. Ayane Sakura [2] and Ah Yu were more similar than one might think. They were both rookie voice actresses who had quickly risen to fame. They were both as beautiful as they were talented. Furthermore, Ayane Sakura had won a lot of hearts with her excellent body figure. On the other hand, Ah Yu was mythical. It was not easy to search up for her images Finally, when it came to their talent pool, Ayane Sakura was no match to Ah Yu. The latter was basically a Goddess of Music. Please, that cant be true. You are too kind, Lady Zhao. Actually, I cant come up with anything new for this book. Im caught in a perpetual cycle of traps C milking it like this would only buy me so much time. I was actually thinking of writing a new book Ke Zheng scratched his head, not daring to look at Zhao Youyue in the eye. He was a light novel author; his work had even been adapted in anime form. He had an annual income of fifty or sixty thousand and also drove a branded SUV. Even so, Ke Zheng did not seem too impressed with himself. If anything, only the opposite could be true. Zhao Youyue did not take him lightly. She had always treated those who meant her no malice with kindness and benevolence. This could also be a roundabout method of bending others to heel. As long as others had a favorable impression of her, they would quickly comply to her small requests. Ke Zheng brought the group to an extremely lavish lunch. He followed it up with a tour to the citys famous attractions. In the process, he had agreed to Zhao Youyues request for a cameo in his book. She had even requested for a cameo in Du Hangs novel Girlish Number [3]. More specifically, this character would be set in a way uncannily similar to the Mysterious Voice Actress Ah Yu. Wouldnt that be interesting? No one had noticed anything unusual. Furthermore, Su Li even said that it was habitual, almost ceremonial for Zhao Youyue to make cameo appearances in the literary world Ke Zheng accepted without much comment. Anyway, his book no longer breathed life. Zhao Youyue quickly dove into the specifics. She wanted a special sleepwalker female cameo appearance who is named so and so. This girl was a sufferer of Somnambulism, and she would [4] drown to death after her first appearance. However, this led to the rise of more sleepwalker girls. Ke Zheng was suddenly inspired. He had always written about characters who were buried in slumber, but then he forgot that sleepwalking was actually possible. A new, bold idea popped up in his head! Of course, he did not dare to use the bold idea on Lady Zhaos cameo character. He was a man of his word, especially when that word had been given to a girl. And so, Zhao Youyue and the group departed to enjoy the rest of their time in Ke Zhengs city. They took a few group pictures together. Ke Zheng had uploaded the images to his WeChat Moments, happily showing off and telling his fans how honored he was to have pictures with these big shots. Unfortunately, he did not have a Weibo account. If he did, those images would go viral in no time. Sadly, he was too lazy to do get started there. Most painfully, this amicable, fatty Ke Zheng was still single Lady Zhao jokingly asked she could grant him any wishes. Ke Zheng had excitedly expressed his hopes for Lady Zhao to participate in a voice-acting broadcasting programme and interact with Ayane Sakura, the Androphobic [5] girl with a yuri complex. That would be a dream come true! Zhao Youyue had lost count of the times she heard Ke Zheng mentioning Ayane Sakura. In her heart, she had started labeling him as a die-hard fan of Ayane Sakura. Well, looking at how cooperative he had been, she should probably call Ayane Sakura out to have a meal with him? So what if Zhao Youyue did not know Ayane Sakura at all? That would not be a problem. No chick is beyond Zhao Youyues reach! Translation note: [1] Groupie (׷) is a person who likes a particular popular singer or other famous person and follows them to try to meet them. [2] Ayane Sakura (c) is a Japanese voice actress from Tokyo. She is affiliated with Im Enterprise. Some of her major roles are Natsumi Koshigaya in Non Non Biyori, Tsubaki Sawabe in Your Lie in April, Iroha Isshiki in My Youth Romantic Comedy Is Wrong, As I Expected, Suzuka Dairenji in Tokyo Ravens, Ochako Uraraka in My Hero Academia, Cocoa Hoto in Is the Order a Rabbit? and Nao Tomori in Charlotte. [3] Girlish Number (Ů) is a Japanese multimedia project. It launched in the March 2016 issue of ASCII Media Works Dengeki Gs Magazine as a serial novel written by Wataru Watari, with illustrations by QP:flapper and Yamcha. [4] Somnambulism (֢) is a phenomenon of combined sleep and wakefulness. It is classified as a sleep disorder belonging to the parasomnia family. It occurs during slow wave sleep stage, in a state of low consciousness, while doing activities that are usually performed in a state of full consciousness. [5] Androphobic (֢) is an abnormal and persistent fear of men. Chapter 574 Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation Zhao Youyue entered the Two Dimensional Gate and possessed the sleepwalking girl with the name xxx. xxx walked about for no less than three minutes before plummeting in the waters and drowning. Lady Zhao gave a deep bow and left the stage She had not spent much time in the Two Dimensional Gate, so its cooldown period would be proportionally short. Therefore, Zhao Youyue did not need to wait long before her next gacha draw C no wait, thats wrong, another random attempt in the literary world. As always, she went in, full of confidence, believing that her next random encounter would be a fruitful one! Zhao Youyue felt that her popularity in the real world had yet to reach its peak. After all, the more popular she got, the better she got at utilizing the Two Dimensional Gate. For starters, she could aim for the Student Council President spot. Furthermore, there was no more meaning in staying low-key. Her existence was like a bright moon on a dark night. No matter how well she hid, the land could never hide from her moonlight! Now, an opportunity had presented itself, courtesy of Han Leng. The movie for Beautiful April had commenced filming. The actress for Chu Luoxun became a hugely discussed topic on the internet! Han Leng secretly hoped that Lady Zhao would step up to the role. The image of Lady Zhao playing the violin had long haunted his mind. Before his very eyes, she would transform into the perfect goddess, Chu Luoxun! His logical mind had never been once able to determine the cause of this. At times, Han Leng thought that he was an incredible psychic. Lin Meiyue was supposed to have been based off Zhao Youyue. How did Lady Zhao end up as Goddess Chu? This was so illogical! Did he have some premonition of the real Lady Zhao and wrote it in the form of Goddess Chu? However, something was very clear. Even if Lady Zhao was the perfect embodiment of Chu Luoxun, but asking someone who had no acting experience to play one of the main female characters of a major, intellectual property movie might raise some difficulties! Even so, Han Leng thickened his face and begged Lady Zhao. He was certain that no one else could play the Goddess Chu Luoxun. She had to save her from ruin! Nobody else could play the violin like her, except for Lady Zhao. A normal actress would only be able to act it out and play pretend. Ah Yu would still have to do the voiceover and the soundtrack. They needed Ah Yu, the big Buddha, and loads of post-processing. This could all be circumvented if Lady Zhao played the part directly. She would be able to show the power of Goddess Chus violin! Zhao Youyue did not agree nor reject his request. She simply expressed her willingness to consider it. In reality, even if the Chu Luoxun character card kicked in, she might not be able to play the role adequately. Chu Luoxun was not an actress, so she could not simply act out according to a script When cameras roll, untrained humans would never be able to resist stealing it a glance. On the other hand, any other actress would not have firsthand experience of Chu Luoxuns journey in the literary world. Their interpretation of Chu Luoxun would never match the genuine article. Back to the first issue. Look at biographical films that featured people playing as themselves. Could they even act properly? Obviously, that was impossible. It would be effortless for the important figure to make a special guest appearance of themselves and reveal their faces for a few minutes. However, if they were to act as the main character and act out the entire movie, things would be very different! Zhao Youyue had seen the heated discussion about the casting online. Many avid readers would start to select their favorite stars. The two characters C Chu Luoxun and Lin Meiyue would get mentioned in just about every comment. On the other hand, some commenters claimed to not even remember Gu Yuan In actuality, it would take a great deal of skill to play as Gu Yuan. He was a boy who had a torrential storm in place of a working brain. He would be constantly conflicted, internally and externally, while also trying to figure out how he actually felt about the two girls. Pretty faces would not be enough to play as these characters. On the other hand, superb acting skills might just overpower a mediocre appearance. Anyway, Gu Yuan was not supposed to be some drop-dead, handsome guy. At most, he had delicate features. Zhao Youyue did not want to witness Chu Luoxun being ruined by others. Chu Luoxun may be an iconic character card, but she couldnt risk her taking any hits fro this, right? Zhao Youyue did not want to gamble the possibility. No matter what, the Chu Luoxun character card was a critical part of her. She could never allow Goddess Chu to be humiliated! In reality, many loyal fans on the internet had suggested C why not let Ah Yu play as Chu Luoxun? Dont forget, Ah Yu has recreated Chu Luoxuns compositions, piece-by-piece, from the novel. Even the most hardcore of readers could not deny the authenticity. So, why cant Ah Yu play as Chu Luoxun, now? Self-proclaimed professionals had quickly shot down such a suggestion! Ah Yus musical talent is, beyond a doubt, rare. However, asking her to act in a premium film would be stretching it! Chu Luoxun is a complex, self-contradictory character! Even the outstanding actresses of this new generation would not be able to express that kind of anguish while maintaining indomitable courage and optimism. How could Ah Yu do it? Shes not even in the industry! Ah Yu should remain in the carefree comfort of a female broadcasters life. Acting would not suit her. Furthermore, the entertainment industry is in utter chaos. I am sure that I speak for many others when I say this C we hope Ah Yu does not associate herself with wicked people. Of course, with Ah Yus frightening background, no one would even dare to provoke her. However, this might still stifle her growth in the industry. After all, female celebrities in the entertainment industry are all like this. Only those who have the guts would be able to make a name for themselves! Acting is not easy. If it was something else, Ah Yu could easily cameo as a flower vase role [2] with her beautiful face. However, when it comes to playing as Chu Luoxun, forget it I dont think anyone alive could actually play her flawlessly. In the novel, shes beautiful, she exudes elegance, and shes overflowing with talent. Her appearance came after a lengthy, massive period of build-up. Sadly, beautiful actresses would not have the acting skills C skillful actresses would not have Chu Luoxuns elegance! Well, whatever happens, please have Ah Yu dub the violin scenes with her music. That is an absolute necessity. I have the firsthand experience of Ah Yus playing when I attended one of her classical concerts. It was superb. Back then, I was sure that I would remember every intonation, every resonation of the melody. I was not wrong C I still do. At that time, I felt just like how the audience in the novel had been said to have felt After Zhao Youyue had read the enthusiastic comments, the internet decided on the best compromise. They settled on Liu Xin, an actress who was lively, had the beauty and had acting skills to play Chu Luoxun. Zhao Youyue could not quite accept that decision, but something told her that she should just leave things to fate. With nothing left to do, she continued to wander The Two Dimensional Gate before taking the dive. She ended up in a new literary world, which turned out to be CPerfect Acting! This was not a novel nor a comic. It was a self-help book. The Two Dimensional Gate even did this? Zhao Youyue was at a loss of words. Translation note: [1] long shot (ͷ) typically shows the entire object or human figure and is usually intended to place it in some relation to its surroundings. These are typically shot now using wide-angle cameras. [2] flower vase roles (ƿ) means just being a pretty face in a movie. Chapter 575 Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation Zhao Youyue did not know what to make of the situation. Is she in a self-help book now? Self-help books dont have plotlines! Without a plotline, how was she going to create a character? Moreover, most self-help books were agonizingly boring and dull. Few to no readers would read it patiently. How does it sell, if iconic characters were not going to appear, and there would be no readers to recognize them? To be honest, when Zhao Youyue saw the name of the new literary world, she did a jig in her heart and almost wanted to cry out, At last! Ive won. C I really was born under the lucky star! C I am the female main character in this new world! Judging by the title alone, it should have been something related to actors and celebrities. As long as the entertainment factor is adequately executed, iconic characters would be a reasonable goal, much less highly popular characters that only required minimal effort. As long as this acting character card is kept active until the filming of Beautiful April concludes, wouldnt it be a success? However, when she read the summary of this work, the arrogant smile that would have belonged to a female main character in a new literary world disappeared slowly C You have got to be kidding. This was not a novel or comic; it was a self-help book. Did anyone even read these? As expected, the Two Dimensional Gate had ripped her off, as usual. How does one win at being random? However, when Zhao Youyue saw the list of female main characters inside, her shock was heightened once again. These female characters names were either China-sounding or foreign-sounding. One thing was sure, they all seemed to be famous legendary actresses! In this self-help book, the author loved using examples to illustrate his views. Some cases included the portrayal of a particular character by a particular actress in a particular section of a plot. A majority of the plot would be based on actual events, while a small part of the plot was a blank canvas where just about anyone could make something up. This was like the website Zhihu, with the name of Bihu [1]. Initially, many people would believe the contents of the legendary comments in Zhihu without a doubt. They would then reflect within themselves, in awe of how masters actually lived in the world among them. The legends in Zhihu were truly knowledgeable, and it seemed as if there was nothing that they did not know in this world. Of course, they would soon discover that a majority of the comments had been fabricated. They were experts at fabricating stories How do you make a lie believable? Well, make it 70% true, 30% false. This was why the legends in Zhi Hu could fabricate so many realistic-sounding stories. Zhao Youyue suddenly understood how to operate in the self-help books literary world. She could shape a character by making up a plot using those so-called real examples. If any plots related to this character was exciting and fascinating, it might leave a profound impression on the readers! At the same time, this character must not arouse the suspicions of the readers into thinking that the events had been fabricated. If not, this self-help book about acting would never gain any recognition from the readers. We might as well give up on creating any icons from this. As always, Zhao Youyue did not rush to possess a female character at random. It was true that no matter which legendary actress she possesses, there would be much to learn. There was nothing to lose from such a learning experience. However, she would settle for nothing less than a character card! She decided to temporarily retreat from the Two Dimensional Gate and purchased the Perfect Acting self-help book. It was a fresh release in the market. The books author was Zeng Qinqin, a has-been actress. She was once argued to have the best acting skills in China. However, as age got to her, she slowly retreated behind the scenes. Throughout the course of her career, Zeng Qinqin soon earned the Queen of Literature and Arts Film title. Of course, a Queen of Literature could write such a self-help book series. Not only did she share her own experiences; she had listed out others who she considered to be legendary. She wanted to show the readers how the actresses dealt with particular scenes in movies. It could not be denied that Zeng Qinqin, who was once very popular in her youth, had the right to back her statements up. Many actors published books, but they did not write those books. Instead, ghostwriters would write them. In this case, Zeng Qinqin had done the writing herself. Unfortunately, her self-help books did not sell very well. The sales were just average. Only fans who had supported her in her youth would buy the book. They might not even read them C they were just adding the book to a collection of her works Current gen celebrities in their prime would not have the time to read such self-help books to improve their acting skills. If they had the time, they would rather think of getting on the next headlines of the newspaper, or throwing a party to unwind. Very few actors would focus on their performance. This was the era of amusing ourselves to death [2]. More celebrities were extremely popular with a vast following. To them, they would always bring a large part of themselves in their roles. They would not be playing the roles, the roles would be a part of them. Fans would only see them, not their roles. Zhao Youyue really wanted to act as Chu Luoxun, herself C and she wanted to do it with skill. She wanted to present her Goddess image in its perfect form to the viewers. She read Perfect Acting book in earnest. As she went, she took note of each legendary actresses that had been listed in the book. She intended to find the perfect actress for her to possess First, she ruled out the highly popular legendary actresses that even laymen would be able to identify by name. She would not be able to fabricate stories about them. She was here to play up her possessees acting skills. She had to choose an extra who had a moment of fame in the presence of a legendary actress. If they died young, all the better. She would have all the room to create the wildest of stories about them! A similar case would be Guo Jia in the Romance of the Three Kingdoms. At some point, he became the God of War of the Universe. He then became the Big Three Boasters online, together with the Tibetan Mastiff [3] and Nikola Tesla [4]. Thats how a historical character became a fictionalized icon! Zhao Youyues target was to ensure that her possessee would end up like Guo Jia, the God of War of the Universe. Her acting skills would be unparalleled! She dove into action and finally found a suitable possessee. This actress had died mysteriously when she was 26 years old. There were many rumors concerning the cause of her death. Some people said she suffered from depression; others said she was persecuted by the rich and powerful because she was just too beautiful. Others said that she lost herself in method acting and took things too far This legendary female characters name was Zhang Guorong. She died on the first of April. Back then, many thought that it was an April Fools joke. Translation note: [1] Bihu (ƺ) is a pun on the website Zhihu. It is used to mock pretentious people on Zhihu who acted like know-it-alls. [2] amusing ourselves to death (ʱ) is a book by educator Neil Postman. The books origins lay in a talk Postman gave to the Frankfurt Book Fair in 1984. [3] Tibetan Mastiff () is a large Tibetan dog breed. Originating with the nomadic cultures of Tibet, China, India, Mongolia, and Nepal, it is used by local tribes of Tibetans to protect sheep from wolves, leopards, bears, large mustelids, and tigers. [4] Nikola Tesla (˹) was a Serbian-American inventor, electrical engineer, mechanical engineer, physicist, and futurist who is best known for his contributions to the design of the modern alternating current (AC) electricity supply system. Chapter 576 Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation Nobody knows why. Was it the unknown cause of death? Was it the fact that her body was never even found? Legendary actress Zhang Guorong had been dead for more than a decade, but some still wondered about her mysterious circumstances. All she left in this world were a few pictures and her past contributions to the big screen. She had been affectionately nicknamed little sister too. Thats right. Her fans called her little sister. She seemed to have been born with an aura of a pitiful little sister. She was also one of the few actresses whose life had remained untainted by any scandals. These were the effects of a generational gap. The paparazzi at that time were nowhere as intrusive as the paparazzi now. The print media back then was not as agile as the current digital media. You only need spend a pure and innocent night with your wife, but Weibo would turn it into some crazy porn story the next day. You would have caused a massive wave online Zhang Guorongs eminence came from the fact that she had used her own acting skills to claim the major film acting awards at home and abroad. She even had the nickname C Thousand Faced Queen of Motion Pictures. However, as time passed, those awards have changed as well. The once-popular awards no longer existed. The most prestigious film acting award in China C Huaxia Golden Awards C did not exist at that time. This had denied Zhang Guorong C the little sister who died young C the honor of this award. Most Golden Awards commentators would look down on Zhang Guorong. Several youngsters may not have heard of her before. Unless they were those quirky youngsters who were fond of classical movies, only then would they watch the movies that had Zhang Guorong in the leading role and be awed by her performance! If these youngsters were to search for information regarding Zhang Guorong, her past would be so difficult to uncover that it was pitiful. Her biography, hobbies, early life, family life, and other details would all be non-existent. She was just like a character from a fiction novel, but we have clearly seen her face appearing in some movies before Many fans wished that someone would write a memoir about little sister Zhang Guorong. It would be better if they focused on her, and not the characters she played. Others had long researched those characters. Many teaching materials in drama majors included materials regarding the characters she played. Even history majors would have to learn about her characters! The mystery lay in the person. How did she live her daily life? The movies have shown that she had a thousand faces. What did her actual face look like, then? All of this had remained enshrouded in an air of mystery. This might have even increased her eminence. Someone had made a rather observant comment. Even if the paparazzi at that time were not as crazy, a popular actress in the same period as Zhang Guorong once had her personal information leaked out. Gossips and sx18 pictures regarding her still remained on the internet to date Why was there absolutely no personal information about little sister Zhang Guorong? Of course, where theres a tick, there would always be a tock. They believed that the paparazzi were no less willing to take photos of her C compared to others. Zhang Guorongs life was just too dull C she was just an ordinary person in her life. Acting was her life. She dedicated so much of her time into it that she had no time to be herself. How else would you explain her being responsible for so many iconic big screen characters in her youth? She was even known as the Thousand Faced Queen of Motion Pictures. She had qualities that female celebrities from that generation did not have. She might be an ideal actress who had the ultimate form of perfect acting. She did not act. She transformed into different characters! These little sister supporters were numerous. However, numbers did not amount to volume C it was a poorly accepted view that had too strong of an opposition. It was like how no one had thought of comparing Guo Jia to Zhuge Liang in the beginning. However, as time passed, many people slowly started to think that Guo Jia, the God of War of the Universe could wipe Zhuge Liang off the face of the earth. Zhuge Liang only came out of the mountain after Guo Jias death. He probably knew that he was not as good as Guo Jia C You would still find proponents of this theory today. This was just like those people who believed that Nikola Tesla could have destroyed Isaac Newton and Albert Einstein. There were conspiracy theories of how he even held black technology [1] in his hands. However, it was a shame that Albert Einstein overshadowed him. If not, a black technology like a Tesla power station might even get included in the game, Command & Conquer: Red Alert [2]. The Tibetan Mastiff was obviously the coolest, most loyal dog in the world. It was even cooler compared to tigers and lions. Twenty Tibetan Mastiffs could conquer the entire world! Such a strategy had greatly inspired Zhao Youyue. Dying young would be her savior in this book. Dying created legends. The sky was the limit. Authors and artists these days who did not commit suicide would never be in the same class. Who knows, many people must have used the method of becoming famous by dying! Zhao Youyue felt that she could easily create lifelike myths about little sister Zhang Guorong in the Perfect Acting self-help book series. She could make up things about how she practiced her acting skills, how she became a low-key side character in her personal life, and how she never actually died, but had instead passed through the Two Dimensional Gate If these were written in the self-help book, readers would automatically take it as a joke. It was probably a sign of respect for the legendary actress. She may be dead, but who knows, she might be living in a wonderful heaven of her own! After Zhao Youyue made adequate preparations, she finally stepped inside the Two Dimensional Gate once again. She sent herself into one of the legendary actresses. This was a side character when standing beside the other legends. This was Zhang Guorong, the little sister. Zeng Qinqin had not dared to scribble out a list of settings for this mysterious, legendary actress who died young. She did not appear much in the book C Perfect Acting. This was why descriptions of Zhang Guorong were limited to the characters she had played in movies This gave Zhao Youyue the room to add much more to her possessee. The first trait she gave Zhang Guorong was, naturally, a maxed out setting of her performance talent. As for her personal life C the more color, the better. She could not help but think about her brother Leslie Cheung Kwok-wing [3] from another world. This might be fate. If a legend like Leslie Cheung appeared in this book, it would be a guaranteed icon. Lets create a Leslie Cheung! The brother in the real world was a brother who would have been embarrassed if the hotel service staff saw his portrait photo. This brother loved working out. This brother said he was better in fighting than Daffy Tong [4]. This was a brother who helped others save money. This was a brother who could not hold his liquor. This was a brother who was way too hard on himself. This was a brother who took photographs to tell of his love for his home country and compiled it into a photo album. This was a brother who treated others as if they were his own children This was why the little sister from the real world was so simple, sincere and cute. Of course, she had a complicated, conflicted heart and was always in despair. This was because she loved acting too much, and lost herself in her acting. Perhaps she was also Yuri-inclined And so, we have finished setting up the legendary actress, little sister Zhang Guorong! Translation note: [1] Black technology ( ڿƼ) is a phrase which has its roots in the Japanese Anime Full Metal Panic, where Black Technology originally referred to scientific accomplishments developed by a species of whisperers, stealthily kept from civilians, and so advanced its beyond the bounds of human understanding. [2] Command & Conquer: Red Alert (쾯) is a real-time strategy video game of the Command & Conquer franchise, produced by Westwood Studios and released by Virgin Interactive Entertainment in 1996. Command & Conquer: Red Alert takes place in a parallel universe. At the Trinity Site in New Mexico in 1946, Albert Einstein prepares to travel backward in spacetime. He activates his experimental time machine to find himself in Landsberg, Germany, on 20 December 1924, where he meets a young Adolf Hitler just after the latters release from Landsberg Prison. Following a brief conversation between the two, Einstein shakes Hitlers hand, which erases him from the timeline. [3] Leslie Cheung Kwok-wing (Ź) was a Hong Kong singer, actor as well as composer. He is considered one of the founding fathers of Cantopop as well as a gay icon for achieving colossal success both in film and music career. [4] Daffy Tang () was the long-time partner of Leslie Chung. Chapter 577 Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation Zhao Youyue felt as if she had time-jumped backward decades ago. Of course, it was a peaceful, quiet era. The world back then lived in a liberal society C dominated by money and power, and possessed a developed entertainment industry. Of course, there were no personal computers back then, and the colored television had just been manufactured. Zhao Youyue had not yet been born during this time. Literally walking back in time so far back was most exciting. This time, she was the youthful Zhang Guorong. Zhang Guorong was still in her schooling days. There was nothing to be worried out. Zhao Youyue would only do things that the author would include in a book. She would skip over all the tedious and repetitive daily life events. How much of a character that gets revealed in a literary world would be decided by how long the author would take to complete the work. Readers would probably feel that the characters in the book were too pitiful. Her life had been so tragically short. However, if it was observed from another angle, the average persons lifespan in the real world was more than sufficient, but how many of those years were actually spent doing something productive? If you asked an author to write a book about your life, he might shake his head and state that he could not, for the love of him, write a book about a boring persons life Zhao Youyue only had the room to play around with events that the media never got to report. It was time to make up a believable story of the legendary actress, Zhang Guorong. She had even collected all of Zhang Guorongs pictures that were available online. She was prepared to behave accordingly to what little she now knew. Whenever she could, she would make up stories that increased Zhang Guorongs charm and avoid creating stories that would vilify her. Tabloid reporters would need to use words to fabricate parts of an article about someone. Zhao Youyue was using her body to do what they did. She hoped that this would plant some ideas in Zeng Qinqins head. She might end up writing these stories in her book, Perfect Acting. She could even add a subheading into the book, like C Zhang Guorongs personality and hobbies in the real world. Was there anything interesting about her? To prevent a self-help book from being dull and boring, various anecdotes of famous persons had to be incorporated in the book. Who knows, some of them might be chicken soup [1] C written from the authors own imagination. Readers might take such facts at face value without looking into it. Who knows, student readers might even make use of such examples in their essays. When the lie gets circulated extensively enough, it would turn into the truth! Either way, we could not turn back time and personally speak to the dead and obtain their personal account of things However detailed and accurate a historical book was, everything inside could not be true. The victors of war often wrote such truth. Under Zhao Youyues control, the schoolgirl Zhang Guorong relied on her beautiful appearance and unique aura to become the schools beauty queen. She was always the center of attention. However, such a dazzling way of living did not sit well with her. She truly preferred being absorbed in her hobbies on her own. At the same time, she found a problem with her sexual orientation. She did not like boys Even so, she did not show any signs of liking girls. Maybe her fated soulmate had yet to trigger the spark in her heart. The turning point came when she got to know the performance arts. She decided to use her beauty in an ironic manner. She was just too beautiful and elegant. Was it possible to make herself more ordinary, low-key, and unnoticed through performing? Therefore, she embarked on the road of performing arts because of this absurd reason. Nobody would believe it, even if she told them herself Was this true? Of course, it was not. This was just Zhao Youyue taking action in the literary world. However, if this ever made it in print and got picked up by the readers C more people would believe it, and it would finally become the truth. As her performance talent was maxed out, Zhang Guorong quickly grew proficient at it. However, no matter how she performed in school, it did not prevent her sense of presence from blowing up. This eventually made her transfer schools. It was true that Zhang Guorong had once transferred schools, but the media of that period never got to figure out why. That was where Zhao Youyue pounced it sounded perfectly reasonable, right? Zhao Youyue was not portraying Zhang Guorong, the legendary actress who died young. The outer shell was still Zhang Guorong, but the inner core was Zhao Youyues made up character. The best part of it all was that she would appear in the self-help book series, a series that had a reputation for being legitimate and solid. Its author C Zeng Qinqin had even once been the countrys top actress C and that was worth respecting. This way readers would never doubt its authenticity. They may be skeptical, but they would have to accept it C for they would never find the truth for themselves. Zhao Youyue had chosen Zhang Guorong, the 26-year-old legendary actress who had died of mysterious causes. She was using that mystery to her advantage. Zhang Guorong C now in a new school C started using her inborn, perfect acting skills to disguise herself. The effects were excellent. In the process of immersing herself in a new identity, she found that she really loved performing and following that, she decided to apply for the best film academy in the country. The spark in Zhang Guorongs heart had been set off. It was a certain woman. Her name was Tang Tang. She had also passed away unmarried. Tang Tang was Zhang Guorongs high school friend. She was born into a family of bankers. Back then, it had been a particularly well-paid job. She later became an elite in the banking world and took care of finance-related matters for Zhang Guorong. When Zhang Guorong was struggling both financially and in her career, she had been very helpful. Many people thought that they were just getting along, like sisters and best friends, they had no idea that they were actually in love. Obviously, Zhao Youyue made this up. Love was, of course, a bigger scandal, compared to friendship. Sweet, pure love between two girls! Furthermore, didnt Lady Tang die of grief, alone and unmarried? This proved just how much she loved her Rong Er The truth was simpler. Tang Tang actually died of cancer. However, if the words died of grief were used, it would describe the greatness of love! Who knows, love might have caused the cancer? During the process of possessing Zhang Guorong, Zhao Youyue felt that she had not only picked up some acting skills, she had even learned the legendary art of Bihu. She could act out the most convincing lies ever. She was proud of herself! Anyway, Zhang Guorong and Tang Tang became wrapped around each others hearts during their high school life. Both of them even wanted to travel to the furthest place in the universe C The South Pole That dream did not go unfulfilled. Both of them went on a school excursion C just the both of them. Tang Tangs family was rich C whats wrong with going on a South Pole trip? Translation note: [1] Chicken soup (), short form for Chicken Soup for the Soul. Chicken Soup for the Soul is a publishing, consumer goods and media company based in Cos Cob, CT. It is known for the Chicken Soup for the Soul series of books. The first book, like most subsequent titles in the series, consisted of true inspirational stories about ordinary peoples lives. Chapter 578 Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation Zhang Guorong easily entered the best filming academy in the country. She only intended to gain some life experience, but her good results, her prodigious nature, her terrific results, soon yielded many prizes. Lets not say that these prizes were what that helped her enter the academy. It was her actual work that gained the notice of many senpais and pros, which helped her gain new connections and expand her public reach. No matter the generation, there was always an unchanging rule in filming. Public relations would not always help at getting prizes, but they could increase the chances of getting one. If one wanted to get a prize without counting on public relations, there was no point in even trying, unless that actor or film has reached an excellent level. Sometimes, it was not about the film. For instance, awards actually reached one of those vase girl actresses you see in adverts. It all depended on whoever who makes use of the hidden rules first. During her university years, Zhang Guorong no longer remained low-key. She performed extremely well in many fields and even received an invitation to be a Student Representative and participate in the student exchange program that involved several other well-known filming academies. She did not let up on and quickly fell within the radar of famous directors, leaving a deep impression in their hearts. Zhao Youyue even forced words of wisdom and affection into Zhang Guorongs mouth. It was just like the controversy of how every famous quote that appeared out of the random had been spoken by Lu Xun, when they were in fact, spoken by Bai Yansong. She believed that such words of wisdom could inspire those who loved persuasive writing. They could write something like this Zhang Guorong did so and so when she was in university. As everyone fought over the roles, she would quietly pick up a piece of trash and toss it into the trashcan. This action had not gone unnoticed by the director, who took this as her possessing good moral qualities. This got her the role. To Zhang Guorong, she was just picking up trash, so why would she be selected as the female main character? She was not being modest; she had hoped that someone brilliant would be chosen instead, but apparently, she had been left with no choice. All she could do was to read two poems aloud, reminding everyone not to create waste and take responsibility for their own mess to succeed in life. Zhao Youyue would not be able to pinpoint on when this happened C that would be ridiculous. She would only breeze over it as an example, reminding everyone how she had been able to lay down her own path, and that there were other ways of attracting the attention of others. Zhang Guorong had abandoned her low profile. It was time to show her true colors. Unfortunately, when attention came, unwanted attention would be close by. Suitors started throwing confession at her from the left and right. This caused some friction in her relationship with her friend Tang Tang. Of course, when two people shared such a close bond, they would be bound to argue and quarrel. If love was genuine, there would be inevitable cold wars from time to time. These wars only strengthened the bond, and they would be back together not long after, stronger than ever. On Valentines Day, Tang Tang had habitually ordered cake and chocolate for Zhang Guorong, yet there they were, arguing over something silly. Wouldnt the first one who gives in end up being the loser? Most couples ended up breaking up, due to one party thinking that they would be persuaded to stay, with the other party thinking that time would mend everything. When Tang Tang finally realized that the cakes and chocolate might end up looking apologetic on her part C they had already reached the hands of Zhang Guorong. Of course, Zhang Guorong would never be short of chocolates on Valentines day, but she always preferred the ones sent by Tang Tang. Not wanting to look like she had lost the argument, Tang Tang had instead sent Zhang Guorong a telegraph C saying that the cake and chocolates had been sent mistakenly. Telephones had yet to exist back then, only transmitters. Zhang Guorong then replied C I ate them all mistakenly. And that was how the two of them made up, and things went back to how they were in the past C never to leave each other ever. Zhao Youyue did not find anything odd about this, but readers would find this extremely cute and sweet. One might find this cute, but when someone in the sidelines used that word sarcastically; would you still dare admire it in silence? Would it not be better to get rid of the sarcastic beast? A few more paragraphs were written to showcase Zhang Guorongs talent. One told of the time when she was simply accompanying her senpai, only to end up being noticed by the director instead of her senpai. Another told of the time when she joined a singing competition for fun, only to emerge as the champion. In her victory speech, she had admitted that she wanted to be an actor, and thus never once stepped into the field of singing. When Zhang Guorong graduated, she had already claimed the main character role for multiple movies. With her acting skills and her beauty, she finally set out, becoming famous in no time. For once, Zhao Youyue did not make this up. A genius was at her peak. Geniuses would often by unbeatable, as they would be well-versed in literally everything C catching the eyes of many who wished to just be like her. However, the famous Zhang Guorong was not without mysteries of her own. A year and a halfs worth, to be exact. No one knows why, but nobody ever got to solve the puzzle. The speculations were endless, but the most likely one was that her acting skills had peaked, so she wanted to take some time off to recharge to surpass herself. This gave Zhao Youyue the time and space to unleash herself. Why did Zhang Guorong suddenly go incognito? This was not a case of stagnation. She was already an unbeatable genius, and geniuses had no limits. There was only one possible reason C love! Zhang Guorong and Tang Tang were enjoying the best time of their lives. Indeed, Zhang Guorongs absence had been due to love. Rather than giving up on love, she had given up on success. Tang Tang asked for longer shifts at her bank. Once again, the aroma of coffee at Vancouver got stronger. Rising early, standing on the balcony, looking at the mountains in the distance and the endless sky. The vivid greenery; even the sight of her neighbors deer coming over to feast on the wildflowers. Zhang Guorong called this deer Bambi [1]. This beautiful, otherworldly place, where there was not the slightest sliver of disturbance, and nothing to spoil the scenery C only the wide sky and the refreshing aroma of flowers. After receiving fame as the youngest actor alive, she decided to flee from acting and moved to Canada. They lived in a small house, located on the mountains. One looked at Bambi with a smile from her perch on the balcony, while the other one decided to play safe by getting some water ready. Zhao Youyue had made all of this up based on a picture of Zhang Guorong and Tang Tang. They may or may not have lived there, but Zhang Guorong was possibly missing the special person in her life and had stayed there for a few days. Readers did not want to read about boring, plain friendship. What they wanted was heartwarming, sweet love! Zhang Guorongs legacy raged on in her absence. Upon returning, it was like a king had returned, instantly blotting out the presence of those around him. Those around him were not just any regular humans either; they were the generation of prodigies. Currently, many fans would be wondering C if Zhang Guorong was still alive, where would she stand today? Sadly, even more would ask, Who is Zhang Guorong? It was to be expected C seeing how little information about Zhang Guorong was available. Moreover, no one was around to tell the story. Only those who were her fans and those who watched old films would know her name. It was normal for young-uns to remain clueless about her. A certain brother no longer walked the earth. Others would carry his memory and miss his shows. Stopping a random passerby would yield answers. Translation Note: [1] Bambi: A deer from a well-known Disney film. Chapter 579 Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation Of course, some Zhang Guorong fans had pointed out that she had grown fearful of the media after becoming famous, thus going incognito. One would not understand the feeling of being under the spotlight and the constant camera flashing if one was not a celebrity. Peace no longer existed in their life. So, why did she return? This was the part of the mystery that had yet to be solved, and there were many possible reasons for this. Going back to the theory from the previous chapter, she might have surpassed her supposed limits. It was also not far-fetched to note that most of her roles after university were a lot better. Her acting skills had already torn through conventional standards C which was very typical of geniuses. Some even mentioned that she was out of cash. It had all been used up when she toured the world during her absence. She must have taken a space shuttle to space, so she had to return and earn more money. This was probably the most ludicrous theory ever, considering how filthy rich friends surrounded her. She would never be out of cash. There was also the supported fact that Zhang Guorong was never a fan of luxury goods. She only wore them because she was asked to, but she never actually bought any with her own money. A god tier actress would never go broke, unless she was plain stupid. Keeping all of this in mind, Zhao Youyue deduced that Zhang Guorong had returned to the acting world, refreshed and more determine than ever, thanks to the moisturizing effects of love. She was no longer afraid of the media, as she had her lover, her bosom friend, Tang Tang. Tang Tang would always have her back. She fetched her here and there, they went on dates, she bought her presents, they went on vacations together, and even helped her with her financial management. Whenever she was tired, whenever she had fun, whenever she slept, Tang Tang would always be with her. In reality, most pictures of her and Tang Tang mostly contained nothing special but the two of them sitting in the back of Tang Tangs luxurious car, or Tang Tang accompanying her to banquets. So, we could over-generalize and say: wherever the spirited Zhang Guorong went, the silent Tang Tang would be there to bring balance. Whenever they were together, Zhang Guorong would seem as joyful as a child, like a pampered significant other, showing a warm and cute expression. Once when it was raining outdoors, Tang Tang rushed to fetch Zhang Guorong. She got off from a distance, got into the rain to pass an umbrella to her Rong-chan C before running back to the car to pick her up. Zhang Guorong had smiled warmly as she held her umbrella, looking at her lover in the car. Such was the love of protecting each other, the unspoken little things C the warmest form of conveying your love. Again, this was what Zhao Youyue came up with C based on a single picture taken by the media. It had Zhang Guorong holding an umbrella in the rain, waiting for Tang Tang to drive her car over. And so, Zhao Youyue wrote an entire romance novel out of it. For all you know, the picture was just an innocent, candid shot of two friends. Best buddies could have bumped into each other by chance. Best buddies fetched each other in the rain, or under any other circumstances, for that matter. Wasnt it perfectly normal? This was the rumored Writing a story based on a picture skill. Now that we take a closer look at things, Lady Zhao had a Lady Tang of her own, right? Her heart should have long realized it C if she was anyone else other than Lady Zhao. If she had a wife like Zhang Guorong, she would definitely protect her with all her heart. She would have no problems taking care of her for all eternity. To be honest, Zhao Youyue started off trying to imagine the relationship between Zhang Guorong and Tang Tang. But as she dug deeper into their past, she found some evidence that seemed to suggest it being more than just friendship. That was why she created such a story. 70% true, with 30% of her bullshit. Zhang Guorong often mentioned Tang Tang. She never ran out of praises for her. Something in her tone seemed to say that she was highly protective of Tang Tang. She probably revered her too, for she often placed herself on a lower ground to praise Tang Tang. Whenever Tang Tang got in trouble, she would lend her money to help Tang Tang overcome her difficulties. She was sorry for Tang Tang. That woman had taken far too many hits for her C she had even been forced to toss her job and personal life aside. (In reality, womens lives at their workplace was already pretty messed up from the start) She would wrap things up by saying that Tang Tang had given her so much, there was no way she could ever repay her. On the internet, pictures of Tang Tang and Zhang Guorong holding hands can be found. The public back then still believed their relationship to be pure and clean. It was good being a girl, they could hold hands together and not be accused of being homosexuals. If men did this, eyebrows would rise. The pictures brought forth that peaceful warmth, the outlines around their heads illuminated by the street lamps, where poor, obsolete camera technology led to an overexposure of the lamp bulbs themselves, leading to lens flare at the edge of the image. Some might even notice that these lovebirds even walked at the same pace, in perfect sync. Zhao Youyue once again started her secret interview. As Zhang Guorong, she happily listened to how the host kept praising her other half, saying I think she is terrific or She is my lover, my friend, my sister, basically a present from God. She shared all her fortune with Tang Tang, even the companies that she owned were under a linked name account. Her car-plate also carried a special meaning, TZ1314 Tang Zhang together forever. Zhang Guorong had noticed that stalkers had been stalking them and taking photos. Even so, she did not distance herself, but instead, she purposely grabbed hold of Tang Tangs hand for the stalkers to see. When Tang Tang noticed the flashing lights behind them. She turned as saw her lovers determined face. Without turning back to look at the lights again, she took hold of the hand in hers, and held it firmly, assuringly. As they crossed the road to their home, their hands never left each other. It had become second nature to them. Zhao Youyue sat back to survey her handiwork. It now had all the sweetness in the world, but it lacked the impact. She knew just what to do. She had done it so many times already. Give it a depressing, tragic end. Strike readers in their hearts, and strike it hard. Make it almost impossible to extricate. This was not going to be too difficult. Zhang Guorongs body was never found. Also, whatever photos of her that existed only had her in her prime, at the height of her beauty. It turned her from legend to myth. Lady Tang was as drop-dead gorgeous as her lover. If anything, she was just slightly above average. Her jawline was hard and chiseled, giving her the impression of a boss C since she had spent a lifetime battling on the frontlines of her Rong-chans bank account. Tang Tang remained unmarried until the end, which only supported how strong their love was. Zhao Youyues version of the legendary actor Zhang Guorong added up to the limited intel on the real thing. So it had to be completely true. Zhao Youyue now wondered if she should get Su Li to draw a yuri manga featuring Zhang Guorong and Tang Tang. Why not use the time they went to the South Pole for a vacation? Wouldnt that be special? Chapter 580 Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation Compared to her talent, her looks were not worth mentioning. Compared to her personality, her talents were not worth mentioning. Zhao Youyue was as thick-skinned as they came. Her version of Zhang Guorong seemed solid enough, but there was always the possibility of someone disagreeing with her. At least she died a heroshe did not live long enough to see herself become a villain, just like so many other actresses. Wang Jingwei from the other timeline had written the phrase retracting ones sword would cost ones life [2] Before his death, he would definitely have been able to become a leader of a change. Sadly he died before it could happen. Zhang Guorong died at the age of 26, with every news about her being positively perfect, and no information about her love history. It was common practice for celebrities to remain single on the surface; just to increase ones popularity. No matter how good one looked, there was no stopping the death penalty of age from catching up. She had left the world in her best. The youngsters of her generation had been left shell-shocked, and the youngsters of this generation would know only be able to identify her as a youthful immortal. Zhao Youyue had capitalized on this. She could quietly make her exit from the world now, as Zhang Guorongs cause of death was never certain. Even her corpse was not found, it was as if she had vanished off the face of Earth. Some thought that she was still alive. The world seemed to have taken the news of her passing as an Aprils Fool joke. And so, Zhao Youyue chose to end things for Zhang Guorong by departing to another world. Zhang Guorong was already now a character in the book. Departing from that books world would cause her to vanish in that world C but she would be now living in another world. Readers would never buy such a death for a second. Instead, they would assume that the author was just trying to romanticize Zhang Guorongs death and bring hope to mankind. Little did they know that on a certain day, the world-famous beauty would one day reappear in the body of another beauty. In Zhao Youyues world, the fictional version of Zhang Guorong was exactly as how she had been in real life. This was thanks to Perfect Actors writer, Zhen Qinqin, who got all her inspirations randomly in the midst of writing. Zhen Qinqin felt as if she had gone back to the past, overshadowed by the student-aged Zhang Guorongs fame and beauty. However, this was not Zhang Guorong, but an actor who was known together with Zhang Guorong as the Golden Duo. His legs were long and slim like a womans. They called him Zhang Guorongs imouto. He had acted as Zhang Guorongs boyfriend in some movies before. They were practically made for each other C and many viewers thought that they had so much potential together. It was a waste that they were simply close friends. Who knows? Zhang Guorongs friendship circle was so huge; it would be no surprise for her to have tonnes of close friends. When news of her death reached every corner, of the Earth, this famous actor was already the respected and well-known boss, Zhou Haiqing. During Zhao Guorongs memorial service, he had broken down into an inconsolable state. This long-legged brother was truly a siscon. He had been a brother to such a perfect girl, and nothing hurt more than losing your little sister. Zhen Qinqin was highly intrigued by the long-legged brother, Zhou Haiqing. After writing, the countless images of Zhang Guorongs legendary life experience had left her in a daze. She never even thought if the images had been true, but they had to be important enough to be worth mentioning. She was writing a life story of Zhang Guorong. In her mind, the purpose of writing this story without a second thought was just for Zhou Haiqing, yet unknowingly, she had fallen for Zhang Guorong. She even entered an entertainment circle to yearn for her. Of course, this was what Zhen Qinqin saw in her mind. When she finally recovered from her intoxicated state, she would be left wondering what actually got her to start writing like that. She was not even familiar with Zhang Guorong. Even so, fans would draw assumptions. Zhang Guorong was from her generation. It would not be surprising for others to believe that Zhen Qinqin had picked up her acting skills from Zhang Guorong. And so, Zhen Qinqins newest Perfect Actor experienced a successful launch. Its author promptly returned to normal. After she read through her own book, she was speechless. What the heck did she write? How did this turn into a love story between Zhang Guorong and Tang Tang? In fact, was there actually any love between the two of them? Zhen Qinqin dug around for proof while reading her own book. In the end, she gave up trying to think about it. All she could say was how some parts of the story could lead readers down a rabbit hole, like how many trusted what their WeChat friends sent to them without question, taking it as the truth. One should never look down on the intelligence of readers. Several novelists have made this mistake, and everyone was fearful of it. Now that Zhen Qinqin was her own reader, she noticed that what she wrote was, in fact, a job well done. This called for a Zhang Guorong documentary film, right? It was a pity; no other actor could act as well as Zhang Guorong C or act as Zhang Guorong when she was acting. Such requirements were too much for mere mortals. The book told of the love between the two girls. At the same time, it provided a solid insight into Zhang Guorongs life and the motivations for her training. Although her performance may seem out of this world, nothing was too surprising because shes a genius. Geniuses did not need conventional wisdom to gain spontaneous mastery. Zhen Qinqin sighed. It was a waste. No matter how well written her book was, no one would really buy it. It was already a good enough deal for her to not have to pay the publishing fees. Zhen Qinqins age group was not really fond of the internet. She could only depend on advertising companies to help. After some consideration, she decided not to go down the path. She did not write the book for personal profit C she just wanted the world to know that Zhang Guorong once walked this glorious earth. Her book was meant for those who cared to read C she should not go out of her way to do anything extra. Little did she know that free advertising for Perfect Acting C A Lifetime Of Wonderful Youth was on its way. Chapter 581 Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation More than anyone else, Lady Zhao strongly wanted this book to flourish. The romanticized version of Zhang Guorong had to be made known to the world. She wanted everyone in this world to know about this fantastic lady, even if she no longer walked on this earth. The world had to know this character, even if this was an improved, albeit romanticized version of a famous, deceased actress. 70% truth, 30% fiction were the most convincing lie possible. Creating a character who was perfect in every form with maxed out acting skills, would only result in boredom for the readers. As if we havent read enough of those in novels. Some novels even categorized geniuses in different levels, such as regular geniuses, godly geniuses, lowly geniuses, etc. Geniuses and novels basically walked hand-in-hand, so how could they still end up stirring up hearts? Lets not forget that Zhang Guorong actually existed. She once lived on the same earth as you now do. She was someone who once sat at the top of the world, earning international acclaim as an actress. Time may have robbed memories of her from the world. She had been too mysterious, too incognito. Hardly anyone spoke of her! Mystery in itself could be tedious if overused. Readers preferred to delve into the contents of their secrets. In Perfect Acting A Lifetime of Youth, she now had to opportunity to return to international recognition. A living person would never experience such fame. The living was riddled with flaws. Others might not even see the good in people. As a legend, things are different. This was why theres the saying, Being famous is not easy. But dig into the History of China, and youll find another saying, The death of a person is profound. Zhang Guorong was untouchable in this state. She had what it took to topple typical, sensationalized news in the same vein as a streamer screwing up during a session or something like that. Lesser-known celebrities were also seen rising into momentary fame, whenever they experience something like a simple divorce, contraband or something similar. Celebrities thrived on negative news. Actors did not even bother asking about the details of their roles. They would pull off cheap imitations of greater actors, viralizing their work and raking in cash. It was no longer the film or project flopping as a whole. It all fell down on the shoulders of actors and actresses. Take a look at the upcoming live adaptation of Han Lengs Beautiful April. It was supposed to have an all-star cast, but budget constraints quickly got in their way, and they were forced to rope in less-experienced actors. Even so, it had not turned out to be a bad choice. In this case, Han Leng alone had proven sufficient to promote the film. Zhang Guorong from Perfect Acting A Lifetime of Youth was a highly popular main character. The past her was already well-known enough. She just needed a slight push to reach the realm of Gods. November came upon them. Zhao Youyue had kept one eye glued to the new arrivals in bookstores. She quickly procured her own copy of the book in the calm before the storm, and finished it in the blink of an eye. Oh, how cute had she been, playing her part as a lovestruck lady. It had been incredibly fun. In the process, she had picked up some acting skills. This was similar to how she got to advance in her academics while possessing Xu Jing, even without her card. She did not yet have the maxed-out, genius-level acting. Only the character card would be able to grant her that. Zhao Youyue could see the potential in this book. It was a fun read, the story was engaging and thrilling, and there was not a single dull moment. It was basically a book regarding Zhang Guorongs life, and readers would be in for an exhilarating ride. How could it not be famous? Even if it did not end up famous, she would use any methods possible to turn it into something famous. Thus, Zhao Youyue set her plans in motion. Successful authors Su Li and Han Leng would be mobilized, but first, they needed to taste the book firsthand. The famous streamer, Ah Yu would not be left behind either. She would one day proclaim to the internet that of all the Goddesses from the Golden Age of cinematography, she worshipped Zhang Guorong the most. Ah Yu would affectionately refer to Zhang Guorong as her imouto. Zhang Guorong may not have gotten herself involved in the singing industry, but she had definitely dabbled in it before. It was time for Ah Yu to sing covers of Guorongs songs. Ah Yus Weibo sprung to life, throwing out a post that recommended Perfect Acting A Lifetime Of Wonderful Youth while dropping quotes and clippings from this actress wonderful life. She had also listed some of Zhang Guorongs major films to show how good of an actress was Guorong. Other than that, she would start a trend of Zhang Guorong memes and clippings. Even stickers would be fine. She wasnt called the Thousand Faced Actress for no reason. Her face hosted a plethora of endless expressions, the likes of which were never seen, and would never be seen again. If all this did not suffice, Lady Zhao still had her money. She should start paying advertisements for Zhang Guorong. So what if she gets found out? Such actions would have proven to be futile if Zhang Guorong was still alive. A living target was a target that one could critique and poke at. A dead person C well, who would want to poke at that? Lady Zhao first confessing from the bottom of her heart that she was a diehard fan of Zhang Guorong, before actually spending money for the world to learn more about her idol, was not too big of an issue, right? Im a huge fan of my imouto, and Im so proud of her that I would spend money for others to see her. The world would have no choice but to accept that Zhao Youyue would do some outrageous things for her wife. She would stop at nothing to protect her wife. Zhao Youyue was convinced that she had discovered a new method of harvesting character cards. Most of the character cards did not mean much now. The Zhang Guorong character card was all that mattered. Zhang Guorong would give her the power to be a world-class actress. Chapter 582 Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation Zhao Youyue did not only possess the power to bridge the gap between the two incompatible geniuses, Han Leng and Su Li. She could practically summon Zhao Hao and Ding Yunchong out of her pocket. These two tycoon celebrities had not been lying dormant. Their recent exploits had reignited their internet fame, drawing attention from far and wide. This fresh lease of fame was not unlike that from their days of old, before that ridiculous candid shot of Zhao Youyue sitting shotgun in Ding Yunchongs car sullied their image, albeit momentarily. Even news of Zhao Youyue being Zhao Haos cousin-sister had gained much momentum on its own. Most terrifyingly, everyone wanted to know more about the enigmatic Zhao Youyue, mainly when it concerned her background, even though Zhao Hao was wealthier than Zhao Youyue and may even have accomplished more. Ding Yunchong was to blamed in part for this. He had caused shockwaves across the internet when he had claimed to be chauffeuring Zhao Youyue and that he was the one trying to get into her good books, not vice-versa. Zhao Youyues apparent importance to Ding Yunchong could not be overstated any further. Zhao Hao and Ding Yunchong were both highly involved in the entertainment circle. With these two bigshots around, Zhao Youyue was convinced that she had the right to step into the entertainment circle without any hindrances. Zhao Youyue wanted to resurrect the fame of the deceased, legendary actress C Zhang Guorong. It was her time to claim yet another ultimate card. She had no qualms about lowering herself to seek help from the two men. They usually hung out together during the weekends. A tiny favor like this would not hurt. When the two men were introduced to the late Zhang Guorongs pictures, their eyes almost flew out of their sockets C and thus they started digging up more of her past, even going so far as to watch one of her mainstream films together. Mainstream, in this case, being a relative term, since she was so obscure, to begin with. The two men had only assumed that Zhao Youyue needed help boosting her own fame. She was not only pretty, she was an eloquent orator, an excellent gamer. They could always count on her as the calvary whenever they found themselves in a pinch during their gaming escapades. Even so, when they learned of Zhang Guorong, an uncharacteristic pang of remorse struck the very cores of their hearts. For one to die at such a young age C had she even blossomed completely? Ding Yunchong was a highly active online critique when it came to actors. Very few had escaped his harsh tongue, one of his most cynical statement being how female celebrities were nothing more than props scattered across red carpets. Now, he felt the rare urge to repent. He launched the first volley on his Weibo C the start of the 21 shots that actress Zhang Guorong never got. I am not going to waste any more time blabbering about the shenanigans beyond the red carpet. The truth will always stand the test of time, and it does not require any periodic maintenance on my part. But hear me now, on my 30th birthday, I got to know of a certain Zhang Guorong, courtesy of my dear friends. It did not take long before we got ourselves into a Zhang Guorong mainstream film marathon. The more I watched, the more I came to the revelation that a Goddess had once descended upon this realm, a Goddess had once walked among us and the blind pagans that we were, we never knew of her. I truly want the world to know more of her, and if youre keen, you could start with her films, as they were really good. Sadly, her candle was snuffed out all too soon. It is even more of a shame to know that she lived in once upon a time when none of us were around. She would have made a terrific buddy. His post was lengthy, but in reality, Ding Yunchong had dictated the entire thing, while his secretary frantically reproduced his words in text. Attached to the post was a portrait shot of Zhang Guorongs beautiful person. He had nothing to offer but endless praises for Zhang Guorong by shoving the best actress title upon her, beckoning other actresses to learn from her. It was not their acting that needed help, it was their personalities. This generation was lacking in actors and actresses who threw their hearts and souls into improving themselves. This generation lacked the quality and the numbers. That was how Ding Yunchong reclaimed his title as the disciplinary committee of the entertainment circle. This single post had caused tremors across forums and chat groups. Who is this Zhang Guorong? Im a youngun, so do excuse me not knowing her. I gotta say, judging from her photos, damn, she looked good! Heres all you need to know about Zhang Guorong (Copypaste information from Wikipedia and Baidu) I never expected Ah Chong to be a siscon [1] too. We may not share the same tastes in imoutos, but you have good taste, Ill give you that. Buddies? What buddies exactly, Ding Yunchong? (Laughs) Zhang Guorong is not an online celebrity. Shes a real-life goddess in the flesh! If fate had given her more time, she would definitely be one of the greatest actresses in history! She has transformed my preferences. But its really hard to find anything about her; there isnt even a complete biography around As Ding Yunchongs Weibo got to work, youngsters were slowly getting to know this legendary actress, Zhang Guorong. At the very least, some might dig around for her mainstream films. When presented with her immense acting skills, they would then be driven to learn more about Zhang Guorong. Even if they did not immediately get to it, curiosity in a highly pressurized compartment would not take long to blow up. Finally, Zhao Youyue joined in the discussions herself by throwing in the book, Perfect Acting A Lifetimes Worth of Youth and quickly followed with, Firstly, lets get this out of the water. Im a siscon myself. I dont care if you guys think Im a pervert, all that you need to know is that I truly, truly respect this woman! Her looks, to her demeanor, to her acting skills, they are all beyond compare! So Id hereby like to share this to all who are present C Perfect Acting A Lifetimes Worth of Youth written by another legend, Zeng Qinqin. It is by far the most complete retelling of Zhang Guorongs life. Reading this has only leveled up my siscon stats. I would like to hereby thank Zeng Qinqin-sensei for gifting the world such a good read. Aspiring actors would learn from this, as would anyone else, if youre interested in viewing your sisters life from another angle. Zhao Youyues post quickly gained recognition. While everyones curiosity about Zhang Guorong had peaked, this book was like the perfect meal for the starving masses. This was the ideal opportunity to advertise such a niche book. Of course, this could no longer be classified as a self-help title, no thanks to the author going overboard. Next, Zhao Youyue spent some money on advertisers to spread the word around, to praise this book and in extension of it, Zhang Guorong. This slammed a whole new perspective in faces of the curious young. This was a romanticized, different Zhang Guorong, but she was still loosely based on her real-life counterpart. That was precisely why she had the potential to be another iconic card for Lady Zhao to use. One day, everyone would be gobsmacked, when the legendary actress makes her return in anothers body! Translation Notes: [1] Siscon: mainly means those who are in love with their sisters, but in this case its used to refer to Zhang Guorong since everyone calls her sister/imouto Chapter 583 Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation Zhou Xing was just another regular university student, but he may have watched just a little too many movies. Moreover, uncharacteristically as a male student, he tailed celebrity-related trends with immense fervor. Even so, he was not a fan of those pipeline-styled''[1] idols and celebrities. Those stars were far too homogenized C they would never stand the test of time. He could always count on their endless replacements who would themselves be replaced promptly It was most hurtful to see idols and celebrities claiming to be chaste, only to have them end up getting involved in scandals the most. These hypocrites most likely looked down on their own fans as well. Zhou Xing read them like a book. Unfortunately, fangirls of those young and handsome idols did not know how to read. Several male idols had already been proven to be Cannon Kings C complete with substantial evidence. Even so, they never ran out of fangirls. It was probably the very fact that they were Cannon Kings that precipitated this. If that was not the case, those girls could just stay at home and be fans of those handsome Gods within Love and Producer![2] Go on, live in your 2D world! When it came to the caliber of an actress, Zhou Xing placed her acting skills to be first on the list of priorities. Of course, he was not totally exempt from the allure of beauty either. He would never be a fan of an unbearable sight. All in all, it would certainly be best if acting skill and great beauty coexisted. Unfortunately, such actresses were far too scarce. Even so, actresses with both great acting skill and beauty often fell under harsh, heavy criticism. Perhaps they confused great acting skill with daring to strip and bare flesh for all the world to see. As a regular university student, his nights would often be free and empty. During those hours, his roommates might get together and have LAN parties with games like PUBG or the forever popular LoL. On the other hand, he would be doing what he enjoyed most C watching movies by himself. As a highly experienced movie-watcher, he had seen just about everything the mainstream world could offer. He had probably watched all the movies in those Top 10 xx lists that you find on the internet. Of course, he had yet to touch the truly great classics. After all, he was only a Second-Year university student. Two years was far from enough to be considered as a leisurely, wonderful university life. Recently, this late legendary actress, Zhang Guorong had been resurrected by the internet. More were following the trend, claiming how remarkable her movies were, and how she truly deserved the title, Queen Of A Thousand Faces. Most of all, her melancholic eyes seemed to drain your very soul. Her acting was simply outstanding! Most unfortunately, this candle had been snuffed out at the height of its radiance. The cause was never known, and to add to that mystery, photos of her daily casual life were next to non-existent. If you were lucky, you might find a few movie photos of her in-character! Zhou Xing could not resist the flow of trends. We are not saying that University Students were so naive and hive-minded, it was the Internet Age, after all. When something picks up momentum on the internet, people would flock to it, if only to prove that they were keeping up with the times. Some just did it for the attention; others did it for profit and fame. They could even use this as a pick-up line for girls. It did not take long for the Sis, I love you forever.jpg meme to take flight. Zhang Guorong had become the cosmic authority, she was like the heroine of Violet Evergarden, an anime which people have referred to as the human Bible. Whether they have ever watched it before, those people would simply tail the trend and blabber about it. Those who dared oppose were only making their own lives difficult, making an enemy out of the entire human race! Undoubtedly, some high standard critics[3] walked among these people, hoping that these praises might end up as curses instead. Nevertheless, they could not bring themselves to deny her charm objectively. Zhou Xing had also heard about Zhang Guorong before, if only by name. He knew very little about her. When he started off by watching some of her classic films, he quickly became convinced the trend had been well-founded. It was such a shame. At that age, filmmakers were severely limited by the technology of their time, and were thus unable to provide a full-on Zhang Guorong experience Zhou Xing even could not help but imagine how great it would be if the cameras of this age could film Zhang Guorong. When he thought it over, he soon realized that Zhang Guorong might not have been as accomplished in this age C celebrities today lived in far too much luxury. Money easily came pouring in. Who would have time to hone his or her acting skills? But of course, we should not paint all celebrities with the same brush. Some actresses still lived by the old-school code of solitary method-acting. Unfortunately, these great souls were either underappreciated or completely obscure. Nobody gave them the honor of the leading role. At most, they either acted as sidekicks or goons. Celebrities who had their personal brand and knew how to market themselves, imprinting their presence in the scene usually received these roles. When Zhou Xing was finished watching Zhang Guorongs movies, he wanted to find out more about this legendary actress, just like others. His searches on the internet came up short. He could only find some quotes and movie lines from her. Even those great Gods on Zhihu were unable to come up with any truthful-sounding, convincing stories. After all, they did not even have access to 70% of the truth. No story could be made up out of thin air. Those great Gods did not intend to ruin their reputations, not after working so hard to build up good reviews about themselves. Thus, they could only reply like so Thanks for the invitation. Zhang Guorong has indeed gotten very popular recently. Unfortunately, we could only speculate from what little weve seen from her movies, but we are unable to retrieve any of her private information. I can only say that the paparazzi of her era were too incompetent! I know, I know. You guys will try to show me the various scandals from so and so from her generation. Well, what can I say? People are different. Perhaps sis was as frugal as reality permitted, so the paparazzi would be left helpless Although Zhou Xing was thoroughly disappointed in the great Gods on Zhihu, he finally learned of a particular book that had been trending on the internet. People had even recognized it as Zhang Guorongs official biography. Without any hesitation, he immediately purchased this book from the web store. He had no other choice. Generally, bookstores would never place self-help/professional books on their shelves. Whats the point of ordering something that would not sell? The bookstores close to his university mostly sold trivia and gossip magazines that were catered for university students. Indeed, the market for actual reading material these days was dying. After all, people had phones in hand. They could find everything they wanted to read on the internet. It took a few days for the book to reach his doorstep. After shoving aside his other plans to make more free time for himself, he headed to the library and read the book. Compared to the relatively noisy bedroom, the library was nirvana. Such a book deserved his full, careful attention. He could not afford to be distracted by the sound of a pin drop. He had initially believed that it would take all his effort to focus on the book. After all, it was a self-help book C not something that would give the heart a few skips. After reading, he was thoroughly fascinated! This was no self-help book. It hardly even spoke about good acting. If anything, this was a non-fictional biography! Most impressively, the author had perfectly conveyed the golden age of the film industry, when it was just at the brink of several technological breakthroughs that revolutionalized the game. Reading it through you back into a time capsule. The nostalgia C for lack of a better word C even if one had not actually lived in that time, was bone-chilling! Most interestingly, it had been written from Zhang Guorongs first-person perspective, as if Zhang Guorong had written the book herself. She had returned to life and wrote this masterpiece. Her recollections and retellings had been so vivid and detailed! Zhou Xing leaned back, satisfied. He could never describe the pleasure of reading this book to anyone else. They would simply have to read it themselves! Translation Note: [1] Pipeline-style C It refers to a type of method in producing new idols and celebrities. They are chosen by companies through drafting, following by training, and then debut. The results would be standardized and consistent. [2] Love and Producer C This is a card collection love mobile game, produced by Suzhou Diezhi Network Technology Co. Ltd. The game is developed, issued, and operated by the company itself. The game focuses more towards female players. [3] High standard critics C It refers to those critics who use high standard, civilized, humorous language to negatively criticize everything in the world. To be simple, they praise on appearance, yet satirize in fact. But the thing they praised is not the same object they satirized. They satirize the object they wanted to criticize with the help of the object they praised. Chapter 584 Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation After finished reading the book, Zhou Xing felt that he had been thoroughly fascinated by sis, both as an actress and a person. He lamented Why did such a perfect actress have to die so early? This was the misfortune of misfortunes! Zhang Guorong had been written as a Lily-type character who was deeply in love with the strong woman, Lady Tang Tang. Zhou Xing did not have any qualms about that. It was a beautiful sight. No man deserved such a perfect lady. This was the typical possessive nature of a fan. When fans knew that it was impossible to claim their idols for themselves, they would hope that no other man could make that claim either. Girl on girl action? Sure, no problem! After all, true love could only exist between two of the same gender. Opposite genders? They only existed to produce the next generation of talents Zhou Xing already regarded this self-help book as one of those Godly reads of humanity. It did not take long before he got on the internet and started recommending this book to the left and right. He even went ahead and bought the rest of thePerfect Acting series. Of course, he was disappointed, as those books were certainly not reading material for everyone. If one was not exposed to performance arts, they would not be able to follow. The A Lifetime of Wonderful Youth gave the best of both worlds. Laymen could read through Zhang Guorongs story like any other novel, subconsciously taking in the stories as actual events; never doubting their authenticity for one moment. Many shared Zhou Xings sentiments. Then, this book which originally had only tens of thousands of copies started becoming popular at fast speed. Edition after edition, this book had great sales, and became the dark horse of this year. The construction of Zhang Guorongs image within the book was even considered to have filled the empty spaces of this legendary actress without her movies. An iconic image with tremendous impression towards the readers had been successfully established. In book terms, as a character, Zhang Guorong was not interesting enough to be considered iconic, if she was a completely made-up character, that is. However, the legendary actress Zhang Guorong already had a solid fan base on her own. Zhao Youyue only needed to give it a push, and the late Zhang Guorongs fame easily preceded the book When the book finally came into the spotlight, Zhang Guorongs high popularity status shot up to iconhood! This was precisely the advantage of a fictionalized portrayal. The lines between reality and fiction had been blurred. This was the fictionalized Zhang Guorong, but readers had been convinced that these were real-life accounts! When Zeng Qinqin saw that her book was smashing records as a bestseller, she was utterly dumbfounded. What just happened? This book that could very well have been accused of libel C had its subject still be alive! Did Zhang Guorongs old fans actually approve of this? Zeng Qinqin truly belonged to a generation once-been. She was barely in touch with the internet. Fortunately, she still had quite some friends from the younger generation. They soon answered the questions in her mind. Apparently, a trend related to Zhang Guorong had grown viral on the internet. It actually elicited nostalgia related to her time-period. She had been treated like a Goddess, and people all over the internet were going crazy over her. In the beginning, many people only wanted to join the bandwagon for fun. Little did they expect this trend to be so substantially profound; it did not take long for an act of pretense to turn into the genuine article. Ask a passing netizen: Who was the best actress ever? C They would not even hesitate to say that it was Zhang Guorong! That person might not be able to name any other actress from the top of their head C they were not even interested in such affairs. But one name would always pop up on demand: Zhang Guorong, the name who had been blasted sky-high. This was similar to those who answered the question: Who was the most brilliant strategist during the Three Kingdoms? People would blurt out, It was definitely Guo Jia! If Guo Jia had lived a little longer, Cao Cao might not have even lost the Battle of Red Cliff. He would have been able to unify the three kingdoms. Guo Jia died too soon! Many often harbored a fantasy within their minds. That fantasy spoke of how things could have turned out, if Zhang Guorong had not died early. She could be a true legend; she could have claimed the Huaxia Award many times over. Sadly, before Zhang Guorongs passing, the prestigious Huaxia award had not yet even been conceived. If not, Zhang Guorong could have been a holder of multiple Huaxia Awards and earned her spot beside legends. What was the value of posthumous awards Anyway, due to Zhang Guorongs insane rise to posthumous fame, those who joined the trend as a joke became genuine fans. Unsurprisingly, Zeng Qinqins book closely followed! Some directors won film Awards with biographies and documentaries. These directors had indicated interest in filming an adaptation of this book. Zhang Guorong would be the heroine of a Huaxia Award-capable biopic! It was a widely known fact that judges of the film academy loved biopics. Many female celebrities who had sufficient confidence in themselves were gearing up, preparing the inevitable auditions of Zhang Guorongs role. As long as they get the role, they would undoubtedly receive the Best Actress Award. Of course, this was a tall order. Its a Zhang Guorong-level actception. Not only do you have act as Zhang Guorong; you had to act as Zhang Guorong acting in other roles. Her Godly Acting skills had to be given justice! Anyone who acts as her would be placing themselves under severe scrutiny. A living person would never live up to legends who had been immortalized by the public Perfectionists and hardcore fans who regarded Zhang Guorong as the perfect actress would consider any attempt to reproduce her performances as an insult! Any actress who dared step up to the role was as good as a whore. It was true that there were still many low-key, hardworking actresses out there. Unfortunately, the scandals that plagued the industry had turned the whole thing into a whorehouse. The public had lost faith in the entire industry. They were sure that it was beyond redemption. Zeng Qinqin was a famous, experienced and greatly skilled film and drama actress. She had an excellent reputation regarding both morals and artistic values. She would never leave the copyright of this work open for the public to adapt. Although she had unintentionally fictionalized Zhang Guorong, she genuinely liked the woman. The Zhang Guorong within the book was like her daughter. How could she possibly leave her daughter like a lamb to the slaughter? If someone truly wanted to make a biopic based on Zhang Guorong as the heroine, the star actress must pass her harsh assessment. She would not even spare regular actresses a second glance. Even so, she was genuinely eager to being impressed; hopeful, even. With this nostalgic turn of trends, everyone had walked away as winners. Many people had one extra new Goddess that they could worship. They could quote some of her lines for an extra level of pretentiousness. The author Zeng Qinqin gained far more in terms of fame and fortune; the entertainment industry was even speaking about her once again Of course, the biggest winner was Zhao Youyue. She gazed upon the iconic character card, Zhang Guorong, smiling with pleasure. Chapter 585 Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation Thats right. Lady Zhaos smile was simply detestable. She totally denied forcefully obtaining the iconic character card Zhang Guorong through all forms of money spamming and striking up favors from her many acquaintances. Rather, she believed that she had merely been lucky in a gacha draw. This had been an absolutely a Godly draw. When she needed a card that was related to acting skill the most, she had entered a self-help acting book by chance. All her shady deals notwithstanding, Zhao Youyue had been most resourceful and capable indeed. Perhaps the Two Dimensional Gate that simply loved toying with Lady Zhao did not see this coming. She had been able to transform a self-help book into a bestseller. Moreover, she had walked away from it with Zhang Guorong, a character with maxed out acting skills. Zhao Youyue had been most cunning. She had picked a legendary actress who had a solid filmography and fanbase. Zeng Qinqins book may be a bestseller, but the true icon had been Zhang Guorong. This character had earned her the iconic character card! If only looked at Zeng Qinqins book alone, getting a highly popular card would already be nothing short of a miracle Now that Zhao Youyue had earned Zhang Guorongs character card, she could now be confident of her acting ability. The reason Zhang Guorong was called the The Queen with A Thousand Faces. She was probably one of the pioneers of method-acting. She often lost herself in her roles, pulling off performances that epitomized perfection. Of course, method-acting entailed significant risks. Several actors and actresses have ended up so deep in their roles that they would fail to re-emerge. This often resulted in depression. Zhao Youyue was once again exempt from this side effect. She only had to switch off the character card. What risks are you talking about? Moreover, she could probably use the Zhang Guorong card and act as other obtained iconic female characters, rather than use their individual cards. She knew these iconic characters intimately. She could easily method-act as them. Zhao Youyue had made her decision. If she ever were to step into acting, she would only act as her wives. She was only there to defend their image from being sullied. This was just like her VA roles. After all, too many original works have been ruined by any manner of adaptation, these days. Disastrous camerawork, poor animation was not limited to the lamentations of original authors; it was a widespread phenomenon. Great authors might have the power to control the circumstances of their adaptations. Regular authors would never even be allowed into the studio. Receiving some copyright fees would already be considered a pleasant surprise It was early December. Lady Zhao was already on her way to being a seasoned University Student. Her Food Research Club had grown rather popular in the campus. Lady Zhao had never been able to obtain any light-emitting cuisine genre that she had been longing for. But she was capricious as she was rich. Hiring a famous chef to cook for the members the entire day was not out of the question. The extra portions could be sold in the campus, not to earn money, but to show that her Food Research Club was indeed putting an effort into researching food. It was not some sort of afternoon tea after school gimmick. She could use the contents of these club activities to request for higher fundings from the Student Council. After all, it was impossible to hire famous chefs with money alone. Without the identity of the Zhao family, she could never procure imperial-level chefs. Throughout the process, Zhao Youyue had used Xu Jings learning ability to learn many new recipes. After a few dishes, she had conquered many peoples stomachs. This had drastically increased the total number of Lady Zhaos admirers. The female chef attribute did not seem to earn many charm points within literary works. In reality, a terrific cook earned a terrific amount of fans! Thus, the Food Research Club welcomed an upsurge of applicants. In a sense, this was Lady Zhaos achievement. With such an achievement, she would be able to enter the Student Council and become the Deputy President of a particular department! Zhao Youyue approved all the applications without hesitation. Many of the applicants were joining the club only to approach Zhao Youyue. I wonder, how would they react to find President Zhao Youyue leaving, not long after their induction? Of course, true gourmets were among these applicants. Lady Zhao could read people like books at an uncannily high level. She placed these members responsible for more work than most. Her core members remained as Han Leng, Du Hang, and He Weiwei. They held their private meetings at other locations such as the independent bookstore that Han Leng frequented. It was as artistic and as elegant as one could imagine. It was the ideal place to order a cup of milk tea or coffee and chit-chat. The latest meeting only involved Zhao Youyue and Han Leng. They did not meet in the bookstore, but the classical concert hall. After all, the topic of that meeting was Chu Luoxun. Han Leng was rather familiar with the place. He would never forget the first time he saw Lady Zhao turning into a Goddess; it was as if he had seen Chu Luoxun in reality Han Leng was very nervous at that moment. He waited for Lady Zhaos answer. This was as close as one could get when it came to a confession! He shook the awkward thought away. Confessing was impossible for him. He might not even get away with one in this lifetime. In his case, it was fated to be a pointless behavior. He had decided to be forever alone. This was the fool; this was Han Lengs idea of romance. Han Leng had never been so unsure, so uncertain. He was even somewhat pessimistic about the whole thing Could Lady Zhao even act as Chu Luoxun? It was useless even if her characteristics were similar to Chu Luoxun. Did Lady Zhao even understand the basics of acting? Did she know how to act in front of the camera? The more Han Leng thought, the more pessimistic he became. He even wanted to reject himself on Zhao Youyues behalf. This unreasonable request had troubled Lady Zhao again. He was guilty on all accounts The truth could not be further. Lady Zhao was on the brink of blowing up in self-confidence. She was a European emperor; she was an overinflated hot-air balloon. Of course, she would jump at the opportunity to act as Chu Luoxun. Even if Han Leng did not ask, she would appoint herself. Chu Luoxun was her Goddess wife! Ill do it! Ill pull off your perfect Chu Luoxun! Lady Zhao boldly declared. As expected from a newly-wedded European emperor. Chapter 586 Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation Han Leng had braced himself for a rejection. He had even prepared to comfort Lady Zhao with a line like, How could a Lady stoop so low as to go sell her face and body? Of course, Han Leng would never doubt Lady Zhaos capabilities. His gut-feeling may doubt her acting capabilities, but his heart refused to believe it. She may be a terrific musician, but nobody could have so many talents in so many fields. Even so, he did not express these thoughts, as it would be akin to directly slapping Lady Zhao in the face. Slapping Lady Zhao in the face was slapping your life away However, Han Leng did not expect Lady Zhao to agree. She even had that pumped up, animalistic look on her face. Where exactly did her courage and self-confidence come from? Something told Han Leng that he was going to regret this. Entrusting his beloved daughter to Zhao Youyue was going to bring him a lot of trouble. What was he thinking? He was crazy to believe that Lady Zhao would be able to act as Chu Luoxun. He should have listened to the internet C the extent of their trust in Lady Zhaos abilities had ended at the musical aspect. Han Leng hesitated. My Lady, are you sure about this? You have to know that being the heroine of a film would not be easy. This isnt just a cameo; youll need to consider other things Zhao Youyue smiled at Han Lengs frantic gibberish. With her ridiculously confident smile, she said, Of course I know what I should do as the heroine of a film. Dont you worry. More than anything, you should be worried about getting me that spot Indeed, that was the only thing that did not have her confidence. Although In any case, Han Leng was already a legendary, best-selling author. Even so, he did not have complete control over the matter. At most, he could drop a few recommendations and nominations. After all, no matter the film, investors had full control. When Han Leng learned that their positions had been reversed and the Lady was doubting his ability to keep her in place, he intrinsically agreed. The truth was cruel. No matter how talented a writer was, he still had to bow before the source of capital. Some writers did fund the movies themselves, but that was a different story. Such situations were so sporadic that they were not even worth mentioning. Adaptations were risky. You could never tell if they would succeed. If he did not participate in the project, he would still earn some profit due to copyrights. The investor would be the one bearing the full risk. Zhao Youyue narrowed her eyes, almost staring into Han Lengs soul. She had some fresh ideas. It was time to seek for Ding Yuncong and Zhao Haos help. They could easily pull the strings and put her in the Chu Luoxun role. Beautiful April was not going to be a major project. It did not have a particularly high budget either. It did not even seek to win any awards. A decent reception would already be good enough. One could easily intervene in such small projects. On the other hand, billion-dollar projects would be almost incorruptible. They could not risk having one weak link ruin the entire show. Anyway, Zhao Youyue was not here to answer Han Leng. She was here to reassure him. Her reputation meant nothing to her. She was here to defend Chu Luoxuns image. After that, Zhao Youyue indulged herself in some relaxing music. Han Leng stood beside her, fidgetting worriedly. He worried that this self-confident Lady was going to roll over. The entire might shun and ridicule her. Han Leng could only think of bearing the pan himself It was his fault for being too stubborn. What was he thinking, having the newbie Zhao Youyue undertake the highly demanding task of playing Chu Luoxun? This would doom the entire movie! He had taken advantage of the sincere Lady Zhao who had enthusiastically offered to help him Thats right. Han Leng thought that Lady Zhao was going out of her way to help him. Little did he know that she was there for her wife. Boys will always be boys. A girl could do something as simple as a gentle bow, and boys would fantasize about the girl having a crush on him. Of course, Han Leng had placed himself at the bottom of Lady Zhaos favorability. His expectations were realistic, to say the least. Even so, he was now convinced that Lady Zhao was actually betting on her own reputation for his sake. If this was not love, what was? All in all, Zhao Youyue was doing this for her wife, and Han Lengs upsurge in loyalty was a bonus. Lady Zhao already occupied a vital position in his heart. She was his first love. Later, he came across the shocking revelation of her being the 3D incarnation of the most perfect girl he could ever pen out. After that, Lady Zhao had forgiven his transgressions time and again, while providing more aid than ever. How could he possibly free himself from Lady Zhaos bondage? It was time to stop resisting; he should just lay down and enjoy himself, fighting for more opportunities to write more books to please his Lady Zhao. He could think of no other way to repay her. Of course, Jiangnan Universitys greatest concern as of late would be the general election of the Student President. After all, almost half the semester had passed. Zhao Youyue was deeply involved in the entire affair. The candidates had to take the initiative to run campaigns and earn voters. It was not as simple as handing out a sheet of paper with the chosen candidates name on it. The most promising competitor for the Student President position this time would be the head of the Student Councils Propaganda Department, Zhu Yongnian. He seemed to be a highly sociable fatty, and had been hungrily eyeing the position for a long time. He did not just limit his campaigning to the school forums C he had even shown up at crowded places to give speeches during recess. At the same time, he had hunkered down to visit the presidents of large clubs. After all, many members were still very obedient to their president. If they voted as per their presidents request, they might be able to acquire more club funds. As a celebrity and the President of the Food Research Club, Zhao Youyue most certainly was in Zhu Yongnians visitation list. If only he could get Lady Zhaos support. She could single-handedly give him the Student President position. On her end, Zhao Youyue needed to introduce herself to other big figures and learn more about them. After all, she would require a great deal of support and approval from the Student President to be his Vice President. The President of the News club, Cao Chuanguang might succeed the Presidential role of the Propaganda Department in this general selection, inching towards his dreams of becoming the Student President. Thanks to Lady Zhao, Cao Chuanguangs dream would remain a dream. Chapter 587 Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation Zhao Youyues request had been very simple. She did not need things like extra club fundings that were usually a highly sought-after commodity. She was rich, and she was resourceful. She could single-handedly fund her club if she wanted. Her previous achievements in her Food Research Club had proven this. All she wanted was to enter the Student Council and claim her spot as Vice President. That was enough. Of course, Zhao Youyue would not blatantly express her desire of being a Vice President. Anyone with half a brain could see through her plans if she did. She only expressed some interest in joining the Student Council. By default, a Club President would automatically be a Vice President of any department in the Student Council. Zhu Yongnian probably stooped the most when it came to visiting Zhao Youyue. He was already in his 4th year. He might have to leave school for his internship in the next semester. This was probably his last chance for the Student President position Under such circumstances, he had pulled out all stops to his pride. He did not even mind being a puppet. All he wanted was the title Student President. He only needed this thin layer of gold plating, and his future would most definitely be secured. Zhu Yongnian wanted a bright future, not this ridiculously stressful position that would only last him a short half of the semester. As a result, he had been highly respectful to Zhao Youyue, whose influence was not only limited to within the campus, but also as a Lady with vast network of contacts in the world. He accepted her small request without any qualms. And so, the deal was set. Zhao Youyue first got her club members to vote for Zhu Yongnian. Her power was absolute. No one dared disobey her. Since Lady Zhao had made such a statement, fans from outside the club did not want to be left out. One after another, they voted for Zhu Yongnian. Celebrities were terrifying entities. Their will would somehow imprint itself upon their fans. They only needed to make a vague statement, and fans would follow blindly. Zhao Youyue observed this joke of a democratic election silently. During the process, three had already given up after knowing that they could never win the election. In the end, only the fatty Zhu Yongnian and a short-haired Year 3 female senior lasted until the finale. This Year 3 senior was Qiao Fei. She was the head of the Student Councils Discipline Inspection Department. She was highly capable and widely known throughout the campus. Most of her fame actually came from one particular trait. She was constantly looking out to get Zhao Youyue in trouble! Qiao Fei had always pretended to be fair and rigorous. Her facade was one that fooled even the sharpest of eyes. As long as she had the title fair and rigorous, she could punish evil in the name of justice. Zhao Youyue had never been the best of friends with rules. As usual, she weaved her way around the rules, such as not returning to her dormitory at night. She might only stay in the dormitory twice a week at most, having lights-off bed talks with her roommates. On other days, she did as she pleased. Wasnt it way more fun dating Su Li? Moreover, she also produced a live stream or two every week to maintain her popularity and get some rewards. There would always be those inexplicably self-confident tycoons who confidently threw money at Ah Yu, hoping to touch her heart. If her heart was not touched, they simply had to throw more cash Qiao Fei had a beef with Zhao Youyues minor offense of not returning to the dormitory at night. As a member of the Discipline Inspection Department, Bai Yunshan had repeatedly warned Zhao Youyue, saying, The head of my department has an eye on you. Youll have to watch yourself, she really wants your head Zhao Youyue had always channeled these warnings through her ear canals. In one ear, out the other. This was of no concern to her. She had even ignored Qiao Feis request to meet in private. Apparently, she wanted to make some sort of deal. It was very apparent that no one was truly fair and rigorous in this world. The thing was that, facades sometimes made things convenient. These individuals also despised general favors. They wanted huge, great favors. If not, they would never be willing to take off their fair and rigorous, excellent guise Unsurprisingly, Zhao Youyue had been aware of Qiao Fei from the beginning. This was a highly ambitious, ferocious woman. She clearly intended to be the mighty type of Student President who had the authority to handle matters that enabled her to win multiple elections. In addition to that, she had the capabilities to maintain her guise for an extended period, if anything. Otherwise, it would have been impossible for her to be the Head of a Department that was as important as the Discipline Inspection Department in her Third Year. She received scholarships every year, earned many titles and was also one of the top 10 university students within the province. Allowing such a figure to wield absolute authority posed a major threat to Lady Zhaos plans. Zhao Youyue would rather have Zhu Yongnian take the position instead, as he only intended to don a thin plate of gold and stay the heck away After Qiao Fei realized that this Lady Zhao Youyue had no intentions of meeting her at all, she became more relentless than ever. Her fair and rigorous style shone out, attempting to blind those around her. A Lady? So what? You will not get away from breaking campus rules! Also, look at your Food Research Club. Eating and drinking the entire day, yet expecting to receive funds from the Student Council. This was a joke! Abolish! It had to be abolished! Unfortunately, Qiao Fei was not the Student President yet. She could only shout out slogans that called for the abolishment of clubs that were just there to earn academic credits, scam the Council of fundings. They should be abolished so that the fundings could be put to better use! Such a slogan would still touch the hearts of those big clubs who claimed to be earning glory for the university through prizes. In their eyes, they considered themselves as superior, and the existence of those small clubs was not necessary at all. Of course, Lady Zhaos Food Research Club was too powerful to be abolished at the moment. Famous chefs came on a weekly basis to make extremely delicious cuisine. If students were fortunate enough, they might just get a taste of their food. Lady Zhao also played an active role in preparing dishes for her club. It may not stand up to the standards of those famous chefs; it was still far more delicious than what people normally took Most importantly, those were dishes that Lady Zhao had prepared with her own hands. That was most certainly worth mentioning! Therefore, after Zhao Youyue boldly expressed her support for Zhu Yongnian, even expressing fear of getting her Food Research Club getting abolished, those melon-eating audiences who did not originally concern themselves with the Student President quickly got themselves involved. They rallied to Lady Zhaos call, supporting Zhu Yongnian C who could barely even keep his campaign afloat. Finally, the two candidates faced each other in a final debate. It was Qiao Feis complete victory, as she had once participated in the campus debate team. She had been particularly critical about Zhu Yongnians slogans of Keep the status quo stable, and Harmonious development. She had been barely able to hold herself back from accusing Zhu Yongnian of being a waste of oxygen, like a rubber stamp[1]. Finally, the results were released. Zhu Yongnian won by 64.8% and became the Student President. Translation Note: [1] Rubber stamp C Refers to a person who agrees, approves, and deals with (documents or policies, etc) without judgment for the best of his interests. Chapter 588 Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation The corpulent Zhu Yongnian was now the President of the Student Council. Rather than calling it his victory, it was more of a victory for Lady Zhao, the mastermind behind the scenes Anyone who dared to oppose Lady Zhao would be beaten into a pulp. Admittedly, the brilliant Qiao Fei should have won the position. Sadly, this was how democracy worked. This was no longer a question of individual capabilities. It was about the more eloquent, respectful person who respected the will of the people and winning their hearts. Of course, Lady Zhao was highly proficient in this. Using her Food Research Department as a boost, supplemented by her own fame, she inspired the onlookers who were originally not keen on voting to exercise their voting rights. The results had worked in her favor. This was why Lady Zhao loved this election system. As long as you were a student at Jiangnan University, you would have the rights to vote. The students had not even placed their hearts into it. They treated it like a farce. Nevertheless, such a farce had made it possible for an impossible President. It was like reaching the skies in a single bound. Was there any system better than this? All hail democracy. Zhao Youyue could wield this system like a toy and achieve her plan of reaching the skies in a single bound. Otherwise, no matter how brilliant she was, she might never achieve this position, not until junior year, at least. Only then, would it be possible for her to be like Qiao Fei, who had used her identity as the Head of some influential department to run as President-Elect of the Student Council. To Lady Zhao, that would have been too long of a wait. She did not have the adequate patience. Zhu Yongnian was glowing with radiance, having achieved his goal. He had already given up all hope during the debate with Qiao Fei. The woman had butchered him. She had utterly wiped the floor clean with his guts. What chance did he have? He had acquired the fruit of victory. He slowly walked towards the Student Councils luxurious conference room, which he considered sacred. As he made the long walk, he felt like a king making a triumphant return! He ignored the envious looks. He did not know what was being young and frivolous; he only knew that the winner would be the king! As the former Head of the Publicity Department, he had lost count of the times he had warmed his old seat. He had always looked forward to discussing significant issues, eliminating vices and exalting virtues, just like all the Presidents who had once sat at the Presidents seat. Now, that seat was his. There was also an entire classroom that was dedicated to the President of the Student Council, and now, he would have it all to himself. Students jokingly called that place Jiangnan Sea. Others even called it the Small White House. Getting into the White House so easily and quickly would rid the world of all regrets. In reality, the owners of these worlds were unlikely to become real leaders of the country. Zhu Yongnian was in high spirits. When he walked into the exclusive administrative floor of the Student Council department, many of the low-ranked members of the Student Council looked at him reverently. Regardless of whether the respect was real or fake, at least they made an effort to show it, right? That was more than enough! When they saw how the new President of the Student Council received so much respect wherever he walked, many people felt an irresistible urge to be in his position. These people had such a thought C I can replace him. They imagined that one day, they would be able to experience the thrill of becoming the President. Of course, they only wanted to gratify their vanity. They had no desire of making any changes themselves. As long as they delivered as promised before the elections, it would suffice. They could even remove the bridge after crossing the river. Then, they could leave after half a semester of fun. They could make excuses, like how they had not been given enough time to carry out their plans, or something along those lines. They could always say that they have tried their very best. Why not support me again so that I can continue being in the position to have another go at it? Just like that, in the luxurious conference room, Zhu Yongnian sat in the seat of honor. Following that, a few others like the Vice President of the Student Council and the Heads of various departments also got seated. Some were expressionless, some had an indifferent smile on their faces, and others were in deep thought. It seemed that those in deep thought were thinking about how the new President would play with words about how making a change for the better. Of course, no such change would happen. Per tradition, Zhu Yongnian announced his Head of the Secretary Department. That person happened to be one of his few closest friends. As for the Heads of the other departments, he was not as certain. He did not really have many reliable subordinates. It was more important to consider if the other departments would operate smoothly, should he place an unreliable figure in power. He was not the kind of Student Council President who did his research or got to know his subordinates, afterall. All he wanted was to keep everything stable enough to last him his term. Naturally, Zhu Yongnian began to follow the steps of the former Presidents subconsciously. He boasted and blabbered away. Anyhow, as long as he created a perfect facade, everything would be fine He still had one more matter to settle. Of course, he had to fulfill the promise that he had made to Lady Zhao. He treated different kinds of people differently. This was the basis of his life. It could not be helped. His abilities were mediocre, but he was good at communicating with others and reading through the lines. This time, the key was to pay a sincere visit to Lady Zhao in person. Facts have proven that this plan of his had been a stroke of genius. In the end, he was able to defeat the brilliant Qiao Fei. Lady Zhao had single-handedly made this possible, right? Qiao Fei was also in the conference room at this time. She looked relatively calm. Her loss did not seem that much of a deal to her. She was only a junior, and she had her secure spot as the Head of the Discipline Inspection Department. She still had a lot of opportunities. It was then when Zhu Yongnian said, I have one last appointment to make, and that would be concerning Zhao Youyue. The President of the Food Research Department is hereby invited to join the Student Council and serve as the Vice President of the Literature and Arts Department. As we all know, the Food Research Department had seen tremendous growth over half a semester since its establishment. The majority of teachers and students approve of it, and it has solid support. This support has been incisively and vividly reflected in this election. Undoubtedly, Zhao Youyue, the President of that society, deserves all the credit. Of course, a brilliant person like her has to be included in the Student Council. Ive already asked for her opinion on this, and she had been most willing. Additionally, Zhao Youyue has outstanding talents and skills. Her musical talents are amazing. As long as she joins the Literature and Arts Department, many of our various events in the future would shine. Does anyone have anything to say? Undoubtedly, the Literature and Arts Department did not possess much power, and not many people were willing to take the initiative to join it. This department was no better than icing on a cake. It was also the department that utilized the kick upstairs[1] trick the most frequently. For example, allowing the Vice President of a really powerful department to be the President of the Literature and Arts Department or something like that Therefore, the big bosses remained silent, as they were inflexible Heads of various Departments. Instead, they considered reaching into the quickly rising Food Research club. It had the potential for major voting district power. Translation note : [1] Kick upstairs means to promote someone to a higher but less desirable position, especially one with less authority. Chapter 589 Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation Only the beady-eyed Qiao Fei smelled something fishy. Even so, she hesitated. Her failure this time had taught her much. Dealing with Lady Zhao was no easy matter. She was surrounded by the forces of evil. The other big bosses had no objections, so how could she stand against it alone? That would be suicide. It was precisely because Qiao Fei was not brainless and that her inflexibly just and fair was only a mask, she was doomed to fail. Ironically, if she was not that person, she would not have even been able to be the President of the Discipline Inspection Department. Being inflexibly just and fair towards people who were of no value, but bending the rules for those who would be of some use to her was how she functioned. Sadly, she had experienced the misfortune of underestimating Lady Zhao. Zhu Yongnians proposal was unanimously accepted. Everyone was actually pretty happy about it. An influential person joining the Student Council would help to further expand the power of the Student Council. No one had even anticipated Zhao Youyue directly using her identity as the Vice President of the Literature and Arts Department to run as President of the Student Council. Obviously, this was a major oversight. In everyones opinion, the Literature and Arts Department was an unimportant department. It was just like a mascot, and it had was poorly funded. Even the President of the Literature and Arts Department would not bring disgrace upon himself by announcing that he wanted to run for President of the Student Council, let alone the Vice President. In everyones minds, the next President of the Student Council was probably Qiao Fei, if the current trajectory remained. After all, she had a lot of experience when it came to the operations of the Student Council, and she was also popular among the students. Many presidents of various big societies also favored her. If not her, who else could be elected? Her failure this time did not come as much of a surprise. This was her first time running for President. Of course her inexperience would fail her. Moreover, she actually attempted to go to war with a well-known celebrity like Lady Zhao. Did she really think that Lady Zhaos hardcore fans would sit back and do nothing? She had learned much from this election. Now, she probably knew how to navigate these waters. This was the key to being the President of the Student Council. When it came to the President of the Student Council, there was no place for dictatorship. On that night, the Student Council hosted a banquet to welcome the new President. Presidents of various prominent societies and many campus celebrities attended the banquet. Their cronies had tagged along, of course. For those who were keen on obtaining more power in their universities, this banquet was just another one of the upper class banquets of the university. As the President of the Food Research Department and a campus idol, Zhao Youyue also attended the banquet. Of course, the famous writer Han Leng came along with her. With Han Leng at her side, Lady Zhao would not have to worry about annoying flies. In this world, thick-skinned flies like Cao Chuanguang rarely came. Many boys were aware of their places. As long as a girl has clearly expressed that she already had her eyes on someone else, boys would not put themselves in an unnecessary struggle. When faced with supreme opponents, these boys would not even consider fighting for it. They would simply accept their sad fate. A genius writer who was as famous and good-looking as Han Leng simply bedazzled his peers. Moreover, many have realized that this genius writer would always be around Lady Zhao. Although their relationship remained unclear, they were evidently in good terms. This was enough to send boys retreating. Zhao Youyue attended the banquet with a bang of an entrance. She also tried the Zhang Guorong character card out. After all, former movie stars that have once been crowned as Queen Actresses always had to attend countless banquets. Sometimes, movie stars had a lot more experience when it came to presenting their perfect sides to everyone. In fact, Zhao Youyue had ample experience in this. However, she only attended these events because she had to act like a missy and retain that image. It was the only face she had ever shown the world. It could not be helped. If she did not pretend to be a missy, she was just an ordinary side-character. However, when she pretended to be a missy, she basically turned everything into confetti. It was too fanciful and elaborate. A smarter person would definitely notice something off. Her missy image seemed a little forced, didnt it? It was similar to the characters in various novels and mangas Even Zhao Youyue preferred to give off a more natural, modest Missy vibe that did not seem off-putting to others. However, an ordinary person would never be able to act out such a role. Only a true missy could act like one. Ordinary creators could only create their fictionalized, fantasied versions of Missies. With the Zhang Guorong card, paired with her perfect evening gown, she appeared on the scene of the banquet just like a superstar. A touch of delicate makeup added some divinity to her perfect visage. Her graceful, magnificent temperament blew everyone else away! This was not Zhao Youyue herself, but a legendary actress who once made history, and recently remade it again C the Queen with A Thousand Faces, Zhang Guorong! Zhang Guorong knew just how to act like a superstar. She always became the focus of journalists no matter the event. She had been born to complete the spotlight! This was the so-called photogenic trait. In this world, some humans could be graced with stunning looks, but looked pedestrian in pictures. Celebrities were the total opposite. Even if they looked ordinary in reality, cameras turned them into deities! Of course if one already looked good to begin with, cameras would rip holes in reality. Undoubtedly, Zhang Guorong was such a character! To be precise, it was the fictionalized version of Zhang Guorong, a perfect actress, and celebrity created in Perfect Acting C A Lifetime Of Wonderful Youth. Only her true friends might be able to tell how the real Zhang Guorong was like. Lady Zhao robbed everyone else of the limelight. Everyone had forgotten that the banquet was held to welcome the new President of the Student Council. It was most definitely not a red carpet event for a movie premiere. When Lady Zhao appeared, a figurative red carpet had rolled out, figurative curtains descended, and a stage ascended! Zhu Yongnian was just as stunned. He stared at Lady Zhao in awe, the superstar that she was. She had ripped the soul out of him. Was this how a hardcore fan felt, in the face of his idol? Chapter 590 Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation Han Leng no longer knew the girl beside him. At times, he even suspected that Lady Zhao had actual multiple personality disorder. How else did she pull off these different faces on different occasions, at different times? Studying, reading, performing, she was never the same person. Baseline Lady Zhao was rather easy to approach. She was the warm, cheerful girl next door. She did everything slowly and calmly. Sometimes, she would be a little playful and adorable. She loved to tease the people who were close to her heart. Whenever she got bored, she would always be looking at her phone, as if she was addicted to it. In her normal state, Lady Zhao was indeed a side-character. In this world, almost everyone had this girl next door personality. She was also rather bland as a person. She was nothing like those 2D girls who had distinctive moe personalities. Zhao Youyue was very much aware of this. Hence, whenever she was not using any character cards, she would put up a pretentious front and get strangers to take notice of her. She was the missy who had just walked out of an Anime. Everywhere she went, she took a luxury car. She would be covered in handmade, luxury branded items from head to toe. She had also trained herself to carry out tea ceremonies with precision, or at least pretend to. Anyone who drank her Darjeeling tea would sigh, so this happens when Missy herself personally brews this tea. In actuality, they were just imagining things. Imagining that the Darjeeling tea truly carried the touch of a true missy. Additionally, she did not pay using channels such as Alipay, WeChat and the likes. She only wielded a single, legendary black card. Of course, this was only when she was deliberately pretentious. Otherwise, how else would she be able to recreate the stereotypical Anime Missy? However, Zhao Youyue was too lazy to put up an act in front of familiar faces. It was much better to be a mobile phone addict. Didnt phones occupy everyones attention at the dinner table? Han Leng had taken a liking to observe Lady Zhao play pretend quietly. For example, previously, as the President of the Food Research Department, she had appeared fully armed as she dealt with the normal students and student leaders who wanted to know more about the society. She would always act like an extremely noble missy. She was almost telling the students, Since you commoners have come onto my territory, you must kneel down and show your respects Then, a routine tea ceremony would be carried out, and she would showcase her amazing tea-making skills. Her visitors would feel intimidated and pressurized in equal measure, as if they had just experienced the story of a lifetime - - It was a beautiful afternoon. I was fortunate enough to have tasted the Darjeeling tea made by a true noble firsthand. She was a Lady, and she showed me what a perfect tea ceremony was. To this day, I can still taste the tea on my lips! Having tasted the iconic Darjeeling tea made by a Missy, I can now die in peace! It was not just tea. Sometimes, Lady Zhao personally cooked some dishes. Naturally, her cooking was nothing like those famous chefs, but with the handmade by a missy, label, they became extremely popular! This was why Lady Zhao was so famous at Jiangnan University. She was really too much of a missy. Missy was a noun, but she had turned it into an adjective. Other missies on the same level as Zhao Youyue could never play pretend in such a refreshing and unconventional manner. On the contrary, they would appear just like other ordinary people Missies were nothing more than ordinary girls with additional privileges, and these privileges were often optional. They would not deliberately pursue ultimate luxury items and such. When average people looked at a real missy, they would not be able to tell that she had a great background. These missies hid in plain sight, especially when they were of the high school student age. On the surface, it seemed like nothing was surprising about them. People would assume that they were from a regular family. However, during graduation, they would finally learn how wrong they had been. That person was actually a child of a rich and powerful family! Such a thing often happened between girls. Even after being classmates for several years, they would never suspect a thing. Later, they would discover that their friend was actually the real deal. Undoubtedly, Zhao Youyues past experience as a side-character stood as a testimony. However, her side-character attributes were definitely way higher than others. Her classmates of several years did not even know her name. That had been truly frustrating. It was no wonder that Zhao Youyue would start proactively upgrading herself. Without being pretentious and deliberately seeking for attention, who would know that she was a missy? It was the only reason her Food Research Department had been able to attract such a crowd. Her fan club at Jiangnan University had also officially established. There were more female students than males. Even so, Lady Zhao stood head and shoulders over them. The fan club did not exactly please Zhao Youyue. She always thought that it was a little unreal. In essence, she was obviously an ordinary, unremarkable side-character. How did she even become a campus idol? Zhao Youyue begrudgingly accepted the role. She was acting like a stereotypical missy, anyway. She had grown highly proficient at it. Her acting was not as smooth and natural as compared to a character card, but the commoners obviously did not care. They loved her this way. Otherwise, how could she be considered a missy? Han Leng originally thought that Zhao Youyue would carry out her usual stiff, stereotypical missy act. He never expected this change of style. At that moment, she was no longer a missy. She was a superstar walking on the red carpet. People were actually taking photos with their phones! It was a bizarre sight. Even Zhu Yongnian, the newly-appointed President of the Student Council had joined in. As they snapped away, mouths started chattering - - This is why I say Zhao Youyue is really well-deserving of the school flower title among this new batch of freshmen. Ive run into her on campus before, but I didnt think that she was worthy of the title at that time. Among the freshmen, there are still other girls who are as pretty. However, now that I see her again, I finally understand everything! The most important thing is still temperament! You call that a missy? Shes a freaking superstar. Shes the Empress-level actress who has been to countless big occasions and has seen it all! When I think about how I once had dinner with a girl like her and how Ill be able to raise my glass to toast her, I cant help but think of how Ill recite this tale to my grandkids. Its such an honor! Damn, this entrance I have no words for it! Does she really have to steal the limelight like this? I really feel bad for all the other girls here; its like theyve lost their beauty! This trashy school is not a stage for her at all. Her stage should be the entire world! Obviously, Zhao Youyue was simply making her way to her seat. She was taking consistent, even strides. It did not really take her long, but this moment seemed to last for a century. Han Leng escorted her as modestly as he could. Of course, this did not spare him from the murderous looks of the other boys. This Han Leng is a piece of shit. Hes always so close to Lady Zhao. Damn it, I envy and hate him so! Chapter 591 Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation Without a hitch, Lady Zhao, the superstar who emanated a Queen-level Actress aura snatched all the attention that the banquet could give. The very banquet that was meant to welcome the new President of the Student Council. That very new President, Zhu Yongnian, was seated at the same table as Zhao Youyue. And that very table housed all the big bosses within the Student Council. Obviously, Zhao Youyue was not yet the Vice President of the Literature and Arts Department. Somehow, she was seated with the Student Council on equal terms. Her identity and fame had bypassed all formalities and procedures. Sometimes, even the most established and organized of systems would falter before the mighty. This was similar to the story of how authors of old had often complained about a particular, eight-legged essay[1]. They hated it, for it utterly bottlenecked the entire culture. The talented would be prevented from sharing their works with the rest of the world. True geniuses may still manage to make use of the eight-legged essay and write famous, long handed-down articles. An example of this was the highly-acclaimed Zhang Juzheng[2]. It was at that moment when some of the big bosses came to their senses. What if Lady Zhao decided to run for President of the Student Council? She was still a Vice President, albeit the weakest Vice President possible Attempting to compete from that position would usually be a joke, emphasis on usually. It was self-deprecation at its finest. No matter how students took this election as a joke, they would never vote for a watered-down, underqualified Vice President. But this was Lady Zhao were talking about. Vice President be damned, voters would not even think about her current position. As long as they knew that she was running for President, they would vote for her. If shes running as President, why arent we voting for her already? Lady Zhaos high popularity and excellent reputation on campus almost meant that she was President by default. Other candidates might put up a struggle with lots of money and resources. Even so, a mere Weibo post from Lady Zhao would turn them into mush- - Vote for Missy Me! When Qiao Fei thought of this, she lost all hope. She could only pray that someone like Lady Zhao would not have any interest in anything related to the university. It was best if she overlooked this little Presidential post, or else Qiao Fei swallowed her fears and forced a smile, raising her glass in a toast to Lady Zhao. Of course, Zhao Youyue did not have to drink to anything. She could easily ask Han Leng to drink in her stead. People who approached her for a toast were most likely tipsy already, to say the least, so they were driven by Dutch courage to force girls to drink. Undoubtedly, they were most annoying to deal with. In the face of Qiao Feis cordiality, Zhao Youyue merely nodded slightly and gave her drink a sip. She did not pay any heed to her after that. Qiao Fei had taken the opportunity to defend herself while toasting, Actually, all of us from the Discipline Inspection Department had thoroughly misunderstood Lady Zhao before this. I have already personally informed my subordinates that a celebrity like Lady Zhao has to be given special treatment and be treated with more care. I did not expect them to disobey me. Due to this, they have ended up offending Lady Zhao. I hereby, would like to punish myself by drinking three glasses! Having said that, Qiao Fei downed three glasses in a row. A flush rose to her cheeks as everyone at the table applauded her. The President of the Discipline Inspection Department really knew how to carry herself. She had not been perturbed by this recent setback. She was aware that her failure to become the President this time was in no small part, due to her underestimating Lady Zhaos influential powers. She knew the right words to say, the right party to blame. Yes, blame her subordinates so that you can make up with Lady Zhao. Naturally, the big bosses who were there knew that Qiao Fei was only inflexibly just and fair towards her subordinates. Now that she was in front of a missy like Lady Zhao, nothing was surprising about her admitting her defeat. In fact, if the presidential election of the Student Council were likened to the US general elections, Lady Zhao would be like a powerful plutocrat who controlled the tide of public opinion. How could a president aspirant offend a plutocrat? This was unless the aspirants were also children of plutocrats, born in a filthy rich family Zhao Youyue smiled slightly. Her smile had a sense of alienation. It was as if she had seen through everything. She casually said, Your subordinate? Is that so? Im not sure who, but a very diligent member of yours has been recording my actions of coming back to the dormitory late at night, countless times. I think that such a responsible disciplinary member is truly praiseworthy. Its something worth mentioning. Maybe you should give that person a little more work to do. The lively dining table went quiet at once. Some of the big bosses looked like they were excited about the upcoming drama. Lady Zhao was clearly not going to let Qiao Fei off the hook that easily. Well, she was Lady Zhao. She was such an influential person. She had been forced to live in harsh conditions in the girls dormitory, even though she had properties in every high-end residential area in the Jiangnan Province. She could even choose to live in a five-star hotels presidential suite every day C there would be no pressure at all! Moreover, her words had been so cleverly placed that nobody would take them seriously. What did she mean by giving that person a little more work? It was clear that she wanted Qiao Fei to expel that discipline member who had deliberately tried to get her in trouble. Discharging that person would be the only acceptable option. If a missy like Zhao Youyue was willing to be friends with Qiao Fei just because the woman had punished herself with three glasses of wine, she was way too easy to bully. The truth could not be any further away. Whether on campus or in society, she was nobility. The law itself made it its best interests to keep nobility pleased. Qiao Fei was a little embarrassed. She felt a little humiliated, but there was nothing she could do. She had brought this upon herself. When she was just on the cusp of being the President of the Student Council, she had grown too full of herself. Hence, she had naively thought that Zhao Youyue would have no power here. This had only earned her a merciless slap in the face If she really became the President of the Student Council, then she might still be able to reverse the situation. She could come up with more tricks to trouble the Lady enough to earn her respect. As of now, she could do nothing but make minor sacrifices to safeguard her greater interests. However, she suddenly thought of a particular, low-ranking member of the Discipline Inspection Department. Just the thought of it ticked her off. This person was Bai Yunshan. This disciplinary member had no idea what flexibility was. She got everyone, everything into all sorts of trouble. She was too responsible for her own good, even so far as to check on the important, whitelisted figures. Even so, she was rather popular. She had quickly earned the respect of all the fresh faces in the Discipline Inspection Department. For some reason, many actually believed that Bai Yunshan was the ideal candidate to succeed Qiao Fei. After all, the both of them were similarly inflexibly fair and just Qiao Fei truly hated inflexible, ignorant robots like Bai Yunshan. So, she said, That insensible disciplinary member youre talking about is Bai Yunshan. Shes also a freshman. Her jealousy for you might have overwhelmed her senses. She must be trying to orchestrate your downfall. Well, not just yours. Students who dont follow the rules by the book are constantly hogged by her. Things are out of control there. Such a person should not be part of the Student Councils Discipline Inspection Department. When Qiao Fei said this, she gave Lady Zhao a hopeful look. She waited for Lady Zhao to approve of Bai Yunshans expulsion C the thorn in her flesh. Lady Zhao only smiled faintly. ______________________________________________________________________ Translation note : [1] The eight-legged essay (˹) was a style of essay writing that needed to be used to pass the imperial examinations during the Ming and Qing dynasties. [2] Zhang Juzheng (ž) courtesy name Shuda, pseudonym Taiyue, was a Chinese reformer and statesman who served as Grand Secretary in the late Ming dynasty during the reigns of the Longqing and Wanli emperors. Chapter 592 Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation Qiao Feis idea had actually started off well. Whenever leaders made a mistake, it was normal to see them off-loading the blame to subordinates that bothered them. Smart leaders would push the responsibility to unpopular ones. A foolish leader would pass the buck without putting much thought into it. In doing so, one day, they would ultimately lose the support of others. Qiao Fei was not a brilliant leader. After all, she was just a university girl who had yet to set foot in the real world. She had the talent for leadership, but she truly lacked the experience. Even so, she was no match, compared with the pretentious and skilled Lady Zhao. Qiao Fei did not like Bai Yunshan. She was not the only person. Many found it hard to get along with the strict and demanding Bai Yunshan. On the other hand, Zhao Youyue knew just how to accommodate her. After an extended period of interacting and doting on her, Zhao Youyue had successfully won the heart of the ignorant, straightforward Bai Yunshan. After that, she encouraged Bai Yunshan to continue being herself. Zhao Youyue was intrigued and impressed by that girls strength of character. If she wanted to be like Bai Yunshan, she would have to activate a character card. She could never set her mind so firmly on a path. She truly saw the beauty in such sincere straightforwardness. Undoubtedly, Lady Zhao was protective of Bai Yunshan. Therefore, she firmly changed the look on her face and said, President Qiao, youre too much. How could you say such a thing? I think that the disciplinary member named Bai Yunshan is excellent. Shes very responsible, and she has a great sense of justice. I think she deserves a promotion. Let her be a clerk for now. Zhao Youyue had just condescendingly dropped an order upon Qiao Fei. She seemed to have won the President of the Student Council position, instead. None of the big bosses spoke up. As she had been humiliated, Qiao Feis face turned green, and then red. She was just as confused as she was furious. Had Lady Zhao seen through her? Was Lady Zhao telling her not to shirk her responsibility? Didnt people say that children of the dignitaries did not care about small fries? Didnt they vent their anger on anyone they wanted? Qiao Fei could only put her pride aside and express her agreements. She would promote Bai Yunshan. Well, this was also another good idea. She could show her subordinates that she had a sharp eye for talent. She would never turn a blind eye to capable disciplinary members. Little did Qiao Fei know that Zhao Youyue could not be any less bothered about the entire matter. She was just emphasizing her importance. It was a warning to everyone present to stay out of her way. Lady Zhao had nothing against anyone. On the other hand, none of the so-called big bosses present at the scene were of any importance to her. All in all, the dinner went rather well. Han Leng had watched everything happen from the sidelines and felt an inexplicable sense of excitement growing in his chest. He finally realized how terrifying a furious Lady Zhao could be. Nothing held up against her. It was not blind, brutal violence. It was more like a weighted, huge net that came down and smothered everyone, blotting the sun out. The more they struggled, the tighter the net grew. She did all this with a smile on her face. Of course, what banquet would be complete without the typical immature troublemaker who did not know his place? Indeed, there was Cao Chuanguang, the guy who wished to be the next President of the Publicity Department. As the previous President of the Publicity Department, Zhu Yongnian was now the President of the Student Council, his old position had been vacated. As annoying as Cao Chuanguang was, he was highly competent. There were no two ways about it, he was definitely going to take over the position. His next step would be to run for President of the Student Council. He would be Lady Zhaos direct opponent Cao Chuanguangs competence overlapped with his annoying factor the most when he pursued Zhao Youyue. Nobody knew where he got Zhao Youyues contact information from. Every day, he insisted on sending text messages to Zhao Youyue, wishing her good morning, goodnight and the like. He seemed to believe in the saying, complete sincerity can affect even metal and stone. Initially, Zhao Youyue had not paid him much heed. She had taken him as just another regular pursuer. She had grown very experienced in swatting these flies away. She could make most men retreat on their own accord, without even attempting to confess. It was better for the both of them. They could walk with the pride intact, she would not be disturbed. Of course, some brainless guys would blurt out confessions from nowhere. Zhao Youyue would not even have the chance to give them the good person card or the friend card. She only gave these cards to Han Leng. Haha. Zhao Youyue would put these guys down. She would tell them that they certainly did not like her, they just worshipped her. She allowed these guys to get to know themselves better. If they still pestered her, the only thing she could do was to directly block them. In her normal state, Zhao Youyue was gentle and had a warm personality. Naturally, she seemed to be an easy target. However, if she turned cold, she could freeze people to death. She could become extremely bad-tempered if she wanted to. People would not even attempt to approach her. When boys took the initiative to pursue Lady Zhao, many of them could not help but ask, My Lady, why is a goddess like you, perfect in all aspects, single? Zhao Youyue often sent these boys back with a few words. She would downplay herself by claiming that she was just too shallow. She just wanted to study hard and get a doctorate. Then, she would jokingly ask the boys whether a special girl like her C who wanted to be a female Doctor C too boring. Of course, these boys would say no. They would wish for Lady Zhao to continue her elite scholar journey. They would walk away from the conversation, feeling all the more inferior. This girl was beyond them. They were not worthy of her. They definitely would not be able to get a girl like her, so they would take the initiative and retreat. Of course, others would think that this was a blessing in disguise. Those boys have voluntarily retreated, this was their chance now, right? The joys of fantasy. Zhao Youyue herself could hardly imagine ever falling in love with a boy. She might have many male friends, but when it came to having a boyfriend or a husband even, forget it. Girls, ordinary girls, or rather, most of the girls in the world, including precious daughters like her would have no choice but to marry someone once they reach a certain age. However, she had the Two Dimensional Gate, and this changed the game. She could override the norms. After Zhao Youyue learned that her persistent stalker was Cao Chuanguang, she tried to scare him away. However, even after her real identity was exposed, Cao Chuanguang did not back off. She resorted to unceremoniously blocking him. Goodbye, sweet, good night and good morning text messages. Undeniably, these persistent suitors were very annoying. Even so, after Zhao Youyue revealed her true identity, Cao Chuanguang was no longer as aggressive as before. Cao Chuanguang had even made a name for himself C the wildest pursuer of Lady Zhao from the Journalism Department of Jiangnan University. He did not seem to run out of ideas, like arranging candles in a heart shape and lighting them up at night. That video certainly became rather viral on the internet. Of course, luxurious cars and fresh bouquets were no exception Coupled with the fact that Cao Chuanguang was actually pretty good-looking; some girls on the internet who did not know the whole story would feel their own hearts fluttering. This talented guy was just too sweet and affectionate. It was so touching! Boohoo, QAQ[1], Lady Ah Yu, just say yes to him. Date him already, Will you? ____________________________________________________________________ Translation note : [1] QAQ is an Eastern emoticon, similar to that of :''(, meaning crying or sad. Chapter 593 Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation Every human could be distinguished individually by the way they process thoughts and react. However, when human merged together and formed a crowd, they were no smarter than a herd of sheep. Especially it is a crowd of females-only. Girls with pretty faces had to be good at something, right. Even if they were not smart, everything they did was adorable. In either case, the less intelligent the girl, the easier it would be to deceive them. It was easy having them walk into the traps of their own idolatry. Predators did not even need to lift a finger. They tended to act impulsively, instantly swapping the last few bits of intelligence left in their brains with stupidity. There were plenty of beautiful girls in this world, but very few of them have been born with a soul passionate about something. Perhaps these girls only existed in the world of a novella. Talented authors such as Han Leng were victims of this cruel world, cursed to be alone for the rest of their lives. Their thoughts were too sophisticated to be comprehended by ordinary girls. It was meaningless to date a girl and always be at an impasse, their words never reaching the other. He would rather discuss the philosophy of loneliness with Du Hang than date these girls. Han Leng was aware of how some pretty faces supported Cao Chuanguangs pursuit of courting Zhao Youyue. When they saw Cao Chuanguangs old-fashioned confession with love-shaped candles arrangement, they vigorously shouted Together! Together! Who was Cao Chuanguang confessing to? Them? Disgusting! Since the day Han Leng set foot in the university, he looked forward to finding someone who shared common topics with him. Disappointed by the girls he met, he was certain that no other girls, besides, Lady Zhao was worth his time. He should have known earlier. Du Hang had once told him that people did not need a valid reason to hate someone. Just the thought of them would elicit an inexplicable sense of anger and disgust. There was no doubt about it. Han Leng finally realized what he hated most was women. Perhaps he was looking for someone to blame for his frustrations. Yes, he had no doubt that Lady Zhao would hold her own without trouble. That did not mean that he had to accept their primate-like aggression. What else could he do? All he did was remain silent and watch Cao Chuanguang continue making a fool of himself. Somehow, he was impressed at how many girls bit into Cao Chuanguangs bait. It was no surprise that Lady Zhao would remain unaffected, but look at those little fishes go! Could you possibly blame these pretty faces? That was how the world worked. His ideal world could only exist in his story. Cao Chuanguangs confession videos spread across the internet. Zhao Youyue regarded it as a passing bug. Together with Su Li in a full-body treatment, Lady Zhao was in a high-end beauty center, chatting about comics and games. Zhao Youyue intended to start a cuisine comic with Su Li as soon as possible. First, she would bring Su Li to eat various, exquisite cuisine in the city. Then she would share her past experiences with the iconic food that she once tried. This should be sufficient inspiration for Su Li! Su Li had learned a lot from her work with Himegoto. capable of producing a remarkable comic on her own. She had done the right thing by mixing with the right people. Fortunately, Cao Chuanguang had not attempted to tape a recording of him confessing to Zhao Youyue in person. She might have ruined her flawless image by dumping a bucket of water on his head. How could a man be so shameless? Why was he still breathing? He was a stubborn, disgusting fly that would buzz around incessantly until you swung a sledgehammer at it. Worst of all, he had an ego that the world could barely contain. If rejection was enough to dissuade him, how else could he get his sincerity across the room? People only give up if they were insincere! Well, this was not always true or false. A confession that does not end up in rejection only occurred if two people fell in love at first sight. If one side had to work alone, he or she was merely demanding the other to obey his or her wishes. The other party was only enjoying the attention of being desired. No one hand can form a clap on its own. Therefore, it was wise to give up at the moment of rejection. Those who rejected people because of too shy to say yes should be matched with those who would not give up easily. They were made for each other! Despite their true feelings, their characters were somehow compatible with each other. Nothing was right or wrong. People were forced to do things they did not like just to get out of single life. Waiting for the one true love in our lives was hopeless. Instead of waiting, we should just strive for our dreams and live our lives the way we want to. Han Leng admired Du Hangs stubbornness, even if he doubted Du Hangs definition of true love. Nevertheless, they shared the same ideals when it came to potential spouses. Han Leng was just as stubborn. He had absolute faith that Lady Zhao would never give up on her dreams for some paltry, puppy love. Lady Zhao was not a slave to her own flesh! Unfortunately, he could not help Lady Zhao chase off this Cao Chuanguang. Lady Zhao finally came across the video of Cao Chuanguangs confession. It only put a cold smirk on Lady Zhaos face. Futile, how futile. Cao Chuanguang had tried to leave an impression of being the loyal, dedicated one in the heart of the students. It served as a great pitch for the next election. Zhao Youyue had held back. She had no intentions of resorting to underhanded tactics when it came to gaining support for the next election. Apparently, someone had forced her hand. Lady Zhao may be pretty as an angel, but she sure was not one. Cao Chuanguang was a narcissist who cared about nothing but his fame and glory. When Zhao Youyue gets elected as the new President, he would be given the boot off the stage. He was fighting to remain in the limelight. To him, this was war, and wars are ugly. Chapter 594 Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation In this world, most men could not resist the allure of a beautiful lady. Of course, these ladies would never offer themselves voluntarily, such as sending a friend request to their prey. The smart ones would sense something amiss and flee. But if they allowed the prey to roam into an otherwise hidden enclosure, the prey would never be aware of his peril until it was too late. Every step he took was one step closer to his grave Playboys plagued this world. They knew the magic words needed to put a smile on a ladys face. They would pounce on the opportunity to say yes to each other demands. Of course, PlayGirls existed too. These ladies may not have been born with pretty faces, but they could instantly transform into goddesses with some makeup and a key ingredient: sultry, seductive hip-swaying. Some ladies were gifted with a mysterious charm; people could not stop themselves from talking to them. If they had the looks, men would start thinking with their nether regions, rather than their heads. If these pretty faces asked for the love of one night, how many men would say no to them? Single guys would assume that the lady was dead serious. Men with partners would be divided into two groups. The good ones would refuse the invitation. The other group would fulfill her needs without hesitation, hoping for another chance in the future. It would be great if they could be regular friends with benefits. Such was the nature of living creatures. Whether it was a man or a woman, they were vulnerable to temptations. Lady Zhao was rich enough to buy more than a single type of character. This time, she easily hired the perfect slut. This lady was experienced in relationships, and lots of men were willing to die for her. She was an expert at snagging prey through online exchanges. Unlike the angelic Lady Zhao, she had been born with an ordinary face. However, her makeup skills were otherworldly, a dab here, a trace there, she would look like a true Goddess. Most of all, she attended an ordinary university in Jiangnan. She was experienced in relationships and smarter than ordinary girls, but she was humble enough to appreciate every man for what they did best. Of course, Zhao Youyue was not going to contact her directly. If things got out of her, her involvement in this would get revealed. Nevertheless, her Little Beauty plan worked marvelously. With unlimited funds, catfishing would be bold, direct and effective. Like mice with cheese on a mousetrap, men would easily be seduced, unless they were weirdos like Han Leng and Du Hang. Catfishing was a slow, deliberate process. You will not see the results after a day or two. The prey must never be alerted to the danger. Cao Chuanguang had thoroughly underestimated the influence of the Zhao family. If they wanted it, they could take much more than his fame and glory C taking his life wasnt out of the question. Even so, this was like a side-hobby for Zhao Youyue. She moved back to the Two Dimensional Gate, hoping that it would provide her with a much more practical world this time. She had not spent much time in Perfect Acting, so the cooldown duration was short. It was not exactly a sleeping victory, but she had cleverly used Zhang Guorongs real-life fame to great effect, creating an iconic character with relative ease. Zhao Youyue was still basking in the afterglow of her last success. That victory had just been ridiculous. It was just another ordinary night when Zhao Youyue pushed open the Two Dimensional Gate again. She was having a bad feeling about this. After forging an iconic card, the Two Dimensional Gate would rob her of all her luck, forcing her to play along in a plain, dull world Her eyes flew wide open when she saw the title, Fast Track: No Limits. It was a famous comic that had yet to end! The comic already had a moving picture adaptation of its own. Its GIF and memes have had limited success on the internet. Some of its lines were even trending at that moment. Yesterday I lost to a Wuling Hong Guang on xx mountain.[1] He drifted around corners like a goddamn janitor. His car had been blazingly fast; all I could see was his xxx advertisement on the car. If you know who he is, please tell him this Saturday, 5pm, I will be waiting for him at xx mountain. Thats right, Fast Track: No Limits should be a version of the famous racing manga, Initial D that we all know in another dimension.[2] Mountain road-racing was ridiculously exciting. Youll never see such action in reality. Real-life automotive racing often took place on well-built, even terrain with specially-built racing cars. Formula One racing was great, but drifting was utterly unnecessary on track.[3] In the manga, customized but otherwise consumer-level vehicles would speed down the hill, defying the laws of physics. It was oddly satisfying. Zhao Youyues cousin had started to race after reading Fast Track: No Limits. He did not know how to modify a car, nor did he know how to drift on the road. Still, he dreamt of being an underground car racer. It was cool. Because he wanted to be cool, he had almost immediately totaled his supercar that was worth billions. Age had mellowed him down, albeit just a little. Every once in a while, he would bet heavily on his favorite underground racer. It was for his old hobbys sake, but he would not dare get in a car himself and race down the dangerous cliffs anymore. Zhao Youyue read the summary of this latest story. Enough of it was spoken about on the internet. It had been adapted into other mediums. Once again, she had struck the jackpot! She was the queen of luck! Zhao Youyue totally forgot about Cao Chuanguangs disgusting efforts. Her mind was already racing on methods that allowed her to forge an iconic female racer from Initial D Once she learns how to race and drift like a maniac, she could participate in real-life underground racing! Translation Note: [1] Wuling Hong Guang is a compact Multi-Purpose Vehicle (MPV) produced since September 2010 by SAIC-GM-Wuling, the joint venture of Shanghai Automotive Industry Corporation, Liuzhou Wuling Motors Co and GM China. Between 2013 and 2017 it was marketed as Chevrolet Enjoy in India by GM India and in Indonesia by SAIC-GM-Wuling Motor Indonesia since 2017 as Wuling Confero S, where it was launched to the public on 2 August 2017. [2]Initial D (Japanese: ^D˥?ǥ` Hepburn: Inisharu D) is a Japanese sports manga series written and illustrated by Shuichi Shigeno. It was serialized in Young Magazine from 1995 to 2013, with the chapters collected into 48 tankbon volumes by Kodansha. The story focuses on the world of illegal Japanese street racing, where all the action is concentrated in the mountain passes and rarely in cities or urban areas, and with the drift racing style emphasized in particular. Professional race car driver and pioneer of drifting Keiichi Tsuchiya helped with editorial supervision. The story is centred on the prefecture of Gunma, more specifically on several mountains in the Kant region and in their surrounding cities and towns. Although some of the names of the locations the characters race in have been fictionalized, all of the locations in the series are based on actual locations in Japan. [3] Formula One (also Formula 1 or F1) is the highest class of single-seater auto racing sanctioned by the Fdration Internationale de lAutomobile (FIA) and owned by the Formula One Group. The FIA Formula One World Championship has been one of the premier forms of racing around the world since its inaugural season in 1950. The formula in the name refers to the set of rules to which all participants cars must conform. A Formula One season consists of a series of races, known as Grands Prix (French for grand prizes or great prizes), which are held worldwide on purpose-built circuits and public roads. Chapter 595 Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation It was great to be sent into a popular franchise like Fast Track: No Limits, but it was not without any challenge: most of the characters were male. Most did not exactly mean that there were ready-made female racers for her to possess. Most of the female characters were display vases. Even if they were boss characters with their own arcs, they would be promptly defeated and cast aside by the story. Even so, female racers stopped appearing after the early chapters. The last update did not even feature any sliver of them. The girlfriend of the protagonist was a failure. She basically leeched off a sugar daddy. Perhaps the author had some bad experience in his relationships She barely even mattered in the story. Nobody could even recall her name, except for the fact that she was involved in sex trade. The author was apparently a guy who had minimal interest in the opposite sex. Ever since his first attempt to draw a romance manga was poorly received, he almost stopped bringing in female characters altogether. Most of his stories were focused on modifying race cars and car racing. Undeniably, he was a terrific story writer. Before every race, he kept the readers in great suspense, eager to see the outcome. Every main character had a unique skill of their own. They kept this special ammunition chambered, revealing them only when pushed to the limits. This was how you also identified the grunts of the race. They would not have any unique skills of their own. This manga sold well, not only because of its wise choice of having mountain racing as its premise. The artwork was detailed, realistic and adrenaline-inducing. Along with the authors considerable knowledge of car racing and car modification, readers would remain grounded in reality as they sailed through the pages. A significant downside to the story was the lack of key characters. Other than protagonist with his father, there were only a few other key roles, such as antagonists who were better drivers than the protagonist, and the protagonists best friends. Other characters only popped up to be quickly defeated, before they vanished from the scenes. It was a rather popular manga that repeated the same turn of events over and over again. Even so, the author managed to keep his readers interested with the beautiful artwork and detail. He could repeat the same plot two days in a row, and readers would not notice. There was also the fact that the protagonist would insist on using an older car that anyone could own. With that old, trusty car, he would make quick work of rich, famous racers in their heavily modified supercars. Relating ordinary folk to the protagonist was a classic but perpetually relevant strategy, no? Nobody thought that Wuling Hong Guang from Mount Haruna would stand a chance in any of its races. As it racked up more and more victories, both opponents and audiences would be left speechless This was the dream of most readers! Zhao Youyue did not even bother looking at the available female characters. She was sure that no matter what she did with these characters, the author would find them ridiculous and remove them after a few chapters. Either way, the author was incapable of drawing beautiful female characters. He was only good at drawing cars. True racers did not need women in their lives. They were destined to be alone forever. This had been mentioned by its author Chen Daxiu in an interview. He had even bragged about his deliberate use of the protagonists girlfriend cheating tendencies. Chen Daxiu had admitted that he was not good at drawing female characters. Also, whats wrong with having a girlfriend who got herself involved in the sex trade? If her behavior had not upset the protagonist like so, he would not have made up his mind to be a professional racer, would he? Chen Daxiu was an experienced truck driver. He dreamed of being a film director. After a series of unexpected events, he became a manga artist. His passion for car racing was channeled into his manga and quickly became famous. Even the related merchandise sold like hot-cakes. He cooked up good relationships with several car manufacturers. Most of them wished to see the protagonist driving their brand. It was an effective form of advertisement! Protagonist Zhang Tuohai drove the Wuling Hong Guang. He used it with such flair that the Wuling Hong Guang became a crowd favorite. Some of the mangas fans had even modified their cars to look just like Zhang Tuohais car. They even took it for practice, hoping to unlock its hidden potential as the manga had demonstrated Apparently, Chen Daxiu had made a wise decision in choosing Wuling Hong Guang. If he was in a supercar, his opponents would not underestimate him. The protagonist could not force them to eat their words at the conclusion of the race. Urban novels loved using such a twist. Have the wealthy protagonist purposely disguised as a homeless man and bait some idiots into insulting and challenging him, and then have them eat their words soon after. Zhao Youyue withdrew from Two DImensional Gate, spent a few days running through the manga chapters and anime. This had not been a jackpot! Yes, it was famous, but there were no female characters for her to use. Disappointed by her research, Zhao Youyue felt stupid for feeling that skip of her heart when she saw those words, Fast Track: No Limits. The Two Dimensional Gate had fooled her once again Suddenly, she missed her time in The 4WD God. It had been so easy to make a highly-popular character card out of her. At least the female characters played actual roles in the story. Currently, the only female character available was that prostitute of a girlfriend. She was far from a fan-favorite. Readers barely even remember her name. Zhao Youyue soon learned that the anime adaptation of Fast Track: No Limits had far more delicate artwork. All characters had been improvised and beautified. In the original manga, the author simply drew a few lines to differentiate the characters. He was focused on drawing cars more than anything else. As a result, his characters in the manga were no better than the original version of One-Punch Man. [2] Most readers of the One-Punch Man manga only knew of the redrawn, remade version. They were not aware that it had started as the sketches of a drawing practice. Its original version was plain and simple. Characters in Fast Track: No Limits had been drawn leisurely. Whenever the story turned into a car race, the visual quality would change from fifty cents to Hollywood standard. Most readers happily accepted this norm, due to the already intense pace of things. In fact, readers were concerned about nothing but car racing. They wanted to know what sort of new tricks this experienced truck driver had in mind. It was like the protagonist of Case Closed. [3] Conan solved his cases with the different methods, according to how the victims died.[4] Such manga always recycled the same plot-progression. It is likely that when you graduate from university, the protagonist would still remain as a primary school student. Zhao Youyue was at a loss. Her only option was to get in touch with the author, Chen Daxiu. There had to be a way for her to insert a female character, somewhere along the lines. What could Zhao Youyue do with all these men Worst of all, Chen Daxiu was horrible at drawing female characters. Personality-wise, she could make a gem of a female character, but those glittering, beautiful race cars had a firm grip on the spotlight! This was a world where readers only took notice of female characters with beautiful faces. Otherwise, her efforts would be completely futile Mangas were nothing like novels. Words had more power over the human imagination than one would think. Words like soft, delicate skin, flushed red in heat, or long slim legs, easily brought Goddesses into mind. Mangas were limited to the artists personal skill. You could not just draw any girl and call her the most beautiful girl on earth. How could she be beautiful if her face was all crumpled up like a pie? Zhao Youyue took a longing look at the beautifully illustrated cars in high-definition. Could she possibly possess one of the cars? She could play as a female Transformer, changing the story from car racing to giant robot battles[5][6] There was nothing much Zhao Youyue could do. She had to put aside Fast Track: No Limits for the moment, and wait for Su Li to reach out to Chen Daxiu. Zhao Youyue compared Chen Daxius manga to Su Lis comics. Su Lis work was flawless! One look at the female characters face, and people would practically scream her name out There was a point when Zhao Youyue had been certain that Su Lis illustrations had been at best, average, in terms of manga standards. Now that she had taken a closer look at things, she realized that several famous manga titles did not share such quality. They were only popular because of their intense, mind-blowing storylines. Several successful mangakas were better story writers than illustrators. Things were the same with novel authors. You cannot possess a good vocabulary, only to sugarcoat a lackluster story. People would rather have good stories than high-sounding words. Everybody craved for an exciting and fun story. They could put up with ordinary drawing skill, if that was the only drawback. Zhao Youyue could no longer consider herself the Queen of Luck. She had to move her attention back to reality and play the role of Chu Luoxun. Han Leng had recommended Zhao Youyue to a female film director, Xue Lu. She was in charge of the new film, Beautiful April Zhao Youyue did not have any connections in the film industry. Xue Lu already had someone in mind, so she naturally disregarded the recommendation. Even so, Xue Lu had to grant Han Leng due honor as the original author of the script. She would at least give Zhao Youyue a shot in an audition. That way, no one could refute her decision on the casting. Translation note: [1] Mount Haruna started to form more than 300,000 years ago, and the last known eruption was c. 550. The volcano has a summit caldera containing the symmetrical pyroclastic cone of Mount Haruna-Fuji, along with a crater lake, Lake Haruna, along with the western side. To the west of the lake is Mount Kamonga, the tallest of Mount Harunas numerous peaks at 1,449 m high. [2] One-Punch Man (Japanese: ѥޥ Hepburn: Wanpanman) is an ongoing Japanese superhero webcomic created by ONE[5] which began publication in early 2009. The series quickly went viral, surpassing 7.9 million hits in June 2012. The Japanese shortened name Wanpanman is a play on the long-running childrens character Anpanman, wanpan being a contraction of wanpanchi (one punch). One-Punch Man tells the story of Saitama, an extremely overpowered superhero who has grown bored by the absence of challenge in his fight against evil and seeks to find a worthy opponent. [3]The Case Closed anime series, known as Meitantei Conan (̽ɥʥ, lit. Great Detective Conan, officially translated as Detective Conan) in its original release in Japan, is based on the manga series of the same name by Gosho Aoyama. It was localized in English as Case Closed by Funimation due to unspecified legal problems.[1] The anime is produced by TMS Entertainment and Yomiuri Telecasting Corporation with the chief directors being Kenji Kodama and Yasuichiro Yamamoto.[2] The series follows the teenage detective Jimmy Kudo, who transforms into a child after being poisoned with APTX 4869 by the Black Organization. Now named Conan Edogawa and living with the Moores, Conan solves murders during his daily life as he awaits the day to defeat the Black Organization. [4]Jimmy Kudo, known in Japan and internationally as Shinichi Kudo (Japanese: һ Hepburn: Kud Shinichi)[note 1], is a fictional character and the main protagonist of the manga series Case Closed, created by Gosho Aoyama. A high school detective, he is forced to ingest the lethal poison APTX 4869 after his encounter with Gin and Vodka. Due to a rare side effect, the poison shrinks him into a child and he adopts the pseudonym Conan Edogawa (ʥ Edogawa Konan) to hide from those who poisoned him. He lives with his childhood friend Rachel Moore and her father Richard Moore as he awaits the day he can take down the Black Organization and regain his original size. [5] Eva-01 was deployed by Misato Katsuragi in response to the battle between Optimus Primes Autobots and Angel-scream. Mode Eva chapter 2 When Prime met the Eva, he recognized it as a living being rather than a robot, sensing it to be emitting a primeval call. He proceeded to scan it, adopting its great size and colour scheme in the continued fight against Angel-scream. Mode Eva chapter 3 During their battle, Optimus Prime used his body to shield the seemingly prone Eva-01 from Starscreams energy blasts. Mode Eva chapter 4 [6] Transformers (Japanese: ȥ󥹥ե`ީ` Hepburn: Toransufm) is a media franchise produced by American toy company Hasbro and Japanese toy company Takara Tomy. Initially, a line of transforming mecha toys rebranded from Takaras Diaclone and Microman toylines,[1] the franchise began in 1984 with the Transformers toy line and centers on factions of self-configuring modular extraterrestrial robotic lifeforms (often the Autobots and the Decepticons) in an endless civil war for dominance or eventual peace. In its history, the Transformers robot superhero franchise has expanded to encompass comic books, animation, video games, and films. Chapter 596 Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation Xue Lu was an uprising female film director, famous among television programs, and much of her early career as a youth idol well-received. She specialized in feminine emotions and reactions. Actresses would be put through a specialized training programme that was of her design. Being her debut in the film industry, Xue Lu was certain and confident that Beautiful April would be an impressive film. Otherwise, she would have rejected it in the first place. Of course, she had to choose her team of actors and actresses wisely. If they did not possess flawless acting skills, they had to at least be famous enough to advertise the film by acting in it. It was true that online streamers had some fame to their names, but did they really have any power over Box Office profits? If Xue Lu wanted a vase to be her female protagonist, she could pick someone from one of those famous idol groups or some popular young lady. She had already set the lead actors role in stone. It had to be the talented young actor, Liu Xingxing. Growing up as a child actor and graduating from a film academy, he had acted in numerous popular webseries. Audience and film directors alike had praised him as a prodigy! However, he never had the chance to be a film protagonist. This was a first for him, so he would give his best as protagonist Gu Yuan, a person with a complicated past and refusal to conform to societys norms. Liu Xingxing was energetic. No audience had never been entertained by his comedy play. However, he wanted to be more than that. He had nailed it as an indecisive young scholar in Shall I Compare You to a Springs Day. In Beautiful April, he did not have to be hated by the audience anymore. The Male protagonist had liked the female protagonist right from the start. His feelings towards Goddess Chu would be far more complicated. Perhaps they were the only two in the world who shared the same thoughts in music? A few self-proclaimed art philosophers had taken the relationship between Chu Luoxun and Lin Meiyue into in-depth analysis. Everyone was aware of how Chu Luoxun had saved Gu Yuan from hellish conditions during critical ventures. Her love for Gu Yuan was unquestionable. Even so, Chu Luoxun had been absolutely helpful to Lin Meiyue. She had tried her best to fulfill Lin Meiyues wishes and had even entrusted all of her masterpieces to the other woman. Was this true love? If Chu Luoxun and Lin Meiyues true friendship pours out from the novel into the movie, it would be a guaranteed hit. These art philosophers sounded more like the promoters of Yuri. [2] Yuri was not exactly synonymous to same-sex relationships. It was way more than sex. Chu Luoxun had pampered Lin Meiyue in so many ways, how could Lin Meiyue not feel the same towards Chu Luoxun? Lin Meiyue probably loved Gu Yuan more than Chu Luoxun. This had slowly built up her hatred and jealousy towards Chu Luoxun. Finally, she did the despicable, becoming the most possibly hated character at the end of the story. But how could she be blamed? Han Leng had loved Chu Luoxun more than her. He had deliberately ruined his flawless love story project only to make readers love Chu Luoxun. In the process, he had unintentionally turned Lin Meiyue into something very much human Some readers sided with Lin Meiyue because her behavior had been absolutely logical. Chu Luoxun was a perfect, flawless unicorn that only existed in fantasy. This entire movie weighed on the actors of these three characters. All of them required sophisticated expressions to bring these characters to life. Xue Lu had also made up her mind for the female lead. Nie Zisu was a popular member of a large group named abc48.[3] Instead of being called abc48, the group was also known as Nie Zisu and her dancers, due to her outstanding performance. People did not even know the names of the other group members. Nie Zisu had not intentionally brought such fame to herself. It was her horrible behavior that brought her to the headlines. Since then, her haters have been urging her to quit the entertainment sector. Her in-flight antics have been caught on tape and was still a hot topic for conversation. She had been in the first class cabin, playing with her phone, and had refused to stop as the aeroplane was about the take-off. The Air stewardess had asked her politely to switch off her phone, only to get verbally butchered by the idol, claiming that terrorists would have used phone instead of explosives if a phone was so dangerous. That was not all. She took out three mobile phones and walked to the economic class cabin, declaring that she has officially hijacked the plane with her phones. If anyone opposed her, she would turn off the aeroplane mode on all three phones! There was an awkward silence as those words hung in the air. Some passengers almost immediately recognized her as Nie Zisu. Shes always making a joke out of herself! The internet went wild! Nie Zisu started wrestling with passenger during a flight, all because she refused to shut her phone off. After that, came the birth of a new hashtag, #RampageofNieZisu. Some accounts had reports of her slamming her phones into the faces of others while threatening to bomb the plane! Threads were formed She did it again! What a hilarious girl! I hereby am officially switching from a fan to a hater. Pretty face, bad attitude. What a shame! She is to be Goddess Chus actress? Please do not let her ruin the image of a goddess. I might just tolerate having her as a side-character! She should be banned from any form of entertainment, period! These allegations are false! My friend claims that it was caused by a fat nerd who had asked for her signature on the flight. She had refused and slapped him across the face. Only then did she go on a rampage and threaten to bomb the plane! Wow, now Im jealous. Can goddess Su slap me too, please? Wild Goddess Su fans have appeared in comments! To be honest, Nie Zisu is a good actress. Everything she does is a hot topic. I think that she will be a superstar in the future! Translation Note: [1] Shall I Compare You to a Spring Day(Chinese: ʮ,) is a 2017 Chinese television series based on the novel Beijing, Beijing by Feng Tang. Starring Zhang Yishan and Zhou Dongyu, the series is a coming-of-age story about young love and brotherhood among a group of youths, who lived during the revolutionary times of Beijing. It premiered on Youku on 21 July 2017 and airs one episode from Monday to Friday. [2] Yuri (ٺ, lily), also known by the wasei-eigo construction Girls Love (`륺 gruzu rabu), is a Japanese jargon term for content and a genre involving lesbian relationships in a manga, anime, and related Japanese media. Yuri focuses on the sexual orientation or the romantic orientation aspects of the relationship, or both, the latter of which is sometimes called shjo-ai by Western fandom [3] ABC48 is similar to AKB48, (pronounced A.K.B. Forty-Eight). It is a Japanese idol girl group named after the Akihabara (Akiba for short) area in Tokyo, where the groups theatre is located. The group includes over 130 members as of December 2015, aged from their early teens to their mid-20s. AKB48s producer, Yasushi Akimoto, wanted to form a girl group with its own theatre (unlike pop groups performing occasional concerts and seen on television) and performing daily so fans could always see them live. This idols you can meet concept includes teams which can rotate performances and perform simultaneously at several events and handshake events, where fans can meet group members. Akimoto has expanded the AKB48 concept to several sister groups in China, Japan, Indonesia, Thailand, Taiwan and the Philippines with upcoming groups announced for India and Vietnam. Chapter 597 Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation Nie Suzi was an ambitious, popular idol. Plus, no matter how much the media lambasted her, film directors had never once doubted her attitude as a professional actress. Never once has she failed to fulfill a film directors request in a movie. Most people did not know this. They thought that she was just another idol with a pretty face. After all, she was a longtime member of an idol group. The media soon focused on this youth idol drama, since this was a partnership between Xue Lu and Nie Sizu. Xue Lu was confident that Nie Sizu performance alone would guarantee the movie a spot in the blockbuster list. Nie Sizu was the most famous member of the idol group ABC48. While her haters were numerous, her fans far outnumbered that number. Best of all, she actually had more fangirls than fanboys! Lastly, her fans had no qualms about spending money on every merchandise related to her! On her last birthday, her fans had rented the entire rooftop of a skyscraper for a night, setting up lights that said Happy Birthday. Of course, she hit the headlines again. These fans are crazy! Filmmakers were wise enough to know that having Nie Zisu in their productions would be a plus. Her attraction and crowd influence was undeniably strong! Xue Lu also believed that Nie Zisu could play as a decent Lin Meiyue. Nie Zisus face was nothing outstanding. She had a round and adorable face that was pleasant to look at, and that was about it. After all, she never did any surgery on her face. It was rare for the entertainment world to have an all-natural inhabitant. Some actors had distinctive features, yet they would rather have surgery just to look pretty. Of course, these procedures failed for more than one, forcing them to step off the stage. Of course, some people thought that having cosmetic surgery was a gesture of respect. They were meant to entertain the audience, removing the ugly part would be a sign of respect for the customers. How ridiculous! Nie Zisu had once been asked the question of why she had forgone cosmetic surgery. Being a straightforward person, she had claimed that she needed none of it, as she was the fairest of them all. Yes, that blew the headlines up again. People once again criticized her boldness and arrogance. Reporters loved to interview Nie Zisu. Her answers were always mind-blowing, it gave them so much writing material. Arrogance became a close partner of Nie Zisu. Just like Liu Xingxing, Nie Zisu had never acted as a protagonist before. Of course, the both of them accepted Xue Lus invitation without any hesitation. Xue Lu only had one more slot to fill. She needed someone who was experienced in big screens and movies. Age did not matters. With the latest makeup technology, anyone could look young. This actor had to lead Liu Xingxing and Nie Zisu in the world of acting. That would be a perfect crew. Never once did Xue Lu consider Zhao Youyue. Han Leng did not have any influence nor experience in filmmaking. How could a new face like Zhao Youyue debut as a protagonist? Evidently, Xue Lu never once investigated Lady Zhaos background. She would have learned that the Zhao Familys power seemed to know no bounds. Their influence would make her film more prolific than she could imagine. Zhao family was never one to obey natural law and order! It was like having Jack Ma as a father in another world. That man had hired a lot of famous martial art actors to play in his movie. [1] They even had to be beaten by him in fights. How logical was that? Zhao Youyue never intended to use her familys influence. She planned to play by the rules and attend the audition. The audition was managed by a disgusting, wretched director who was in charge of side character casting. Usually, such figures took bribes to take people in. Some actress would be willing to sleep with them, just to get a good spot. Fresh Graduates would stop at nothing to earn themselves a ticket into the film industry. The directors name was Ding Wei. Xue Lu had instructed him to carry out a casual audition for Zhao Youyue. She would not be chosen anyway. Besides, Xue Lu was busy dealing with big shots to play in her movie, she had no time to entertain Zhao Youyue. Ding Weis eyes flew wide open when he first saw Zhao Youyue. She had the elegance and character of a protagonist. Unfortunately Zhao Youyues efforts all went to waste. She had even used her character card, Zhang Guorong. All she got in return was a perverted look from the director. There was no need to dream of becoming a protagonist. A fresh actress becoming a protagonist? Well, he could always give her a significant side characters role. Interested in discussing the details over dinner or karaoke session? Ding Wei was familiar with the hidden rules. He had mistaken Zhao Youyue as some ordinary girl who was dreaming of being a superstar. That was the least of her concerns. She was merely trying to stop others from ruining the image of her wife. Han Leng was this close to punching Ding Wei in the face, if Zhao Youyue had not stopped him. Nobody insults Lady Zhao and gets away with it! Zhao Youyue had somehow seen this coming. Authors did not have much power of the proceedings of film adaptations, even if it was based on their work. Han Leng still had a long way to go Zhao Youyue called up Zhao Hao and Ding Yuncong and shared her story of being bullied by a director. She had been wronged by the hidden rules in the entertainment sector. Of course, Lady Zhao wanted to pay back the insult she had. How could she let it go without an apology? Zhao Hao could not allow her cousin, a member of the Zhao Family to be bullied. They must pay for what they did! Translation Note: [1] Ma Yun (Chinese: , [m y?n] born 10 September 1964), known professionally as Jack Ma, is a Chinese business magnate, investor, and philanthropist. He is the co-founder and executive chairman of Alibaba Group, a multinational technology conglomerate. As of March 2018, he is one of Chinas richest men with a net worth of US$42.7 billion, as well as one of the wealthiest people in the world. Chapter 598 Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation If Zhao Hao could ride out in armor, he would have done so. Ding Yuncong had nothing better to do, so he tagged along. This pair of scoundrels were very close with people within the entertainment circle. Now that their little Youyue had actually encountered a backdoor deal [1], how could they let it be? They had taken Zhao Youyue under their wing and even frequently met up with her. They considered themselves to be core components of the Zhao Family. They lived by the saying, an iron-clad relationship with their sister, while girlfriends come and go Thats right. Zhao Hao and Ding Yuncong went through their girlfriends as rapidly as playboys went, the more, the better. Those web celebrity girlfriends were like a change of clothes. When you get tired of them, change them. The world was vast. There was no danger of running out of girls. Perhaps, some girls dreamed of becoming rich and powerful, while others were after fame and their own personal gains. After all, if they dated these boys, even momentarily, they would gain some recognition. Even if they broke up, they would be handsomely compensated. They might even walk away from this with a million-dollar mansion! In this era where money was everything, a rich boyfriend would be like a shortcut to success for an average girl. Only silly girls believed in true love and had sex with losers who stayed overnight in cheap motels. Therefore, it would even be better to learn from those business-oriented chicks who would auction off their virginity. They might even fetch up prices of up to tens of thousands! The crowd would treat that something like a rare, diamond-studded ring and bid up the price It was their personal choice, there was no right or wrong to it. The pure would walk away with their morals intact, even earning the blessing of true love. On the other hand, some people could obtain the pleasure of material comfort. Everyone would be happy in the end. As Zhao Hao and Ding Yuncong were on the way to meet Zhao Youyue, Zhao Hao suddenly turned to Ding Yuncong, saying, Brother Ding, why do I feel as if we have been played by Sister Youyue. How could she encounter a backdoor deal when she is so clever and quick-witted? She must have something up her sleeves! When Ding Yuncong thought of Zhao Youyues sweet smile, he had to admit that his sister was precisely the kind of girl who suited his taste. Unfortunately, he was no chick magnet. Furthermore, because of Zhao Hao, he genuinely looked upon Zhao Youyue as a sister C hitting on her would be like incest. As Ding Yuncong could have any women he wanted at any time, he was content with how things were with Zhao Youyue. He was confident that the Lady felt the same. There was a particular type of girl in this world. You dont need to have sex with her to know her better. You just had to talk to her whenever you have something on your mind, and you would be healed. Zhao Youyue was such a girl. You could not help but be close to her. You would want nothing more than to be friends with her. Why would she play us out. Lady Zhao is giving us an opportunity to flex! Shes given us the perfect opportunity to be pretentious. We should be thankful towards Lady Zhao! Ding Yuncong snapped jokingly. Ding Yuncong loved calling Zhao Youyue as Lady Zhao as a joke, making him look like her chauffeur. Nobody could even imagine Ding Yuncong being in such a position. Ding Yuncong was known for his bad temper and arrogant personality. He had the character of a legendary autocratic CEO, but no one would expect him to prostrate himself in front of Zhao Youyue. Zhao Youyues personality accommodated his temperament like a glove. Anyways, he would always look at whether he was compatible with someone whenever he wanted to become friends with a person. As long as they were compatible, then they could be friends happily. Zhao Youyue had even grown acquainted with several celebrities in the entertainment circle through Ding Yuncong. These were not top-notch bigshot celebrities. However, there were some popular upstarts within the group. This group of people would rush to please Lady Zhao. They knew that pleasing her meant pleasing Ding Yuncong as well. This transaction would definitely be worth it! Zhao Hao and Ding Yuncong finally met up with Zhao Youyue. They got to know about the entire story from Zhao Youyue. Neither of them were upset, as they knew that Zhao Youyue was basically untouchable. Of course, they put on a show of anger and threw tantrums on her behalf. If not, how could they show Lady Zhao that they cared about her? Zhao Hao even wanted to call the delegated investor of the movie. He had originally invested in this movie and even owned a significant share in it. Would there be a problem if his sister were to be the leading actress in the movie? Even if the movie is a flop, my sisters happiness comes first! This was Zhao Haos attitude, much to Ding Yuncong agreement Of course, neither of them expected to see much when it came to Zhao Youyues acting skills. Zhao Hao had even shot a few accusatory glances at his friend. Ding Yuncong had too many celebrity friends, which must have influenced his sister to suddenly have this bright idea of starring in a movie. If only acting was so simple Forget it, children of the rich and powerful often mingled with the entertainment circle these days. Well, so what if the movie flops? At least Zhao Youyue would be happy! Out there, there was a certain HTC director who spent tons of resources to make so many lousy blockbuster films to hype Da Tiantian up [4]. Zhao Hao could do the same for his sister! Therefore, the casting director of the film crew, Ding Wei, got into hot lava. A nobody like him would be slaughtered like a lamb. Not long after, Zhao Youyue finally met the female director, Xue Lu. Xue Lu was not smiling. Xue Lu had never imagined Zhao Youyue to be so influential. She thought that Zhao Youyue had looked confident because she had the recommendation of the original author. She did not expect Zhao Youyue to not only have the backing of the original author, she even had investors backing her! There was no other choice. The investors ruled over the heavens. If the investor did not care about screwing up the movie because of some poorly selected casting, what could the director do? Xue Lu only hoped that Zhao Youyue had a modicum of passion in the role. She could not bring herself to like the woman, despite admitting that she had the style and aura. There was something about her that could bring the movie to life! And so, the casting for the actors of the movie Beautiful April have been concluded. Chu Luoxun would be played by Zhao Youyue, Lin Meiyue would be played by Nie Zisu, and Gu Yuan would be played by Liu Xingxing. Translation note: [1] Backdoor deal (DZ) is a term typically used in the entertainment circle. This meant there are unspoken/unwritten rules that celebrities and actresses will have to abide by in order to get a movie/television role. Rules could range from giving gifts up to offering themselves to have sex with the producer or director. [2] Fresh meat (С) means young, fresh, attractive and good-looking guys who are so delicate that (girls) want to take a bite. [3] HTC () is a Taiwanese consumer electronics company headquartered in Xindian District, New Taipei City, Taiwan. Founded in 1997. [4] Da Tiantian () is a nickname for Jing Tian (), a Chinese actress who is known for her roles in war epic The Warring States (2011) and the action films Special ID and Police Story 2013 (both in 2013). Chapter 599 Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation Zhao Youyue never wanted to force her way through like this. But what choice was given to her? As a relatively unknown name, she would have never gotten the leading role like that. All things considered, Xue Lu was still too much. She did not even give Zhao Youyue the opportunity to have a proper audition. Who knows, if she had taken it, the situation did not have to be this bad. This had happened when Zhao Youyue attempted to dub for Yu Shengfan. Nobody had believed in her. After all, she did not have any professional training, so how could she do a decent job? At least the Animation Director gave Zhao Youyue an opportunity to perform. In the process of doing so, he became conquered by her perfect voice over. He confidently handed her the role. She created a whole new level of a fanbase for the character. Some even said that if they did not hear her insults for a day, they might drop dead As filming began, Zhao Youyue could tell that the director was still furious. She could try reassuring her with words, but the director would never hear any of it. Therefore, she could only attempt to win the directors heart with her performance. Actions spoke louder than words. Whenever Director Xue Lu was interviewed by the media or carried out the usual promotional campaign, she never mentioned Zhao Youyues name even once. The focus was all on Liu Xingxing and Nie Zisu. She was certain that if fans learned that Chu Luoxuan would be played by some rookie actress who has never acted before C even fans of the original book might boycott this movie. In conclusion, Xue Lus expectations towards Zhao Youyue were almost non-existent. She was even thinking of methods to get rid of this person who relied solely on her connections. She had her share of making backdoor deals. However, accepting someone who had never even been to an acting school was just ridiculous. Someone like her should just be a side character or cameo. How could she become the main actress instantly? What nonsense is this! Unfortunately, no matter how unsatisfied Xue Lu was, she could only hold it in. At the same time, she was preparing her heart to go through the toughest filming shes ever been through As Nie Zisu was an easy target for criticism, her haters started a riot, after netizens who paid close attention to the movie knew that she was about to play the role of Lin Meiyue. They were baffled at how Nie Zisu, the idol who always caused trouble and was almost always surrounded by scandals had been allowed to play the role of Lin Meiyue. It was completely unacceptable for her to play the role of Lin Meiyue, a pure character, the epitome of first love! Nie Zisu was always in the headlines, everyones attention was fixated on her as she was always the subject of discussion. Naturally, Lady Zhao adopted a low profile to stay clear of the firestorm. She was a side character, once again. In contrast, she would be playing as Chu Luoxun, the most dazzling star mankind had ever known Zhao Youyue felt at ease knowing that Nie Zisu, a main tank [1] was there to draw all the hatred to herself. She would always use the Zhang Guorong character card whenever she was around the cast and crew. Therefore, she looked like a quiet bishojo who stood apart from the world. She was just devoting all of her energy to her performance, hoping to act out the essence of Chu Luoxun. She was not disturbed by the public opinion outside, so she felt relaxed and happy. Maybe this was the desires of the legendary actress Zhang Guorong. Fame meant nothing to her C she just wanted to perform. It was because of this that Zhao Youyue could not help but have a favorable impression on Nie Zisu who was always criticised by her anti-fans. Well, main tanks were always likable. On the first day of filming, Zhao Youyue had met up with the other two main characters. Liu Xingxing was playing the male character. He did not turn out as wild as the rumors said. Instead, he was very calm and collected. If anything, he treated Zhao Youyue rather coldly. He probably heard more than a few stories about her from his manager. This was why Liu Xingxing kept Missy Zhao Youyue at arms length. At the same time, he could not help it but feel pessimistic about the entire movie. He had wanted a perfect opening for his debut in the main role. This was impossible, now Even so, Liu Xingxing was still a respectable actor. He performed most passionately. He would rather be called an actor, rather than a celebrity. No matter what, he would give his best! Compared to Lie Xingxings estranged attitude, Nie Zisu, the viral celebrity who was rumored to have an arrogant attitude, seemed to find Zhao Youyue interesting. Since the beginning, she had been attempting to strike up a conversation with Zhao Youyue. Her first sentence was, How could you have such a beautiful aura. Woah, I am so jealous of you! Zhao Youyue felt that Nie Zisus entire body emanated a goofy aura. It would be as infuriating as it is exciting, dealing with such a character. You would constantly find yourself flabbergasted, the level of unpredictability was off the charts Ms. Nie, youre cuter! I heard your groups song, Baby and it really is such an addictive song! People are even using the dance moves for group morning exercises. Zhao Youyue replied with a smile and even made a silent squeal, which made her look as if she was a fangirl of Nie Zisu. In reality, she had done her research about her for the past few days. She had also researched Liu Xingxing. Her lines had been well-rehearsed and could be blurted out at a moments notice. Zhao Youyue had also been born with the ability to flatter people to the moon. As long as she was given an opportunity, she could use various methods to make someone feel good. You would never notice her trap until you have stepped deep into it. Indeed, Nie Zisu was adorable. You could not help but be attracted by her round face and mesmerizing eyes. Her curly long hair and airy bangs was the finishing touch! At the same time, she possessed the demeanor of a top celebrity. No wonder she was the center of attraction, wherever she went. Such an image made people wonder why such a cute girl would be continuously criticised by the netizens. Even more puzzling was how aloof she was about the entire thing. Reading the comments online would suggest that she did all this for the fame. It was so frustrating! After Nie Zisu heard Zhao Youyues praises, her reactions were quite interesting. An average person would typically maintain their humbleness. However, Nie Zisu did not do so. She made a roaring laughter sound and slapped Lady Zhaos shoulder excitingly. Then, she said elatedly, You have good taste. Even I feel that I am cuter! Of course, Ill admit that you are far more beautiful and elegant, compared to me! Come here! Where do you want me to sign for you? Zhao Youyue blinked in surprise. How many fangirls has she already given out her autographs to? Such fluid, practiced lines! Ah, I forgot to bring a pen. I would definitely ask for Ms. Nies autograph next time Lady Zhao, the drama queen, pulled off a regretful face. Of course, she couldnt give a damn about it. Zhao Youyue was such an egomaniac, why would she care for some random celebrity? If she wanted to idolize someone, that would be herself. She would never idolize anyone else. She should be the idol. Nie Zisu went on without skipping a beat, and comforted her, Next time, just bring your pen. I could just sign it on your chest, hehehe Her gaze lingered on Lady Zhaos chest. She looked oddly hungry Zhao Youyue could not help but think about Nie Zisus fangirls. Nie Zisu was a girl. If she was a guy, her fangirls would most probably be her sex slaves. It was a normal thing for male idols to have sex with their fans. It was a win-win situation. The fans would have the opportunity to ride their idols. It was an experience they could brag about to others. Oh yea, just call me Su Su next time. I heard that you came in through the back door. Nobody is going to believe in your abilities. Of course, that includes me. You should be careful when you perform in the coming days. My fabulous acting skills might crush you and traumatize you! Nie Zisu added, mockingly. Perhaps this was the arrogance people spoke about. A regular person would never see it any other way. She was probably like Bai Yunshan C as with herself and as she was with others. Not many could endure and tolerate them. However, Zhao Youyue was no regular person. The scathing remark wooshed past her ears. She would use her own performance to prove herself. The filming process went on uneventfully. This was not the legendary celebrity director, Manfred Wong [2]. Normally, it would take up to five outtakes to wrap up the filming process Zhao Youyue got over her scenes in single takes. Her cheatcodes left the entire crew and cast shell-shocked. Was she possessed by the ghost of some legendary actress! Xue Lu was blown away. She profusely apologized to Zhao Youyue and handed out her personal contact. She hoped to work with her in future projects. Liu Xingxing had distanced himself from Zhao Youyue. Her perfect performance had left him deeply impressed. He had even asked for guidance from Zhao Youyue and had learned a lot from it. He soon became fast friends with Lady Zhao. Taking part in this movie was the best choice that he could have ever made. The egomaniacal Nie Zisu was crushed by Lady Zhaos performance. This experience had traumatized her! Well, she always got over her slumps C she experienced them on a daily basis. Give her a day or two, and she would be back to normal. Then, she would continue posting her beautiful selfies on her Weibo. Her selfies would receive a bunch of comments from her fans, praising her beauty, and she would feel revived! After bouncing back to her feet, she befriended Lady Zhao Translation note: [1] Main tank (MT). A main tank is first of all a tank. In a raid, the main tank does most of the pulling and keeps the hardest hitting or most difficult mob(s) on himself. In a broader sense, a main tank is the player in a party that concentrates on keeping the mobs attacking him and only him, while the other players pick them off. [2] Manfred Wong is a Hong Kong radio personality, film producer, screenwriter, film director, and actor. Chapter 600 Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation In the course of filming Beautiful April, Zhao Youyue had the energy to spare for other activities. After all, the fictional version Zhang Guorong was the one meting out the effort. She was the one earning the praise from cast and crew, she was a hyped up, exaggerated version of the legendary actress, Zhang Guorong. After all, fantasies always trumped reality. As Zhao Youyue used the character card, she felt like a parasite latching onto the legendary actress. Zhao Youyue the drama queen, became more melodramatic than ever. Her previous pretentiousness may have come across as stiff and forced, but her current flashes of teeth could lull the sharpest of minds. She could not manipulate people as much as she wished Among the things that Zhao Youyue did was to gain a firm foothold as the Assistant Department Head of the Arts Department in the Student Council. She had to maintain her excellent reputation and high popularity. Speaking of the Student Council Bai Yunshan soon got promoted to an Officer position in the Disciplinary Department. She had most enthusiastically shared the good new with Lady Zhao. Her efforts had finally been rewarded. The Department Head of the Disciplinary Department, Qiao Fei, really knew how to recognize talent! As Zhao Youyue was cooking for Bai Yunshan, she unveiled the entire picture. She told Bai Yunshan about everything that happened during the banquet. Of course, it included what Qiao Fei was really like as a person. After the innocent Bai Yunshan heard that, she felt as if someone had dunked cold water on her. She had worked so hard for the position, but it was the coattails of Zhao Youyue that finally gave her the position. If not, she might have even been kicked out of the Student Council. How did the university become such a dark and evil place! Bai Yunshan was even more speechless about the fact that she had joined the Student Council first. However, in a blink of an eye, Zhao Youyue became an Assistant Department Head of the Student Council. God damned hacker! Even though Bai Yunshan was na?ve and righteous, she quickly saw the path Lady Zhao had set herself upon. Perhaps she would run for the Student Council President elections in the next semester. She would be the unprecedented first-year student climbing the throne of a Student Council President! Nobody would even dream of this happening, but Zhao Youyue was the only one who could do it! Well, who allowed Assistant Department Heads in the Student Council to qualify for the Student Council President elections. Well, no Assistant Department Head had been as unique as Zhao Youyue Once Bai Yunshan imagined about how Zhao Youyue, a devil in human form was about to be the Student Council President, she could not help but despair about the future of this university. She felt as if she was a brave novice in an RPG. She would have to train for a year or two, farming monsters to level up before challenging the devil Zhao Youyue. But what do you do, when the final boss herself actually uses hacks and cheats! Other than the Student Council, Zhao Youyue continued pouring in her efforts on the popular racing manga, Fast Track: No Limits. With Su Lis help, Zhao Youyue got a hold of its mangaka, Chen Daxiu who was once a truck driver. Then, she had used her drama-queen acting skills to act as if she was a loyal fan of Chen Daxiu. She had asked for his autograph and pictures. Asking to be a side character in his manga would not be a difficult thing to do. After Zhao Youyues meticulous analysis, she had discovered that the probability of shaping an iconic character from this work was almost zero, even if it was a highly popular manga. The reason was simple. Chen Daxiu was horrendous at creating characters. At least Rosemary [1] had some skill with his male characters! As long as Rosemary became enlightened and surmised the skill of writing female characters, then with his talent, he could easily create a classical character like Yu Shengfan. However, Chen Daxius talent in drawing manga was like entirely focused on drawing cars and racing scenes. Did he need characters to keep the series afloat? All his characters were basically villains who wanted more power, more speed. When they saw the main character, they would all look down on his Wuling Hong Guang [2]. After an adrenaline-inducing racing scene, these villains would then be totally flabbergasted. They would be totally blown away by the main character and his Wulin Hong Guang Thats how the entire manga went. It completely depended on the artwork and car-on-car action. It was just like the Anime Detective Conan. It would come as no surprise if Conan solved the crime, but it was the process that intrigued them, not the results. In conclusion, if Chen Daxiu was a web novelist, he would be the type of writer who used the same plot in every chapter, but he did it in such a way that it would never get old. The whole novel would forever be refreshing. Why make actual characters? It was fine, as long as the readers found the novel refreshing and nice. Such writings would be a best seller. The author would reap massive gains in no time. As long as the author continued uploading chapters, it would be popular in no time. Of course, they would be nowhere as popular as the leading authors on main platforms such as Qidian, but they their novels sold, regardless When Zhao Youyue fully understood the situation, she lost hope in her wishes of creating an iconic character. Iconic characters did not just fall out of the sky. She could bleed and cry over it, but without a competent author, she would never earn an iconic character. Zhao Youyue shrugged. She may just be able to earn herself a highly popular character card, who knows. Chen Daxiu had promised to cameo Zhao Youyue herself. The character was a Lady, with the name of Zhao Xiaomei. This character loved watching the exciting races, and hoped to be a racer herself. She was trying to save up for her own car by carrying out nightly live streams. She hoped to one day live stream from the back of a steering wheel! After Zhao Youyue possessed this character, she did not set her racing skills to the maximum. Instead, she tactfully gave her two traits, will never get into a car accident and will be safe when street racing. The author would not find anything wrong with these settings. In works related to car racing, other than those expendable characters, who else would crash their cars? That racing track is on a mountain, crashing may well be fatal Chen Daxiu would never let Zhao Xiaomei be killed off in the manga. That would be an insult to his bishoujo fan Zhao Youyue. She was a side character, theres no harm giving her a line or two. No one would mind it. Lets leave Zhao Xiaomei as a bystander while cheering for the main character. She could live stream his race, why not? Zhang Tahai to show off. Wasnt it the trend to livestream just about anything? Street racing would be most lucrative, wouldnt it? In the end, miracles happened. She was supposed to be a cameo character, Zhao Xiaomei quickly usurped Zhan Tahais role as the main character Translation note: [1] Rosemary (Ե) is the pen name of Ye Hai, author of The Strongest King (4th book) [2] Wuling Hong Guang () is a compact Multi-Purpose Vehicle (MPV) produced since September 2010 by SAIC-GM-Wuling, the joint venture of Shanghai Automotive Industry Corporation, Liuzhou Wuling Motors Co, and GM China. Chapter 601 Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation The main characters girlfriend? That was impossible! There were two kinds of creators in this world. The first would treat his own main characters like his sweethearts. They would do all sort of things to keep their sweethearts perpetually blessed with happiness. The other type would put their main characters through endless trials and tribulations; as if they actually detested their own creations. These creators saw their creations as nothing more than tools or chess pieces. Where is your pride as a creator if you dont play with your own toys? Whats the use of all that power if you dont flaunt it? Of course, the third type of creator would lose himself in his own world, playing with the elements and adding quirks as he saw fit. The main character would only be a witness to the miracles of his God. Chen Daxiu fell into the second category. He was a truck driver who had somehow found his way in the mainstream manga trend and even dreamt of someday becoming a filmmaker. His main character was not his own son, he was more like his neighbors son. Perhaps, to Chen Daxiu, the various models of modified cars and the exciting scenes of street racing was his true brainchild. This was why he could conscientiously draw out a scene of the main characters first love procuring a sugar daddy[1] of her own C a middle-aged guy in a luxury car. She would have to give him the warmth of her body on a weekly basis. The main character even caught them en route to one of these sessions. He had stalked them in his Wulin Hong Guang, only to find them going into a luxury hotel with his own eyes. Dejected and broken, he had then lit up a cigarette and smoked outside the hotel alone Fortunately, Chen Daxiu was not a gifted illustrator. Otherwise, he would have to give his readers obligatory fan-servicing, instead of showing them leave after the event. Thats right. If he had the drawing and painting skills of Su Li, he would have left all readers holding the manga up with one hand! Either way, the main character was not his child. It was his tool. His marionette. Yes, rob him of all human relationships, rob him of his soul, only then could he put all his focus into racing! This was his message to the readers, and the naive ones bought it without any consideration. That was about as far as he could go with character development, a field that he had no skill in. Also, his still-life artwork was barely ahead of his character development. Let this act of cuckoldry pass, and we can be on our way. Affairs and acts of fornication would always interest the readers. However, only excellent could make use of these cheap tactics to their fullest. As long as the majority of readers favored a female character, only to see her get stolen from the main character, they would be sufficiently riled up. Take a look at Xiaolongn, a creation of Jin Yong. She was practical an immortal centerpiece of literature. In the process of drawing the manga, Chen Daxiu himself did not realize that Zhao Xiaomei, initially a cameo character, somehow became the main characters apprentice and support staff. She became his spokesperson. The main character was a man of very few words. Racing aside, he was as developed as a giant baby in other areas Chen Daxiu took this new source of inspiration with a lightness in his step. Finally, he did not have to follow an infinite loop routine. Now, we have an apprentice who was a jack of all trades. The main character could focus all the more on racing. This opened new avenues to his storyline. Lets have some random racer pick on Zhao Xiaomei. What better opportunity than to have the main character stand up for Zhao Xiaomei? No. wait. Zhao Xiaomeis street racing skills were just average, but her physical abilities were excellent. She was dextrous and had strong intuitions! Well, she was a female racer. Who cared about racing skills? She just had to squeeze her eyes shut and step on the accelerator. Zhao Xiaomei had often treated the brake as the accelerator. It was time to use her max intuition and safe forever buff. She somehow emerged unscathed from her blind, reckless driving. Even the main character, Zhang Tahai was struck dumb! That is right. Zhao Youyue had given herself a ridiculous amount of luck with those settings. This female racer was rubbish at driving, but she knew no fear. She would never crash the car. Even the experienced male character would never ride shotgun with her! If the main character drifted with art and technique, Zhao Xiaomeis drifting was playing chicken with death and winning. It was almost like how a clueless girl trashes her car in a driving lesson, completely unaware of how close she had been to turning turtle or blowing up the gas station she just passed. That aside, you cant deny that her methods worked! She was blazingly quick! Simple, rough and unreasonable! After all, Zhao Xiaomei was far from poor! She had the cash to build a beast of a machine, as opposed to the main characters Wulin Hong Guang. It was a heavily modified supercar from the world-famous Chinese brand called Zhui Dian. Its doors even opened up like wings Nobody would even think of using such a car in a gritty, pure mountain race. However, who could stop the heart of a fearless female racer? Chen Daxiu could not deny that he was experiencing a new sort of high. Drawing Zhao Xiaomei, the kind of female racer who was simple and rough, unreasonable and forever seeking death but would not die was just too addictive. He might even be thoroughly entertained by his own story. He had never laughed at his own work before, not until now. He had a feeling that a poorly skilled character, but instead had max intuition and max luck could complement the main character who had max racing skills. The contrasting extremes made for a fun pairing. Therefore, this cameo quickly became an important supporting role His readers were surprised at the appearance of such a female character. Who cared if she was poorly drawn. According to some of the readers, it was their first time seeing a hideous-looking dark-haired, rich lady. It was such a pity. Chen Daxiu, the truck driver mangaka had already used all his might to illustrate a beautiful Zhao Xiaomei. It could not be helped. He really could not illustrate humans. Fortunately, Zhao Xiaomeis car was awesome. It was the ridiculously powerful Zhui Dian one:1 [3]. There were only 99 of these in the entire world, and prices started from 20,000,000. Obviously, Zhao Xiaomei had not kept it stock. It was bright red in color and had lightning racing lines on its side. It was lightning in motion. Chen Daxiu was, however, good at drawing cars. As popular and successful as he was, he still did not have the money to buy the limited edition Zhui Dian car. He did manage to get near one, and had taken god knows how many pictures of it. Then, with great enthusiasm, he had reproduced those magnificent vehicles in his manga. He had even added modifications to their exteriors. He did not draw it for Zhao Xiaomei to drive, Zhao Xiaomei had simply given him an excuse to draw the car. When the racing began, the drivers would no longer be relevant in the picture. At first, the readers did not realize exactly how recklessly Zhao Xiaomei could throw cars about. They even believed that she was a delicate and virtuous lady. After all, Lady Zhao was beautiful, classy dancer. She had even helped the main character with all sorts of problem in his life. When they saw her caressing the steering wheel Thats not a car for kindergarteners! Please, Lady Zhao. Stop showing off. I cant cringe any further! Translation note: [1] Sugar baby is a type of transactional relationship. A person in such a romantic relationship may receive cash, gifts or other benefits in exchange for being in the relationship. [2] Sugar daddy is a man who offers support (typically financial and material) to a younger companion. [3] Reference to the real-life Koenigsegg One:1. Chapter 602 Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation In an era where the feedback of readers was blindingly fast, creators did not need to communicate with the readers by letter. They could directly create a group chat or interact with their fans through Weibo. Naturally, Chen Daxiu had a Weibo account, but he seldom posted there. If anything, he sporadically uploaded pictures of various sports cars that were taken by him. Of course, he would also reply to private messages. When he decided to draw the character Zhao Xiaomei as a cameo, his readers had reacted like so C Woah, this forever alone car guy has finally found himself a girlfriend? This Zhao Xiaomei quite virtuous. She is clearly a rich lady, but she does not have the aura of one. Too bad shes so ugly, hahaha! Beauty is relative. To be honest, once youve gotten used to Master Chen Daxius drawing style, Zhao Xiaomei is probably the most beautiful character hes ever done. Nonetheless, were all here for the cars. He could draw up blueprints for them! Who cares about the characters, just improvise. No matter what, it is fascinating to see a female character appear in this manga for once. Even a single dog would raise a commotion once he gets a look at Master Chen Daxius female character style! Shes still better than that prostitute. I dont know how you guys felt, but when I first saw the scene, I was disgusted to my core. Sure, you could gloss it over and say, Meh, shes ugly anyway, who cares if he was cheated onAnyway, I am hoping that Master Chen Daxiu would not change his drawing style again and blast us in the face with Zhao Xiaomeis supposed dark history. Dont give us shit like her being a rich whore who would bed any man she finds. At first, Chen Daxiu replied to his fans, saying that Zhao Xiaomei would not play any significant role. She would just be a bystander, cheering the main character on. As he drew, his inspiration just kept coming. He could not help but add more scenes for Zhao Xiaomei. Then, Zhao Xiaomeis car appeared, and she became a full-time racer. The readers went wild! As one would expect, she quickly became one of the most popular characters in the series. An already popular work could gain a popular character fairly easily. As long as the character was not a complete passerby or a cameo, anyone could be popular. Undoubtedly, Zhao Youyue had made Zhao Xiaomei as prominent and outstanding as she could possibly be. The series had started off with little to no humor, but she had brought a fresh lease of laughter to the readers. There was a realistic chance that this character would become highly popular. On the other hand, attaining iconic status would be rather unlikely. Zhao Youyue was not a fan of how she had been depicted in the manga. At least, her car was badass. It moved just as recklessly as she had imagined. This reckless, wild female racer would soon pierce through the fabric of fiction The mangas Tieba and manga forums had new threads dedicated solely to this character. Fans felt that this was the most refreshing turn of events the manga had ever seen. Zhao Xiaomei is most definitely not a cameo character! I actually think shes super cute. I have never imagined that Master Chen Daxiu could ever produce any intriguing female character! That car is as crazy as its owner. Only she would take it down the mountain. Its so f*cking fierce! Zhao Xiaomei is a f*cking lunatic! She could hardly tell the pedals apart, but she has heart. Bloody impressive. She is simply one of a kind! It was so hilarious watching the experienced main character scream for life in Zhao Xiaomeis car! This female character had totally exemplified Chen Daxius malice against female racers. How much disdain does he feel for female racers? How did you even get there? I think that Master Chen Daxiu is very fond of this character. Anyone else who drove like Zhao Xiaomei would have crashed and died. She could not even tell her brake apart from her accelerator, and nothing happened to her. Shes the Balder[1] of racing Zhao Xiaomei doesnt give sh*t. Shes basically doing parkour on wheels. Anyone who watches her races would be scared shitless. If such a female racer existed in the real world, God help us! I like how she befuddles the main character in like every single one of her appearances! I am looking forward to the next development. Who knows, her blind intuition might just outpace the main guys technique and skills! Needless to say, readers loved her. Comic relief characters were always a welcome sight, especially in otherwise serious or repetitive series. Chen Daxiu grew more passionate as he drew. How tragic things would get when he picks the pen up one day, only to find that this inspiration had deserted him! All creators had their bad days. Sometimes, they would be utterly convinced that they would be unstoppable C this fuel would last them a lifetime. They often forget to take into account the fact that humans were vulnerable to fatigue. As they get closer to the end, they would run out of juice. Its a tragedy. The creators could not be blamed. This was due to Lady Zhaos meddling. She rarely finished up after obtaining what she came for. Thats right. The Zhao Xiaomei highly-popular character card had been produced. In terms of personality, she did not have much to offer. People remembered her for her racing! It was still unclear as to what extent the card would affect Zhao Youyue in real life. We could be certain that she would never experience a car accident, ever. She could race to her hearts content, and her body would automatically adjust the speed of the car to a borderline safe limit. Her body would also know what to do, by intuition. Others might think that she was being plain suicidal. Zhao Youyue would be in her comfort zone. However, Zhao Youyue would not see much use of this card. After all, she did not like street racing. She had a chauffeur of her own. If anything, this could be another sacrificial offering. She could use it to earn an iconic character from another world Zhao Youyue never expected to actually have a reason to use this character card. Apparently, her cousin Zhao Wei was up to another one of his lousy ideas and needed a talented racer! Editors Note: [1] (This was not in the original RAW, Tonicquill just felt that it was an apt comparison. The RAW simply said that she had the power of not crashing.) Balder, Old Norse Baldr, in Norse mythology, the son of the chief god Odin and his wife Frigg. Beautiful and just, he was the favorite of the gods. Most legends about him concern his death. Icelandic stories tell how the gods amused themselves by throwing objects at him, knowing that he was immune from harm. The blind god H?d, deceived by the evil Loki, killed Balder by hurling mistletoe, the only thing that could hurt him. After Balders funeral, the giantess Th?kk, probably Loki in disguise, refused to weep the tears that would release Balder from death. Chapter 603 Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation Zhao Hao may have almost left behind his bad habits as a playboy, but some of his Aditra [1] personality would still arise from time to time, and trouble others. Zhao Hao had recently caused a fuss on the Internet; the reason behind being that someone was using his name to badmouth a certain celebrity. People had even suspected that he had created a sub-account to hate on the celebrity. He had to jump onto his main account to settle everything; even stating that he was not that interested in the entertainment circle. Zhao Hao blamed such events on fate. A few years ago, he hoped that he would become as famous as Ding Yunchong and start a National Daddy thing, but Ding Yunchong had outshone him in everything, from fame to investing in e-sports. Eventually, he mellowed down and stopped trying to be famous, but many on the net had already learned that many of his fans had been bought. Even so, his WeiBo was still rather active. He even gained a level of fame, with everyone calling him National Uncle or something like that. It was not his fault that he had Ah Yu as his sister. It was not his fault that Ah Yu and Zhao Youyue were so likable. People online have done the impossible. Zhao Youyues background privacy was almost bulletproof, ranging from her parents to what they did for a living, to Zhao Haos actual worth, down to his private planes and yachts. Even so, nobody ever got a definite answer, and speculations have been proven to be utterly inaccurate. However, everyone agreed on one point. Zhao Youyues father and Zhao Haos father seemed to be brothers. Nobody knew what they did for a living, but they were highly certain that they were part of the Zhao Family. Such a discovery indeed made Zhao Youyue seem much more of a Milady than before, but if Zhao Youyue was a relative, what sort of relative would she be, really? So, Zhao Youyue was Zhao Haos cousin, and even the famed Prince Ding Yunchong bowed to her. She became more famous than ever. Theorycrafters got to work and created conspiracy theories regarding her status, making her seem like one of those hidden elites. As web novels increased in amount, so did the damage to the brain of the typical netizen. In reality, Zhao Youyue was a passerby among the Zhao Family. Even she was unsure about her own position. One thing was certain. Earning the respect of the wealthy Zhao Hao made Zhao Youyue a true milady. Miladies were not passers-by. Zhao Haos own fame was in no small part due to Zhao Youyues fame. He no longer made an effort to stand out, but this unintentional fame still brought him much good. However, being called the National Uncle did not please him at all. His sister was so perfect, but everyone out there was thinking that they could be his brother-in-law. Lets not even talk about the online fans. He did not even think that the other princes from his social circle were worthy. Good luck getting along with his sister. He even agreed that he changed from being an unreliable brother into the head of a company, which was mostly due to his sister. There was a kind of person in the world who rubbed off you as spent time with them. Zhao Youyue was such a person. Su Li, Bai Yunshan, Han Leng had all been transformed by her light. Zhao Hao and the racer head Chen Yilong often butted heads; Zhao Youyue being one of the reasons. Calling Chen Yilong a Prince would be an understatement. He was the grandson of the Gambling God of Macau. The Chen family of Macau was exceptionally well known, known primarily for opening the most well-known casino in Macau, owning a luxurious cruise ship that doubled as a floating casino. Only billionaires had the privilege of stepping on board it. Their first collision literally happened with a car crash in Hong Kong involving an Aston Martin one77, a five-of-a-kind car. That car had belonged to Chen Yilong. Zhao Hao and himself were equally skilled in racing C so to speak. They had the dexterity and maneuverability of bulls. Hitting random cars was just a past time for them. Zhao Hao owned a factory in Macau, so bumping into Chen Lilong was inevitable, much to his chagrin. He did not like that man, he was just the right combination of wealth and intelligence to pose a threat. He had been able to help his family out, even when he was still studying. Apparently, he had also been picked as the God of Gamblings successor. Whenever the older generations from Zhao Haos family chastised him, they would always mention Chen Yilong, much to his annoyance. To make matters worst, Chen Yilong was annoyingly handsome. Zhao Hao had always been confident in his looks, but he knew in his heart that standing beside Chen Yilong made him look like a mud cake. Chen Yilong was what many girls wished for; an overbearing, male protagonist who was waiting for the arrival of his female protagonist, only to tell her that she had won his heart. This female protagonist must be short and dumb, just enough to be sweet. That was the only way he could exercise his overbearing presence. Zhao Hao was most infuriated at how Chen Yilong bugged Zhao Youyue. That egotistical bastard had claimed that him wanting Zhao Youyues contact information out of the blue was more than enough proof that he had feelings for her. He had even revealed the reward money prepared just for her; over 10,000,000 RMB! The money is not much, but it should show you how sincere I am! Chen Yilong had said to the Lady. Dont tell me that you fell for my sister at first sight! Zhao Hao had roared. Of course thats not it. I just find her favorable. Its such a shame. I have already prepared so much money for her, yet I still lack her contact number. Thats why Im here now. No matter what, we are friends, right? Throw me a bone, will ya? Chen Yilong had smiled warmly. Zhao Hao was unable to deny that this bastard had dazzling charm. Get away from me! Who would be friends with you?! Zhao Hao had snapped, My sister is, in fact, a hardworking genius unlike you. A Milady like her wont even glance at your wealth. A milady huh? I can understand your love for her, but you are being paranoid. Old Ding can enjoy meals with the both of you, so why cant I? I want a sister too Chen Yilong flashed his brilliant white teeth. Just shut up Old Ding is safe, you arent. What if you put my sister in danger? Look at all the girls youve sullied and tossed aside. Youre not even willing to clean up after your mess! Zhao Hao barked. Oh, I was left with no choice. It is not my fault that I started getting into guys. The world has simply run out of girls worthy of my touch! Chen Yilong said, maintaining his charm. Thats why Im calling you a piece of shit! Picking up chicks to the left and right even if you have a newfound love for guys. Telling them the truth after they have fallen for you, destroying their trust in men. Such a barbarian! Zhao Hao could barely contain his anger. Thats right. Chen Yilong may be extremely handsome, but he was into men. Even so, he would still go around, picking up chicks. That was probably why he could remain so poised and composed around girls, pretending to be the protagonist of some kind of shoujo manga, the kind that girls would die for. If such a character existed in real life, they would be a flytrap for girls. Due to this sexual orientation, Chen Yilong had long been thought to be pure and clean. He was nothing like the filthy rich princes Zhao Hao and Ding Yunchong. He never bedded any of the girls he picked up, but left them in disappointment all the same. Flowing winds that do not flow down, multiple feelings yet never making use of any. Many girls had the confidence of conquering such guys, only to find that they had been played the fool. Even if they got a boyfriend after that, they would still be unable to forget Chen Yilong, the perfect lover. His homosexuality was just the tip of the iceberg. He had more shocking revelations to offer. His boyfriend was Xia Hai, a mountain racer. With Chen Yilongs help, he had built up his fame in the underground racing community. Chen Yilongs probably loved racing so much, only due to his boyfriend. He had never missed a single one of his races. Sometimes, he rode shotgun for a shot of adrenaline. Of course, if an accident were to occur, they might die together, and that was beauty in itself. Sometimes, Zhao Hao would be envious of Chen Yilong. That man had such a skilled racer by his side. He could get his daily fix of adrenaline whenever he felt like it. On the other hand, Zhao Hao could not even get a semi-decent racer on his side. If he attempted to drive himself, it would end up in a multi-billion dollar crash, as always. This often left Zhao Hao highly embarrassed. Every time when he attended a race, he would feel as if he had lost to Chen Yilong by default. Chen Yilong was also displeased with how protective Zhao Hao was over his sister. As a result, their regular butting of heads escalated into fierce rivalry; and like men, they decided to settle it all with a race. Obviously, Zhao Hao had lost. During a dinner with Zhao Youyue, he drank just a little too much and spilled the beans. He even expressed how sorry he was for treating his own sister as a chip and losing in the end. After Zhao Youyue heard that, she merely blinked in confusion. Losing her? Was this a new trend? she thought. Soon after, she finally learned that as part of the deal, he had been forced to meet her up with Chen Yilong. Somehow, Zhao Hao did not mention anything about Chen Yilongs sexual orientation. He only said how Chen Yilong liked to toy with female hearts but not their bodies, and warned his sister not to be fooled by appearances. Zhao Youyue did not believe that such pure, rich boy lovers existed in reality. Wasnt this a thing of fiction? Nii-san, since you lost, how about I help you win it all back? Let me tell you a secret. I can race myself, you know? Zhao Youyue beamed, confident as always. With her new character card, what was there to be afraid of? Eh? You can drive? Zhao Hao received a great shock. Chapter 604 Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation Zhao Hao did not believe it for a second, not even when he was slightly drunk. His disbelief only doubled when he heard that she would be making her debut in mountain racing, which was said to be very technical. Even so, he trusted his sister enough to know that none of her tales were tall. She had a knack of concealing her potential until the last minute, before going off with a bang, scaring everyone else shitless. Zhao Hao would never forget the day when she had gently giggled over his shoulder during one of his League of Legends playthrough, like a tinkling bell chime. In the end, she had taken his seat and played for a bit, obliterating the opponents team in a one-sided battle. This had left Zhao Hao in shock, but this was also why he gave her the benefit of the doubt and decided that she was just hiding her skills again. Okay then, why dont I take you to a mountain race. I dont know if youve already watched Fast Track: No Limits. Its not entirely fiction, mind you. Much of it is grounded in reality, centrifugal forces and drifting and all that. Of course, a lot of it has been exaggerated, but the basis of it remains. Zhao Hao followed its anime adaptation, as the mangas illustration left a bad taste in his mouth. The mangaka Cheng Daxiu might actually be better at driving than he was at drawing. Because of this, Zhao Hao had remained unaware of a fresh, new, certain female character who had recently gained a considerable amount of fame. As anime adaptations almost always lagged behind their source material, only the future could imagine how popular this character would get, when she finally hits the screen. Sure, why not? Ive always wanted to try mountain racing like how they do in the anime! Zhao Youyue said excitedly. As always, Zhao Hao humored his pampered cousin-sister. Even so, he did not stop warning her about the black-hearted Chen Yilong. He finally sighed, How about this, you take the car for a spin, Ill ride shotgun. Zhao Hao had never seen his own sister drive a car before. He also knew that she had been chauffeured around most of her life. She had probably spent more time on the backseats of cars than the front, let alone the drivers seat. Her chauffeur even opened the door for her, wrapping his hands around the structure of the roof to prevent milady from hitting her head. Due to this, Zhao Hao thought that he had to at least watch out for her safety. License? That did not matter to him. When he first started driving, he did not get his license only until after he got familiar with the car. The law enforcement would not even dare approach his supercar that carried a numberplate of multiple 8s. That auspiciously labeled car plate alone was probably worth over ten million. No problem, Ill show you, Zhao Youyue said smugly, just like Zhao Xiaomei from the manga version of Fast Track: No Limits. Zhao Xiaomei would never hesitate when it came to racing. Whenever she raced, she got into the zone of sheer tranquility. A singularity of man and machine. This juxtaposition from her usual cuteness would be all the more polarized, that way. Many readers would be tricked by the safety first, super calm outlook of Zhao Xiaomei. Whenever she slammed the pedal down, she turned into the simple yet scary, live to die Zhao Xiaomei, giving the readers a fright of their lives. Zhao Hao tried to create small talk and inquired Zhao Youyue about her acting job. He told her to give it her best shot, reassuring her with promises of how he would never fire her, no matter what people said, unless the director herself up and left. This was basically how things went in the Zhao family. Zhao Hao may be a little too overprotective at times, but he meant well. This was exactly why Zhao Youyue was so eager to help him retrieve what he lost C his pride. As the sky darkened, Zhao Hao contacted Chen Yilong. He was bringing his sister to meet him. Since she happened to be interested in mountain racing, they would meet at the usual place, that being at the top of Mount Qilin. This was one of the very routes referenced in Fast Tracks: No Limits, and it was known as a notoriously treacherous road. The characters from the animated film went up to 240 km/h on this ridiculously difficult track, never going below 180 on bends. In reality, anything beyond 200km/h on such a road would be batshit insanity. There was no helping it. The mountain road had been built for convenience, not safety, or rather, this was the best compromise man could settle for when it came to carving traversable routes on mountains. Still, main characters had their plot armor. They would not simply crash and burn for no good reason. On the other hand, side characters who had been deliberately crafted to be hated would only give the readers joy in their deaths. Of course, humans dont usually walk away after falling off mountains. Zhao Hao drove a Lamborghini. Chinese cars may be world-class but imports were always welcomed. These Lamborghinis easily matched the Chinese master grades. To a car fanatic like Zhao Hao, his life was incomplete if he did not own the best that the world could offer. Zhao Hao was apprehensive. His sister was not yet even 18, and women werent known for their driving skills. This year had started off with a slew of headlines reporting how female driver killers were on the rise. Zhao Hao now wondered if his sister was actually one of these killers. Zhao Youyue got into the driver seat. It felt nothing like a regular car C it was low, hard, and could hardly be called a chair. If anything, it was a recliner. Even so, she felt a wave of nostalgia washing over her. Thats right. Memories from her time in the manga world. The racing maniac had owned just about any car around, this Lamborghini included. Zhao Youyue would have been able to drive even without her character card. To strike out the risk of turning into an actual killer, she activated it anyway. The moment she activated her character card, she felt as if she had fused with the car. The car became an extension of her body, she felt everything it felt, she even knew how much air pressure the tires contained. She could go all out, minus the usual limiters of humans. She was no longer driving. She was walking with her own four wheels. Go faster, and she was merely jogging. Joggers dont spin out of control C thats why she wont crash. You wont fall out of the trail, unless you deliberately jogged out of it, right? Zhao Xiaomei had attained the man and car as one zen-like state. This must also be how it felt with maxed out instincts. Zhao Youyue was not even driving. She was jogging at safe speeds. Zhao Hao could not find the words to say after watching his sister twiddle with the wheel. She was nothing like a newbie driver. I didnt know that women could actually drive! Chapter 605 Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation Zhao Hao went deep in thought. He had been driving for years now, yet he was nothing compared to his own sister. He resignedly accepted the fact. His sister did not even slow down at the bends, but she did not gas it on the straights either. She lacked the daredevilry of an actual racer. She may have her own reasons for maintaining such a steady speed. Regardless, races only cared about one thing C speed. If consistency won races instead, everyone could do it. Zhao Hao started off with his history with Chen Yilong, eventually concluding with how they got down to the gamble that led to this. He went on to mention that nobody should even think of racing Chen Yilongs boyfriend, Xia Hai if they do not even go past 100km/h down Mount Qilin. Zhao Hao had no problems going slightly over 200km/h on an empty straight and absolutely no traffic. That was all the adrenaline he needed. Even with the slightest traffic, he would struggle to go past 140km/h. After all, real life driving was nothing like racing sims. If you dont touch 300km/h on sims, whats the use of calling it a sim? Nevertheless, these sims have never succeeded at their goal C to simulate real-life driving situations. They could never reproduce every racing variable. Of course, one might also learn by watching races on television, but it was nothing like the experience when watching a race in person. That Xia Hai has some potential! I thought that the Mount Qilin racing god could beat him C I even invested a huge sum in car upgrades for him. It evened the odds on their cars, but he still lost by a mile! How disappointing! How embarrassing! Zhao Hao had been rather confident in the Racing God even though his car could not be compared to Xia Hais. That man had such a doting boyfriend C a descendant of the God of gambling. Who knows what expensive secrets lay beneath the hood of his car. Such unofficial races were at times, dependent on the cars specs. On the other hand, the Mount Qilin Racing God already had a number of wins on Mount Qilin. He knew the track like the back of his hand. Even so, he still lost to Xia Hai. Zhao Hao and Chen Yilong had watched the stream together. Xia Hai had been incredibly lucky to leech off Chen Yilong. He was a decent driver and had a considerable amount of courage. He did not throw his car about with flamboyant power slides C but he won nevertheless. In the world of racing, the one who crosses the finish line first wins. Who cares if you had a massive lead at the earlier half? Of course, if you could drift your car beautifully while still pulling out ahead of your opponent, you would gain a lot of fans, but not many could do both at the same time. They only pulled off such stunts for show C their variations of the stunt served no purpose in actual races. If they attempted it during a serious race, it would only slow them down. It was just another sport, like basketball and soccer. Players could perform some fancy stunts to entertain the crowd, but at the end of the day, speed won most of the time. Xia Hai was the epitome of, the wielder of a sword determines the sharpness of the sword. He could make a good anime villain. He would not be eligible as the main protagonist, as he was a little lacking in the appearances department. Driving was one thing, good looks was another. What Im saying, sister Youmei, is that if you cant do any of those stunts from the anime, you wont even have the slightest chance of winning! That bastard Xia Hai has already beaten the racing god of Qilin. He had even set a new record in the process! Im telling you, he will be the first to overcome every single mountain road in the world! Zhao Hao recalled the nightmare of being utterly beaten on that day. Oh, what a coincidence! I do know the stunts from the anime! The Crow of the Planes from The 4WD God is no longer fiction, Ive brought it to reality! Zhao Youyue said while smiling. Zhao Hao rolled his eyes. He could only humor her, she was the one behind the wheel. No racing would happen today, they were just there to meet. If they were to actually compete, his sister would be decimated. Xia Hai was not just a pro racer, he was already familiar with the road, but his sister was here for the first time. Zhao Hao had no doubts about Zhao Youyues genius. If anything, he would be surprised to find her bad at something. Even so, it would be a stretch to say that she could defeat Xia Hai. When the both of them reached the starting point of Mount Qilin Racing Route, it was already dark, but there were still many racers around. Some were here to challenge Xia Hai, the man who had just toppled the racing god of Mount Qilin, while others were simply there to watch or gamble. Some racers put on their billionaires faces. Some had choppered up the mountain with their rumbling Harley-Davidsons. Others were here for fun. Some drunks even got up the Mountain on their scooters. Other than that, a reporter called Miss Jiazi was present. She was, in fact, a reporter for an outdoors activities streaming channel. She was handsomely paid and had grown rather rich, but was rather frugal for a missy. Clearly, she still cared about her job and its pay. Miss Jiazis full name was Qian Xiaojia. Her family was rather powerful, although it was nothing compared to the Zhao family. At that moment, she was speaking to her viewers, Previously on our stream, we gave you guys first seat views of the race between Heavenly King Xia Hai and Racing God of Mount Qilin. I bet that the rush has not yet worn off yet. As of now, Xia Hai is the reigning king of Mount Qilin. We hope to see someone challenging him tonight, although I doubt such a person even exists. The Racing God of Mount Qilin had been thought to be undefeatable, so what about Xia Hai? Miss Jiazi had already started off as a somewhat popular streamer. Her choice of content only further increased her reputation even further since mountain racing doesnt often appear in real life, mostly only in animations and films. As Qian Xiaojia blabbered on about Xia Hai, the audiences became awfully excited. She was right. The King of the Heavens, Xia Hai had already broken so many records. He had been born to drive on Mount Qilin. Chapter 606 Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation The first person who Zhao Youyue and Zhao Hao met was in fact that aforementioned Ex-Racing God of Mount Qilin. He may have lost, but he still brought along the heavily modified car, courtesy of Zhao Hao. If all went to plan, this would be Zhao Youyues car of the race. This was nothing like a stock Lamborghini. The Ex-Racing God of Mount Qilin was famous for showing off with massive drifts during his races, but he only did this to rile the crowd up. During the race with Xia Hai, he had been forced to be as serious as possible C not pulling off a single drift, unable to overtake Xia Hai during the bends. Zhao Youyue considered this racer to be a side character in a manga. Some has-been who never got to flaunt his power C because the story was not about them. It was sad but true. It may be due to his loss, or he may be subdued in nature, or he was never the wild kind. Either way, he was in a dejected, foul mood. He did not even bother looking at Miss Zhao. Zhao Youyue had dressed like a Missy as usual. She looked like one of those cultivators from Chinese mythology. If one had been following the latest issues of Fast Tracks: No Limits, they would learn that Zhao Youyue had unknowingly cosplayed the wild missy, Zhao Xiaomei from the manga. Zhao Youyue got straight to the point. Let me get used to both the car and the route first, shall I? Zhao Hao was hesitant. Was his own sister really challenging the Heavenly King Xia Hai? She may have bitten off more than she could chew. As he stood there like a statue, Zhao Youyue had already grabbed the keys and adjusted her seat. The interior of the car was rather conventional. As she revved the engine, things became apparent. The engine had been heavily modified. Zhao Youyue once again activated the Zhao Xiaomei character card. It was time to go all out and tear up the road. Zhao Youyue gave it another vroom and sped off in a cloud of tire smoke. Zhao Hao felt his jaw strike the ground. The Ex Racing God of Mount Qilin turned as pale as a ghost. Barely able to keep his voice steady, he managed to utter Boss Zhao, is that your new racer? Dont you think she started off a little too ferociously? Zhao Hao only shook his head and replied, That cant be it. Shes a very gentle, refined driver. The horsepower might have been more than shes used to? The Ex Racing God of Mount Qilin could not see how she was gentle or refined. My car might not be as crazy as Xia Hais, but Im nobody just hops in such a car and goes flying like that. As the competition had yet to truly start, the cameras around the technical bends had not yet been set up, and there were no drones in the air yet. Even so, the rumbling of the tarmac did not escape their ears. The screeching of tires that threatened to leave the road were unmistakable. It was both equally excruciating and addictive. Zhao Youyue was beyond jubilant. This was her first time experiencing such speeds in real life. If anyone had been sitting beside her, they would have wet the seat. She took the corners at 180km/h without even drifting. The car could tip over at any moment. Even so, Zhao Youyue had already entered another realm. This was something like Chu Luoxuns Music of the Soul. It projected a new world into the minds of onlookers, and people would be so entranced that they would not even question the reality of what they saw before them. At that moment, Zhao Youyue became one with the car. The Gods took hold of her soul, guiding her over bends in the most outrageous methods possible, while still keeping her safe. Zhao Youyue as if she was no longer in full control of her body. It tore through the law of physics like a pinata. As Zhao Hao and the Ex Racing God of Mount Qilin started speculating about her lap times, she had already returned from the other direction. Onlookers finally recognized the car, but they could not see its driver. Sadly enough, the racing gods reputation had already taken a huge dip since his loss. Someone asked, Is the Racing God of Mount Qilin planning to claim his revenge on the Heavenly King Xia Hai? Youre being delusional. Didnt you see how Xia Hai left him in the dust? He has no chance, whatsoever! Wait a minute Look who just got down, thats not the Racing God, its a pretty lady! Eh? A woman wants to try out mountain racing? This must be a joke right? She probably wanted to have some fun, since she did not have to worry about crashing into others while going down the mountain! Zhao Hao rushed to the car and looked at his sister in shock and contentment. He did not have a stopwatch in his hand, but his instincts told him that she had just slain the course. He was now confident enough to bet on her skills. He also wanted to ride shotgun and experience a full-speed run, just like what Chen Yilong did with Xia Hai. Even if his sister could drift, she had the sense to hold the car steady in a serious race. At that moment, Chen Yilong and Xia Hai finally arrived. The two bastards immediately attracted a crowd. Chen Yilong was the handsome bastard with a princely aura around him. He flashed his signature smile and drew all the kyaaas from the girls. On the other hand, Xia Hai lurked about like a necromancer. With his long, unkempt hair and unshaved chin, he gave off a domineering aura. He was not handsome, but he was most definitely cool. There was no mistaking it. Such was the aura for someone with the title, Heavenly King. Chen Yilong caught sight of Zhao Hao, and could immediately tell that the one next to him was Zhao Youyue. His original impression of Zhao Youyue had been that of a pure, kind and talented girl, but she had turned out to be completely different. Chen Yilong could sense an aura coming from Zhao Youyue that was similar to Xia Hai. It was the aura of a racer, and not just any run-of-the-mill racer. The usually cool Heavenly King Xia Hai also sensed Zhao Youyues presence. His mind did not register the beauty reflected in his eyes, only an overwhelming foe. Chapter 607 Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation When the live reporter Miss Jiazi saw Xia Hai pulling up, she rushed over like a fan, much to the panic of her crew. They hurriedly lugged along their hardware, hoping that Xia Hai would say a few words to the audience. Yet, Xia Hai gave her and blank stare and blurted out, Who are you? Qian Xiaojia was shocked silly In her heart, Qian Xiaojia said, I was the beautiful reporter who previously interviewed you! How could you forget about me?! Out of the corner of her eye, she saw her live chatstream. Many had started calling her stupid for even trying to interview Heavenly King Xia Hai. How could you disrupt the Heavenly Gods train of thought? He was ridiculously famous. Car companies actually begged for him to advertise their products. The races on this mountain may not be official, but companies actually sponsored the racers, by backdoor channels, of course. Even the audience members did not seem like ordinary folk. Just by looking at them, you would think that they would be royalty. Of course, Zhao Hao and Chen Yilong were not the only princes around. Some even bought their way into high-profile races, but none of them had Xia Hais skill. Qian Xiaojia could only tell Xia Hai that she was a fan of his. Xia Hai only shot back with a single Oh. Did that actually stand for, Actually, I am face-blind, I dont remember the faces of people I meet. As Xia Hai and Qian Xiaojia remained locked in the awkward conversation, Chen Yilong finally approached Zhao Youyue, who he had always wanted to meet. Zhao Hao begrudgingly stepped aside and allowed the prince to politely introduce himself to Zhao Youyue. She was as beautiful as they said, but he was still in shock and awe. Did she actually know how to race? Im here to challenge Xia Hai. Lets just say that Im here to avenge my bro, Zhao Youyue bluntly said. Driving by herself had not been enough. She desired more. She wanted an actual race against a worthy competitor. Chen Yilong was startled; the fighting spirit that bore down on him was genuine. Even so, he did not believe that Zhao Youyue had what it took to beat his boyfriend. The title Heavenly King of the Race Tracks was not just for show. Zhao Youyue had no place here, if not for Zhao Hao. She may be somebody in terms of music and literature, but she was a nobody on the mountain roads. Im riding shotgun! My sister can do this! said Zhao Hao. He was not yet fully convinced, but he had to support his sister. If anything, he wished to be in Chen Yilongs position C having a wicked driver take him for a full-speed run down the mountain. If he could not go that fast himself, he had no problems settling for a passenger seat view. Chen Yilong let out a dazzling smile. Yes, you need to calm your nerves before handing victory to my Xia Hai once again. Nope, my sister is definitely the best! Zhao Hao did not want to back down. His sister created miracles, and he was willing to believe in her once again. Not long after, both cars were lined up accordingly. The road was too narrow for two cars, so Xia Hai would be leading the race. All Zhao Yaoyue had to do was to keep up. It all depended on the speeds of her drifts. From her test drive, she knew that she could pull it off. Zhao Hao and Chen Yilong sat in their respective passenger seats. They were both trembling from the excitement, Zhao Hao more so. Today, he had been far too rash. The old him would never entrust his life to anyone else, let alone a female racer. Zhao Youyue had won his trust with her driving of his Lamborghini. The spectators were shocked to see a fresh female face actually going up against Xia Hai. Who the hell is that beauty? Is she another professional under Boss Haos employment? I thought that she was Prince Zhaos girlfriend. But shes in the driver seat now? Are they racing for real? This is bullshit! What kind of racer is this? Shes not even using her own car?! Even I have my own modified scooter! Alright, alright, lets bet! You gamble addict! This is nothing but a friendly drive! If you want to gamble, make it official! Thats right! Since this is just a friendly race, lets put gambling aside! Id like to see how the girl drives. In the end, Xia Hai is even faster than the Racing God of Mount Qilin! Challenging him is dumb! Damn lets gamble among ourselves, shall we? Well, if I can actually find someone with differing opinions C we all know who the winner is At that moment, reporter Qian Xiaojia chirped to her camera, I dont understand what is the point of this race between the Heavenly King Xia Hai and a female driver Its a waste of everyones time. Even so, her audience were mighty curious. Someone pointed out that the female driver actually seemed familiar, and had asked if Miss Jiazi could give her an interview. Qian Xiaojia could only laugh at herself in her heart. She had not even approached the beauty, but she knew that she was a genuine Goddess. She feared that her radiance might just blind her sight. It may just be a casual drive, but Xia Hai was still one of the drivers behind the wheel, so the cameras were all quickly set up. Drones and helicopters took to the air, and the spectators grew feverish with excitement. With the wave of the flag, Xia Hais pitch-black modified car and Zhao Youyues grey-silver modified car took off. Even so, sharper, experienced eyes flew open wide. This woman was no newbie. Shes batshit insane! That launch had been absolutely spectacular! Sadly, Xia Hais car was imperceptibly superior to the grey-silver machine. By the first turn, Zhao Youyue had fallen slightly behind. It was inevitable, as Chen Yilong had held nothing back regarding the modifications of the car. At that moment, Zhao Hao felt his heart leap out of his body, as the car went past 220 km/h. Alarmed and terrified, he turned to his sister, only see an animalistic, wild face. The night lights reflected off her dilated, predatory pupils. He was beginning to regret this. He should not have involved himself with the race! Zhao Hao did not dare say a word, lest he distracted her and sent them both plummeting to their deaths. He should have relieved himself before the race C he might end up wetting the seat, at this rate. Chapter 608 Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation Zhao Hao was terrified by the feline predator seated beside him. It resembled his sister, but he did not know this creature. Still, he was starting to understand why Chen Yilong enjoyed sitting in Xia Hais car. This sensation was amazing! His soul was flying through the air! The views on both sides of the mountain road were retreating like phantoms. This was something like those VR space shuttle simulators, except that this was far more realistic! Zhao Hao finally learned what drifting truly was. He could not decide if he enjoyed it more than he hated it. It was just a little too overly-stimulating. This car spent more time going sideways than straight. Modified cars were usually built to be as lightweight as possible. At such high speeds, the four wheels might just leave the ground At that moment, Zhao Haos nightmare reached a new height. Xia Hais black modified car was faster on straight lines. That was fine. But how his sister caught up to him at the start of corners was terrifying. Whenever Xia Hai slammed on the brakes, she only seemed to accelerate even harder! Oh my God! Thats a corner, dont you see it? Why arent you slowing down? Youre gonna kill us! At that moment, Zhao Hao was like a helpless little girl. He flattened himself against his seat and grabbed the sides. He had already accepted his fate, waiting to be raped In Xia Hais car, Chen Yilong was very relaxed. But when he saw the grey-silver car looming behind, he could not help but exclaim, Shes actually accelerating. Isnt she afraid of flying off the mountain? Has she gone mad? Xia Hais eyes flashed momentarily. He said faintly, Interesting. Xia Hai took corners like a conventional racer. He ensured that the car maintained full traction at all times. His tires barely ever screeched, but he was still ridiculously fast, going up to 160km/h. His cars handling had been enhanced to the maximum. His tires guaranteed perfect cornering! The audiences observed the big screen. Some of them were eating fruits, drinking beverages. Some had even started off BBQ sessions. Qian Xiaojias live stream gave about just as much information as the big screen. Some of her streams were the reason why adolescents were plagued by idle fantasies of mountain racing. They had even been misled into thinking that these mountain racers had too much free time in their hands. These modified cars were so much more interesting than those boring, standard racecars. When these passionate youths actually stepped into this world, they would soon discover how cruel it was. They had only seen the glamorous side of those racers who had made it, yet not learning of how many racers have accidentally died in car crashes! This was comparable to those extreme sports enthusiasts who loved high altitude parkour while taking selfies at the top of the Burj Khalifa. If they succeeded, it was a huge success. If they failed, it meant certain death! If Zhao Youyue did not have her cheat card, she would not even dream of getting into a car As the cars took the first bend, onlookers lost their minds! The grey-silver car tore the bend up. Many people had been prepared for the worst. Instead, the car had ferociously displayed its side to the road, drifting wildly. The tires screeched and tore up the tarmac. The tail of the car actually went over the side of the road. This was as extreme as a drift could get! Drifting in real life was usually slow and flashy. This theoretical but humanly impossible form of drifting pushed cars to the limits while taking corners with minimal loss in speed! At that moment, many brains stopped functioning. Flashy but useless drift? Ive been thinking it wrongly all this while! I need to unlearn and relearn this shit! After that gorgeous angle, Zhao Youyues car did not just pull away from Xia Hais car, but got closer instead! F*ck my life, she drifted, like for real! Chen Yilong had kept an eye on the side mirror. He was shocked. He could not help but sigh at the art in motion. Xia Hai was slightly miffed. He had never approved on drifting. He was a firm believer in the disciplined grip racing. It was a work of mathematical genius that involved precise calculations that took everything into account, from the apex of the corners, to the centrifugal forces at play. As the predator behind him closed in, he suddenly realized that drifting had its own merits. The most pitiful person was actually Zhao Hao. Onlookers may have thought that the car had looked amazing as it crabwalked. Zhao Hao felt as if he had just experienced the edge of life and death! Holy sh*t! This isnt fun at all! This is a nightmare! His sister is going to kill him! The inertia of his body had actually flung him to the left and right. He tightened his grip on the sides of the seat. Blood left his face. This car was not for humans! Im getting off, Im getting off this car, or my piss is going to get out of my bladder! Even so, Zhao Hao was a man. He truly respected his genius sister. Only she could turn a car into a space shuttle. Her guts, her skills, did they know no bounds? If Zhao Youyue knew that her cousin had such thoughts, she would definitely admit that she was actually without skill; she was all heart and instincts! Spectators thought that they were in for a surprise treat. This was bliss, this was art. They had expected a boring race, with a predictable outcome. They never expected the female racer in the grey-silver modified car to be this good. Xia Hai had actually failed to leave her in the dust. On the contrary, she was actually closing in on him like a predator! The crucial moment was nearing! It was a cold and windy night. On that dark, silent night, the silence was shattered by a wave of engine roars and tire screeches. Headlights tore through the dark mountain road that was barely wide enough for the width of two cars. This was the last corner. It was famous for its characteristic S-shape. After that, it would end in a straight sprint to the finish. A pure black car that had been modified to its limits entered the corner first. It was blindingly fast on the straights, but had slammed its brakes hard and decelerated to the ideal speed for the corner. The timing had been impeccable. This was enough for the machine to declare its victory. Xia Hai smiled faintly. At the very next moment, his lips parted in surprise. His poker face remained, but his body had betrayed his shock with a jolt of electricity. This race had given him far too many surprises. His palms were damp with sweat. At that moment, a haunting screech echoed in his ears. The grey-silver car, with its unassuming, almost stock body had never looked so beautiful before! As usual, Zhao Youyue had not slowed down. Instead, she had put the pedal to the metal while spinning the steering wheel. Her slim, perfect fingers were like phantoms. She drifted through the entire S-curve, shocking the daylights out of Xia Hai and Chen Yilong. A line of grey-silver lightning suddenly flashed past the S-curve. It screamed at them like a banshee as it zoomed past them! The victor had been determined! Chapter 609 Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation The King of the Mountain Road Xia Hai had been defeated on Mount Qilin, where it had all began! He had been defeated by a mysterious, unknown female racer! It was not a scheduled, official race, but everyone knew that Xia Hai had tried his very best! When they finally took down his race time, it had been faster than the time when he defeated the ex-God racer of Mountain Qilin. His fearsome opponent had forced all the juice out of his body. Even after all that, he had still been utterly defeated. That final drift was the thing of fantasies! When the viewers saw the conclusion of the race, they only stood in silence, unable to believe what the big screen had just displayed! After that silence, the crowd erupted like a volcano! Xia Hai actually lost! He was actually faster than the night he took down a God. Who exactly is that female racer? Damn, what a great day. Ive just witnessed a tale I could pass down to my grandchildren! Shes too cool! Every drift had been taken to the limit. She basically cheated death at each turn. Such guts, such skill, she simply was born for racing! If anyone tells me in future that drifting is something flashy but useless, Ill slap his face by showing tonights recording! I hereby declare that from today onwards, Im a loyal fan of that beauty racer! I dont think any of the other upcoming races of tonight would be worth watching. Shes stolen the limelight. Shes so freakishly fast. How could anyone else compare to that? Come come come, where are all the naysayers? Why is it so silent now? You hypocrites, you really dont know what it means to be a real racer. Never judge a book by its cover! That chick has serious skills. Dont forget that the modified car she drove belongs to the ex-God racer of Mountain Qilin. Its far slower than Xia Hais modified car. I heard that they invested over ten million in its build! Bravo, bravo! This female racer deserved the victory! Most embarrassed were those Xia Hai braggarts. They made up a good 70~80% of the crowd. Afterall, Xia Hai had toppled a God. He had been in the scene for a long time. People always jumped on the bandwagon and support the reigning champion, even if Xia Hai was a grip racing purist. Now, nobody was laughing. This female racer had blown all conventions out the water. Her drifting wasnt even flashy. It was terrifying, violent and reckless. Doesnt this remind us of a certain anime character?! The famous live streamer Lady Jia Zi had also fell silent. As Xia Hai maintained his lead, she had never stopped her mouth, saying things such as, This is a waste of time, The gap is too big, Shes out, The King will definitely win, etc. She had not stopped for a moment until she had successfully jinxed Xia Hai When Xia Hai was finally overtaken, she had stopped mid-syllable, as if her throat had been plugged by a light bulb. What a biased commentator. A moment ago, she was still bragging about how the reigning champion would keep his crown. At the next moment, the underdog had forced her own words down her throats! Viewers truly loved watching live streamers getting slapped in the face. Her bullet curtain became flooded with LOLs and ROFLMAOs. Others spoke up When I saw that nasty drift, I already gave up on Xia Hai. He was not flashy enough! Hey guys. First time visiting this channel. Is this a film or was that races real? Of course its real. You can go to the scene and watch in person. Its amazing, just like watching an Esports competition. How does that feel, Jiaxi? Getting slapped in the face? Hahah you wouldnt stop hyping the King up like a brainless fan! Im now a fan of that chick. I hereby beg that Lady Jia Zi approach her for an interview! I was truly shocked! That was a scene straight out of an anime. I never expected someone to actually pull it off. Shes simply awesome, right?! Im not sure if Im imagining it, but I feel like Ive just witnessed Zhao Xiaomei in reality. That violence! That reckless abandonment! Those who have watched Fast Track: No Limits, please dont leave. Lets cheer for Lady Zhao Xiaomei! Lady Jia Zi. For your own good, you should follow this extraordinary female racer in the future. Shes faster and flashier than Xia Hai. I dont see why I have to stay in Xia Hais fanclub! Qian Xiaojia slapping her own face was one thing. It was worth it, seeing how her own live stream shot up to the next level. It exceeded a million views. In her heart, she smiled. Qian Xiaojia saw the requests on the bullet curtain. Among them were several viewers who had donated heavily to her channel. Well, she couldnt turn them down, now. That womans beauty would make her look like a roadside beggar, but she did not care now. Her viewers came first. When she was done with the interview, she would boldly request for due payment Zhao Hao finally regained enough sensation in his legs to pull himself out of the car. His face was as white as a ghost, and he was barely conscious. His only thought was This is a f*cking miracle! I still f*cking live! Back at the S-curve, he had screamed. It was not a shout of victory, but he was utterly convinced that he was going to die. He staggered to the side of the track and emptied his guts out. It was truly great to be alive! That was when he felt something off. Something was wet, and it was at his crotch? His white face turned green. He scrambled to the toilet, falling over along the way. This was way too embarrassing. He would never sit in his sisters car again, no matter how curious he was This was not adrenaline. This was life and death. He finally understood the meaning of those phrases such as a cornered animal is at its most deadliest state, There is little hope of survival. If someone asked him whether his pampered self had ever experienced despair, he had a certain answer to offer. It had all occurred during a single night, when his sister had taken him on a drive! Chapter 610 Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation Zhao Hao had lost his soul. On the other hand, Zhao Youyue, the perpetrator of the disaster was jubilant. The taste of victory was sweet, it was delicious! She suddenly felt that she should get herself a sports car, such as a Zhui Dian. In this case, whenever she got bored, she could go have some fun on the mountain road. It was therapeutic. Zhao Youyue finally switched off the character card. In actuality, Zhao Xiaomei and herself shared more similarities than one might think. After all, Zhao Xiaomei was a fictional version of herself. She had earned her status as a highly popular character. The manga was already rather popular, to begin with. Also, who else would think of such an elegant lady driving so violently. Whenever Zhao Youyue activated this card, changes in her personality would be minimal, unlike her other cards. At that time, Zhao Hao was frantically solving his physiological issues in the toilet. He had not yet been scared shitless. Impressively, he had retained most of his bowel control. Right now, he was releasing water in front of the urinal. Both his legs were still shaking. But his entire person seemed to have completely come back to life, as if he had regained a new lease of life Chen Yilong and Xia Hai hesitantly approached Zhao Youyue. Both of them looked at Lady Zhao as if they were looking at a monster. Even the face-blind Xia Hai had been mentally scarred for life. Her face would be the object of his nightmares for a long time! His defeat did not upset him much. He had given his all. He had even surpassed his past self. That alone, was worth being happy about. Zhao Youyue did not become arrogant in victory, as she knew that she had cheated. Xia Hai was the one with true capabilities. He had put up a very good fight against a fictional character. One day, she might come across a racing kind of source-world through Altairs card.. That world might host racing deities. They would scoff at driting like it was childs play. More awesome techniques like Gutter Hooks[1] would also be considered menial. Their techniques should involve stuff like cars backflipping and stuff. Fantasy competitive types of works were still prevalent in recent years. For example, the skill to be able to get a 100% buff from the striking of a gong, to the catching of the moon from the bottom of the sea. Mahjong was truly fun! Now, Zhao Youyue could also experience the fun of racing. Little did she know that Zhao Hao, once a diehard fan of drifting, had been traumatized for life. He had completely lost interest in fast cars. It was better to sit in a Rolls Royce or Bentley. Screw you, supercar Wait, this was a win-win situation, wasnt it? The brother did not want anything to do with his supercar anymore, so he would hand it down to his sister. Thats the natural order of things, right? Xia Hai was a stiff man of few words. He uttered an uncharacteristically long sentence. Youre strong. Hope we have the chance to race again. No matter which mountain road it is. As long as you come, I would race you. Come find me if you really treat me as a fellow racer! Xia Hai had not been discouraged by this loss. He was not an anime character. Before he had received the title King of the Mountain, he had experienced countless failures. He did not have Chen Yilongs backing in the past. All he had was his trusty, self-modified car. He was already accustomized to the taste of defeat Sometimes, a gap in the performance of cars would not guarantee the outcome of a race. Sheer skill could conquer it all. While Xia Hai had remained entirely calm, Chen Yilong was staring at Zhao Youyue with a far more passionate gaze. If it was not for his sexual orientation, he might have already been thoroughly conquered by Zhao Youyue! Who was this Lady exactly? Not only was she good at gaming, singing, playing the violin, she was a mountain racing queen. She was some sort of real life glitch Zhao Youyue, youve successfully caught my attention! said Chen Yilong, trying to hold back his smile. Zhao Youyues impression towards Chen Yilong was rather neutral. Zhao Hao would not stop reminding her that Chen Yilong was a scumbag. He relied exclusively on his handsome appearance to play with female hearts Even so, Zhao Youyue did not find any part of him to be particularly annoying. Zhao Youyue could not help but throw a jab, Are you now cosplaying as an overbearing president? I thought that all girls like my type? To gain your favorability, I can only try my best to arm myself like so, said Chen Yilong, a slight smile on his face. Well, youre not wrong. They definitely love that type. You could probably tell that I armed myself similarly, no? said Zhao Youyue. She seemed to be more vocal about her preference towards beautiful and gentle girls. Tsk I did not expect us to be kindred spirits, My Lady. Interesting, interesting Chen Yilong seemed to have understood something. As Chen Yilong and Zhao Youyue chatted away, Zhao Hao finally returned. He saw Chen Yilong and Zhao Youyue chatting happily, and his heart froze up. He shoved away the jelly that still remained in his knees and hurriedly cut in. He was afraid that his sister would also fall victim to this scumbag, Chen Yilong Most people these years judged people by looks, no matter the gender. Generally speaking, no matter how much of a scumbag a handsome guy or a beautiful girl was, someone would always be willing to accept them. They all would have the same thoughts, Im the one. Ill be the one who turns this scumbag over a new leave, and well live happily ever after. For the sake of such good looks, I dont mind wearing the hat of forgiveness. When Chen Yilong saw Zhao Hao, he quickly turned to tease him. Boss Hao, why did you rush to the toilet? Did you actually wet yourself? Im pretty sure I saw you throwing up. What a drama queen! Zhao Hao jumped like a monkey that had been stepped on by the tail. He stomped the ground and roared, Bullsh*t! It was a most exhilarating experience! I was in heaven! I love drift racing! Chen Yilong smiled. He helped Zhao Hao adjust his messy clothes, and cooed, Why not we sit in your sisters car together, the next time? I truly want to experience those drifts myself Zhao Haos face turned even whiter. Where was my phobia? Come back here, phobia! Translation Note: [1] Gutter Hook C A technique by Takumi Fujiwara in Initial D. This is the one Takumi is most known for and has been used multiple times when racing on Akina. Its an entry-oriented method that doesnt let the driver understeer at the entrance. The inner tires are dropped into the gutter to withstand the centrifugal force of the turn. It allows the car to turn beyond the grip of its tires. Chapter 611 Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation Zhao Haos mother should be thanking Zhao Youyue. The Lady had successfully cured Zhao Haos age-old hobby of underground racing. In the future, she would no longer have to worry about him getting into car accidents. Zhao Hao had vehemently denied Chen Yilongs wishes, but he kept it in his heart. He would never sit in his sisters car again, ever, if she decides to start racing. If there are any volunteer replacements, please, do so! Fortunately for Zhao Hao, Chen Yilong was distracted by the massive crowd that had gathered around them. They gazed at Zhao Youyue as if she was the racing messiah. Zhao Youyue had grown accustomized to crowds and being the center of attention. Rather, she embraced such attention, as befitting of a main character. Whats the point of putting so much effort into the Two Dimensional Gate if it did not garner her any recognition? Nevertheless, too much attention could cost her her privacy, so she took out a pair of sunglasses and put it on. The last thing her family needed was to have the internet talking about how their daughter was a supreme underground racer. After all, this did not sit well with her image. Many thought that it encouraged a blatant disregard for life. If her activities actually encouraged people into throwing their lives away, that would not be good. Mountain races were not the deadliest sport out there, but they sure as hell were not the safest. Zhao Youyue was a cheater. She was a hacker. Lady Zhao had often considered how her actions would shape society. At the end of the day, she hoped that people stayed safe and sound; unless they had cheats of their own. Let them have their adrenaline fixes from their video clips, anime, and movies about drag racing on the internet. As people started trying to take a closer look C trying to guess her identity, she had walked straight towards Zhao Haos Lamborghini supercar. Running away after an act of badassery was truly exciting Zhao Hao had forced himself to sit in his own car. He was rather apprehensive of how Zhao Youyue might continue drifting in his car. He really should have taken a cab back, right? When they saw the girl who had just defeated King Xia Hai getting into a Lamborghini, the respect within their hearts only rose further up. She had to come from an impressive background. The less influential figures from the crowd started backing off. Most helpless was the famous live streamer, Qian Xiaojia C who was more perplexed than ever. In the end, she never got to interview the mysterious female racer. Her camera crew only managed to get a shot of her retreating back for a good few seconds. That noble, graceful back slew the chat room! The live stream viewers let out a collective sigh As expected from a Kingslayer. Look at that imposing back, tsk tsk! A woman who actually drives a Lamborghini, instead of just showing off. Thats a real Lady! I want to see her front. I have so many questions! I dont get you weirdos. What is all this talk of backs and imposing figures? Its just the back of another person! If you want to ogle, just ogle! Dont give me shit like how her back looks like royalty. Yea, Im typing in royal font, so are you going to bow before me?! Well, not her back per se C but that coat she has on has to be at least 58000 RMB. And her shoes. Sigh Thats a Lady. Poverty has limited my imagination! On that day, Lady Jia Zis live stream had been tremendously successful. She had given them quality footage of a real-life Goddess of Drift. She had slain the new King of Mount Qilin! Thats right. That single race had been enough for the internet to call this mysterious female racer the Goddess of Drift. The very next day, footage of her wild drifts went viral! Readers of Fast Track: No Limits became extremely agitated. Some of them screamed out chants like Lady Zhao Xiaomei and so. Only she could be so gutsy and disgustingly fast. Nobody without a deathwish would even attempt to pull off such stunts. This woman was mocking death. How does one hit those speeds without rolling over? Some enthusiastic readers had even recommended this video to the author of Fast Track: No Limits, Chen Daxiu. Chen Daxiu was no slouch. He was constantly on the move, at the scene of various races to get firsthand experience of motor racing. Some awesome readers had actually matched the actual races that were the source of inspiration for some of the races in the manga. Of course, Chen Daxiu often emphasized on the most exciting part of racing C the overtakes. His renditions of them would be exaggerated, of course. After all, his manga characters were flamboyant and over-the-top. Each main character seemed to possess his or her unique technique As a writer, Chen Daxiu was very much aware of how reality differed from fantasy. Therefore, when the readers recommended the video clip to him, he had not expected much. He had always thought that his readers often fussed over nothing. He had clicked the video lazily, not expecting much. One of the first things he noticed was that it was a rather short video, only 8 minutes or so. Even so, the view count and comments had flooded the page! He started watching the video, slightly intrigued. The beginning of the video was already flooded with comments and cheers about worshipping the Goddess of Drift. Fortunately, they got out of the way during the action. They simply floated at the top border of the window When Chen Daxiu watched the cars ripping up the first bend, his heart stopped. As the author who had created the female character Zhao Xiaomei with his own hands, he was suddenly highly convinced that he had just witnessed the real Zhao Xiaomei in real life! If not, how else could he explain such a situation? Thats exactly how he had pictured her in his mind! Thats her trademark wild drifting! It only took a few minutes for Chen Daxiu to transition from sheer boredom to a state of utter alarm. When he saw someone spamming the name Zhao Xiaomei in the bullet curtain, he felt vaguely smug. How great it was to have his character be mentioned alongside such a real-life legend. This video clip had appeared at the right time. His character rode the waves and became highly popular. This was always a good thing. Also, he had to know more about this mysterious female racer Little did he know that the biggest winner of all would be his fan, Lady Zhao. Zhao Youyue may not find much practical use of this card, but it was good enough for her. If she ever discovers a work that would serve her well, she could use it as a sacrifice. Obtaining a highly popular card was always good, but it would never take the place of an icon. Chapter 612 Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation January came to a sudden end. Zhao Youyues first half semester of her first year was just about to end. Her reign as the Deputy Head of the Student Councils Literature and Art Department, and her appearance during the New Years Literature and Art Evening Party had most certainly been a great success. At this rate, she was more or less the queen of the University. Well, not exactly queen. She was already a campus idol even before entering the Student Council. Therefore, during her successful appearance at the Literature and Art Evening Party, the Student Council quickly learned to respect her. They had taken her request to be a Deputy Head lightly. Now, they were caught in a mixture of regret and awe. Within their hearts, they had said, As expected of Lady Zhao Youyue. Shes impeccable in almost every aspect! Zhao Youyues accomplishments within the Literature and Art Department had undoubtedly led her one step closer to the throne. During the first week of the second half semester, the war for the Student Presidents seat would kick off. As long as Zhao Youyue became the Student President, peace would befall everyone. She did not think that anyone would be able to usurp her. Winter holidays were looming close. For a hacker like Zhao Youyue, the final exams did not faze her one bit. She would go claim her free scholarship, as usual. Zhao Youyues dormitory mates would take it almost as easily. After all, all of them had broke through the entrance exams of Jiangnan University. Besides, the learning atmosphere of top universities was nothing like those general universities. Also, they were all girls. It was the male students who often failed due to fooling about too much By the time the exams arrived, they had given up trying altogether. They were even bothered to microprint any of their cheat sheets. If they did not fail their exams, who else would? Nobody had gone home for the holidays yet. Thus, the nosy Yu Xuefei had suggested that they had dinner together and a Karaoke session. Wasnt it wondering to socialize? Obviously, Yu Xuefei had not ended up as the class rep of the Chinese Studies. That spot had also been taken up by Lady Zhao Youyue. It was not like she even wanted the position. She was not that ambitious. She only had the Student President position in her eyes. Well, nobody asked the class to nominate her. Zhao Youyue was not only the so-called Goddess of the Military Training, she was also the model of the military training. She had also shocked the entire audiences during the Literature and Art Evening Party with her violin skill during a performance. It was at that moment, when the counselor mentioned that Zhao Youyue was the top subject among all Arts students within the Jiangnan Province. She should be the class rep. Who would dare protest? Such a person did not exist! Naturally, Yu Xuefei had tried all methods of tormenting the class rep. Even so, she could not seem to make her budge. Even so, Yu Xuefei was not frustrated by her lack of progress. She was basically a Class rep herself. This was because it was very much a trait of Zhao Youyue to have others to be at her beck and call. Everything that the counselor had her do, she would off-load the tasks to Yu Xuefer This was most certainly not coercion C she was merely giving a capable person the tasks and responsibilities that befitted her. This was the art of leadership! Yu Xuefei was very concerned about her standing within the campus. She wished to be loved and respected by the students within the faculty. She wanted to brag all about it back home. Most importantly, she could rely on Lady Zhaos name to oppress and intimidate others. Yu Xuefei quickly realized that the key person on campus was Lady Zhao. Therefore, becoming Lady Zhaos no handling some of her affairs was an absolutely worthwhile investment! In fact, after many learned that she was Lady Zhaos assistant, they started treating her with reverence. Yu Xuefei was also another fresh face who earned herself a spot in the Student Council in no time whatsoever. She had opted for the Health Department. However, she had not been as fortunate as Bai Yunshan. Now, she was a member at the lowest level within the Health Department. Of course, she had placed herself at Deputy Head Zhao Youyues disposal. She even wholeheartedly supported Lady Zhaos decision to participate in the general elections Evidently, Yu Xuefei had a thorough understanding of the fundamental nature of things, when a person gains power, his or her subordinates would similarly raise up the ranks. As a person who was an incredible performer and actress, Zhao Youyue had always replied with the same words Im just a Year 1 student. How could I step out of line and fight for the Student President position? I would not humiliate myself like so. Id rather be the Head of the Literature and Art Department. Upon obtaining the acting queen C Zhang Guorongs character card she could lie and convince anyone with a straight face. Of course, she intended to be the Student President. However, her daily behavior, words, and demeanor all seemed to be clear about the opposite I dont want to become the Student President. Please look for someone else, I dont intend to step on anyones toes Even Yu Xuefei was deceived. Even so, she truly hoped that Lady Zhao took the position. Similarly deceived were the head of the Discipline Inspection Department, Qiao Fei and Cao Chuanguang, the newly-elected head of the Public Relations Department who had made himself an enemy of Lady Zhao. They had let their guards down and were now researching other competitors. Yu Xuefei successfully invited a significant portion of the class to this get-together. It was a given to have dinner gatherings before holidays. She had even successfully invited male students from other faculties, namely the Computer Science faculty. This was only possible because some male students from that faculty were interested in her. She was not interested in males, but the idea of being desired and pursued was a very pleasant one. It would be even more fun tantalizing them. How could a Goddess and elite scholar like herself walk around without a few manservants? Vain girls all thought the same. On the other hand, the world had an abundance of naive men who always failed to see past beautiful faces. So what if shes a bitch inside. She has a pretty face, thats all that matters, right? Thus, she had turned this dinner party into a fellowship session between the students of the Chinese Studies faculty and Computer Science faculty. Also, since Lady Zhao had honored them with her presence, the male students were pleasantly surprised When He Weiwei caught sight of two particular faces, her expression darkened. She pulled Yu Xuefei aside and hissed, Why did you invite Zhong Xiaoli and Liu Dan to the dinner party? Have you already forgotten how they slandered Zhao Youyue in the first place? Silly Wei, cant you use a little more of your brain? Im trying to find more reliable tools for Lady Zhao. Dont you know that guilty conscience is a very effective motivator? Bitchy Yu! Dont you dare call me silly again! Of course, I know that! But their ass-licking is a little too disconcerting! Chapter 613 Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation In the end, He Weiwei never told Zhao Youyue about this incident. They have already been roommates for a whole semester; this bickering had already turned into He Weiwei and Yu Xuefeis idea of friendly chatter. Perhaps Zhao Youyue was that good at teaching others. At least she got her dormitory to work in harmony, compared to the time when they all first moved in. Anyhow, it was far better than the neighboring dormitory It was the dormitory that housed Zhong Xiaoli and Liu Dan. Daily battles occurred there. Ma Shuang, the super messy and dirty girl, was the cause of it all. They fought and quarreled over various things. Zhong Xiaoli frequently posted on the internet to complain about this. She had already opened many threads under the My Best Roommate category. Whenever the netizens chipped in, her mental knots would be untangled. If anything, this was good for her mental health. If Zhao Youyue stayed up to gossip with her roommates two or three days a week, it was an honor. She usually spent her nights in the Two Dimensional Gate. The world of works was still more exciting, compared to the real world. Even as the Two Dimensional Gate cooled down, she visited the supernatural source world by using the godly Altair card. Zhao Youyue has almost finished exploring the current supernatural source world. She was infuriated by how monsters treated this world like paradise. Human beings were just domesticated animals kept by the monsters. It was very much like the old Planet of the Apes. This was one of those no solution type of worlds, right? Such works were getting a little too rampant, even if they were not always popular. These stories would end with everyone dying, or with everyone getting trapped in an endless cycle. Audiences would always leave the hall with their hearts in knots Zhao Youyue decided to move on to a new source world. She was almost done with the current one. She hoped that the new source world would bring her more benefits. Incidentally, when using the lower-leveled superhuman Wuxia Su Shi character card, Zhao Youyue found it impossible to use abilities which transcended reality, not only because of the correcting powers of the real world, but also because these abilities were absorbed by the incomplete Altair card, into her Holopsicon This finally answered Zhao Youyues question, which was, why could she use all the abilities of her character cards, even without activating the character cards? It turned out that these abilities had been integrated into the godly Altair card! This discovery got Zhao Youyue excited all over again. The current source world was boring. Her existence was more to that of a bystander or side-character in non-fiction. She was also spending more time as the black cat than anything else Even then, she was on her own C she could not simply trust any other black cat she encountered. Some black cats expelled evil spirits, whereas some black cats harmed others. Either way, they creeped everyone out. However, no stories actually featured a black cat as the main protagonist. As the Holopsicon absorbed the abilities of the super character cards, its energy levels would also be replenished. Then, the Altair card would once again be able to tap into the Two Dimensional Gate and open a stable passage to a new source world. Energy could then be harvested from the new source world and replenish her character cards and the Two Dimensional Gate. Additionally, doujinshis related to Altair were still very prevalent. None of them have really picked up, but the trend was still going strong. Who knows, a genius might suddenly have a eureka moment and create Re:Creators Moreover, in the supernatural source world, Zhao Youyue managed to get some interesting insight from a monster that she had befriended. There was this Transcendent Monster roaming about, capturing testers from other worlds and releasing them into this monster world. This was done to give these testers another chance. Of course, when it came to this world, they were basically as good as dead. When Zhao Youyue heard this, she was shocked. This was definitely how people got themselves trapped in an endless cycle. After all, the supernatural source world was where the scenes of those iconic horror movies came from. Those monsters were clearly working for the Transcendent Monster, or rather, their god. If these monsters could get some extra income, why not? Even after exploring the supernatural source world for so long, Zhao Youyue had never met a tester, or rather, should they be called endless cycle team members? It was a pity. She could totally work for the Transcendent Monster as well. She made a terrific black cat. Her Youyue Meow was neutral in alignment. When she was happy, she would kill some monsters. When she was bored, she would capture some random people these people werent real. They were simply mental projections of real-life dreamers. If they died in this world, they would only wake up from their nightmares. Zhao Youyue wrote an Altair doujinshi by herself. It was titled Altairs Supernatural World Tour, and she published it on the Qidian Chinese website. Of course, she used a sub account. Her pen name was Foodie that Loves to Eat Books. The Qidian Chinese website no longer had a doujinshi section. There was the rather derelict 2D category. The only genre that set off there would be doujinshis of extremely popular animes and transmigration isekai works. One of the genres leading title would be Shift! The Female Elite Scholar. It was newly released, but it had managed to appear on the first page of the new books list, messing up the status quo! This books author was Drunk for Her. Of course, Zhao Youyue knew nothing about this man. Little did she remember that this trash of a man had once gone so far as to recommend his own work to Tycoon Youyue Obviously, Lady Zhao would not pay any attention to such a trashy author. Zhao Youyues doujinshi was not destined to pick up speed. It was by no means badly written. She had written it with the Wen Qingyu card, and she had completely reproduced every sensation she experienced from the supernatural source worlds. Wen Qingyus writing was excellent. It was not convoluted and gorgeous like Han Lengs, nor as effortlessly philosophical as Du Hangs. It was concise and realistic. Reading it would throw a person straight into its pages. If anyone ever wrote erotica in such a manner, they would be a supreme god. They could start off entire cults on their own. Unfortunately, Wen Qingyu had her sights on higher grounds. In Shi Jingnians novel Bakuman, she only wrote books for hardcopy publication. These days, everyone wanted nothing but fast-food reading. The age of physical books was dead. Chapter 614 Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation Altairs Supernatural World Tour was trash. The more vivid the descriptions were, the more it sickened its readers. This was because humans were reading her work, and they would always stand on the side of human beings. The human beings in the supernatural source world were all domesticated animals kept in captivity by the monsters. Moreover, even the protagonist, Altair was just a spectator who could only stand and watch helplessly. Zhao Youyue was merely recording every event in the supernatural world. Perhaps, only creators of supernatural works, wanting to be inspired would gain anything from her realistic masterpiece. Nobody would take this for real. Of course, there was always the odd reader around. Whenever Zhao Youyue ate her own book, she felt as if she was eating some sour, refreshing ice cream. Ordinary ice-cream simply tasted like, ordinary ice-cream. This book sent a chill down your very soul. It was very creepy. Perhaps the chosen individual might just stumble upon this book one day and share his new bible to the world Zhao Youyue appreciated this opportunity. Being able to record everything down with her pen and extending Altairs travels was akin to prolonging Setsunas legacy. She was also trying to see the extent of foodie Wen Qingyus use. This was one of the cards that she had considered discarding. Nothing much happened during the holidays. Of course, Lady Zhao was the center of attraction wherever she went. It did not bother her, she still had a lot of fun. Other guys tried to pursue Yu Xuefei, cheekily asking Zhao Youyue for a way to contact her. Fun days, right? As usual, after the meal, everyone went for their karaoke sessions. Zhao Youyue walked about with her staff. If a lowlife appeared in the KTV[1] during an iconic bridge of a song, she could use her Su Shi card and showcase yet another one of her talents. Everyone had already gotten used to Zhao Youyue walking about with a cane. This was how an exquisite Missy acted. She was just like an aristocrat. It was a reference to Fate/Zero. Indeed, if ordinary people walked around like this, people would assume that they were suffering from sophohigh syndrome. However, when Zhao Youyue did it, she had style. This was a good time to play the song Were Different[2] Unfortunately, throughout the karaoke session, no such incident occurred. People were far more civilized in the real world. This world simply did not give her any opportunities to use her powers! Zhao Youyue was not that interested in singing. However, when she did sing a little to be a good sport, everyones souls flew out of their bodies for that moment. The social gathering ended in harmony C just like that. When she got back, she eagerly used the fully-charged godly Altair card to select a new world at will. The source world was paradise for her. She could freely use all the abilities of all her cards at once. It was the definition of freedom This had motivated her to craft new iconic characters. Just as Zhao Youyue was preparing to open a passage to the new source world, she received a WeChat notification. It was some guy from the Computer Science Department, which she had just met today during the social gathering. The remark was: Xiao Yiren. How frustrating. She had courteously added them on WeChat, but could not remember who was who. It could not be helped. Among the boys in the Computer Science Department, no one really caught her eye. Today, Ive had the privilege of eating with a goddess like you and hearing the voice of nature of a goddess like you. Im the luckiest man alive! When Zhao Youyue saw this message, she just thought that this guy was probably trying too hard to get on her good side. She was not too fond of others calling her things like school flower, goddess and such. Zhao Youyue always had a good temper. Every time a boy took the initiative to send her a message, she always told herself that he was just complimenting her C it did not mean that he was into her. However, in the end, she would realize that most of them only messaged her because they totally wanted her. After all, she was still single. They were already in university, so she was the fantasy of many boys Apparently, only Han Leng and Du Hang were pure, relatively speaking. The former could never get himself free from her grasp, whereas the latter was a firm believer in the philosophy of loneliness. Whenever Du Hang got himself cornered by Zhao Youyue, he would inevitably shove a significant portion of his pragmatic insight into her face. However, Zhao Youyue found these two boys far more interesting compared to those who did nothing but sent her terrible flirtatious messages. Even the self-proclaimed professionals had no chance when it came to Zhao Youyue. She was far too different. Lovey-dovey little exchanges only sent chills up her spine. Some of them even did couple selfies and gave each other special nicknames. It was downright nauseating for her. It was way too disgusting. Zhao Youyue knew how to play a romantic character, but she was not one. She neither lacked love nor friends. She had all kinds of friends and a brother who doted on her very much. So, why would she need a boyfriend? Im just a side-character. A goddess does not exist, Zhao Youyue replied casually. Too modest! Its not good for a goddess like you to be too modest. After all, youre so beautiful. I dont even know how to describe your beauty, even though, obviously, I could not stop myself from writing inappropriate novels over the internet, Xiao Yiren seemed to be putting the chatting advice that was given to him by a professional girl chaser to good use. The advice was, keep flattering a girl to get on her good side. This would not work on Zhao Youyue. Did she lack people who flattered her? Xiao Yirens toady flattering only came off as cynical to her, almost mocking. However, Zhao Youyue caught on a particular word, Oh? You write novels? Whats it about? It is a web novel, some isekai nonsense As for what its about, forget it. I dont think its good enough yet. One day, when I become a god, then Ill tell you! When that day comes, Ill already be a Goddess myself! Zhao Youyue scoffed at him in her thoughts. The two of them casually chattered for a bit. Of course, Xiao Yiren was very enthusiastic. He eagerly buttered Lady Zhao up with more praises. However, he clearly needed practice. Zhao Youyue found his flattery too explicit and exaggerated. It was too fake. You need to be a born genius to chase girls, let alone Zhao Youyue. If not for the fact that he was a web novel writer, Zhao Youyue would have probably ignored him long ago. Zhao Youyue wanted to go to sleep, so she stopped talking to him. He actually took the initiative to wish her goodnight, as if good night could also increase her favorability towards him. In actuality, to Zhao Youyue, greetings were just a tedious formality. Only strangers needed to exchange greetings. Zhao Youyue could finally focus all of her energy into the new source world. With Altairs car in hand, she opened the passage She was a newborn baby girl! She had a sister who was one year older than her. Her sisters name was - - Cirilla Fiona Elen Riannon. She was a princess. She was the daughter of The Nilfgaardian Emperor Emhyr var Emreis and the Cintra Princess Pavetta and granddaughter of Calanthe, the Lioness of Cintra. This was the source world of Western Fantasy! Perhaps, the inspiration for many Western fantasy novels stemmed from this world Translation note : [1] KTV means Karaoke Television. [2] Were Different (Dzһ) is a song by Da Zhuang (). Chapter 615 Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation Zhao Youyue was intrigued. She had not expected to turn into a newborn baby girl here! This was nothing like how she became an unconscious girl in the supernatural source world. She was a nobody. In this Western Fantasy, she was nobility. This was a good start She could not complain about this. This time, she might actually fulfill her empress dream! What works would she inspire? Would she become a hapless creators inspiration and be instantly made into an iconic female character? She finally got to know her name - - Olivia Fiona Elen Riannon. Olivia was a pretty nice name. It meant a domineering, smart, and perfect. In such a Western medieval fantasy world that contained swords and magic, the name of aristocrats were often far too lengthy. Although Zhao Youyue was aware of that, she still found her name too Mary Sue-ish. Was this her counterpart in this world? A name like The Paladin Zhang Daniu[1] would be most down-to-earth Fortunately, people did not normally refer to others by their full names. Just Olivia was fine. People close to her could also call her Viya, which was far more simple. It was just like how she called her sister Cirilla Ciri. Just as Zhao Youyue made up her mind to claim the throne, she suddenly realized that an exclamation mark had appeared at the upper right corner of her sight. She used her little hands to tap it open. It felt like she was playing a VR game! After running in circles for so long, was this the source world of iconic Western fantasy games? Was she already part of the system? After tapping the exclamation mark open, she found a quest window which contained main quests, secondary quests, treasure hunts and contracts on it Of course, her main quest was, Empress Ambition - - to unify the World of the Witcher. Was this world called the World of the Witcher? As a veteran web novel reader, Zhao Youyue first thought of a famous web novel in another world called World of the Witcher, written by a genius author with the pen name Go Away. Never once did she think of the famous single-player, Witcher game series. The players ridiculed the developers as foolish Polish. But their goodwill eventually got to the players, many who originally pirated the game ended up getting their own genuine copies. Most famous of all was The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt. Cirilla was one of the most important characters in this game. It was a pity that Zhao Youyue had not played this game yet. Otherwise, when she learned that her sister in this world was Cirilla, she would get a firm grasp on her situation. Now, she still believed that this world a the fusion of many familiar Western fantasy elements, like the supernatural source world. Maybe, it had The Lord of the Rings, Harry Potter, and such. These were so-called examples of contemporary Western fantasy. Well, it did not matter if she had not yet played the game. Zhao Youyue soon discovered that there was more than just a quest window. She also had an inventory, map, bestiary, character information Of course, her inventory was empty. The map was still blacked out. The bestiary was empty. However, under character information, there were already four names, Calanthe, Pavetta, Emhyr, and Cirilla, respectively titled grandmother, mother, father, and sister. There, she could read their entire lifes story from birth to present. Cirilla had the least information to offer. After all, she was only one year older than her sister Olivia. Her grandmother and the mother had a few paragraphs worth of information. On the other hand, her father Emhyrs offered an entire novel. When Emhyr was 13 years old, the capital of the southern Nilfgaardian Empire became the stage of a coup led by an influential aristocrat. Emhyrs father, Emperor Fergus var Emreis, was overthrown and the aristocrat had seized the throne. Fergus had refused to admit the legitimacy of the coup and thus, was tortured. To break him, the usurper also ordered the mage to torture his son and heir - - Emhyr. One of the sorcerers named Braathens C a smart alec had cleverly turned Emhyr into a hedgehog-like monster - - urcheon. After some time, Emhyr finally drifted his way to Cintra. He adopted the moniker Duny. He had claimed to be the Prince of Maecht and the son of Akerspaark. He was relieved of his curse with the help of the Witcher Geralt. Following that, he successfully married the Cintra Princess Pavetta, and handsomely rewarded the Witcher. Geralt specifically asked for the law of surprise. The so-called law of surprise was a baby who was closely linked to the person who made the promise. This was a method of paying a debt of gratitude. Anyone who wanted to use the law of surprise had to say something like what you find at home yet dont necessarily seek when they hear someone vow to give them something. This sentence referred neither to the lover who was hiding under the wifes bed, nor the mother-in-law who suddenly paid a visit, but a child who was born or adopted while the swearing person was absent. It was said that children like these had world-changing futures ahead of them. Emhyr found his wife pregnant after giving such an oath. That child would then be given to Geralt. Her name was Cirilla. Zhao Youyue was certain that her cheap father had a dream of reviving the country. He was most ambitious. He probably wanted to become the Emperor of the vast southern Nilfgaardian Empire, no matter what. Now, he was just biding his time. Of course, behind him stood a supporter named Vilgefortz. He was an extremely powerful mage. Under his guidance, Emhyr had been able to rise to the throne and that was where he held his position firmly. The character information function of this game was simply too convenient. It gave her the means to pull strings and blackmail her way up the entire world, not just this little empire! Well, growing would have to come first. She was still too young. She would have to take this, one step at a time. Zhao Youyue skillfully placed Olivia under the care of the Two Dimensional Gate, and proceeded to withdraw from the source world. It was time to do some research and make her plans. She even went to post on the internet and see what advice the netizens could give her - - How could I settle at just being a games princess? Translation note : [1] Reference to a real web novel titled The Paladin Zhao Daniu on the Qidian website. Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation Zhao Youyue was a full-time mobile phone addict. In addition to reading novels and watching animes, she also scrolled through Weibo, forums, and various communities. Weibo was mostly filled with celebrity gossips and family affairs of various celebrities. It seemed to be the juice that the current world ran on. Zhao Youyue knew better than to ask these gnats. Even if she did, it was unlikely that she would get any serious answers. It was as good as not asking. So, she decided to go for a rather small, niche part of the web, where nobody understood what the genius inhabitants were saying. Of course, she reposted her question at Zhihu, a platform where many great talents gathered. Unfortunately, even those Zhihu talents could not get her question. Moreover, they were here to stretch their minds and intellect, not get a headache. One particular individual had even said, Is this question even necessary? If you already have everything laid out ahead of you, be a good boy and go accordingly! As long as you fulfill everything and please everyone, youll gain power. Once youre powerful enough, you can definitely do whatever you want! Zhao Youyue found this answer too vague and straightforward. There were no specific guidelines, and it lacked subjectivity. He just wanted to sound enlightened without saying anything substantial. In ancient times, this would be the scholar who sat beside a noble, barking out a bunch of garbage that made no sense, yet gained approval and respect because people were duped into thinking that he was far too wise for them. However, a certain, specialized game strategy forum did not let her down. People on this forum loved discussing about a game called Crusader Kings. It was a game set in the Western Middle Ages. This was a game that would get its target players truly addicted C it knew just how to push their buttons. Pillaging and plundering were extremely enjoyable. Enter Puerile Magician[1]. A regular of the forum and self-taught historian. Apparently, he had a Masters degree in History from a famous university. He intended to expand his skills to the Doctorate level. These were his words. If R&D into productivity and industrialization isnt your goal, then according to the set rules of the Western Middle Ages, you need to keep jurisprudence afloat. Everything else can be chaotic, except for jurisprudence. If there is no jurisprudence, there is no excuse for attacking other cities in the name of imperial aggrandizement and world domination. Of course, enforcing jurisprudence was a simple matter. Although I hereby seal you, Glamorgan Count[2] was practically a meme, it was still relevant to actual situations. First, look for someone who has the documented inheritance of a certain territory. Someone who was bound to become a Glamorgan Count. Then, get the Count to help restore the country. After the restoration of the country, the Count would be arrested, and he would be stripped of his title. Of course, he would rebel soon after. Finally, no matter how peaceful his rebellion was, both his lands and counties would be taken over by the central government In fact, from a Chinese point of view, this so-called jurisprudence was called righteousness. If a war broke out without righteousness, the government would often be attacked en masse. Of course, a Chinese monarchy would not be worried about such a thing. Was an emperor born an emperor? One could only become an emperor with the help of a well-trained army and strong soldiers. As long as you were strong enough, no one cared if you were righteous or otherwise. Zhao Youyue felt that Puerile Magician had a point, but she was not going to follow him word for word. So, she looked at the methods that he actually bypassed, which was industrialization. No matter what, she had to increase productive forces. Firstly, she had to gain power over a small territory, and slowly expand her territory from there. When people came up with modern chemical weapons to poison her army, she simply had to hang on. Of course, considering that it was a world of swords and magic, magic was definitely a fundamental production source. It was best to learn magic. At the same time, she could recruit more mages to her cause. Truth be told, mages did not even exist in the World of the Witcher. There were sorcerers. They used the energy in their blood to cast spells. They did not learn to do this in a matter of days. This was most probably the counterpart of the arcanist in DND[3]. The World of the Witcher was unique. It unlike DND. The sorcerers in the game could not beat entire armies single-handedly. There was also the presence of witch-hunters. If anyone got close to them, you could recruit them as companions. As a whole, magic was pretty common in this world. It had energy levels that were similar to that of the martial arts world, Demi-Gods and Demi-Devils.[4] Zhao Youyue felt as if a door had been opened up before her, its path clear and bright. First, she had to ensure that she had a solid education foundation. It was best if she got herself a genius title. Thats how she would quickly gain favor and benefits. Generally speaking, those of noble lineages were more likely to become sorcerers. Becoming a genius would be no problem for her. After all, she had the learning ability of Xu Jing. At the same time, she also possessed the sword skills of Su Shi. Even though she had no magical talent, she could rely on her swordsmanship. She could still become strong. Do not forget, that in the World of the Witcher, the witchers mainly relied on their swordsmanship to get through their days. Things like potions, magical symbols and such were all auxiliary. Of course, time in the source world went by very quickly, compared to the time in the real world. It was just like how one could sleep for two hours, but experience a six-hour long dream. During her infantile stages, Zhao Youyue felt as if she was playing a mobile game through the Two Dimensional Gate. She did not need to control Olivia personally. After three years passed, Olivia had to begin her enlightening education formally. Zhao Youyue finally got serious with the World of the Witcher. There, she found that in addition to the main quests, there were many more secondary quests and treasure hunts, even. Most of the main quests were related to learning, such as aristocratic etiquette, writing, history of the mainland and such. As for the treasure hunts, she would have to explore the castle of the Cintra Kingdom, her very own home. There would be much to uncover. Zhao Youyue decided to clear these quests first. First of all, her three-year-old self was already far more beautiful than her sister Cirilla. Who knows, when puberty strikes Cirilla, things might change. In that case, she might just be another ugly duckling story. Cirilla was also unpleasant to be with. Compared to the quiet, ladylike Olivia, Cirilla was like a mischevious bear cub. One might easily mistake her gender. She even dressed like a boy. Olivia was different. Although she had beautiful ashen-gray hair and glistening emerald-green eyes just like her sister, she was far more subdued. She wore nothing but cumbersome and gorgeous dresses. No matter where she stood, she would attract the attention of many, just with her good looks. Now that she had a sister to be compared with, Cirilla only became all the more unappetizing. Even so, the sisters got together very well. Ciri was very proud of her beautiful and adorable sister. Her younger sister was always really sensible. Sometimes, she even acted like an older sister who took care of her instead. Translation note : [1] Reference to a famous Bilibili uploader in China (۵ħʦ). [2] I hereby seal you, Glamorgan Count (޷ΪĦ) is a phrase made famous by Puerile Magician in one of his videos on Bilibili. Glamorgan County was famous for its curses in Europe during the Middle Ages. It was also the focus of the Middle Ages. It started off as a saying in Wales, which is used to refer to an unlucky person that has been used by someone else. A Count or Countess is a title in European countries for nobles of varying statuses but historically deemed to convey an approximate rank intermediate between the highest and lowest titles of nobility. [3] DND, short for Dungeons & Dragons. Dungeons & Dragons is a fantasy tabletop role-playing game originally designed by Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson. It was first published in 1974 by Tactical Studies Rules, Inc. Wizards of the Coast have been publishing the game since 1997. [4] Demi-Gods and Demi-Devils is a wuxia novel by Jin Yong. It was first serialized concurrently from 3 September 1963 to 27 May 1966 in the newspapers Ming Pao in Hong Kong and Nanyang Siang Pau in Singapore. Chapter 616 Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation Zhao Youyue was a full-time mobile phone addict. In addition to reading novels and watching animes, she also scrolled through Weibo, forums, and various communities. Weibo was mostly filled with celebrity gossips and family affairs of various celebrities. It seemed to be the juice that the current world ran on. Zhao Youyue knew better than to ask these gnats. Even if she did, it was unlikely that she would get any serious answers. It was as good as not asking. So, she decided to go for a rather small, niche part of the web, where nobody understood what the genius inhabitants were saying. Of course, she reposted her question at Zhihu, a platform where many great talents gathered. Unfortunately, even those Zhihu talents could not get her question. Moreover, they were here to stretch their minds and intellect, not get a headache. One particular individual had even said, Is this question even necessary? If you already have everything laid out ahead of you, be a good boy and go accordingly! As long as you fulfill everything and please everyone, youll gain power. Once youre powerful enough, you can definitely do whatever you want! Zhao Youyue found this answer too vague and straightforward. There were no specific guidelines, and it lacked subjectivity. He just wanted to sound enlightened without saying anything substantial. In ancient times, this would be the scholar who sat beside a noble, barking out a bunch of garbage that made no sense, yet gained approval and respect because people were duped into thinking that he was far too wise for them. However, a certain, specialized game strategy forum did not let her down. People on this forum loved discussing about a game called Crusader Kings. It was a game set in the Western Middle Ages. This was a game that would get its target players truly addicted C it knew just how to push their buttons. Pillaging and plundering were extremely enjoyable. Enter Puerile Magician[1]. A regular of the forum and self-taught historian. Apparently, he had a Masters degree in History from a famous university. He intended to expand his skills to the Doctorate level. These were his words. If R&D into productivity and industrialization isnt your goal, then according to the set rules of the Western Middle Ages, you need to keep jurisprudence afloat. Everything else can be chaotic, except for jurisprudence. If there is no jurisprudence, there is no excuse for attacking other cities in the name of imperial aggrandizement and world domination. Of course, enforcing jurisprudence was a simple matter. Although I hereby seal you, Glamorgan Count[2] was practically a meme, it was still relevant to actual situations. First, look for someone who has the documented inheritance of a certain territory. Someone who was bound to become a Glamorgan Count. Then, get the Count to help restore the country. After the restoration of the country, the Count would be arrested, and he would be stripped of his title. Of course, he would rebel soon after. Finally, no matter how peaceful his rebellion was, both his lands and counties would be taken over by the central government In fact, from a Chinese point of view, this so-called jurisprudence was called righteousness. If a war broke out without righteousness, the government would often be attacked en masse. Of course, a Chinese monarchy would not be worried about such a thing. Was an emperor born an emperor? One could only become an emperor with the help of a well-trained army and strong soldiers. As long as you were strong enough, no one cared if you were righteous or otherwise. Zhao Youyue felt that Puerile Magician had a point, but she was not going to follow him word for word. So, she looked at the methods that he actually bypassed, which was industrialization. No matter what, she had to increase productive forces. Firstly, she had to gain power over a small territory, and slowly expand her territory from there. When people came up with modern chemical weapons to poison her army, she simply had to hang on. Of course, considering that it was a world of swords and magic, magic was definitely a fundamental production source. It was best to learn magic. At the same time, she could recruit more mages to her cause. Truth be told, mages did not even exist in the World of the Witcher. There were sorcerers. They used the energy in their blood to cast spells. They did not learn to do this in a matter of days. This was most probably the counterpart of the arcanist in DND[3]. The World of the Witcher was unique. It unlike DND. The sorcerers in the game could not beat entire armies single-handedly. There was also the presence of witch-hunters. If anyone got close to them, you could recruit them as companions. As a whole, magic was pretty common in this world. It had energy levels that were similar to that of the martial arts world, Demi-Gods and Demi-Devils.[4] Zhao Youyue felt as if a door had been opened up before her, its path clear and bright. First, she had to ensure that she had a solid education foundation. It was best if she got herself a genius title. Thats how she would quickly gain favor and benefits. Generally speaking, those of noble lineages were more likely to become sorcerers. Becoming a genius would be no problem for her. After all, she had the learning ability of Xu Jing. At the same time, she also possessed the sword skills of Su Shi. Even though she had no magical talent, she could rely on her swordsmanship. She could still become strong. Do not forget, that in the World of the Witcher, the witchers mainly relied on their swordsmanship to get through their days. Things like potions, magical symbols and such were all auxiliary. Of course, time in the source world went by very quickly, compared to the time in the real world. It was just like how one could sleep for two hours, but experience a six-hour long dream. During her infantile stages, Zhao Youyue felt as if she was playing a mobile game through the Two Dimensional Gate. She did not need to control Olivia personally. After three years passed, Olivia had to begin her enlightening education formally. Zhao Youyue finally got serious with the World of the Witcher. There, she found that in addition to the main quests, there were many more secondary quests and treasure hunts, even. Most of the main quests were related to learning, such as aristocratic etiquette, writing, history of the mainland and such. As for the treasure hunts, she would have to explore the castle of the Cintra Kingdom, her very own home. There would be much to uncover. Zhao Youyue decided to clear these quests first. First of all, her three-year-old self was already far more beautiful than her sister Cirilla. Who knows, when puberty strikes Cirilla, things might change. In that case, she might just be another ugly duckling story. Cirilla was also unpleasant to be with. Compared to the quiet, ladylike Olivia, Cirilla was like a mischevious bear cub. One might easily mistake her gender. She even dressed like a boy. Olivia was different. Although she had beautiful ashen-gray hair and glistening emerald-green eyes just like her sister, she was far more subdued. She wore nothing but cumbersome and gorgeous dresses. No matter where she stood, she would attract the attention of many, just with her good looks. Now that she had a sister to be compared with, Cirilla only became all the more unappetizing. Even so, the sisters got together very well. Ciri was very proud of her beautiful and adorable sister. Her younger sister was always really sensible. Sometimes, she even acted like an older sister who took care of her instead. Translation note : [1] Reference to a famous Bilibili uploader in China (۵ħʦ). [2] I hereby seal you, Glamorgan Count (޷ΪĦ) is a phrase made famous by Puerile Magician in one of his videos on Bilibili. Glamorgan County was famous for its curses in Europe during the Middle Ages. It was also the focus of the Middle Ages. It started off as a saying in Wales, which is used to refer to an unlucky person that has been used by someone else. A Count or Countess is a title in European countries for nobles of varying statuses but historically deemed to convey an approximate rank intermediate between the highest and lowest titles of nobility. [3] DND, short for Dungeons & Dragons. Dungeons & Dragons is a fantasy tabletop role-playing game originally designed by Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson. It was first published in 1974 by Tactical Studies Rules, Inc. Wizards of the Coast have been publishing the game since 1997. [4] Demi-Gods and Demi-Devils is a wuxia novel by Jin Yong. It was first serialized concurrently from 3 September 1963 to 27 May 1966 in the newspapers Ming Pao in Hong Kong and Nanyang Siang Pau in Singapore. Chapter 617 Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation In the source world of the Witcher game series. Olivia was only three, but she was currently immersed in the library of the Kingdom of Cintra, all by herself. She had activated a certain book-eating skill and was eagerly absorbing the knowledge of this source world. By looking at the structure of the books alone, anyone could tell that this worlds papermaking and printing technologies were quite developed. These books had not been handwritten, they had been printed. Of course there were also handwritten books, but those were pretty much precious ancient books. It took a week before Olivia mastered the universal language of this world, much to the surprise of her elders. Her aged teacher immediately deemed her a genius. In actuality, she had only taken a day to master the language. Of course, this was because the game system came with a translation function However, after completing the side quest Mastering Language, she instantly became more eloquent, and sounded far wiser. The system had awarded her with some experience points and skill points. For example, if she learned how to cast a fireball, it might take her a while to get good at it. On the other hand, she could use the skill points and instantly get maximum proficiency. This gave Olivia all the incentive needed to clear quest after quest. Anyway, if she accumulated more skill points, she could use them at critical times. It would seem like those miraculous turn of events in clutch situations. Some skills were already maxed out by default, such as oriental swordsmanship, musical talent, gaming skills, learning concentration, in-depth reading, acting skills Indeed, these corresponded to her iconic character cards. Additionally, there were two skills that were close to max. To achieve maximum proficiency in these two skills, she probably had to use many skill points. These skills were psychic cat, riding sense This game system had been really well-designed. Although she could not drift Lamborghinis in this world, she could always participate in some horse racing. She could also do some boxing in this world. As for gaming skills, she could play some tabletop board games. Apparently, a card game named Gwent: The Witcher Card Game was pretty popular in this world Olivia had reason to suspect that the skill points was the equivalent to the energy in the previous supernatural world. That also meant that she could extend the lifespan of high popularity character cards. She could also use them on the Two Dimensional Gate and shorten its cooldown time. This would accelerate her plans to acceptable levels. It was time to bulldoze through all the quests. She went for Mastering History of the Mainland. She had grown so obsessed with eating books that she could never be separated from them. The way, the books that she had eaten would also be automatically saved in the Book Menu of the game system, available for viewing at any time in the future. The four boundaries of the World of the Witcher known to mankind are respectively: in the West C the Great Sea, in the North C the Dragon mountains range and Amell mountains range, in the East C the Korath Desert and the Haakland tribal territory, in the South C the half-mythical land Hannu and Barsa. The earliest intelligent inhabitants of this world were gnome halflings. Dwarves, elves, and humans were outsiders who came by later. Elves were sent down here by some powerful force. Humans arrived here as a result of the Conjunction of the Spheres[1] 1500 years ago. The arrivals of dwarves and elves were relatively mild, but conquest and slaughter accompanied the arrival of humans. Magic and monsters were also the products of the Conjunction of the Spheres. Although the humans in the Northern Kingdom and in the Southern Nilfgaardian Empire were of the same species as they were all products of the Conjunction of the Spheres, they came from completely different places. The ancestors of the current humans in the Northern Kingdom landed in the Pontar Delta after their exile 1000 years ago. However, the origins of the humans in the Southern area remain unknown. List of human Northern Kingdoms: Redania, Temeria, Aedirn, Kaedwen, Kovir and Poviss, Cidaris, Hengfors League, Cintra, Lyria and Rivia, Skellige, Verden, Brugge, and Kerack. History of the mainland was not meant to be easy. However, for the brilliant hacker Olivia, it was a cake walk. Almost all of her time was devoted to learning. At the age of three, she received the title of Book of Cintra. Such a title was inferior to the title Pearl of the Northern Kingdoms. However, with her good looks, that would only be a matter of time. Titles meant a lot to medieval civilizations, regardless of culture. For example, her grandmother Calanthe had the title Lioness of Cintra because she was beautiful and brave. She was also a powerful ruler in her own right. She was now essentially the Queen of Cintra, because her ex-husband had passed on. Her current husband was a warrioro of the Tuirseach clan from the Skellige Isles. He was the brother of Bran, a nobleman from the Skellige Isles. Currently, he was the King of Cintra, but that title was limited to being nominal. Obviously, the Lioness of Cintra Calanthe preferred Cirilla over Olivia. Stupid reason being that Cirila was her splitting image. And so, Cirilla was given the title Lion Cub of Cintra. She was also the older granddaughter. Naturally, she would inherit everything before Olivia. To the ambitious Olivia, this Cirilla was a hindrance. An obstacle to her grand plans. However, she believed in the phrase, political power grows out of the barrel of a gun. Youll have to earn something yourself. She did not want a divided empire. She wanted to build a unified nation on the foundations of a central government. This was the Chinese woman in her speaking, which was totally unlike a Westerners thoughts. A Western Creator who stumbles into this source world would most certainly find Olivia intriguing, provided that she did manage to achieve her dreams. As Olivia remained obsessed over her books, two people in the library were watching her, while whispering things to each other. These two people were Emhyr and Vilgefortz. The former was Olivias father, and the latter was his heart. He was powerful and had the gift of prophecy. He was a mage and a member of the Chapter of Sorcerers. He was talented and good at strategizing. He also had a great reputation in the whole World of the Witcher. If this was a martial arts world, then Vilgefortz would most probably be the peerless master! The people of Jianghu called him Grandfather Vil. Unfortunately, he was not a good person The two have been plotting on how to leave Cintra and return to Nilfgaard in the South to reclaim the throne. Emhyr, who was determined to revive his country, was not very close to his wife and daughter. He treated them more as tools than anything else. However, the brilliance of his second daughter Olivia might be worth nurturing. As for Cirilla, according to the law of surprise, she was destined to belong only to that legendary witcher - - Geralt of Rivia. Vilgefortz, isnt it better if you taught her personally? Emhyr suddenly spoke up. Vilgefortz was stunned. Little Olivia meant nothing to him. He only cared about Cirilla, because she was the elder child, and was incomparably more valuable. This was why he was helping Emhyr revive the country. When Emhyr becomes emperor, along with the wealth and power, he would also have Ciris bloodline in his hands. That was power! As for Olivia? Wasnt she just a side-character? Why would he, the Grandfather Vil, be interested in an unremarkable girl like her? Translation note : [1] The Conjunction of the Spheres is a cataclysm which occurred 1,500 years before the events in the novels, trapping many unnatural creatures in this dimension, including ghouls, graveirs, and vampires. It was during this time that the elves say humans, or more specifically, the Dauk and Wozgor people, first appeared, their own world having been destroyed. These people colonized the North, and possibly the South. According to elven lore, humans arrived during the Conjunction, their own world having been destroyed. These human ancestors learned how to harness the power of primordial Chaos, and thus the first human wizards were born. Looking for a place in the world, humans took up arms against the Elder Races, who were unable to withstand the barbarians and ultimately surrendered. This is how humans came to rule the world. Chapter 618 Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation Vilgefortz was ambitious and cunning. He hid his true feelings even in front of Emhyr, a pawn on his chessboard. He learned about Olivias talents from Emhyr. As arrogant as he was, he acknowledged Olivia as a legitimate threat. That little girl could be trouble if left unchecked. Even so, intelligence wasnt enough in this world. When faced with brute force, intelligence could only do so much. Nevertheless, he agreed to Emhyrs requests for the sake of maintaining their good relationship. Vilgefortz was incredibly strong already, but he had not yet had enough. Of course, he always kept a wild card under his sleeves. Mind games did not always help with brute force; he still needed to fend off the arrows that came from behind. When Emhyr becomes King of Nilfgaardian Empire, he had promised to conquer the northern region and hand it over to Vilgefortz. Vilgefortz had managed to fool Emhyr into thinking that his ambition merely ended at the northern region. Nobody knew what exactly he wanted, as he kept his plans deep in the dark. Vilgefortz stepped into the light and carefully observed the three-year-old child, Olivia. Dressed in an elegant lace gown of a princess, Olivia was staring down into her books in an almost trance-like state, her silver-grey long hair flowing down her shoulders To Vilgefortz, Olivia was like an ugly duckling that would outshine her elder sister Cirilla in both character and beauty. However, beauty was nothing but a pretty vase. She was not even worth a coin compared to the Elder Cirilla. Meanwhile, Vilgefortz doubted that Olivia was actually reading her book. He waited until she turned the last page of an encyclopedia about Sorcerers and Witchers.[1] With a smile on his face, he waved his wand leisurely, and that book flew to his hand. It was one of the iconic spells: Mage Hand. Olivia blinked in surprise. She gazed upon the man in the library with her emerald eyes, putting her remarkable acting skills into play, making the man think that she absolutely adored him. An ordinary man would have felt the sincerity of an adorable and innocent child and treated this girl as a young lady with tenderly love Unfortunately, Vilgefortz was no ordinary man. He was meant to be a boss level villain with the face of a good guy. He was exceptionally handsome. Tall and muscular, he appeared as a formidable master, forever looking thirty-five. [2] A living fantasy for the ladies who loved a good-looking man. In a reverent tone, he asked, What are the contents of page thirty-five in this book? Even a full-grown man would not able to answer such a question. However, Olivia searched the book database in-game system for that page, and recited the contents without missing a single word Magical talent can be divided into two categories: Ordinary magicians with a strong affinity, and source masters. The former could master control magic easily and become a sorcerer. The latter was like a vessel, imbued with incredible magical power. They had to learn magic by nurturing and communicating with the energy within. It was much harder for them to become a sorcerer without strict training and proper guidance. However, once they succeeded, they would become very powerful The basis of conjuring magic was to harness the four basic elements from the atmosphere: Water, Earth, Air, and Fire. As one focuses on incantations and proper gestures, the energy could be conjured and released as natural phenomena. Source masters could sacrifice part of his life energy to enhance the elements strength. The power of the magic released was equivalent to the energy consumed to conjure it. This page elaborated on Source masters and Sorcery. Based on the explanation on the internet, Source masters were classical, born-to-win characters. They were gifted with an extraordinary level of magic and strength. Magic was not needed in the early stages, and when they used it, it caused havoc. Unfortunately, Olivia was not a Source master. Her magic affinity was ordinary. No wonder Vilgefortz treated her as trash. Lord Vilgefortz was not aware of Olivias accessibility to the game system. WIth every mission she completed, she could enhance all her entry-level magic with extra skill points. These magic at the high level would be on par with a Source masters power! Vilgefortz was impressed. Yes, she was no Elder child, but she was highly intelligent! Refused to believe what he had just witnessed, Vilgefortz decided to test Olivia Witchers Sign is simplified magic. [3] Compared to the same elemental spell cast by a Sorcerer, these signs were weaker in power if cast without the consumption of potions (except for the members from Griffin School).[4] However, they would not need to harness energy and proper incantations. Often castable with a single gesture. Therefore, both Witchers and Sorcerers are afraid to face anti-ballistical-magic Witch Hunters. (Provided that they are in equal numbers).[5] Olivia showed her talent to its fullness, pleasing the arrogant Vilgefortz to the point of a content smile. He did not have the patience to teach an ordinary student. Now that Emhyr still needed some time to complete his preparation for Nilfgaardian, there was no harm teaching a minor genius. Genius of the Ordinary sounded awkward, but it still made sense. This was synonymous with, Lady Zhao Youyue, the Passer-by. Ordinary referred to her level of magic. Genius referred to her brain Translation Note: [1] A witcher (also Wiccan or hexer or in the Elder Speech: vattghern) is someone who has undergone extensive training, ruthless mental and physical conditioning, and mysterious rituals (which take place at witcher schools such as Kaer Morhen) in preparation for becoming an itinerant monster slayer for hire. Geralt, the central character in Andrzej Sapkowskis Witcher series and the subsequent games inspired by them, is said in the stories to be one of the greatest witchers; he is certainly legendary, but whether famous or infamous is more open to interpretation (and/or subject to gameplay, as the case may be). [2] A source is a person born with innate magical abilities, or an affinity for the Force, which are rather difficult to control once they have bloomed. Stressful situations usually work as the trigger for the abilities appearance. Schools of sorcery, like Aretuza and the facility in Ban Ard, were created to help these children cultivate and control their powers, lest the abilities drive them mad. Among sources, the descendants of Lara Dorren are regarded as even more special. [3] Though they are not warrior mages who employ powerful magic, witchers can cast simple magic spells that can prove effective when used properly. Witchers call these spells Signs and usually use them against monsters, though they also have non-combat applications. [4] The Griffin School is a school of witchers appearing in The Witcher graphic novels. Though it is never described in detail, it is mentioned when Leo Bonhart displays his personal trophies of the witchers he has apparently slain, including a Cat, a Griffin and a Wolf medallion. While none of the schools adherents is named in the books, George the Dragonslayer, a witcher mentioned in The Witcher (PC), was revealed to have been a member of the Griffin School in The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt. Griffin School equipment is of medium weight and amplifies the intensity of the wearers Signs; as such, it is heavily implied that the school and its disciples may have specialized in the use of magic. Griffin witchers may also possess higher standards of social etiquette compared to other schools, which was mentioned in the Dragonslayers treasure hunt quest, though this might have referred to George specifically. [5] Witch Hunters were harsh, cruel, and fanatical members of an inquisitorial synod dedicated to the persecution and eradication of magic in Novigrad, Oxenfurt, and Velen during the witch hunts in 1272. Equipped with Witch hunters swords, crossbows, dimeritium bombs, and shackles they were well prepared to fight both amateur and professional mages. They became even more formidable when the Order of the Flaming Rose was disbanded by Radovid V, resulting in some of the knights joining the witch hunters. Chapter 619 Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation Olivia officially became Vilgefortzs only apprentice. The in-game Database was updated with that information. The complicated history of this formidable prestige master was revealed in character information tab. One of the Vilgefortzs parents was a sorcerer. They had abandoned young Vilgefortz, who was later found by Druids of Kovirian Circle in the poor suburbs.[1][2] He was brought up and taught by the druids, living his life as a nomad alongside with them. In an unexpected incident, Vilgefortz talent was discovered by other sorcerers. They invited him to join the brotherhood, which he had rudely rejected. Moments after turning them down, he had left the Druids community and wandered across the land. He became a soldier and a spy. In the last chapter of his journey as a wanderer, he fell in love with another sorceress, who he left not long after. In the Battle of Sodden Hill, he had commanded twenty-one sorcerers to fend off the invasion of Nilfgaaridan Empire. [3][4] Under his leadership, a truce was signed between the Northern Kingdoms and the Nilfgaardian Empire. Since then, Vilgefortz of Roggeven became known across the world as a compassionate peacekeeper. [5] People would bow to him, no matter where he went. Of course, he had intentionally built such an image A true antagonist was always far more righteous, compared to the protagonist. They understood the true power and influence of righteousness. Only a fool would mark himself down as wicked and evil. Olivia read on. Years ago, he made a deal with Emhyr var Emreis, who was cursed by his fathers political enemy into the form of a hedgehog. Emhyr had prowled in the city of Cintra using the moniker Duny, Urcheon of Erlenwald. Under the guidance of Vilgefortz, Duny had saved the king of Cintra, who later invoked the Law of Surprise to undo his curse.[6] The Princess of Cintra fell in love with Duny. They married and gave birth to Ciri, and a year later, Olivia It was clear now. Emhyr did not win the heart of her mother by charm, but as a side effect invoked by Law of Surprise. No wonder she never felt any love between her parents. Perhaps her naive mother Pavetta still loved Emhyr, but Emhyr was too obsessed with his revenge. Nothing was more important than getting his throne back. What an ambitious man! Olivia, who had Lady Zhaos backing became impressed by his dedication and focus on his goal. Olivia lacked compassion, just like much of these damaged souls. In her case, she could access the gaming system, so she knew that she was playing a game in a simulated world. Nothing in this game could last forever, why would she fell in love with anything? The moment Vilgefortz took her under his wings, Oliva saw an increase in side missions. Vilgefortz curiosity towards Olivias capability had caused the upsurge of these missions. All these were challenges that sought to test her limits. To Olivia, these were nothing but common questions of additional mathematics in high school. She soon collected a lot of skill points with ease. Vilgefortz emphasized that one must first master the basic knowledge of magic foundation. Most sorcerers had incredible power within, but their knowledge limited the power of the magic cast. Olivia passed all of VIlgefortzs tests with outstanding results. Her master now truly pitied Olivia. If only Olivia had been born with a much stronger bloodline C she might have become a remarkable source sorceress, perhaps No, it is better this way, she would not become a threat to his plans. Vilgefortz soon realized what a fool he had been, training an apprentice who could potentially overpower him. He might have to make some changes to his plans. Hence, he started manipulating Olivia into hating her own sister, Cirilia. Olivia was at Vilgefortzs potion lab. It was only logical for a sorceress to test the truth of magic and how it basically worked. Olivia, do not ever expect Cintra to acknowledge you as a genius. You will never be treated like Ciri. She is the chosen one. Your grandmother Queen Calanthe is not a fair person. Ciri is the only one who could inherit the throne. You are destined to be married to some man who would never be king, while Ciri could choose her prince at will. Of course, Olivia was not buying any of that. She instantly saw through Vilgefortzs motives, but displayed a convincing expression of hatred and jealousy. All actors had to master this if they wanted to have long, successful careers. Please guide me, master! Olivia had said in response to that revelation. Vilgefortz felt the thrill of being in total control of one persons life. He could not help but smile widely. He was not aware that he sounded just like Emhyr and said, If Ciri disappears, everything will belong to you. Olivia was nothing but a powerful, future chess piece for Vilgefortz. Then, I will maintain a close relationship with sister Ciri. If anything happens to her, nobody would suspect me, Olivia spoke in a cunning tone. Surprised yet again, he looked forward to seeing the day Olivia and Ciri went to war. This one had promise. Her magic was not inherently powerful, but her intelligence could cause him a lot of trouble if she united with Ciri to stand against him Olivia ended her lesson of the day. Cirilla took her by hand and left the place, along with her wooden sword in hand. She told Olivia everything about her sword lessons as her little sister quietly wiped off the sweat off Cirillas forehead. Where had the evil apprentice of Vilgefortz gone? Confused by what he saw, Vilgefortz was unsure if his apprentice had taken heed of his advice. He recalled Olivias expression when he had spoken about her future, full of hatred and jealousy. Olivia was too young to put on a facade in front of anyone. Of course, he felt the sincerity of Olivia when she pledged her allegiance to him. He enjoyed the company of this adorable young girl that praised him on an almost daily basis. She was an adorable girl that would not interfere with his plans. Why would he not enjoy mentoring such a person? Translation Note: [1] Druids are scholars of the forest, and their understanding of natures workings is deep. They take in wild animals and help them heal wounds and sickness; they also take in most anything injured or orphaned. The druids grove, grown around the Tree of Life, is a sanctuary where no blood is spilled. Leaders of druid circles are known as hierophants, if they are male, and flaminikas, if they are female. [2] Kovirian C The Kingdom of Kovir and Poviss (also known shortly as Kovir and Poviss or simply Kovir), one of the Northern Kingdoms located on the Gulf of Praxeda. It is also the largest exporter of mineral resources in the known world, with huge profits from trade. It is ruled by king Tankred Thyssen of the House of Thyssen and maintained neutrality during the Nilfgaard Wars, refraining from lending coin nor men to either side. Because it is so mountainous, the region is rich in mines. Kovir and Poviss export glass, salt, iron ore, silver, nickel, lead, tin, zinc, copper, chromium, titanium, tungsten, and platinum. Not to mention three-quarters of the worlds ferroaurum, kryobelitium, and dimeritium and 80% of the worlds gold. [3] The Battle of Sodden Hill, also known as the Second battle of Sodden took place during the first war with Nilfgaard. The hill itself is also known variously as Mage Hill, Kite Hill or the Hill of the Fourteen because fourteen of the twenty-two mages involved in the battle were said to have been killed fighting the Nilfgaardian Army (at least according to official sources). A reported one hundred thousand participants fought in the campaign, of which at least thirty thousand were either killed or wounded. The battle ended in a disgraceful defeat for Nilfgaard and field-marshal Coehoorn in particular. Although there are fourteen graves, there are no more than thirteen bodies. Triss Merigold is said to be among the fourteen, but she survived if not unscathed. The names of the fallen (including Triss) are carved on a stone obelisk. Each year at Belleteyn, fires are lit to commemorate those killed on the hill. Upon his visit to the site after the conflict Geralt was terrified that the 14th name on the hill was that of Yennefer. Fortunately for him the name belonged to another mage called Yo?l Grethen whom he did not know. [4] The Nilfgaardian Empire (Ceasraet aep Nilfgaard in the Nilfgaardian speech) is the most powerful empire in the history of the known world. It is located in the southern part of the Continent and boasts both a thriving economy and a strong, well-trained army with talented commanders. It has expanded mostly through the conquest of foreign countries, which were then turned into provinces of the Empire. The Empires inhabitants believe that real Nilfgaardians are only those born in the heart of the Empire, and not those born in the conquered provinces. Either stewards or kings rule the provinces (in cases in which a king willingly surrenders, he retains his throne but is subject to the Emperor or just a vassal). The empire has expanded throughout the years, conquering new lands and going as far to the north as the Yaruga River during the reign of Emperor Emhyr var Emreis. In the Witcher saga, the Empire is portrayed as an overarching antagonist, with many free people of the North expressing hatred towards it with passion. It is introduced in Blood of Elves, when it invades Cintra. [5] Roggeven is a Redanian controlled castle-city that lies on a river not mentioned by name; its known as the capital of the Lands given to the Order of the Flaming Rose. [6]The Law of Surprise is a custom as old as humanity itself. The Law dictates that a man saved by another is expected to offer to his savior a boon whose nature is unknown to one or both parties. In most cases, the boon takes the form of the saved mans firstborn child, conceived or born without the fathers knowledge. Ciri came to be Geralts ward after he invoked the Law of Surprise on Duny and Pavetta. Geralt demanded that which Duny already had, but did not know of. This, Geralt revealed, was Dunys child, carried, unknown to Duny but known to Geralt, by Pavetta. Highlighting the destiny of the relationship between Geralt and Ciri, he claims her a second time when he invokes the Law of Surprise on a traveling merchant he saves from monsters during a random encounter. The merchant is unaware that his wife has taken Ciri into their home as a war orphan. Chapter 620 Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation Each of Vilgefortzs decisions had the power to send tremors across the globe. He did not have the time to play the role of a father, even if Olivia was like a daughter to him. Therefore, he asked this of his personal assistant, secretary Lydia van Bredevoort.[1] Lydia was a sorceress and talented painter. In the hallowed hallways hung her landscape paintings, one of them being a painting of a date between Cregennan of Lod and Lara Dorren. [2] These were the ancestors of Ciri and Olivia. Ciris elders blood had been inherited from the demon sorceress Lara. Lydia had survived an experiment accident at a hefty price of major burns, a fragmented chin and spot variation between her pharynx and larynx. However, she had turned down the regeneration incantation while maintaining her normal appearance with the Magic of Illusion. She loved Vilgefortz, but he did not feel the same. They were too proud to disclose their feelings to each other, each satisfied with this unspoken, yet stable state of relationship. Lydia did not care much about Olivia. This child showed no talent magic, hence Lydia thought that Vilgefortz had taken Olivia as an apprentice for the sake of his relationship with Emhyr. Olivia was clever and obedient. Taking care of her was like having a pet with human intelligence. It was far better than caring for Ciri. Cirilla was too mischievous. Unlike Olivia, she did not take private lessons, but with other children of the nobility. She was calledthe young lioness of Cintra, and her influence among the other children of the nobility was strong. Everybody scurried about to fulfill her demands. Surprisingly, she acceded to her younger sisters words. Perhaps it was because of her extremely gentle nature. This younger sister gave her sister everything good she found and treated her as the perfect princess. When she grew up, it was her deepest wish to be the knight protecting her younger sister. Therefore, she was not bothered by how her younger sister was the more popular of the two. They shared a tacit understanding to the point where their mind was one. Whenever mischievous Ciri met her younger sister, she would cause some trouble and have Lydia complain her grievances to Vilgefortz. She would not stop elaborating on how he had been most fortunate to have Olivia as an apprentice, not Ciri. She would rather have her skin burnt for the second time than care for Ciri. Children innocently caused trouble, it was their nature. Naturally, bright and obedient children like Olivia would be a favorite. At that moment, Lydia was having a private class with Olivia. Olivia had managed to accumulate sufficient theoretical knowledge and was ready to start her first practical lesson of magic. In Olivias game system, a new side mission popped up: meditation. Sorcerers must perform meditation to sense the magical elements. Armed with their theoretical knowledge, they would guide the elements and fuse them. During the process, they had to complete it with gestures and incantations before they released the magic. It was a known fact that the descendants of stronger bloodlines could enter the state of meditation faster than the others, hastening their magical development. Olivia had not been gifted with Cirillas bloodline, who had great potential in magic. Cirilla was even stronger than Vilgefortz, which gave him more reason to possess her. However, source sorcerers needed more effort in training before their skills matured. Vilgefortz had ignored Ciri, with the hope that others would not notice Ciris talent. It would be easier for him to work his plan out soon. Sorceresses were less fertile than ordinary women. Even so, the call of motherhood reached their ears like any other. If they could not have any children of their own, they would rather adopt one. Lydia soon felt her motherly instincts calling out to Olivia. She thought herself to be a better a mother to Olivia, compared to that silly Princess Pavetta. She even passed down her painting techniques to Olivia, and was pleasantly surprised to find Olivia highly talented in the drawing Little did she know that Olivia had merely used three skill points to max out Western painting technique. In fact, one point would have been enough to impress many. It was a vital skill that was necessary for the constructing of magic reels and Signs that are embalmed onto weapons. Having good Western painting techniques would be extremely helpful, impressing Lydia was a bonus. When Zhao Youyue returned to the real world, she found that Olivias skills had followed her out. After all, reality did not have a game UI. She only found herself drawing like Olivia. Meditation is not as easy as painting. Anyone could sit down cross-legged, but it was more like using the mind to grow wings on the back of a person. From there on, some might instantly know how to use those wings, but some would have no clue on how to proceed. In the Thanedd Island of Temeria, there was a Sorceress Academy that was highly sought-after by aristocratic children. Only one out of a thousand could meditate successfully. Lydia had to give Olivia a heads-up as she was not the descendant of a strong bloodline. Chances were that she might fail miserably. The Sorceress Academy was Aretuza, located in Thanedd Island, northwest of Gors Valen of Temeria.[3][4][5] It was built on the reefs of Thanedd Island. Somewhere to the north was a rival academy. It was nothing like the Sorcerer Academy of Ban Ard.[6] This sorceress academy only accepted female candidates. It had turned Thanedd Island famous as a sacred place. It was an honor to be accepted as a student of this academy, at the price of hefty tuition fees. There was a merit system to award students who performed well in classes to reduce tuition fees or waive them altogether. It was a school with students coming from a variety of backgrounds, from descendants of noble families such as Margarita, [7] or the impoverished like Yennefer. [8] The education quality made those fees worth it. Their highly respected alumni and graduates often found a job within days. Its school principals were formidable sorceresses who had graduated from the school itself, such as the previous principle, Tissaia de Vries and the current principal Margarita Laux-Antille [9] As for alumni, everybody should know of Triss Merigold of Maribor and Yennefer. [10] However, sorceresses had to look over their shoulders constantly. There was a witcher who was known as The White Wolf, the butcher of numerous sorceresses [11] Olivia started to meditate on the method thought by Lydya. Wanting to test her magical talent, she did not spend any skill point in meditation. Sadly, it turned out that she was indeed an ordinary person who possessed no gifts in meditating. Lydias face was downcast, although she had expected it Translation Note: [1] Lydia van Bredevoort (d. July 1267) was Vilgefortzs assistant and personal secretary, a sorceress, and a painter. She was a woman with a very strange face and very nice, expressive eyes. The lower part of her face was actually an illusion. Four years prior the events in Blood of Elves, Lydia, at Vilgefortzs insistence, had taken part in some experiments conducted on a mysterious artefact discovered in a necropolis. It turned out to be cursed and although it activated only the one time, three of the five mages who participated were killed on the spot. A fourth lost his eyes, his hands and went mad. Lydia escaped with burns, a mangled jaw, and throat and larynx mutations that stubbornly resisted all attempts at regeneration. She was left with telepathy as her only form of communication. She was also hopelessly in love with Vilgefortz but too proud to admit it and he, in turn, was too principled to take her as his lover because he did not actually love her, though it was suggested. This situation, strange though it was, seemed to suit them both. She died, likely by her own hand and at Vilgefortzs order, during the coup on Thanedd Island. When she died, the illusion that had hidden the monstrous result of the failed experiment dissipated and her true face was revealed, much to the horror of the witnesses. [2] Cregennan (also Cragen) of Lod was a mighty human sorcerer, most famous for falling in love with an elf, Lara Dorren, and for being murdered for it by humans. Their daughter, Riannon, was adopted by Cerro, the queen of Redania. Cregennan was one of the ancestors of Ciri. The Aen Elle considered his relationship with Lara a theft of their heritage, and the king of the Aen Elle, Auberon Muircetach was determined to take back that stolen heritage, by using Cregennans descendent, Ciri, to produce an heir. [3] Aretuza is a magical academy for young ladies situated next to the Garstang on Thanedd Island and consists of 5 floors and 76 rooms, including rooms for the students. Among the students are girls from the twelve finest families in Redania. According to Molnar Giancardi, the annual fees for a student add up to 1,200 Novigradian crowns, with a 200 crown matriculation fee for new students. Adepts studying there are not permitted to leave the island and visitors are only admitted to the lowest level of the academy, Loxia. [4] the Isle of Thanedd is located in the bay northwest of Gors Velen in Temeria, to which it is connected by a bridge. It is primarily the location of an academy for training young females in magic. Thanedd is divided into three main areas: Aretuza Garstang Loxia All three parts were built by elves and are crowned by Tor Lara. The island itself is hollow, like a shell. It can be accessed either by the bridge (the conventional route) or from the sea via the underground passages (a less traditional, though certainly stealthier way). [5] Gors Velen is a port city on the northern coast of the North Sea in Temeria. It is just east of Cidaris, south of Oxenfurt, and northwest of Dorian. The forest of Brokilon lies immediately to the south of the city. Kardo Street runs through the city connecting the Main gate to the Sea gate. The town is also well known for its fish market on Circle Street, whose strong aromas attract the local cat population. In the centre of the market stands the Thiefs Bastion. [6] Ban Ard is a Kaedweni city known for its mining and magical academy. Although Ard Carraigh is its capital, Ban Ard is the true pearl of Kaedwen. [7] Margarita Laux-Antille was a sorceress and a rector of Aretuza. She was also the granddaughter of the famous Ilona Laux-Antille and a founding member of the Lodge of Sorceresses. She was the object of Larss affection, though she never returned his feelings. She had no interest in politics, but she cared deeply for her school and students. In the books, she was described by Ciri as having a figure that surpasses Yennefer and statues sculpted by artists. [8] Yennefer, born on Belleteyn in 1173, was a sorceress who lived in Vengerberg, the capital city of Aedirn. She was Geralt of Rivias true love and a mother figure to Ciri, whom she viewed like a daughter to the point that she did everything she could to rescue the girl and keep her from harm. She was a former royal advisor to king Demavend of Aedirn, a close friend of Triss Merigold, and the youngest member of the Supreme Council of Sorcerers within the Brotherhood of Sorcerers. After its fall, the Lodge of Sorceresses attempted to recruit her, but they didnt see eye to eye as the Lodge wanted to advance their own political agenda by using Ciri. [9] Tissaia de Vries (d. 1267) was a sorceress and a member of the Chapter of Sorcerers. She was one of the rectors at Aretuza and the author of The Poisoned Source. She was also extremely obsessive about her appearance and things in general. Tissaia was the one who took a young Yennefer of Vengerberg under her wing. It was she who fixed Yennefers hunchback and cured her of her various afflictions. During the coup on Thanedd Island, it was she who teleported a heavily wounded Geralt and Triss away from the hands of the approaching Redanian army. After the coup on Thanedd Island, Tissaia committed suicide slitting her wrists. Together with the other losses, her death spelt the end of the Council, making way for the Lodge of Sorceresses. [10] Triss Merigold of Maribor was a legendary Temerian sorceress of the 13th century. Called Fourteenth of the Hill by her contemporaries because she was erroneously thought to have been killed during the Battle of Sodden Hill, she passed into history as Merigold the Fearless. A member of King Foltests royal council along with Fercart and Keira Metz, as well as a founding member of the Lodge of Sorceresses, she was involved in politics for most of her life. [11] Geralt of Rivia is a witcher and the main protagonist of the Witcher series by Andrzej Sapkowski and its adaptations, including The Witcher (PC), The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings, and The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt video games. Like all witchers, Geralt is a monster hunter for hire. He possesses superhuman abilities and is a master swordsman. During the Trial of the Grasses, Geralt exhibited unusual tolerance for the mutagens that grant witchers their abilities. Accordingly, Geralt was subjected to further experimental mutagens which rendered his hair white and may have given him greater speed, strength, and stamina than his fellow witchers. Geralt is also known as Gwynbleidd, meaning White Wolf in Elder Speech. He was given this alias by the dryads and is also called the Butcher of Blaviken after an unfortunate incident in that town. Chapter 621 - Unexpected Behaviour Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation Olivia had never let down those who were sincere to her. Vildgefortz may treat her like a chess piece in his game, but his private secretary Lydia had been sincere and forthcoming to Olivia. People stuck around Vilgefortz for their own personal agendas, and so did Lydia. Sorceresses were also called witches, and as their names suggested, they only existed to be hunted down by Witchers. In some cultures, they believed that a witch would only bring misfortune and calamity. Lydia did not use any illusion magic to conceal her disfigurement. She looked just like Freddy Krueger[1] Fortunately Olivia, or rather, Lady Zhao had been through such situations before. At such a crucial moment, she had to convince herself not look at that horrible face. A mother should be judged by pure love and sacrifice, not appearances Olivia may be young, but she treated everything fair and justly. She did not practice favouritism as other children did. She only wanted to hone her skills by earning more skill points through side missions. In this world of source magic, her life was filled with greatness. Lydia was sensitive towards how others stared at her burnt face, but Olivia was never once disgusted and had treated her gently and politely. Such behavior touched her. Other than the Devil himself [2], who would not wish to be accepted and recognized by others? Plus, Lydia did not have many friends, to begin with. Each lesson that Lydia had with Oliva was a long moment of bliss. She was already treating them as a family of three. Such an idea had never crossed her mind before It has been every womans dream to have children with the man they loved. Unfortunately, most sorceresses were barren. Some of them went across the world just for a recipe get pregnant. Lydia was not alone in this predicament. Yennefer, the famous alumni from Aretuza the Sorceress Academy faced the same problem as well. She wanted to conceive a baby for some legendary Witcher, even she knew it was doubly impossible as Witchers shot blanks themselves. Hence, she had adopted a girl and treated as her own with love and hope. That legendary Witcher was known as White Wolf, Geralt. According to the Law of Surprise, he would one day adopt Cirilla C who would fall into Yennefers loving graces as well Perhaps one day, they would treat her like their own daughter and love her Emhyr and Pavetta were poor parents. Emhyr could only think about his revenge and the throne of Nilfgaardian. Pavetta was too busy attending banquets and balls. Therefore, Olivia had been entrusted to Vilgefortz and Lydia. Cirilla was taken under the wing of her grandmother, Queen Calanthe Olivia noticed the disappointed look on Lydias face. Apparently, Olivia, despite all her genius and talents, fell short at meditation. Olivia wasted no time and spent a skill point on meditation. Now she could enter the state of meditation with the press of a button. She could even adjust the duration of her sessions! The sooner a source mage could enter meditation, the greater her potential. In a voice of forced calm, Lydia spoke softly, You are still young, the potential in your blood still dormant. You do not have to rush with meditation; I could prepare some potions to help you enter the state of meditation, I Lydia paused in surprise. Olivia had amazed her yet again! Olivia entered the state of meditation! She could feel the elements surrounding her. Now, all she had to do was to familiarize herself with each of them. With the information inside the game directory, this would not be difficult to accomplish. Lydia circled Olivia, trying to figure out how she did it. She was more perplexed than impressed. Even her first meditation had not been as early as Olivia. Vilgefortz and Lydia had both agreed that Olivia did not have much magical potential in her. She was not a source mage, one that inherently had so much potential. They could achieve so much, even without magic. How could Olivia exceed their expectations, time and again, even after adjusting those expectations to her levels? Of course, Lydia was delighted. Who would not want to be the teacher of a genius? Teaching Olivia was the greatest excitement she had in years, the surprises never stopped. Lydia even hoped that Olivia could enroll into Aretuza, the Sorceress Academy on Thanedd Island. After all, Olivia might not share her elemental affinities. She had so much to learn With the game system on hand, Olivia could be the master of everything if she had enough skill points. That night, Vilgefortz and Lydia spent some time in private. Nothing fancy, just some bedtop sparring. Today I taught Olivia of meditation. Lydia spoke each word carefully, as if she was still distracted by her thoughts. Oh? Her bloodline considered, it would be a miracle if she could meditate at seven. Having her do it now would teach her nothing but disappointment. Vilgefortz took an elegant sip of his wine. Well, she did it today, Lydia seems to ignore the fact Vilgefortz was her superior. What? Impossible, shes just an ordinary mage Vilgefortz ceased his comments on his apprentice. She was unpredictable. Still, he had plenty of time to deal with her. Lydia smiled gracefully. She hoped that such a life would last longer. To her, this was bliss. Unfortunately, Vilgefortz was about to shatter her dreams. Emhyr finally agreed with my plans. It has been too long we stayed in this boring Cintra. Heading back to Nilfgaadian? Thats not all, Cintras prince, Dony has to die. He will become the prince of Nilfgaadian Empire, Emhyr I dont care about him, I just want to know, what about Olivia? Her? She does not matter in our plan. Cirilla must follow her father. I dont want to be separated from Olivia. Id like to see her off to Aretuza, Lydia was dead serious. Vilgefortz thought about it for a moment. His cold-blooded secretary had changed. Sigh. Women. Alright, we will take her with us. She could be an adorable pet, dont you think? Vilgefortz smiled, as if he was still in control of everything. Such a charming man. Translation Note: [1] Frederick Charles Freddy Krueger (/?kru??r/) is a character from the A Nightmare on Elm Street film series. He first appeared in Wes Cravens A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984) as a burnt serial killer who uses a glove armed with razors to kill his victims in their dreams, causing their deaths in the real world as well. In the dream world, he is a powerful force and almost completely invulnerable. However, whenever Freddy is pulled into the real world, he has normal human vulnerabilities. [2] Tonicquill (ED): I personally believe that this is a reference to a line from the movie The Usual Suspects: The greatest trick the devil ever pulled was convincing the world he didnt exist. Chapter 622 - The True Dancer On the Tombstone Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation In the previous chapter, we mentioned that the father of Olivia and Cirilla, Emhyr, wanted nothing but the crown of Nilfgaardian. He had long planned his ascension with Vilgefortzs help. To leave as a family member of the Lioness of Cintra, Queen Calanthe was not an easy task. Being a family member was another matter of hardship. Therefore, Vilgefortz and Emhyr had engineered a plot to fake their deaths in a shipwreck. Pavetta, Cirilla, and Emhyr would be dead, in the deep sea with Vilgefortz guaranteeing their safety. Olivia was never meant to be part of the survivors. Although Vilgefortz was a peerless strategist, adding Olivia to his band would greatly increase the risks of failing. He did not have any use of Olivia now, other than being the newfound love of his secretary. For the sake of his subordinates loyalty, Olivia must be alive. It was the year when Olivia became four, and Cirilla became five. Still disguised as Dony, Emhyr found the perfect window of opportunity. His family of four reached the island of Skellige Isles. The owner of Skellige Isles, King Bran, was the brother of Eist Tuirseach, the second husband of Queen Calanthe. [1][2] It was just another family visiting trip for the nobles. King Bran had aged. Most of the matters on Skellige Island were now in the hands of his nephew, Crach an Craite. [3] Naturally, Crach was placed in charge of Emhyr and his family. When Crach was much younger, he had followed his uncle Eist to arranged courtship of Queen Calanthes daughter, Pavetta. That night, he became friends with Geralt and Dony. Of course, he was not aware that Dony was actually Emhyr. Crach eventually became one of Geralts closest buddies, but he detested Dony. Crach was known for being an honest and straightforward person. Physically, he was robust and strong, and he was a good wrestler. He soon earned himself the title, Sea Boar. He was the capabl e barbarian that King Bran would trust, and he would not trust a man with a cunning face such as Dony (Emhyr). Crach always doubted Donys intentions of courting Pavetta. However, he put those personal thoughts aside and welcomed them as guests. He was happy to have Cirilla and Olivia around. Therefore, Crach demanded that his two children, Hjalmar and Cerys played with Cirilla and Olivia. [4][5] Hjalmar was the eldest among the four. His sister, Cerys, was slightly older than Cirilla. Crach did not like Dony, and the feeling was mutual. He thought that the nobles of Skellige Isles were all barbarians and knew nothing about chivalry and courtesy. His Nilfgaardian was far better off compared to these islands. People lived far better lives here, unlike the Skellige Isles, where most people had to bleed to put food on their table. Therefore, Emhyr wanted to frame Crach for his apparent death. First, he had to leave evidence that pointed towards Crach. For starters, forging a document that showed The Sea Boar approving of their voyage to sea before they left. Of course, Crach never actually agreed to them dropping anchor during this season. Emhyr accepted Crachs rejection, but still left the port that night with his family. He was desperate to go back to Nilfgaardian. Confident with Vilgefortzs arrangement, Emhyr could almost taste the air of Nilfgaardian. In Emhyr and Vilgefortzs meticulous planning, there lay a significant oversight: the innocent looking Princess Pavetta. The bigger a pretty vase, the more troublesome it could be. Pavetta noticed that her husband was acting weird. Who would insist to set sail during this season? Though she neglected her responsibilities as a mother, she managed to sneak Cirilla and Olivia away from the ship before it was deported. Just as the ship was closing in on the shipwreck point, Emhyr realized that his daughters had not followed! No matter how perfect a plan may sound, something would always try to upend it all. Emhyr had even drunk in celebration with Vilgefortz the night before they carried out their plans. He spoke about the struggles and suffering in Cintra, as if he already the King of Nilfgaardian At that crucial moment, Pavetta confronted him about his dangerous act. They started to quarrel, and Princess Pavetta questioned Emhyr if he loved her Emhyr had never loved Pavetta. He could only think of the throne of Nilfgaardian. He wanted it back. Emhyr never thought of killing Pavetta, but when Vilgefortz could not find Cirilla on the ship, that changed The ship was over the Sedna Abyss.[6] A treacherous, maelstrom-prone area. Without hesitation, Vilgefortz conjured a storm and gathered sea water in the air. After a moment, the gathered sea water turned into a huge tide and rushed towards the ship! At the brink of being shipwrecked, Vilgefortz opened a gateway and sent only Emhyr through the portal. Pavetta was lost in the sea. Emhyr was the only survivor in that accident. Dony was officially dead in the sea. Emhyr went back to his homeland and led the revolt against the usurper. With the help of Vilgefortz, he managed to take control of his kingdom and slew the usurper. With one foot on the corpse, he avenged his fathers death and claimed his crown. When my Pavetta died, the sky cried for her. I will never let the sky cried for me. After Emhyrs coronation, peace did not come immediately. After some period of political strife, all of his enemies were either dead or exiled. He took the gravestones of his enemies to decorate the floor of his ballroom, earning him the nickname of The White Flame Dancing on the Barrows of his Enemies or in Elder Speech, Deithwen Addan yn Carn aep Morvudd. Perhaps he should be called Emhyr, the dancer on tombstones Translation Note: [1] King Bran, former King of the Skellige Isles, lived a long and storied life. When he finally felt decrepitude taking hold of him, he went into the woods to hunt a bear armed with only a knife C and thus ended his reign. It was remembered as an honorable and respected one, though some complained he preferred raiding to confronting the Isles long-term problems, and that he let his wifes tongue wag too freely. Some connected the two, claiming Bran sailed out to fight overseas battles to put off dealing with the ones awaiting him at home. [2] Eist Tuirseach (d. 1263) was a Jarl of Skellige during the reign of his brother, King Bran, and Crach an Craites uncle. He became the King of Cintra via his impromptu marriage to Queen Calanthe and, sometime later, he also gained the crown of Skellige. He ruled with his wife until 1263 when he was killed at the Battle of Marnadal during the Nilfgaardian invasion of Cintra. He was described as being a sinewy warrior with a dark face, an aquiline nose, and white teeth. He was also, at least according to Queen Calanthe, noble, knightly, and classy. [3] Crach an Craite, also known as Sea Boar (Elder Speech: Tirth ys Muire) and the Wild Boar of the Sea, was a nephew of King Bran Tuirseach of Skellige and was mentored by Eist Tuirseach, his other uncle. In his early years he was a contender for the hand of Princess Pavetta of Cintra. However, it never came to anything. After King Bran passed the throne to Eist Tuirseach, Crach became Jarl of Skellige, the leading commander of the military forces. He also had a brief affair with Yennefer and remained fond of her afterwards, which he demonstrated by helping her in her search for Vilgefortz in 1267. He was known for sometimes showing his fiery temper as well as a healthy appetite. During his youth, he was described as a broad-shouldered man with a mop of red hair. Later when he was a grown adult, his eyes were said to be hawk-like. [4] Hjalmar an Craite, also known as Wrymouth(Polish: Krzywog?by meaning slack jaw), born 1248, is the son of Crach an Craite and is Cerys older brother, who he has a constant, but good-natured, rivalry with. He was in love with Ciri. [5] Cerys an Craite, aka Sparrowhawk, was the daughter of Crach an Craite, and Hjalmars younger sister. The young woman was a courageous islander like her father and had inherited all his stubbornness. She was very self-confident and always ready to prove she could fulfil any task as good as a man, which caused her and Hjalmar to have a constant, but good-natured, rivalry. However, unlike her brother, she appeared more levelheaded, choosing to investigate and think things through first before jumping to conclusions. [6] Sedna Abyss, also known as Sedna Trench, is an infamous location in the seas between the Skellige islands and Cape Peixe de Mar[1] and tends to be avoided by the Islanders as ships disappear in this area due to unnatural causes. In particular, if entered, a maelstrom forms out of nowhere and the unlucky ship disappears. Its later revealed the Islanders were right about it being unnatural. Unbeknownst to most, the mage Vilgefortz created the magical maelstrom here, using it to teleport any ships that enter it away to one of his hideouts in faraway Ebbing, where the ship and most (if not all) the crew die on crashing into the land. At one point in the 1250s, he worked with Emhyr to try and bring him, his wife Pavetta, and their young daughter Ciri to Nilfgaard while making it look like the family perished at sea by using this maelstrom, but the plan went awry and only Emhyr was teleported away. Chapter 623 - Maximum Usefulness Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation Time went back to the moment where news of the shipwreck involving the Princess of Cintra and her husband spread like wildfire. Obviously, someone had to bear the blame for such a disaster. Cintras Queen Calanthe, the grandmother of Olivia and Cirilla, was enraged. She had asked the clan chieftains of the Skellige Isles as to whether they were doing their job. This group of clan chieftains had boasted that they were islanders who could control the storm. As a result, her only daughter had died in a shipwreck? She did not care much about Dunys death. She had always disliked her son-in-law. Originally, she had asked the Witcher, Geralt of Rivia [1], to remove the hedgehog-like monster Duny. In the end, Geralt had asked the renowned druid, Ermion [2] to help him remove Dunys curse. Duny and Pavetta [3] then married soonafter. The clan chieftains of the Skellige Isles finally found someone to be the black sheep. Crach an Craite [4], the designated scapegoat, courtesy of Emhyr var Emreis. [5] Either way, King Bran Tuirseach [6] viewed Crach highly, and had placed the Princess of Cintras family under his care. Well, too bad, the responsibility of the shipwreck is all on you! A barbarian like Crach who spoke with his fists was at a loss of words. He could only offer his life as an expression of regret to Queen Calanthe. This was not just for show. If bearing a birch [7] to offer a humble apology existed in this world, then he would definitely go and ask for it from the Kingdom of Cintra. After that, he would beg Queen Calanthe to kill him However, this was impossible. After all, Crach was the nephew of Queen Calanthes second husband, Eist Tuirseach. King Bran Tuirseach viewed him highly, and he was even a contender for the throne of Skellige. How could Queen Calanthe kill him in a fit of rage? She had to think about the political consequences of this! The friendly relationship between the Kingdom of Cintra and the Skellige Isles was affected by this incident. Talks and inquiries soon ceased. The clan chieftains of the Skellige Isles were quite proficient at finding a scapegoat. In the end, Crachs only punishment could not even be considered a punishment. However, the righteous and brash Crach could not move past his guilt. He swore to get to the bottom of the matter! Crach saw the pair of adorable, now orphaned sisters, Olivia and Cirilla stranded in the Skellige Isles. He gathered all of the clan chieftains of the Skellige Isles. Then, he made a promise in the name of his family, to try his best to help Olivia and Cirilla. If they were willing, he was even ready to take them in as his goddaughters. This meant that they had the right to succeed the throne of the Skellige Isles. Of course, as they were the granddaughters of Eist Tuirseach who was the brother of King Bran Tuirseach, they had the right of the throne of the Skellige Isles. Obviously, the line of succession would be longer when Crach became the King of the Skellige Isles. For instance, the children of Crach, Hjalmar, and Ceyrs, would be the first in line to the throne. Cirilla was not interested in becoming the goddaughter of Crach. She did not understand why she had to fight for the throne of the Skellige Isles with Hjalmar and Cerys if she came Crachs daughter. In reality, she was not even keen on such positions. On the other hand, Olivia received a mission from the system, which was to obtain the title. If she became the Queen in the future, it would be perfectly justifiable for her to rule over the Skellige Isles. Which was why to others, the weak and delicate Olivia who cried every single day after her parents died had somehow found an adoptive father that could be taken advantage of Her acting skills proved to be very useful. Of course, Olivia was not really saddened over her parents deaths. They barely acted like it. Instead, she was more worried about Lydia, her doting teacher. Lydia was under Vilgefortzs protection [8] as she was his assistant and personal secretary. She did not have to worry about her safety. How could Olivia, the drama queen, be indifferent about her parents death? This was not in line with her usual appearance! What was her usual appearance? The appearance of the perfect princess, of course. She was beautiful, delicate and charming, and she triggered the protective instincts of those around her. She was thoughtful, kind and filial. This was why she had wept every single day over her parents deaths, constantly asking to see them. Most amusingly, she had never been close to them when they were alive. She was closer to her sister, Cirilla If she was older, such acting might be seen through by others. However, she was just four years old now. There was no nominal age in this world, and everyones age was based on their actual age. A four-year-old becoming heartbroken over her parents deaths seemed normal, did it not? Cirilla decided to stay strong for her sisters sake. Both of them would have to rely on each other in the future Cirilla became increasingly protective over her little sister. She even felt that she finally understood what it was like to be the older sister. Prior to this, her little sister had been the one who had cared for her. It was finally time for the roles to take their designated places. No one was suspicious about the heartbroken Olivia who was in tears getting a new adoptive father. Crach treated his newly adopted daughter as his real daughter. It seemed as if he was trying to repay her to the best of his power! Even though Cirilla did not want a new adoptive father, her calm and strength in the face of her parents deaths and her caring for her sister gained the acknowledgment of many people. Of course, at the same time, some thought that Princess Cirilla was a little too cold-blooded. She had it going for her in life! If those brainless side characters were after the position of power, they definitely would not want her to stay. In reality, they simply did not know that Olivia, who had learned a wealth of knowledge from Vilgefortz within the short period of a year was the true threat. She had utilized her parents deaths to her benefit, which fully lived up to the saying of, the child who cries would get milk. This had even deepened the bond between Olivia and Cirilla. Other than Emhyr, Olivia was the biggest winner of this loss! Since she was a long-time disciple of Vilgefortz, she knew that Vilgefortz thought highly of Cirilla. Cirilla was most definitely a main character C her fate had already been laid out before her! She should continue sticking closely to this main character! Little did she know that while Cirilla cuddled her sister to sleep every night, she had sworn in her heart to protect her sisters life! Translation note: [1] Geralt of Rivia () is a witcher and the main protagonist of the Witcher series. Like all witchers, Geralt is a monster hunter for hire. He possesses superhuman abilities and is a master swordsman. [2] Ermion () Ermion is a Character/NPC in The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt. [3] Pavetta was the granddaughter of Queen Adalia and daughter of Queen Calanthe and King Roegner of Ebbing. She was a Source and the mother of Ciri. [4] Crach an Craite () also known as Sea Boar (Elder Speech: Tirth ys Muire) and the Wild Boar of the Sea, was a nephew of King Bran Tuirseach of Skellige and was mentored by Eist Tuirseach, his other uncle. [5] Emhyr var Emreis (ϣ) was the Imperator of the Nilfgaardian Empire, Lord of Metinna, Ebbing, Gemmera, Sovereign of Nazair, Vicovaro and, after marrying Cirilla, King of Cintra, from 1257 when he overthrew the Usurper who murdered his father, Fergus var Emreis, until his death sometime in the late 13th century. [6] King Bran Tuirseach () was a monarch of Skellige, the maternal uncle of Crach an Craite and the brother of Eist Tuirseach, with whom he had a friendly relationship and who led his army as Jarl of Skellige. [7] Birch is a formal punishment in which a person is flogged with a bundle of birch twigs. [8] Vilgefortz (ү) was a mage and a member of the Chapter of Sorcerers, described by Yennefer as young (which, among mages, meant up to one hundred years), but incredibly talented. Chapter 624 - Ten Years Old Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation The aftermath of the shipwreck incident slowly subsided, but the storm had not yet settled. Olivia, who had a new father, appeared to be even more disliked by her grandmother, Queen Calanthe. She felt that Olivias actions meant something like recognizing a thief as your own father. No matter what, Crach, who was responsible for receiving the Princess of Cintras family was also responsible for this loss. Queen Calanthe was certain that Olivias gentle personality would never bring her anywhere in life. The only person who could succeed to the throne of the Kingdom of Cintra and rule over the Kingdom was her eldest grandchild C Cillira. At first, Olivia began to receive a traditional standard of education together with Cirilla. However, such lessons did not benefit her. She had already learned much from Vilgefortz. Therefore, she came up with an excuse of a frail constitution to skip on her classes. In reality, she was reading from the magic books that Lydia had been left to her. She even started dabbling in Alchemy If she had sufficient skill points, mastery was no problem. To everyone, the little Princess Olivia who was originally a genius became completely useless after her parents deaths. In stark contrast was Cirilla, who increasingly gave off the aura of an older sister. If Cirilla did not have Olivia, the weak and delicate younger sister, she might still have been the same as before; a brat, pampered by Queen Calanthe. Even if her parents died, she could still grow up peacefully under her grandmothers wing. Now, the weak and delicate younger sister made Cirilla become mature than before. Everyone needed a reason to become stronger. Protecting your closed ones would be one of those reasons that were so awe-inspiring, righteous and incomparably great, glorious, and righteous. The sisters became inseparable. When they were little, Cirilla had always set off Olivia with her mischief. Now Olivia was receiving the fruits of her efforts. She used her demure appearance to bring out the best of Cirillas strength. Cirilla quickly rose up in ranks among the aristocratic children of her age. It was not her appearance that brought her there, which could not be compared to her sisters beauty. Everyone knew that Cirilla, the strong Princess of Cintra had a very, very sore spot C her sister. If anyone ever remotely threw a slur at her sisters name, she would fly into rage. She would try her best to obtain anything her sister wanted, no matter how rare it was. Many felt that Olivia, the younger sister, was too spoiled and pampered for her own good. In reality, Cirilla knew that her sister was putting up some sort of front. In conclusion, as long as her sister was by her side, Cirilla felt unstoppable. Nothing would stand before them. Perhaps this was what we call a sister complex. In the past and present world and this boundless universe, who knows how many incredibly powerful people had a sister complex. They would destroy the world for their sister, or save the entire world for their sister. There was nothing odd about it C like eating and drinking. Even though Olivia seemed pampered to other people, she drew in another form of attention. The potential-daughter-in-law-to-get-into-someones-good-graces kind. Furthermore, if you add in Olivias beauty and elegant aura, she formed the image of a perfect princess! Luckily, her sister Cirilla was always around the corner. If not, some same-aged boys who definitely try to bully Olivia. That was the only way little boys knew how to express their emotions. Six years went by in a flash, and Olivia was ten years old. The birthday that Queen Calanthe had held in honor of Cirillas tenth year, anyone could see that she favored her more than anyone. It was as if Queen Calanthe had already set her eyes on Cirilla as the successor to the throne of the Kingdom of Cintra. As Cirilla grew, her sister molded her into a sharp blade. No matter what world it was, no one should underestimate the manipulative abilities of Olivia (Lady Zhao). If six years passed by in the Source World, it would only be equivalent to three days in the real world. To, Zhao Youyue she was playing some cutting-edge VRRPG game. She was barely out of the games first chapter. Her abilities as a child were limited. The curtains would unfurl as she approaches adolescence. At ten-years-old, Olivia became drop-dead gorgeous. This was to be expected, as she carried the Pearl of the Northern Kingdoms title. The Princes of the Northern Kingdoms had their eyes set on this beautiful Princess of Cintra. Rumors had it that she was extremely gentle and courteous. Her only flaw would be her frail constitution, which needed caring for Many Princes stepped up. They wanted to marry the Pearl of the Northern Kingdoms. They enthusiastically attended the tenth birthday banquet of the Princess Olivia. In this era where a 15-year-old could marry and have kids, ten-year-olds became legal romantic options. Olivia was uninterested in the men of this era. There were many Princes out there, but they were not the perfect Princes from fairytales. They were far from handsome, let alone possessed extraordinary powers. The only man she felt remotely attractive until now was her first teacher C Vilgefortz. He could maintain the perfect, dashing dilf-like appearance that remained at 35 years old for all eternity. He was abnormally handsome, and those so-called Princes could not even be compared to him. In reality, he was a supercentenarian. Since her sister was there to cover for her, she slipped away from her own birthday banquet. She brought some drawing materials along and went to the Brokilon [1] to sketch. This was a huge ancient forest that was surrounded by the Cintra, Brugge [2], Sodden [3] and Verden [4]. It was inhabited by dryads, hamadryads, leprechauns, and pucks. This were treacherous lands for humans, as dryads tended to fire arrows at them without warning. They treated the Scoiata [5] with far less hostility. They evevn allowed them to hide in Brokilon and tended to their wounded. The Brokilon dryads were led by Queen Eithn [6], who lived in Dun Canell [7], at the center of the forest. It was forbidden to bring in fire into the forest; axes or anything that could harm a tree. Furthermore, the Brokilon were also famous for their unique potions. For example, combining the roots of Conynhaela [8] and the symbiotic roots of the knitbone [9] enabled the rapid regeneration of damaged or broken bones. Obviously, Olivia knew better than to stray into the depths of the forest. She remained at the edge of their borders, sketching away. She had been doing this for many years already. Cirilla would sometimes accompany her sister, admiring the figure that remained ever so still, lost in her craft. Olivia had drawn several paintings for her sister. One of the most interesting paintings was one that depicted Cirilla who had been forced to wear the Princess dress. She was fuming with rage, producing a visage that was both cute and ugly. Olivia had not let such an opportunity pass. This could be the darkest history of Cirilla. However, Cirilla was not here to accompany Olivia today. Her little sister had sold her out, and she had to deal with the nobles at the birthday banquet. Olivia did not expect to meet someone as she was sketching. This person had white hair and carried two swords on his back Translation note: [1] Brokilon (¡) also known among humans as the Forest of Death, is an ancient forest located between Verden, Cidaris, Brugge, and Temeria and is near Dol Adalatte. [2] Brugge (³) was a small kingdom, now vassal state, on the Old Road. It is separated from its neighbors by the river Yaruga, its tributary Ribbon, and the river Trava. Brugge is surrounded by Sodden to the east, Cintra to the south, Verden to the west, and Brokilon to the north. [3] Sodden () was a former kingdom and is located around the Yaruga river between Cintra, Brugge, and Riverdell. [4] Verden (ά) is one of the minor kingdoms in the North, located at the very mouth of the river Yaruga, with Kerack and Brokilon on its northern borders and Cintra in the south, just on the other side of the river. [5] Scoiata () are non-human guerillas also known as the Squirrels, due to the squirrel tails they wear on themselves. [6] Eithn (˼) known as the Silver-Eyed, is the queen of the dryads and ruler of Brokilon. She is famous for her wisdom and implacable stance towards humans. [7] Dun Canell (Ŷɶ) is as much the capital of Brokilon as a forest can have. Its the home of many dryads, including Eithn. [8] Conynhaela () is a type of climbing herb plant which grows in Brokilon and enables the rapid regeneration of bone tissue. [9] Knitbone (ӹDz) is a symbiotic root that only grows in Brokilon and is used by the dryads in conjunction with Conynhaela, a healing herb. Chapter 625 - Professional Witcher Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation The man that Olivia met was the legendary witcher from the School of the Wolf [1] C Geralt of Rivia. Geralt had milk-white hair. The dryads in Bronkilon called him Gwynbleidd, which meant White Wolf in Elder Speech [2]. His other alias was far less noble C Butcher of Blaviken [3], a name that had been forced upon him after a bloody incident which occurred in the town of Blaviken. In Blaviken, Geralt had slaughtered Renfri and her band to save the lives of the innocent villagers of Blaviken. To the commoners, what Geralt did was random massacre. Little did they know that Renfri and her band had been planning to slaughter the villagers of Blaviken. From this incident alone, it became apparent that Geralt the witcher was nothing like the traditional witcher. Witchers from the Continent obeyed rules like so: 1. Strictly abide by neutrality, and never involve themselves in political and commercial conspiracies. 2. Only kill monsters if you want to and/or the pay is good. The payment is negotiable and would be directly proportional to the risks involved. Never work for free, and never ask for sky-high payments. 3. Never accept commissions other than killing monsters. You are not allowed to be mercenaries or assassins. You are not allowed to kill intelligent non-human races. You are not allowed to slay beasts and creatures that are harmless to humans. Never accept tasks that require you to disperse locusts or rats. 4. If you had to abandon your righteousness and point your sword at humans because of your own conscience or certain situations, then you must silently leave after doing it. You are not allowed to receive rewards or other benefits because of this. The so-called Witchers Code was more like a set of workplace professional ethics code. It was put together by the culmination of elder witchers experiences and life-lessons. It aimed to reduce the rejection and discrimination from humans by maintaining the witchers neutrality and discreetness. At the same time, they could avoid being made used of, or disbanded by the political powers that preyed on them. In reality, this Witchers Code was just a personal moral constraint. If a witcher willingly breached the Witchers Code, he would not be subject to any form of legal action. Olivia obviously did not know who Geralt was. However, Geralt currently sat atop a brown, beautiful large horse. He wore a set of witchers armor from the School of the Wolf that set him apart from regular knights. He looked dominating and powerful. Geralt was a very handsome man. However, there was an extremely ferocious scar at the left side of his face. It stretched from the top to the bottom of his face, slashing through one of his cat-like eyes. This scar had actually been inflicted by the Cockatrice [4] of Spalla [5]. Geralt was just another stranger to Olivia. As they had not interacted before, she could not check on this strongmans past through the game systems Character Information Bar. From his outer appearance alone, he seemed very ferocious and tough. He was a white-haired man with a short, half-up, half-down ponytail and unkempt beard, which made him look very rogueish. Compared to the perfectly handsome Vilgefortz, he looked far more nefarious. Olivia glanced at him for a few seconds before devoting herself to her drawing again. However, Geralt noticed something off. As a detective, no, as a witcher, he could sense something amiss from a mile away. He would then use his cat-like eyes to follow the trail. When you long press the right-click of the mouse, the world would become dark, and clues would be illuminated in red and yellow color Through his observations, he discovered that this loli was around ten years old. She was dressed up elegantly and could not be a commoner. Her long silver hair reached her waist was the material of fairytales. In conclusion, this loli was most likely a noble. There was one big issue. There were no bodyguards around her, not even one. This girls parents had been too negligent. Arent they afraid that something bad would happen to her? This world was hostile, far too hostile for the likes of an innocent child. Fortunately, it was a relatively upright witcher who had came across her. If she had met robbers or bandits, he could not even imagine what sort of tragic end awaited her! The truly desperate could care less about your noble blood. As long as they had the courage, nothing would stop them! As Geralt was deep in thought, his brow furrowed. A thick fog was slowly surrounding him and the girl! It was still hours before sunset. A moment ago, their surroundings had been surrounded by dazzling sunrays. Fog did not simply appear at this time The surrounding areas visibility plummeted. A bright light appeared, not far away from the fog. It gave other people a feeling of warmth, tempting people to walk there. Geralt saw the elegant, delicate-looking girl actually set her pencil down. She looked at the bright light in curiosity and made to walk towards it! Geralt scolded this pampered brat in his heart. He quickly dismounted and stopped the girls movements. He used his pleasant, mellow growl and whispered, If you are ever in the swamp at night, it would be better for you to stay put and wait for dawn, even if you have to stand waist-deep in water infested with leeches. If you ever see a bright light in the fog, you should never, ever walk towards it. Olivia had a blank look on her face. Her voice was innocent and gentle, which could easily bring out the protective nature of others. Naively, she quipped, Swamp? But we are just at the border of the forest On the other hand, Geralt had already drawn his silver blade. He took out a bottle of Necrophage oil [6] and applied it on himself, and said as if he was reciting lines out of a monster manual, The fog is the enemy of travelers. In the forest, it could get one lost. At sea, it could cause ships to collide with rocks. However, such dangers pale into insignificance, if compared to the monsters known as foglers. Foglers have powerful arms and claws, yet their true danger lie in their mastery of deception, bewitchery, and confusion. The foglers need not attack people. Instead, they just have to drive their prey into madness and make them walk into the swamp. Then, they would just have to wait for their prey to drown in the waters. Little girl, you are lucky that you met me, a professional Witcher today. If not Geralt did not have to say anything else, but the meaning of his words was self-evident. If he had not been there, then the foglers would have butchered this cute loli. Then, they would eat her to the core of her bones. However, to Geralts surprise, this weak and delicate girl did not seem one bit bothered. On the contrary, she looked excited. What he did not know was this girl had just received a green-colored Witcher Quest C Assist the witcher in slaying foglers. The quests rewards consisted of skill points. Other than that, there was actually a Foglet Dedoction [8]. Translation note: [1] School of the Wolf (ѧ) known in Nilfgaard as the Order of Witchers, is a school of witchers headquartered at Kaer Morhen in Kaedwen. [2] Elder Speech (), also Hen Llinge is the language of the Aen Seidhe elves. As it is one of the oldest languages still in use, it is referred to as the Old or Elder Speech while the lingua franca is Common Speech. [3] Butcher of Blaviken (ά) is one of Geralts aliases. Geralt gained the moniker after what transpired in the story The Lesser Evil. [4] Cockatrice (ʯ) also known as a skoffin and kurolishek, is an ornithosaur. [5] Spalla (˹) is a fortress in the kingdom of Lyria and Rivia, just north of the Yaruga river from Dol Angra. [6] Necrophage oil (ʳʬ) is an Oil in the Witcher 3: The Wild Hunt. There are Standard, Enhanced, and Superior versions of this Oil. [7] Foglers (С) are magical beings said to have arrived during the Conjunction of the Spheres. They tend to be found mainly in swamps, forests, or in the mountains and lure their prey into traps using magic. They have glowing eyes and mouths, keen ears and long pointed fingers and feed on the bodies of their victims. [8] Foglet Dedoction (Сҩ) is a potion in The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt. Chapter 626 - Reckless Melee Fighter Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation The Foglet Dedoction is a type of potion. It was the product of Alchemy. Ones attributes would increase upon ingestion. However, not anyone could just down it. Alchemical ingredients were highly toxic to regular humans. Olivia was not actually interested in things like using foreign materials to increase her attributes. After all, this was a game, and she was a hacker. However, these Witcher Quests provided extra rewards, so why pass up on this? Olivia did not act rashly. In reality, Olivia had an abnormal amount of experience in fighting monsters and creatures, as she possessed all the abilities of Jane Doe Su. She could rely on her dodging abilities to make herself invincible to monsters. That is right, that was her unrivaled tumbling! Tumbling might end up being highly useful in this Source World. Perhaps all gaming worlds used it as a staple mechanic? At that moment, the self-proclaimed professional witcher, Geralt, had applied the Necrophage oil on himself. Then, he made a casting gesture with his hands. It turns out that he had cast a Quen Sign [1] on himself! This was the first time Olivia had ever seen a witcher in battle. He was cool! As expected, this was an action hero! There was a golden layer of halo around Geralts head right after casting the Quen Sign. He appeared to be in an invincible state. In reality, the Quen Sign was a protective shield that could absorb all incoming damage from monsters. Unless the enemys attacks shatter the shield, nothing could hurt Geralt at all. Geralt has always appeared brave and courageous in front of females. It was no wonder that he enamored many beautiful girls. For example, Yennefer [2] from Vengerberg [3] was his soulmate, and was always ready to be the mother of his child. Geralt, who thought himself well-prepared, rushed forth! Then the foglers appeared! Olivia had been mentally prepared to face the battle. However, the foglers who were Necrophages [4] were extremely ugly, which slightly threw her off. Foglers were shorter than humans. Their bodies were slightly hunched, and their arms ended in long, pointed fingers. In fact, from their huge feet and claws alone, you would know that its attacking power was not to be underestimated. They did not seem to have any skin C their blood vessels were even visible and exposed. Most horrendously, their brains jiggled about as they moved. They had glowing blue eyes that emitted an ominous glint, exposed sharp teeth that were interlocked, and two huge and sharp ears Even though Olivia had seen many monsters and demons in the literary world of the Tales of Wuxia 3, these western monsters were far uglier. Furthermore, the realism levels of the literary world could not even be compared to Source Worlds. As confident as Olivia was when it came to holding her own in combat, the sight of these nightmarish images still left her knees feeling weak. It would be wise to cast a magic shield on herself first. In fact, the witchers signs were actually simplified forms of conventional magic. In other words, her magic shield would be something like a completed, upgraded version of the Quen Sign. Since Geralt was acting as the main tank, Olivia felt relatively safe. However, she would soon realize that she had overestimated Geralt, who she had thought to be the ideal action hero. She did not expect that Geralt, who had rushed towards the foglers in elaborate fashion, could not finish the foglers off. This was because the foglers would always use their signature skills at the most crucial moment. It was similar to the Shadow Clone Technique from the Naruto Anime Therefore, Geralt, in spite of his magnificient and excellent swordsmanship, could not hit the foglers at all. After all, this was the real world, and not a game. Geralt was a human being and not some player-controlled character. Levels did not differentiate monsters in the real world. Witchers might even fall before seemingly easy enemies like Necrophages. That was why they had to make sufficient preparations before every battle. For example, applying the correct Necrophage oil on his blade, casting the Quen Sign, and drink some potions, etc. The foglers in the game were creatures that might be one or two levels above regular Necrophages. A player-controlled witcher would make short work of them. However, a real-life Geralt would face some trouble. Geralt was starting to regret this. He had not prepared a Moon Dust [5] bomb. This bomb contained Quicksilver solution [6] which could cause their illusory ability to lose its effectiveness. At least, he would not be hitting thin air. This was by no means Geralts fault. After all, Alchemy bombs were not cheap. Geralt was not one for meticulous planning, thus he would always be short of money. Was it because he was too addicted to the Gwent [7] card game that frequently left his pockets empty? Furthermore, he had not been prepared for this battle. Most importantly, Olivia, the step-child was there. He had to keep an eye out for her. Just as he started cursing his fate, the step-child Olivia finally got to her feet! After observing the battle for a few minutes, Olivia had consulted her various in-game indexes and cards, and figured the foglers out, down to their weaknesses! Olivia, a trained mage, had a solid foundation of magic from her talented teacher Vilgefortz. The rest of it was her doing. Mages would usually use their wind blades for long-range attacks, but she held her wind blade in her hands! This magical sword was made up of solid wind and was almost invisible. It was just like the Excalibur wielded by Altria [8] in the Anime Fate/stay night. The questionability of its power aside, it definitely looked cool. It was even cooler than Geralts silver blade! Olivia then transformed into the best swordsman in the Wuxia world C Jane Doe Su. She cast a magic shield, and while holding up her wind blade, rushed forward! The foglers were at their weakest right after their illusions are struck. During that short period, their physical bodies would be revealed, and they would be less than mobile. Anyway, Geralt would have eventually won. After all, these foglers were small-fry. However, Olivia did not want to pass up on this quest: Assist the witcher against the foglers. Therefore, Lady Olivia Zhao charged into fray. She seemed to have forgotten that she was a mage The foglers who just had their illusions smashed apart by Geralt had distanced themselves from Geralt. They were waiting for Geralt to rush towards them. Who knows, they might be able to evade his attacks by then. Little did they expect the little girl C their food, to rush towards them! They thoroughly underestimated the little girl. On top of that, they could not see the invisible wind blade in her hands. Almost leisurely, they swung their claws at the girl The foglers were relieved. The witcher had held them against the ropes. Finally, a weakling for them to kill! NO! Geralt screamed! Of course, he quickly fell silent The air had became eeriely still, while the atmosphere became very awkward. Translation note: [1] Quen Sign (ӡ) is a simple magical symbol used by witchers. When cast it forms a protective field around the casting witcher. [2] Yennefer (Ҷη) was a sorceress who lived in Vengerberg, the capital city of Aedirn. She was Geralt of Rivias true love and a mother figure to Ciri, whom she viewed like a daughter to the point she did everything she could to rescue the girl and keep her from harm [3] Vengerberg () is the capital city of Aedirn and was once one of the richest and most populous metropolises (numbering six thousand inhabitants) in the Northern Kingdoms. [4] Necrophages (ʳʬ) is a hypernym used to refer to monsters that generally haunt cemeteries and battlefields, places where dead bodies lay, eating the remains. [5] Moon Dust (֮) is a bomb in The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt. [6] Quicksilver solution (˿) is an ingredient which can be used in place of certain monster parts when producing alchemical concoctions. [7] Gwent () is a fast-paced card game that can be played within The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt on every platform. [8] Altria () is a fictional character from the Japanese visual novel and anime series Fate/stay night by Type-Moon and its prequel, Fate/Zero, by Type-Moon and nitroplus. Chapter 627 - Its Not That Bad Having A Daughter~ Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation Now, why is Geralt in shocked silence? He had initially thought that this frail, little girl had fallen under the bewitchery of the foglers. There was no better way to justify her sudden, mindless rush! Thats right. Thats what any professional mind would conclude. A little girl would only get shredded by the least of all Necrophages! Regular folk would never stand up against the claws of foglers, not unless theyve come across Hunters from Resident Evil. Of course, the foglers diminutive size did not seem very intimidating. It was their shadow clone jutsu that turned them infinitely far deadlier! They could play hide and seek as their opponents tired out. Then, they would strike! Geralt never expected the little girl to perform actual, trained tumbles and roll behind the foglers, jamming her wind blade into their backs! If someone had played Tales of Wuxia 3 in this world, they would recognize the most basic of abilities C backstab! Lady Olivia Zhao had not even started street dancing, no, she had not used any of her Fairy from Wonderland skills! Geralt was most astonished about the invisible blade. All his keen, enhanced eyes could pick up was the sight of the foglers body sprawling forward, as it had been kicked on the rear-end. Then, the girl had used her invisible blade to stab it a few times more for good measure The thick fog slowly dissipated, and the foglers all lay dead. Geralt breathed heavily, catching his breath. For a long while, he remained speechless. However, he finally understood why this girl had dared come to the border of the forest to sketch. She was some ridiculously skilled entity! When he thought about how worried he had been about this little brat, he felt as if he had been tricked Olivia happily collected the experience points that could be exchanged for skill points from the system. She then obtained the formula for the Foglers Decoction. Apparently, one of its ingredients was foglers mutagen. She was familiar with the other familiar alchemical ingredients. The main ingredient would be the foglers mutagen. It looks like she had no choice but to lay hands on the corpses. Olivia then discovered that her gorgeous dress was in a mess. It had been torn in many places, thanks to rolling in the bramble and pebbles. Her snow-white skin had been exposed to the air, which made her look like she had been abused and assaulted She had gone all out against the foglers. Her indoor dress had been treated like a battledress, and stood no chance against her ferocity. Olivia had always paid attention to her appearance and had skilfully immersed herself in her perfect princess act. Her current appearance left her in a foul mood. It somehow dampened her joy of completing a witcher quest. As for laying hands on the corpses of those foul beasts, did you really expect an elegant princess to get her hands dirty? Hey, white-haired witcher, can you help me out with something? Olivia said in a slightly arrogant tone while raising her chin. Perhaps because she had revealed her true self in front of this guy, she had given up on maintaining any guises. Olivia was a weak and delicate daddys girl, while Lady Zhao was a scheming, manipulative Goddess. She was arrogant, conceited, and looked down upon everybody. Of course, Geralt did not mind such attitude. Instead, he thought that this entity was an adult trapped in the body of an adorable little girl. He replied, You already killed the monster. What other help do you need? I want the foglets mutagen, so could you help me extract it, pretty please? Everything else is yours. Take its brains for all I care. I have no Oren [1] with me right now, but I am a Princess of Cintra. You can come with me to meet my grandmother and tell her that you saved me. She would reward you with a huge sum of money. What do you think about this? Olivia said charitably. When Geralt heard the title of Princess of Cintra, he fell silent once again He thought that Olivia was Cirilla, who was destined to become his adoptive daughter because he had invoked the Law of Surprise [2] on Duny and Pavetta. This had left him inexplicably excited. Wouldnt it be awesome to have a daughter like her? Hey, white-haired guy. What are you hesitating for? Hurry up and help me, Princess Olivia commanded. Geralt was unable to reject his daughters request. He went ahead and did as she told, not one bit revolted by the disgusting nature of the beast. He did this on an almost daily basis Olivia took out an alchemical container from the games inventory bar. That is right; the system had an inventory bar. It was as convenient as those spatial storage rings [3] you find in xianxia. She started collecting the blue-colored foglets mutagen. She found Geralts obedience to be pleasing to her eyes, and made sure that he accepted her rewards. The white wolf revealed an uncharacteristically affectionate smile. He rejected her offer and said. I am not that kind of witcher who only cares about money. You killed this monster, and I did not save you as well. I cannot claim this credit. Furthermore, your grandmother must be Queen Calanthe. If she saw me, she would be outraged. Queen Calanthe had initially commissioned Geralt to kill off Duny (Emhyr), but Geralt had instead broken Dunys curse. Pavetta and Duny ended up getting married. It had utterly derailed Queen Calanthes plans. She would naturally bear grudges against Geralt. No, I want you to claim the credit. Then, after you receive the money, how about splitting it half with me? Olivia was actually short of money. She wanted to get some money out of her grandmother, if possible. Geralt was shocked, yet again. What happened to Cirilla? Shes trying to swindle grandmother of money! How could she be so two-faced? I, Geralt of Rivia, would never be part of this! Geralt was upright and righteous, and thats exactly why she found him cute. Olivia combed her long silver hair back angrily and then kicked Geralt in the foot as she sulked. She used her pretty, emerald eyes to gaze deep into the yellow, feline eyes of the white wolf and bared her teeth. She said, I, Olivia, farm gold! Err Olivia? You are not Cirilla? Geralt had almost died from this lolis cuteness. He sighed with sorrow. It would have been quite nice to have a daughter like her. In the end, she was not Cirilla! Translation note: [1] Oren (ױ) is the official unit of currency in Temeria and the kingdoms vassal states and territories. It is variously referred to as money, gold or orens and is the only currency used in The Witcher (PC). [2] Law of Surprise () is a custom as old as humanity itself. The Law dictates that a man saved by another is expected to offer to his savior a boon whose nature is unknown to one or both parties. In most cases, the boon takes the form of the saved mans firstborn child, conceived or born without the fathers knowledge. [3] Space rings (ռָ) are rings that are used to store items in fantasy novels. Chapter 628 - Release My Sister! Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation Regardless of the outcome, Olivia got to befriend this Witcher. He looked to be in his mid-thirties, but was chronologically over 100 years old. Thats right, because she had officially met up with Geralt, the systems Character Information File updated itself accordingly, and she got to learn about Geralts past. Geralt was thought to be the son of the warrior Korin and the sorceress Visenna. Upon birth, Geralt had been abandoned by his mother at Kaer Morhen, a castle that belonged to a witcher. This was where his teacher, Vesemir found him. From thereon, he accepted the Trial of the Grass and the devilish training of being a witcher. The Trial of Grass made him a superhuman by giving him immerse strength and mental capabilities that ranged from superhuman speed and strength to insane healing abilities, but as a side effect, he lost his skin color and fertility. It was said that the Trial of Grass would take away ones emotions; however, that statement had not yet been proven. Geralt often used this as an excuse, escaping any questions tossed at him. Although his full name was Geralt of Rivia, but he was not actually from Rivia, but from the monster hunter castle Kaer Morhen, located in Kaedwen. To hide ones identity, young witchers would create a fake name for themselves, such as Geralts Geralt Roger Eric du Haute-Bellegarde. When he chose his name, his teacher Vesemir had found it to be silly and convoluted. Due to that, Geralt was limited to his current name, Geralt of Rivia. At that moment, Geralt had already lived for a century. He had traveled across most of this land, accepting bounties to carry on. In his travels, he met the poet Dandelion, and they became the best of friends. It was also through Dandelion that he was able to befriend the sorceress Yennefer who would later become his lover, as unstable as that relationship was. As a witcher, Geralt had to get himself involved in multiple events while remaining as neutral as possible. At some point Geralt had received a mission from Queen Calanthe. He had been commissioned to slay a monster during a matchmaking session that Pavetta was attending. Eventually, he ended up saving the monsterCHedgehog Duny, contributing to the marriage between him and the princess, while also dispelling the curse that had been placed on him. Upon doing so, he had invoked the Law of Surprise as repayment, and from there, Geralt learned of Cirilla. His visit to Cintra was mainly to determine the link between the Law of Surprise and his connection with Cirilla. What Geralt did not expect was to bump into her sister who was a year younger, Olivia. And just like that, he started fighting side to side with this young genius who had already mastered magic at such a young age. Although she showed disapproval from time to time, the hundred-year-old Geralt could easily tell that she did not dislike him. If anything, she respected him, but wanted to remain the leader of the duo. When it came to tsundere lolis, it was best to let her have her way. Geralt may not be a father, but he had the talent of being a stay-at-home dad. Within a short amount of time, he had mastered the method of pleasing Olivia. Little did he know that Olivia had planned all this out. With the help of the Character Information File, Olivia felt that he was an ideal role model for main characters. He had experienced many lifetimes of one-in-a-lifetime events while possessing a sense of justice that regular monster hunters lacked. It was best to gain the favorability of such a person. This was why she had acted as sothe tsundere princess Olivia who constantly badmouthed the White Wolf, yet actually believed that he was a reliable person. Unbeknownst to her, Geralt might end up becoming life-sworn enemies with her teacher Vilgefortz. Would justice triump over evil, or would it be the other way around? Being addicted to the stay-at-home dad play, Geralt could not stop himself from unleashing his head patting techniques. Olivia was just too cute!!! As Geralt continued to pacify the little princess, a gang of uninvited guests arrived, their leader being the head princess Cirilla, with her entourage of royal guards. Naturally, Cirilla was there in search of her sister, as her sister had been out for a long time. Cirilla was extremely fond of her precious sister after all; if her sister ever went missing, she would be extremely worried. Cirilla C having just passed her 11th birthday was not particularly tall, but her physique was not one of a child either. She had that same old look, although her face was now peppered with freckles. She was nothing like the doll-like Olivia, although one could immediately tell that the two of them were related. Just being around her could put one at ease. Cirillas title, the Lion Cub of Cintra had already settled down in the hearts of many. They thought that she had a bright future. She was exactly like her grandmother Calanthe, and she was Queen of Cintra material. Cirilla rode skillfully, clad in her warrior outfit. Since young, Cirilla had despised beautiful lady clothing. When she was younger, she had been forced into a frilly gown, which made her go crazy. Her sister had even recorded this scene with her brush with glee. With her grandmother Calanthes care and love, she finally escaped the hell of female clothing and started dressing up like a man. She felt awesome and free. She was finally different, compared to her sister. While her sister left her hair long and beautiful, she cut hers short. It was at that moment when she completely discarded her feminine charm. All that mattered was her sister. Due to this, the sight of her sister getting head-patted by a white-haired, scar-riddled gruff stranger invoked her fury. Her sisters torn gown and mud-stained face only made matters worse. That was the final line. What had you done to my sister, you bastard?!! Release her right this instant!!!! yelled Cirilla in a fit rage, charging at Geralt. Fortunately, she did not remove her sword from her scabbard, but instead she swung the horsewhip in her hand at the pervert before her. Chapter 629 - Warmth Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation As the saying goes, you can never predict the future. Geralt had lost count of the times he had pictured his first meeting with the Destined Child Cirilla. In such a vast world, meetings that came and went were as fleeting as the change of wind. No matter what it was, being a princess would always be better than following him in the path of a Witcher Geralt did not expect to be at the end of a whip in his first meeting with Cirilla. What kinky turn of events was this? The legendary witcher rolled out of the way, evading the lash. Cirilla did not follow up, but instead, swiftly dismounted and took her sister in her arms. Based on the warmth in her face, it was clear that she only wanted to protect her sister. At that moment, Geralt really wanted nothing more than to thank Olivia. If it was not for Olivia explaining everything that had just happened, going so far as even to push all the credit to Geralt, Geralt would have been ripped to shreds by Cirillias entourage. Geralt was a highly competent swordsman, but he would not stand a chance against an entire squadron of knights. Once he was surrounded, it was game over for him. This was not a world where single men leveled entire countries. Although she now had a clearer understanding of things, Cerilla still remained on guard. She may not have noticed it yet, but her long years with her sister had developed a fierce sense of possession over her sister that could almost be classified as yandere. As he saw that Cirilla was living well in Cintra, and had everything laid out neatly for her, he decided not to invoke the Law of Surprise. He had an audience with Calanthe and promptly left without bringing Cirilla along with him. Geralt was more selfless than one could imagine. He did not wish for Cirilla to go through the tiring and bitter days that he did. For a long time, he did not approach Cirilla, but he instead got to know more about her sister, Olivia. Was this because of Olivia being a loli sorceress? Geralt could not stop thinking about it. For some reason, throughout his lifetime, he had attracted numerous sorceresses to his side. In Olivias case, she had gotten him addicted to the role of being a stay-at-home dad. He even wondered if the Law of Surprise had chosen wrongly. If not for that, Cirilla would not be treating him so coldly, and Olivia would not be treating him the other way around, even if she always said I hate you. As Geralt took his leave, Olivia had brought him for a quick stop at her alchemy lab. It had been left behind by Vilgefortz and Lydia. In a way, we could say that Olivia had inherited the lab from them. Under Geralts curious gaze, she decided to show him how to prepare the Foglet Dedoction. She showed him each of the steps and even let him synthesis his own samples. Geralt worked slowly C his mind was occupied with too many thoughts. He could not stop himself from praising this young genius. Alchemists would have to spend entire lifetimes attaining her level of skill. Geralt knew a bit about alchemy, as there were a few essentials that he constantly used in his career such as the night vision-enabling Cat Water, and also, the Killer Whale which could be used to increase ones lung capacity in the water. Even so, he could not be considered a professional alchemist, which was why he preferred consulting actual alchemists to create for more complicated potions for him. Being a Witcher was no easy task. All year round, they had to risk their lives killing monsters for a living, yet all their earnings would mostly be used in preparation for their next trip. Whats worse was that some clients would swindle them of their rewards and instead, start a riot to chase the witcher out of town. Decisive witcher like the members of the infamous cat clan would not hesitate to slaughter entire villages under cover of dark nights. For what reason? They were merely displeased. Villagers had the numbers on their side. The most skilled witchers could be brought down by a single stab to the back. Geralt had met many professional alchemists. He could tell at a glance that the little princess was no amateur. He had even considered consulting her on a regular basis. Actually, Olivia was working on some form of partial autopilot, courtesy of her game system. She thought that she looked very cool at that moment, possessing the qualities of a medieval age witch. After some time, the system reminded her that the Foglet Dedoction was complete. The system informed her that monster hunters favored this potion. The potion itself was highly potent, and granted the person who drank a 25% boost to their magic power, if it did not kill them first. Uncle White Wolf, by my name Princess Olivia, I shall give you this potion as a parting gift! Olivia placed both hands on her hip with style as she jerked her head in the direction of the concoction. Geralt could only look in awe at the electric-blue liquid. Based on his years of experience, this was an extremely successful sample. Such potions could not even be found in the market. Some greedy alchemists might put them up at ridiculous prices. Rather than profiting from it, they would only earn the envy and ire of many others. He was shocked that Princess Olivia would willingly part with such a valuable potion, gifting it to him! The hundred-year-old Geralt was touched. The world he lived in was extremely dire and harsh. They were monster-slayers, but they were often treated as monsters themselves. This was their cruel reality. From being scorned at, to having to buy everything at a higher price, they took the short end of every stick in life. In this cold world, what could possibly warm him up? Love? Friendship? As of now, it was this caring princess that provided him the warmth he needed. Geralt did not throw up a melodramatic fit or anything of that sort. He was a guy who looked cold from the outside, but was a softy on the inside. He silently stowed away the potion as Olivia scoffed, Uncle White Wolf, dont misunderstand! I did not give you that potion because I was worried about you or anything! You were too poor and I pitied you! Thats all! Geralt smiled knowingly as he lightly patted the princess head and turned around. He might not see her for a while, but he had no choice. Casandre had looked on worried as Geralt gave her some bad news. The Nilfgaardian Nation from the South under the leadership of King Emhyr had started to gain strength, and it might not be long before they start moving North, with one of their targets being Cintra. Chapter 630 - Marriage Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation The weight of the Cintra Kingdom could never be compared to the Nilfgaardian Nation. Their names already hinted at the situation. One was just a measly kingdom, whereas the other was a nation. Cintras leader could only be called a king, the other was a fully-fledged emperor. Emperor Emhyr of Nilfgaardian. No one knew that he was actually Hummer Duny. All they knew was that he was an exiled former prince, and that he rebuilt the entire nation with a short time, even overcoming many hardships along the way. Challenging Nilfgaardian was impossible, unless the entire Northern Continent worked together. This was where a problem lay. While the Nilfgaardian Nation took the form of a centralized nation, the northern continent instead made use of the feudalism system. Army-wise, they were completely out-classed. Nilfgaardian was a well-developed nation with a professional army and sufficient wealth. They were driven by the urge to dominate, and could take over the surrounding continents in a considerably short time. Thats why Amerigo Vertucci, the map creator for Nilfgaard had once said There will never be an accurate map for Nilfgaard as it would only grow bigger. Unquestionably, Nilfgaard was the largest nation in the world. On the other hand, Cintra was in the far south of the Northern continent, touching the ocean. From Skellige Islands, Temeria was to the north whereas the newly-conquered Nazair was to the South. At that moment, Nazair had turned from a kingdom to a province. Cintra protected the south wing of the Northern Continent, and under the rule of Calanthe at that time, had considerable strength. Unfortunately, Cintra was located at the south bank of Yaruga, and thus became the next target. Emperor Emhyr felt no remorse. Adding to the fact that the only feeling he had towards Calenthe was one of animosity. She had tried to have him killed, and twice declined marrying her daughter to him. Empereror Emhyr did not seem to regret causing the death of his wife Pavetta. He often cried crocodile tears and said, When my Pavetta died, even the sky cried for her. However, I will never let the sky cry for me. Following this, he became the emperor and had a new wife called Aine Dermott. He had always wanted a successor to stabilize the armys and the peoples hearts, but a curse had seemingly befallen upon him. Perhaps it was also heavens judgment, but his seed never once took hold. This made him long all the more for his two daughters, Cirilla and Olivia. At first, he never paid any attention to his children, yet now he kept recalling Olivia. If he could not get a child, perhaps having Olivia as the next heir to his seat would be the best choice. At that moment, Calanthe could only rely on the best and possibly most peaceful method of settling the war, which was to offer a hand in marriage. She had even decided on the target of the marriage, which was Verden. In terms of military, Verden was considerably strong, and their prince Kistrin was rather well-known. As long as they made a marriage pact, the balances in strength would change, and Nilfgaard would not be able to continue their assault. When Calanthe asked for a marriage pact with Verden, Prince Kistrin got all excited, as if he had struck the jackpot. He quickly expressed his desires of marrying the pearl of the north Princess Olivia, and he would not agree if it was with Cirilla or anyone else. As usual, Calanthe had never treated Olivia with value. She saw no loss in such a proposal. As Calanthe started out with the plans, Cirilla and Olivia were not at Cintra, but at The Isle of Skellige. As Olivia had already treated Crach, Brans nephew as her father, so she would visit the isles every year. For what? To tell everyone that she had the heir-apparent rights of the isles. Cirilla would never leave her sister alone. Of course, they would visit the isles together. The ones who were the closest to these sisters would surely be the children of Crach, Hjalmar, and Cerys. During winter, the ponds in the isles would be frozen solid. Hjalmar would show off his ice skating skills, even achieving new records in the annual ice skating competition. Hjalmar was basically Olivias brother, although they were not blood-related. He had that maroon hair that had been passed down by his bloodline. Since birth, bravery was also his middle name. Olivia often lamented to her sister, saying that Hjalmar may be physically capable, but he was too na?ve. It was to be expected of the son of the Wild Boar of the Seas. In Hjalmars eyes, Olivia was a caring sister who looked up to her brothers bravery, which was almost 180 degrees away from what she actually thought. Hjalmar treated Olivia in a way that could only be described with, Having a sister by blood will never beat having a sister by bond. Due to this, Hjalmer loved to brag and flex in front of Olivia, hoping to be gazed with admiration. In front of Cerys, he could not care less, other than to give the the occasional slap across the face. At that moment, Cirilla reached her limits and threw a jab in his direction. Oho? Hjalmer, since you are so good in ice skating, shall I challenge you and beat your record? Hjalmer replied Cirilla, Im too lazy to pay any mind towards your challenge. Since it is you that I will be going up against, winning or losing wouldnt matter, anyway. At that moment, Olivia added in, What if I were to give my first kiss to the winner as a reward? Hjalmer suddenly became fired up. He practically shouted, loud enough for the entire castle to hear What are we waiting for? I challenge you, Cirilla! Cirillas eyes narrowed, flashing her trademark death stare towards Hjalmers direction. In her mind, she thought Why is someone always trying to snatch my sister away from me? Hjalmer felt a shiver going down his spine. Swallowing his saliva, he asked, Olive-tan, were your words earlier for real? Well, of course! Olivia said confidently, having full faith in her sisters skills. Chapter 631 - Tragic Ending Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation Cirilla could not stand another second of Hjalmers arrogance. Thus, she decided to teach him a lesson. She had complete confidence that she would protect her sisters first kiss. Of course, Cirilla was also longing for the prize. She could not help but stare at her sisters pale pink lips which seemed to seduce her soul. The only thing Hjalmer had going on for him was strength. He would overpower Cirilla, due to the simple fact that he was older. Fortunately, ice skating depended on ones dexterity, not strength. Such a sport would be similar to Short Track Speed Skating in the real world. Unlike the real world counterpart, the lake had not been built for professional competitions, and there were substantial safety risks in participating. This frozen lake was littered with debris and uneven surfaces. Skating on it would not be as easy as a professionally built skating rig. If one were to slip and hit an icicle, it would likely be fatal. Hjalmer lived to exemplify bravery. The mere threat of death would not give him the slightest pause. At the same time, Cirilla had immersed herself into protecting her sisters purity, and would not back down. The pair got into their skating shoes and waited for Olivia to give out the signal. They had already agreed on a route. It would not have any straight lines C that would be too simple. As the judge of the competition, Olivia would head straight to the finish line and wait for the pair to reach. As Olivia counted the numbers down, the two racers went ahead without wasting energy on any unnecessary movements. Both of them had perfect starts. Olivia stood at the finish line, her line of sight placed approximately between the two racers. She could tell that they were moving as swiftly as possible, especially when it came to those sharp corners they had agreed upon. They practically leaned against the ground to counteract against the centrifugal forces. Their glove-covered hands slid across the harsh, uneven ice. They barely lost any speed around the corners. It was an astonishing sight. However, one could not call this an actual skating contest. Due to the unpolished rules, they would often fight over the inner, faster racing line, which often resulted in them crashing into each other. There were no accidents yet, but Olivia was getting rather nervous Olivia had expected to be watching a heated pair of Short Track Speed Skaters, but she was now watching Violent Skating, thanks to those two. She started to regret this. The further they went, the wilder they got. They started tussling and shoulder checking each other. During the whole time, they only gained more speed, if that was actually possible. There was only victory in Cirillas eyes. Noticing that she had nothing to gain from crashing into the heavier Hjalmer, she started looking for a better tactic. She noticed some small debris in the inner route that could easily slip past ones gaze. She decided to trick Hjalmer into taking the inner route. The hot-blooded Hjalmer thought that Cirilla had given up and took up on her offer. His mind became clouded by the thought of receiving Olivias kiss. The moment he lined up his paces, he kicked off with all his might. The debris was all that was needed to send him flying. Cirilla took the oportunity to widen their distance. She may have the makings of an assassin. Cirilla did not expect Hjalmer to actually capitalize on the bait. Taking the bait was one thing. Being deceived and going full force on the bait was another. Hitting the debris at high speed sent both his feet flying off the ground. He struck the ground hard and slid across the unforgiving, rough ice. To make matters worse, the ice gave way. His head went beneath the water. Cirilla did not look back. She fully expected the little barbarian to get back to his feet. Hjalmer was a hot-blooded oaf who did not enjoy losing in her mind. Olivia had witnessed the entire thing and thought that her sister had taken it too far, or rather, she had performed just as expected. Nevertheless, she had caused a great deal of destruction! Olivia could not remain unconcerned about that crash. Hjalmer was a brother to her, albeit hot-blooded. He was a very obedient brother, which in her case, was very useful from time to time. Due to what that happened at the isles, Hjalmer had many fans. When Cirilla noticed Olivia rushing to the scene and helping Hjalmer out of the water, she was shocked to see that the water had been dyed red. She hurried to help Hjalmer out, only to find that his face had been cut open by a long scar, and blood was dripping non-stop. His body was covered in road-rash as he was too masculine to put on any protective gear. No matter how you looked at it, Hjalmer would not be walking away from this unassisted. Fortunately, Olivia was a well-versed sorcerer, where basic medical knowledge was a must. She also carried potions with her at all times. Some of the potions could even alleviate blood loss by some method that defied basic laws of physics. Olivia fed Hjalmer some red potions and quickly took her first aid pack out, bandaging his wounds to stem the bleeding, before allowing his guards to take him away. At that moment, Cirilla skipped over gleefully, shouting Olivia! I won! I won! She subconsciously moved closer to the lips of her sisters that she longed for. Oh, sister You may have won, but we have caused a huge incident Olivia said helplessly. What happened? Olivia told Cirilla what happened to Hjalmer, and before Cirilla could say a word, she added You dont need to explain much, its my fault. Dont worry, I wont let the adults blame you. Olivia! I wont allow that! It was obviously my fault! You have no reason to take the blame! Dont be dumb, sister. No matter what, I have good connections with the people on this isle. I would walk away from this. On the other hand, Hjalmer has always been at loggerheads with you. They would surely think that you deliberately did that. Cirilla was silent. She really did try to push Hjalmer into a trap, but she had not expected it to be this serious. Naughty kids were truly terrifying. The damage they caused as children would only multiply as they proceed into adulthood. Chapter 632 - Sudden Confession Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation No matter how her sister tried to persuade her, Cirilla decided to take responsibility. She would never shirk from her due punishments. In reality, Cirilla did not think that her sister did anything wrong, as she was the first one to suggest the race, and she was the one who had indirectly caused the accident. The one who should take the punishment was none other than her, and not her sister Olivia. Although it was all her fault, Olivia had to clean up after her such as bandaging Hjalmer. If it werent for Olivia, Hjalmer could be in an even worse state compared to how he was now. Either way, Hjalmer was like a cockroach. Cockroaches do not die easily. Either way, Hjalmer woke up in no time at all,just in time to witness Olivia owning up, followed by Cirilla who quickly cut in, denying her sisters hand in this and that she was fully responsible. She even backed it up by saying that Hjalmer might have been dead, if it werent for her sister. As Olivia and Cirilla took turns covering up for each other, Hjalmer broke the silence by saying Father, it was neither of their faults. If I was a better skater, this situation would not have occurred. Hjalmers words brought up another round of silence, but to the people from the isle, his words were that of a true Skelligian. Being victim of an accident, and then pushing the fault to someone else would be cowardice. A true Skelligian would always own up. With a dazed look, Olivia looked on, as The Boar of the Ocean Crach looked at his child with pride. If anything, Hjalmer had proven himself as Crachs son. Instead, if Hjalmer were to sob and whine to his father about how a girl had made a fool out of him, Crach would have been truly angry. And that was how Olivia learned that the guys on Skellige were just that simple, or was this a kind of charm of theirs? In the end, neither Olivia nor Cirilla received any scolding. Hjalmer received some scathing insults from his sister Cerys, who thought that her brother was an embarrassment for losing against a girl C even needing to be rescued by them. Hjalmer wholehearted agreed. He did not think that Cirilla had done anything wrong. He had not been good enough. He lacked the skill, and had been careless enough to fall into Cirillas trap. Olivia observed Hjalmer for a bit before determining that he truly held nothing against them C before she finally let it slip. If he were to be consumed by animosity, she would not take it sitting down. She would protect her sister, no matter the cost. Olivia was a good kid. Even though Hjalmer held nothing against either one of them, she still visited him every day to tend to his wounds, while even telling him stories or chatting with him. Of course, most importantly, tending to Hjalmer could help her complete her mission which would help her gain skill points. To the Olivia who had an OCD towards completing missions, she wanted to keep her quest list as clear as possible, at all times. Olivia never expected her daily visits to actually trigger something in Hjamlers heart. The kind and caring princess was like an angel in Hjalmers eyes when compared to his biological sister Cerys who could not care less about him. At first, Hjalmer thought that among his 3 sisters, the smallest was the cutest. Currently, Cerys was no longer worth mentioning, as neither her personality nor looks were cute. Cirilla was too wild and boyish, which threw him off. Also, they fought way too often. Olivia may seem fragile, but he thought that it suited her, and he would be more than happy to protect such a delicate flower. Men of Skellige were very straightforward when it came to courtship. The human cockroach Hjalmer was up and walking again within a fortnight. Of course, the red potions had a large part to play in that. Red potions healed just about anything, other than instant death. Olivia sat by Hjalmers bedside while reading him a book called Legendary Monster Hunter C Geralt, written by Dandelion. Her voice was light and sweet. Evil is evil; there is nothing that would differentiate it. Same goes with ones sin. If I were to make a choice between the two, I would rather not choose In Hjalmers eyes, the book reading Olivia was just too pretty. However, as he was not good with words, he was unable to put her beauty into words. He felt smitten. He let Olivia pause before taking a Dandelions book of poetry out and confessing C If you wish, my love, at my side to repose My heart would inquire of your hands pale and fine, if theyd grasp it gently, to hold like a rose Or grasp me elsewhere and leave me satisfied? If you wish, my love, at my side to repose Wed admire our virtues, me yours, and you mine. I could pet your cheeks, you might twiddle my nose Or treat it as a morsel upon which to dine? If our bodies could a song compose My heart would inquire of your hands pale and fine, if theyd grasp it gently, to hold like a rose Or treat it as a morsel upon which to dine? Hjalmer had it tough. He was not a man of books, but had stepped out of his comfort zone to scour for a poem that he thought to be romantic and peaceful. This was the perfect way to confess to the book-loving Olivia. As Olivia was torn between a frown and a smile that looked more like a lopsided grimace, Hjalmer held her hand and said, Olivia, may you get engaged with me, and then marry me? I would bring you a lifetime of happiness! It was at that moment when Cirilla walked in with a disgusted expression on her face. She had overheard his confession, but surprisingly, it was not the main source of her disgust. She told Hjalmer some shocking, yet heart-breaking news. Calanthe had ordered Cirilla to fetch Olivia back to Cintra, so that she could get engaged with Prince Kistrin of Verden. Chapter 633 - Marrying Is Never An Option Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation For once, Cirilla or Hjalmar shared a mutual sentiment. Panic and disgust. They may be highly skilled, powerful kids who could beat adults into submission, they were still kids. Be it the Ancient China or the Western Middle Ages, the higher up a girls position was, the more she would be unable to decide for her own marriage and soulmate. Nobles considered themselves to be the superior, race. Their marriages had to be arranged to perfection. The Lioness of Cintra Queen Calanthe saw the severity of the situation The great army of Nilfgaardian Empire in the South was moving. As Queen Calanthe roused the Kingdom of Cintra to arms, she hoped to get the Kingdom of Verden by her side. As the current king of the Kingdom of Verden was an absolute coward, he would definitely prostrate himself beneath the iron heel of Nilfgaardian Empire, and turn against her. She had no choice but to bring this Kingdom to her side by marriage. At least that Prince Kistrin was twice the man. As Cirilla and Hjalmar ran circles around the room, the youngest child, Olivia remained calm. She certainly would never marry this Prince Kistrin who she had never met before, no matter how he was. Sister, we should be going back. We cant make granny angry. Olivias personality flipped over once again, thanks to her acting skills. She was unwilling to comply, but she was trying to set an example and look at the big picture. This suited her perfect princess image, as if she was a helpless girl who had resigned herself to adversity. However, contrary to what was expected, her unwillingness was almost instantly seen through by Cirilla and Hjalmar Of course, the hacker Olivia was rather calm. She already had the means of surviving on her own. She could even choose to walk away. The only problem was her age C it would be far too unrealistic to lead armies and conquer kingdoms as a little girl. She intended to maintain her low profile. If possible, she wanted to go to the aforementioned Aretuza that Lydia often spoke about. When she was of sufficient age, she would build up a citadel. Then, she would use her knowledge of the modern world and science, combined with her potent magic to conquer the entire world. As a person who loved online literature, she had once read a book, Release That Witch. She knew very well what power a combination of magic and science held Of course, Olivia was not planning to rely on the strength of a man. Even if she learns that Emperor Emhyr was her adopted father, she would never inherit his throne. Not that way. She would conquer his kingdom her way! If one was not a hacker or a cheater, it would be a ludicrous prospect. For Lady Olivia Zhao, it would be a fun challenge. Who knows what the Two-Dimensional Gate would gain from this. I wont let you marry anyone else. Ill go meet my dad right now and tell him that we truly love each other. We must get engaged! said Hjalmar. He bolted upright and rushed out. Alright. Apparently, Hjalmar had been taking advantage of the situation. His wounds had long recovered; he was only pretending to be wounded. But he did not understand the entire picture. Originally, Olivia had intended to give him the friendzone card. Cirilas entrance had made it unnecessary. Well, not like she needed to reject him anyway. Be it Queen Calathe or Crach an Craite, they would never agree to Hjalmars marriage with Olivia. We need not even speculate the Queens reasons. On the other hand, Crach an Craite considered Olivia as his own daughter. Biologically related or otherwise, they were still brother and sister. Besides, it was more practical for Hjalmar to get married to the daughter of other seigniors on the Skellige Isles. Free love was a fallacy in this era. As Hjalmar ran through the halls, he had practically announced to everyone present that he had fallen in love with the Northland Pearl. In the end, he had only turned himself into a joke. Of course, this love was one-sided. His natural charm and near-insane confidence had made him thought so His heart was already hers C unconditionally. When he was wounded, Olivia had taken care of him in every possible way. She must have loved him deeply as well. Her actions spoke for themselves C he did not need to hear from her! But right now, Hjalmar stood at that famous port of the Skellige Isles like a man who had lost his soul. He gazed at the retreating ship, hollow and alone The sun met the ocean. The port was as beautiful as always. The waves caressed the shore. The submerged sun had turned the water into liquid gold The breeze that carried the familiar scent of salt and fish brought him no comfort. His first love had sailed away in the wind. Just like that. When he meets Princess Olivia again, she might already be married to someone else as a wife. Oh, how he wanted to commandeer a war vessel and reclaim his love! It was as if Hjalmar had grown up within a single night. Perhaps this was how men were. It took a severe blow to their hearts to turn from boys to men. He would rather break all the bones in his limbs than experience this excruciating pain! As Hjalmar clutched his searing heart, Olivia read through her available quests at leisure. She was simply completing a sidequest : Nurse Hjalmar back to health. At the same time, she was making up for the trouble that Cirilla had caused while increasing Skellige Isles favorability. She did not expect silly Hjalmar to fall head over heels for her. It had been such an awkward situation. Olivia did not want to marry Prince Kistrin, no less than she did not want stupid Hjalmar. He was indeed a good and honest man, and he was rather charming. He was just as noble as his father. She had also felt his sincere affection for her. If she truly married him, she could mold Hjalmar into the best husband in the world Unfortunately, she did not love him. Love and marriage should never be forced. Also, Olivia was far too ambitious. No man could accommodate her ambition. No man would ever understand her. Be it the source world, or reality, she was too much for any man. She was different, like nuclear-powered, colorful fireworks. Chapter 634 - This Is A Matter Of Life and Death Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation Perhaps this was also a beautys intrinsic privilege. Too many men truly loved them. Each man would believe that his rendition of true love was unique and powerful. Sadly, these beauties were not cold-hearted for rejecting them C they had simply seen too much of it. Some beauties might be adamant about not having used such trickery. If anything, they were not beautiful enough to experience it. The world had not yet gone head over heels for them. After all, very few girls could achieve the chaotic beauty level. Olivia happened to be such an existence in this world. There were so many kingdoms in the Northern realm, yet she was the only one called The Northland Pearl. However, she could care less about her beauty. She wanted to count on her own abilities. This was how Lady Olivia Zhao acted. As a girl who relied on her capabilities, among that, her charm. At that moment, Olivia and Cirilla sat on the bed in the room of the royal ship. Ever since Cirilla had received the news from Queen Calathe, she had been lost in a daze. She did not know what to do. She had failed as the big sister. Compared to the relatively cold, alienated relationship between this grandparent C grandchild pair, Cirila was far more intimate with her maternal grandmother. Queen Calathe considered Cirilla to be more like her C unyielding and decisive. Therefore, even if the Kingdom of Cintra had to meet the Nilfgaardian Empire in combat, Queen Calathe would remain as stubborn as ever. No other seignior could afford to be so adamant. Either way, Queen Calathe felt that she could leave the Kingdom of Cintra in the hands of Cirilla. In contrast, the weak Olivia would most probably damn the kingdom. Sometimes, Queen Calathe was thankful that Cirilla had a sister, Olivia. If not, under such circumstances, she might have been forced to send Cirilla as a bargaining chip in marriage. Queen Calathe was very fond of Cirilla. Cirilla reciprocated the treatment and seldom rebelled against her maternal grandmother. This time however, her grandmother had crossed the line. She had decided to marry her sister off in the name of some blasted alliance C the very sister who she had sworn to protect forever. This was unacceptable! She had certainly noticed her sisters unwillingness. Her dear sister could not be blamed for this. If their positions had been swapped, she certainly would not marry someone she did not know at all, even if he was a prince. She truly wanted to help her sister. But she did not want to rebel against her maternal grandmother. She was caught in a great dilemma At the same time, she had been greeted by another wave of shock. Hjalmar had actually confessed to her precious sister, and Olivia did not even seem to have given him a firm rejection. She was afraid that her sister would actually agree to it. Therefore, she had rushed into the room to interrupt the two of them, back then. As her sister took great care of Hjalmar, Cirilla had been beside herself with nervousness. Despite her sisters excuses, she still could not help but overthink the situation. Had her sister truly fallen in love with Hjalmar? Cirilla feared the possibility of it. After all, Hjalmar and her sister grew up playing together Cirilla believed that she had prevented disaster from striking. Suddenly, she stopped and thought it over. A sense of guilt replaced her relief. Did she just deny her sisters lifelong happiness? Cirilla suddenly thought that she had turned into one of those evil stepmothers in those fairy tales. Those old hags were professional cockblockers. How evil she was! Even so, her body had moved before she knew what was happening. Sometimes, she even abhorred the fact that she was also a girl. If she had been a man, she might have been able to protect her sister. Besides, there were limits. A girl falling in love with another girl was a little too strange. However, some people were born with homosexual souls. Cirilla might just be such a rare existence. Perhaps it was also due to her parents early death, that made her repose her wonderful expectations towards life onto her sister. In this world, homosexuality was taboo. The secular, moral pressure had left Cirilla frequently denying her own sexual orientation. Cirilla also put her sisters feelings before her own. Therefore, she had tried to restrain herself at all costs. She should not turn her sister into an anomaly like herself. Cirilla sat on the bed, not knowing what her sister was thinking. On the other hand, that sister was still reading a book under the oil lamp. Cirilla walked towards her sister and stood in silence. She gazed at her sisters perfect visage. She did not want to leave her, nor did she dare approach her any further. Olivia finally noticed Cirillas unease. She placed her book down and smiled at her elder sister. Cirilla felt as if her sisters clear eyes saw through everything. She felt vulnerable and embarrassed. She was the strong big sister, but she could only slink back to her bed in shame. She picked a storybook up at random, trying to quench her internal panic. Even so, the delicate Olivia pursued her and got into the same bed. The bed was flooded with the bodily scent of the two sisters. She first observed Cirilla who was pretending to be reading a storybook. Then, she slowly placed her head on her sisters shoulder Cirilla felt her sisters fragrant breath creeping down her neck. An adorable blush rose up in her cheeks. She started sweating nervously. Even her sweat was fragrant. Cirilla pretended to close the book helplessly and placed it on the bedside. She turned and looked at her sister. She saw her sisters extreme beauty presented in front of her, and her beautiful, emerald eyes gazing tenderly into hers. At that moment, Cirilla suddenly felt an extreme remorse for not having been born with more beauty. Unfortunately, her time as a white swan may never come. The next scene sent Cirilla into ruination. Her sister closed her eyes shut, ever so slowly. She could see every single beautiful, long and dense eyelash of her sister. Well, thats not the issue. Her sister had slightly raised her chin, exposing her tempting pink lips in front of her Was she asking for a kiss?! Cirillas eyes widened. Her face turned absolutely red. She quickly turned to the other side, wondering if she was seeing things. She took a second look at the face on her shoulder. As expected, her sister was truly offering a kiss! To kiss or not to kiss, that was the question (Authors note: Be it the original novel of The Witcher series or the game, Cirilla has always been heavily hinted to be a lady-lover, even if never explicitly shown. I did not come up with this Lily-line for my self-gratification. I respect the original work. And dont get salty about Cirilla not being beautiful here. Cirilla had been plain-looking as a child. Her foster mother Yennefer often called her ugly duckling. It was when puberty struck her, tsk tsk such a great beauty She is a true white swan. Those who are interested can go search on Baidu yourself. Or, just go play The Witcher 3. I strongly recommend this triple-A masterpiece. You could also base Olivia off Cirilla. She is like the long-haired version Cirilla, with slightly gentler facial features, minus the scar. Cirilla basically a heroic spirit. I think shes more of a handsome girl than a beauty. She kicks ass too.) Chapter 635 - Soulmate Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation Cirilla usually moved fast. She was sharp, precise and decisive. If she ever sat upon a throne, the world would be left in shock at the rapid development and pace of her kingdom. Now that her gorgeous sister had gone this far, why should she hold back anymore? She had never been a gentlewoman, and she was not going to start pretending to be one. Her blood decided to go wild! Cirilla touched her sisters face with one hand. She lifted the tip of her sisters hair. She took in the fragrance from her sisters soft long hair. It was truly intoxicating She finally stopped hesitating. She planted her lips on her sisters. Obviously, she was inexperienced. She was just sticking her own lips close to her sisters lips. If two people were not truly in love, mere lip-to-lip would not trigger any sparks. Otherwise, their souls would actually resonate at supersonic speeds! Apparently, women were more concerned about emotions than men. When the right pair of souls come into contact with each other, it was spiritual, nuclear fusion! At that moment, Cirilla felt as if she was the happiest person in the world. Her complicated feelings towards her sister have finally been resolved. Her previous fears about loss and fear, all vanished at once! If she had to choose between her sister and grandmother, was there any more reason to doubt? She was not going to allow some jerk to lay hands on her sister! They were no longer just sisters. They were soul mates who would protect each other for the rest of their lives! Cirilla originally believed that soulmates were limited to conventional roles like husband and wife. If she had a choice in life, she would definitely be the superb and tall husband. She needed to take care of her sister, who was her most beloved wife. One day, she wanted to see her sister in a wedding dress At the next moment, her idea of husband and wife took another radical turn. Her sister-wife had initially allowed her to do whatever she wanted C but she no longer remained submissive. Clearly, she was dissatisfied with her lackluster kisses. Her sisters extremely beautiful eyes snapped open. There was a naughty, cunning flash, coupled with some affection within those bright eyes. Obviously, Lady Olivia Zhao was no nestling like Cirilla. Do not forget her time spent in Pure Romance. She knew just how to please a girl She turned around and pushed her elder sister down, before climbing over her. Then, she merciless teased her elder sisters tongue, introducing her to the multi-layered pleasure of body and soul! Cirillas entire face was steaming hot. Her beautiful, emerald eyes seemed to have been covered by a film of vapor. No one could ever expect the Heroic Spirit Cirilla to be utterly dominated by her own sister in bed! I wonder, who is the husband, and who is the wife? Olivia was the veteran! That night, Cirilla learned of the joys of the female body. Her skewed sexual orientation became outlined in certainty At the same time, she was just like a juvenile who had lost herself in love. She could do anything for her sister. Her sister was now her heart. When Cirilla woke up the next day, she found herself in a childlike position within Olivias embrace. Her entire body had been enveloped in the fragrance of her sisters body. Cirilla did not find the experience one bit unpleasant. But something was wrong. She should be the one hugging her sister, right? However, when she remembered how her sister had manipulated her body and elicited reactions and sounds that she never knew she had, her face started turning hot again. How embarrassing but what a pleasant memory that was! Cirilla secretly swore that she would snatch back the initiative the next time. She had to exercise her position as the elder sister! Just as Cirilla grew complacent, Olivia woke up. Without saying anything, she pushed her elder sister down once again, and gave her a loveful morning kiss Cirilla had intended to push those invasive, pink lips away. Somehow, her hands lost their strength. Then, she became addicted to it, and lost herself in the pleasure. Anyone who had kissed before would know. The intoxication, the pleasure. The contact point between souls. Even after her sister got off the bed, she remained lying there in stunned silence, like a broken toy. When Cirilla finally regained consciousness, Olivia had already helped her into her clothes like an elder sister. Once again, Cirilla was struck dumb. Her sister had actually put womens clothing on her! She disliked womens clothing the most! Cirilla started to protest. But looking at her sister truly wanted to be a wife (husband) for the first time, she intended to pamper her sister. She should humor her. Olivia dressed Cirilla up nicely. The results were undoubtedly shocking. After all, Lady Zhao was most proficient at specific forms of sorcery. She was always able to transform the people around her into handsome boys and beautiful girls, always reaching her impeccably high standards. Cirilla had the makings of a true beauty. She just did not know it yet. Olivia believed that one day, Cirilla would also become a stunning beauty. Since she wanted to become a female emperor, why not she just let her elder sister fill the position of the Queen? Elder sister, we still need to stay on the ship for a few more days. Just be my model. Id like to paint a picture of the current you! What could Cirilla do? She could only agree to her sisters requests. She loved her sister so much. She would never be able to let her little sister down. The two of them held hands and walked on deck to gaze at the scenery. Olivia told Cirilla about the story of Titanic. She even genderbent the male protagonist in the process. As a result, Cirilla was touched to the point of tears. She even recreated that iconic pose with her sister She spread her arms open and allowed her sister to hug her around the waist from behind These recent days have been far too blissful. She even doubted the reality of the situation. What if she was dreaming. What if she would wake, only to learn that her sister had already been married off to some sleazy stranger. When the ship finally arrived at the port of Cintra, Cirilla took hold of her sisters hand, and asked her solemnly, Whats the relationship between us? The drama queen, Olivia came online. She pulled her hand away and replied evenly, Were just sisters. Cirillas heart suddenly tesnsed up. She felt as if a scumbag had toyed with her body and heart If you want to ask why I gave you my first kiss, it was actually just because you won the skating game against Hjalmar. Theres no other meaning behind it, Olivia said, as if she truly meant it. Yet again, Cirilla was perplexed. Did this mean that if Hjalmar was the person who won, she would do the same thing to him as well? Cirilla had never been so mad in her life. However, she did not believe in her sisters nonsense. Would such minor mischief be the cause of such joy? She opened her mouth to say something again, only to realize that her maternal grandmother Queen Calathe was here to greet them in person. Cirilla suddenly understood what her sister actually meant. Chapter 636 - Lets Elope Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation It was no longer the sea where no one could contain them anymore, but the Kingdom of Cintra, under the ruling of the decisive Queen Calathe. If Queen Calathe discovered their unrequited, homosexual love, how would they end up? Cirilla did not even dare imagine it. Then, only did she realize how intellectual her sister was Of course, she knew that her sister had been defeated. She had resigned herself to her fate. She had taken the advantage to offer her everything she had to her before this forced marriage. The ship had been the ideal private refuge for the two of them. Cirilla could see how unwilling her sister was. She decided to make some plans. She was certain that her sister would agree to it C it was exactly what she wanted. It was time to investigate this Prince Kistrin. She wanted to know which part of him had caught her maternal grandmothers eye. Cirilla did not know much about the concept of alliance marriage. She only knew that she despised it. Could marriage actually unite two kingdoms together? Would they go to war after a divorce? Alliance marriages were effective, but they were more cosmetic than anything. It only provided rulers with a form of mental comfort. When the interests of the kingdom were placed ahead of everything, alliance marriages would appear pale and weak. Olivia bowed before her maternal grandmother, Queen Calathe. Esterad Thyssen was the king. Queen Calathe was the one who truly ruled over the Kingdom of Cintra. Ester was just a puppet. In this era, Queen Calathe was undoubtedly an excellent ruler. She governed the Kingdom of Cintra in perfect order. All seigniors within the kingdom obeyed her. After they heard that Queen Calathe intended to stand against Nilfgaardian Empire, they seemed to rally to her cause. They had called up soldiers and marched towards her castle. When Queen Calathe gave the order, they would charge into battle. Of course, Queen Calathe would definitely choose to lead the soldiers in person. King Ester would tag along. The two of them were powerhouses. After all, King Ester was a man from Skellige Isles, and Skellige Isles produced no cowards. Queen Calathe was an iron of a woman. She had made things official, donning a crown atop her head. When she saw Cirilla and Olivia, she took them both into her embrace. For the sake of appearances, she had to appear unbiased and fair. Obviously, that was not the case. During her ten-year-old birthday banquet, Cirilla had been taught more about the so-called kingcraft. On the other hand, Olivia was allowed to spend her time freely, as long as she maintained her appearance as a Lady, obeyed aristocratic etiquette, and be the nice vase she was. Of course, this freedom was well-accepted by Olivia. She was not interested in this outdated form of kingcraft. She would rather study magic and alchemy in private. She would rather draw and paint pictures, than be favored by Queen Calathe. In Olivias opinion, the Kingdom of Cintra had no future. Its current prosperous state was at the brink of collapse. Olivia had studied the geographic location of the Kingdom of Cintra at length. It lay on a flat, open ground that was susceptible to enemy attack. In Three Kingdom terms, it would be like Jing Zhou, a place where all the three kingdoms met in combat. As long as they managed to seize this land, it would be a powerful stronghold, capaable of attacking and defending with its favorable terrain. Therefore, in order to ensure the safety of the Kingdom of Cintra, they had to search for a reliable comrade, not develop on its own in silence. Her stubborn, decisive maternal grandmother had chosen the opposite. As a result, not only did their kingdom had a tepid relationship with the many other kingdoms which belonged to the Northern realm as well, it had even stirred the Nilfgaardian Empire into action. The great Emperor Emhyr considered making the Kingdom of Cintra the starting point of his Northern realm campaign. He would use brute force to run this debacle to the ground. Therefore, a last-minute alliance marriage was meaningless. The Kingdom of Verden paled in comparison to the Kingdom of Cintra. How then, could two dogs defeat a lion? If they wanted to actually withstand the attack by Nilfgaardian Empire, they would have to unite the entire Northern realm. The only thing that Olivia regretted was the fact that she would have to wander aimlessly for a period of time. Based on her current age and strength, she would be unable to take control of the situation at all. If Queen Calathe was not the stubborn decisive ruler that she was, she might have been able to rely on her title as a Genius and slowly inject some suggestions to Queen Calathe about reformation, using the Kingdom of Cintra as an experiment. Unfortunately, through the character information bar of the games system, and Queen Calathes behavior, she saw the futility of talking to her. She was not going to waste energy on this. Olivia was not loyal to any one continent. She was a neutral entity, like she had been in the supernatural genre source world. She was an onlooker once again. The only person that Olivia cared about was most probably her elder sister, Cirilla. Of course, within her eyes, Cirilla was just her elder sister by name, but she was actually her younger sister C her daughter With the kingdom marching to certain doom, she could only protect Cirilla. While Olivias mind raced about, she had most certainly deceived everyone into thinking that she had fully accepted her fate. Even Queen Calathe was treating Olivia somewhat kindly. This was probably her idea of compensation. Olivia was still obedient, reasonable, considerate about the overall situation, and most of all, understood the need to contribute for her motherland. But at that moment, Cirilla made her move. Queen Calathe believed that weak Olivia would never even dream of going against the marriage. She gave Olivia the luxury of freedom for now. She deserved that much. As a result, Cirilla took advantage of the opportunity. Cirilla had done some investigation of her own, if you could put it that way. She had merely snooped around, listening to rumors. She soon learned that the Prince Kistrin was a fat, ugly and stupid guy who reeked of bad breath. He was just some fatty ugly guy! After rumors about the engagement between the lucky guy Prince Kistrin and the Northland Pearl Olivia had spread out, Prince Kistrin had been under a heavy lashing of words Well, no matter who Prince Kistrin was, he did not stand a chance against Olivia. Olivia had absolute power over her own destiny. Olivia, you already know how disgusting Prince Kistrin is, dont you? Lets get out of here! Cirilla held her sisters soft little hand and said firmly. Chapter 637 - Destined Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation Cirilla had mustered up a great deal of courage to approach her sister with such a bold request. This was the best solution that a young, green-eared girl like her could come up with. Actually, if Cirilla had not determined the state of her sisters mind, she might not be able to make such a decision. After all, Cirilla was only a princess who had never experienced the suffering of commoners. It was just like what we read in numerous novels C where daughters from rich families ran away from their houses in order to pursue freedom in love. Only rich daughters would actually find the necessity of eloping. From the novels perspective, a daughter from rich family might be able to obtain anything she wanted. In reality, she would quickly learn how difficult life was without the protection from her family. The stubborn ones might be able to stick to their plans. Others would quickly regret their choices. On the spot, Olivia could come up with many questions that had not crossed Cirillas mind. For example, where should they go? How did they survive? Has Cirilla even taken notice of Cintra impending doom? But, Olivia remained silent. She looked around and realized that there was no one else. She pushed Cirilla forcefully against the wall and took her lips. That was her answer. Cirillas troubled heart settled down. If Olivia came up with those realistic, in-your-face questions now, she would swat them aside. These world-ending matters were too small in the face of love! Cirillas plan seemed complete, if not rough around the ages. It was early spring. In the name of a vacation, she grabbed her sister and ran! Such brash, thoughtless, audacity was very much like Cirilla Queen Calathe was to be blamed for having underestimated her two princesses. At the same time, she had set her sights on this great conflict against Nilfgaardian Empire. The last thing she expected was for her favored grandchild, her obedient Cirilla to elope! Fortunately, Cirilla did not leave just like that. She left a letter for Queen Calathe. She did not dare mention anything about how she and her sister loved each other and had gotten engaged in private. She simply said that Prince Kistrin was not one bit worthy of her sister. That pig deserved a barbeque pit, not her sister. She had been left with no choice but to lead her sister away from this hell and seek her freedom in love After Queen Calathe finished reading Cirillas letter, her face turned terrifyingly black. Her years of educating Cirilla all these years had gone up in smoke. She even started having doubts with herself. Had she made the wrong choice, making Cirilla her heir? How could Cirilla be so childish! Moreover, what was this fallacy about freedom in marriage? Who was the one who actually proposed this? In this world, between nobles, there was no such thing as freedom in marriage, or love for that matter! The only thing that gave Queen Calathe a modicum of relief was that she had a lot of time before Olivias and Prince Kistrins engagement. As long as she got Olivia back before that date, her plans would remain unhindered. Now that the Kingdom of Verden and the Kingdom of Cintra had reached out to each other, Prince Kistrin became more earnest in his stand with Cintra against the Nilfgaardian Empire. He intended to prove his love for the Northland Pearl. Well, Prince Kistrin was still too young. On the other hand, the king of Verden was not as keen on standing against the Nilfgaardian Empire. He would rather be its vassal. Queen Calathe immediately sent a request for Druid Ermion. He was a good friend and advisor of King Bran Tuirseach, the lord of the Skellige Isles. He was also the person who had helped Geralt break the curse on Duny. The palace of a small kingdom like Cintra would never host a famous mage. This wise Druid, Ermion could be considered a part-time mage. Ermion was also the leader of the Druids within Skellige Isles. He was famous for his hard-headedness and his eccentricity, even by Skellige Isles standards. He would always insist on considering all the possible consequences of an action. Such a personality required vast amounts of time and patience when talking to him. Ermion loved both Princess Cirill and Princess Olivia very much. He treated them like his own granddaughters. When he heard that Cirilla had eloped with Olivia, there was a very high possibility that they had headed for Brokilon. Interesting. Still, Brokilon was hostile to humans. He bolted upright. Lord Ermion, why not have a round of Gwent first? said a noble, who came out of nowhere. Thats right. This great Druid Ermion was also a Gwent card game lover. Perhaps this was also why he shared the same rotten tastes with Geralt the witcher? Fine One game, just one game! The thin old man with the grey beard whipped out the Nutty Squirrels card deck that he was most comfortable with. Actually, he wanted to use the Skellige card deck, as he wanted to appear as himself within this deck. How prestigious that would have been. Unfortunately, nobody recognized the Skellige card deck yet. Perhaps, this card deck might pick up over time. Thats right. If one was recognized by the Gwent developers and made into a card character, he or she had to be an iconic figure, a key player in the events that determined the fate of the world. Ermion restrained himself from the impulse of having another game. He set off hurriedly. If not, he was afraid that his addiction to Gwent might delay his search of the two runaway princesses. At that moment, the stubborn and inconsiderate Cirilla had charged into Brokilon, her sister in tow. She probably thought that the Queen would never follow them into this forest. Unsurprisingly, the two human princesses soon found themselves surrounded by Dryads. Those Dryads intended to offer these two girls to the Queen of Dryads, Lady Eithne, and have them drink the Water of Brokilon, converting them into Dryads as well. Dryads were the guardians and inhabitants of Brokilon. They were only made up of females. Dryads seldom used the lingua franca. The extremist group from Verden who called themselves The Rangers were notorious in hunting non-human races. These veterans called them, eerie wives. Very few humans were ever allowed to step into the Dryads territory. Those who were unwelcome would only fall to the arrows that flew from within the forest. As if destiny had it, the witcher Geralt stepped out of the shadows again. Chapter 638 - Chance Encounter Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation Of course, this had been entirely coincidental. The witchers quest this time was to kill a monster called Sylvan. Sylvans and yakshas were extremely rare woodland creatures whose appearances combined the traits of goats and rotund men. These beings usually posed little danger, for they limited their contact with humans to playing harmless tricks and eating crops from their fields. Sylvans and yakshas resembled men C not just in appearance but also in behavior - - Unfortunately, they had adopted more of our vices and weaknesses than strengths. Lazy by nature, they would gladly spend every day in idleness, puffing on pipes, gorging on rich food and downing strong drinks. Since Sylvans enjoyed partaking the fruits of others labors without asking for permission, men did not take to them kindly. At times, fooled by their awkward appearances, men would try to solve the problems by using force. This often ended in tragedy, because despite the Sylvans corpulent frames, they were astonishingly strong and agile. They also emitted a powerful and extremely unpleasant scent which could cause even a witcher, whose line of work accustomed them to foul stenches, to gag and feel faint. Special attention also had to be paid to Yakshas, because they were more fierce and aggressive than the average Sylvan. Sylvans were sly and extremely calculative. However, if you spared them their lives, it would be a kind act on your part. This quest of Geralt required him to be not so much of a witcher, but more of an exorcist. A nymph was causing considerable trouble to a surrounding town. Due to this, the residents of that town have gathered some money and have entrusted Geralt to kill the nymph. Following that, Geralt drove away the nymph, all the way into the Brokilon Forest. There, he happened to run into Cirilla, who was helping her sister flee from a forced marriage. Although Geralt was a witcher, he was not the kind of person who would just kill and kill any monster. If the monsters could communicate and had human intelligence, he would be willing to let them go, even if he would not be able to get any spoils and half the reward, at most. This set Geralt apart from the other witchers. This gave him his charm. Friends of various races always surrounded him, because he was a man who was particularly reliable and he made others feel safe. As he was quite famous, even some monsters respected the legendary witcher Geralt. He had a pretty good reputation that preceded him for the most part of the world. Now, Olivia and Cirilla were currently surrounded by Dryads, and they were about to be made to drink the Water of Brokilon[1]. Upon seeing this, he quickly stepped out and asked the Dryads to give him some face as he knew the Queen of the Dryads, Eithn. Unfortunately, these Dryads did not understand Geralts Common Speech. Hence, as a witcher who depended a lot on his reputation, Geralt could do nothing. He was forced to watch as the two girls were fed the Water of Brokilon. There was also no way he could use force, because he had a deep understanding of these Dryads. Dryads were also known as women of the forest. They lived in the Brokilon Forest, at the North of Cintra. Dryads loved forests, plants, and nature. They hated the humans who entered their forests and cut down their trees. They used humans or elves to breed offsprings. The real Dryads would be born after their mothers made ceremonial contact with other races. These children would inherit the characteristics of their mother without any exception. They would have green-toned skin, the color similar to that of plants, and were exclusively female. However, things like their eye color and hair color would come from their father. In addition, Dryads would also kidnap some young human girls and raise them as Dryads. However, these girls would never be as skillful as real Dryads. They would often be kidnapped as babies, and forced to drink the Water of Brokilon. The Water of Brokilon was a powerful hallucinogen, which blurred the memory of ordinary people who drank it. Most humans would be transformed into Dryads, and they would not remember their former names. They had abandoned their original identities long ago. However, there were also extremely rare situations where Dryads allowed human girls to join them as human beings. Generally, they wore clothes patched up out of their natural surroundings, like leaves and twigs, which allowed them to blend in with the forest seamlessly. Dryads could freely control the trees and vines in the forest to facilitate their own movements. They were very agile, and they were known for their amazing archery skills. They could move about very swiftly in the woods without making a single sound, and could easily kill their target from a distance of 200 feet. The Dryads that surrounded Cirilla and Olivia found that the two girls were still quite young. Hence, they felt that it was best to convert these girls into one of them. So, they fed them the Water of Brokilon. Through the system identification, Olivia realized something. It seemed that the Water of Brokilon was essentially the water of life. Whatever, just drink it. Would there even be any side effects? As expected, be it Olivia or Cirilla, there were no negative effects after drinking. The former even felt that her agility and physical attributes had improved! The system would never lie to her! If this was in a novel, this would most probably be the legendary fortunate encounter. As expected, good things would come if she followed the child of fate Cirilla. She was only running from this forced marriage, but here she was, beginning her path to cultivation Cirilla had not been affected as she had the Elder Blood. On the other hand, Olivia had the System Blood. The Water of Brokilon was said to be the godliest of all godly liquids. To them, it was a mere tonic! Originally, Geralt had wanted to shout no and stop the two girls from drinking it. However, things had not turned out the way he feared, and he fell into a state of disbelief once again. He felt that all the years he had spent being a witcher was for nothing! Dryads were simple, straightforward creatures. Once they saw that the two girls had taken in the water, they already considered the girls to be one of them, even though nothing seemed to have happened Olivia was able to communicate with these young Dryad sisters, thanks to the system. With her sharp senses, she was also aware that the Dryads in Brokilon were a force that was truly worth recruiting. Finally, the Queen of the Dryads, Eithn appeared. She was more beautiful than the ordinary Dryad. Her molten silver eyes were especially eye-catching. When she saw Geralt, it was like seeing an old friend. She lowered her bow and said to Geralt, Geralt, I havent seen you in a long time. After seeing Eithn, Geralt finally breathed a sigh of relief. He quickly explained the identities of the two human princesses to Eithn. Worriedly, he asked if the girls would face any problems as they had drunk the Water of Brokilon. Theres no problem at all. I feel like my body has improved. White Wolf[2], what are you going on about again? Olivia said quickly, turning into a tsundere princess once again. Geralt looked as if he had something stuck up his rectum. This made no sense! Translation note : [1] Water of Brokilon (¡֮ˮ) is famed for its extraordinary properties. People who drink it lose their memory, and it has been said that Dryads are able to see visions of the future on its smooth surface. It is no wonder, then, that the Dryads always seem prepared for every eventuality [2] Geralt is also known as Gwynbleidd, meaning White Wolf in Elder Speech. He was given this alias by the Dryads and is also called the Butcher of Blaviken after an unfortunate incident in that town. Chapter 639 - At the Verge of Being Conquered Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation The Queen of the Dryads, Eithn, was naturally curious about the two princesses, but she also had a sense of dignity. She decided not to take things too far with two girls, not only because Geralt was there, but also because of their identities as Princesses of Cintra. Eithn did not intend to become mortal enemies with a human kingdom. So, she chose to entertain the two princesses and Geralt. She also claimed that the girls had earned their place here, as they had drunk the Water of Brokilon. However, their fate was in their own hands. Olivia realized that the Dryads of the Brokilon Forest had been converted into a friendly force. The spot on the map that was originally yellow had turned green. On the other hand, enemies would marked down as red dots. Both Olivia and Cirilla chose to leave the Brokilon Forest with Geralt. Such a green life in the forest was rather peaceful, but such idyllic pastoralism would turn boring with the passage of time. Besides, Cirillas perception of Geralt has finally changed. Prior to this, she had been left without a direction, but she now had a clear goal - - she and her sister could follow Geralt and become witchers! She started warming up to him before throwing out that request. It was also time to try putting her little sister back in line. She used to allow Olivias especially disrespectful and rude behavior. Olivia had always referred to Geralt as The White Wolf and showed him no respect. Actually, Geralt was more comfortable talking to Olivia. He told Olivia of how his signs gained power ever since using the Foglet Decoction. His teacher, Vesemir, was shocked and said that Geralt had been extremely fortunate. For witchers, every new discovery of a decoction would greatly improve their combat effectiveness. Decoctions that increased the intensity of signs allowed witchers to deal with troublesome monsters whose weaknesses were magic, via the fire Igni sign. Olivias forthcoming attitude was easy and comfortable. Geralt appreciated this rare opportunity to be transparent, minus the airs, the falsehoods. He also found Olivias uncoordinated body-oral syndrome to be extremely cute. However, whenever he interacted with Cirilla who was bound to him by the Law of Surprise, he could not fully be himself. This was not because he was biased, but because he cared too much about Cirilla. He always felt that he had an enormous responsibility, and he was afraid that he might not live up to it. Previously, whenever Geralt met up with Cirilla, he had the right to take her away, but he did not. Now, she had basically run into his arms. This Law of Surprise was truly full of surprises. He was too kind to force people into a role they did not want. However, as the saying went, If heaven gives you something and you refuse to accept it, you are a heretic. If Geralt refuses to take Cirilla away again and again, it might just subject Cirilla to more misfortune as they were deliberately going against the Law of Surprise. After Geralt brought the two of them out of the Brokilon Forest, he decided to reveal his history to Cirilla, and this included the part about her father. In her heart, Cirilla had already decided to would follow Geralt together with her sister. At least, her future would not be filled with uncertainty anymore. However, at that moment, Druid Ermion effortless found the three of them. He certainly lived up to his fame. Nobody should mess with those who were proficient in Gwent. As someone who had dispelled Dunys curse alongside Geralt previously, Ermion naturally knew about the Law of Surprise between Geralt and Cirilla. After they had an awkward, silent face-off, he sighed. Im just here to take Olivia back. I hope that you can take Cirilla with you, Geralt. You meeting her again this time was an arrangement of fate. You dont have to worry about Calanthe; Ill keep her off your throat. A druid like Ermion would be a firm believer in fate. He used the If you deny her her destiny, you would only bring misfortune upon her card. Geralt made up his mind instantly. However, after Cirilla heard that Ermion was going to take Olivia back, she became highly anxious. She gritted her teeth and said firmly, I will not be separated from my sister. I will go wherever she goes. If he wants to take me away, then take my sister along. This was the perfect choice in Cirillas eyes. However, Ermion was very persistent about bringing Olivia back. After all, there was no Law of Surprise between Olivia and Geralt. Leaving the little Princess Olivia to the wild would be dangerous. Moreover, since Calanthe had asked Ermion to find Olivia and Cirilla, he definitely could not return completely empty-handed. Wouldnt he disappoint Calanthe, who trusted him so? Once again, Geralt left without hesitation. He was not going to take Cirilla away from the sister she loved so dearly. He still did not think that Cirilla would be happier if she followed him, compared to her living her life as a noble Princess of Cintra. Allowing a girl to become a witcher was beyond callous. Misfortune? Following him would be a misfortune, as opposed to living in the castle. Just a while ago, Cirilla had mistakenly entered the Brokilon Forest, but she had walked away from it the same. She even became an honorable guest of Queen Eithn. Olivia surveyed the entire scene in silence. Wherever Cirilla was, she would also be there. In her opinion, Cirilla helping her escape from the marriage this time was just a fun game. She did not expect Cirillas reckless decision to actually yield results. Ermion had foiled their escape, but this meant nothing to her. War was approaching. There was no time for the engagement ceremony. If Cintra Kingdom falls, then the marriage contract between her and the Prince of Kistrin would mean nothing. When Olivia and Cirilla were brought back, it was already Spring, and temperatures rose, which also heralded the Nilfgaardian Empires coming! Calanthe did not have the time or energy to scold those two troublemakers. Instead, together with her husband Eist, they personally led the army and charged forward! Calanthe never once slowed! Calanthe confidently charged forward! Calanthe played a GG! This clash became known as the Battle of Marnadal. The Cintran forces met the Nilfgaardian army. Both Eist Tuirseach and Calanthe, King and Queen of Cintra, participated in the battle. When the Cintran army reached the Marnadal Valley, they found themselves surrounded by an overwhelmingly larger army of Nilfgaard. The Cintran army bravely held them back, even though the chances of winning were slim. They fought day and night. Eventually, the Cintran forces became overwhelmed by numbers and was almost wiped out. King Eist Tuirseach fell in battle, while Queen Calanthe gathered the remaining troops and fled to Cintra. Obviously, this was a turning point in history. All of Calanthes efforts in the past few years have all gone up in smoke. The Cintran armys morale was all but extinguished. Chapter 640 - Massacre of Cintra Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation The Battle of Marnadal had brought Cintra to the ground. Across the river, The King of Verden trembled in fear. The so-called betrothal between Prince of Kistrin and Princess Olivia had turned into a complete joke. Princess Olivia, the Pearl of the Northern Kingdoms, the dreams of many princes was going to be the princess of a fallen nation. Would anyone still want her? Well, there was. It was Prince Hjalmar from the Skellige Isles. He had actually volunteered to participate in the war of the Cintra Kingdom against the Nilfgaardian Empire. At the Battle of Mardanal, he had fought like a lion, forcing Calanthe to acknowledge him Hjalmars love for Olivia was pure and true, and his actions proved it. However, one man could only do so much. Considering the fact that he could actually walk away from the Battle of Marnadal with his life, it was nothing short of a miracle. He originally wanted to follow the defeated Calanthe back to the Cintra castle, so that he could see the Pearl of the Northern Kingdoms Princess Olivia of his dreams, but Calanthe sent him back to Skellige instead. Far too late, the Lioness of Cintra had finally learned of her folly. She could not let Hjalmar, the heir of the Skellige Isles remain in Cintra. The Battle of Marnadal was a great victory for the Nilfgaardian Empire, but the Cintrans had gone down with such ferocious swings that it had come at great cost. If not for the big gap in numbers, the Kingdom of Cintra might have even edged out in the end. Calanthe was brave, but she had not been wise. Not only did she have the smaller army, she had actually been outmaneuvered by a larger force. How else could she not fail? Emperor Emhyr was far from satisfied with the results. He was outraged. The Cintra Kingdom had put up such fierce resistance C this was the worst possible start to his campaign. If every kingdom in the Northern realm was as stubborn as Cintra, how could the Emperor possibly conquer the North successfully? Therefore, the ruthless Emperor Emhyr decided to bring the hammer down. In addition to capturing the two princesses Cirilla and Olivia, the people of the Cintra Kingdom were to be slaughtered at will! Indeed, this would leave all the kingdoms in the Northern realm shivering in fear - - Massacre of Cintra. At that point, Olivia was watching her grandmother Calanthe return to the castle with her broken army. She felt nothing. She was just an observer. The game systems character information bar had told her everything. She had not received any quests pertaining to this war. Obviously, this system took her side. Neither the Cintra Kingdom nor the Nilfgaardian Empire had anything to do with her. She was not obligated to aid either party. Even if there were no quests, she still had to protect her sister Cirilla. Unlike Olivia, who had always been very calm, Cirilla quickly went to care for her miserable grandmother. This was the first time Cirilla ever felt the cruelty of wars. She now knew why her grandmother had wanted to marry Olivia off in the name of a new alliance Of course, it made sense logically, but Cirilla still felt that it was meaningless to sacrifice the happiness of her sister in exchange for the future of the kingdom! Olivia remained as calm as always. However, as Cirilla was so concerned about Calanthe, of course, she could not be too indifferent. She put up her weakling mask and appeared to be the most helpless, panic-stricken girl ever. She appeared to be extremely frightful of Calanthe, whose body was now riddled with battle wounds. Calanthe ordered someone to take Olivia away. She was now left alone with Cirilla. The aged Calanthe was finally starting to look her age. She sighed and said, Cintra has no future. Cirilla, I only hope that you can live well. Cirilla nodded and firmly said, I will live well, and I will protect my sister. Calanthe shook her head slightly, and said with a heavy tone, You staying alive is the most important thing. You might have to abandon your sister to keep yourself alive. I will never abandon my sister! Cirilla was a little agitated. Calanthe became angry and sternly said, This world is cruel. It is a mistake that a weak, useless vase-like existence like your sister was born! You have to live, even if you have to sacrifice your sister! Calanthe was convinced of it. In fact, she was already prepared to die. No matter what, she could not change Cirillas mind. Then, the situation in Cintra continued to worsen. The Nilfgaardian army had broke into the city of Cintra, keen to finish them off. The cavalries rushed through the blood-filled grounds in groups. They did not look at anyone, they did not ask any questions. They had to kill the old Queen and capture the Princesses of Cintra. As for their fate afterwards, no one dared say anything. When the Nilfgaardian army reached the city, Queen Calanthe, the remaining troops and nobles around her had retreated into the castle. Stone walls surrounded them, and in the middle of it was a huge gate that had magic seals on it. Even so, they had once tasted the strength of the Nilfgaardian army. They knew that it was not nearly enough to save them. After four days of bitter fighting, the Nilfgaardian army finally managed to break into the castle. In the castle, a large number of Cintran women killed their children, while the women were in turn killed by the men, and the men then committed suicide The people of Cintra would never surrender! It was better to die in glory than to live in dishonor! Calanthe stood atop the castles tallest tower. Her haggard face had grown many new lines, her hair unkempt. She looked at the flames beneath her. Blood was everywhere and battle cries filled the air. She closed her eyes wearily. A final prayer for Cirilla. She had already assigned the nations remaining elite knights to protect Cirilla, vowing to get her out of the nation in safety. As for Olivia, may death free her from torment and humiliation. Calanthe prepared to jump to her death. Defiant to the end. At that moment, someone took hold of her. She looked back in horror and realized that it was the person she had thought to be a vase - - Olivia. There was no trace of weakness on Olivias face, only indifference. She said nothing. She used all of her energy to open a portal, and she shoved Calanthe, who was like a stranger to her, into it. Her expressionless face was as delicate as that of a doll. It burned itself into Calanthes mind forever. It seemed like she had reached her limit. The portal closed immediately as she fell to the ground, her body weak. She muttered, This obsessive-compulsive disorder of clearing quests is really ruining my life. I hope that the cheap old man is reliable, maybe I can even become a Princess of the Nilfgaardian Empire Obviously, ensuring that Calanthe would not die was also a quest by the system. Calanthe was important to Cirilla. Olivia would not want to leave Cirilla devastated over this loss. So, she could only put all her eggs in one basket. Calanthe appeared on the shore. Druid Ermion was there. He took Calanthe to the Skellige Isles. After all, Bran, the King of the Skellige Isles, was brothers with Calanthes husband, the already dead King Eist. Ermion, what is this Olivia actually capable of? Calanthe was confused. She felt as if she had met Olivia for the first time today. This little good-for-nothing actually saved her? What would happen to Olivia? She had left her to die! At that moment, she had never been more remorseful for this granddaughter of hers Chapter 641 - Emperor Emhyrs Secret Order Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation As you can see, Her Royal Highness Princess Olivia seemed to be a genius female sorceress, but she had hidden this way too well and deceived us all. Calanthe, still in a state of shock, was helped onto a boat by Ermion. They were headed towards the Kaer Trolde harbor in Skellige Isles. Calanthe had been prepared to die and preserve her dignity. However, all of these feelings vanished as she was shoved through Olivias portal. She was currently too confused to think of suicide. Calanthe was a stubborn creature, but she was not Xiang Yu who refused to cross the Jiangdong river.[1] Since she was alive now, she would seize this new life and revive the fallen Cintra Kingdom! Moreover, her mind was currently occupied by her youngest granddaughter - - Olivia. Her perfect little face that was as delicate as a doll C paired with her extreme indifference made it hard for Calanthe to forget her. In any case, Olivia had saved her life, despite how she had always favored Cirilla. She had always felt that Cirilla was more like her. As for Olivia C she had no words to describe her. Either way, she could not bring herself to get closer to her Calanthe did not want to admit it. If you hate the house, you would hate the crow sitting on the roof as well. After all, Olivias education had been carried out, per the arrangements of her son-in-law, Duny, who she truly detested. Naturally, she would associate Olivia to Dunys stigma. Of course, Calanthe still did not know that Duny was actually Emperor Emhyr of the Nilfgaardian Empire. Otherwise, she would most certainly react rather agitatedly, to say the least. It would have been a flurry of slaps to her face. This was far too cruel for and old queen like her. After all, her very own son-in-law had razed her kingdom to the ground. She had almost lost her life, and the one who saved her was her least favorite granddaughter. She was now in a safe place. As for her granddaughters, regardless of it being Cirilla or Olivia, she only hoped that they were safe, and that she would be able to reunite with them one day. After Calanthe heard Ermion referring to Olivia as a genius female sorceress, she could hardly believe it. She had a how is that possible look on her face. However, when she thought about how Olivia could open portals and transport others through it, just like other sorcerers C even though she was so young, she had to accept that fact. In this world, almost all highly-skilled sorcerers with strong bloodlines knew how to open portals. The only difference was how many could they transport, how far could these people transported, and how accurate the transportations were. Olivia was actually an exception. She had forcibly used the portal skill that could only be used by high-leveled players C with the help of the game system. As a result, she had used too much mana and collapsed. Sorceresses dont sprout from out of nowhere. Did you secretly teach her magic, Ermion? Calanthe could not help but pry. Ermion shook his head. He had no clue. In actuality, as a friend and royal advisor of King Bran, he stayed in the Skellige Isles more often. If Ermion found out that Olivias sorcerer teacher was that Vilgefortz of Roggeveen, he would definitely say no wonder. Vilgefortz was not exactly a well-liked character, but it did not mean that they could dismiss his powers. His prestige over many years was so widely known among the rulers and the casters that everyone knew who he was. However, when Vilgefortz was in the Kingdom of Cintra, he had kept a low profile. Otherwise, his great reputation alone would have been more than enough for him to become the head Sorcerer of the Cintra Kingdom. Obviously, Vilgefortz was not interested in the small Kingdom of Cintra. Now that Emhyr has stabilized his position as Emperor, he was also living a good life in the Nilfgaard. However, he still did not intend to reveal his full powers. Instead, he continued to remain hidden. Obviously, he had something more profound in mind. In fact, Vilgefortz never even taught Olivia seriously. He simply used this get closer to Emhyr. He did not think much about Olivia, who had not been born with source blood. Olivia was not even a source sorcerer. What future would she have? However, as a disciple of Vilgefortz, Olivia could rely on her teachers name to act like a big shot and bully others by flaunting her connections C if she wanted to. Calanthe, who could not get much from Ermion, decided to remain silent. She decided that she would ask Olivia about it the next time she sees her. When that time comes, one could only imagine the circumstances. Cintra castle. Its compound drenched in blood. Cahir Mawr Dyffryn aep Ceallach was the captain of an elite unit, appointed by Emperor Emhyr himself. This was most definitely the special forces of the medieval era. Even his equipment was nothing like that of regular knights. He had already gained renown as a young knight of the Nilfgaardian Empire. He was even featured on Gwent, in the Nilfgaardian Empire deck. Unfortunately, it was not a hero card, but a rather ordinary card. The card only had six battle points and had no special abilities. The flavor text of his card described him rather aptly - - His eyes flashed under his winged helmet, fire gleamed from his swords blade. He was here to find the two Princesses of Cintra and bring them back to the Emperor safely. Undoubtedly, Emhyr trusted him very much to assign him to this mission. His father was a seneschal[2] at Emperor Emhyrs royal house. Of course, Cahir would be most enthusiastic. This was the utmost of honors, and the rewards would be tremendous. Of course, if he failed this, there would also be serious consequences. He did not know much about the two Princesses of Cintra himself. He had heard of Cirillas from the Emperor himself. In Olivias case, her Pearl of the Northern Kingdoms title had spread all the way to the Nilfgaardian Empire. Rumors always became more and more exaggerated in the process of circulation. Obviously, Olivia was just an eleven-year-old girl, but based on the rumors, many people thought that Olivia was the most beautiful princess in the Northern realms. A peerless beauty, a femme fatale Those who knew nothing about the true relationship between Emperor Emhyr and Princess Olivia would even think that the Emperor had declared war on the Northern Kingdom just so that he could capture the Pearl of the Northern Kingdoms and decorate his own crown. Cahir was extremely curious about the Pearl of the Northern Kingdoms. However, he did not dare to harbor any inappropriate thoughts. The Emperors secret order was his priority. No one did not know that the Emperor was harsh and greedy. He was someone who would disco dance on the top of someone elses tombstone. Translation note : [1] Xiang Yu () C Xiang Ji, courtesy name Yu, better known as Xiang Yu, was a prominent warlord who lived in the late Qin dynasty. A noble of Xiaxiang, Xiang Yu was granted the title of Duke of Lu by King Huai II of the insurgent Chu state in 208 BC. He became famous because he chose to die, not to cross the river and start a new life, after his defeat (˼,Ϲ). [2] A Seneschal is a court appointment whose task is to administer the royal house and the servants. Sometimes, they are also royal officers who must maintain order in the provinces. Chapter 642 - Plunder Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation One who had not experienced war at close quarters would never be able to understand the cruelty of war. On the surface alone, modern warfare had the Genevas Convention to make it seem remotely humane. However, in ancient times, regardless of whether in the East or the West, war was a brutal festivity for the victors. The soldiers could slaughter the people of the enemy kingdom arbitrarily. All manner of killing and robbing would happen; they could do whatever they wanted. If any general ever stepped in to prevent such activities, he would probably lose the morale of his army. Of course, a professional soldier like Cahir was very clear about this. So, when the Nilfgaardian army successfully broke into the Cintra castle, he immediately led the elite squad into the sealed inner keep, where the Cintran King, Queen, and Princesses lived. Ordinary soldiers were prohibited from entering. He did not care about the other places. The soldiers could do whatever they wanted there. However, to accurately complete the Emperors secret order, he had to do so. If the maddened soldiers accidentally killed the princesses, how would he explain it? Cahir hoped that Queen of Cintra Calanthe would at least be a little self-conscious. Killing herself would be the best option. Otherwise, he would feel some remorse in slaying the aristocrat of an enemy kingdom. Even if he really killed her, he would tell the world that Calanthe chose to take her own life in dignity. In recent times, marriages between various kingdoms happened quite frequently, and many kingdoms were closely related to each other. Therefore, even if there was a war between kingdoms, it was a customary rule that nobles were not to be killed arbitrarily. Otherwise, ones reputation would take a fall, and they would be given the title Kinslayer.[1] It was not that you could not kill nobles, but you could not kill them without reason. You had to have a high-sounding reason. Cahir methodically searched for the two little princesses with his men. He also did not forget to visit the rooms where the members of the Cintran royal family lived, so that his men could plunder some luxuries for the Emperor. Keep what you find was also an unspoken rule. He was dismayed to find that the Queen of Cintra Calanthe, who had put great efforts into building her kingdom, did not like to collect luxury goods. Everything she had was simple. Maybe, in her heart, the kingdom came first. Princess Olivia was the one who liked luxuries. When she had nothing better to do, she would look for the best tailors in the kingdom. The tailor had customized a variety of beautiful clothes for her. Her Pearl of the Northern Kingdoms title had been bolstered by her sense of fashion. Princess Olivia would also communicate with various artists from all over the world. Many famous painters have had the privilege of drawing a portrait of her, and these portraits have all become famous paintings. Of course, when these paintings appeared on the market, Her Royal Highness Princess Olivias reputation could only soar to the skies. Calanthe did not like her precisely for that reason. However, this also became Olivias best form of disguise. Nobody could have imagined this princess to be so adept at concealing her nature. When Cahir came to Cirilla and Olivias room, he was immediately stunned by the distinctive styling of their rooms. If the King and Queens room previously were too shabby and was incomparable to where the Emperor of the Nilfgaardian Empire lived, then the chamber of the princesses was extraordinarily unique and artistic. It was rumored that the Pearl of the Northern Kingdoms Princess Olivia was extremely talented in art. Even so, painting seemed to be the most unremarkable one, out of her many talents. It was her music that opened new realms to others. Nobles returned home from her performances, dazed and entranced Those who have never heard of it felt that the nobles had most definitely been bribed to say so. By coin, or by the princess beauty, one could only imagine. As the saying went, if you love the house, you will love the crow sitting on it as well. Of course, these doubts would be alleviated if one ever heard her music themselves. It was a pity that only top-level dignitaries among the Northern realms had the right to listen to Princess Olivias performance. Anything lesser could forget about it. There were so many beautiful girls in the world. Why had Olivia been given the title Pearl of the Northern Kingdoms? Of course, first of all, she was Her Royal Highness. Secondly, she was talented. Finally and most importantly, no matter where she was, she always drew attention to herself. She had a strong sense of presence, and her peerless beauty was akin to that of a painting. In this world, it seemed that she had been born a protagonist. In the room, Cahir discovered two paintings that Olivia had painted for Cirilla. In one of the paintings, Cirilla seemed to be really angry because she was wearing a stupid princess dress; in another, Cirilla was extremely beautiful. This was the painting that she had drawn on a boat. The background was the boundless ocean. In the painting, Cirillas eyes had appeared to tender, so full of love. Was it because Cirilla was wearing Olivias clothings? Wearing a gorgeous dress wrapped in her sisters scent, and then becoming her sisters painting model, she was at the highest point in her life When he saw the two paintings, he could not help but order his men to keep it safe. The Emperor placed great emphasis on the two princesses. These paintings would most surely please the Emperor. He also stashed away what he thought was important, such as Princess Olivias musical instruments. Perhaps, in the future, he would have a chance to listen to the legendary divine melody? In actuality, Cahir still felt that the princesses room was still too shabby in comparison to what he regularly saw. A small kingdom was indeed just that. Simply too poor, and would never be comparable to the Nilfgaardian Empire in terms of wealth. Cahir was gradually becoming anxious. Had the two Cintran Princesses slipped away to freedom? If that was the case, then his head would hang. He was not worried about them leaving. He was worried that a dumb soldier would kill them by mistake. At that time, Cahir suddenly received an urgent report. Her Royal Highness Pearl of the Northern Kingdoms Princess Olivia was found lying unconscious at the edge of the tower, for reasons unknown. She was just one step away to falling to her death. When Cahir heard the news, he was so terrified that he almost lost his soul. The Emperor had specifically ordered that Princess Olivia be brought back. She might even be a princess there, or better, an empress In the eyes of Cahir, Princess Cirilla was an extra. The Emperor was really interested in had to be the Pearl of the Northern Kingdoms Olivia. When he arrived at the tower, he discovered that none of his elite knights had dared touch the unconscious Olivia. They were waiting for his orders. Translation note : [1] Kinslayer (߱) is one who slays his or her own kin; a parricide (rare, mostly in fantasy fiction). Chapter 643 - Case Solved Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation Cahir was proud of his elite dark calvary. This elite division had won the trust of Emperor Emhyr enough to put the safety of both Cintra Kingdoms princesses into Cahirs hands. As the calvaries cleared the road ahead, Cahir strolled down the walkway, not yet looking at Princess Olivia. He looked down to the ground from the top of the tower, sighing in relief. Nobody could survive that fall. The view was not as pretty as it used to be. It used to flourish with greens and color. After the war, it became a temporary operational base for Emperor Emhyr to do whatever he liked. To prevent any accidents, Cahir walked to the edge of the tower, securing a safe distance between Princess Olivia and the thin air. He was worried that Princess Olivia would do something stupid after she saw her home now occupied by the Nilfgaardian Empire black calvaries. Cintra Kingdoms could not prevent its grim fate. It was destined to be a state of the Nilfgaardian Empire. However, it was not going to be easy to keep Cintra enslaved. The people of Cintra were as resilient as their royal family. They might even start some underground operation to liberate Cintra. The Kingdom of Verden was just a river away. Ironically, they never sent any help to defend Cintra, but offered themselves as a tributary. The King of Verden was too cowardly to fight against the Nilfgaardian Empire. Prince Kristen had lost his faith in his own father. Perhaps one day, he would rise against his father for Olivia and his people. After all, he was a brave and famous prince who could not accept the behavior of the kingdom that he was going to inherit. He intended to free his own country from cowardice, before invaders. Prince Kistrin was out of luck. He had missed his chance of getting married to The Pearl of the Northern Kingdoms. The fans of The Pearl of the Northern Kingdoms had described him as a fat and hideously incapable peasant who failed to capitalize on an engagement before the fall of Cintra Kingdom When the news of Cintra Kingdom fell into the hands of the Nilfgaardian Empire, the King of Verden denied having made any engagement plans with Cintra. He even said that if he had a daughter, she would be placed on the bed of Emperor Emhyr. Cahir realized that the one who had fainted on the floor was Princess Olivia. Her reputation truly preceded her, unlike Cahirs downplayed imagination. She did not have any of those magnificent, distinctive dresses of a princess on. Rumors had it that she had designed all of her dress. Every dress worn by The Pearl of Northern Kingdoms quickly became the latest fashion trend for the noble ladies. At that moment, she was wearing a simple, yet elegant gown and holding a topee. It was what sorceresses usually opted for, as it was easier for them to cast spells. If Olivia had a staff in her hand, Cahir might have even mistaken her for a sorceress, not a princess. Anyone could excuse her for such plain clothing. The army of the Nilfgaardian Empire had just stormed right into her palace. Princess Olivia would not be in the mood to stay pretty, no matter how vain she was. Cahir was disappointed. She had been rumored to be the fairest across the land. The girl in front of him was barely of age. Were the people of the Northern Kingdoms all lolicons? [1] Cahir could not help but doubt if Emporer Emhyr was a lolicon as well. There were paintings of The Pearl of the Northern Kingdoms all over the market. All of them had been illustrated based on the artists imagination. Did they even have professional integrity? None of the portraits they sold were real! Perhaps they had not even met Princess Olivia in person. Or maybe, they took the liberty to ignore the erotic adorable outlook and drew what they believed to be an adult Princess Olivia in the future Cahir could not deny that Olivias face was beautiful for a young girl. Such beauty did not provoke the urge to reproduce with her but instead, to protect her from harm. Cahir was a self-proclaimed righteous knight. Even as an invader of Cintra Kingdom, his mission was not to kill, but to protect. He was glad when he confirmed Princess Olivia was not dead but merely unconscious. The next thing he did was to find out why this princess had been left in such a state. There was a sorceress in his elite division. She was an apprentice of the great sorceress of Nilfgaardian Empire, Assire var Anahid.[2] Cahirs mother, Mawr was the niece of Assire. [3] Indirectly, Assire Var Anahid could be considered his grandmother. Assire var Anahid was famous for her capabilities as a palace sorceress of the Nilfgaadrian Empire. She was featured in Gwent. It was not a heroic card, but it had 6 strength points. Her words on that card were written as so Nilfgaardian mages do have a choice: servile submission, or the gallows. That sentence was enough to show the expectations Emperor Emhyr had for his mages. If they did not bow, they were as good as dead. Cahirs elite division was small, so his sorceress would not be the most adept. She was much weaker than Princess Olivia, which also meant that she could not open a portal. Nevertheless, she felt the essence of a portal lingering in the air and informed Cahir that Queen Calanthe had fled through a portal. Never once did it cross his mind that it was Olivia who did it. Cahir discussed the matter with his grandmothers apprentice and made a conclusion The Cintra Kingdom had fallen. Queen Calanthe had abandoned her people in cowardice. Princess Olivia had sworn to live and die with the Cintra Kingdom. She was knocked out by the closure of the escape portal before she managed to commit suicide by jumping off the tower. Case solved! When they looked at the unconscious Princess Olivia, there was nothing in their eyes but utmost respect. Translation Note: [1] Lolicon (ꥳ rorikon), also romanized as lolikon or rorikon, is Japanese discourse or media focusing on the attraction to young or prepubescent girls. The term lolicon is a portmanteau of the phrase Lolita complex;[1] it describes an attraction to young or prepubescent girls, an individual with such an attraction, or lolicon manga or lolicon anime, a genre of manga and anime wherein childlike female characters are often depicted in an erotic-cute manner (also known as ero kawaii), in an art style reminiscent of the shjo manga (girls comics) style. [2] Assire var Anahid was a mage in the Nilfgaardian Empires service who hailed originally from Vicovaro. She was a sister of Eviva, aunt of Mawr and Cinead var Anahid as well as grandaunt of Cahir Mawr Dyffryn aep Ceallach. Assire was a founding member of the Lodge of Sorceresses and remained a member along with Fringilla Vigo, also in service of the Empire. She took advantage of Carthia van Cantens relationship with the head of Nilfgaardian Secret Service, Vattier de Rideaux, and used it to spy on him. She was also known for helping Imperator Emhyr var Emreis with military operations during the war. Even though Assire was a Nilfgaardian sorceress, she and Eviva had a Nordling blood. She also owned a black cat called Merlin. [3] Mawr was the wife of seneschal Ceallach and the mother of Aillil, Cahir, and Dheran. She was also the niece of Assire var Anahid through her mother, Eviva. Chapter 644 - High Fantasy Drama Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation Zhao Youyue did not realise that her identity in the source world as Princess Olivia was now respected by the enemys army for her patriotism. Regardless of the age or civilisation, those who did not bow to their suppressors would be respected by the rest of the human race. Only a few would defend themselves until their last breaths. Hence, their courage was commendable. Since Olivia had been left in an unconscious state, Zhao Youyue temporarily left the source world to head back to reality. She had to regain her bearings and make sure that she was from planet Earth, and she was Zhao Youyue, not Olivia. Nevertheless, Olivia seemed like a good name to call herself. Lady Olivia Zhao. It almost sounded as fun as Nicolas Zhao Si [1]. However, Lady Zhao was a traditional Chinese Lady who defended the National Culture. After all, the Zhao Family was known for its patriotism. They were the only family who had the right to betray its country, since they had built this country right from the bottom. When Lady Zhao went back to reality, she realized that the Two Dimensional Gate had recorded everything in the source world, like the paranormal world. Now it had even taken the liberty to convert the history into a fantastical drama. [2] She could upload the video on a computer to play it, or upload it onto the internet. If It picked up, she could gather the energy and recharge the Two Dimensional Gate. It was not something could be explained with science. When Zhao Youyue uploaded her paranormal exploits onto the internet, fans of horror novels had praised and promoted the video. The reactions of the actors had been so authentic and real that their screams of terror went right into the bone However, horror novels were not exactly mainstream. Even the storylines were short and straightforward. The only attractive part of their movie was the special effects and blood. Past that, they lacked the impact. Some people could not forget about these films, such as an author who was know for his horror novel. He was still disturbed by the fact that his dream had been turned into a film and uploaded onto the internet. No matter how he tried to make logic out of it, he would never fathom the possibility of the Two Dimensional Gate existing. Compared to that paranormal video, Zhao Youyue played a central role as Olivia. If uploaded to the internet, it would most definitely become viral. Its quality would be no lesser than that of Game of Thrones.[3] So, what should she call this series? She might not be the protagonist in the source world, but she damn well may be. After all, she was the one controlling the game system! Should she try something like Live Broadcast of the Empress, [4] or perhaps something like The Path of an Empress, or simply Olivia? Zhao Youyue could not make up her mind. This time, she would not have to worry about investigations being carried out on the actors. None of them existed in this world. Most of the scenes could be passed off as highly advanced computer-generated graphics. The source world itself existed in an epic fantasy game which was engineered to be displayed in high-definition quality. It was nothing like the paranormal world which came from some movie. That paranormal world was the birthplace of many horror films. Chu Renmei was a ghost from the movie A Wicked Ghost, the mere thought of which could rob people of their sleep. [5] That was the only way to prove that Chu Renmei was more than qualified to exist in that world. A great author must first venture deep into a source world. Only then could they write remarkable stories. Source worlds and iconic novels existed symbiotically. It was the birthplace where authors received inspiration for their novels, or one could argue that was merely a plane where authors subconscious gathered, their similar wavelengths working together to create entire worlds. The question then, what came first C the source worlds, or the iconic novels? It was the same as the first chicken and the egg argument. There was no need to find the answer. Zhao Youyue briefly scrolled through the computer-generated drama of the Two Dimensional Gate. There werent many epic scenes, other than the harmonious moment between Cirilla and Olivia. Of course, Olivia fighting alongside Geralt in the witch-hunting mission had been amazing. Olivia was as cool as Saber, [6] charging into the fight with her invisible Excalibur. [7][8] With a roll-over and a backstab of justice, she had instantly ended a Fogler.[9] Zhao Youyue did not rush to upload the film, as she sensed her body in the source world starting to gain consciousness. Zhao Youyue was worried that Olivia might get killed by some idiotic soldiers. Would that be the end of her play in the source world? It would not affect Zhao Youyue in reality, but she had big plans for Olivia. It would be great if she could become an Empress and take her own sister as her spouse! She would learn so many new things in the process! The Source world was a hundred percent identical to reality. She did not need to fabricate any iconic character to inherit the characters special abilities. While honing her skills in the source world, both her body in reality and the source world would benefit from the training. Olivia found herself in a carriage when she woke up. Worried about her condition, she instantly accessed the game system to check on her body. No damages found, what a relief! Unfortunately, she still could not access the blue bar. Indeed, it had been a risky move. However, the computer-generated animation had one more epic scene to show! Now that Calanthe was safe, Cirilla would be delighted. Hold on, wheres Cirilla? That was when a new mission showed up in the game system. The search for Cirilla. Translation Note: [1] Nicolas Zhao Si (˹.) is a character played by Liu Xiaoguang (С) in the TV comedy series Countryside Love. In a few of the series, Zhao Si performed a few street dances that outshined the Hollywood star, even Nicolas Cage. Because his dances were much similar towards Melbourne Shuffle Dance, he was also known as the creator of Chinese Shuffle Dance [2] High Fantasy (ʷʫ) or epic fantasy is a subgenre of fantasy, defined either by the epic nature of its setting or by the epic stature of its characters, themes, or plot. The term high fantasy was coined by Lloyd Alexander in a 1971 essay, High Fantasy and Heroic Romance (originally given at the New England Round Table of Childrens Librarians in October 1969). [3] Game of Thrones is an American fantasy drama television series created by David Benioff and D. B. Weiss. It is an adaptation of A Song of Ice and Fire, George R. R. Martins series of fantasy novels, the first of which is A Game of Thrones. It is filmed in Belfast and elsewhere in Northern Ireland, Canada, Croatia, Iceland, Malta, Morocco, Spain, and the United States. The series premiered on HBO in the United States on April 17, 2011, and its seventh season ended on August 27, 2017. The series will conclude with its eighth season premiering in 2019. [4] Live Broadcast of the Empress (Ůֱ) is a novel written by You Bao Xiang Gu (ͱ㹽). The story is about broadcasting the war among the wives of an Emperor [5] A Wicked Ghost (ɽʬ) was a movie of a young man, and a drama teacher must find the source of a hateful ghosts rage before its too late. [6] Saber is a fictional character from the Japanese visual novel and anime series Fate/stay night by Type-Moon and its prequel, Fate/Zero, by Type-Moon and nitroplus. [7] Excalibur: Sword of Promised Victory (Լʤ֮) ( s줿΄Щ` , Yakusokusareta Shri no KenEkusukarib ?) is the strongest and most majestic holy sword that symbolizes King Arthur in Fate/stay night Noble Phantasm As that which can be called the physical actualization of her ideas and the symbol of her heroism, it is her greatest and most powerful Noble Phantasm. [8]Invisible Air: Barrier of the Wind King ( LY祤ӥ֥? , F- KekkaiInbijiburu Ea ?) is a sheath of wind that covers Excalibur and conceals it so that it cannot be easily recognized as the famous holy sword of King Arthur and expose her identity. It is a Bounded Field closer to magecraft than a Noble Phantasm that is made up of multiple layers of wind compressed into super-high pressure air with a massive amount of magical energy, which distorts the refraction of light and renders what is inside completely invisible. [9] Foglers, foglings, or foglets (С(Polish: Mglak) are magical beings said to have arrived during the Conjunction of the Spheres. They tend to be found mainly in swamps, forests, or in the mountains and lure their prey into traps using magic. They have glowing eyes and mouths, keen ears and long pointed fingers and feed on the bodies of their victims. Chapter 645 - A Simple Quest Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation It was almost impossible to search for Cirilla without a lead. Fortunately, Olivia could always access to the game system. Cirilla had been dragged out of the castle by what was left of the royal knights. With Olivia and her grandmother Calanthe still trapped in the castle, she had intended to defend the castle to her last breath. Her knights had not granted her the honor to make that choice. Chaos had fallen upon Cintras city. Other than the army of Nilfgaardian Empire, some robbers took the opportunity to plunder whatever they could get. The only victims were the innocent people of Cintra. Doors were not enough to keep the savages out of their properties. It was savagery Such was the ugly face of war. Humanity would flee, along with conscience and mercy. Until the war ended, only savages and brutes lingered on the street. Under such circumstances, it would not be easy to search for Cirilla, would it? It was a tough challenge for Cahir who only had a handful of elite soldiers to command. Cahirs division slowly moved towards the outskirt of Cintra. He escorted Princess Olivias carriage personally. His men were sent to look for clues of Cirillas whereabouts. The army of the Nilfgaardian Empire did not dare to oppose the officer Cahir. He always appeared as an intimidating knight in black, with a pair of wings carved on his helmet. A group of robbers charged at Cahirs division, attempting to rob the carriage. It did not take long for them to turn into lifeless pieces of flesh. Queen Calanthe escaped the war, and Cirilla was nowhere to be found. Princess Olivia was the only target that Cahir had secured for his mission. Without Olivia, he could not face his Emperor Emhyr Cahir could not care less about the inhabitants of this city. However, if they got too close to his carriage, they would meet his blade. It might be impossible for Cahir to search for Cirilla, but not for Olivia. The game system provided hints and marked down certain points in her map. She used Geralts trademark ability to track Cirilla. First, she long-pressed the left button of her mouse. All footprints and scents were now marked in red. All she needed to do now was to follow the red footprints, and the yellow circle of mission objectives in minimap moved accordingly. Viola, she has found Cirilla. What? You are saying that Olivia is not a witcher, her senses could not be so keen? She had a lot of skill points! Just by spending a point in Witcher Sense would unlock her superhuman sense![1] Such was the convenience of a gaming source world. To the natives, it was not a game. In Olivias case, it was a VR Role-Playing Game. She was only here to complete her missions. How could she complete her missions without any in-game hints? Olivia did not rush to look for Cirilla, as she still did not know who drove the carriage. If this person was not on her side, she might expose Cirilla to great danger. Besides Olivia, there was a sorceress in the carriage. She was the apprentice of Cahirs grandmother. The sorceress stopped the carriage to notify Cahir that Olivia had regained her consciousness. There was no reason to speak to the princess just yet. Nevertheless, Cahir was glad that Princess Olivia was fine. The sorceress returned to the carriage for a brief moment and came out again to convey Olivias intention to speak to Cahir. Once again, Olivia exercised her flawless acting skills. She realized that the sorceress was treating her with great respect, but she could not figure out why. If her master acted in the same manner, perhaps she could use him to do her bidding. Olivia was also good at ad libbing. Leaving a good impression in someones mind was no more than drinking a glass of water. Cahir rushed into the carriage when he heard that The Pearl of Northern Kingdoms wanted to see him. It was only polite for him to remove his helmet in front of a lady. He was one of the best-looking men in the Nilfgaardian Empire. Despite being the captor of Princess Olivia, his attitude towards her was courteous and respectful Together with his sorceress, he had concluded that Princess Olivia was a patriotic noble who would rather die with her country. Cahir did not want to provoke her into seeking death. It was easier to control people who feared death. Those who would give away their lives had nothing to lose. If Oliva learned of this, she would have burst into laughter. She might be one of Cintras nobles, but she could care less about Cintra. Why would a player fall in love with a fabricated country? Gamers would only love a gentle female character in a game. People only called themselves fans of some character, but they would never declare that he or she was a fan of some fictional country. The only patriot in the game was Calanthe, the ruler of Cintra The sincere respect from Cahir calmed the storm in Olivias heart. It was not an appropriate time for her to act as a soft and fragile princess. Instead, she gave off a calm, calculated demeanor, a matured noble member of the ruling family. Cahir was surprised. She definitely did not act her age Cahir promised Princess Olivia that he would secure her safety until her meeting with Emperor Emhyr. It seemed like her father was doing great. If she did not manage to build her own kingdom, perhaps she could follow his footsteps back to Nilfgaardian Empire and inherit the throne? Of course, her sister Cirilla had to be lost or dead for that to happen. She was the true heir before Olivia. However, Olivia could not simply ignore Cirilla. I know where my sister is, Olivia told Cahir right after she was sure that he was a trusted servant of her father. Her words changed the expression on Cahirs face. Translation Note: [1] Witcher Senses (̽) are a gameplay mechanic introduced in The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt; when activated, Geralt focuses his superhuman senses to see clues and tracks that no ordinary human can. In the game, Witcher Senses highlight interactive objects in red and highlights objects that have already been examined yellow. Chapter 646 - A Warm Reunion Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation Moments ago Cahir was disappointed in the appearance of the unconscious Princess Olivia. Now he believed in the rumors that claimed Princess Olivia to be one of a kind. Cintra city was not exactly small in size, plus it was currently embroiled in chaos. How did she know where Cirilla was? Your majesty, please leave finding Princess Cirilla to us. A princess should not travel about in such an environment. Please stay in this carriage. Cahir was simply being considerate. He was worried that Olivia would want to commit suicide if she saw the chaos in her beloved city. I have been with my sister since birth. We are inseparable. I could sense her presence, even if she was on the other side of the ocean. It would be easy for me to locate her, Olivia spoke plainly. Cahir doubted her words. How could a person find another with instinct alone? The sorceress ensured Cahir that such bonds existed, especially for those people who were linked with The Law of Surprise. It would be safe to believe in Olivia. Cahir was not left with much choice. This was the only way he could complete his mission. He could either gamble on this princess hunch, or he could keep hoping that he could get lucky. After stepping out of the carriage, Olivia witnessed the chaotic scene in Cintra city. It was her first experience being in the middle of a war. The sight was cruel and savage Its just a game, just a game She tried to drive away the fear in her heart. Nevertheless, this was the reality of natives in this source world. Olivia shifted her focus to her mission. Escorted by Cahir and his men, she led the party towards the first yellow circle in the minimap. By activating her Witcher Senses, she behaved like the White Wolf Geralt, analyzing the footprints and tracks. Moments later, she concluded that those footprints belonged to the knight who dragged Cirilla to safety. The party followed the track. Of course, only Olivia could see the red footsteps. Once she put on her hood, her eyes turned into cats eyes In his escort, Cahir was amazed by Princess Olivias ability. Rumors had said that The Pearl of Northern Kingdoms was a helpless noble with a pretty face, were they not? Rumors cannot be trusted, afterall! Cahir was relieved by the fact that Princess Olivia did not suffer from a mental breakdown after she saw the chaos in her city. How strong was this little girl? As she took action, he saw a little of his own Emperor Emhyr in this Princess Olivia. How could that be possible? The track stopped in an alley. Corpses were everywhere, both of the elite knights of Cintra and the army of Nilfgaardian Empire Cirilla had lain motionless among the corpses, fooling numerous Nilfgaardian soldiers who passed by. Her elite knights had given their lives defending her. Fate had its own plans for Cirilla. Apparently, a mysterious force kept her alive during dire moments like these. At that moment, Cirilla once again felt a great fear as the footsteps moved closer to her It could not possibly be friendly. All able Cintran men have been slaughtered. Cirilla decided to continue playing dead. If anyone ever found her, she would truly be dead. Cirilla had inherited the resilient character from Calanthe. Even as she was playing dead, she thought of nothing but her sister and grandmother. She was lucky to have been escorted by the knights. Olivia and Calanthe did not have such defenders. Have they been brutally butchered by the Nilfgaardian Empire? Those black uniforms sent blood rushing through young Cirillas veins. Her hatred towards the Nilfgaardian Empire would not be quelled so easily! Even if she learned that the ruler of The Nilfgaardian Empire was her father, but she would never forgive him. She would never inherit such an evil and despicable empire! Cahir would never allow Princess Olivia to move the corpses aside on her own. In doubt, he and his men cleared the pile of corpses. In no time at all, they found Princess Cirilla! Cahir was extremely relieved. The obedient and cooperative Princess Olivia had gained his undivided trust. When he arrives in the castle of Nilfgaardian, Emperor Emhyr would grant him the highest honor of all! Cirillas heart was cold, almost dead with disappointment. The moment she was found by a knight in black uniform and a helmet with wings engraved on it, she moved into action The dagger in her hand flashed. First, she would take this knights life, then she would take hers. With the speed of a leopard, she lunged towards Cahir! Cahir might be distracted by the fact he had found Cirilla, but he still dodged her attack with ease. Cirilla was still a child. How could she stand a chance against an elite knight? Sister! Olivia rushed towards Cirilla and hugged the girl who was covered in the blood of her defenders. Cirilla had been prepared to face her final moments. Now, she had found the reason to stay alive in this world once again Praise the goddess of mercy! Her beloved sister was still alive! Cirilla had never shed a tear in her life, yet she now a blubbering mess. After all, she was only a child. No matter how strong she was, she had just witnessed the downfall of her kingdom, and had faced the possibility of having los her entire family. How could she not crack under such pressure? Olivia did not cry. She tried her best to comfort her sister In the middle of a brutal battlefield, two sisters embraced each other in a reunion. Such a warm scene! Cahir stood patiently by the side, guarding both princesses as they expressed themselves. His respect for Princess Olivia only grew. Olivia was not just a pretty face C she was the best candidate for monarchy! On the other hand, Cirilla was not even close Chapter 647 - A Deeply Bonded Companion Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation This was a second chance for Cirilla to start all over, especially when her sister mentioned that their grandmother Calanthe had left the castle safely. However, Cirillas hatred of The Nilfgaardian Empire would never be quelled as easily This could be seen from her attitude towards Cahir. She thought that Cahir had imprisoned her sister and herself, taking them to The Nilfgaardian Empire in the South. No matter what, she had to escape with her sister. Cirilla told Olivia of her plan to escape. Of course, Olivia gave her undivided support. It was not a good idea to go to the Nilfgaardian Empire now. Nobody would respect them, even if they were the biological daughters of the Emperor Emhyr. In politics, none of that mattered. Freedom was the last thing to expect in the Nilfgaardian Empire. They would most likely be forced into more marriages. Instead of running away from the entire army, it would be better to escape from Cahirs small division. As Olivia carefully planned their great escape, Cirilla agreed to go with them. Cirilla was constantly mean to Cahir. The two princesses played the role of good cop and bad cop, earning more space to carry out their escape. Compared to Cirilla, Cahir thought that Cintra was an angelic princess. Cirilla was more like a mad sow! Nevertheless, he had to remain courteous to both princesses. Emperor Emhyr has explicitly instructed him to bring the both of them back to the empire. Cahir thought that Olivias future was much brighter than Cirillas Cahirs mood was a radiant as the sun. He could not stop thinking about the reward he would get once they reached the empire. He did not expect them to attempt fleeing from him. On the first night they left Cintra city, Cirilla demanded that she be allowed to bathe in the river nearby. Afterall, she smelled of blood and gore. Cahir did not want to subject himself to more of Cirillas ridiculous behavior, so he permitted her to bring Olivia with her. Cahir always thought that her majesty Princess Olivia was far wiser than Cirilla. She would never cause trouble for him. Unfortunately, both princesses never came back. Cahir returned to the empire empty-handed. Emperor Emhyr was mad at his failure, and locked him up in the dungeon for a period of time Cahir sent his men across the land to search for the two princesses. He even commanded troops from the Nilfgaardian army to storm a few locations. All efforts were futile. Of course, they could not find them. Olivia had access to the game systems minimap. It was basically a radar that detected all hostile encounters and marked them down as red dots. The duo eluded the patrols with ease. Cirilla was impressed by her sister ability, yet she did not envy her. She could not be any prouder. Along with the fall of Cintra Kingdom, they both lost their identities as princesses. However, Cirilla was finally tasting the freedom she had craved for so long! The sisters bonded more closely than ever. They outran the Nilfgaardian sentries while sneaking away from the raiders as they pillaged a nearby village. Olivias instinct kept the sentries off their trail, yet it was Cirillas strength that cut a path through the raiders. Olivias magic ability was still sealed shut. While fighting the raiders, Cirilla acted as a dependable elder for her sister. She became cold and cunning and butchered the raiders single-handedly. Every time she ripped off the limbs of a raider, the game slowed down. What a breathtaking display of slo-mo! Cirilla and her sister traveled along the river until they came upon a forest. Within the two weeks of hiding in the forest, they trained their survival skills on their own. It was difficult living in the forest. They were once princesses of Cintra with ample food and beautiful dresses. Now, they were like beggars dressed in rags. Cirilla cared little about her appearance. However, when she gazed upon her adorable sisters worn clothing, her heart wept. Cirilla was touched by her sisters help. Olivia took care of the fishing and cooking, while also patching up Cirillas dresses and the laundry. She did all the housekeeping. It had to be Olivias love for her sister that drove her to pick up such skills. Little that Cirilla know that Olivia had merely borrowed a certain character cards skills. These were all Xu Jings fundamental skills. Xu Jing was not only the best student, she took care of her entire family. Every night they hugged each other to sleep. With her sister in her arms, Cirilla found all the strength she needed! After a while, the duo spent a month with a group of fugitives and moved towards the north. Everybody was starving. Cirilla would always make sure that her sister had something to eat even, if she had none for herself. Olivia had once contracted a high fever due to water shortage. Cirilla had cut her wrists to feed her sister. Cirilla had been absolutely disappointed at that moment and blamed herself for the illness her sister suffered. Though she gave most of her food to her sister, her sister somehow managed to supply her some reddish potions. After drinking those potions, she felt rejuvenated and never fell sick again. Cirilla did not think much of the Red Potion. As some of the fugitives started to die from a plague and her sister fell ill at the same time, she realized that it was her sister who gave her the will to stay alive! How does one strengthen a bond between two people? Place them in a situation where they had to depend on each other to survive. They would never hesitate to sacrifice themselves for the well-being of another. Once again, Xu Jing has found her Yang Xixi in this world. Cirilla would never disappoint Olivia. Olivia tasted the blood of Cirilla. She finally figured out the secret behind Elders Blood! Chapter 648 - Finally Became A Father Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation What exactly is the Elder Blood [1]? According to some, it is a powerful elven curse that had been passed down for generations. Those whose veins where the infamous Hen Ichaer [2] flow are said to carry death and destruction within them, to sow repugnance and disdain in the hearts of people. Ithlinne [3] had prophesied that an avenger would be born from this contaminated blood. This avenger would be a destroyer of nations and worlds. Others, however, claimed that the Elder blood was an inherited, extremely rare talent. It could grant them control over time and space to a degree which was unattainable even to elven Sages [4]. Unfortunately, only a few bearers of this gift have been able to control its powers in full. This partial mastery would lead to sudden outbursts that took the form of unpredictable, uncontrollable, deadly explosions. The truth of these tragic cases lay behind the dark legends about the Curse of the Elder Blood. Obviously, the bearers of the Elder Blood were always the center of attention to the worlds mighty and mages alike. The former relied on the truth of Ithlinnes prophecy: They wanted an avenger who could destroy worlds, one they could use for their own purposes. The latter hoped to harness the magic of Hen Ichaer to broaden their own knowledge and magical powers. These were multiple views regarding the Elders Blood that had been recorded in a book called Elder Blood. It was a biased, skewed piece of writing. On the other hand, Olivia had just been exposed to the clean, whole truth, courtesy of the system. Avallach [5] had created a Gate of the World with the King of the Wild Hunt, Eredin Bracc Glas [6]. By using this gate, their race could travel to any other world. The Conjunction of the Spheres [7] was actually a phenomenon that happened when these elves opened the Gate of the World. However, as they had accidentally lost the ability to travel between worlds, the Gate of the World was closed forever. Therefore, these elves were forced to stay in the world, never be able to return to their own world. When they lost this ability, Eredin and Avallach had planned to nurture a beautiful female elf that had the ability to travel through the Gate of the World. Therefore, they had spent a long, long time nurturing Lara Dorren [8], a female elf that carried with her the powers of the Elders Blood. Lara Dorren was actually an ancestor of Cirilla. Suffice to say, Cirilla had inherited her blood. You could imagine how Cirilla would be the focus of Avallach and Eredin. To be honest, Olivia was actually quite interested in the Gate of the World. She wanted to know whether this Gate was related to the Two Dimensional Gate that she had. No wonder she was so close to Cirilla. It turned out that everyone had a gate However, Olivia had not yet felt the powers of Cirillas Gate of the World. The only thing she felt was the healing ability of this Elder Blood, which was comparable to the best Full Moon [8] potion out there! In reality, Olivia did not need to give any vitality regeneration potion for Cirilla to drink. Cirilla had a passive regeneration ability. If Cirilla ever got wounded in the game, the Elders Blood that was flowing in her veins would slowly regenerate her health back to normal. Instead, Geralt, who was a witcher, needed to use potions, food, and meditation to restore his vitality However, there was no choice. Olivia did not know about Cirillas physical condition. She just felt that even if she died, she would only leave the Source World. Who knows, she might even be able to return in another manner. No matter what, she did not want Cirilla to die. Olivia did not even think of how Cirilla would react if she really died. Then, as prophesied, she would destroy the entire world for her sister. Anyone with sister complexes would react like so C it had been that way since the dawn of time. Cirilla cried tears of joy when she realized how her blood had slowly improved Olivias condition. It was just like a drowning man catching the last strand of straw that saved his life She resolved to feeding her sister with her own Elder Blood every single day. Olivia discovered that the Elder Blood had even replenished her Two Dimensional Gate ability rapidly. Was the Gate of the World reacting to her gate? Olivia obviously could not let her sister bleed every single day. Once she felt that her body was improving she quickly stopped her sister. After seeing the deep scar on Cirillas wrist, she was sincerely moved. To her, the Source World was a very, very convincing literary world. However, in the end, it was still an illusion. Thanks to Cirilla, she was no longer as sure. Either way, she was a true sister. As the saying went, those who survive a catastrophe were bound to have good fortune. As Cirilla and Olivia were in the process of escaping, they were first given shelter by the kindly druids colony. After that, they were adopted by a kind lady. Her name was Chrisididae [9], and she was a merchants wife. Chrisididae could not give birth to children anymore, but she had always wanted a daughter. After she came Cirilla and Olivia, the cute pair of sisters, she adopted them in an instance. She had actually wanted to adopt Olivia only. Who asked her to be the cuter one? However, Olivia did not want to be separated from Cirilla. Therefore, Chrisididae had adopted both of them together. However, before she had the time to raise her daughters, her husband, Yurga [10], sent both his daughters away to someone else. This person was the legendary witcher C Geralt. Yurgas chariot was stranded at a bridge in the canyons, where both his servants had deserted him. Geralt, who came across Yurga, invoked the Law of Surprise as the price for giving him protection in exchange. At some point, Yurga had placed the unconscious Geralt on his chariot after Geralt got injured trying to fend off the siege of the monsters. He was then taken to a nearby town to be treated. Yurga initially thought that Geralt would not be able to get a reward from the Law of Surprise. This was because his wife, Chrisididae, was no longer fertile. It was impossible for him to have an unexpected child. Instead, Yurga proposed to have one of his sons follow Geralt as an apprentice witcher. However, Geralt did not accept his proposition. After meeting Dandelion [11], the group returned to Yurgas home. There, they discovered that Chrisididae had adopted the two Princesses of Cintra. One of them was even the Pearl of the Northern Kingdoms Rather than call it a coincidence, it was better to say that it was the Law of Surprise. This time, even Olivia had become a part of the Law of Surprise. Geralt was ecstatic. He had wanted to be Olivias dad so much. It was amazing to have a tsundere Lolita daughter! However, when he thought about the misfortune that had befallen upon these two young girls, he quickly became somber again. Translation note: [1] Elder Blood (֮Ѫ), also known as Hen Ichaer or Lara gene, is considered to be the blood/genes in Lara Dorrens descendants who carry powerful magic. [2] Hen Ichaer (.) is another name for Elder Blood [3] Ithlinne (˹) was a legendary elven healer, astrologist, and oracle. She had a gift for divination and prophecies, the best known of which is Aen Ithlinnespeath. [4] Elven sages () are one of the humanoid races that inhabit the Continent. [5] Avallach () was an elf and Aen Saevherne who had the ability to travel between the worlds of the Aen Elle and Aen Seidhe. He met Geralt and told the witcher about a prophecy connected with Ciri. He was nicknamed Fox by the unicorns. [6] Eredin Bracc Glas (͡) was an Aen Elle elf and commander of an elven cavalry known as the Wild Hunt. [7] Conjunction of the Spheres (򽻻) is a cataclysm which occurred 1,500 years before the events in the novels, trapping many unnatural creatures in this dimension, including ghouls, graveirs, and vampires. [8] Full Moon Potion (ҩ) significantly increases maximum Vitality. Specifically, it doubles the maximum total vitality. [9] Chrisididae (˿) was the wife of Yurga, a merchant who helped Geralt out after the witcher was badly injured defending Yurgas wagon. [10] Yurga (ȶ) was a modest merchant from Lower Sodden. He had a wife called Goldencheeks and together they had two strong sons, Nadbor and Sulik. [11] Dandelion () was a poet, minstrel, bard, and close friend of Geralt of Rivia. Chapter 649 - A Fathers Love Is Like A Mountain Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation When Geralt met both Princesses of Cintra again, the first Northern War [1] between the Nilfgaardian Empire [2] and the Northern Kingdoms were almost over. The Nilfgaardian had described the wars between the Nilfgaardian Empire and the Northern Kingdoms from their point of view C The responsibility for the first wars outbreak (1263-1264) lay entirely in the hands of the Temerian Special Forces. Intercepted documents from Temeria had clearly shown that they were intending to annex Cintra and were moving to Cintras direction. They had dealt a brazen blow to the Empire, thus interrupting the Empires balance of power. The Empire could only pre-empt the Temerians destructive actions by moving its forces into Cintra and establishing order there, thereby safeguarding peace over its region. Unfortunately, the Northern Kingdoms, as always headstrong and narrow-minded, chose war over peace. In the course of this conflict, the Northern Kingdoms forces committed unforgivable atrocities. As a result, the Nilfgaardian retaliated first with the Battle of the Marnadal Valley and subsequently, the Cintrian Incident. Our Imperial Majesty, Emhyr var Emreis had given the Cintrian court a letter of sympathies. In it, he hoped that such horrors would never be repeated again. The Nilfgaardian considered the situation in the North to have stabilized as Cintra was taken by them. However, the Northern Kingdoms continued fighting them, bringing the battle to a heated peak with its central clash near Sodden. This was depicted as the turning point of the war by Nordling propaganda. In reality, this had zero political significance at all. Afterwards, a peace accord was signed between both empires, thus rendering Cintra a vassal of the Nilfgaard Empire forever. Interestingly, the Northern Kingdoms scholars had another kind of view C The War with Nilfgaard first happened in 1263 C its immediate cause was the clear act of aggression by the Nilfgaardian army against Cintra. The Nilfgaardian forces had crossed the Amell Mountains as the first act of aggression. Then, they attacked Cintras southern border posts near the Erlenwald forest. There were unproven claims of Emhyr var Emreis as having a special attachment for this place C its truth, however, remain unknown. What was certain was that he had staked an unfounded claim on the control over Cintra long ago. The final battle of the conflict took place in the Marnadal Valley. Over there, Cintras forces were surrounded and slaughtered by the Nilfgaardian army which was led by the royal couple. King Eist Tuirseach fell in the battle. Queen Calanthe, along with the survivors sought shelter in the capital. However, no one was found there. The city was destroyed, its population decimated, while Queen Calanthe took her own life. She preferred to die in her own hands rather than surrender to the invaders. The war then shifted to Upper Sodden. Here, acts of terror and heinous cruelty were committed. Historians collectively agreed that the Imperial Armys heinous acts had propelled the North to victory during the Second Battle of Sodden. The heinous acts had left the northern forces with only two remaining options: they were to either win the war or to die with their families. However, it did not matter as they were still defeated by the seemingly invincible and strong Nilfgaardian army. In 1264, a peace accord was signed by both forces. In it, the control of Cintra was given to the empire, making it the most northern province of Nilfgaard. After Geralt learned of the Massacre of Cintra, he had set out to find Cirilla immediately. Obviously, he had to find the girl he liked more as well, which was Olivia. Finding Cirilla was more like a kind of responsibility. Olivia was a special case. The small little Princess of Cintra had left a deep impression on him. In the end, God helps those who help themselves. In other words, it could be said that the Law of Surprise was extremely powerful. This time, Geralt no longer hesitated. He decided to bring Cirilla and Olivia to Kaer Morhen [1]. Geralt would not stop beating himself up. He should have taken the sisters when he saw them at Brokilon. They did not have to suffer such misfortune if he had done so. Cirilla would never tell Geralt about how brutal their lives were after one entire year of escaping. In reality, as long as her sister was with her, she could take anything Cirillas big sister aura became more pronounced. In order to protect her little sister, she became more reserved. She was even eager to become more powerful. Therefore, she would rather follow Geralt than become a merchants daughter. She hoped that she could learn some great swordsmanship from this legendary witcher. It would give her the power to protect her sister all the more. However, Olivia was well-versed about the kid who cried gets to drink milk. She told every detail of her experiences to Geralt and his good friend, Dandelion. She made them as melodramatic as she possibly could. If this wasnt a tearjerker, nothing would be! Dandelion slammed his chest with a resolute fist and expressed his desire to write two epic masterpieces titled C Pearl of the Northern Kingdoms and Cintras Cub, based on the experiences of Olivia and Cirilla. Dandelion was a talented poet, minstrel and bard, a graduate of Oxenfurt University, a frequent performer of the Royal Palace, an unrivaled lover, a womanizer adored by ladies worldwide, a seasoned negotiator and a skilled orator C This is the image of Dandelion which was often seen in stories that were spread by people. He was one of Geralts closest friends. He was a tireless blabbermouth, a clown, and a good-for-nothing. However, as long as he was willing, he could turn into a charming aristocrat in an instant. His passion and talents, however, always got him into trouble. This had troubled the white wolf into saving his ass many times over. When Dandelion saw the popular and beautiful Pearl of the Northern Kingdoms, Her Royal Highness Princess Olivia, he started to habitually hit on her. Apparently, he did not care if she was just 13 years old. In reality, because she was a westerner, this 13 years old teenage girl was actually very tall and slim. Furthermore, Olivia, who had experienced so many hardships was even more charming. However, Geralt spoke to Dandelion that night. He could woo whichever chick he wanted, but he could never hit on his daughters! That was right. Geralt had already decided to adopt the girls who were orphaned princesses of a ruined state. He wanted to bring them to Kaer Morhen. Dandelion, a good friend of Geralt, was rather obedient. He would not move on Olivia C he simply found her intriguing As for Cirilla, her entire body emitted an aura that said stay away. She would only reveal her smile in front of her own sister. When Geralt heard about Olivias stories, his heart ached. The white wolf had become a loyal dog. During the trip to Kaer Morhen, Geralt meticulously took care of the sisters well-being. As the saying goes, a fathers love is like a mountain. Geralt, destined to be childless, had treated the girls as his own daughters. Perhaps many years later, he would dream of how he got along with the girls when they were young. That might be the content of the games tutorial for new players. Olivia had a knack of pressing the right buttons on different people. As Cirilla remained cold and put-off, Olivia had already changed Geralts title from White Wolf Old Man to White Wolf Daddy. Still, he was actually old enough to be their great-grandaddy Translation note: [1] Kaer Morhen (Ī) is an old keep where witchers used to be trained. The name is a corruption of the Elder Speech name of Caer aMuirehen, which means Old Sea Keep, so named for the presence of fossilized sea creatures embedded in the stones on which it was built. Chapter 650 - My Teacher Is My Friend Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation With his two new adoptive daughters, Geralt finally arrived at their destination C Kaer Morhen. Dandelion did not follow them to Kaer Morhen. He had become good friends with the Pearl of the Northern Kingdoms, Her Royal Highness Princess Olivia. His relationship with her went along the lines of, my teacher is my friend. Perhaps from the very beginning, this talented womanizer was going for Princess Olivia for her beautiful looks. He felt that Olivia was meant for him. Her charisma was like a lover that he could not think of. It was his fault that he had too many lovers However, somehow he seemed to have discovered Princess Olivias talent in literature (Wen Qingyu). Therefore, along the way, he started to teach her more about literature. As for music (Chu Luoxun), there was nothing for him to teach. Her musical talent was so impressive that Dandelion deeply admired her. Since Olivia was Geralts daughter, he considered Olivia as a close junior. He hoped that Olivia would become more outstanding and charming in the future. As for the elder Princess Cirilla she would probably cut him up if he attempted to probe. Clearly, she preferred speaking with steel. It could be said that her personality was similar to that of Geralts. The small little Princess Olivia, however, had more potential. Do not assume that Dandelion was your run-of-the-mill flowerboy. He was rather capable in his own right. Some of his exploits could even be made into the stuff of legends. Dandelions was very good looking. He was often mistaken as an elf or a half-elf. If you put such a handsome but effeminate man in the modern world, then he would definitely be fresh-meat and idol material. He studied at the Oxenfurt Academy, which was the most famous academy in the Northern Kingdoms. Its main academic rival is the Imperial Academy in Nilfgaard, which was comparable to it. He was famous for his lazy, drunkard, and idiotic behavior when he was a student. His genius revealed itself when he passed the exams of seven liberal arts subjects with outstanding results. He was later hired by the academy to be a professor. However, he left the academy after one year of teaching to travel the world. He would later visit Oxenfurt Academy to be a guest lecturer from time to time. He even became schoolmates with Shani [1]. He was the one who introduced this cute and short-haired beauty medic to Geralt. However, this womanizer was not welcomed by some in the academy. For example, he was forbidden from entering within 100 feet of the vicinity of the Alchemy Institute and within 300 feet of the female dormitory. Within a few years of becoming a bard, he gained worldwide fame because of his talents and brilliance. He became known as the most famous poet in the Northern Kingdoms, where even royalty respected him. Dandelion even held the title of Viscount. This was an actual superstar of his time. The popularity of Geralt, the White Wolf all came about, only because of Dandelions bragging and publicity. However, Geralt always had to pull Dandelion out of trouble. This was because he had no control of his lower half body. The most recent affair about Dandelion that spread across the region was between him and the Duchess of Toussaint, Anna Henrietta [2]. A few years ago, Dandelion had been invited to perform in the Palace of Toussaint. As they got along during the entire winter and summer, he became romantically involved with Duchess Anna. The duchess husband, Duke Raymund [3] was in Cintra for a meeting. He was not alone there, however, as he found a few lovers there. Olivia knew a little about this Duke Raymund. He was the husband to the Duchess of Toussaint. Furthermore, the Duchess was the cousin of King Emhyr. Thus, Olivia had to call Duchess Anna aunt. From this, Dandelions intuition that Olivia had the charm of one of his lovers was not entirely wrong. Olivia and Duchess Anna were actually related by blood. When the duke who was cheated on got back, Dandelion had already left Toussaint. However, the affair between the poet and Duchess Anna had already spread across the region. When one of his servants informed him about everything, the incensed duke had slit the servants throat. He then imprisoned Duchess Anna in her chambers to interrogate her about this affair that had caused him much disgrace. After torturing her, Duchess Anna finally revealed the truth. He then ordered the soldiers of Toussaint to apprehend Dandelion. He wanted to tear Dandelions heart out, deepfry it in oil, and force Duchess Anna to eat it in front of the entire court. It did not go as he thought, as Dandelion had already escaped the dangerous situation with the help of White Wolf. Recently, there was news that the perverted Duke Raymond had died from a stroke while having sex with one of his lovers. Therefore, the power to rule the Duchy of Toussaint now belonged to Duchess Anna Henrietta. She did not know if the people would actually love her for her past. Duchess Anna Henrietta was extremely beautiful and elegant. It should be said that it was not surprising that she was the aunt of the Pearl of the Northern Kingdoms, Princess Olivia. In reality, the Duchy of Toussaint was actually just a vassal state of the Nilfgaardian Empire. However, King Emhyr would spare his cousin sister some face. In other words, the Duchy of Toussaint only retained its independent status because of her close relationship with the King. When the identity of Olivia got revealed, and she became the Royal Princes and second heir of the vast Nilfgaardian Empire, she could then take the Duchy of Toussaint out of Annas hands. This was actually a time where one would need to rely on their fathers wealth or prestige to get ahead. Therefore, Princess Olivia going everywhere to find a new adoptive father seemed justified. She probably would not be criticised as the girl with three different surnames?''[4] Fortunately, Dandelion no longer gazed at Princess Olivia lustfully. If not, then was this guy who had already lain with the aunt now going after the niece? He would really be a lunatic if that happened. Was he the main character in a pornographic novel? Of course, it would not be that easy going after Princess Olivia. Cirilla was around her, so no one could even bully Olivia. Dandelion became Olivias teacher. He taught everything that he knew to her. He hoped that this little princess could be like him: the most famous poet in the entire continent. Olivia had the games system with her. Everything Dandelion taught was transformed into skills, that updated themselves in the skill bar. She could then distribute her skill points among them To satisfy her teacher, Dandelion, Olivia had to take out some goods. She used the poet When We Two Parted by Lord Byron [5]. This made him feel as if he received a treasure. She even expressed that she could become famous in the entire continent just by using this poem. In When We Two Parted, there was a particularly touching stanza C If I should meet thee After long years, How should I greet thee?C With silence and tears. Since there was Dandelion, the huge braggart, it would be not surprising to see his student Princess Olivia gaining fame for her poetry Translation note: [1] Shani () was a medic, having studied at Oxenfurt Academy. [2] Anna Henrietta (ȡҶ) was the ruling Duchess of Toussaint, and beloved by all her people. [3] Duke Raymund (ɵ) was the husband of Duchess Anna Henrietta, making him Duke of Toussaint, and ruled from 1258 until his death 7 years later. [4] Zhang Fei once called L Bu a slave with three surnames (ռū; the three surnames refer to L Bus original surname and those of his two foster fathers. [5] Lord Byron () was a British nobleman, poet, peer, politician, and leading figure in the Romantic movement. He is regarded as one of the greatest British poets and remains widely read and influential. Chapter 651 - Old Hunter Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation Geralt always rode on a horse called Radish. This was the most loyal horse a man could possibly ask for. No matter where Radish was, it would trot up to Geralt at a single whistle. Cirilla and Olivia rode on another horse. Geralt was highly protective of his daughters. He would use the Axii Sign [1] to keep the wild horse under control whenever they were on one. That way, the horse would not be liable to buck his daughters off suddenly. Thats right. Geralt was rather poor. He could not buy them a horse. The most he could do was capture some wild horse at random and have his daughters ride it. Geralt was exasperated. His adventures paid a fair bit of coin, so where did all the money go? Was he too addicted to the Gwent playing cards? But he wasnt he a master of that game?! He no longer traveled solo. He had two adoptive daughters now, so money was sneaking away faster than he could tell. He would have to plan in detail when it came to the expenditure for milk No, thats not right. They did not drink milk anymore. Anyways, even if he had to suffer, he would never allow his daughters to suffer! Especially Olivia. Geralt hoped that he could see the arrogant princess, one who was so full of energy. However, after going through the Massacre of Cintria, Olivia was never the same as before. Well, that would be how a normal person would react, after going through such hardship. Once again, Olivia made use of her acting skills. She acted as if she was as cheerful as before, but made it forced enough that anyone would think that she was faking a smile. As planned, Geralt saw through the first layer of deceit, but not her acting. As her adopted father, his heart bled for her. It could have turned out better if he took them away using the Law of Surprise, back when he could use it. Who could have thought that the war would turn out so horribly? Therefore, Geralt wanted to be a good father, no matter how difficult it was. He wanted to become the father that the girls never had since they were young. At that moment, Cirilla hugged her sister from behind. The only thing she could smell was her sisters scent. It seemed so sisterly, so ordinary, that Geralt did not think much of it. Geralt had heard their story. Olivia had described in detail on how Cirilla and her got through horrible ordeals to live through the war, and how Cirilla had saved her from death. Such bonds would be unbreakable C they would never leave each others sides. If not, one of them would have no problems following Geralt, while the other would have peacefully remained with the merchants family. She might not have lived luxuriously, but at least she could live a happy life without any problems. Cirilla spurred the horse with her heels, moving along the river. They passed by a gully and set foot on a mountainous road. From there, they could see Kaer Morhen, standing among a pile of stone walls. Some walls had crumbled down, the only indicator of them once being there being their foundations, a few towers and gates, and a thick, heavy, cylindrically shaped main tower. Kaer Morhen in Elder Speech meant Old Sea Fortress. It had been named like so because the fortress was built on land that used to be submerged in water. There was the presence of fossilized sea creatures in the stones. This fortress stood at the edge of the civilized world. It was located in the mountains of the northern kingdom of Kaedwen [2]. The world had long forgotten it, and few knew the way to the fortress. This was where the witchers trained, and it was also their home. The fortress had seen better days. The main body and the moat of the fortress have wasted away, and a cold wind blew through the wide spacious halls. Only a few witchers were living there. However, many young boys had once received ghastly training along the infamous Gauntlet near Kaer Morhen. Kaer Morhen had initially been home to 23 witchers and 40 students. However, a bunch of fanatics, their hatred incited by slanderous publications of the witchers had attacked the fortress. With the help of mages, they had managed to capture the fortress and turn it into ruins. Most of the witchers were slain. Vesemir [3] (Geralts teacher) survived, only because he had hid among the corpses. The skeletons that remained in the fortress surroundings were left behind as a reminder of a massacre that occurred as a result of hatred. The fortress was never repaired. It became another forgotten piece of the world. The last few witchers who lived inside the fortress would usually return to Kaer Morhen during winter. However, they would venture out across the globe during spring. This was the base camp of the witchers from the School of the Wolf. Geralt was considered to be the central figure of the school. His charming personality enabled even the gruffest of witchers to warm up to him. Many viewed him as a good friend. Geralt was someone who was willing to go to great lengths to help people, and that sincerity won people over. At that moment, only Vesemir was present at the dilapidated fortress. The other witchers have not yet returned. Even Geralt had returned earlier than usual because he decided to adopt these two girls. Vesemir was the oldest and most experienced witcher across the continent. He was the last master from the School of the Wolf who possessed the secret to the Trial of the Grasses [4]. Swordsmanship, sword-making, he was a master of it all. Almost all the current witchers had started off as his disciples. They were sons to him, and they revered him as their father. As Vesemir was so legendary, that he was even on the Gwent playing cards. He belonged to a neutral card, but he only had 6 attack points. They had probably taken his age into consideration Although Vesemir looked like an old man on the surface, his highly honed combat sense and years of fighting experience made him no less deadlier. His words on the Gwent playing cards were, If youre to be hanged, ask for water. Anything can happen before they fetch it. When Geralt saw Vesemir stepping out to welcome him, they embraced each other warmly. The two teenaged girls, Cirilla and Olivia were shy around strangers. Furthermore, Kaer Morhen looked like it would fall apart at any moment. It did not seem very safe to live in Olivia was not too worried. She treated it as another map to explore. Thats right. Its time to get rid of the fog of war. Also, exploring the map would reward her with skill rewards. She could take advantage of her youth and travel with her old dad, Geralt. She could hunt monsters while exploring the map, wasnt that wonderful? In the future when she controls a country and raises an army, she would have a satellite radar in her vision. Nothing would escape her sight. Who could stop her army? On the other hand, Cirilla had her guard raised up. She was still expending a great deal of energy, vigilantly studying her surroundings. She had not yet opened up her heart to Geralt who had exhibited so much care towards her sister during their journey. Now, the witcher who faced them looked gnarly and mean. Over his shoulder stood the dark shape of a ruined fortress. She could not help feeling that she had been brought to a monsters den with her sister Perhaps with time, the wound in Cirillas heart would slowly heal. It was fortunate that her dear sister was still alive and beside her. If not, she might not have had the strength to carry on by herself. Translation note: [1] Axii Sign (ǿϯӡ) is a simple magical sign comprised of a hypnotic effect and is used by witchers. It can calm down people and creatures or be used to hex enemies, causing them to fight alongside the caster. [2] Kingdom of Kaedwen (Ƶ) is the largest of the Northern Kingdoms (and the second largest country in the Continent, next to Nilfgaard). [3] Vesemir (άɪ׶) was the oldest and most experienced witcher at Kaer Morhen in the 13th century and acted as a father figure to Geralt and the other witchers. Like many of the other witchers, he spent each winter in the fortress and set out on the path when spring arrived. [4] Trial of the Grasses () was an incredibly painful trial to which young witcher apprentices were subjected. It required the consumption of special alchemical ingredients known as the grasses and affected the physiology of the subject. Chapter 652 - Setting A Small Goal Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation Vesemir soon learned of their identities. He could not help but tease his disciple about how he truly had a way with women. The children that other witchers brought back using the Law of Surprise were usually boys. The Trial of the Grasses would not be that much of a problem to them. Females may have a harder time surviving the trial. Furthermore, Cirilla and Olivia were nobility. They were not nameless, faceless orphans. The term Trial of the Grasses sounded relatively harmless. In reality, it was an extremely painful process. Apprentices who were unprepared could only die in pain. However, those who could survive it would obtain abnormal strength and agility. There was a survival rate of 3 out of 10. Those who knew of the Trial of the Grasses would know how close to torture it was C On the third day all the children died save one, a male barely ten. Hitherto agitated by a sudden madness, he fell at once into deep stupor. His eyes took on a glassy gaze, incessantly with his hands did he clutch at clothing, or brandish them in the air as if desirous of catching a quill. His breathing grew loud and hoarse; sweat cold, clammy and malodorous appeared on his skin. Then he was once more given elixir through the vein and the seizure it did return. This time a nose-bleed did ensue, coughing turned to vomiting, after which the male weakened entirely and became inert. For two days more did symptoms not subside. The childs skin, hitherto drenched in sweat, grew dry and hot, the pulse ceased to be full and firm albeit remaining of average strength, slow rather than fast. No more did he wake, nor did he scream. Finally, came the seventh day. The male awoke and opened his eyes, and his eyes were those of a viper As the Trial of the Grasses was so cruel, witchers from the School of the Wolf at Kaer Morhen were morally inhibited from carrying out such a process if they could help it. Under special circumstances, it may also not be used to create new witchers, but to remove certain curses. After all, the Decoctions of the Grasses [1] was a kind of alchemical potion with special effects. Vesemir had lots of experience of living with children. He could be said to be the most experienced nanny on the continent. Thus, despite the scary scar on his face, his kind personality put the girls at ease. To be honest, Olivia had used the game systems character information bar to read up Vesemirs past. She knew that he was indeed a good person, all the way down to the soul. This was why he was deeply loved by other School of the Wolf witchers. It took her no time to call him grandpa. On the other hand, the manipulative sweetheart, Pearl of the Northern Kingdoms, Princess Olivia, was unparalleled in getting someone to like her. Vesemir had most certainly heard of the Pearl of the Northern Kingdoms. However, he had never seen her before. Now that he stood before her, he could see that the title had been well-deserved. Her beauty was undeniable. Her charming personality and talents were probably the other reasons. After all, beauty gave many a great headstart in earning favorabilities. You would only have to complete it with some inner beauty After Kaer Morhen received the two princesses as refugees, Olivias game system notified her, saying that she had successfully joined the neutral camp of the witchers. Thus, as long as she could expand the influence of the camp and complete all sorts of quests in the camp, she could obtain more skill points rewards. This was no longer some side quest. It became one of the main quests. In this era, the group of witchers were a relic of the past. Wherever they went, they would be ostracized and discriminated. Ordinary people thought that they were mutated monstrosities and feared them. However, they had to rely on the witchers to solve the problems of real monsters. The witchers from the School of the Wolf held their own well enough. They did not participate in politics and strictly abided by their neutrality. However, the witchers from the School of the Cat [2] had evolved into hired hands. They took part in assassinations. Some of them had been forced to do it for a living, while others had already thrown away their dignity as witchers As a result of the negative perception created by the witchers from the School of the Cat, the witchers from the School of the Wolf bore some weight to the accusations. Therefore, to Olivia, this main quest that required her to help expand the influence of witchers from the School of the Wolf in Kaer Morhen would be rather difficult. Much had to be undone, before they could start anew. However, the Trial of the Grasses was no longer in practice. This meant that, whenever a witcher from the School of the Wolf dies, no one would replace him. They were an even more endangered species, compared to the pandas Just look at Geralts scarred face. Anyone would know that hunting monsters was extremely dangerous. How could they kill the monsters unarmed? Olivia felt that she had a long way to go. She had to take this, one small step at a time. First, she would have to earn some capital, and then buy some new equipment for her White Wolf dad. He should at least wear armor with engravings. One embedded with various runestones C the workings of a master craftsman. The Kingcraft! His longsword and silver sword seemed adequate, but they paled in comparison to the arms of the wealthy! Other than the game system, Olivias biggest backing force was her knowledge of technology from the modern world. She had seen various isekai novels of heroes using modern technology to rule the world. Who knows, she could even give Geralt a shotgun with silver bullets. He could tear monsters apart at point blank range. A hunter should walk around with a firearm, afterall Olivia was determined to revolutionize to this medieval world of swords and magic! However, having just experienced a long journey, she was currently exhausted. Today, she could finally rest peacefully with Cirilla. The fortress in Kaer Morhen was rather dilapidated, but she need not worry for her safety. Humans may not want to live here, but Geralt and Vesemir made her feel at home. Because of its low population and infertile lands, Kaer Morhen was not suitable for farming. However, it could serve as a secret base for the research of black technology. Its old walls held strong, its occupants powerful. Rumors had it that White Wolf dad was dating several sorceresses at once? If she got all the sorceresses to gather in the fortress, she could really get something started. They were most certainly the scientists of this era Unfortunately, it would take more than Geralts charm to get them to stay in Kaer Morhen. After all, sorceresses mostly lived a life of luxury, comfort, and elegance. They were more than happy to shag Geralt, but to live in the shabby and worn Kaer Morhen? What a joke! They were just like modern women who spat on your shabby, self-built house, unless you could actually build a luxurious villa by hand! Well, even when it came to luxurious, countryside villas, they would not spare it a second glance if it did not have the various conveniences of entertainment and services that existed in cities. Such was precisely how Kaer Morhen was. It was not a luxury villa, it was a fortress that looked like a ruin. Therefore, Lady Olivia Zhao was right to aim for the small steps. She must first earn 1 billion and renovate Kaer Morhen, turning it into one of the most comfortable places to live in on the entire continent! Admittedly, she could not bring herself to like this shabby place. However, she was willing to work hard and transform this fortress for the sake of her sister, dad, and grandpa. She even wanted Geralts sorceress friends (sex friends) to stay there and work together, creating new advancements Translation note: [1] Decoctions of the Grasses (ݼҩ) is a quest item in The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt and is used on Uma to break the curse that binds him. [2] School of the Cat (èѧ) is one of the witcher schools. They were witchers who developed fighting styles focusing on speed, precision, and agility. Chapter 653 - Awkward Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation Rebuilding Kaer Morhen, expanding the witchers influence, unifying the land, becoming an empress. None of these main quests coincide with each other. Still, one would surely need their base, and that base had to be firm and unbreachable. For Olivia, that base would be the Kaer Morhen. Olivias goals involved global domination. Cirillas was much simpler C be a mighty witcher, protect her sister. Geralt and Vesemir highly admired Cirillas thirst for power. They may not allow Cirilla to go through the Trials of Grass, not just yet. They compromised by putting her through the sort of training Witchers underwent. They were shocked to see her completing whatever form of training they could throw at her without a hitch. Her talent for the sword was admirable. At the same time, the Elder Blood in her veins made it so that she did not require the Trials of Grass, but still have access to supernatural strength, agility, and honed senses that others her age would never achieve. Only the Elder Blood was capable of this. The Trial of Grasses was plainly something meant only for those who did not have the blood to achieve such mutation, adding to the fact that the mortality rate was ridiculously high. Olivia did not waste her time with the sword or her tumbling parkour abilities. Speaking of which, Geralt and Cirilla even challenged each other in a parkour competition. That was how Cirilla got to see Geralt as her father. During her time at Kaer Morhen, Cirillas heart started mending itself. Not only was her sister there with her, she even got to feel the love of a true father from Geralt and Vesemir. And thus, Cirilla had started to treat the place as her home. Olivia already had the nameless maiden Su Shis sword skills and parkour ability. There was no need to waste her time to join them in training. She would rather learn magic if she could. Thats right, at Kaer Morhen, there were quite a few books regarding magic. Who had asked their father to be such a witch-slayer? Some of them had such special treatment from him that Kaer Morhen had reserved some rooms specifically for them. Although they used the words true love, there was no way they could withstand the cold and broken down Kaer Morhen. These two witches were Yenefer and Triss. The two of them were close friends, but by pure chance, they both had fallen for Geralt, creating a love triangle. Geralt had already seen a fair bit of Olivias magic, and could tell that she really liked magic. And so, Geralt got Triss to teach the little princess some magic. Cirilla had also revealed her magic capabilities during her sword training, but she had been unable to control it unlike her sister Olivia. Such bursts of uncontrolled magic worried Geralt and Vesemir, who were both unfamiliar with magic. Vesemir had even suggested letting Cirilla take the Trial of Grasses. It was very risky, but if successful, she would become a full-fledged witcher, allowing them to assign her to actual training. They were witchers, not witches. Olivia had blatantly refused. She said that her sister was born a Source, whose talent was acknowledged, even by Vilgefortz. Accepting the Trial of Grasses would be a waste of her talents. Wait Did you just say that your teacher was Vilgefortz? Geralt had spluttered. Geralt recalled of one of his earliest encounters with Olivia. She had slain Foglets like a seasoned veteran. Her skill and magic had been something to behold. Now that Olivia had gained her freedom at Kaer Morhen, she may have finally be able to learn for herself, with no need for someone to tutor her. Now knowing who her teacher is, Geralt could finally put two and two together. Vilgefortz had caused a fuss in the north C even earning him worldwide renown. In the blink of an eye, he had become Nilfgaards official counselor. Back during the Battle of Sodden Hill, with his power alone, Vilgefortz had faced 22 fellow sorcerers, walking away as the victor, sending shock across the land. A total of 100,000 had joined the battle, and at least 30,000 were killed or severely wounded during the battle. The 22 sorcerers had worked with the Northern Continents army to attack Nilfgaard. Vilgefortz of the Roggeveen had met the sorcerors, introducing them to their demise. Victory was claimed, Cintra fell, and Nilfgaard grew. Among the 22 sorcerers, had 14 fallen in the battle. Triss Merigold was mistakenly included among them, and her name was carved on the memorial as the 14th martyr. In reality, she was just badly burnt during the battle, but she did not die. With the help of magic, she hid the burns from most with illusory magic. She had even restored her sight that was lost during the battle. However, mental traumas could never be healed with magic. Both sides lost many, which led to a peace treaty. Thus ended the 1st Nilfgaard-Nordling War. Due to that, Sodden Hill was known as the Hill of Sorcerers or the Hill of the 14 Martyrs. An obelisk was erected on the peak of the hill, with the names of the 14 fallen sorcerers. During the 30th of April, which was May Day, the nearby villagers would light up the torches in memory of the 14 heroes. That was why be it Yennefer, Triss or Vilgefortz, he may treat them as equal, but deep inside, he had always respected them. He had gotten Triss to teach Olivia, who was Vilgefortzs disciple. Wasnt that awkward? Chapter 654 - Invitation Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation Geralt was not going make a huge fuss, just because Olivia was Vilgefortzs disciple. The past would remain the past. Right now, Olivia was his daughter. Following Olivia and Cirillas settling down at Kaer Morhen, Olivia seemed to have regained her tsundere personality. Her antics even successfully drew laughter out of Geralt and Vesemir. It would not be a stretch to say that Olivias presence had filled the cold Kaer Morhen with laughter and warmth. There was a type of individual in this world. They were those with the natural talent of leadership. Without any tangible reason, people crowded around them, as if drawn by something inexplicable. Olivia was such a person. As she grew older, so did her charisma. That was why Geralt would still send an invitation to Triss, regardless of him knowing that Olivias old teacher was Vilgefortz. He hoped that Triss would come by Kaer Morhen and provide both Cirilla and Olivia her guidance. Even Yennefer was considered. However, she was far harsher and colder, so her meeting may have to wait. That being said, Geralt also thought that Triss was far more outgoing. She goofed about a little too much C leading others to forget that she was a figure of legends. This was why she could be found in Gwent decks as an indestructible hero card, with a battle power of 7. She was quoted on the card as, I can take care of myself, trust me! Many would think that she required protection, but the reality was only the opposite. Triss Merigold was a talented and beautiful sorceress from Maribor. Along with Keira Metz, she had volunteered to be a royal advisor for King Foltest of Temeria. This would make her the Northern Realms court mage. Temeria was a vast country of the Northern Realms and its king, Foltest was a talented man, believed to be the only one who can stand against His Imperial Majesty Emhyr var Emreis. By extension, this made her quite the powerful figure. In Gwent, Foltest was the leading card for the Northern Realms deck. Trisss knowledge, skills, and loyalty had brought her positive remarks. With her aqua blue eyes, a face filled with freckles and her beauty mole on the bottom corner of her mouth, along with her firey red hair, she strode over the world like it was her stage. These were now her trademark characteristics. She specialized in healing magic and alchemy, and often brought along many potions regarding magic or alchemy. Among her accessories was a silver fortune talisman with a blue gem on it. She was friends with the female sorceress Yennefer and her lover Geralt. She was also the lover of her friends lover, which made things interesting. Triss had participated in the Battle of Sodden Hill with Yennefer, rebelling against the great lord, and was even mistaken to have died in the battle, along with 13 other sorcerers who had their names carved on the obelisk. In reality, she had teleported herself to her hiding base after being badly wounded, in a tower located in Maribor, losing the hair which many identified her by. She later recovered thanks to magic and spells, regaining her original beauty. She was then given the title The 14th of the Hill, not as an obituary, but as a title to celebrate her fortune for being able to survive. She later laid the foundations of her seat on the conference table of King Foltest at Temeria. Geralt told Cirilla and Olivia that the one and only Triss Merigold would tutor them. Cirilla did not react much, as she was already content with her peaceful, blessed life. She did not need any more strangers suddenly being added to the roster. Still, Cirilla was slightly interested in having a sorceress teach her. It still led her down the path to power. On the other hand, Olivia knew that this Triss might end up as her nursing mother, since Triss has had feelings for Geralt for some time now. The quick-witted Olivia decided that she would not be as dull, like her nursing father who had not prepared anything for Triss. He actually had the audacity to ask her for a favor C free of charge. It should be noted that Triss had a stable and well-paying, respectable job at Temeria as a court mage. She had just completed a task for the nation, and Geralt wanted her to toss aside everything and travel such a distance for something as simple as tutoring? Even if true love was involved, Olivia would never let her Wolf Daddy be such a trashy person. She hoped that she could gather many talented sorceresses to her side. Sorcery was the highest grade of skillsets possible at that time being. That night, Olivia revealed that she intended to hold a welcome party for Triss Merigold, and she also hoped that Kaer Morhen would undergo a major change. Was Kaer Morhen that chilly? Well, they could easily bring in some warmth with the usage of magic, creating a geothermal system. That cant be too difficult. Olivia could always draw from her knowledge of modern technology. Adding magic to the mixture could lead to the creation of many magical tools. Sadly, these tools would never be mass-produced. Olivia would have to synthesize the tools all by her own, so in a way, they were handmade. However, this was enough for her to about change to Kaer Morhen, little by little. It wasnt as difficult as one might think. With the help of some alchemy, Olivia would be able to transform its interiors, little by little, along with the support of others. These superhuman witchers were bad with their hands. They did shoddy craftwork, and were sloppy at cleaning up. At that moment, all the way in Temeria, Triss received the invitation that Geralt had sent. Due to her feelings for the White Wolf, she accepted the invitation in the blink of an eye. Triss, are you out of your mind? Its winter. Kaer Morhen could hardly serve as a shelter for you, if the gale does not blow it down first! Are you sure you want to go there? asked Keira Metz, a fellow court mage. But Geralt is there! Triss replied with a smile. Chapter 655 - The Remaining Monster Hunters of the Wolf School Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation Keira Metz was a sorceress from Carreras. She was petite; her face was framed by golden locks that complemented her green eyes. Along with Triss Merigold, she served under Temeria and its king, Foltest. She was not afraid of anything, all except rats. A perverted woman, she was not shy with her usage of her self-concocted aphrodisiacs. Keira was extremely satisfied with her life at Temeria, as she got to enjoy the life of nobility. That was why she couldnt stop herself from commenting on Kaer Morhen. Keira thought that it was madness to travel to Kaer Morhen, especially during the winter. However, Triss determination had piqued Keiras curiosity. Who was this White Wolf, and what kind of person was he? What was it that made Triss so devoted? Perhaps she might one day find out. Keira Metz was also present in Gwent. She also represented the Northern Realms and possessed a combat power of 5. She was quoted as saying, If I were to die today, I would want it to be grand and worthwhile. From that alone, we can deduce that Keira had a flair for the dramatic and theatrical. To achieve a stable and secure life, she would use all means and methods possible. Of course, they say that those who live on the fast track would crash and burn someday. Triss ignored Keiras snide remarks and went on her journey. As she traveled to Kaer Morhen, she started to realize that her life back at the castle was far more comfortable and peaceful. Her love for Geralt was so intense that she would sacrifice everything for him. This was why many have lamented about Geralts ineptness when it came to love. Regardless of the impending discomfort, she had already decided to travel to Kaer Morhen and suffer. It was her feelings for Geralt that were to blame, not her. Little did Triss know that within Kaer Morhens walls, things had been busy all winter. This was all due to Olivias intervention. If Olivia had not been there, those ragged witchers at Kaer Morhen would only continue to further disgrace themselves and bring nothing but shame to the eyes of the sorceress. Cirilla would never waste her time on such frills as she was already used to having it hard. She had been escaping danger since her youth C she was nothing like a sheltered, pampered princess that one would expect. At Kaer Morhen, not only Geralt and Vesemir were present, three other witchers had joined them C Co?n, Eskel, and Lambert. Co?n was a witcher from Poviss. Unlike normal monster hunters, Co?n face was covered with massive scars from his youth, although he made use of his mustache to cover up some of the wounds. This may indicate that he had some kind of illness that no one knew off, or he merely started his monster hunter training much later, compared to others. Co?n noticed that Cirilla had some talent with the sword. He could not contain his excitement and ended up providing her with suggestions and pointers. He had now fallen in Olivias pocket. He would remain in Kaer Morhen for a long while now, contributing to its new lease in life. Despite his flappy tongue, he was rather good-natured. His daily routine, when given an errand, was to complain all about it while completing that said errand. Lambert was the youngest out of all the monster hunters, and most likely the last. However, he had proven his skills countless times, leaving a trail of monster corpses from Poviss to Toussaint. However, Lambert also possessed an ill temper. He barely meant what he said most of the time. He simply loved taunting others, even earning the ire of other monster hunters of the same school. Geralt always described Lambert in a single phraseLambert oh Lambert So naughty, yet so dumb. Lambert seemed like a bad person, but he was very loyal and caring towards his friends. No matter what nasty words spewed out of his mouth, he would not hesitate to toss himself into danger to save his friends. On the other hand, he did not care much about countries and politics. Lambert was in charge of teaching Cirilla on how to move on a confined space. He showed a surprising amount of patience towards Cirilla, as if he appreciated and acknowledged her hard work. There was also the possibility of how he never saw Cirilla as a female, thats why the training was going so smoothly. On the other hand, he detested the charismatic Pearl of the North Olivia, as if all sorceresses were his natural enemies. On the other hand, Olivia thought that Lambert was amusing to watch. Despite his sharp tongue, his body was honest. Olivia wished that he would be able to find himself a sorceress girlfriend in the future. Eskel was also a monster hunter of the wolf school, and was in fact Geralts friend, but unlike Geralt, he did not possess the Protagonist Aura. Due to this, he would often insult Geralt C White Wolf, Im just a plain, old witcher. I dont hunt for dragons, and I dont forge brotherly pacts with kings, and I dont get to feel the warmth of sorceresses in bed. In many ways, Eskel was like Geralts brother. They were of the same age, and had known each other since youth, as they still wielded wooden swords at Kaer Morhen. They had both been through many tests, from being selected, to undergoing the Trial of Grasses, to experiencing their body changes and even taking part in the Training Challenge that was well known among witchers. They had been rebellious since young, and were both very familiar to Vesemirs method of punishment. They went their separate ways after growing up, but they would still meet up at Kaer Morhen every winter, getting drunk as they waited for Spring and reminisced over the memories of their dead friends from the war. Eskel was not as famous as Geralt, but his experience was on par with the White Wolf. Thus, he was similarly skilled. Throughout his adventures, he had almost lost his life on more than one occasion. Surprisingly, the scar on his face was not from a monster. Instead, it was the blade-markings of Sabrina Glevissig, who was known as the Child of Misfortune. Eskel and Geralt were like brothers, but that was where their similarities ended. He was warm, calm and quiet but he was bad the girls. If it was not for the scar on his face and his monster hunter identity, he would have definitely been well liked. Olivia was also rather fond of this geezer. Eskel had probably warmed up the most to Olivias thought of transforming the old-fashioned Kaer Morhen Chapter 656 - First Step Towards Remodeling Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation Eskel had a head of black hair. A massive scar marred his face. Similar to Geralt, he liked to count on the Law of Surprise. The Law of Surprise was where he had gotten his horse, whose name was Scorpion. As for the scar on his face, there was a backstory for it. Eskel got it when he was trying to save the life of a prince, 70 years ago. He had invoked the Law of Surprise for his trouble, and at that time, the prince did not know that his wife was about to give birth to a female babyDeidre Ademeyr. Even so, Eskel had yet to bring back his promised child. As if by the hand of retribution, not doing so had brought him many troubles 20 years later, even causing him to make an enemy out of the sorceress Sabrina. This had angered Princess Deidre Ademeyr, who by logic would be his granddaughter. She had slashed him across the face, scarring him for life. In the end, Eskels Surprise Child, Princess Deidre Ademeyr was born from the shadows of fate. She had changed her own fate, thanks to the good book; she was now free of vengeance. Under the united rule of Merwin and Deidre, Caingorn lifted the flag, bringing its brightest moments in history. After a few years, a crow bringing mail from the prince of Caingorn arrived at Kaer Morhen. Without looking at the contents, Eskel had discarded it into the flames. From that moment on, witchers never brought up the name of Deidre Ademeyr once again. So much contradiction and doubt. In reality, many witchers would not want to bring their Surprise Children into the world of witchers. Like Geralt, if it wasnt for that fact that Olivia and Cirilla had nowhere to return, he might have ended up like Eskel C returning to Kael Morhen empty-handed. When Olivia first mentioned remodeling Kaer Morhen, no one thought much of it, as they had already gotten used to the life there. There was no choice. Witchers were not only poor, but they had to suffer prejudice too. However, the angel Olivia was just too cute, no one would dare let her down. Even Lambert. He may have groaned and nagged about it, but the floors new marble tiles were actually his doing. Although Kaer Morhen was old, it was also immensely huge and could easily house a few hundred people. That was why Olivia had come up with a residential area. Its design was most modern. With alchemy, anything was possible, as long as she had the resources. This was the real power of dark technology. Magic may not be as overpowered as one would think, but it had its uses. Combined with the support from the system, Olivia could enforce her will over the atoms, which was basically Alchemy on a microscopic level. As long as she applied her modern knowledge where applicable, nothing was impossible. Olivia returned to her world to read up on more modern books, returning to make use of it in this world of magic and swords. When the marble floor was complete, and the geothermal system had been set up, the interior looked profoundly different. Adding to the mix was a modern day Europe style villa, which was pleasant to the people of this world. If not for the time constraints, Olivia might have accomplished even more. Even so, this was sufficient, especially for those who were unfamiliar with the interiors of grand constructs. Olivias drawings hung off the wall. Regardless of their quality, they complemented the otherwise bare walls. The chandeliers would have worked with light bulbs, but as Thomas Edison did not live in this world, magical fire was used as a substitute. In fact, if the caster wished it, they could even change the color at will. Even the old geezer, Vesemir took kindly to the revamped residential area. He liked the pub in particular, although it lacked good alcohols. Otherwise, he could enjoy the music while chugging down alcohol, enjoying his winter to its fullest. The grape wine here was very developed, especially those of the Toussaint variety, which was well-known all around. However, liquor did not exist just yet. Distillation methods for liquor had yet to be invented. This was a major business opportunity. The guys on Skellinge were addicted to alcohol. Sadly, they were only able to drink beer. They would never accept some ladys drink like grape wine. The forever complaining Lambert liked the gigantic pool the most. Clean ponds did not come easy if you wanted a swim. Now, he could swim around the castle to his content! Olivia also made something that resembled a sofa Obviously, she sought to turn Kaer Morhen into a warm home, not an abandoned castle in the snow. As usual, Olivia shared a room with Cirilla. Nothing could separate them. In a short time, Kaer Morhens interior had changed drastically. It was far from perfect, but their dreams were starting to take form. Olivia had now earned enough trust to use the witchers treasury at her discretion. She now had a deeper understanding on their finances. First, she would create a Chamber of Commerce, and then start funding it with money from these witchers. In the blink of an eye, time passed. As a blizzard raged on, Triss had arrived at Kaer Morhen. She bitterly smiled at the weathered exterior of the castle, but the thought of being able to meet Geralt in her mind quickly brought her comfort. Chapter 657 - A Gigantic Surprise Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation Triss had already prepared herself for the hardship, but it was her fault for falling head over heels for the White Wolf Geralt. However, this kind of love had yet to progress into the state of deep love, or she would be in far more bitter pain than she was at that moment. By then, she would never want to leave Geralts side. This was fantasy. If you are the perfect woman in real life and could make anyone fall for you, live a rich and peaceful life, would you toss that all aside, just to be with the person that you love? This was all bullshit romance that creators have taken far too many liberties with. Due to love, she might be able to withstand the pain, but just how long can one hold on? As Triss returned to her senses, she saw that Geralt had stepped out to welcome her. Somehow he was clad in elegant clothing that he disliked so much? No matter how poor Geralt was, he was indeed handsome. He was scarred, but so what? If anything, those scars added on to his charm. With his looks, any outfit would fit him. Lavish sorceresses would love to see him in royal and elegant outfits. Of course, Geralt was not a fan of such clothing. But in this case, it was Olivia who had asked him to put on the clothes that she designed for him. There was no way he could say no to Olivia. This was Olivias area of expertise. She knew just how to convince just about anyone to play along with her extreme makeovers. If her magic was used on someone perfect like Geralt, it would only open the door to the divine. As mentioned earlier, Geralt may be able to decline his sorceresses friends, but there was no way he could say no to his daughters. Whenever it came to Olivia or Cirilla, he would pamper them. So much for the White Wolf. He instead became a loyal puppy. Nasty Olivia. One might say that she welcomed herself to the happy corner of everyones heart, but her own heart was dark. She manipulated everyone into obeying her will. It was like taming a pack of blood-thirsty wolves and turning them into lap pillows. The fact that Geralt had actually dressed up to welcome Triss drove all her fatigue away. All she wanted now was to reunite with Geralt and embrace him tightly. It was all worth it, even if she had to suffer the harsh environment of Kaer Morhen. She did not seem to mind the broken down castle at first glance, but a keener eye could easily tell that the living conditions here was getting to her. Theres the saying Dont judge a girl by her looks. She may look like she was deeply in love with Geralt, but in reality As Triss was about to break down, what she saw next wholly shocked her senseless. The inside of the old castle was nothing like how she remembered. The first thing she noticed was the temperature. The original Kaer Morhen was like a sauna during summer and a freezer during winter, but most witchers did not return during the summer, so it did not matter. When the witchers returned during winter, Kaer Morhen would become cluttered up and messy, although most witchers could live with it. At most, they would sweep a random corner clean before continuing on with their lives. To the witchers, low temperature was nothing to them, so they would not freeze to death, although it spelled death for regular people. Even so, it brought them discomfort. If witchers were already uncomfortable with the temperature, then how would the delicate sorceresses feel? On the other hand, Yennefer was born poor, so did that explain why she fared better than most? Triss also noticed the huge marble tiles that paved the floor. What happened here? During her last visit, the place had been a mess, it was filled with dirt.. She also noticed the changes made to the rooms. They were on par with her room in Temeria, if only smaller. Of course, it was not as luxurious, but it was not lacking in aesthetics. This pleased the bourgeoisie tastes of Triss. Sometimes, women may say that they hate money, but what they were really saying was that they hated things that are bought with money. They preferred handmade art that required effort. Style is an example of such. Style may not always require money C one can always make do. The 14th heroine of the legendary hill, Triss Merigold from Maribor, I welcome you! Before her light and sweet voice even faded, Co?n and Lambert threw flowers at Triss and Geralt. Co?n did so with a gentle smile, whereas the latter did so unwillingly as he disliked sorceresses, and his view towards the little Olivia was the same, especially since she ordered him around all day. Triss was already stunned. She recognized everyone around, except for Cirilla and Olivia. They were all still Geralts family, and with Triss warm personality, she naturally tried to get closer to Geralts friends. Unfortunately for her, the youngest of them, Lambert still remained the same. Triss then turned her attention to the living room. In the middle of it was a long table filled with food and a whole roasted turkey. Over the table was a stunning magic fire chandelier, which was what that lit the living room with warmth. Triss gently patted the petals off her head, and then courteously greet all the witchers in the room. At last, she set her eyes upon the pearl of the north, Olivia, who seemed like she had become the head of Kaer Morhen. Triss had known many beauties, and she could confidently say that both her and Yennefer were somewhere at the peak, but now that she met Olivia who was just 13 to 14 years old, she feared that the world would soon be robbed of color. Chapter 658 - The Source Worlds Temporary Closure Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation Olivias silver long hair that covered her entire back stood out like the sun. Along with her perfect face, she was simply like a real Barbie doll. Her clothing was exquisite and unique, which one at a glance could tell C had been custom tailored C probably self-designed. It was a relatively compact mini dress. She was like the most qualified heroine there At this rate, the witchers were basically acting as her servants. Most oddly, they seemed very willing to become servants. After all, Olivia had revealed some of her grand plan to them, convincing them that even witchers could live more comfortable lives, and they now had a chance for a better future. Thanks to Olivias careful planning, Triss had experienced a most satisfyingly warm welcome. Her first impression towards this very famous Northland Pearl Princess Olivia was good, to say the least. The only awkward matter was Olivias identity as Geralts daughter. Was she to treat Olivia as her own daughter as well? Triss was not yet interested in becoming a parent. Therefore, she considered herself as an elder sister. Olivia and Cirilla would be her younger sisters. Triss had no interest in giving the White Wolf a child. She even believed that having a child would disrupt the world of two lovers. But when she saw that Geralt valued his two adopted daughters so dearly, she also started treating them nicely. Her love for Geralt had extended to his daughters. That night, Triss spent a good night with Geralt. This was the happiest day she had spent with him, throughout all these years. The renovations definitely played a part in that! Per Olivias arrangement, the room where Geralt and Triss spent a good night together, had been decorated to such a romantic, intoxicating extent. Even the bed was extremely comfortable Setting the mood for a sensual girl was extremely effective. Lets not even talk about Triss, who was highly particular about emotional appeal. Of course, she was not yet as picky as Keira. But she had her standards. After all, they were both court mages within the Kingdom of Temeria. Originally, Triss had not been overly fond of Kaer Morhen. She would never come to the place, if not for Geralt. Now, it was far more welcoming. She could even consider settling down here with Geralt. Of course, it was only but a fleeting thought. After all, Kaer Morhen transformation could be easily undone. It was also way too far from Temeria, where she could accomplish so much more Unless the Kingdom of Temeria fell, Triss would always be a court mage of one the strongest kingdom in the north first. Sometimes, kingdoms may seem indomitable, but the God of destiny always made fools of the people. No one could truly tell the future. Perhaps one day, Vizima, the capital city of Temeria might even serve as a vacation home for the Nilfgaardian Empire When that time comes, even the sorceress of the Northern realm would have no place to live. After all, the other great kingdom Redania of the Northern realm was never interested in creatures like sorceresses or witchers. In contrast to that, the great Emperor Emhyr of the Nilfgaardian Empire treated all races the same. However, this also meant that they were his subjects, and had to obey him. If those sorceresses who stood against the Nilfgaardian Empire one day chose to serve Emperor Emhyr, he would gladly accept, as long as he was willing to provide them a roof over their heads. Obviously, be it the Nilfgaardian Empire or the Northern kingdoms, they did not value the sorceresses power nearly enough. To be more precise they only valued power that could be instantly seen, not their long-term capabilities in improving the production line. As incredible as sorceresses were, they were unable to hold back an army. But if they took a more backline role, they might be able to produce an army with modern weapons! After all, magic represented dark technology. Sometimes, technology would stagnate. Sometimes, breakthroughs changed the entire world Therefore, only Olivia could see such a use for them, and thus was the only person who truly valued them. The early stages would be slow and difficult. But as she advances, the snowball that rolled down the hill would gain more mass. Until that time, be it the Northern kingdoms, or the Nilfgaardian Empire, Olivias advanced army would steamroll over it all! With Geralt the White Wolfs skills, Triss enjoyed a pleasant stay in a very different Kaer Morhen. She could not help but write a letter to show off to Keira Metz who was also a palace mage, saying that Kaer Morhen was not as bad as what Keira thought. Of course, Triss also took the opportunity to show off her man Geralt. She wrote about him like how Dandelion would. Even if he started off as not romantic enough, never understanding of her feelings, he was definitely upright and honest. Of course, Geralt was nothing like that. His nickname as the Sorceress Pile Driver was not entirely baseless. In this world, some names may not be entirely accurate, but they were never falsely given. After reading the letter from Triss, she believed that Triss had lost her mind. It was alright for Triss to overstate things, all lovers did so. Anyway, if she had the opportunity, she, Keira Metz wanted a taste of the White Wolf as well. What she could not accept was Triss actually saying that Kaer Morhen was perfectly comfortable during the winter? That was simply out of the question! That bunch of poor and pedantic witchers who had long passed their glory days. What place could they offer? Keira did not buy it for one moment. Still, she had been stirred into traveling to this homely castle to see it herself. Soon afterwards, Triss discovered Cirillas identity as a Source. It was a most pleasing discovery. She vehemently stood against Vesemir who had intended to let Cirilla try the Trial of the Grasses to control her wild magic. Instead, she started studying together with Olivia, researching on methods that allowed Cirilla to unleash her innate power Thats right. When Triss learned that Olivia had accomplished so much on her own, even establishing her own form of magic, she had been amazed beyond words. At the same time, she taught Olivia more traditional form of magic, while learning more about Olivias new magic herself. This was science, taking the form of the arcane. Triss became obsessed with this new stream of magic A few years passed in a blink of an eye. As everything was now progressing steadily, Zhao Youyue flipped a switch. It was Olivias auto-pilot mode. This was considered as a built-in assist AFK system. The source world temporarily came to an end. There were some matters in the real world which called for Zhao Youyues attention. The screening of the movie C Beautiful April. Starring: Zhao Youyue, Nie Zisu, Liu Xingxing. Chapter 659 - Propaganda routine Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation Beautiful April was a film adaptation of a modern classic. Just before production was announced, book fans had craned their necks, expecting much from this. The aestheticians were troubled, caught up between the anticipation of seeing their favorite characters come to life on the big screen and the idea of leaving the sacred untouched, untainted After all, live-action movie adaptations rarely ever lived up to the expectations of the fans of the source material. Novel readers always watched these adaptations with apprehension, ready to nitpick at the slightest offense. As they did so from their elevated perches as long-time fans, their hearts would be filled with ego. Those iconic characters better be given justice. The more iconic a character, the more was to be expected from their actors and actresses! Contrary to what was expected, the investors of this year favored young, handsome boys and beautiful girls who already had fan followings of their own. While these people looked good, their actings skills were typically abysmal. It would be alright if you had them stand as glass vases. But as actual characters with depth, emotion, and complexities? That was asking for too much. It was torture for the actors, it was torture for the crew, and it would be torture for the audience The actor for the male protagonist of Beautiful April, Liu Xingxing was still within acceptable margins. After all, he was one of the few young, accomplished actors. He was versatile, and had already proven himself within many drama series, webseries that were all successful in their own right. He rarely ever let his audience down. Even fans of the novel agreed that he was a suitable choice. He looked like him, and he would definitely be able to act like him. Of course, some of Han Lengs carefree fans thought that Lu Xingxings appearance could not hold a candle to Han Lengs beauty. How could he act as the male protagonist, Gu Yuan? Some readers could never tell the difference between the author and the protagonist. They had always considered the protagonist to be like the avatar of the author, when in fact, talented writers never reused the same personalities on their protagonists when writing a new book Protagonists rarely took after their creators. Writers came in all shapes and sizes, all forms of life. Some enjoyed abusing their protagonists, others treated the protagonist like their own children. Even more would turn the protagonist into an alternate version of themselves. Of course, his fans only worshipped his beauty, thanks to Lady Zhao. After all, Lady Zhao was a master of makeup. She had great taste in fashion and trends. With some makeup, Han Leng had turned from a slightly handsome student into a Clueless Chick Magnet. In addition to that, he had a reputation as aLady boss. With makeup, Photoshop, some social media uploads, and magazines, anyone could be turned into a god. Naturally, this also netted in great sales of his book. Some female fans had admitted to buying Han Lengs book, only because of his good looks. In addition to that, he had enrolled in Jiangnan University. That was a massive bonus! Just like those silly men who allowed ladies to deceive them over the internet, Han Lengs readers had been equally deceived. He was decent-looking, but he was not that handsome. He was nothing like a real-life celebrity like Liu Xingxing. Without the aura that Lady Zhao had fabricated for him, he might have never been able to experience such sudden, great success. It was like taking one step and flying to the sky. Behind every successful man was a great woman. Han Leng was a successful writer, and he had a great Goddess within his book On the other hand, many others were far more dissatisfied with the two key actresses of Beautiful April, Nie Zisu and Zhao Youyue. Nie Zisu was not that bad an actress. It was her poor reputation and knack for stirring up controversy that bugged them. At one point, the internet had even pressured her to leave the entertainment circle. Her agency was equally useless. They actually sensationalized such negative headlines, adding on to her notorierity! Thus, another wave of headlines rose up in protest of her role. No matter how she was criticised, she persisted, like a stubborn stain in fabric Perhaps as time went by, this idol cum actress would one day mature and blossom. She was with flaws, but she truly enjoyed acting. She had been honing her acting with passion and effort, especially after witnessing what Zhao Youyue was truly capable of. Rather, it was Zhang Guorong who she had witnessed The audience could only begrudgingly accept her. Her bad reputation was one thing, but she could act within acceptable margins. Still, wasnt it a little too reckless to let an outsider step into the shoes of the most iconic character, Chu Luoxun the one who brought the entire book to life? Almost no one believed that Lady Zhao would be able to act well as Chu Luoxun. After all, she had only demonstrated some musical abilities. Asking an actress to sing was comparably easier than asking a singer to act! Actors often showed off some of their other talents whenever given the opportunity. They would always sing the same, Darude Sandstorm, that soon became a running gag. Whenever someone asked for a title to the song, others would instantly reply bgm Darude Sandstorm. If you still insist on asking, go hang yourself. How many people were truly multi-talented, I wonder? The promotional department was of no use either. They tried to capitalize on the controversy, if not quench the flames. At least they still had a sense of damage control by trying to avoid topics pertaining to Zhao Youyue. They had focused on the other two, spinning up some spicy tales like Liu Xingxing and Nie Zisu falling in love with each other as they worked together closely. Typical. Everyone knew that it was all baseless and false, but they could not help but pay attention to the matter. They would enter the cinema to look out for any sign of actual love, behind the on-screen chemistry. Finally, they deliberately leaked some false information about Zhao Youyue. They had asserted that Zhao Youyues acting skill was not up to par. She was an embarrassment. They even said stuff like how even Chu Luoxuns still shots had been doctored These leaks with no traceable source convinced the netizens that they had power of the industry. While only the hardcore would remain unfooled, such leaks served their purpose. But Ah Yus beauty was undeniable. Her fans were also loyal to a fault. Thus, they did not want to believe anything that was said about her. They would go for the first screening and see how their all-rounder Goddess pulls it off yet again. This was a cunning move on the Promotional teams part. Lets set the bar as low as possible. Lets get everyones hopes down. Well blow them away when it screens! Chapter 660 - The Purest Purpose Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation Beautiful April was not destined to be some great movie. Yet, prior to its release, so many have discussed it that even those who did not know of it became drawn to the crowd. Admittedly, there were some great scenes. Lady Zhao was at least responsible for 80% of it Beautiful April was probably one of the least anticipated movies, among all the upcoming releases. The icon of the movie would be acted out by some internet singer celebrity. These were telltale signs of a disaster! Theyre just in it for the money. Greedy bastards. No sense of integrity whatsoever. Ive never seen such hate for a movie, even prior to release. At least, I am glad to know that our viewers still have standards and tastes. We will not be deceived by trash productions. I pity the star of his generation C Liu Xingxing. This is his first ever feature film role, and his career is going to be ruined. This was never his fault. The powers that will be have been misused People can buy their way into just about anything. This time, we have absolutely no idea whats going on behind the scenes. Im saddened to see that money could be misused to such an extent! I originally thought that Zhao was purely coincidental. Now, all evidence points to the reality of the matter. She doesnt just share that name. She IS a genuine Zhao. If you dont know what the Zhao family is, go ask. But even the internet seems to have censored anything about them. Hehe, look at you cowards, not even daring to mention her name. Ill just directly say this. Zhao Youyue, get out of the film circle. You may have power and wealth, but you cant just turn this sacred realm into your playground! Wait Why is there someone knocking on my door? express delivery? The all and mighty Lady Zhao doesnt need your support. She doesnt even care about your protests. She has already shown great mercy, by allowing you to reign freely on the internet. When she finally ties you down, youll realize what power truly is! Of course, the promotional department was fanning the flames. They molded Zhao Youyue into an evil force within the entertainment circle, inciting more public anger. Under such stimulation, more would be eager to see how horrible the movie turns out. All the more reason to criticize her! They knew very well that it would be impossible to even rattle Lady Zhaos supreme position, but at least, they could vent their anger The end of winter vacation was nearing. It also meant the beginning of a new semester. Specifically, it was early March. Beautiful April was finally released, officially! As it was meant to be a small, low-budget production. Its release went rather uneventfully. The original author, Han Leng was fortunate enough to be invited. However, Lady Zhao was too addicted to the source world to participate in the premiere. This brought even more hisses. Zhao Youyue the outsider. You do not even have respect for the movie. It was the most basic of ettiquettes for the main cast members to work with the promotional team. She might be even worse than Nie Zisu! However, Lady Zhao seemed too genuine to be doing this for attention. Nie Zisus antics could always be taken as attention-seeking acts. But Lady Zhao seemed to be in her zone, her state of nature. Was this how all elites acted Obviously, no one knew what Zhao Youyues true purpose was. The other actors had chosen to give their full cooperation. Firstly, it was was their job. They still valued their pay very much. Secondly, if the movie ended up popular, they would benefit in terms of both fame and fortune. No celebrity disliked fame and fortune. It was laughable to measure Lady Zhao like this. Pay? Probably few hundreds of thousands at most. It was pocket change. Also, her cousin Zhao Hao was the main investor of the movie. Zhao Hao truly pampered his little sister. If he profitted from this, he would share half of it with his sister. As for the other half, he would just throw it into another one of his investments. But if the movie ended up losing profit, he would never let her sister take the responsibility. After all, he was only doing this to win his sisters favor. Therefore, the pay did not concern Lady Zhao at all. In a sense, she had also invested in this work As for fame? She did not need that. She was already almost as famous as Ding Yuncong, the son of the wealthiest family. On top of that, he had gained norierity as a playboy, but she was a pure, clean musician. Lets not forget about her reputation as an elite scholar. When she becomes the student president of Jiangnan University, that reputation would only grow. However you looked at it, Zhao Youyue had no clear reasons of participating in Beautiful April. Everything seemed to have been done on a whim Han Leng had long been wracked with guilt. Lady Zhao had put her reputation on the line, with nothing to gain from it. Just because he had said something on a whim, she had accepted the role without hesitation! Had she truly fallen in love with him? He had been staying away from her. Was him shunning her actually hurting her heart, instead? Han Leng certainly did not know that Lady Zhao had been spending intimate, lovely moments with Cirilla. She had no time to consider for him Zhao Youyues purpose was far simpler. She merely wanted to protect the perfect image of the character Chu Luoxun. She did not want any other actresses ruining her image, thus affecting her character card. Chu Luoxuns ability had turned out very useful in the source world. The chamber of commerce that Zhao Youyue created also involved the selling of the Northland Pearl Olivias magic LP C music that had been originally composed by Chu Luoxun. Han Leng finally made up his mind and decisively invited Lady Zhao to watch the movie together Then, he sat like a criminal waiting for his judgment, waiting for Lady Zhaos reply. Chapter 661 - Movie Invitation Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation Zhao Youyue had already planned to go to the cinema herself. She was curious to see how the film had turned out. For starters, she had no doubts about her own acting skills. She had also worked with the director and knew that she and her crew had what it took. She would walk into the hall with her expectations at its peak. As for those comments that had painted her out to be an evil force, disgrace of the film industry C they were irrelevant. After becoming Olivia within the source world for so many years, she had transcended her boundaries yet again. She had even experienced the fall of a kingdom. What damage could online comments do to her? Lets not forget that even some of her fans were frowning upon her. Where did they find the audacity to do so, without her consent? They had her permission to end their own lives, that much is certain. When one attacks Lady Zhao, she only needed to remain standing there with her arms folded. Someone else would step out and slapped their faces on her behalf. This was how the Zhao family functioned. She did not need to sully her own hands against someones face. Unfortunately, Han Leng knew nothing about this. Despite being the original author, he had been taken for granted. The cast and crew treated him not as the esteemed creator of the work, but as a stepping stone. When he had submitted Zhao Youyues name as a candidate for the star role, he was utterly dismissed. It had been a massive slap to his face If Han Leng had the protagonist aura, he has found more ingenious methods of getting Zhao Youyue the role. Unfortunately, he was just a talented author, not a protagonist. In the end, Zhao Youyue still had to the fight for the position herself. She roused her cousin into action and claimed the role. Even after that, she had earned nothing but cold glares and hisses from her fellow cast members. It was when Zhang Guorong made her appearance when all assumptions were blown out the water. If not for the fact that the director intended to throw out a publicity stunt and keep the actress of Chu Luoxon under wraps, the public might already be singing praises about Lady Zhaos acting Even if that had happened, nobody would have been convinced that Lady Zhao would have been able to act, being the untrained outsider that she was. Critics and tongues would start wagging. Why bother to defend herself? Let them lower the expectations of the public, before surprising everyone and slapping the naysayers across the faces. When Zhao Youyue received Han Lengs invitation to the movie, she certainly was unaware of how much Han Leng had wrestled with himself to find his courage. He still could not decide if Lady Zhao actually liked him Men. They used their brains so inefficiently. The more beautiful a girl, the more their brains worked the wrong way. Still, Han Lengs situation was understandable. After all, Zhao Youyue favored him very much indeed. He was the genius writer who had given Zhao Youyue the iconic character card, Chu Luoxun. He had also been a classmate and schoolmate, from grade school to university. Han Leng could may as well be a lieutenant of Lady Zhao. Zhao Youyue was always very generous towards her own subordinates. The stars had tales to tell of personalities. Zhao Youyues birthday fell on the 8th of August. This year, she would celebrate her 18th birthday. One could only imagine the scale of her coming-of-age ceremony. She was a Lady, and even the likes of Zhao Hao and Ding Yuncong pampered her. Of course, no one could suspect her actual age. After all, she had the magical Two Dimensional Gate. She had experienced several lives in different literary worlds. Of course, there were also the source worlds that resembled reality far more than anything. The stars called Zhao Youyue a Leo. It was true, she resembled a Leo in many more ways than one. Female Leos tended to be characteristically arrogant. The world seemed to flit past their gaze. Female Leos were also unyielding and stubborn. They would settle for nothing less than perfection. These Leos were extremely vain and narcissistic. They would exhaust themselves, putting up a bold, awesome front, only to beat themselves up the most severely when no one was looking. On the other hand, they were kind and passionate, always living their lives to the fullest Lady Zhaos persistence on trying to stand out was typical of a standard Leo. Of course, she also worked equally hard to stay low-key, when the situation demanded it. What better way than to fool everyone into complacency, before unveiling herself like a dazzling comet. Lady Zhaos lack of patience and stubbornness were also Leo traits. Fortunately, she had those character cards to make up for her shortcomings. All in all, one could not trust the stars too much. They were highly ambiguous and over-generalized. For example, they could speak of things like one being highly self-confident, yet self-abased before of the person he loved. Another could very cheerful yet very silent at times These vague descriptions could match just about any one, and they would all say, This horoscope is so me! Han Leng often became a victim of his imagination, unlike Zhao Youyue. She felt that Han Leng was a good person, thats it. He was not only good-looking, but he also stayed out of her hair, unlike her suitors who flew before her face like flies. If anything, Zhao Youyue found her suitors most annoying. Couldnt they just remain in the shadows and admire her from there like the servants they were? She had no doubts about her beauty. But it did not mean that she could tolerate those annoying suitors. Did she really look that lonely? Zhao Youyue trusted Han Leng very much, and was at ease when with him. She did not worry about the sensible scholar falling in love with a nasty Lady like her. Therefore, she had replied Han Lengs message instantly Sure. Thank you, elite scholar, for the movie treat. I can save more money, Im so happy! (*RQ) Han Leng slapped his cheeks lightly, which seemed to be heating up. Still, something was off. Previously, Lady Zhao had always called him Elite Scholar Han. Now that she had shortened it to Elite Scholar, did that mean something? Knowing the arrogant Lady, she would never take the initiative to pursue a boy. In fact, most girls would did not. At most, they would drop a hint or two. Dense boys would never be able to pick up on them. The other group of boys would not even be interested in them, to begin with. Therefore, they would choose to act just as dense. But if a top quality, fair, rich and beauty like Lady Zhao was the one dropping hints, how many men would resist? Han Leng thought about it at length, but did not dare jump to conclusions. His courage left him once again. Still, he could catch a movie with Lady Zhao. There was happiness in that. As for the money saving comment Lady Zhao had mentioned, it only had to be her idea of humor. How could Lady Zhao possibly lack those few dozens of RMB for the movie ticket? As Han Leng remained lost in thought, Lady Zhao sent another message to him, Buy three tickets. Ive invited Bai Yunshan. Lady Bai is also an old classmate of ours. Han Lengs smile gradually faded Chapter 662 - Bow to the Overlady Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation Back when Han Leng was still during his high school, the school flower, Lady Bai Yunshan had barely left him any impression. Bai Yunshan had initially been just another student who only knew how to study. If anything, she had a name of being a rather effective snitch. How did such a person end up as Lady Zhaos bestie Han Leng could not care less about any of Lady Zhaos besties. Be it Jiang Qing the booby chatterbox, Su Li the old hag, or even the icy-cool Bai Yunshan. they mattered little to him. He only remained courteous with them for the sake of Lady Zhao. After all, he was supposed to be the first. He was the one who wrote reviews on Lady Zhaos behalf. He even wrote entirely new books for Lady Zhao. But why? Why was Lady Zhao still treating those girls more intimately? Was it because of his gender? Han Leng drove through the night. The radio was playing, Wukong. At one point, the speakers had garbled out, What do I want for this iron rod? Wow, that made perfect sense. This is a good song! Obviously, Han Leng obliged to Lady Zhaos request. At the same time, he had eliminated an idle fantasy of his own making. Its best that he remained a coward. He may not progress on his relationship with Lady Zhao like her besties, but at least he was the only male in Lady Zhaos circle. That was good enough for him. Han Leng booked three tickets via phone. Lady Zhao would be taking the middle seat by default. Bai Yunshan and he would be her bodyguards on each side. At the same time, Han Leng received yet another of Lady Zhaos orders. Go and fetch Bai Yunshan, for I dont feel like leaving yet. Lady Zhao stood before her wardrobe, wracking her brain. She had to pick a matching handbag for her clothes. Her collection would constantly be updated with the latest models of top quality luxury brands. Of course, luxuries were but a fleeting moment that quickly passes. Of course, any ordinary plebian would grab hold of any article from the room and cherish it for the rest of their lives. But to Lady Zhao, these were merely disposables. On the other hand, the branded handbags served no practical function. They were not meant to hold and carry items, they were meant to fill Zhao Youyues idle hand. The so-called saying, no second use of a piece of clothing, or a pair of shoes was not untrue, not when it came to Lady Zhao. Her choices were endless, unless. Lady Zhao reverts to her past addiction to school uniforms If this past is even uncovered, it might even be turned into a running gag, The Lady who loves school uniforms. Ordinary people were only able to enjoy switching outfits within games. Rich people did so in reality. By that simple logic, did that mean that rich people were happy? Youre wrong. Youre not even close to picturing what happiness means to the rich. Poverty has closed your mind The militaristic Lady Bai Yunshan was nowhere as exquisite as Zhao Youyue. It would be an even further cry for her to be as extravagant and wasteful as Lady Zhao. But sometimes, even she would end up as Lady Zhaos Miracle Nikki[1] toy. Lady Zhao would put Bai Yunshan through the most extreme of makeovers, turning her from beyond average, to that of a Goddess. Then, she would force Bai Yunshan into clothes that she loved, and set her on her way to be the center of everyones universe. It served as the rare source of entertainment in her world. Han Leng drove into the military base to pick Bai Yunshan up. Of course, his entry did not go unnoticed by Bai Yunshans father. He gave Han Leng a friendly glance that sent a chill running down his entire body Han Leng was still remotely aware of how humans worked. He immediately alighted and offered a cigarette to the older man. Han Leng did not smoke himself. Now that he was a rather known writer, such PR encounters would be unavoidable. Cigarettes were the most basic of bargaining chips. Bai Yunshans father only seemed to grow even friendlier. He placed a heavy hand on Han Lengs shoulder and left it there for a long moment. Finally, he said, Treat my Shan Shan nicely. Han Leng quickly tried to set the misconception straight. He was just carrying out Lady Zhaos order. Uncle, you have really misunderstood Before Han Leng could even speak, Bai Yunshans father had already stepped back to survey the lad. He let out a reassured sigh. His daughter has pretty good taste. She was now a university student. It was time for her to start finding love. Of course, Bai Yunshan remained unaware of this incident. She got into Han Lengs car, indifferent as always. She did not even spare Han Leng a glance, the famous writer that he was. Bai Yunshan was probably the only person who could appear far colder and composed than Zhao Youyue. However of the two, Zhao Youyue would still be the more unapproachable. Zhao Youyue was the type who appeared warm and reliable. She treated you like you meant the world to her, and even took you out to have fun. Obviously Zhao Youyue treated these friends no differently from how she treated luxuries, they were disposables. Eccentric characters intrigued her the most. The more creative, the better. Only such people would be worth her time. Han Leng told of his encounter with Old Man Bai. Bai Yunshan only responded with a frown. Who said that she should start finding love in university? The University was also a school. It was a place for studying. Love had no place there. She had more important things to worry about, like her Student Council duties Bai Yunshan learned that she was moving far too slowly. Zhao Youyue was already the Deputy Head of the Student Councils Department of Literature and Art. By the next half semester, she would already be in the position to contend for the Student Presidents throne. Wasnt that a little too ridiculous? Becoming the Student President in her first year? Zhao Youyue was truly unbelievable! Bai Yunshan had intended to be a match to the Overlady Zhao Youyue. Even so, something told her that she was going to fall into Lady Zhaos hands once again. After all, when that woman gains the power of the Student President, she could move things in the university with single gestures, right? Once again, Bai Yunshan saw Zhao Youyues train of thought, and shuddered. She had initially thought that she would have been able to climb up the ranks more rapidly Han Leng finally pulled up at Zhao Youyues mansion. It had not been long since their last meeting, but her appearance bewitched him as always. She was moving like a real royal princess. What exactly, had she experienced during these days? Zhao Youyue greeted Han Leng with a smile. Then, she sat in the back seat and joined Bai Yunshan. She seemed to enjoy teasing the cold and elegant Bai Yunshan, forcing the rigid exemplar of justice and integrity to bend over. The paladin was bowing to the Overlady. The sounds of laughter coming from the back seat elicited a twitch from Han Lengs mouth. At that moment, his radio chose to play, A Little Happiness I heard the raindrops falling on green grass Translation Note: [1] Miracle Nikki C A mobile game about dressing up and development, created by Suzhou Stack Paper Network Technology Co., Ltd., Tencent Games as the exclusive agent. Chapter 663 - Reversal of Public Opinion Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation The three of them made it to the movie theater. When the movie began, they realized that the hall was far from full. Obviously, many had not came here on an impulse viewing. They were waiting for the reviews of those who have watched it. Naturally, Lady Zhao, was not concerned about the movies reception. She was only there to defend Chu Luoxuns image. As long as she maintained Chu Luoxons image and prevents other actresses from undoing everything she had put into Beautiful April, it was a mission success. It had been a reasonably loyal adaptation. Of course, some changes were inevitable. In the original work, Chu Luoxun had remained hidden, albeit talked about for a long time before she finally made her debut. She did not disappoint. The early parts of the book had been filled with the sweet nothings between those two lovebirds, Lin Meiyue and Gu Yuan In the movie, Chu Luoxuns role had been further enhanced. The female director seemed to be a diehard Chu Luoxun fan. Perhaps when Zhao Youyue transformed into Chu Luoxun before her eyes, her heart was utterly conquered. It was only natural that Chu Luoxun would gain more screen time. What little improvisation implemented had been carried out with passion and love. When the audience saw the incomparably perfect Goddess Chu occupy the big screen, they had drawn a collective breath of awe. For the first time in their lives did they realize that it was possible for a girl with such temperament to appear in a movie. Originally, they had merely been curious to see how Zhao Youyue would single-handedly bring the entire project to ruination. However, as the movie went on, they quickly forgot their purpose. They even forgot about the actress who played Chu Luoxun! The movie had taken their souls, locked it in a chest, flung into an ocean, its key down the belly of a sea monster, never to be found again. Then there was Chu Luoxuns music. They were not hearing it live, so what remained of their souls did not have to be doubly taken, but it was still Chu Luoxuns music! A good soundtrack may sometimes leave you in awe, but it did not rob you of your senses The movie Beautiful April had been a great success. It had defended Goddess Chus iconic image. The audience became completely immersed in the movie. They did not even remember that it was Zhao Youyue who was playing Chu Luoxun! Chu Luoxun was Chu Luoxun! Thats Chu Luoxun in the big screen! This was real acting. The difference between an actor and a celebrity was that when the former played a character, they became that character and people would forget who they originally were. When the latter played a character, they would always be themselves. When the audience watched their screenplay, they would see the actor before they see the character. The movie ended, all too soon. The audience laughed. The audience cried. The audience was in hysterics, and could no longer tell reality from fiction. It could not be helped. The sweet nothings had been most joyful to behold. The blooming love was the pinnacle of teenage romance. Han Lengs original work had cleverly thrown a joke here, a jab there, so when the movie faithfully reproduced those scene, the audience had responded with bittersweet smiles. But when Chu Luoxuns terminal illness was finally revealed, when she died on the operating table at the end, floodgates were opened. Some people even cursed the director! How could you make one so happy, only to smash that happiness to bits, along with everything else that made us whole? Of course, to make matters worst, in the midst of adversity, Chu Luoxun still did not give up on music. Watching it in live-action was almost torturous! In any case, this movie inspired the world to get on its feet and press on. Rage against the dying of the light, and the adversity. At the same time, it was down-to-earth and heartfelt. It could make you laugh while you cry, it could make you cry while you laugh. And finally, the music. Ahhh, the music! Han Leng, the original author, was astounded. The Chu Luoxun in the movie had blown him away. The Chu Luoxun he knew had slipped out of the pages of his book and slipped into the film. How else could you explain how she had been the spitting image of the Chu Luoxun from his memories? They each returned back to their own homes uneventfully. Only when he was in the comfort of his home, a sudden thought struck his mind! He was no different from those netizens. They had all been doubtful of Lady Zhaos skills. Yet there he was, in the cinema, not even realizing that it was Zhao Youyue on the big screen. Thats Chu Luoxun, isnt it? Whats she doing there?! This was godly! Can you even call that acting? Just like many other teenage and romance movies, reviews determined their fates! Once again, the internet stirred. Words like work of God and how it was a milestone in teenage movies flooded the forums. Testimonials of how they cried their eyes out after watching it, and how they had to watch it twice, thrice! Only after the emotional rollercoaster had passed, did someone regain enough sense to talk about Zhao Youyues acting skills! Chu Luoxun was not played by an actress, whoever she is. It was Chu Luoxun herself. She has shown up in the movie! The acting was impeccable. It was so convincing, so natural C it was the highest form of art possible. This is method-acting at a highly dangerous level. The type that you dont see actors and actresses recovering from. The actress really wanted to make the audience forget who she was and only take notice of the character Chu Luoxun! I originally thought that Zhao Youyue was only a musician and gamer. I did not expect her to pull that out of her magic hat. Is she really untrained? That movie provides all evidence to the contrary! Why is this so? Awesome acting skills! I dont have the right words to describe her performance. It was not extremely expressive like Liu Xingxings. Zhao Youyues acting was introverted and refined, as if she had gone through countless years of training Queen of Actresses! If you guys didnt ask, I wouldnt even think of giving my review of the movie, because I could not even scrutinize the damn film. I was totally engrossed with the storytelling as it was. Only after several repeated viewings did I finally come to a realization. It was her acting. Her accursed acting, that had my full and undivided attention? After seeing everyone praise Lady Zhaos acting skills, my faith is renewed, and Ive finally seen through the marketing strategy of this movie. The music scenes, the centerpiece of the book, could not have been done any better. Chu Luoxuns, no, Zhao Youyues performance, you could say that shes a reincarnation of Chu Luoxun! The public opinion was completely reversed. Anyone who initially questioned Lady Zhaos acting skills instantly vanished. Some of them even turned a full 180 degrees and started praising her brainlessly! Chapter 664 - Perfect Ending Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation When reviews were this good, a blockbuster, record-breaking appearance would quickly follow! It was not the most expensive, nor the most ambitious of productions, but it had been passionately, lovingly molded. On top of that, there was the Queen Actress-level acting skills of Zhao Youyue, coupled with the reputation of its source material. It was all too much! Be it Weibo, WeChat Moments, or whatever, everyone had been caught up in a whirlwind about Chu Luoxun. Quotes, inspirational life stories, you name it! Many quickly capitalized on this trend with posts like 18 Details About Beautiful April That You Dont Know, Six Of Chu Luoxuns Original Classics, Shocking, The One Who Chu Luoxun Truly Loved Was Actually Lin Meiyue That was just the tip of the iceberg. WeChat Moments started featuring more and more iconic lines from the book. Han Lengs popularity soared to the heavens. Beautiful April was reprinted so many times that it soon became the stuff of legends. In the future, generations of readers might even follow! Han Leng had not expected this to happen. He had been initially worried about damaging Lady Zhaos reputation and causing her more trouble. People could spit on him for all he cared, but her? It would have been a fatal blow If people hated her, she would most definitely hate him, right? However, after watching the movie, he was completely dazed. Lady Zhaos acting was simply godly! Is it true that she was untrained? Even with raw talent, she could not possibly be that good, right? After he recovered from the shock, Han Lengs heart was filled with admiration. Zhao Youyue was a world-breaking all-rounder. She could not only do anything, she was a master of it all. She had activated some cheat mode. All this while, she had steered clear of those fields, only to give allowance for others to shine. It had been an act of mercy on her part. For if she ever decided to partake in everything, there would be no path left for anyone to walk on Han Leng was not alone in his awe. The celebrities and BigVs, including Zhao Youyues cousin brother Zhao Hao, and her godbrother Ding Yuncong were all equally terrified. The two of them doted on their younger sister very much, but they had waved her passion aside as naive enthusiasm. Anyone reasonable enough would think that way. It was not that the world was lacking of brilliant actresses. However, these actresses had had to work their way up. Nobody just popped up in a leading role like that to blow everyones minds. Who the heck even thought of putting Zhao Youyue in that role? Who even knew that she could act? In essence, Beautiful April was a gift that Zhao Hao had invested in his younger sister, or, rather, something to occupy her active mind with. He only wanted his younger sister enjoyed such a filming process, not the final results. It would never even be rated as a B-movie. What did you expect, putting a total amateur in the shoes of such a complex, iconic character? Youre only asking for trouble! Even though they expected nothing from this little project, the two besties had immediately dragged a bunch of people to watch the movie as soon as it was released. They did not go to a public theater, but a more luxurious private theater. They could show off their luxurious lives to the whole internet while watching a movie. Wasnt that great? They were just there for fun, supporting their little sister. However, while watching the movie, they inadvertently became more and more fascinated by it. When the movie ended, they could not help but remain lost in a surge of emotions. This movie was brilliant! Of course, they began to strongly recommend it. BigVs like them were the ones who first started praising the movie on Weibo, which built the momentum They surprised themselves by actually forgetting that Zhao Youyue was in the movie. They did not even praise her acting C they praised the movie itself. Only when someone mentioned Zhao Youyue, were these guys roused from their stupor. Then, of course, they felt very sorry and quickly expressed their admiration for her acting on Weibo, also remembering to mention their younger sister. They admired her so much that they were almost going to prostrate themselves before her feet! Ding Yuncong had also stepped on a certain red carpet moocher[1] who had no acting skills but loved to walk the red carpets of film festivals to boost Zhao Youyues position. With just a little time, Zhao Youyue would definitely be able to overtake all the current Hua Dan[2] stars! However, Zhao Youyues most significant disadvantage was that she did not enter the entertainment industry. Anyway, she did not envy the fame of a celebrity She had also revealed why her reasons for stepping into the role. It was simple. She loved this character from the bottom of her heart, and she was confident that she could act her out well enough. This explanation was not at all unexpected, because she was already a loyal fan when the book Beautiful April picked off. She had even written songs and melodies for this virtual character and constantly promoted her. This was true love! Some netizens who were into 2D could not help but point out that Lady Zhao was their spirit animal. She loved 2D and virtual characters. She liked Chu Luoxun so much that she had considered Goddess Chu to be her wife! It all matched up. It made perfect sense. Hardcore otakus who often took 2D characters as their wife, only to change their wives after three months even said that Zhao Youyue was simply the most foolish lover in the world. She could actually like a 2D character to such an extent! Not only did she write songs for Chu Luoxun some time ago, but now, she was playing that role. How much did she care about this virtual character? However, her passion had also attracted even more fans. This naturally made Beautiful April even more popular! After her work was done, Zhao Youyue did not stick around for the fame and fortune. She did not care if this small production teenage movie made it to the top of the New Year film list. She did not care about the various invitations that came in, asking her to star in upcoming movies from all around the world, which included those from internationally well-known directors. She would never play any other role. She would only act as herselves. After the filming of the live action movie Beautiful April was wrapped up, Zhao Youyue reverted her attention back to the Two Dimensional Gate. Due to her excellent performance in the Witcher source world, where she had completed many system quests, the Two Dimensional Gate had once again cooled down. Zhao Youyue could once again test her luck by drawing a card, to see what world of works she would get at random, and whether there would be any places for her to cause trouble. If she earns herself another character card, then she could probably get another useful ability in the source world All in all, Lady Zhao was most enthusiastic about the random Two Dimensional Gate, or rather, the drawing of cards. Everything she did in the source world was for the sake of recharging the Two Dimensional Gate. Translation note : [1] Red carpet moochers (̺) refers to the actresses that dress glamorously and walk on the red carpet of international film festivals, even though they usually do not appear in any of the films. This term became famous in 2015 when Wang Sicong, a Chinese businessman posted on his Weibo and indirectly referred to Fan Bingbing and Zhang Xinyu as red carpet moochers. [2] Hua Dan (, flowery role) is a lively, vivacious young female role. They normally wear short blouses with pants or skirts. Hua Dan focuses more on movements and speech. They must be able to speak quickly and clearly. They also need to project an image of cuteness and innocence as Hua Dan always represent girls of around 12C16 years old. Chapter 665 - Acting Skills Comparable to that of the Legendary Actress Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation The cooldown of the Two Dimensional Gate was over, but Lady Zhao did not feel like stepping in yet. She had become apprehensive of its random nature. She had been tricked so many time that she could not get her hopes up again At least, she could always sacrifice a highly popular card and enter a world of her choosing. The highly popular Zhao Xiaomei character card that only found its use in drift racing was not otherwise very practical, so it could be used as a sacrifice. The bigger issue was that she could not find a work with potential either. Moreover, Zhao Xiaomei came from a rather realistic world, so she could not be used to enter C say C a low-level supernatural world. The winter holidays went by quickly. Zhao Youyue was now back at the university campus, and the second semester of her first year had begun. The internet was currently brimming with comments on how Zhao Youyues acting skills were supreme, and that she had brought Chu Luoxun to life! Prior to this, everyone had still been focused on the movie itself. Afterall, there were many who were new to the scene. If you asked someone if they even read novels at all C more likely than not, they would say that they do not. Would the same thing apply when it comes to movies? As the times caught up, the power of words started to falter before that of images and sounds. Of course, we no longer need to talk about the movie reviews. They were basically in the same vein as the review of the novel. You would most likely repeat what that already has been said, and people would only ridicule you for borrowing the words of another. Only after scrutiny of the plot, details, and dispute between the two fan clubs, did everyone start to focus on the acting skills of the actors. There was nothing much to say about Liu Xingxings acting skills. The boy would never let anyone down. It was no wonder that he was a representative of the younger generation of actors. As always, he executed his role well. He brought the quirky, uncertain male character to life Even so, he did not do anything differently from his other works, so those who were already familiar with him felt no major breakthroughs. After a praise or two, everyone soon moved on. However, this time, because of Zhao Youyue, even the Always On Headlines Topic Queen Nie Zisu could not make headlines anymore. Even when an apparent scandal between Liu Xingxing and herself came to light C nothing much happened. Of course, Nie Zisu could not act as well as Liu Xingxing. She was by no means a bad actress. She had genuine talent, and her track record in her previous serializations have always been remarkable. Compared to other idols, she was a far better actress. This time, she had given her utmost to the movie. It was probably her best performance yet, for she had been provoked by a certain someones cheat skills. Even so, she could not prevent herself from being suppressed by Zhao Youyue. Fortunately, Lin Meiyue had been written as a submissive character. Thus, even though she was suppressed on-screen C it was very much befitting of Lin Meiyue, so the audience thought that it was a job well done. On the other hand, there was also nothing to talk about Nie Zisus acting skills. Just another side vase for a greater existence Everyones eyes turned to Zhao Youyue. Those who had followed the crowd and spread all sorts of criticisms before the film was released were rendered utterly speechless. When they saw all the articles that praised Zhao Youyues acting skills, they felt no greater shame! The most influential article which placed Zhao Youyues acting skills under scrutiny was by a movie critic who was well-known for being extremely strict and critical. His name was Yang Guoying. He was a highly respected senior in the movie community who always highly recommended one particular actor that used to be in the movie The Golden Era. Yang Guoyings review was like so - - If it werent for my granddaughter who strongly recommended this movie, I definitely wouldnt have watched it. After all, Im already old, so why should I watch teenage movies? No matter how perfect the ending of a teenage movie is, it would just amount to torture for an old guy like me, but (omit 300 words), I still went to see it in the end. Frankly speaking, nothing is surprising about the various aspects of the plot of Beautiful April. Its way too puerile, but at least its sincere in its objectives. This was above average C at least. I expect moderate success I dont have much to say about the movie C there are enough reviews out there If theres anything to add, its about Zhao Youyues acting. Some of you may say that enough people are already praising her acting, and it needs no more hype, so what else can I say about it? Well, let me tell you that you guys are not even praising her correctly. You dont understand what it takes to really act like that! I beseech of you, go watch just one of the late legend, Zhang Guorongs works. Just once. There, you will find that Zhao Youyue is basically the Zhang Guorong of this generation! Really, if it wasnt for the fact that these two ladies look nothing a like, I would have suspected that I was staring at the resurrected Zhang Guorong in the face! Im not blowing this up on purpose. Im a huge Zhang Guorong fan, and I know how she acts. I would never do anything to disrespect her memory, so Ill say this C when I saw Zhao Youyues acting, for an instance, I was positive that it was Zhang Guorong! Yang Guoying started talking about Zhao Youyues acting while analyzing Zhang Guorongs acting in depth. The respect he had for the younger lady was no less than what he had for Zhang Guorong. He also confidently endorsed Zhao Youyue as the Contemporary Zhang Guorong, predicting that when Zhao Youyue films her second movie, they would witness the godlike Zhang Guorong once again! Due to Yang Guoyings influence in the movie community, his analysis of Zhao Youyues acting skills spread very quickly and was cherished by Zhao Youyues loyal fans. He made too much sense. It was what everyone had thought in their hearts, just that they did not know it yet. Of course, these fans have never watched any of Zhang Guorongs movies. They just only knew that she was a highly prolific, respected actress who had made her mark in the history of movies. Still, it did not stop the fans from using Zhang Guorong to prop Zhao Youyue up. After such praise and approval from a respected person, Zhao Youyue suddenly became the most prominent newcomer actress in the movie community. After all, no matter the country, movie actors were always at the frontline of the entertainment industry. When Zhao Youyue stepped into campus once again, the awe and bewilderment could only surpass the previous levels! Chapter 666 - Missy in Every Sense of the Word Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation If Jiangnan University had been a film academy, Zhao Youyue would not have stood out as much. After all, film academies produced famous stars all the time C most of them stepping onto the first rung of success long before graduation. Everyone was already used to it. One day, some talent scout would come across them. If paired with a competent director and crew, all should be set for them Such things happened in film academies, or any other art college, for that matter. However, in Jiangnan University, a famous top-ranking university with many brilliant students, a certain someone suddenly became an influential actress by merely acting in one teenage movie. Now, that was something! Moreover, it just so happened that the movie was released not long before the start of the school. When school started, the movie was still a much heated topic. Many students were looking forward to the start of a new school semester. They were not eager to study, rather, they wanted to meet the new star on campus. If they could get an autograph, wouldnt that be great? One has to know that it is notoriously difficult to get Zhao Youyues autograph. Whenever she was done filming, she would never stick around to participate in all the PR mess. It was as good as her not even being involved in the production whatsoever. Or rather, when the movie was done filming, her job was also concluded If other actresses dared to do this, they would have already been blacklisted by investors across the industry. They would not even be allowed to mix with the people in the industry, because such actions showed that they had no professional ethics. However, Zhao Youyue could do this. She could not care less about the entertainment industry. Moreover, the investor of the movie was her relative. What action could be taken against her? If Lady Zhao turned up to do some filming just because she had nothing better to do, the entire industry should be honored. If she left without a word, it was their loss Now that Zhao Youyues nickname as the Modern Zhang Guorong had spread out, countless directors wanted a shot at fame by working with her. The film community was also very chaotic. Actresses were the powerhouses that determined whether a movie went bust or touched the heavens. In this world, women were not the only ones who climbed up the social ladder to change their destiny. Men could too. As long as they were favored by Lady Zhao, their value would definitely soar! Unfortunately, Zhao Youyue had no plans to continue acting, as of now. She had long said that she was not in it for the fame or fortune, but to maintain the iconic image of the character Chu Luoxun. Beautiful April had become a typical example of throwing a sprat to catch a mackerel[1]. The rate of return had been terrifying. Zhao Wei had been resolved himself to suffering a loss. He only got a level of shock and awe that would have put an older man in a wheelchair. Who could have expected to earn a fortune from this! It was no mystery why the movie became a major hit All in all, Zhao Youyue had both acting skills and appeal. If she had a manager, her manager would most definitely urge her to take up the next big production movie C preferably those with CGI. If the movie became extremely popular, her position in the filmdom would be cemented. Of course, in addition to Zhao Youyue, the other biggest beneficiary was Han Leng. Many creators felt that he was the biggest winner. On top of that, it had been a sleeping victory. Beautiful April was pretty average as movies went. You shouldnt ask too much from the writings of a high school kid. The only thing of note would be the character, Chu Luoxun. The character that had the fortune of attracting Lady Zhaos attention. Lady Zhao had promoted the character in more than one way and had even saw fit to personally act as the character in the movie. The movie became more influential than ever! A writer actually became this famous with a maiden work that had not yet even been fully realized. Who wouldnt be envious? Moreover, there were rumors that Lady Zhao and the famous author Han Leng shared a bond of sorts. When they were in high school, they seemed have gone on dates together to various locations. Were they actually an item? If that was the case, Han Leng was truly about to reach the peak of his life! Due to the movies major success, the sales of his book rocketed once again. How much money was that, you wonder? Some people were jealous of Han Leng. They claimed that he was only so successful because he had Lady Zhao behind his back. Lady Zhao did not support him financially C she provided something far valuable. From his relationship with Lady Zhao, he had gained reputation, fame, and fortune. Countless other creators wished that they had a perfect reader like Lady Zhao! While many students of Jiangnan University were looking forward to the start of school, Zhao Youyue remained as aloof as ever. She did not lay low, neither did she try to gain attention. However, she had changed her car into one that was more apt for a missy. If we were to compare her car brands to the cars of the other world, then she had replaced her Mercedes-Benz with a Rolls-Royce. The very logo at the head of her car was enough for any of its occupants to be identified as a Lady, had it appeared in a movie or anime. While other missies might have relied on their elders to obtain such luxuries, Zhao Youyue had relied on her own capabilities. Zhao Youyue had also profited a great deal from Beautiful April. Her cousin Zhao Hao was not so stingy that he would go back on his own promise. The project had been a major success, thanks to his younger sister. She deserved that payout! In fact, Zhao Youyues had performed far beyond Zhaos expectations. Of course, Ding Yuncong had been blown away as well. They were both very proud to have such a talented younger sister How did Lady Zhao make use of the money? Well, other than continuing to build her business up, Zhao Youyue had used the remaining funds to further establish her missy persona. If she was originally a side-character missy, then, now, she was a missy in every sense of the word, just like the missy character that creators imagined. When Jiangnan University reopened, a super-premium super-luxury car slowly drove towards the school gate. It did not take long before everyone stopped in their tracks to stare! Translation note : [1] Throwing a sprat to catch a mackerel means to sacrifice something of little value in the hope of gaining something better. A small expenditure made, or a small risk taken, in the hopes of a far more substantial or significant gain. Chapter 667 - All Eyes On Her Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation In the eyes of many, Zhao Youyue who was no longer laying low only seemed to stand out more than ever. It was a radical change! In this world, Jiangnan University was the best university in the entirety of Jiangnan Province. It was on par with the two most famous universities in the North, which was Capital University and Chung Hua University. Some majors, such as the Chinese Department of Jiangnan University, were second to none in the whole of China and even the whole world despite their lack of practicality. All in all, Jiangnan University had a deep heritage with oriental roots. Foreign students from vassal states like Japan and Korea hoped to further their studies at Jiangnan University, while Western students preferred to go to Capital University or Chung Hua University. Zhao Youyue was a student at Jiangnan University, and she had not been specially recruited. She had earned her place as the top scorer in the Jiangnan Provincial Liberal Arts College Entrance Examination. Her hard work and determination pretty much left the other students speechless. If she had made a backdoor deal or something else, she might not have been so respected. Moreover, as a child from a powerful family, she might have been further subjected to more prejudice. Lady Zhaos academic performance was impeccable. If she were to compete in the national scholarships, she would have won every single year. Her image as an outstanding student had been deeply rooted in the hearts of the people Naturally, with such a reputation as her foundation, her aura could incinerate those who came too close to her! At that moment, her driver Uncle Liu opened the car door. She stepped out, in a fresh set of luxurious clothing that might not see the light of day again. It was like a celebrity turning up at the red carpet! In addition to that, she still had the crystal staff in her hand. She was not just a missy, she was a staff-wielding, cane-walking noblewoman At first, many people might assume that Lady Zhao was suffering from sophohigh syndrome. However, as time went by, she would appear incomplete without it. Sometimes, they would even see Lady Zhao sitting on a four-wheeled scooter. This was probably the modern version of a bicycle, but it was fully motorized. It could be pushed by others, but it was also capable of self-propulsion. Perhaps this Lady Zhao had poor health and she could not move around conveniently. Perhaps she was just playing around, which was actually the case. She may be playing around, but such traits only appeared in childish tales. Even so, many had accepted her as she was C nothing abnormal about that. If their gut feeling still told them otherwise, they would resort to self-deprecation - - Poverty has most likely limited my imagination. Many students stopped to gawk at her. Some of them had even produced their mobile phones and started to take pictures excitedly Some have heard of Zhao Youyues name, but they did not know her, until now. They were looking at a real celebrity! However, it was clear that almost no one had the courage to go up to her and ask for an autograph. Only a few classmates did, and even when they did, it was in a joking fashion. For example, there was Liu Dan from the dormitory next to Zhao Youyues. It appeared that she had bad-mouthed Zhao Youyue to one of her roommates previously, saying that other than her good looks, Lady Zhao had nothing else. Well, now youve seen her talents, what can you say about that? Now, she happened to meet Zhao Youyue, who was getting down from her luxury car. She became like a cat that smelled fish. She went up and pretended to be familiar with Lady Zhao. She said, Zhao Youyue, the movie Beautiful April that you acted in is awesome. You brought the character Chu Luoxun to life. I became your fan. Can I please have your autograph? However, when Liu Dan went forward, two burly men in black suits and shades appeared out of nowhere and got in her way. Unless instructed otherwise by Lady Zhao, they would never let anyone get near her. It was their duty. As Zhao Youyue grew more and more like a missy in every sense of the word, round-the-clock bodyguards became compulsory. She was not deliberately using them to add on to her grandeur. It was for her safety and convenience. When she really gets surrounded by crazy fans, how else could she escape? If Zhao Youyue did this when she first entered university, people would most frown upon her. She was making a big deal out of nothing and flaunting her wealth for no good reason. Now, nobody had a problem with such precautions. Instead, they approved of such actions - - Cant you see how terrifyingly popular she has grown, now? Zhao Youyue recognized her coursemate, even if it was Liu Dan. She got the bodyguards to move aside before responding with a smile, Thank you for supporting my movie, but forget about the autograph. I really dont consider myself as a celebrity or anything. Im an ordinary university student, just like you. Theres nothing special about me. It has been a great honor to be able to attend an average school like Jiangnan University with you. Firstly, Zhao Youyue shook her hand, then she patted Liu Dan on the shoulder. It was as if she had already ascended to the position of the President of the Student Council. However, not many people thought that she was putting on airs. Instead, they felt that she was most certainly easygoing and approachable! Liu Dan was very excited and honored, as if she just had an interview with one of the national leaders. She did not know what to say. She even felt that she did not need to wash her hand again! When the other onlookers saw that Liu Dan had earned the favor of Lady Zhao, some of them that were eager to know more about Lady Zhao but did not dare to approach her went up to Liu Dan instead. They were now extremely curious about everything related to Lady Zhao However, as Liu Dan was sharing her honorable experience with others, she realized that someone else had already gotten even closer to Lady Zhao. It was He Weiwei, Lady Zhaos trusted roommate. She still had the same, dazzling blonde hair. Lady Zhaos sudden change of identity did not seem to bother her one bit. She still regarded Lady Zhao as the innocent and simple girl who had taken the initiative to clean the dormitory when they had first moved into the dormitory. Therefore, she still wanted to protect Zhao Youyue. This was how He Weiwei treated all of her friends. Liu Dans euphoria quickly turned into frustration. Why is she not Lady Zhaos roommate, instead? Chapter 668 - No Such Thing As True Love Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation Perhaps, Zhao Youyues magnificent aura was too strong for ordinary people to get close to her. Most of them would rather remain at a safe distance, surveying her from their perches. However, those who actually got to know Zhao Youyue would soon learn that she was far more amicable than one might think. She had her own methods of mixing with friends from different classes. Perhaps it was just an illusion. Yes, she was friendly, but it was impossible for anyone to walk into her heart. Despite this powerful aura, admirers with stronger wills still attempted to court her. This was not bravery. This was not persistence. This was folly. It was a norm for Lady Zhao to receive at least one banquet of flower every week. She would never learn of its senders name. Perhaps, the hoped that Lady Zhao would find out who it was when the flower-gifting stopped. It was an expensive way to court a girl, especially for a university student. Each banquet would cost a considerable sum of money, say, RMB 100 to 200? Such tricks were ineffective against Lady Zhao. She had been socializing with people of all walks of life, era, continents, and worlds for decades. She would not act like some sweet and naive daughter of the rich, would she? Of course, this would never happen to Lady Zhao! Zhao Youyue dismissed the flowers, sharing the fragrance of freshly pluck flowers with the other girls in the dormitory. She rarely stayed in the room, but her three roommates certainly benefitted greatly from her gifts. Ladies who were good with men would often be ostracized by their own kind. Zhao Youyue was an exception. She was good with both men and women. Youll never have to worry about her facing problems from them. To womankind, Lady Zhao was like a kind and gentle elder sister who excelled at everything. In other words, she was their goddess! She was simply far too talented. Ladies did not have the right to be jealous of the special treatment she received. Also, she was powerful and influential, making an enemy out of her would be most unwise. Zhao Youyue brought a new definition to being single. It was freedom and bliss. She could start her own love story anytime she wanted. A new semester had begun. No matter how precious Zhao Youyue was, she was not the only thing that mattered at that moment. In Zhao Youyues hostel, Yu Xuefei announced her relationship with a guy. She had been the first to have a boyfriend. Yu Xuefei did not choose the engineering student who had dinner with her, prior to this. He was merely a backup. She always had her eyes on the handsome literature student, regardless of how bad his reputation was. Compared to the dull engineering student, he was much more fun and interesting. After Yu Xuefei announced her relationship, the engineering guy had indulged himself in alcohol, finished a whole carton of beer in just a short while. Drunk and frustrated, he had dragged himself to Yu Xuefeis hostel. He was too weak to remain standing and fell flat on his face. He had mustered the last of his strength and had yelled into thin air, hoping that Yu Xuefei would hear him and choose him instead! He believed that his love was true, and that Yu Xuefei was his first, true love. A relationship should last until the hand of marriage was given. Otherwise, it was robbery. Robbery of time and love. The engineering guy was an honest man. Never once had he allowed Yu Xuefei to pay for their dates As for the charming literature student, he was just another Casanova of love. Romance was merely a tool for him to create the delusion of affection, charming the ladies as if they were in love. Once he was bored of them, he would ditch them like pieces of trash. It was He Weiwei who had informed Zhao Youyue of this. Zhao Youyue did not pay attention to such rumors. Her heart was fully invested in the presidential election of student union. Her goal was crystal clear to be the next president of the student union. Zhao Youyue rarely ever stayed in the hostel. Now that she had learned of this, she could not help but ask Yu Xuefei, Feifei, do you really like the literature guy? What was his name again? Yu Xuefei answered Zhao Youyue courteously, I do not like him at all. He Wang Xiaoning, a third-year student. He is the most handsome guy in literature faculty. Zhao Youyue understood the game that Yu Xuefei was playing. They did not plan to be together for long. Love was merely a romantic sparring partner in bed for their university life. Everything was just an act of two players Zhao Youyue remained silent. He Weiwei started to pry, Since you do not like Wang Xiaoning, why would you want to be his girlfriend? He has a bad reputation with countless of ex-girlfriends. Rumor has it that some even went through abortion for him. Yu Xuefei was not concerned at all, I think he is fun. He knows how to talk, and how to enjoy life. Being with him is most exciting and relaxing. I only wanted his romance and surprises. Plus, he is handsome and rich. It is an honor to have such a boyfriend. Apparently, He Weiwei thoughts differed from Yu Xuefei. She thought that Yu Xuefei had just been too careless. How could she become his girlfriend, if she did not like him at all? He Weiwei intended to prolong the debate, but Zhao Youyue quickly stepped in. It was useless to argue with a person with a different perspective. However, Yu Xuefei added, There is no true love in this world. I would not trust any man with anything else, I only want to see how good they could get at pleasing me. What about you girls? The silent Zhou Cai finally spoke up, I have my games to please me. Men? I do not need them. Yu Xuefei noticed that Zhao Youyue had not commented on her topic, so she tried to drag her into the discussion. I learned this from Lady Zhao. Lady Zhao does not need a boyfriend, yet you are enjoying yourself as the star loved by everyone, are you not? Zhao Youyue spoke softly, It seems like you misunderstood me. I am busy with a lot of things on hand, and I do not use men to please me. Perhaps I think the one who could bring much joy to me would be a young lady Cirilla sprang up in her mind. Her source world sister indeed filled her heart with warmth and joy. Chapter 669 - A Dinner Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation Zhao Youyue was not interested in anything related to love. It was commonly known that relationships took time to maintain. A couple falling in love with each other was just an act of two lonely souls who pretended that they cared about each other. They wasted a lot of time and effort to express their artificial hearts and untrue feelings. If only everybody knew about this unspoken truth Anybody who took the time to observe a couple would quickly see through the falsehoods and fractures. When love comes, intelligence fled. Everything would make sense, no matter how irrational it sounded. Of course, if an observer was drawn into this game of love, they would soon learn how sweet these empty words raelly were, and how they had the power to pluck the stars from the sky. Nothing was real, as long as both of them were happy. Its great to be happy. If a relationship was unhappy, torturous and painful, perhaps it should be ended as soon as possible. Being single was much better than a one-sided love. Such had convinced Yu Xuefei that no love was true, and relationships were something fun to play around with. She did not mind fooling around with a guy she had no feelings with. All she needed was his charm and fan, and his readiness to please her anytime she wanted. One must not mistake ambitious females such as Zhao Youyue as ordinary ladies. She would never waste any of her precious time on these pointless interactions. Generally, love ended with the same thing C procreation. After all, humans were still mammals. They did it like how animals did it on Discovery Channel. As technology advances, humans may no longer need contact between males and females. One may even be capable of self-division. One might be passive at starting a relationship, but he or she could not avoid having others trying to find them a suitable partner. Being born with high status, Zhao Youyue would often be dragged into some date with a man of similar stature. It was yet another PR event. Since both of them were equal in status, it would bring no harm to see if she could be interested in that guy. During the day, Zhao Youyue was busy preparing for the presidential elections. During her free time at night, she went into source world of The Witcher and played with her sister Cirilla. Zhao Youyue, or Olivia, The Pearl of the Northern Kingdoms established her own chambers of commerce. With her alchemy products, her business became widely known across the world. Meanwhile, the Old Fortress of Kaer Morhen was rebuilt into a famous fortress. Travelers started pouring into Kaer Morhen from all directions! It had been Olivias ambition the become an empress, yet now she was a great businesswoman. Even the witchers of The School of Wolf did not need to spill their blood on their weapons during a dangerous hunt. [2] They could simply buy the potions and bombs they needed. Such was the power of money. Now Olivia had all the fundings she needed. She began to build her own army, equipping them with firepower. Kaer Morhen and Olivias chamber of commerce had now made a name as a neutral party. Some interested parties often hired them to handle some dirty situations. None of the missions failed, yet. These side missions appeared in her minimap as a question mark. Zhao Youyue did not have to handle it herself C the system could arrange a solution for it. The only thing she wanted to do now was to accompany her beloved sister Cirilla Zhao Youyue polished her business skills in the source worlds enormous market. In reality, she used the same tactics to manage a few subsidiaries of her company. A new magnificent CEO was building her own reputation! It had been quite some time since Lady Zhao was called CEO Zhao However, as Zhao Youyue pierced her way through the path of greatness, her parents dragged her to dinner. It was a typical Chinese dinner in a reputable restaurant. The ceiling was decorated with elegant crystal chandeliers, and a roundtable was placed right beneath each of them. When dinner was served, the tables rotated by themselves. Zhao Youyue was still the adorable, obedient girl in front of her parents. It was only courteous to do so since they respected and granted Lady Zhao the freedom of choices in life. Most of her parents dinner was accompanied by close friends and families, hence she would definitely honor her parents by showing up. Since young, Zhao Youyue had attended many dinners such as this. All she had to do was to toast her parents and finish her own meal. After all, she was still a young girl, alcohol was not a necessity. She began to realize the hidden agendas behind every dinner and grew tired of it. Despite her feelings, she was obligated maintain a good relationship with the elders. The attendees were as close as her immediate family, perhaps it should be called as a family dinner. If it was a business dinner, nobody would bring their family members along. Zhao Youyue drove her luxury car to attend the dinner. That was when she realized that she might have earned more than her parents! It was not impossible. Her dad was merely an owner of a private hospital, and her mother was a lecturer in university with a salary of a professional Of course, that was just how it appeared on the surface. As a Zhao family member, they were given large amount of dividends, from time to time. They would have to lay low. Nevertheless, Zhao Youyue was beyond compare. Nobody at her age could catch be her match! Zhao Youyue could not possibly carry a staff to her family dinner. She put on an elegant dress and some light make-up, and stepped out of her car with the style of a noble lady. The goddess has arrived! As she stepped into the restaurant, a pretty waitress welcomed her presence. The buff man with black sunglasses behind Zhao Youyue reassured the waitress of Zhao Youyues status. Without hesitation, the waitress inquired for a name. Zhao Youyue gently replied that she came along with her father, Zhao Jiayi. She was then guided into a spacious and luxurious dining hall for her dinner. Translation Note: [1] Kaer Morhen (Īű) is an old keep where witchers used to be trained. The name is a corruption of the Elder Speech name of Caer aMuirehen, which means Old Sea Keep, so named for the presence of fossilized sea creatures embedded in the stones on which it was built. It is located in the mountains of the kingdom of Kaedwen, right off the Gwenllech river. In older times, witchers trained and underwent mutations here, but fanatics who considered witchers an abomination attacked the keep and killed most of the teachers and students. Vesemir was the last known witcher to live in the keep, although other witchers sometimes rested here between their assignments, often during the winter, after which they set out on The Path again. [2] School of the Wolf (ѧ), known in Nilfgaard as the Order of Witchers, is a school of witchers headquartered at Kaer Morhen in Kaedwen. Chapter 670 - Introducing her to Her Generation Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation Zhao Youyue thought that it was supposed to be a common family dinner. The moment the dinner was served, she saw the difference. When she entered the hall, she courteously greeted the elders one by one. Among them was some president of a state government and the owner of some multinational company. These were all close friends of Zhao Youyues father. They often spent time playing mahjong together. Even before the dinner started, they were already playing mahjong too. It was a far better sight, compared to the thick smoke of cigars that kept people away from them. Fortunately, she had her phone to keep her occupied until the last seat was occupied. It was never her intention to be the topic of the dinner. Surprisingly, a reputable man named Xiao had been asking her a lot of question, such as which university she studied in, and if she was seeing any guys at that moment. Unaware of his intention, Zhao Youyue told him she was busy with her studies. There was no space for a relationship. Not far from them, Xiaos wife almost acted as if on cue and started to brag about her son. His name was Xiao Yiren. He was studying in some ordinary university as a year three student. His enthusiasm for literature had driven him to write on the internet and earn some pocket money. Now, he did not need any fundings from his family for his daily life. Xiaos wife was obviously proud of her sons talent. She emphasized that her son was a contracted author of Tencent group, where its editors office was in Beijing. With the income he was currently earning, he would not need to hunt for a job after his graduation. With his family background, he could get a job in any huge company, just by saying hi to its CEO. Nevertheless, it was better to say he earned his living through his talents, rather than getting a job with his familys influence. Xiao Yiren, seated beside his mother, gave an awkward smile. Yes, he was an online novel author. His pen name was Drunk For Her. Recently, he had published a novel called, Shift! The Female Elite Scholar Xiao Yiren was not very proud of his novel. He had always wanted to write conventional literature, yet all of his drafts had been rejected. Besides, he did not consider himself to be some great author. Writing novels was merely a getaway from the dull and boring life he had. Since he had been born as a man, he had chosen to write about a female protagonist to view the world from another perspective. Anything that he had ever achieved in reality would never be written in his novels. He only allowed his protagonist to do what was impossible. In reality, he was just another ordinary loser. The only romantic connection he had was with the Female Elite Scholar in his novel. Surprisingly, his novel became famous and earned recommendations from several reputable authors. He was still coming to terms with that fact. His novel fell under a rather unpopular genre. Due to its ridiculous and illogical contents, he did not dare reveal too much in his summary. However, his novel was full of a positive vibe. How could a novel about a hardworking scholar not be a novel full of hope? Still, it was highly unappreciated. At some point, others treated him as if he had written something bad online. Most of them were not aware that it was a novel of hope. Xiao Yiren was like a trophy that had been brought onto the table for display, yet he did not stand alone for long. Another guy was placed on the same stage to be discussed as well. His name was Sun Wei, a son of some gigantic corporates owner. Sun Wei was a year two student at Beijing University, and had proved himself to be an all-rounder and earned his place in Student Union. Unlike Xiao Yiren, Sun Wei glowed in confidence, even when he had not achieved anything like what Xiao Yiren did with his online articles. He was well aware that Xiao Yiren was his only competitor at the moment. What were they competing for? Do we even have to ask? Of course, for Zhao Youyue C neighbors daughter Lady Zhao! It had been a while since Sun Wei met Zhao Youyue. He was stunned by her beauty. The last time he saw her was during secondary school? She looked like any passerby that nobody would care to look twice. Now the Zhao Youyue sitting right in front of him was so elegant and gentle, every gesture she made caught the core of the universe. Sun Wei did not even dare gaze at Zhao Youyue. On the other hand, Xiao Yiwei was not impressed by Zhao Youyues beauty. Deep in his heart, nobody could be compared to his novels goddess, Wu Di! Finally, Sun Wei gathered enough courage and took a peek at Zhao Youyue. When Zhao Youyues mother, Wang Hua mentioned that her daughter was involved in Student Union as well, he almost felt he was meant to be with her daughter. He started to elaborate on his great deeds in Student Union which had earned him the position of some deputy department leader. Also, he did not forget to mention his scholarship last semester Zhao Youyue was familiar with such people who were too proud of their small achievements. They disgusted her. Lady Zhao preferred pretty things, but even his appearance could not satisfy that. She could not accept any aspect of his. No matter how good he was, the ugly had no right speaking! Zhao Youyue shut Sun Wei off with one casual line, I will be elected as the president of Jiangnan University Student Union this semester. As a president, perhaps I could arrange an interaction meeting with the Student Union of Beijing University. Sun Wei face went blank. Zhao Youyue finally understood the purpose of this dinner. Other than serving as bonding time for for the elders, it was for her to look for a suitable partner of a similar class. They were not rushing her to get married, but they wanted to acquaint her to understanding the progress and goals of her respective peers. If she found someone special, that would be great! Zhao Youyue did not like the idea of such dinners. She could mix with Xiao Yiren as a friend. He was a good-looking author. It would be better if she learned of his potential. As for Sun Wei, he was just slightly better than an ordinary student. She did not want to waste her time with him. It was Wang Huas turn to boast about her daughter, and boast she did. Her academic achievement, her various talents. Why would she need to talk about her beauty? Everyone could see that! Chapter 671 - The Interest of Lady Zhao Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation Wang Hua was proud to be the mother of a young goddess. At that moment, she only wanted to do one thing: to show her daughter off. When Zhao Youyue was young, she had been entirely mediocre. Anyone could be adorable, but that was all she had. Wang Hua could never brag about her young daughter! What could she say? She was born with all four limbs, and has been blessed with good health? How do you even boast about that Wang Hua used to be frustrated over her daughters apathy. Couldnt she just give her a reason to boast? She had put in so much effort and hopes that her daughter would be something extraordinary. Even so, Wang Hua pampered her daughter, regardless of how much she complained about her. Zhao Youyue was her only child, plus she was fun to play with. How could a person not pamper such an adorable child? Wang Hua never thought that her daughter would one day be one of the best. Usually, whenever her fellow parents spoke about their childrens academic achievements, Wang Hua could only say that her daughter did not participate in any competitions. Even her results were not exceptional. Well, theres one thing to talk about now. She could talk about how Zhao Youyue was the top scholar of Jiangnan province, no biggie. It would invoke the jealousy of just about any parent. The top scholar was a title from olden times, and provided no prizes in cash, but it was still no easy achievement. Their children were not as skilled when it came to academics. At least, some parents could brag about the unique skills that their children have been trained with. Some have attained the highest level of Chinese calligraphy, some have achieved a piano grade of ten, while others even bragged about having their articles posted online With a smile on her face, Wang Hua said Other than music, Zhao Youyue is not good at anything. Have you all heard about that song xxx? She composed that song on a whim. What was she thinking? I wonder, how did it even become so famous on the internet? Compared to modern music, our Zhao Youyue dabbled with some classical music. Some reputable orchestras have tried a lot of methods to have her play a song on their stage with her violin. It depends on their sincerity, and of course, our Zhao Youyues tight schedule. Recently our Zhao Youyue took up a role in some movie, what was it called again Beautiful April? And now, we have a director asking for her to play a part in some Chinese New Year celebration movie. People are praising her, to the left and right. I wonder, where did she learn how to act? Shes never taken lessons before Wang Hua carried on with her low-key provocations. They could not do anything but agree that her daughter was way too good for any of their children! Wang Hua did not forget to mention her involvement in the Student Union at University. She let it slip that her daughter would definitely become the president next semester. Another point for Zhao Youyue! Parents just loved bragging about their children. Total satisfaction. Wang Hua could not be any prouder. She loved her daughter more than ever now. What a shame, her daughter was growing up too quickly, and she did not just mean physically. She used to be far more adorable Nevertheless, everybody enjoyed their dinner that night, regardless of the fact they were not able to brag about their children. Astonished by the remarkable Zhao Youyue, Sun Wei started to search for her online Okay, lets type in Zhao Youyue, but Im only getting No Result Found. What about searching for Ah Yu ah, thats slightly more promising. Ah Yu was the nickname used by Zhao Youyue, a public secret. She was a member of the deadly Zhao Family. Directly mentioning the name Zhao Youyue could cause some unwanted problems. Most people would call her Lady Ah Yu, even now. When the credits of Beautiful April came rolling down, the name that was accredited to Chu Luoxun was Ah Yu, not Zhao Youyue. Therefore, those who dare mention Zhao Youyue in their comments online were brave, indeed. Of course, be prepared to face the consequences. The hidden hand in the dark would have placed their agents somewhere close by This was when netizens would witness the legendary noble princess, protected by a hidden force in the dark. Things were far more clandestine a few years ago. The hidden hand had changed its owner a few times; nobody could tell how it would behave in the future. One thing was certain, the hidden force was highly protective of Zhao Youyue. Of course, her freedom was highly limited, under such circumstances. That was the exact reason why she had been improving herself restlessly. The atmosphere at the dinner disgusted Zhao Youyue. The only thing she was remotely interested in was the online novel author, Xiao Yiren. Dinner finally ended. Some families took their leave; others stayed for a few games of Mahjong. Xiao Yirens family was one of those who lingered. Xiao Yiren had only found the courage to steal one glance at Zhao Youyue throughout the entire occasion. There was something about her that frightened him. What a remarkable lady! One day, he would write about a fictionalized version of her C from the perspective of an agent that worked for the dark forces who protected the noblewoman. Would it be an intriguing thriller of cloaks and daggers? It was a joke. Laughing at himself, he extracted his mobile phone, opened an application that allowed him to update his story, and continued writing his story C Shift! The Female Elite Scholar. He had been inspired by the incidents of that night. There was much that he could write about. His readers would be thrilled! As Xiao Yiren got immersed in his craft, his nose picked up a wonder scent. Zhao Youyues excited voice almost shook his eardrums out of his skull, You are writing at this moment? With your phone? Xiao Yirens inspiration was cut off. Annoyed, he raised his head to look at the person who had taken the seat beside him without consent. She had one hand supporting her chin, surveying him through her heavy eyelids. His breath got caught up in his throat. Yes, Xiao Yiren was used to speaking to countless of beautiful ladies, and few were capable of touching his heart, while even fewer could unnerve him. Perhaps that was one of the reasons he could write something as good as Shift! The Female Elite Scholar This was Lady Zhao, a goddess who belonged in the heavens far above the sky. Her presence stifled his soul C he could only bow to her wishes. Xiao Yiren quickly muttered the name of his female protagonist under his breath to resist the charm of Lady Zhao! Chapter 672 - A Diligent Creator Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation It was a habit of Xiao Yiren to write with his mobile phone. He was a diligent online article author. However, as he updated his work far too often, his readers often complained about his tendency of getting hung up over the details. Some even called him the master of pointless words. At first, he took some offense to that, as it was a mockery of his hard work and sincere effort. As time went by, he went with the flow and maintained the same dedication. After all, everybody talked about pointless topics in chit-chat everyday Though he became famous after writing about a female scholar, he did not feel great nor satisfied. All these years, he had been rejected countlessly, left alone in the dark, striving to improve his writing skills. Now that his novel was popular among the readers, he felt a heavy burden being placed upon his shoulders. Xiao Yiren could not meet Zhao Youyues eyes. He was not prepared to face her magnificence. All he could do was to keep thinking about his goddess Wu Di, praying that she would give him the strength to talk in the presence of another goddess. He was not just impressed by her. If anything, he was more surprised that such a successful person actually existed in this world, rather than live in a novel. His protagonist Wu Di was dedicated and committed, and nobody in this world could compete with her. Yet, here stood Lady Zhao, a girl that outdid his goddess. Yes. Please do not disturb me; I still have two more chapters to go. Thats six hundred in cash. Xiao Yiren was blunt and bold, at least with his tongue. But his eyes still could not meet her beauty. He forcefully keyed away on his phone. He had not intended to come off so rudely. He was a shy person, and knew that he couldnt hold a candle to the magnificent Lady Zhao. It would be wise to maintain a distance from such a dazzling existence, lest she crushes him. His family continued urging him to court Lady Zhao. They did all they could do to put him beside Lady Zhao. Of course, he did not like it. She was a pampered whelp from a rich family. All he wanted was an ordinary partner to work hard with and cherish a simple life together. As for the adventures and excitement, let them stay in his novel Zhao Youyue was not offended by Xiao Yirens response. She knew the world did not spin only around her. In fact, she was impressed by Xiao Yirens dedication in writing. She decided to read his novel. If it was good, she would follow her usual procedure and gift his work with presents. When he takes the bait, she would toss him even more treasures. Without a sound, Zhao Youyue took out her phone, logged into Qidian novel platform and searched for Drunk For Her. There were two titles accredited to him. One of it was Seeking the Truth, a Taoist martial art novel that was completed. Obviously, the author had given up writing about it. How could an online novel end at less than one million words? Zhao Youyue judged a novel based on the numbers. Most of the time, she was not even bothered to read unpopular books. She had no time to dig out those good novels that have remained undiscovered among the slums of the internet. In fact, most of the good novels were discovered by the majority. After all, the people were the judges Zhao Youyue recalled that a bastard had once messaged her to promote his own novel, called Seeking the Truth. So, the bastard was actually Xiao Yiren! She would instantly ignore a bastard that she has never met. Now, this author was sitting right beside her, focused on completing his own novel. He was a rare jewel among the authors. Perhaps Xiao Yiren had the potential to be famous in the future Indeed, it was impressive for Xiao Yiren to have made it this far in the online novel industry. He never had to worry about money. Passion was the only motivation for his achievements. Most of the authors gave up on writing after an extended period of time, due to the small pay they got in return. Xiao Yiren could have meekly went down the trail his parents had set for him, yet he had chosen to carve his own path. His undivided dedication had also made itself known during the dinner. Every independent and rebellious author had great potential. Unfortunately, he was not gifted. He would have to make up for that with hard work. Out of curiosity, Zhao Youyue read the review of Shift! The Female Elite Scholar. It showed promise. The followers, subscribers, and gifts all proved that it had promise. It even had a Recommended Novel badge. This badge was awarded to novels with more than three thousand unique subscribers. This was the first time Zhao Youyue had read about a boy transforming into a girl. While some haters slammed it in disgust, she found it interesting. Didnt guys play as a female character in games all the time? How was it disgusting? Some readers would never finish reading a particular story. They only read novels that their logic agreed with. Some interesting genres would be too complicated for their tiny brains to comprehend, nor enjoy. Of course, this was similar to the war between Which is better, sweet Douhua or salty Douhua?. [1][2] In the first few chapters, the author Drunk For Her had insulted both parties. He successfully converted many new fans of the genre, while leaving room for him to follow up in the future. Zhao Youyue had grown addicted to the storyline. She thought that the female scholar was interesting, though she did not have what it took to become an iconic character. It was a vibrant, optimistic novel. There wasw nothing special about the writing, but the storyline was fluently conveyed, its surprises many. It made it past the bottom line of Lady Zhaos expectations. Finally, Xiao Yiren was done with the update. He raised his arms in the air to stretch his body, and froze when he took note of his surroundings. Lady Zhao had not left him. Instead, she had remained beside him, while reading something on her phone. What could she possibly be reading for so long? Curious, Xiao Yiren started to make a move Translation Note: [1] Douhua (Chinese: ; pinyin: duhu) is the short form of doufuhua (Chinese: ; pinyin: dufuhu). It is a Chinese snack made with very soft tofu. It is also referred to as tofu pudding and soybean pudding. [2] The discussion of sweet Douhua and salty Douhua (𶹸̶Եĸ) has more than 16, 000 comments on that thread. It was a cheap yet tasty dessert everyone could afford, and most of the people have a different view of it. Yet there are two groups of people who could not accept the other type of Douhua, and refused to eat it the other way. Chapter 673 - You Are Tycoon Youyue! Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation Xiao Yiren noticed that Lady Zhao was reading his novel. It looked like she was reading the chapter that had something about stockings and beautiful legs. He could not help it. He was a little perverted in his head and had some preferences towards foot fetish. Therefore, why not humor himself by inserting scenarios about black stockings as he wrote about the main female character His protagonist was a strong goddess-like female character. Put some black stockings on her, and she would be perfect. In his next work, he might write about some loli-type female character, and put some white stockings on her. Then, he would write out some sick and perverted scene about the female character. Xiao Yiren loved writing female-centric novels, simply because he was afraid that he would never find the girl of his dreams. Therefore, he could only live his fantasies out in his writings. Zhao Youyue noticed that Xiao Yiren was just finished with his update. She placed her phone down and flashed one of her artificial, dazzling smiles. She was not embarrassed by it at all. Rather, she was highly experienced in such matters. She would never be affected by the sexual fantasies written in novels by male authors. If anything, she would sometimes criticize their appreciation towards beauty. These girls had no variety. They were always wearing miniskirts and black stockings. There was no creativity at all. However, Xiao Yiren was a rather creative chap. He could take up an entire chapter, writing about how beautiful legs. All he did was to describe a part of a human body, but it could evoke the fantasies of his male readers. He had some real talent! Xiao Yiren could not stand the ridiculing gaze that Zhao Youyue was giving him. He glanced at Lady Zhao for a moment and quickly averted his gaze. He explained, For a web novel to attract readers, I had to throw in some fanservice But I am quite shocked that you actually read web novels. What little that Xiao Yiren knew of Zhao Youyue was that she was an excellent student and a musical genius. Thus, he would never associate the Tycoon Youyue with the girl seated right beside him. He had always felt that web novels were a little low class. Thus, someone like Zhao Youyue, a high-class beauty, would never read it. That was right. Zhao Youyue was a lady. She could get anything she desired. Why would she use web novels to satisfy her sexual fantasies? It was extremely rare for a novel to have a reader that was an ultra-tycoon like Lady Zhao. Other than those Sect Master bot accounts [1], there would be little to no readers like Lady Zhao reading their novels The web novel circle once had a rumor circulating about. It argued that Tycoon Youyue was just a bot account and not a real human being. However, there was no basis to this rumor. After all, Zhao Youyue herself would show up in chat groups, throwing red packets along the way. Naturally, authors would bootlick her. Some authors would be especially concerned about Zhao Youyue. They would pay attention to her every movement, hoping to yield at least an opinion from her. Then, they would correct their work according to her liking, so that Lady Zhao would be satisfied with it. Unfortunately, Zhao Youyue did not care much about most of the works, which made her seem indifferent. She would only approach a person if she wanted a cameo appearance. There are so many web novels out there with rich imaginations. Why cant I read them? Zhao Youyue asked with a smile on her face. She was always tolerant towards authors, hoping to cook up a good relationship with them. Who knows, she might want day find a use for their work? Xiao Yiren was speechless for a moment and did not know what to say to her. He felt that he was wrong. Maybe it was because of his origin. He had wanted to enroll in a traditional literature course, hoping to be a true writer. However, the reality was just this cruel. He could only be a web novelist who entertained simple minds. Thus, he subconsciously detested his own works. I did not just read your novel. I think it was a pretty good read. It gives off a positive vibe, so I gave you a Sect Master. You should keep it up! Zhao Youyue said wittily. Xiao Yirens head snapped up. It was the first time he had ever gotten so close to such a beautiful girl. However, he did not know why he felt that she was mocking him, even when her every movement seemed so natural. Originally, he did not dare to fantasize about Zhao Youyue. At the same time, he had conflicting feelings about her. If he could have her as his girlfriend, wouldnt he be happy? Wouldnt every other guy in the world be jealous of him? However, Xiao Yiren was just too shy. Perhaps, he instinctively imagined himself getting rejected, in the face of a confident, energetic Zhao Youyue. She also came from a wealthy background. Maybe this was a legendary male chauvinist. He would not want to get close to girls that he could not control. Xiao Yiren opened his phone app again. As expected, he found a notification on his bar. Tycoon Youyue had given him 100,000 points, which was equivalent to RMB 1,000. To Zhao Youyue, it was pocket change. Xiao Yiren was not short of money as well. However, he was not earning nearly enough to support himself. He did not want to rely on his family, as that gave them a right to control him. He wanted to be the master of his own future. If he did not succeed in being a web novelist, then he might have to go back home and inherit his unimpressive family business Of course, an ordinary person might not even have such a family business, even if they worked hard their entire life. Xiao Yiren would rather be called a web novelist. He did not want others to call him someones son. Maybe this was the so-called scholars pride. It was a virtue. If interpreted differently, it could also be the arrogance of a scholar. You, you, you are Tycoon Youyue! The Tycoon Youyue who gives out Silver Sect Master points as if it was Sect Master points? If I remember clearly, you gave out a few Golden Sect Masters as well. You must be the person who gave out the Golden Sect Master to Save me Queen! recently! Xiao Yiren was shocked. He had never imagined that he was dining with the first person to be called a tycoon in the web novel circle, Tycoon Youyue! The identity of Lady Zhao might be a plus point for others, but for a male chauvinist like him, it was a minus. He wanted a girl that he could win over in various areas C not someone like Zhao Youyue who could crush him in all areas. Save me Queen! was an exceptionally good book that became extremely popular recently. Its author was The Knee Which Does Not Talk, who was called a God author, based on this single book, which also happened to be his only. The various paragraphs and chapters in the book kept readers glued for hours. Its contents made them laugh and cry many times over a single reading. Zhao Youyue had been recommended by another tycoon to read this book. As a result, she became addicted to it. First, she rewarded it with two Silver Sect Masters. Then, as the book was competing in the ranking board, Zhao Youyue gave out another 1,000,000 points to the novel and became the Golden Sect Master of the book. For an average reader, it was ridiculous to spend RMB 12,000 on a book. It was unimaginable. Well, poverty has restricted their imagination. To Tycoon Youyue, it was probably a regular joes RMB 1,200? No, even lesser, maybe In conclusion, Xiao Yiren felt as if he had just won the grand prize in a lottery. Might Zhao Youyue notice his book, one day? Is he living in the world of his novel? Translation note: [1] Bot account (Ӫ) is an account for marketing purposes. Chapter 674 - Nothing In Common Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation Even though Lady Zhaos lavish glamor had initially put him off, Xiao Yiren could not help but admit that Zhao Youyues identity as Tycoon Youyue changed everything. A short chat with her, and she had given him so many fresh ideas and inspirations that he had walked away as a better writer Naturally, Xiao Yiren was peppered with questions from his parents as he was on the way back. They were asking things about Lady Zhao. He recalled how he was helplessly suppressed by her the entire journey, and could only laugh sheepishly to their questions. Unable to zero in on the situation, his parents instead said things about how Zhao Youyue was actually a pretty good person. No, she was just too good. No one at her age would be able to match her. Xiao Yiren remembered her vividly in his heart, as he had just seen another side of Zhao Youyue. Perhaps, one day, he might choose her as the main character of his novel. Of course, it would still revolve around the premise of shifting worlds. He could then confidently make Lady Zhao single. Later, Xiao Yiren was asked by Lady Zhao to create a cameo character called Wu Lili. It was supposed to turn his Shift! The Female Elite Scholar into something exceptional, but instead, it all crumbled down. He struck rock bottom He blamed himself for it. He was just too young. His first book had been too successful for his own good. He became overly engrossed with writing, until finally, his psyche shattered into shards that showered around him. To this, he felt extremely apologetic towards his loyal reader, Lady Zhao. Therefore, the next time Xiao Yiren heard that Zhao Youyue would be joining him for dinner, he decided to stay out of it. Xiao Yiren had initially longed for romance and freedom. He had thought that he would have been able to experience a profoundly moving relationship with the perfect reader in his heart, Zhao Youyue. However, in the end, he lost all contact with Zhao Youyue Unless Xiao Yiren stands on top of the literary world, he would never have the courage to face Zhao Youyue again. The most he could do was write about her in his own stories. Xiao Yiren knew that Zhao Youyue was the only girl who had moved his heart in his entire life. She was just too perfect and excellent. She was just like one of his fictional female characters. However, he was just too useless. When a girl like this appeared in real life, he had to avoid her, as he was a cold-hearted male chauvinist. Fame would not solve the weakness in his personality. He was a coward. He only felt like he mattered to the world whenever he wrote a story. The only thing in this world that gave him warmth was his readers love. Sadly, the Elite Scholar book currently gave him nothing but malice. He only had himself to blame, which did not help his already poor confidence. He still could not tell if he could recover from this. Fortunately, there were still many tolerant fairy-godmother/father readers in this world. They brought the depressed Drunk for Her out of his slump. He finally succeeded in attaining the High God position in his niche, unpopular genre. Sadly when that finally happened, he could no longer find the missy who had moved his heart in the beginning. His successful work had been based on the girl who had moved his heart. Others might even think that he was talking nonsense and stretching facts. Little did they know that the real world actually housed such a missy. They also did not know that her name was Zhao Youyue. She was lively, cheerful, and elegant. She was not short of friends around her. She enjoyed a life full of luxury and refinement. She had always been single, as no man could walk inside her heart. She was far too experienced. She had seen far too much. No trick was new to her. Sincerity would never win her over. She just wanted to live in bliss. It was her right. She would never know that a guy who she once knew had written a multi-million word-length romance novel that was based on her. Every single word and paragraph in there professed his love towards her. He had placed her on the highest of all pedestals. In reality, they shared nothing in common. At least, he could pour all of his love on her in his writings. Even if she never reads it, his readers most definitely appreciated it, judging by the success. On Zhao Youyues hand, that one dinner was the only time she ever encountered him. After that dinner, Lady Zhao had said that she wanted to see some same-aged girls the next time they met up for dinner. As for same-aged guys, that was a no-no. Well, she could do with male creators. It had been a most odd directive. What were the odds of them finding an excellent male creator who was her age? Some people just needed to enjoy the worlds created by creators. They did not have to create things on their own. Basically, their parents would never allow them to go down that path. On the contrary, they should learn how to manage other humans. They were bound to inherit empires from their families, they should learn to act like a ruler. The majority of creators were essentially failures. Even more so, if you compared them to those who were born with status. Therefore, failures could only pursue success in the spiritual world. They could earn success in reality upon death. If they had created classics, those books would never be forgotten. They might even have the power to form entirely new source worlds. On the other hand, those so-called rulers and superiors would be forgotten by history. Zhao Youyue gave every outstanding creator her respect. In her eyes, these cute creators were more interesting, compared to those who slogged meaninglessly every day. Zhao Youyue soon put everything that happened today behind her. She did not even finish reading Shift! The Female Elite Scholar. The first few chapters of this book had not been that bad. It was just that how the Otaku male chauvinist appreciated beauty was quite off-putting for her. The last few chapters she read had been repetitive. The world was vast. It was inevitable that his popularity would decline. Interestingly, Zhao Youyue had entered this work at random in the past. However, she did not think that it could have been saved. It would be better to tear it apart and make her exit Thus, she had possessed Wu Lili and tore the place up. She even gave her god-like, nature-ending powers. No author would accept such ideas into the final cut. Little did she expect Drunk For Her to be so stupid. He was as stupid as a pig! Zhao Youyue was also ashamed of her actions. Both of them had ended up being afraid of meeting each other. Zhao Youyue tried to compensate for the whole situation by creating a new account to support Drunk For Her from the shadows. So, do not think that Drunk For Her was a good author, just because he had earned a few Sect Masters in a particular book. In reality, Zhao Youyue had been singularly responsible for it all! Drunk For Her thought that he had become a God. Little did he know that Zhao Youyue had tried to compensate him by going around, reading groups and promoting him, asking them to give Drunk For Her a High God level. He could have become a High God five years ago, but she had ruined it all! This was the future. It was the milestone on the road to cultivation for Drunk For Her. To Lady Zhao, however, it was just a trivial matter. Later, Drunk For Her somehow learned of the truth. Perhaps it came to him in the form of a revelating dream. He might have even lost his mind from all the criticism of the book, Shift! The Female Elite Scholar. Therefore, after writing more than 1.4 million words in this book, after laying out so many words, it was just to tell the readers the truth C It was not his fault at first. He had grown arrogant. Of course, everything was actually Zhao Youyues fault. Of course, the missy was too kind. She had tried to compensate him discreetly. Chapter 675 - The Pathway of an Empress Regnant" Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation To Zhao Youyue, Xiao Yiren was just a young creator who could not produce anything substantial. There was nothing to gain from him. Instead, it would be troublesome, if her parents misunderstood their relationship. This creator was destined to be a passer-by in her life. If Lady Zhaos legendary life was ever compiled into a novel, then Xiao Yirens presence had to be a side character or a cameo. Of course, Lady Zhao ended up as a source of inspiration for Xiao Yiren. He could use her in many ways in his novels. After Zhao Youyue expressed clearly about her rejection towards this match-making, her parents who had always loved her made sure not to step on her toes again. Zhao Jiayi and Wang Hua were very open-minded people. They did not think that girls must necessarily marry a man. As long as she had enough money, there was nothing to be afraid of. She could carry on and live her life happily. She would not have to adhere to the old Chinese customs and traditions. Ordinary people who had no strong will of their own would only be caught up in ridiculous customs and traditions, only to shoved into marriage. After that, they would repeat their boring daily lives. In the end, they would lie to themselves, saying how blissful and perfect their lives were. After this experience, Zhao Youyues focus went back to the Source World of the Witcher. She felt that she could stop relying on the autoplay assistant [1]. The process of climbing up the technological tree of farming was getting rather boring and dull. It was more enjoyable to shake things up in the world. However, as this farming process lacked definition, some people might be led into thinking that the expansion of Princess Olivias power was just too impressive. The combination of science and magic was just too powerful. It was an industrial revolution. It was just like in modern China, where western forces trampled the backward agricultural-based Qing Dynasty with their ships and cannons. They were basically forced into treaties that crippled them. Princess Olivia was about to start doing something with her technological superiority In the real world, the Source World Culture Company that was under Zhao Youyue released an original 3D animation called The Pathway of an Empress Regnant. The CGI was impeccable. Afterall, it was a perfect recording of everything that had happened in the Source World. Zhao Youyue published it on the internet. In the beginning, nobody really took notice. It was relatively slow-paced, but if one sat back and scrutinized it, they would see that it was a work of genius! The animation was flawless, due to its supernatural nature. The sceneries, costumes could not have been designed any better! It was truly uncommon to see a historically-inspired work that featured such accurate props. Fantasy Anime have grown highly prevalent. However, many of them had been half-assed. It was no different from watching a lazily drafted cartoon. There was no authenticity, no immersion, no passion! However, The Pathway of an Empress Regnant had attracted quite a few hardcore fans. Some fans even had suspicions that those involved in the production of this work were Western History Professors who had a deep understanding of the Middle Ages Also, how the heck do you even overlook the quality of the animation?. Many viewers even wondered if this Source World Culture Company was crazy. How much money did they use to produce such quality? Furthermore, who the heck were these voiec actors? They never once unveiled their names. Did they actually grab hold of professional western voice actors to do the voice overs? After all, their accents were flawless! Even differences between the accents of aristocrats and non-aristocrats were distinct. Most importantly, the main character of The Pathway of an Empress Regnant C the Pearl of the Northern Kingdoms, Princess Olivia, was adorable! She had been incredibly beautiful since birth. Even if the loli Princess Olivia stood there and did nothing, everyone would go all moe over her! Sadly, she was a scheming isekai traveller. She even had access to the games system. How fun it was to watch this overpowered loli stir up trouble. In the beginning, everyone had casually watched this scheming lolis path to greatness. Even watching her interact with her sister, Cirilla, was explicitly heart-warming and cute. Ah, the joy of yuri. This was just like the recently popular citrus [2] Eventually, this yuri hidden gem somehow gained traction. Viewers felt that they were watching an epic masterpiece. It contained various complexities, such as politics, culture, economy, customs and many more. No other fantasy work went through such great pains to appear so convincing! If such work made it to the west, it would most definitely be a hit. Many western audiences expressed their amazement at how an eastern cultural company could produce such an original piece of fantasy work. It was indeed a remarkable achievement! The China in this World was very strong and powerful. It had even attracted many informants and spies from western countries as well. They had even used this animation as an example to point fingers at their own countrys quality of work. Why couldnt they produce such quality? Where did they go wrong? Of course, it was no fault of theirs. Their country did not have any of their Zhao Youyues who could use the Two Dimensional Gate. Her animations had not been made with computers. Her Royal Highness Princess Olivia had handed it through the Two Dimensional Gate. Of course, the climax of The Pathway of an Empress Regnant would be the Massacre of Cintra. The sisters, Cirilla and Olivia, had to depend and go through very hard times. It had been so terrifically jarring and unnerving. Many viewers no longer treated it as a trifling past time. It was an actual religion! Viewers started following the series zealously. They were excited to see how the sisters were going to change their fates. They were excited to see their identities as the daughters of the Nilfgaardian Empire get revealed, and lastly, they were excited to see which Princess ends up inheriting the massive empire from the South! After all, Emperor Emhyr had done far too much evil, desecrate too many graves, and betrayed his secret virtues. He was no longer fertile. Thus, if Cirilla and Olivias identity were exposed, then the most qualified persons to inherit the empire would be these two Princesses of Cintra. Under these circumstance, Zhao Youyue became Princess Olivia once again. She continued her own pathway to becoming an Empress Regnant. Translation note: [1] Autoplay assistant (һй) is a service or an application where it will automatically grind the game for you. Some variation of an autoplay-mode can be found in most of the top-grossing Chinese RPGs, and their implementation can be very pervasive. [2] Citrus () is a popular Chinese slang describing lesbians. It originated from the Japanese Yuri manga Citrus. The term citrus came about as the protagonist of the Anime smelled a citrus taste from her half-sister, and thus opened the doors to her Yuri adventures. [3] Cultural globalization company (Ļ˾) refers to a company which is in the business of transmission of ideas, meanings, and values around the world in such a way as to extend and intensify social relations. This process is marked by the collective consumption of cultures that have been diffused by the Internet, popular culture media, and international travel. Chapter 676 - Controlling The Economy Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation Olivia felt as if she was playing the game Civilization as she developed Kaer Morhen as her base of operations. The game system seemed to have changed. She was no longer playing an RPG, she was playing a farming strategy game. Building up a new wonder of the world might even add to her own powers. If she did not have the game system by her side, it would have been impossible for her to develop this otherwise poor and desolate Kaer Morhen into its current wealthy and prosperous state. The autoplay assistant had done much Of course, Kaer Morhen was nothing like the great old cities such as Vizima [1], the capital city of Temeria, or the Nilfgaardian Empires capital, the City of Golden Towers [2], or the Free City of Novigrad [3]. Novigrad was indeed a very prosperous and famous city. It was a free city, located within the boundaries of Redania. It was the largest city in the North, and one of the major ports on the continent. The Northern people even coined Novigrad as the worlds capital. There was actually a reason for this. The city had an astonishing amount of wealth, influence, and strategic importance. It was a city that was envied by multiple countries. Emperor Emhyrs plans accounted for Novigrad as well. People from different backgrounds and occupations filed into the city. It was home to almost 30,000 inhabitants, excluding the merchants and visitors who came to the city. Its main roads were paved with stone. Novigrad had a harbor, many warehouses, four watermills, slaughterhouses, sawmills and an enormous shoe factory. It was home to all manner of craftsmen. It had coin mints, eight banks, and nineteen pawnshops. The only downside was that the citys civilization had not yet been developed. Within the citys spectacular buildings and business facilities, there was a cult called the Eternal Fire [4]. The local Reverend and temple guards had forced a rein over the citys head and had forced it to move to their liking. They used superstition to control the citys citizens, their jurisdiction only growing day by day. It was strictly forbidden to wear any other symbol of Gods or to preach and perform rituals of other religions. The citizens in Novigrad were only allowed to believe in the Eternal Fire. Anyone else was a heretic. By law, they would be put to the torch. All in all, the Eternal Fire cult had enormous power over the city. They built the Great Temple of the Eternal Fire on an island, naming it Temple Isle. As the citizens often said, You could find anything you want in the city of Novigrad. Zerrikania [5] spices? We have it. Swords cast by ancient dwarfs? Not a problem, buy one, and you get another for free. Toussaint grape wine? Whatever you want, we have it C As long as you have money, the more, the better. As a free city, its City Council had created its unique form of currency and measurement units. By this, Novigrad could guarantee its position as a trading center in the continent. As the North and South clashed, the economies of all countries were severely impacted. Now, the most valuable currency out there was the Novigrads Crown [6]. Novigrad was not a country, but as a city with free trade, Novigrad had a flourishing economy. The Crowns value became grossly inflated. Now, it was the worlds only universal payment method. Whether it was the merchants, nobleman, townspeople, and farmers from the North, or the Nilfgaardian quartermaster, dwarf bankers, prostitutes, and of course, witchers, all of them traded with Crowns. At the moment, Olivia sat in a luxurious carriage, heading towards the free city of Novigrad to wrap up some business dealings. After a few years of growing up, Olivia was now a drop-dead gorgeous beauty. She had long, silver hair that flowed down to her waist. She always wore fashionable clothes that she had designed herself. Not only did they match the world, but no other designer would also be able to come close to their artistic value She invented new forms of jewelry. By using technology to create glass, she sold this jewelry like it was gold. Of course, she was ripping off every one of her customers. She relied on the very fact that she was the pioneer C the one who had discovered it and many others. In conclusion, the costumes designed by the Pearl of the Northern Kingdoms, Princess Olivia, became a favorite brand across the world. Its consumer base mainly consisted of those wealthy aristocrat ladies. Apparently, they did not cost much to make either. However, as a brand, Olivia reaped in vast volumes of profit. Initially, Princess Olivia had wanted to become an Empress Regnant. She had first used up the savings of the witchers from the School of the Wolf to start a business. She had planned to have it serve as the source of her funds. Little did she expect her business to pick up and grow into an empire of its own. The allowances that she gave the witchers from the School of the Wolf was enough for them to live their entire lives without hunting monsters anymore. This was not entirely unexpected. No matter which world or era, if someone monopolized or even created a new sector in the market, could anyone even compete? Some businesses would resort to unethical practices to go against Olivias business. Unfortunately, Olivia was just not their match. The witchers were determined to protect Olivias business interest. After all, they were major shareholders of the business. Furthermore, Olivia was Geralts adopted daughter. As they had lived together in Kaer Morhen for such a long time already, they were practically family. Now that she brought such major change to Kaer Morhen which directly improved the lives of all witchers from the School of the Wolf, they were incredibly grateful towards Olivia, as they did not have to risk their lives hunting monsters. Now, to all the witchers in the School of the Wolf, hunting monsters were just a hobby. It was just like shooting animals. It was not something they had to do to survive. From what she had read in other fantasy novels, Olivia became inspired to kick-start a legendary mercenary union. She divided its members into groups and squads, and gave out tasks accordingly. Hiring mercenaries was nothing like the professional army that she had in mind, but at they served their purpose well enough. Olivia was in Novigrad to strike a raw materials business deal. Kaer Morhen, which had grown into an industrialized city was in need of all kinds of raw materials. She would not reject any iron ore, copper ore, coal or wood. It was time to expand the influence of Olivias business to Novigrad. She wanted to control this free city through economic means! Once this goal is achieved, then Olivia would never be short of money anymore! Translation note: [1] Vizima (ά) is the capital city of Temeria, one of the Northern Kingdoms and the seat of king Foltest at the intersection of important trade routes. [2] City of Golden Towers (֮) is the capital to both the region and empire that grew to conquer all foreign lands south of the Yaruga. The city itself is located on the lower side of the river Alba, in the core of the Nilfgaardian Empire. [3] Free City of Novigrad (֮ŵά) is a free city within Redania and is therefore not subject to the rule of that kingdom. [4] Eternal Fire (֮) is a religious cult that had many followers among humans of the Northern Kingdoms. [5] Zerrikania () is a land with hot climate located in the south-eastern part of the continent and connected with other human states by Elskerdeg Pass. [6] Crown (), also known as the Novigradian crown, is a monetary unit which is used in some Northern Kingdoms. Chapter 677 - Good Father Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation Of course, Cirilla came along. As she did not like dressing up, she did not seem that different from a few years ago. She was not that pretty, but she was far more talkative and sociable. After years of living a carefree and happy life with her sister Olivia and adoptive father Geralt in Kaer Morhen, she had slowly walked out of the psychology trauma caused by the Massacre of Cintra. However, the love she had for her sister remained the same, if not stronger. Cirilla believed that the only blood relative left in this world was her sister, Olivia. She did not know that both her grandmother and father were still alive. Cirilla had the guidance of Triss, and had even picked up Olivias scientific magic. As a Source who had the Elder Blood, her powers had increased exponentially. Cirilla, who possessed a main character template, was highly proficient in martial arts and magic. She had learned how to use magic, and had even mastered the sword skills of a witcher. If Olivia was the leader of the force of Kaer Morhen, then Cirilla was Olivias biggest trump card. If Olivia was not with her, then Cirilla could have never gotten this powerful. The two sisters sat together in the carriage, silently appreciating the companionship. They had gone through it all, life, death, ups and downs. No one could ever separate them. Cirilla, who seemed strong on the surface, would appear to many as the dominant partner in the pairing. Nothing could be farther from the truth. Well, she did spoil her sister a little too much. Cirilla was willing to do anything for her sister. She even felt that her relationship with her sister was perpetually in the sweet honeymoon phase Olivia thought that her sister had blossomed into womanhood. She had been an ugly-duckling in her youth. Her hand-painted portraits could be evidence to this. However, now that the power of her blood was slowly developing, her freckled face was slowly becoming smooth and fair. Most fascinating was the increasingly apparent heroic spirit of Cirilla, which was nothing like the delicateness of an average girl. Cirilla appeared to others like a female leopard. Powerful, yet elegant and charming at the same time. In any case, Cirilla was once a royal born Princess of the Kingdom of Cintra. Even if the Nilfgaardian Empire had conquered Cintra, she should be considered as first in line to inherit the Kingdom of Cintra. Emphyr had never succeeded in entirely stemming the rebellion. To quash the rebellion, according to the practices of this era, Nilfgaardian Empires Emperor Emhyr most likely had to marry the first-in-line heir, Cirilla. This way, the rebellion would subside on its own. Those rebels in Cintra would have no reason to rebel anymore. They were even thinking about the future when Cirilla gives birth to a son who would inherit the Nilfgaardian Empire. Wouldnt he be the King of Cintra and the Emperor of the Nilfgaardian Empire? In the end, the people who rebelled in this world were not the people from the bottom of society, but instead, they were aristocrats. The western peoples spirit of resistance was from an entirely different world when compared to those of the eastern people. They did not know of the saying, Does birth give kings and nobles their high status? There was this belief that once there was a rule of law, and when one has obtained titles and achievement, then only could the rebellion be quelled. It was odd, but it worked. However, the crux of the matter was that Emperor Emhyr was the biological father of Cirilla. Must he really do that? No monster would do this. Was it possible for Emperor Emhyr to marry his own daughter to quash the Cintrian rebellion, when he was the one who did not want to admit that he married Princess Pavetta? This was quite the predicament. Since Emperor Emhyr was certain that no one knew of his relationship with Cirilla, why couldnt he marry her? This aged Emperor was nearing death. He had most likely gone completely mad. He had been looking for Cirilla till now, but the one who was gradually making a big name for herself was the Pearl of the Northern Kingdoms, Olivia. Her businesses were flourishing, be it in the Nilfgaardian Empire, or the North! Emperor Emhyr had always expected much from his daughter, Olivia. His youngest daughter had been a genius. She mastered everything in an instance. She even seemed to be a natural at political acumen. From the very beginning, Emperor Emhyr had been very keen to bring Olivia back to the Nilfgaardian Empire to educate her there. Now, in his infertile condition, he felt that it was the perfect choice to have Olivia inherit his throne. After knowing that Olivia was still alive and even became the leader of the exclusive group of witchers, Emperor Emhyr grew fascinated and curious. He did not ask for Olivia to be brought back to the palace and announce to the world that she was his first-in-line heir. Instead, he began to pay attention to his daughter. He wanted to see how far she could develop Kaer Morhen. Even though Emperor Emhyr killed his wife, destroyed Cintra, slaughtered its citizens, desecrated graves, and also wanted to become a deadbeat father who would not stop at marrying his eldest daughter Cirilla, he was still a good father to Olivia. Why was Olivias business allowed to be in the Nilfgaardian Empire without any obstructions and even looked after by government officials? Well, obviously, the Emperor had something to do with this. This could be considered the rare spark of kindness that was offered by the harsh and merciless Emperor Emhyr. He never thought that there might come a day where Olivia would not give any face to him. Inheriting the vast Nilfgaardian Empire in the South? Olivia did not see why she had to. If she wanted something, she would obtain it through her own hard work and efforts. She did not need to rely on her father! Even if she had to rely on her father, her father was the White Wolf Geralt, who was miles better than Emhyr. Geralt had even got Cirillas approval as a good father. The legendary witcher was indeed a very reliable man. His charming personality was far better than Emperor Emhyrs. Geralt was still communicating with the sorceress he had fallen in love with at first sight, Yennefer. He was hoping that she could come over to train Cirilla. He wanted her to bring the girls to the Aretuza Academy in Thanedd Island to further their studies. Geralt had squeezed all he could out of. Now it was Yennefers turn. Chapter 678 - Curiosity Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation Undoubtedly, Yennefer of Vengerberg was a similarly legendary female sorceress. Finding her in a Gwent deck would not be much of a surprise. She was a hero card with seven battle points, even possessing an extra medic skill, which allowed the player to choose one card from their discarded pile and play it instantly. This was a reasonably practical skill in Gwent. With such a precious and rare neutral card, usage was mandatory. Her quote was as so - - Yennefer of Vengerberg, raven-haired, clad in black and white, the first thing you would think of on a December morning. Yennefer was known for her beauty. She always dressed in black and white, producing a fragrant, lilac and gooseberry scent. Most impressive of all were her violet eyes, raven-black hair, and the black marigold with a star made of obsidian that sparkled from a multitude of tiny diamonds embedded in it that hung on her neck. There were beauty marks just below the left corner of her lips and on her cheeks. It must have something to do with her quarter-elf blood. Yennefer had participated in The Battle of Sodden Hill with her friend Triss Merigold. She lived through it but Fringilla Vigo had ruined her eyes. Eventually, she underwent treatment to restore her vision. Geralt had already contacted Yennefer two years ago. He had written loads about his newly adopted daughters Cirilla and Olivia, but got no response. This had left Geralt somewhat disappointed and anxious. Geralt may have had several flings with various sorceresses, Yennefer was his one true love. Of course, Yennefer also loved Geralt just as much. However, women were always the more tsundere of the pair. As she had only found herself attached to Geralt because of a djinn, Yennefer had, many a time, tried to lift the magic of the djinn to verify if their love was truly genuine. Women so fickle. They would never leave their partners alone without asking the question - - Do you really love me? Their love was genuine no double-checking needed, yet there they were, constantly checking on their men. That verbal affirmation was the final nail in the coffin. These djinn were powerful air elementals, power of the elements manifested into form and personality the latter usually nasty. Djinns were born from the legends of genies. The type that granted wishes once rubbed out of their lamps. According to legend, djinns could grant even the most far-fetched of wishes, though they did so very begrudgingly. Unusually powerful mages could capture and tame these beings. The mages could then draw on its energy, using it to cast spells without having to call on the Power via conventional means. Only a sparse handful have managed this feat. Naturally, djinns would doggedly fight to avoid such fates. To imprison a djinn and bend it to ones will, one must first weaken it and that was no easy feat. They could fire off a volley of spells in an instant something that the most accomplished of human mages could never cast with years of preparation. Whats more, they could manipulate their element this case being air, and summon powerful storms, hurricanes, and gales. Fortunately, as magical beings, they were vulnerable to silver C yet steel would do them no harm. Of course, Olivia had done her homework on djinns. Now that she was rich and powerful, she had even established her own group of mercenaries and issued them the task of finding a djinn. She intended to capture a djinn and do some research on it. Of course, Yennefer still loved Geralt. Her eyes were the only reason she had yet to reply to Geralt. She cared a fair bit about her looks, so why would she display a less than perfect side to Geralt? At the same time, Yennefer was also actively looking for ways to have children with Geralt. She easily got jealous, so when she saw that Geralt had already taken a step forward by adopting two daughters, she felt as if she had been tossed aside. Had she not already told Geralt that she would bear his children? Why would that oaf adopt two new daughters now? Was he ridiculing her for her barren womb? Yennefer was just as eccentric as any other sorceress. She now eyed Geralts two foster daughters with enmity. To them, they were temporary stand-ins for her future children. Of course, Yennefer really cared about Geralt. No matter what he did, it would set her mind racing. Of course, she was overthinking it. That simple witcher never did anything in a roundabout fashion. Geralt loved Yennefer. He knew how eager she was to have children for him. However, as they were a doubly infertile pairing of a sorceress and a witcher, there was no way that it could be done. If so, they could just treat Cirilla and Olivia as their biological children. If he had Yennefer as the foster mother of these two princesses, would her problems not be solved? In the letter written to Yennefer, Geralt had elaborated on how brilliant Cirilla and Olivia were. Cirilla was as brave, courageous, and upright like he was. On the other, Olivia was as beautiful, charming, mysterious and elegant as Yennefer. She was highly talented as a sorceress, not in terms of blood energy, but her profound knowledge that was not in accordance with her age. Geralt added on that Kaer Morhen was now no longer the empty, desolate ruin that once was. Well-paved roads that connected Kaer Morhen to many other prosperous cities had been laid out. Kaer Morhen was now practically a trade center. Many businesses have converged, where they would ensure that Kaer Morhens produces made it to every corner of the world. Several sorceresses who graduated from the famous Sorceress Academy of Aretuza have also chosen to settle down in Kaer Morhen. There, they were treated with the utmost dignity and honor. Of course, the representative of sorceresses would be Triss. She had not yet resigned from her position as a royal court mage in Temeria. However, as she lingered on in Kaer Morhen, slowly and subtly, she actually found herself enjoying herself On the peripheries of Kaer Morhen, refugees who have displaced by the war started turning up. They settled down and built villages, but they would not be content until they became official residents of the city Olivia had personally designed. It was probably the fairest, neatest and the most beautiful city in the entire continent. Many people could not believe that this city was built around the Kaer Morhen castle in just three years. They could only assume that black technology like magic was used in the construction of infrastructural facilities. Conventionally, the magic of sorcerers were used for nothing but battle and destruction. When her eyes finally healed, Yennefer did not give a moments pause before rushing out to see the new Kaer Morhen. She also dearly missed Geralt. At the same time, she wanted to see whether Geralts two foster daughters were worthy of her approval. Chapter 679 - Another Encounter with the Prince Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation As Yennefer prepared to head for Kaer Morhen, Olivia was still completing a few small side quests in Novigrad. The game system worked like so. Every time she went to a new place, she would receive a lot of new quests. Naturally, Olivia was now the de facto leader of Kaer Morhen. She was both a sorceress and a witcher. All she lacked was the trial of the grasses. Even so, as a highly technical witch with the game system behind her back, she was most likely a more efficient hunter than either one of the two. Currently, Olivia was not alone. In addition to her source of a sister, Cirilla who would never leave her sight, she also had an elite group of knights escorting her. They may not be anything like the personal guards of Emperor of Nilfgaard and other various great kings in the Northern Kingdoms, but they were not inferior to the guards of average small kingdoms. Money could buy you decent security. Of course, her charisma as the Pearl of the Northern Kingdoms also played a part in that. Wandering knights from distant lands wanted to become the guardian knight of a flourishing kingdoms princess. However, someone had already taken up this position. Olivias guardian knight, was of course, her sister Cirilla. Cirilla had always been great at both magic and fighting. Her talent was preeminent. Now that Olivia was personally cultivating her, she might end up even stronger than Olivia the hacker! She has the double blessing of the protagonist aura and the child of fate! Currently, this protagonist child of fate was committed to her sister. As she now had a sister complex to bolster herself, she was stronger than ever. If her sister ever got into trouble, she would definitely blacken.[1] She would probably transform into a huge devil and destroy the whole world As Olivia was not a lone ranger like Geralt, she only had to lean back and bark orders to the left and right and her quests would be completed at her whim. It was a bonus if Cirilla did all the hard work. That way, she killed two birds with one stone. Cirilla would not be kept too long from her training. By default, they were already in the same party. As long as Cirilla killed the monster, Olivias quest would register the kill. To others, it would seem as if Olivia was completely making use of Cirilla. In actuality, Cirilla did it on her own volition. Her childhood trauma had turned her obsessed in the pursuit of enormous power. At the same time, she did not want her sister to take unnecessary risks. As her sisters guardian knight, she was duty-bound to be her sisters sword! In the beginning, the inexperienced Cirilla still found herself in the occasional pinch. Whenever that happened, Olivia would always take her sister out of danger and bring her back to safety. Cirilla had full faith in her sisters capabilities, so she could go all out in combat The wise Olivia made an excellent leader. She stood back, surveying the scene and analyzing every detail, instead of throwing herself into danger. Now, Olivia had an excellent reputation. When she had amassed significant wealth, she began to seek ways to improve Kaer Morhen even further. She headed to Novigrad to pitch Kaer Morhen to its ruler and people. Kaer Morhen still has more room to spare, do visit us! No matter what era it was, talent played a major role. To Olivia, sorceresses with potent blood energy were akin to modern production lines, while gifted commoners would be really valuable resources. Currently, the still relative-sparse population of Kaer Morhen took their first steps into a compulsory education system. From an early age, poor children who could not have possibly enrolled in any educational institute and remain illiterate for the rest of their lives would be taken in. They gained all the knowledge they needed there, while Olivia gained all the loyalty they could offer in turn. Naturally, the free city of Novigrad took in the wealthy and powerful businesswoman Olivia with open arms. A parliament ruled the city. Of course, its members were all wealthy businessmen. When the Speaker[2] saw Olivias extravagance, he started to have dreams of roping her into the parliament. He could not help but voice some of his lamentations to her, saying that the security of the city actually rested in the hands of a few criminals, such as Whoreson Junior[3] and The King of Beggars[4]. If Kaer Morhens leader, the president of Olivias Chamber of Commerce, the leader of the witchers from the School of the Wolf, the Pearl of the Northern Kingdoms, the Cintran little Princess Olivia joined the parliament, calling it a new era would be an understatement. Of course, if she wanted to become a member of the parliament formally, she must also contribute to Novigrad. Otherwise, her position would not be justified. Little did they know that Olivia already had a long trail of titles behind her name As the Speaker spoke, a relatively tricky side quest popped up in Olivias game system. Even so, she had been given ample leeway on her methods of completing it. She could contribute to Novigrad by getting rid of the criminals who consistently gave the people of Novigrad a headache. She could also sell her merchandise to the major businessmen in the parliament at a special discount, or merely add on to her slew of titles. Coming out as the Princess of the Nilfgaardian Empire would be one option. It could not be helped. Emperor Emhyr rule was indomitable. The small kingdoms in the Northern Realms shivered beneath his shadow. If word got out that Olivia was actually the daughter of the Emperor and his heir apparent, then Olivia would be treated as a guest of honor wherever she went Of course, there was a second side to a coin. Others would plot against Olivia. At worst, assassins might attempt to drive a blade into her back. Without a successor, the entire Nilfgaardian Empire would fall into civil disorder. In actuality, Emperor Emphyrs apparent lack of an heir was a commonly whispered topic among many ministers of the Nilfgaardian Empire. Clearly, after his return, he had played around with many women, but he still bore no children Olivia was not in a hurry to join Novigrads parliament. She always planned three steps ahead of anything. Indeed, this prosperous and bustling Free City was worth her interest. However, she wanted complete control, not just a seat in the Parliament. It was no wonder that Olivia was the daughter of the dictator Emperor Emhyr. Her desire for power was far beyond that of the average ruler. There was no such thing as liberal democracy in her eyes. When Olivia received a letter from Geralt asking her and Cirilla to return to Kaer Morhen to welcome Yennefer, she was almost finished with her affairs in Novigrad, so she decided to leave. Coincidentally, after Olivia came out of the city, she actually encountered a certain someone who was attempting to travel to Novigrad incognito. His name was Kistrin. He was His Royal Highness the Prince of Verden, who had once been Olivias fianc. He had not struck Olivia as much. He was lucky enough to be the fianc of Cintras little princess, which ironically made him look like scum in comparison. Cirilla had furiously spread rumors about him to Olivia, saying that the good-for-nothing Kistrin was not just fat and ugly, he reeked of alcohol and bad breath However, when they met each other again, Olivia discovered that Kistrin was actually neither fat nor ugly. So much for freaking fat and ugly? Translation note : [1] In TYPE-MOONs Fate series, blackening (\, Kokka) is a process by which a being is tainted by an outside force, causing their personality to be reversed toward the orientation of evil. There are several different processes that can blacken a being. [2] Speaker here takes the meaning of the presiding officer in a legislative assembly, especially the House of Commons. [3] Cyprian Wiley, more well known as Whoreson Junior, is one of the four crime bosses of Novigrad alongside Sigi Reuven, Carlo Varese, and Francis Bedlam. Wiley is in possession of an arena, a casino, a hideout in Novigrad, and a residence in Oxenfurt. [4] The King of Beggars (Francis Bedlam) was one of the four underworld bosses in Novigrad, alongside Whoreson Junior, Sigi Reuven, and Cleaver. Chapter 680 - Rebellion Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation Prince Kistrin was neither fat nor ugly, but he was far from Vilgefortzs and Geralts looks. The former was Olivias teacher in her childhood. The latter was her foster father in her adolescence. Anyhow, regarding looks, he had already lost. If Prince Kistrin was a character in a novel, then he would be nothing but a cameo. Unless the Gods granted him a golden finger and allowed him to transform from a side-character to a protagonist, one step at a time, he would amount to no more than a cameo. Even so, as the heir to the Kingdom of Verden, he was far more talented than his cowardly, weak father. This prince was known for his great courage and valiance. Of course, all this paled in comparison to his status as a once-fianc of the Pearl of the Northern Kingdoms. He had earned the envy of many bachelor aristocrats from all over the Northern Kingdoms. The legend of Cintras little Princess Olivias beauty had spread throughout the North. At the same time, her artistic talent in music and painting had also drawn admiration from elders and celebrities alike. For nobles who took great care of their reputation, if they hoped to bring this perfect vase home and enshrine her. It was just like a crown that had been inlaid with pearls. She was the peak of beauty. Having such a beauty in their court would earn them due credit! In the end, no one expected Calanthe, the Queen of Cintra to actually betroth Olivia to Prince Kistrin of Verden, in the hope that the Kingdom of Verden would ally itself with Cintra. Perhaps, the two kingdoms could work together and hold off the mighty Nilfgaardian Empire During then, that vast empire from the South was already putting a lot of pressure on the other kingdoms. It was probably the most that Prince Kistrin could ever amount to. As an immature brat, he had spared no opportunity when it came to showing off how he had been engaged to the Pearl of the Northern Kingdoms. At the same time, he had the unquenchable desire to prove his spot - - What could prove his sincerity more than him leading the Verden army and fending off the army of the mighty Nilfgaardian Empire? He may be a side-character, but he still had to prove himself! Although the marriage had not yet been set on paper back then, he was already acting out his role, doing everything in his power to defend the independence of Cintra as the son-in-law of the Queen Oh, how he shone back then. His reputation had started off well, but it had been reduced into ash and soot. As Olivias lucky husband, it was no wonder that certain simple-minded folks became unhappy with him and started spreading all forms of rumors. Even Olivias sister Cirilla joined in and circulated erroneous rumors. Prince Kistrin had indeed been wronged. Still, as he was able to get involved with a peerless beauty like Olivia, why would he think of retreating? Sadly, after enduring so much slander, at the end of it all, he did not even manage to win Olivias hand! His cowardly father had to be blamed for it. His father had started off in favor of the marriage between the two kingdoms. Lets not even mention how Olivia was the Pearl of the Northern Kingdoms. If she married into Verden, that would be something to boast about However, as the pressure from the Nilfgaardian Empire grew, the King of Verden lost his spine. He discovered all methods of delaying the engagement date. Finally, when the Kingdom of Cintra fell, and there was no way for the grounded Prince Kistrin to go save his dear fiance. Kistrin was even more dissatisfied by the fact that when the Nilfgaardian Empire invaded the Kingdom of Verden, his father had quietly welcomed the Emperor and immediately submitted himself and Verden as a vassal state of the Empire. The massacre of Cintra across the river had left the hearts of countless aristocrats in the Northern Realms comatose. After completely losing touch with Olivia, the Pearl of the Northern Kingdoms, Kistrin lost his heart. At the same time, he gained deep, intense hatred towards his weak father. One day, he would raise a flag of rebellion, usurp his father, and then personally rule Verden. The reputation of the Kingdom of Verden had now sunk to the depths of the Northern Realms. Well, it could not be helped. The Kingdom of Cintra had gone down fighting, while the Kingdom of Verden had simply surrendered without even lifting a hand Emperor Emhyr was not a madman who slaughtered people indiscriminately. He showed due mercy to those who knew their places, such as the Kingdom of Verden. In short, he had accepted the Kingdom of Verdens identity as his vassal state for now. Who knows, the Kingdom of Verden might just become a part of the Nilfgaardian Empire, and people would be led to believe that it had been this way since the dawn of time. Proficient rulers knew how to quell the unrest. Create your own history. Make up false declarations and jurisprudence. The King of Verden had grown complacent in his false security. He had made the absolutely right choice. He had retained his throne and saved his people from massacre. There was no way he was going to be like the Lioness of Cintra Calanthe who did not know her place, right? In the eyes of Prince Kistrin, his father was absolutely useless. His father did not know the first thing about ruling. His act of welcoming the Emperor had set the kingdom down on the path of a slow death. He only had his peace now as the Emperor had his sight set on more pertinent matters. Obviously, Prince Kistrin had disguised himself as he was preparing for his rebellion. He never expected to bump into the girl that he once dreamt of every day From Kistrins character information bar, Olivia learned much about him, such as his strong desire to rebel. Interesting. In any case, Prince Kistrin was the crown prince of the Kingdom of Verden. Sooner or later, he would be King. Why start an uprising now? How much had he gone through to be so reckless? This was the first time Kistrin ever laid eyes on Olivia. His prior imagery of her had been that of his own fantasies. He had relied on several paintings to supplement his imagination. The more he fantasized, the more he believed that the Pearl of the Northern Kingdoms Olivia was way too perfect. If he was married to such a person, he could die a happy man! Sadly, harsh reality dealt him a cruel blow. Now, he was already attached to a ball and chain that he had no feelings for. He was also able to convince his spineless father that he had settled down. No one would even imagine the lava that churned within his soul! Unsurprisingly, a new sidequest popped up in Olivias journal. Help Kistrin succeed in his rebellion, topple the King of Verden the traitor to the Kingdom of Cintra. Chapter 681 - World Saving Gwent Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation Olivia had completed so many various side quests that she had grown highly proficient at it. Helping a prince start an uprising was childs play for her. Verden was a tiny kingdom. It was weak and insignificant. Of course, as the little princess of Cintra, Olivia was very familiar with the intricacies of what used to be her neighboring kingdom. She was actually rather grateful for the weakness and incompetence of its king. If not for him, she might truly have been forced to get married to Prince Kistrin. It wasnt like she could not extricate herself from such a situation it was just such a hassle. Wouldnt she be giving His Royal Highness Prince Kistrin the broken engagement protagonist buff? That way, this side-character who had little going for him, other than his minuscule bravery might just snap Passive side-characters were unpromising and boring. On the other hand, traumatize just about any commoner, and they might rise to the occasion. To Olivia, the Kingdom of Verden was small and utterly powerless. It also had nothing much to offer when it came to talent. Moreover, it did not even have military support of its own Lords. Evidently, they had no respect for their king. The fact that the King of Verden had welcomed the Emperor with such open arms certainly came as a disappointment for some radical aristocrats in the kingdom. In turn, they sympathized with the Kingdom of Cintra across the river. Verden had also earned the ire of larger kingdoms of the Northern Realms such as Temeria and Redania. Who was the enemy? Who were the allies? These were the main questions when it came to rebellion. Therefore, Olivia chose to take the initiative to approach her former fianc, Prince Kistrin. Something told her that if she did not take the initiative, he might choose to act like he did not see her. She was right. Prince Kistrin recognized the Pearl of the Northern Kingdoms emblem on the breast of her entourage. It had shocked him to the core. When he finally caught sight of Olivia herself, his heart relived an entire lifetime of turmoil and tension. Much to his frustration, the Pearl of the Northern Kingdoms was even more beautiful than all the portraits he had ever seen. She had surpassed even his fantasies! He was furious. He resented his father even more than ever! The Kingdom of Verden had turned its back to its ally in cold blood, as it was massacred. Who knows. Under his ruling, things might have turned out differently. Prince Kistrin was highly embarrassed over the entire affair. He did not have the courage to face Olivia. If Olivia were currently in a state of despair, perhaps, he might be obligated to lend a helping hand and relieve the guilt bottled up in his heart However, the Pearl of the Northern Kingdoms Olivia was currently living a life, better than ever, and everyone knew about it! In fact, Olivia had started as a princess of a fallen kingdom to being an incredibly famous prominent businesswoman. She was also the leader of Kaer Morhen and had single-handedly given rise to the status of witchers from the School of the Wolf from discriminated to respected. She had created a new kind of entertainment that involved moving pictures, completely outmoding theatrical stage play. Naturally, she had also used that as another means of portraying the School of the Wolf in a brighter, positive light. Such publicity worked wonders. Witchers of the Wolf were now revered. As for the School of the Cat which already had a bad reputation, to begin with, naturally, they ended up carrying the pan. Witchers came with both vices and virtues like any other human, but with their honed abilities, people were doubly critical of them. Thanks to Olivias efforts in romanticizing them appropriately, it did not take long for the public to regard them as knights in shining armor. This was smart publicity. She did not go overboard by deifying them, that would suspend the belief. This magical product had turned into a form of entertainment that achieved effects similar to that of a movie. It was a signature product of Olivias Chamber of Commerce. The Chamber of Commerce had already established theatre chains in several major cities. Olivia was the pioneer entertainment tycoon in this world. As the princess of a subjugated nation, Princess Olivia had been a miracle worker. Bards have started singing ballads about her experiences. Of course, among them included people from Olivias own publicity team and of course, Dandelion who would not sit out of this Poems recited about Princess Olivias heroics as an enterprising woman. From the royal Pearl even among royalty, to impoverished, displaced war refugee to the now famous businesswoman and Lord. She was a legend by herself. Her sister Cirilla and her foster father Geralt gained even more renown for merely being a part of her life. This was especially true for Geralt. As a legendary witcher, his reputation preceded him wherever he went. Some shunned him wherever he went, others outrightly greeted him with steel. Nevertheless, the upper-class aristocrats respected his skill with a blade, if not him. Of course, this earned him a spot on Gwent. He was a neutral-aligned hero card with 15 battle points, the highest among all the Gwent cards! He was iconically quoted as saying - - If thats what it takes to save the world, its better to let that world die. Olivias fame shared mutual benefits with Geralts. The official producer of Gwent was already considering her inclusion into an upcoming deck. Now, who exactly is this official producer? Well, lets just point at the mysterious forces behind this source world Gwent was not exactly a balanced card game. The strong were ridiculously strong, albeit just as rare. You cant just write a card of your own and slap it on the table either. They would not be recognized in official competitions. Only those that have been recognized by the officials and the cards with actual magic powers were truly valuable. Precisely because such a mysterious official existed, a high-value strong Gwent card would often be priced absurdly high! Rare cards were truly scarce. Geralt himself would never find the opportunity to wield his own Gwent card. It was so rare. Even though he was a longtime Gwent player, he had never once seen such a card God knows which influential aristocrat or Gwent card collector would possess such a high-value card. After all, Gwent cards seemed to materialize out of thin air Wait, werent we talking about the rebellion? How did it shift towards Gwent? The powers that would be were sometimes mischevious. When Gwent came into the picture, everything else had to be placed aside for a moment. Chapter 682 - Orthopedic King Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation All in all, Olivias legendary life and the various stories written by the people, had portrayed the Pearl of the Northern Kingdoms Princess of Cintra, Olivia in a legendary light. Many had once thought that she would succumb to her ill-fated as a collateral of war. On the contrary, she was now living a life, better than ever Many thought that a beauty like Olivia would definitely become a prostitute after the fall of her kingdom. If not, she could join the harem of the Southern Nilfgaardian Emperor. After all, there were rumors that the Emperor had declared war to capture the beauty. This rumor started from the Emperors orders to not hurt Olivia and Cirilla. The two Princesses of Cintra had to be brought back alive. To many, Princess Cirilla was just an extra. She was just a tool used to conceal the Emperors actual intentions However, the Pearl of the Northern Kingdoms C Princess Olivia had risen above and beyond everyones expectations. Who could have seen her being adopted by The Geralt of Rivia and gain the trust of the entire School of the Wolf. On top of that, she had acquired Kaer Morhen as a base of operations and the witchers of the Wolf as her lieutenants. If this was not an illustrious career, what was? Now, Kaer Morhen was a mighty neutral force. Its daunting combat effectiveness, magical advancements, and technology were all ahead of its time. Almost all of its commodities had monopolized their respective fields. Demand for their products often outpaced them. Olivia may have introduced herself to the world as a highly capable leader, but she had cleverly kept her sorceress side hidden. This had left many wondering cluelessly about the origin of the many strange magical inventions from Kaer Morhen. They could only draw a line towards the esteemed sorceress, Fourteenth of the Hill Triss. Once again, she was at the center of attention. Many other sorceresses were drawn to Kaer Morhen, initially barren, desolate, and uninhabitable. Now, Kaer Morhen was gradually becoming a bustling Free City in the North. It was not only prosperous, but also clean, tidy, and beautiful. If some found Novigrad unpleasant to the eyes and nose, it was most probably due to the poorer, neglected districts; they would find no such thing in Kaer Morhen. To be precise, those who could afford a place in that city had to either be highly talented, or highly wealthy. The war between the Nilfgaardian Empire and the Northern Realms had implicitly played a significant role in the rapid growth of Kaer Morhen. Olivias Kaer Morhen never spoke of liberal democracy. It lived off the sails of blatant elitism. At least every child had the rights to education. Their destiny was in their hands. The knowledge was there, it all depended on their personal effort. Such autocracy was still better than the monarchy of all the other kingdoms on the continent. Olivia took the initiative to approach Prince Kistrin. The prince was flattered but worried. Olivia, the youngest Princess of Cintra was once his equal, the Prince of Verden. Now, Princess Olivia who had risen from the ashes towered over a little Prince of a small kingdom like him. Olivia even had the foothold to negotiate with the leaders of various huge kingdoms, such as the Nilfgaardian Empire in the South and with King Foltest of Temeria in the Northern Realms. King Foltest was more than a match for Emperor Emhyr. He was not the leader card in the Northern Realms deck in Gwent for nothing. Emperor Emhyrs fatherly love is like a mountain idea remained unfulfilled in the end, while King Foltests orthopedic[1] dream had already been realized. There was even one particular Gwent card of his where he was quoted as saying - - It is natural and pure for a man to love his sister. This was simply an orthopedic declaring his interests openly. No, it was not even a declaration. He had already carried out the act long ago. When Foltest was a prince, his private life was already messed up as it was. He fell in love with his sister, Princess Adda of Temeria. After the death of the old King Medell, Foltest took his place. Then, he made his sister Adda pregnant. As Foltest wanted to marry his own sister and make her his queen, Foltest broke off the engagement with Princess Dalimira, who was the daughter of King Vizmir II of Redania. His mother, Sancia and the nobles of Temeria were greatly displeased. Later, Adda gave birth to a child. However, it was rumored that the child was cursed. The child died shortly after birth, and Adda quickly followed due to dystocia. Foltest placed the two of them in a single sarcophagus and buried them in the catacomb beneath the Temeria castle. Throughout the seven years after the funeral took place, everything was peaceful, up until one night when there was a full moon. The palace was filled with screams of horror; it was a mess. The dead baby grew inside the sarcophagus and became a Striga[2]. This beast was a significant threat to all the citizens living nearby. It hunted the innocent at night. Foltest decided to offer a handsome reward to the one who slays the beast a big reward, but no one ever succeeded. One day, a bald clown wearing a pointed hat and a hunchbacked hermit had declared, This is a curse. If the curse is lifted, the Striga would revert into Foltests little daughter, looking as beautiful as ever. As long as you stay in the catacomb for a night, the whole world would be at peace. This made Foltest believe that the curse could be lifted. So, he soon released an edict that banned people from killing the Striga. However, powerful sorcerer after sorcerer could not lift the curse. Instead, they served as meals for the beast. At the same time, the reward for killing Striga was raised to 3,000 Oren. After this, a few more years passed and the monster killed 50 people each year. Due to this, Foltest was forced to build a new palace elsewhere Even now, the curse had still not been lifted. Now that the White Wolf Geralt was gaining more and more fame, Geralt naturally received a witcher quest from King Foltest of Temeria. At that moment, Geralt was certainly not lacking in terms of money. However, for him, hunting monsters and lifting curses had turned into second nature. They were now a past time activity. This was just like hunting to fill ones belly. In modern times, hunting had turned into a sport Naturally, Geralt became highly interested in lifting this curse. As Geralt belonged to Olivias division, she too received this witcher quest. Someday, when she pays a visit to Vizima, she could easily finish that quest in passing. Kistrin, maybe we can work together, Olivia said in a bold, declarative voice. Translation note : [1] Orthopedic (ǿ) (full: German Orthopedic (¹ǿ)) is a Chinese internet slang. In 2012, a post on Weibo went viral as the person who posted it complained about how his father broke his leg when his father found out that he was having illicit sexual relations with his own biological sister. Following that, he went to Germany to treat his broken leg. So, this Chinese internet slang is usually used to refer to incest between brother and sister and also is also often used to tease people with brother or sister complexes. [2] A striga (Polish: strzyga) is a woman transformed into a monster by a curse. She is filled with hatred towards all living beings, devouring them without a second thought. She only comes out on a full moon to hunt, fighting with incredible speed and strength. Chapter 683 - Happy Cooperation Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation In the beginning, Prince Kistrin was undoubtedly very flattered. He even could not help but start imagining things. Was this Northland Pearl interested in him who was once her fiance? Unfortunately, he had fallen victim to yet another political marriage, albeit one far less desirable. Even so, he could not help but made the most of his imagination, such as what he and Princess Olivia could have named their child Guys were like this. A girl could so much as flash a smile in their direction, and they would claim it to be an act of fate. They would be led into the most outlandish of fantasies. So, why were girls getting so much flak? Well, they gave off far too many false hints, didnt they? Gentle girls were particularly guilty of this crime. Their gentleness was not only limited to one guy, but to everyone around them. Thus, such kindness always got guys on a wild goose chase. The elder sister Cirilla stood beside Olivia and let out a cold snort. Prince Kistrin jolted, as if he had just woken up from a dream. When he saw Cirilla, only did he suddenly realize how valiant and vigorous this Lion Cub of Cintra was. Her entire person exuded a strangers stay away kind of sense. Her eyes gazed down at Prince Kistrin as if she was looking at a toad. Thanks to Olivia, her elder sister Cirilla had also gradually earned fame in her own right. Plainly put, Olivia had been able to achieve so much today thanks to her sisters aid. If not for their bond, Olivia might have already been long dead. Both sisters had been relying on each other during the most challenging moments. When they came out of the woods, they were closer than ever. It was a sight that left many amazed. Such stories were retold in the form of poems, articles, and even short paragraphs. The reason the two of them were able to have such a good relationship due to the teachings received in their youth Breaking one chopstick was easy, but as long as they united, a bunch of chopsticks would not be easily broken. Of course, from another perspective, if a bunch of chopsticks was easily broken as well, this story was telling us that when we united, we would be easily be caught in the one same net. Never put all your eggs in one basket Actually, Cirilla and Olivia were not merely sisters. They were totally in love. They were both into females. It was precisely because they never gave up on each other during the most challenging moments, and had shared rich, pleasurable moments together that their love reached this point. It was beyond the control of any third party. Cirillas repulsive glare shook Prince Kistrin to the core. His mind snapped back to reality. Something told him that Cirillas gaze just now was as if she was looking at her rival in love, fearing that he would steal Olivia from her. Lets not forget that Cirilla was once very dissatisfied with this fiance. Also, he was the prince of Verden, the traitorous neighboring kingdom. She could not see the reason for her sister meeting this prince of a pitiful kingdom. Due to being inseparable from Olivia, Cirilla had grown fast and sharp. Nothing escaped her gaze. Within her eyes, her sister was a figure who could talk and laugh together with the leaders of those great kingdoms within the Northern realm. This Prince Kistrin was clearly some trashy figure. Kistrin was just as well aware of his place. He adopted a more business-like tone and inquired the reason for this meeting. I think that the king of Verden is truly muddleheaded and incompetent. That should be changed. You must have been bored of remaining a prince. Ive decided to aid you in your cause. It is time to claim your throne. Prince Kistrin was stunned. He immediately started to deny her words. How was Olivia reading him like an open book? No. He could not involve her in this. His plans did not account for her. Besides, the King of Verden would not simply abdicate his throne, just because Olivia said so. Even so, his mouth moved on its own. He replied Olivia in two short, brief lines, indicating that she was right. The king of Verden C his father, was beyond saving. He had actually sought protection from the Nilfgaardian Empire by welcoming its great army with joy, yet he said that being a vassal was how one formed an alliance. He even claimed to have saved the people from unnecessary bloodshed. The Kingdom of Verden might have experienced its own rendition of The Verden Massacre. Prince Kistrin cut himself free. He let his tongue flap loosely and confessed to Olivia about his dissatisfaction. He had also expressed his apology. If he was the king of Verden in the first place, he would definitely have lent Cintra a helping hand. Olivia listened to him passively. She was not Cirilla. She had no feelings for Cintra. In its place was Kaer Morhen which she had built with her own hands. It was like one of those specially built City of Great People within civilization games. Great people frequently popped up in the city. At the same time, Olivia also wished to raise all sorts of architectural wonders within Kaer Morhen. The architectural wonders in the real world most probably amounted to commercialized tourist attractions. On the other hand, architectural wonders within games actually provided buffs of their own. For example, Kaer Morhen was located on barren land. It had low food production. It was even surrounded by gobs and deserts. Under such circumstances, lets build the Ancient city of Petra. Building Petra, 18,000 yields per mu was no easy matter. Those who utilized this Petra strategy knew just how effective it was. On this continent, no one would attempt to seize architectural wonders from Olivia. Besides, they did not even know what purpose these architectural wonders served. Prince Kistrin had initially planned to search for a great merchant in Novigrad who could aid him in his cause. To plot a rebellion, money was highly necessary. If possible, he needed a merchant who could sell him all manner of ordnance and supplies. He had not expected to meet the legendary great merchant Olivia even before entering the city. It was almost fated. He did not doubt her sincerity. Olivia had all reason to be dissatisfied with his father as well. Of course, she would be supportive of his rebellion. This marked the start of a great partnership. Prince Kistrin was just as quick-witted as he was brave. As long as his rebellion went well, he would do so and so. Olivias chamber of commerce would also be able to run unimpeded within the kingdom of Verden, enjoying tax incentives. Therefore, Olivias behavior could be wholly considered some form of investment Those who committed small theft would be executed, yet those who robbed a kingdom would rule over it. Olivia was just like the legendary merchant Lu Buwei during Ancient China. Only a merchant who had power over the state could be called a genuine merchant! To a fine rebellion, said Olivia, shaking hands with the passerby Prince Kistrin. At that moment, Prince Kistrin considered not washing his hand again, ever C even if Princess Olivia always donned silk gloves. Chapter 684 - Sense of Belonging Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation Olivia and Cirilla returned to Kaer Morhen soon after. This place was particularly close to heart. They had learned of a fathers love there, and freedom that no one else could ever imagine, such as Lily-love. Perhaps only the incestuous King Foltest would consider such a matter something natural and beautiful. Truth be told, ordinary people would never understand the depths of the love between Olivia and Cirilla. Instead, it seemed perfectly natural for these sisters to be sticking so close to each other. Wasnt it quite common for girls to hold hands together, kissing and sleeping together, sharing some skinship? Unfortunately, if the two of them were males, more than just eyebrows would be raised. When Olivia stepped into the city that she had built with her own hands, all eyes turned to her. She was the spiritual leader of Kaer Morhen. Many people had settled down comfortably in her utopia. They believed in this Northland Pearl. As for the early settlers, they laid back and took in the dividends with pleasure. Olivia accepted the love with much joy. She was no longer playing some sort of childish role-playing game. She was playing a large-scale, farming type of civilization game. She had no need to personally complete those pesky side quests. As long as her forces completed those quests on her behalf, all would be fine. She gradually learned of the power of capital. Then, she established a mercenary union. Her sideline quests would be announced as their primary objectives. She would then pay the mercenaries adequately. Then, she would claim the quest completion rewards and upgrade her techniques. At the same time, she practiced her magic and invented more highly-priced goods. She was often able to more than cover the costs for the mercenaries. And so, the lucrative cycle went on. Lady Olivia, equipped with her knowledge of the modern financial system, initialized revolution after revolution. As Kaer Morhen grew in strength, she started entertaining thoughts of issuing her own currency. It was her time to exploit the continent to her ends. Of course, she had to first raise a formidable army. Olivia had grown wealthy. It was time to train her army. She intended to incorporate modern methods in the process. When one is rich AND power, whats there to stop them!? As she basked in the love and respect of the people towards their dictatress, Olivia stepped into the ancient castle of Kaer Morhen. This ancient castle had initially been shabby, desolate, vicissitude. Under Olivias reform, it had taken on a fresh, new look. If someone from our day and age ever visited it, they would wonder if they had stepped into a sci-fi world. Are you sure you should be calling this theme Sword and Magic? On the exterior, it was not all different. It looked just like the castles of the current kings. However, its interior was far comfier. Therefore, many often find themselves getting far too comfortable within the ancient walls of Kaer Morhen. They would never want to leave it, as nothing was its equal. Whenever Olivia stayed in the best hotels that Novigrad could offer during her business trips C she had much to complain about. Even the hardened Cirilla expressed that it was nothing like Kaer Morhen Cirilla seemed to have already forgotten her initial misgivings about the ancient castle. The first time she laid eyes upon its walls, she had even wondered if it would collapse while she was in it. She had never expected her omnipotent sister to transform that ruin into heaven on the planet. Thats right. In Cirillas eyes, her sister was simply mystical. Be it her communicative abilities, leadership, business equity, creativity, she would never run out of tricks up her sleeves. No one had yet to even gauge her limits! Cirilla considered herself to be a clueless barbarian when standing beside her sister. They were flesh and blood, so why were they so different? Fortunately, Cirilla soon found the meaning of her own existence. As one who practiced both magic and physical skills, she was a force to reckon with on the battlefield. Her potential knew no bounds. She could more than make up for her sisters lack of melee combat power. A fragile mage would be finished entirely if an enemy closed in. She had gotten this far thanks to her knowledge and magic, and magic generally took the form of a more ranged attack. Such was to be expected. Cirilla had never thought of Olivia drawing an invisible sword of wind via magic. Weak in melee? Were Jane Doe Sus sword techniques mere decor? Perhaps to Cirilla, her sister had made do with her detailed mastery over magic to break through tight situations. Her sister was so calm and elegant, but also seemed very concerned about having to deal with matters using her own two hands. Therefore, she was always surrounded by heavy armored knights. Did this not mean that she was no good in a fist fight? This gave Cirilla a sense of purpose. She would be her sisters bodyguard. She could cover it all with her flash ability. Upon returning to the ancient castle, Olivia lay back on the soft sofa, no longer caring about her image. Then, an elf maid donned in a seductive maid uniform made tea for both Princess Olivia and Princess Cirilla The idea of having maids serve them had been Olivias. She was a master of such luxurious indulgement. Great leaders needed handmaidens to tend to them, from head to toe. Besides, if one did not use their wealth to improve the quality of ones life, what use would there be for money? Geralt immediately stepped out to greet his two returning daughters. On his face was an uncharacteristic, extremely rare tender smile. This was most likely due to Yennefers impending approach. He hoped that his daughters would get along well with his lover. His smile threw the girls off. They had never seen him so excited, not even when Triss came. Was this the legendary power of true love? Olivia was a master at putting on airs. It was time to organize a welcoming night party for Yennefer just like they did for Triss Chapter 685 - City of Miracles Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation In Yennefers memory, Kaer Morhen was relatively desolate. Thanks to Geralt, it gave her some comfort. This place still gave her lots of wonderful memories. Yennefer hailed from a poor family. She was rather accustomed to hardship. She furthered her education at the Aretuza Sorcerer Academy on Thanedd Island. Talent alone was not enough to rectify the hefty tuition fees. Yennefer was a diligent student, earning respect from other students and teachers. Upon a successful graduation, she crafted her reputation, step-by-step, eventually becoming a known alumnus. Yennefer did not have particularly high hopes in life. She was nothing like the pampered, high-maintenance Keira, and life of the upper aristocracy. Yennefer was more down-to-earth. She pursued more sincere sentiments, such as heartfelt affection. Perhaps many would not believe that Yennefer cared for Geralt that deeply. She always seemed put off and cold. Her tongue was also particularly harsh, unlike the gentle and considerate Triss who lay upon his shoulder like a little bird. In fact, Yennefer was actually the more willing of the two to bear Geralts child. She was constantly researching for more methods of conceiving a child. She was also more than willing to confront hardship with Geralt and live a life that others sorceresses would never wish upon their most bitter of enemies Women who took hardship to the gut like champions were far better than women who only came around when there was pleasure to be given. When a woman refuses to abandon you even when you are at your lowest, that was true love. Such love was highly scarce. To most, it was an outlandish thought. No one could possibly end up at the bottom in such a way and still have someone stick around with them. Besides, nobody could completely dismiss status, wealth, abilities. Some dark corner of your heart would still call out to them. You cant purge these traits out of your life and then say that pure love was all you needed. At most, they sounded like sweet nothings when uttered in epic ballads and poems. Yes, love a guy, even if he was dirt-poor, or bound to be the dirt beneath the figurative heels of dirt. If a turn of events actually occurred, well see if any traces of this so-called pure love actually remains. When a person loses everything, he would see how pure his relationship really is, or if things had been of a more materialistic nature. Some weirdos might be turned on by how she did not love me. Who knows, all this while, they had merely gone through the motions of an actual couple, only to realize that neither one of them actually loved the other. When they tired of the pretense, they would eventually break up. When Yennefer arrived at Kaer Morhen, she immediately started wondering if she had taken a wrong turn somewhere along the road. These roads to Kaer Morhen seemed to be far too well-paved. Horses and chariots would find such routes highly convenient. As she closed in on the ancient castle, she found the area to be densely populated. Was this truly that desolate Kaer Morhen, not the Free City of Novigrad? It was not like Yennefer had never heard about the rumors surrounding Kaer Morhens massive change. Obviously, she had dismissed such rumors to be exaggerations. She could never imagine such a desolate, dilapidated relic develop into a free City within so short a time. When the City of Miracles finally appeared before her eyes, she doubted no more. Thats right. Poets had called it the City of Miracles. Cities loved being called names such as, The City of XX, such as The Free City of Novigrad, The City of Golden Towers. Now, Kaer Morhen was called The City of Miracles. Raising such a beautiful, great city within such a short period of time with magical dark technology C what was not miraculous about it? This city was already the holy land to some mages. It was akin to a big, new door to many of them Magic could actually be used like this? Of course, some purists and conventional mages might find such methods of using magic to be controversial at best, taboo at worst. Magic was far too noble to be used on commoners, not to mention inanimate constructs and buildings. It was an insult to magic. Olivia had no respect for these stiffnecks. She would not grant them the undeserved preferential treatment either. She believed that all mages had endless potential. As long as they were willing to learn, they might accomplish far more than the scientists of the other world. The scientists within the modern world relied heavily on various instruments. On the other hand, sorcerers only need turn their thoughts inward unto their bloodline to gain an understanding of what things were, and why they were so. They could go far further than scientists. Revolutionalizing the world would be possible in a snap of their fingers. Olivia would only give Chosen Ones and Elder Blooded like Cirilla special attention, regardless of their attitude. Their potential was limitless. Otherwise, even formidable forces like Triss would pale in comparison to some of her modern technology! Olivia intended to train sorcerers like scientists, not like soldiers. She was probably the only person in the entire world who had that idea. This was also the sole reason why her Kaer Morhen had grown into a one-of-a-kind station of power. Yennefer was shocked by how The City of Miracles had been built around geometric aesthetics. Words could not describe the precise calculations that have taken place in its build. She could only confirm that the rumors were not exaggerated accounts of the truth, as she had once thought. After all, seeing was believing. If this was the case, the legend of the Northland Pearl Princess Olivia might not be untrue either. It now made sense why Geralts name had shot up to such an extent. Geralt was now probably the most famous witcher throughout the entire continent. Perhaps even Geralt himself had not expected to have this many daughters one day. After all, people only had many fathers these days. What was the purpose of having many daughters? Yennefer was finally curious about this adopted daughter Chapter 686 - All kinds of shock Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation The exterior of The City of Miracles was already enough to shock Yennefer. The scene within the walls blew her away. No other city, no matter how grand, would be as tidy and orderly as Kaer Morhen was. Look at the commercialized public transportation in the town. It was so developed, so convenient. When Olivia was creating this city, she had drawn most of her inspiration from modern cities. She had even made sufficient preparation for future expansions. This included the residential area, business district, industrial area. Such a precisely designed city left the other cities of its time in the dust. Olivia was not just playing a virtual reality Civilization game. She was also playing Sim City at the same time. Most incredibly was how she was always able to completely realize her vision, no matter fantastical her dreams were. The citizens of the world would never have their guard up, even if they were assured of having adapted to her mindblowing standards. The bloodline power which only existed within this magical source world had been utilized by Olivia to its fullest. As she continued studying the fundamental mysteries of magic, she used what she learned to create new technologies. As for the completion of the various quests released by the system the witchers from the School of the Wolf within Kaer Morhen and many other registered mercenary groups took care of them. This was how Olivias mind worked. She was continually reforming the world according to her own will, no matter how eccentric and outlandish some of her new ideas were. Yennefers heart had initially been filled with arrogance. She was here to come and teach Geralts adopted daughters some magic. Yet, she had been blown away by the sights within The City of Miracles. Only one with a broad and profound understanding of magic and had already reached an unfathomable extent in other realms could imagine such a city. Several magical prisms had already picked up on Yennefer as she walked about. Thats right. Surveillance cameras riddled the city, which almost left no room for criminals and spies to hide What about human rights? Olivia was doing a great job as a leader. As the supreme ruler, it was her right to expand her power over every nook and cranny and claim complete control of everything. It would be unbecoming of her to possess blindspots of any sort. At the same time, Olivia raised Kaer Morhens own army, using magical dark technology to produce a suitable management system for it. Suffice to say, she also set the mages upon such a path, producing smaller-scaled, similar systems for other organizations. She spearheaded progress, driven by the pursuit of knowledge, inspiring others to do the same. When technology reaches a certain level, no trouble could be caused, no matter how many attempted to rebel. Supreme technology ruled over all else. Olivia did not expect much from Yennefers visit. Things have changed. Her forces were already developing as scheduled. People may view her as the princess of a fallen kingdom and a great merchant, but she was already on equal footing as a female emperor. No other ruler would have been able to carry out dictatorship like she did. A modern person might have been terrified at the thought of such leadership, but she was like a divine guiding light to the masses. She was the emperor of this world. One of the most enjoyable aspects of Civilization games was how one could produce tanks, aircraft and other war machines ahead of other forces. Others might still be swinging cold steel about. Thus, things could end up rather satisfying to watch. Hahahah, did you just try firing arrows at my metal aircraft Olivia had turned her focus to farming, maintaining her guise as a neutral force. She was nothing but a force of neutrality. Be it the Northern realm or the Southern Nilfgaardian Empire, she intended to crush them with technology and scientific magic. It was only a matter of time. She also found that the Northern realm and the Southern Nilfgaardian Empire seemed to be on exceedingly good terms with her. Perhaps it had something to do with how she had also accepted many commissions and completed many sideline quests as she discovered new maps? It was simple. Olivias identity as a little princess of the Kingdom of Cintra projected itself, loud and clear. The Kingdom of Cintra had etched itself on the pages of history for tenaciously holding back the Nilfgaardian Empires attack for the sake of the Northern kingdoms. Unquestionably, the Northern kingdoms respected this Princess of Cintra. She was now revered as the leading figure of the neutral Kaer Morhen. On the other hand, Nilfgaardian Empires ambiguity and favorability towards Olivia could not be determined as easily. Some even said that Emperor Emhyr was fond of the Northland Pearl. They would never imagine that Olivia was actually Emperor Emhyrs actual daughter The great emperor was having quite the headache about this issue concerning his inheritance. Without long-term consideration, there would be short-term troubles. After Emperor Emhyr realized that he might no longer be fertile, he gradually favored the younger Olivia. She deserved to rule over his empire. He hoped to be able to unite the entire continent in his lifetime. After that, he would pass down the throne to his worthy successor, and his life would be complete. The great emperor practically turned a blind eye to Olivias chamber of commerce, allowing it to do whatever she wanted within the empires borders. Even the merchants of the empire could not help but wonder about the relationship between Princess Olivia and the great emperor Olivia had grown very experienced at having many fathers. On the other hand, Lady Zhao wielded her privilege like a well-honed blade. She used it all to her advantage and added it on to her strengths. She even received news that the Northern realm might even be fighting the Nilfgaardian Empire very soon. This meant another great wave of business opportunity. More talented individuals displaced by war would turn up at Kaer Morhens doorstep. Olivia already considered Yennefer as another unnecessary high-class sorceress, but she knew better than to offend her. She gave Yennefer due respect. Perhaps Yennefer was going to be her stepmother? Therefore, the moment Yennefer entered the city, a servant was dispatched to escort her. He acted as a tour guide, introducing her to various key structures before finally bringing her to the ancient castle of Kaer Morhen that she was very familiar with When Yennefer saw the ancient castle, she felt inexplicably relieved. Finally, a familiar sight. It fitted the sword and magical world that she had grown up in. But when she stepped into the ancient castle, she was astounded all over again! Chapter 687 - Like this place so much Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation Was this truly that shabby, old castle? Memories of its original interior flashed through Yennefers mind. She realized that even the exterior had been restored, only that its ancient image had been deliberately preserved. It spoke of a tale, to have magic run rampant and modernize the city, or to maintain the sentimental practices of old The first thing she saw upon entering the castle was a huge garden. A portion of it was dedicated to Geralt. Herbs that were ingredients to select key potions were among the plants. They had the money to afford specialized individuals who ensured that their respective facilities were well cared for. The interior of the castle had grown into an exquisite, stylish villa! Geralt had grown filthy rich from the single act of adopting a great merchant as a daughter. He was no longer as thrifty when it came to slaying demons. Potions, decoctions, alchemy bombs, you name it. The monsters he cut down would be retrieved by specialized clean-up teams. Every part of these monsters bodies was a treasure of its own. After all, several monsters were spawns of celestial convergences. Some even came from different worlds. Through the anatomical study of these monsters, they could also learn a little about other worlds. Geralt no longer troubled himself over regular demon hunting missions, unless it was in passing. His reputation was at its peak. Only those with real power such as Foltest, the King of Temeria could personally seek for his aid. Yennefer could no longer call this an ancient castle. It was a royal inner city. This was beyond any of her expectations! Olivia had arranged for everyone to stay in the same building. After renovations were completed for the interior, she and Cirilla would be living together in an indoor cottage, within this indoor city. She had also provided individual cottages to the others. If they wanted to dine together, they could do so within the central castle. Banquets would be frequently conducted. Well, a banquet could be held just about anywhere. It was just extremely nice to have one in an indoor garden. Still, it would take some time before the world accepted it. Perhaps it could wait for a bit. Yennefer often claimed to knowledgeable and experienced. Even so, the brand new Kaer Morhen left her dizzy and curious for more. Only when a Geralt who was clad in gorgeous and handsome formal attire appeared did she recover from her consciousness. She cracked a satisfied smile. She did not think much of the lavish attire. She had seen him in far worse. But she did appreciate how Geralt had taken the trouble to please her. She took it that Geralt had gained completely understanding over their relationship. Previously, Geralt would never wear such frilly formal attire unless asked. Geralt was a specimen of a man. Muscles rippled over his perfect structure. He would look good in just about anything. It was most probably how he had seduced all those sorceresses from all over the world. Little did Yennefer know that Geralt had changed so much because of this adopted daughter Olivia who she had so many doubts about. Olivia was a Master Girl Hooker. She seemed to be very eager in helping Geralt pick up fascinating sorceresses from all over the world. She seemed particularly happy when they settled down in Kaer Morhen, adding bricks and tiles onto the advanced magical technology industry of Kaer Morhen. Geralts supermodelesque figure proved particularly helpful at this point. Many sorceresses found their share of pleasure from Geralts massage stick. Kaer Morhen was heaven on earth. They could wield magic freely and unrestrained, while also discuss about the arcane in open daylight, no longer having to whisper. On top of it all, Geralt, the wonder specimen of a man was there to ease their loneliness. Whats there not to love about this place!? A mage who went by the name of Che Guevara had claimed that she would never possibly become a palace mage. Never in this lifetime. She would never head out to the battlefield and slay enemies like a tool. She would rather work here in Kaer Morhen. That White Wolf was dashing to look at. The young and pretty Olivias speech was pleasing to the ears. This place was just too wonderful! When Geralt saw Yennefer, he was pleased. After an exchange of words, they started smooching up a storm, throwing in some very deep kisses along the way. The next moment, they were both blown away once again. Very elaborate fireworks had started booming, not too far from them. By then, the sky was already turning dark. It was a sight that all in Kaer Morhen could enjoy! The two of them embraced and kissed, their conjoined bodies reflected in the dazzling light of the fireworks. Such textbook romance scene was obviously Olivias doing once again Yennefer thought that it had Geralts idea. When they finally extricated each other from the embrace, she leaned into Geralts arms. She gazed at the fireworks in the sky, saying, Its gorgeous! Thank you, Geralt! Geralt could only smile and accept her appreciation. Within his heart, he certainly gave his daughter a like. He did not know how his daughter was able to have knowledge of so many impressive girl-hooking tricks. She was able to turn the elegant and cold Yennefer into a little girl Geralt had to admit that this side of Yennefer was rather charming as well. When a tough, independent woman reveals a more vulnerable side of herself, it was a fatal blow to the hearts of men across the globe! Olivia and the others remained hidden in the shadows. They did not intend to interrupt the two of them. It was unclear if Triss was aware of Yennefers coming, but either way, she had conveniently made herself scarce for the past few days. Anyway, Geralt and Yennefer was the original pair. As Yennefers good bestie, Triss eventually fell in love with Geralt as well. She was not like the other sorceresses who only came to Geralt for his flesh. She had truly fallen in love with Geralt. No matter how you looked at it, she was guilty of being a third person. Regardless of it all, Triss was a kind soul. Even as a third person, it was hard to dislike her. Even Yennefer might end up forgiving her. One was her most beloved man, the other was her bestie, a comrade who had fought side by side with her. How could she possibly split her hair to fuss over this matter? Sorceresses were not ordinary girls who fussed over every stone on the planet. They shared things very well. Chapter 688 - : A Perfect Male PR Officer Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation Triss may not be there to cause trouble, but someone was still unhappy about Yennefer. That would be Olivias sister, Cirilla. Cirilla and Triss got along rather well. Triss was like a big sister that Cirilla never had. However, she did not really approve of Triss liking Geralt. She did not think that it was worth Triss while. Cirilla knew that Geralt truly loved Olivia and herself. He was way better than her biological father. Even so, she still remained proud and unyielding before him. She would never be like Olivia, who would take the extra step and act like a living doll to twist knots in the hearts of older men. Sometimes, Olivia would even mischievously go up to Geralt and mock his cringey acts in the process of picking up various sorceresses. In Cirillas opinion, a man should only love one woman. Look at how she and her sister had remained so loyal to each other. How could this good-for-nothing Geralt just casually plow all these sorceresses? Cirilla rarely opposed her sisters various conniving acts, but this was one of the exceptions. Olivia was clearly very keen on introducing more sorceresses to Geralt. She intended to expand Geralts social circle and get him accustomed to facing sorceresses. To put it plainly, she was just making Geralt a pimp! Geralts physique attracted sorceresses, but it was basically a secret that was only limited to those close to him. Eskel, one of Geralts childhood friends and a fellow witcher often poked fun at him for that. Eskel neither treated any kings like they were his brothers nor did he go to bed with sorceresses It was true. Geralt often treated individuals of note like his brothers and went to bed with various sorceresses. After all, blood energy gave sorceresses a great measure of beauty. Now that Geralt had got himself an excellent daughter like Olivia C one who was great at causing trouble, he had certainly grown more popular among the nobles. Olivia had molded him into the perfect male PR[1] officer. Sorceresses from all around the world had converged to Kaer Morhen. Only the group of elite, arrogant sorceresses from the Sorceress Academy of Aretuza on Thanedd Island remained free of the trap. Others who were not professionally trained were not famous enough to be accepted by royal courts. Almost all sorceresses who fell within this category have found themselves in Kaer Morhen where Olivia juiced them to the fullest. These sorceresses did not really have natural talent and were not strong enough. However, they certainly had some blood energy. It was enough for Olivia. If they spent some time and effort on figuring out how to improve the quality of life for the people, that would be enough. Mediocrity and fierce competition had given them adequate training when it came to enduring hardships. The Northern areas rarely welcomed regular sorceresses. Some kingdoms were even outrightly hostile to these sorceresses whose powers they did not completely understand. Moreover, there was also the Church of the Eternal Fire that hunted sorceresses down and burned them alive. Even so, some stubborn sorceresses still intended to take advantage of the Free City of Novigrads prosperity Now, there was a better choice. The Miracle City of Kaer Morhen. Why would they not come here? This place relied on magic to improve the lives of the ordinary people and to increase productivity. It was simply a heaven on earth for sorceresses. Moreover, its have been educated and would not easily be brainwashed by the Church like the other fools. They understood more than anyone that magic was the productive force of this world. It was not inherently evil. Instead, it could help to bring happiness and comfort into everyones lives. A high-leveled sorceress with superior talent might easily be able to get a position in the royal court in certain kingdoms. However, Kaer Morhen was the best choice for any other sorceress out there. They would be free from persecution and be able to contribute to society with a peace of mind. Living there was just like living in any other prosperous city. There was also that handsome guy out there, White Wolf Geralt Therefore, people who really understood Olivia would know that despite how she treated Geralt with a lot of respect on the surface, while having the word daddy rolling off her tongue and acting cutesy, in actuality, Geralt was just a star male sorceress magnet! As more and more sorceresses were drawn to his abs, Kaer Morhens magic technological strength shot up like a rocket. Kaer Morhen became the sole producer of several patented products! Perhaps Olivia saw it best to use the legendary witcher Geralt as Kaer Morhens face, instead of using him to take out monsters. The longer he lingered, the more sorceresses would flood in. Yennefers arrival had proven Olivias theory. She wanted the sorceress pile driver Geralt to be able to harness all the blood energy that the sorceresses in this world could offer! Of course, in addition to the sorceresses, sorcerers wandered about too, like Olivias previous teacher C Vilgefortz who was a pretty powerful source sorcerer. However, compared to the number of sorceresses, sorcerers were so scarce that it was kind of pitiful. Olivia preferred to rinse her eyes off these pretty sorceresses. After Geralt and Yennefer were done being lovey-dovey, Olivia finally stepped into the light, accompanied by a group of Geralts friends and family. She had a perfect smile on her face and greeted Yennefer rather politely. From Yennefers character information bar, she had a near-complete understanding of her legendary experiences, as well as her strong feelings for Geralt. Olivia was not only proficient in the recognizing someone as her father skill. Recognizing someone as her mother was almost as easy for her. She may not yet be addressing Yennefer as her mother, but her every move spoke otherwise No matter how cold Yennefer was, there was no way she could refuse the goodwill of a girl like Olivia, who had top-notch looks. However, she sensed Olivias goodwill was merely out of courtesy. Perhaps, all elites had this ability. They could all pull off the perfect visage on the surface. While Olivia had put up a flawless facade, Yennefer was more interested in Cirilla, the girl who was not even bothered concealing her hostility. Was she the type who preferred someone simpler and bolder like Cirilla? All in all, as Olivias little curtain play here had ensured this welcoming partys success Translation note : [1] PR here stands for Public Relations. Public relations is the practice of managing the spread of information between an individual or an organization and the public. Chapter 689 - Fishing in Troubled Waters Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation Facts have shown that fate had entwined Yennefer and Cirilla together. They had a rough start but eventually learned more about each other and became like mother and daughter. In the process, Yennefer truly started to view Cirilla as her daughter and would do almost anything for her. On the contrary, the word mother rolled off Olivias tongue with buttery smoothness, but it was just a word. Yennefer was also very critical of Olivias enthusiasm of introducing more sorceresses to the White Wolf. Moreover, she sensed Olivias immense thirst for power. She was almost like a female Emperor Emhyr. The difference that separated Olivia and the Emperor was the former having technology C a product of combining science and magic that was ahead of its time. Yennefer took her two daughters to the Temple of Melitele in Ellander for further studies. In the temple, there was not only magic, but also the mystery of divinity. Olivia was pleased. She had already stockpiled a vast amount of skill points. Maxing these new skills out would not be an issue. The Temple of Melitele was located just outside the main city of Ellander. It was quite possibly the most well-known of the goddess monuments. A poplar-flanked road stretched from the gate to the buildings near the sanctuary and the main temple block which was built against a mountain wall. There were gardens and outbuildings, and the grotto, and something that functioned like a greenhouse hewn from rock and roofed over with crystal. As the news of war began to spread, Yennefer decided to leave the Temple of Melitele with her two daughters and head towards Gors Velen. At the same time, it was for their education. Yennefer was going to attend a conference of mages being held nearby Thanedd Island. She also planned to enroll her two daughters into the Sorceress Academy of Aretuza which was situated on the island after the conference ended. However, things did not work out as Yennefer had planned, not by a long shot. On the eve of the convened conference of mages, a premeditated coup dtat occurred in Thanedd Island - - various forces like the sorcerers, the Empire, the Northern Kingdoms and the Scoiatael were involved. Both Vilgefortz and Cahir, the Nilfgaardian knight who had once taken Ciri out of Cintra tried to kidnap Cirilla in the process. Cahir and Vilgefortz knew Olivia rather well. The former had been unlucky. He had initially thought that he could bring both princesses back, but ended up losing both of them. Thus, he was thrown into prison by the angry Emperor. Now, he was finally being given orders again. The latter used to be Olivias teacher, but he was obsessed with Cirillas blood. He had always hoped to obtain her Elder Blood. Originally, when Vilgefortz planned to help Emperor Emhyr reclaim the throne, he had already set his eyes upon Cirilla. However, Pavetta actually saw through their scheme, which rendered all his plans moot This time, during the coup of Thanedd Island, his goal was Cirilla. His actions exposed his true loyalty. Hence, Emperor Emhyr could no longer trust him. In actuality, no one knew that there was only one real winner this time and that was Olivia! As a powerful leader, she had long heard of rumors saying that various forces were going to stir up trouble on Thanedd Island. She had come prepared. Moreover, she was glad that she now had complete access to the Sorceress Academy of Aretuza. Why not move all of its knowledge to Kaer Morhen? One had to know that Thanedd Island was built by the elves with magic. It was a place that was specifically raised for sorcerers, by sorcerers. There was a sorceress academy on the island. The island was connected to Gors Velen by a bridge. From a distance, Thanedd Island looked like the base of a gigantic stone column stuck into the seabed, a huge ziggurat encircled by a spirally twisting road and zigzagging steps and terraces. The terraces were green with groves and gardens, and protruding from the greenery which clung to the rocks like swallows nests rose soaring white towers and the ornate domes of groups of buildings framed by cloisters. They seemed to have been carved directly from the mountains rocky slopes. At the peak of the island was The Tower of the Gull, Tor Lara, which had a portal inside of it. The island itself was actually hollow. It could be accessed from the sea via the underground passages, which was a certainly stealthier way compared to land. Olivia passively watched the various forces mess up the famous Sorceress Academy. Apart from the main section of the academy, most of the other places like Garstang Palace and Loxia Palace were no longer functioning. Olivia, who had long awaited this day, sent her people to work and together, they moved the precious magical knowledge back to Kaer Morhen. However, as she was busy with things, Olivia had neglected Cirilla. Even so, she had enough faith in Cirillas personal strength. Of course, Geralt was also present when the Thanedd coup happened. To protect Cirilla, Geralt got into a fight with Vilgefortz that ended up with his right leg smashed. Vilgefortz excelled at both magic and melee. Geralt stood no chance against him! He actually broke Geralts leg with a single staff! At that moment, Geralt learned that this Vilgefortz was his mortal enemy! Before the clash, they had a verbal exchange of philosophy When you think, you have to look at the sky, then the stars. Dont mistake the stars reflected in the pond at night for those in the sky, he had said to Geralt. It turned out that he had accompanied Francesca Findabair to the Thanedd ball which was held before the meeting. He looked no more than thirty-five at that time. He was tall and well-built. He wore a short jerkin of a knightly cut C but without a coat of arms. It did not help that he was also fiendishly handsome. Even though the blue-eyed, amazingly beautiful Francesca Findabair was next to him, he still stood out. He had invited Geralt to visit the gallery with him where they had a philosophical exchange, hinting that Geralt should hand Cirilla over to him. In the subsequent Thanedd coup, Philippa Elhardt believed that he had colluded with Nilfgaard and had accused him of treason. Vilgefortz was then placed in dimeritium shackles. However, because someone used magic to break the shackles, he broke free and had tried to capture Cirilla. On his way, he encountered Geralt. Vilgefortz did not resort to magic. Instead, he had attacked Geralt with a staff. In two moves, Vilgefortz easily defeated the veteran witcher. Following that, he broke Geralts leg but left him alive. He then continued to go after Ciri. Vilgefortz never accounted for one thing. Another obstacle stood in his way. It was actually Olivia, his former apprentice who had robbed the island of its knowledge as chaos ensued on its surface. Teacher, long time no see, Olivia said with a smile, bowing courteously. Both her hands were empty, and her smile was beautifully cold. Chapter 690 - Master vs. Apprentice Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation This coup sounded chaotic, but it was simple in nature. In short, the sorceress Philippa Eilhart had joined forces with Redanias head of intelligence, Sigismund Dijkstra, and they planned to kill the sorcerers in Thanedd Island who were secretly supporting the Nilfgaardian Empire. Due to this, even Francesca Findabair, the one who led the Scoiatael was deemed a traitor. Originally, the coup went down successfully. However, some started retaliating. As a result, the magical spells that prevented the use of magic in the tower was removed, and chaos broke out in the academy everyone soon became involved in battle, whether they wanted it or not. This coup was also the event that triggered the second war between the Nilfgaardian Empire and the Northern Kingdoms. As the leader of Kaer Morhen, Olivia had always remained neutral. She remained so during this battle, plundering Thanedd Island in various ways. She almost forgot that her sister Cirillas Elder Blood was something that many ambitionists desired. However, Olivia had her game system. It would always alert her whenever quests were released. To her, quests that involved her own sister took precedence. Olivia did not think that she would meet Vilgefortz, who was considered to be the final boss this soon. Interestingly, he was her former teacher. Geralt had managed to limp to the scene. He became highly anxious when he saw Olivia standing off against the formidable sorcerer. He had originally thought that Olivia would be safe. How did she walk right into the trap now? Against Vilgefortz too, no less! If there was no Olivia in this world, in another world line, Geralt would have formed a small squad of brave people to take down Vilgefortz! In the assault on the Stygga Castle, Vilgefortz had encountered Geralt, Yennefer and the vampire Regis. Yennefer was quickly beaten back by superior spellcraft. Regis was burned into a pile of glass. Geralt had been almost helpless Of course, Geralt had the protagonist aura and eventually defeated the biggest bad, Vilgefortz. However, Olivia was in this world line. Everything would change. Cirilla would not be forced to use the portal to escape and once again experience bitter exile. This second exile would have broken her. She would also meet her homosexual partner, only to have it end tragically. Obviously, Olivia would not let this happen. At that moment, she stood alongside Cirilla! Vilgefortz saw the grown-up Olivia and matched her smile with an equally cold smile. As a source sorcerer who believed that blood energy was supreme, he had always looked down on Olivia, a sorceress with mediocre blood energy. In fact, he had been rather unwilling to be Olivias teacher. If not for Emhyr, he would have regarded Olivia as a side-character. In the eyes of Vilgefortz, only the Elder Blooded Cirilla could give him actual power! Olivia, youve grown so much in the blink of an eye. To you, it has certainly been really long since we last saw each other, but for me, it has not been long at all. Well, if youre smart, you should be wise and step aside. As your teacher, Ill be willing to let you live. Ive heard that youve developed Kaer Morhen rather well and it is said that youve found another way to use magic. However, in my opinion, all of that is just a gimmick. The mystery of magic is not something someone with average blood energy like you can ever grasp! Just like many villains, Vilgefortz always felt that he was invincible, so he started to chatter away in a monologue. He did not believe that the sisters could pose any threat to him. Now, he only wanted to capture Cirilla back and have her blood flow. He intended to turn his own blood into the Elder Blood. Vilgefortz was a mad scientist of his time. Or rather, he was the type of big villain that had his own ideas. Such villains had their firm beliefs. They were far more difficult to deal with, compared to those small-time ruffians. However, Cirilla was nothing like the Cirilla of old. In this worldline, thanks to Olivia, this Cirilla was just as capable as the other Cirilla who had to endure near-death situations and hardships to gain power. What was the future Cirilla like? Of course, it was the Cirilla in the The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt game. She had passive HP regeneration. While others jumped or tumbled to dodge attacks, she could blink. She could also use an ability similar to Octaslash.[1] She could appear behind others and stab them in the back. She might even give Geralt a run for his money! This was how powerful the Elder Blood was. She was The Gate of the Worlds and could easily traverse space and time. A certain race also used her blood to find new worlds and conquer them Unfortunately, Cirilla was not famous enough yet. Otherwise, she would have found herself on Gwent. Her combat ability would definitely be 15 points, the highest possible. Her quotation was - - Know when Fairy tales cease to be tales? When people start believing in them. Cirilla did not plan to run at all. She had intended to keep Vilgerfortz away from her wounded papa. Now that even her golden partner, her younger sister had arrived, she stood her ground! As long as she kept Vilgefortz away from her younger sister as they slowly whittled his health away, one from a distance and one in close combat, wouldnt he eventually falter? Cirilla no longer hesitated. She drew the sharp sword that her sister built for her through a combination of magical craftsmanship and modern technology. She took her stance and charged forth! The cripple Geralt was more anxious than ever. A legendary witcher like him had been quickly taken out by this broken character. He had not even cast a single spell. Cirilla was young, and she did not have much combat experience. How could she possibly be any match for Vilgefortz? On the other hand, Olivia had adopted a role of a commander who commanded her subordinates from behind the scene like Emperor Emhyr and King Foltest. What was she doing on the front lines? Its suicide! Any father in the world would most probably underestimate their children. It could not be helped. Little did they know that their children had actually surpassed them Translation note : [1] Octaslash (˵һW, Hatt Issen, lit. Eight Blades in One Flash) is one of Sephiroths trademark attacks. It consists of a swift sequence of sword slashes, though despite the name it is not always comprised of eight hits. Sephiroth is a fictional character in the role-playing video game Final Fantasy VII developed by Square, where he is the main villain. Chapter 691 - Intense Battle Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation Olivia remained as aloof as ever. Some might think that she was just being lazy. Others might believe that it was her blind faith in Cirillas talent and strength. Olivia made no sign of taking the initiative just yet. However, a small, delicate magic staff flashed in her hand. At the same time, a ring that enhanced the power of her spells appeared on her fingers Olivia now wielded two sets of luxurious equipment. One set was used for magic alone; the other was for the legendary Close Combat Mage. As a close combatant, she was most probably on par with the iconic character, Gandalf from The Lord of the Rings. Gandalf was a powerful, noble wizard. He only ever used light spells to dazzle or concuss an opponent here and there. When left without a choice, he would draw his sword and start hacking away. After years of improving herself by trial and error, Olivia had optimized and polished her skills. At the moment, the weapon in her hand looked like a staff, but it could change shape to her will, taking the forms of Soul Greatsword,[1] Soul Spear,[2] and the like. Her combat magic was best described to be similar to that of those mage builds in Dark Souls. Playing as a mage in Dark Souls made things far easier. Naturally, Olivia was at her deadliest when it came to close combat. With the combination of Jane Doe Su and the high-leveled sorceress Olivia, she was nigh-unstoppable. In this continent, individuals who were great at both magic and fighting were extremely powerful. In contrast, specialists like Geralt and Yennefer would be far outclassed. They did not stand a chance against Vilgefortz. If they ever wanted to defeat Vilgefortz, they would have to rely on good luck and the routine that justice would always prevail over evil. However, Olivia had neither been noble, nor fair. To her, evil can only be defeated by sheer power, not luck, not friendship, none of those rainbow glitters. Look at how she was so determined in advancing the technology of her realm. She would never stop trying until she achieved her goals. Currently, her focus was on climbing the technological tree and finding the top. It was rather terrifying to watch. When it reaches a certain extent, all those schemes and intrigues would all grow insignificant, in the face of the absolute power of such a significant force! When against someone like Olivia who continually improved herself, your best chances were to kill her as soon as possible, denying her the opportunity to live on. If she ever returned, she would be unstoppable Probably her most powerful asset was how everyone would underestimate her at first sight! She had way too many tricks up her sleeves! As Cirilla took the initiative to attack, Vilgefortz had placed all his attention on her. Prior to this first exchange, he had been in his comfort zone. Now, in the face of Cirillas ridiculously swift blink that required no pauses or intervals, Vilgefortz was actually taken aback. He was never going to break her leg in two moves, like what he did with Geralt. Cirilla was simply too fast, too precise. He would have to predict her next blink, or he would only be swinging at her afterimages! Vilgefortz was horrified when he realized that Cirilla seemed to have developed the potential of the Elder Blood. When such power was combined with swordsmanship, it became as deadly as it was beautiful! Vilgefortz no longer held back. He prepared spells that could accurately lock onto a target or temporarily seal time and space, preventing Cirilla from using her blink ability. Otherwise, he had no idea how to capture this precious guinea pig. Indeed, Vilgefortzs purpose was not to kill Cirilla, but to capture her and research on her Elder Blood. If Cirilla dies, then his research dies with her. Whenever Vilgefortz fought Geralt and the others, he could use his full powers without fear. However, when it came to Cirilla, he had to be really careful. He could not afford to risk killing her. However, its always harder to capture a target alive than kill them. Vilgefortz masterfully calmed himself down. He began to cast a spell. His gestures were fast and precise. One could tell that he was an absolute master of his art. He intended to attempt stunning Cirilla in her tracks. It was just an attempt to gauge how tough of an opponent she would be. To his annoyance, Olivia fired a spell at him before he could prepare himself. She had a pleasant smile on her face. Gracefully, she said, Teacher, I seem to be a little quicker than you are. Those words were truly infuriating. Olivia could instantly cast a skill by pressing a single button in the game interface. No mage could surpass that! Vilgefortz could not deny that he was unnerved. He now regretted laying down the magical foundations of this highly intelligent woman! Olivia, the girl with trashy blood energy that he thoroughly underestimated could now cast spells faster than a powerful battlefield mage like him. What went wrong here? Vilgefortz sneered. There was no reason to hold back when it came to Olivia. It was time to show his insolent disciple her place. He started speed casting a chain lightning spell. A thick lightning bolt shot out of his staff, but he was surprised to see Olivia accomplishing the same. In fact, she had been a second sooner than he was! Well, the truth was now clear. The rebellious apprentice Olivia had surpassed her master! Their spells clashed C as if it was now a contest of strength. Little did he know that Olivias inventory still contained lots of blue potions and other items. She would never lose in a battle of attrition! Even so, she had no need for potions in this fight. Was Cirilla not fighting at her side? When Cirilla saw the two mages locked in magic combat, she pounced. One blink later, she appeared behind Vilgefortz and attempted to stab him in the ass! Vilgefortz had no choice but to dodge. His battle instincts and experience went on overdrive. It was time to change tactics. He would have to get close to Olivia and take her out first! Translation note : [1] Soul Greatsword C a Sorcery in Dark Souls 2. [2] Soul Spear C a Sorcery in Dark Souls 2. Chapter 692 - Terrifying Close Combat Strength Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation The two sisters fought on. With their tacit cooperation, they demonstrated that two heads were definitely better than one. After all, they have been together since young. At a single glance, one of them could tell what the other was thinking. They almost shared a telepathic bond. They have fought alongside each other since youth. Cirilla was confident about leaving her back to Olivia. They absolutely trusted each other. Cirilla would never have to worry about being taken by surprise. Even if there were one, he or she would be stopped in their tracks. Olivia would burn them to a crisp. Cirilla had also resolved to defend her sister, ensuring that nobody could get close to her sister. This would allow Olivia to act as a remote turret and do what mages did With her sister by her side, Cirilla felt that nothing was impossible. Now, even Vilgefortz seemed like a distant threat. Before her sisters arrival, Cirilla had been in mortal fear. Even the formidable Geralt had been taken down like a toddler. She wanted nothing more than to flee. Now that her sister was here, she became emboldened. Now, she had someone to protect! Even so, Cirilla still underestimated Vilgefortz, who was a master of his emotions. Vilgefortz had quickly learned of their near-perfect synchronicity and how difficult they were to deal together. The most sensible option would be to take one of them out first The more vulnerable and expandable of the two would be Olivia. Vilgefortz had never treated Olivia as an actual successor to his skills, so he had no problem cutting her down. Olivia had wounded his ego and pride. It was time to pay with her life! Vilgefortz quickly predicted Cirillas next attack. After dodging her attacks, he charged at Olivia with horrifying speed. The girl still seemed to be reveling in her victory. He grinned triumphantly. Olivia would never have the skills or resources to dodge his fatal blow! When Cirilla realized that Vilgefortz was headed for her sister, she started fearing the worst. First of all, her sister was her heart. She could never live without her. Secondly, she was already used to being the hated one. Very few ever turned their ire towards Olivia. Also, Olivia was usually surrounded by an entourage of elite knights. This was not the case at the moment. Well, even if they were around, nothing could be accomplished. Against a final boss like Vilgefortz, they would only get in the way This legendary source sorcerer was a cheat. Anyone who knew his name would flee upon sight. Among the people present, only Geralt remained calm. Geralt could never forget what Olivia did as a child. She had actually created a wind blade out of nothing and revealed swordsmanship that left even him in awe. In fact, Geralt had always remained curious to see more secrets that this mysterious daughter of his would eventually reveal. If anything, Geralt was puzzled about this master and apprentice matchup. They were clearly master and apprentice, but neither of them seemed to think that way. On one side, Olivia was shamelessly humiliating Vilgefortz. On the other end, Vilgefortz was unhesitatingly attempting to end her life Were they truly master and apprentice? Cirilla was at a loss. Even with the blink that she relied so heavily on, she would never be able to stop Vilgefortzs attack. Vilgefortz was far too close to his target! And why was her sister not doing anything about it? As a sorceress, wasnt the first rule of things be to create a distance between her and her opponents? Was she actually planning to meet a close combat master like Vilgefortz in his comfort zone? The same combat master who managed to cripple Geralt in two moves? The smile on Vilgefortzs face had grown feral. It was as if he had already seen himself pulverize Olivias brain. He saw her flesh and blood flying in all directions! Olivia greeted his smile with a smile of her own. She even licked her lips in excitement. The magical, spellcasting rings on her fingers have all been replaced. It was just like how players cycled through different sets of equipment at a single click. Now, rings that enhanced her strength, agility, and speed sat on her fingers. Indeed, she wanted to beat the continents champion in melee combat! This might be the instinct deep within Jane Doe Sus bones calling out to her. She had once fought the Sword God Li Xiye. It had always been her desire to fight the strong! As Cirilla stared on in shock, Vilgefortzs eyes widened in horror. The staff in Olivias hands actually morphed into a soul sword. It looked just like one of those lightsabers in Star Wars! Then, Olivia finally sprung to action. She looked nothing like the fighters of this continent. Her art was a combination of eastern martial arts and magic! Vilgefortz was the aggressor, but Olivia drew first blood. She had been far too cunning. Wounded, Vilgefortz attempted to back away and recollect his thoughts! He was more confused than ever. How could a sorceress be this skilled in close combat? She was not even a source sorceress. What exactly was going on? Vilgefortz did not even have the time to analyze the situation. He could hang on and defend himself. His fear only grew as he realized that she was completely at home in a sword fight. Was this even a sorceress? How much more did she have hidden up her sleeves? Vilgefortz had been played a fool. Deep, hot anger that he had long lost in his youth rose up in his heart! Even so, anger could only do so much. Olivia was just as skilled as he was, if not better Chapter 693 - He Must Die Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation This discovery left Vilgefortz more puzzled than ever. Had Olivia taken sword lessons from within her mothers womb? Nobody gained this much experience without going through life and death many times over. What exactly had she experienced after they separated? A person may be skilled and talented, but experience still mattered the most. Cirilla was agile and skilled, but Vilgefortzs experience still gave him the edge, even against her formidable blink skill, only a handful of people across the land could bring her down Vilgefortz was a master of both might and magic. He could keep Cirilla at bay. He had planned to take Olivia out and then bask in Cirillas anguish. Surely she would start to slip up and make more mistakes. He could then knock her out and take her away. The plan had been perfect if he had not underestimated Olivias capability. He had never thought that a trashy sorceress without any power in her bloodline to be this capable! She could cast spells even faster than he did, and she was just as skilled as he was with the sword. He had to end this battle soon, or he would really be in trouble! Unbelievable! Vilgefortz was arguably the most powerful source mage across the land. He could easily defeat a dozen High Mages single-handedly! Each victory was a brick of the wall that sealed his humility. He never thought that one day, he would have to face something like Olivia! What horrible nightmare was this? Cirilla watched the battle, stunned. It was almost like a battle of gods. Weapons clashed, numerous spells were cast almost instantly. Transitions between attacks and defenses were seamless, almost like an episode of The Elegant Art of Battle Cirilla had been granted the front row seat, watching the demonstration between two masters! Indeed, Cirilla picked up a few tricks from the battle. Both of the masters took turns unleashing a combination of blows between their flawless defenses. The battle dragged on. Olivia started gaining ground. She could access her potions with a click, not once needing to place lips to liquid. Vilgefortz was too deadly an opponent. A single opening was all he needed for a single, lethal blow. Olivia focused on her defense. As the Anonymous Lady Su, she was used to fighting battles that left no margin of error. She intended to tire this final boss out! Geralt was just as amazed as Cirilla. He never once doubted his beloved stepdaughter Olivia, but she had exceeded all of his expectations. His very own Olivia was bullying Vilgefortz, THE Vilgefortz like he was nothing! Geralt, a master of the sword, had just tasted the wrath of the magnificent Lord Vilgefortz. He was never his match, to begin with. In another timeline, he would eventually gain leverage in politics and gather a formidable band of heroes to bring down this evil boss! Geralt could have been the protagonist of this story. It was the inspiring story of a brave leader leading a party to defeat Vilgefortz. It was a typical western storyline, similar to The Lord of the Rings [1]. In the battle between good and evil, a protagonist would lead a group that consisted of various talents to push back the evil forces. By taking the best of everyones strengths, they would manage to defeat enemies that none of them could defeat on their own. Unity was key! It could have been an iconic western fantasy story. If only Olivia had not been here to wreak havoc. She may have saved the lives of several brave heroes, but she took a far more pragmatic approach. To defeat the evil, one must not use justice and inspiring speeches, but a greater strength and power! Vilgefortz realized that it might be unwise to continue the battle. He had made a mistake, and Olivia had gained all the inertia that the world had to offer. He had hoped that she would tire, giving him a moment of respite. Unfortunate for him, Olivia seemed to have an unlimited amount of energy. His very own movements started to dull. At the same time, he had to keep an eye out for Cirilla Olivia had everything planned out. Cirilla prepared to jump into the battle to help her sister, but Olivia had stopped her with a look. Cirilla immediately got the message! Olivia wanted Cirilla to remain by the sidelines, pretend that she would blink into the battle and help out at any moment. It was a strategy to keep Vilgefortz distracted. Either way, Vilgefortz would have trouble catching his breath Sounds familiar? This was how bad guys tortured protagonists. It was most despicable! Now, the bad guy was tasting his own medicine! How ungrateful of Lady Olivia Zhao. She was not giving her former mentor any quarter! Defeating Vilgefortz was no easy feat. Making him give up on Cirilla was even harder. For her sisters sake and her Old Fortress of Kaer Morhen, Olivia had to take Lord Vilgefortz out of the picture! Even if it took him days to tire out, she was willing to do it! Vilgefortz had once considered Olivia as a potential threat but never acted on it. Now, Olivia was attempting to remove Vilgefortz as a threat! Vilgefortz felt that defeat was imminent. He could not stop himself from speaking up, Olivia, I used to be your first mentor, and Lydia, she is still deeply in love with me Olivias movements slowed down for a moment. Vilgefortzs assistant Lydia had truly been sincere. She loved her with all her heart Translation Note: [1] The Lord of the Rings is a film series consisting of three high fantasy adventure films directed by Peter Jackson. They are based on the novel The Lord of the Rings by J. R. R. Tolkien. The films have subtitled The Fellowship of the Ring (2001), The Two Towers (2002) and The Return of the King (2003). Chapter 694 - Slaying the Mentor Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation Vilgefortz was a true antagonist. Now that he realized that he might be in trouble, he did not hesitate using one of his trump cards. With Olivia, he had to play the card of love. There was no love between him and Olivia. In the pursuit of power, love was nothing but a burden. Instead of educating Olivia by himself, he had tossed her to Lydia, his personal assistant, and friend with benefits. Love was merely a tool for him to manipulate others. He knew that Lydia loved him with all her heart. She did not even need him to return her love. Hence, he used her affection to bind her to his will and do his bidding Vilgefortz was aware of how close Lydia and Olivia were. Lydia cared for Olivia, more than anything else. At this moment of life and death, he had to create a stopgap measure. The arrogant master was insulted by the need to use such a despicable tactic to escape. It was the most humiliating day in his life! He swore on his life that once he made it out of this battle alive, he would avenge his dignity by torturing Olivia most painfully! Never underestimate the destructive power of a source mage! The mention of Lydia had clearly gotten to Olivia. Vilgefortz came up with more poisonous words. Lydia and I were close to each other, and I am your first mentor. Could you show me mercy? Olivia took a long sigh. For the first time in the battle, she seemed uncertain. Her movements started to dull as she talked about how much she did not want this and how much she missed the past Vilgefortz could finally catch his breath. He became less alert to his surroundings and started chuckling to himself. His apprentice may be stubborn, but she was emotional and tender. When he claims his revenge, she would learn that her actions today have been a colossal mistake! As your mentor, I am obligated to give you the last lesson, which is . Uh! Vilgefortz was just about to lecture his apprentice on how her generosity with mercy would one day turn around to bite her. Before he could finish his sentence, Cirilla blinked to his back. While he was distracted, she had thrust her sword out! It went straight through his heart! Olivia had convinced Vilgefortz she was letting him go, yet it was just her award-winning actress card doing the talking. Her enchanted staff had transformed into a soul reaping broadsword. It cleaved through the neck of her enemy, separating head from body. The soul reaping broadsword could harm both the body and soul. It was common for great mages to phase out of their bodies and possess another vessel. Upon regaining their strength, they could return as a demon or something. The cold Olivia would never give her mentor a chance to possess another medium. Not only would she destroy his body, she had to ensure that his soul was eradicated. Then only then could she be at peace. Thats right, the game system told her of a characters fate. Olivia could confirm the fact by reading through the updated information As a child, Olivia had never once trusted the visionary Vilgefortz. Be it power or wealth, he had never once failed to get anything he wanted. Being so ambitious himself, why would he spend so much effort in helping the Emperor Emhyr regain his crown? Olivia had always kept her guard up around him. From the moment she met him, she had consistently updated herself with his Character Information. He was always obsessing himself over the Elder Blood which could increase his already vast powers! In this case, Elder Blood meant Cirilla. Cirilla was her only sister. They had grown up and powered through hardship together. They only had each other to depend on. Olivias journey would have ended earlier on if not for Cirila. Therefore, Olivia would never allow anybody to harm Cirilla, nor use her as a test subject. No matter how strong Vilgefortz was, or how close he was to her, Cirilla was the line that he must never cross! Vilgefortzs head rolled on the ground, his face presenting a mask of shock and horror. As his sight slowly left him, he realized that Olivia had only been acting. He was the naive one to believe that emotions would actually get to Olivia How could he be blamed? Olivias ferocity had worn him out. Plus, he never once tried to understand Olivia, all the while assuming that she was a righteous, pure soul. He had never expected Olivia to be even more devious than he was! It was like a hostage situation where the officers had no concern for the hostages. They pretended to negotiate with the criminals, edging into the position to take their lives. Who cared about the hostages? It was Vilgefortzs life that Olivia wanted. Right after his death, a series of notifications rang in her quest journal. Apparently, he was one of the core characters in the world. His death brought change to the lives of several others! Originally, Cirilla would have been captured by Vilgefortz and sent away through a portal. There, she would suffer for the rest of her life, enduring torture after torture. Geralt would set off looking for her. Along the way, he would gather a small but powerful party. They would eventually defeat him in a drawn-out battle But now, Olivia had just slaughtered her great mentor without batting an eyelid! The great Lord Vilgefortz who had reigned the land for years would never once imagine falling to the blade of Olivia! Vilgefortzs death spread across the land, from the Northern Kingdoms to the Nilfgaardian Empire, bringing shock and awe. They all knew of his crimes, but he had been untouchable! Chapter 695 - The Rise of Lion Cub Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation Olivia and Cirilla became legends after the Tide of Thanedd Island. Finally, Cirilla was no longer eclipsed by the magnificence of her little sister! It was Olivia who had fabricated rumors and spun tales to pass the merit to her sister. Vilgefortz was no match for her, yet she did not want her ability to be known. Management and leadership was her cup of tea, rather than brutal battles. How could a civilized leader behave like a barbarian, slaughtering those who opposed her with bare hands? She needed a knight in shining armor, someone who could ensure her safety and kill a legendary source mage such as Lord Vilgefortz. Cirilla fitted the bill. With help from her sister, Cirillas name rose to renown. In the past, she was only known as Olivias sister. Now she was called the Lion Cub of Cintra. Nobody dared to challenge the one who took Vilgefortzs head! Of course, all this was all thanks to the reputation that Lord Vilgefortz had built for himself. He had started off as a famous source mage among spellcasters, single-handedly defeating at least twenty high-ranked source mages. He had manhandled Triss and Yennefer to such an extent that Yennefer had walked away from it without her sight Through all these battles, Vilgefortz was assumed to be the Number One Character across the land. People would shiver when they heard his name, especially spellcasters. Who would stand and face such a terrible man? Who would have thought that Vilgefortz would be defeated by two young sisters, Cirilla and Olivia? Most of all, Cirilla was the one who took his life? Yes, Cirilla was swift and pounced at her opponents weak spots. She was a good match against strong opponents such as Lord Vilgefortz. Still, Lord Vilgefortz was known for his undisputed close combat mastery. It was terrifying! Now, Cirilla actually eclipsed the White Wolf Geralt. He was a legendary witcher who was quickly defeated by Vilgefortz with a staff and had helplessly watched him fight his two daughters. Geralt was not someone to be trifled with, but rumors had oversold him. One would think that he was a deity in the trappings of man. With such a defeat, people started to doubt if he could actually jump from two stories and land without getting hurt. Cirilla, the Lion Cub of Cintra, was no small fry. All she needed now was fighting experience. With her blink and fine swordsmanship, nobody would stand against her in single combat! Every leader was shocked by the death of Vilgefortz, including the leader of Scoiatael, Francesca Findabair Not long ago she had had a great night with Vilgefortz in a ball. They both shared the same level of charm and strength. Thats right, Francesca was a founding member of Lodge of Sorceresses, and was known to be the fairest of them all.[1] She was a pureblood elf with dark gold hair and beautiful blue eyes. As a sorceress, she was capable and magnificent, having powerful elven spells at her disposal. Olivia, the Pearl of the Northern Kingdoms, was now known for her leadership. Her beauty had often been compared with Francesca. Those who prefer mature ladies would choose Francesca, while those who preferred youthful and energetic women would choose Olivia. Francesca could be cruel at times. She had once said that To live in peace, we first must kill. This is the cruel finale of humans nature. [2] If one were to take a closer look at the sentence, it basically said, Peace could only exist if we fight for it, tolerance would only eliminate peace. [3] Francesca was the only Elven Queen across the land, yet her authority was only limited to Dol Blathanna.[4] Like other sorceresses, she loved to dabble with politics, and was never one to shy away from sacrificing others to her ends. Most of the Elves outside Dol Blathanna claimed that Francesca was the thief who stole Scoiataels victory. She had sent Scoiatael to be slaughtered by humans as a condition for her to be queen and build her own elven kingdom. Francesca could not believe that Vilgefortz had been slain. Even she did not have the guts to challenge Vilgefortz. She had pure elven blood, but was no good in close combat. Lord Vilgefortz had fought countless battles on his own Even the righteous protagonist had been crushed like a bug. Of course, protagonists lead tough lives too. Cirilla had been etched on Francescas heart. It kept her awake at night During the coup on Thanedd Island, she had used Artefact Compression on Yennefer and spirited her away. Yennefer was like a mother to Cirilla! Artefact Compression was a powerful spell that some mages used. The spell enclosed the victim in a jade shell and downsized them to the point that they could fit in the palm of their hand. Only a powerful mage or sorceress could cast this spell. It allowed the caster to take the victim prisoner without worrying about any escape attempts, as well as conveniently stow them away. The trauma was highly dangerous to the victim and could cause organ damage to them. Should the target survive the compression process, they would remain comatose and unaware of their surroundings. When decompressed, victims are typically disoriented, dehydrated and in a weakened state. In the Thanedd Island coup, Francesca Findabair had cast Artefact Compression on Yennefer and smuggled her off the island to Dol Blathanna. Francesca had wanted to blackmail Yennefer into joining the Lodge of Sorceresses. Now, she was no longer as sure Translation Note: [1] The Lodge of Sorceresses arose from the ruins of the Brotherhood of Sorcerers after the incident on Thanedd Island essentially killed the older order among mages. It was a secret organization composed entirely of female mages and even referred to as a sisterhood due to no men being invited, as the sorceresses saw men as too incompetent to handle governing areas of magic. [2] This sentence was recorded on Francesca Findabair: Queen of Dol Blathanna, one of five possible Gwent leader cards for the Scoiatael deck in The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt. [3] Words from Mao Zedong Զƽƽ,Эƽƽ, [4] Dol Blathanna known also as the Valley of Flowers in Elder Speech, was a kingdom and now an allod to Aedirn. It is bordered on the north by Kaedwen and the Blue Mountains to the east. It belonged to the elves for ages until humans came and laid claim to the land about one hundred years ago, and the elves fled to the mountains. Chapter 696 - Attention of Prominent Individuals Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation It was fairly easy to understand Francescas diffident. Lord Vilgefortz was seemingly invincible in one to one combat, yet he was taken down by Cirilla and Olivia. Francesca would stand no chance against them. Moreover, the strength increase of Kaer Morhen was showing no signs of slowing down. Even her forces in Scoiatael were no match to Kaer Morhen. Under these circumstances, it would be almost suicidal to cross them. Francesca now considered negotiating her release. None would have foreseen Cirilla and Olivia being this strong. As the foster parents of Cirilla and Olivia, Geralt the White Wolf and his true love Yennefer stood all to gain from their daughters success. Apart from Scoiataels Francesca, the most talented and ambitious ruler among nations of the Northern Realms, Foltest of Temeria also received news of Vilgefortzs unexpected defeat in the joint hands of the two Cintra Princesses. The elder Princess Cirilla gained legendary status through that epic battle; the younger Pearl of The North was already renowned at that time. Now that Olivia had Cirillas support as an unparalleled talent even among source mages as her protector knight, people revered her all the more. In the eyes of Foltest of Temeria, Vilgefortz had been the primary threat from the Northern Realms. This was due to his outstanding achievements during his service for The Nilfgaardian Empire in the empires first battle at the Northern Realms. Previously, Vilgefortz had portrayed himself as the most powerful ace of Emperor Emhyr, while the other mages of the Nilfgaardian Empire could only step aside and watch. It was as if Vilgefortz alone had the ability to determine the outcome of a battle! Therefore, even Foltest trembled at Vilgefortzs name. They had hired numerous Cats to assassinate Vilgefortz, determined to eliminate this major threat and prevent him from further aiding the Nilfgaardian Empire in upcoming battles. However, the reality was cruel. Those deployed assassins were never heard of again. Instead, fresh rumors circulated, claiming that the mighty Lord VIlgefortz had gained a new batch of fresh test subjects in his research laboratory. They were believed to be Witcher samples! After failure upon failure, assassins were no longer willing to take up on his offer. Lord Vilgefortz gained even more fame through this. Rulers of the Northern Kingdoms were on the brink of calling off this pointless attempt! However, Foltest did not anticipate the invincible Vilgefortz would die in such manner. A teenager had slain him in combat. If the news had not been authenticated repeatedly, Foltest would have assumed that it was a lame joke. Vilgefortz was the most significant threat of the Northern Realms, how could he be killed just like that? This had come as a blessing in disguise. He immediately gained confidence in the idea of mobilizing the Allied Army of Northern Realms to reclaim Cintra! At the same time, Foltest felt newfound respect for Olivia and Cirilla, the former Princesses of Cintra Kingdom. He felt that these two Princesses of the fallen kingdom only appeared to be neutral, but in reality, they were fiercely loyal to the North! Foltest had not yet met the famed Pearl of The North Olivia. No matter how stunningly beautiful Olivia was, Foltest would never have any interest towards her, unless she was a blood tied sibling. The renown and talented ruler among the Northern Realms had such extreme fetishes. But now, Foltest wished to meet Olivia and Cirilla. He even thought of formally inviting both Princesses to take up positions in the Temeria kingdom. Take Olivia as an example. As a prodigy in business, she could easily take up the position of finance minister. As a Princess of Cintra Kingdom, as well as her breakthroughs in management principles, no one would disagree to this appointment. Most importantly, Olivia had been directly involved in the killing of Vilgefortz; this was the best proof of loyalty. There was no question of it. As the Pearl of The North was still single, Foltest could also get to introduce her to young and talented males from the Kingdom of Temeria. Olivia aside, Cirilla could be appointed as the kingdoms mage. She had already successfully killed Vilgefortz. Wouldnt she receive a heros welcome wherever she goes? With Cirillas might, nothing could possibly stop her. From this battle, Cirilla as a source mage and news of her ability to manipulate space-time magic got out. People were already mentioning Ithlinnes Prophecy [2] Verily I say unto you, the era of the sword and axe is nigh, the era of the wolfs blizzard. The Time of the White Chill and the White Light is nigh, the Time of Madness and the Time of Contempt: Tedd Deiredh, the Time of End. The world will die amidst frost and be reborn with the new sun. It will be reborn of Elder Blood, of Hen Ichaer, of the seed that has been sown. A seed which will not sprout but burst into flame. [3] Ithlinne, an elven prophetess, was famous for her foretelling of the end of the world. According to her prophecy, the world would be destroyed by an ice age, and all humans would die. Only elves would remain. An offspring of the Elder Blood known as the Swallow would deliver them from certain doom. Several signs would herald the destruction of the world, and the cataclysm would begin when elven blood soaks the earth. This would mark the advent of the Time of Disdain, the Axe and the Wolfs Blizzard, which could be interpreted as a drawn-out war or a return to barbarism. Many believed in the Ithlinnes Prophecy. They firmly believed that the white blizzard would spell the end of the world. Ithlinnes Prophecy could be heard at every port, town square or city gate. The prophecy was used as the ground principles of every village witch, druid or scholar, scholars article or publication, fortune tellers to decipher the future, druids to warn the people. Ithlinnes Prophecy had already penetrated into the daily lives of every corner. Everyone knew of words such as, wolf blizzards era, the coming of white blizzards era and the world to be destroyed in the icy blizzard. However, not many actually understood what it truly meant. These self-proclaimed seers stories about Ithlinnes Prophecy often misinterpreted the calm surface of the lake as the sky. According to some scholars, the white blizzard was not referring any legendary or mysterious supernatural calamity. It was merely referring to everyday natural phenomena using dry and dull technical terms. Some people believed that Cirillas Elder Blood had started to manifest in its full power and had contributed to her victory against Vilgefortz. Many ambitious rulers began to set their sights on Cirilla. Whoever rules over Cirilla would rule over the world! However, Cirilla belonged to only one person, Olivia. Translation Note: [1] The Cats (or Felines) were witchers who developed fighting styles focusing on speed, precision, and agility. As a result, Cat school witchers as well as their equipment do not deal a lot of raw damage but can inflict deadly critical hits. By extension, their gear was designed to maximize flexibility and provide the greatest possible range of motion. [2] Ithlinne Aegli aep Aevenien was a legendary elven healer, astrologist, and Oracle. She had a gift for divination and prophecies, the best known of which is Aen Ithlinnespeath. Ithlinnes Prophecy has been observed to have correctly predicted many things, such as the Northern wars (1239-1268) and the plagues of 1268, 1272, and 1294. [3] Ithlinnes prophecy, also known as Aen Ithlinnespeath is a prediction made by the elven prophetess Ithlinne. It is mentioned over the course of the Witcher series, and it is tied to the computer games rather prominently. In the final book of the saga, The Lady of the Lake, the background story reveals that Ithlinnes prophecy is in the progress of becoming reality: The harbors of Kovir and Poviss are no longer ice-free in winter, and a 100 years earlier, pumpkins and sunflowers could be cultivated in Talgar and Caingorn. A global cooling has begun, although it will be another 3,000 years until glaciers bury civilization. Chapter 697 - An Invitation Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation Other than Foltest, the ruler of a mighty nation and the most renowned leader among the Northern countries, Emperor Emhyr of the Nilfgaardian Empire from the South also expressed his surprise upon learning that Olivia and Cirilla had killed Vilgefortz. Most assumed that Emperor Emhyr would be furious. After all, Vilgefortz was a well-known superweapon of Nilfgaard. Vilgefortz and Emperor Emhyr were very close. He had done the Emperor great services, contributing the most in the nations first battle in the North. However, Emperor Emhyrs reaction had been most unexpected. He continued treating Olivia and Cirilla with unparalleled leniency. Emperor Emhyr immediately took control of the situation, further disheartening some of his most loyal officials. The emperor then unexpectedly announced Vilgefortz as a criminal, stating that he had been plotting against the emperor. Justice had been served, plain and simple. Undeniably, the charges the emperor made against Vilgefortz were true. Witnesses and evidence backed them. One such witness was the reputable dark knight, Cahir. However, Emperor Emhyrs cold heart truly shone this incident. Many were disheartened. It was said that this paved the way towards those who would rebel sometime after. Only Emperor Emhyrs continued pattern of victories could temporarily subdue the rebels. However, a single setback would be enough for a rebellion to commence. They wanted nothing more than to slay the emperor who rejoiced in the downfall of others. Emperor Emhyr did not have any male heirs. Naturally, he placed his love on both of his princesses, Olivia and Cirilla. Emperor Emhyr was content with the victory of his two princesses against Vilgefortz. They have finally grown up and were ready to take their fathers place. Emhyr favored Olivia more. In fact, he had looked up to her since birth. It may just be his instincts, but he believed Olivia was a natural born leader. She had the vision and strategic battle sense. She had demonstrated all these traits since young. Emperor Emhyr did not place importance on royal lineage. In this land, there was an absence of a power great enough to destroy another nation. Therefore, true power still lay within the army, or more specifically, the leader who commanded them. Foltest was a good example. As an iconic leader of the northern region, he was a highly proficient commander who specialized in siege warfare. Apart from mentioning that men falling in love with their sisters was natural and wonderful, he also mentioned that he trusted his soldiers more than advisors and their battle plans. His leadership was greatly known across the land. In the Gwent Card Game, one of the Foltest Gwent cards in Northern Card deck had recorded his words as Dammit, I rule this land, and I refuse to creep around its corners. [1] He may be a control freak over his younger sister, but he was an excellent ruler and commander. He had even more charisma than the ungrateful Emperor Emhyr. Right after announcing Vilgefortzs crimes, Emperor Emhyr finally voiced his desire to meet his youngest princess, the designated successor to his throne. He first rewarded Olivia, addressing to the nation that she was the heroine who had eliminated the threat to the nation. The emperor would recognize the contributions and good deeds of the nations heroine and intended to meet her in person. Therefore an unprecedented event had taken place. Two Cintra Princesses had joined forces in eliminating the strongest lord of the land. Both rivaling nations of the North and The Nilfgaardian Empire respected them, and had almost simultaneously invited both princesses over. Poor Vilgefortze. When he was alive, he was highly respected among rulers of nations and feared by his peers. Now, many rejoiced his death, it was just like the head of a mountain being removed! Vilgefortzs fate, like many other tales in wuxia, showed that the ruler feared the mightiest martial artists. Even if he seemed to be serving them, he had the capacity for disaster, should he choose. Emperor Emhyr hated nothing more than such a turncoat, and Vilgefortz topped the list of his turncoats. The emperor relished in the death of this formidable being, even more so when it had been in the hands of his princesses. He deemed this as the arrangement of the Gods. He might have set fate in motion the moment he assigned Vilgefortz as Olivias mentor. The Princesses of Cintra had to respond to both invitations. After all, these were powerful, formidable parties. On the other hand, Yennefer was released as a token of respect from the leader of Scoiatael, Francesca. She had not been coerced to join the Lodge of Sorceresses. Yennefer now belonged to the Kaer Morhen. With Olivia around, Francesca of the Lodge of Sorceresses had been losing sleep. Since the revolution on Thanedd Island, several helpless sorceresses were taken into Kaer Morhen to be part of the industrial system, vastly improving the magical technology in Kaer Morhen. The Lodge of Sorceress couldnt match the facilities that Olivia provided, such as large-scale magical research and application centers which enabled them to increase production through the use of magic. The advancement of the latter was far beyond that of the former. Olivia couldnt bring herself to respect Francesca. The forces of Scoiatael were weak in the Gwent Card Game and reality was no different! Yes, Olivia had started playing Gwent. She had built herself a mighty deck, formed from the Nilfgaardian Empire. On the other hand, Cirilla was different, she had made herself a strong, Northern deck. Both of them possessed an equal number of rare cards. Whenever they played against each other, it was a 50-50 rate. Olivia decided to meet up with her king father who she had not met for years, Emperor Emhyr. On the other hand, Cirilla would meet up with Foltest, with Geralt accompanying her. They were witchers they might as well help Foltest undo the curse that birthed the Striga. Foltest would prefer meeting Geralt and Cirilla they were more forthcoming and easier to read. On the other hand, Olivia was a terrifying force. She was a perfect match for her dad. They both would rejoice from one anothers downfall. Who knows, Emhyr might simply appoint Olivia as his heir on impulse! Translation note: [1] This sentence came from Foltest: Son of Medell, one of five possible Gwent leader cards for the Northern Realms deck, having been added on with the Hearts of Stone expansion. Chapter 698 - The Sole Heir To The Empire Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation Olivia felt nothing about meeting her biological father of this world. She had nothing to fear from him. She was not alone in that. Even Cirilla had no feelings for Emhyr whatsoever. To Cirilla, their parents were long dead. The one who raised her was her grandmother, Calanthe. Other than Calanthe, she cared for no one else but her sister, Olivia. Emhyr had only been obsessed about reclaiming his country. He could care less about his children. Perhaps being the son-in-law of the Kingdom of Cintra was nothing to be proud of. He could only find value as the reincarnated child of the Nilfgarrdian Empires Emperor. Even so, he did not expect to grow infertile. As emperor, he had wedded at least three other consorts and multiple lovers. His seed never once took hold. As age caught up to him, the very children who he had abandoned earlier in his life became his lifelines. Especially Olivia. After a few years of being Kaer Morhens leader, she had proven herself as a shrewd politician. On top of that, she had outstanding financial management abilities. She could easily be treasurer of any country out there. To Emperor Emhyr, Olivia was the ideal heir that Nilfgaard needed. Otherwise, he would never rest easy. In spite of his ruthlessness, he still intended to unify the entire continent. At the same time, he was not prejudiced towards other races. This was shades better than the Kings of certain Northern Kingdoms who prosecuted other races, to the extent of ethnic cleansing. When Olivia arrived at the City of Golden Towers, the capital city of the Nilfgaardian Empire, she was welcomed by Emperor Emhyr in an unprecedented manner. Those familiar with the Emperor were bemused. They knew that the Emperor thought highly of the Pearl of the Northern Kingdoms, but this was a little unexpected. Who knows, this Olivia might be the Emperors secret lover. Might she even be the illegitimate daughter of the Emperor? The people who attended the ceremony were stunned by her beauty. Of course, among them was the Black Knight Cahir. His eyes glistened. He felt like a little boy falling in love for the first time all over again. Something told him that he had already fallen in love with her as he was bringing her out of a ruined Cintra The grown-up Olivia shared some similarities with that of Emperor Emhyrs. They had the same hair color. They even had the same, superior aura lingering around them. She was no Princess, she was an Empress Regnant! Emperor Emhyr took in her magnificence with relish. He even felt that the pain in his heart had vanished. He seemed to have foreseen a future of his daughter inheriting his vast empire. How glorious would the empires future be The Emperor organized a grand banquet for Olivia. At the same time, he informed everyone of his plans to award Cintra to Olivia. He believed that it was a smart move. Who knows, this would give those rebellious nobles second thoughts. Olivia only accepted the offer on the surface. She did not need anyone to give her gifts or awards. But she did not reject Emhyrs plans to gradually build up her influence. Apparently, they had a secret meeting, where he ensured that his daughter would be his sole inheritor. Therefore, he decided to openly declare, no, spread the shocking news that Olivia was his biological daughter. Emhyr seemed to have forgotten that Cirilla was also his daughter. However, what he remembered of Cirilla was a crude, reckless brat. Most importantly, she lacked beauty. How could she inherit his vast empire? Little did he know that Cirilla had grown refined and beautiful, through the stimulation of the Elder Blood. This worlds Cirilla had not yet been exiled by Vilgefortz, nor had she gone through turmoil and hardship that eventually earned her the scars that you see on her face. Cirilla still behaved like a guy and had grown immensely powerful, but she had also grown far more beautiful. She could easily reel in suitors at will! It was such a shame that only Olivia could enjoy Cirillas ugly duckling transformation. She had predicted it right. She had the power to change a plain-looking individual into a diva! Olivia had no qualms about Emperor Emhyrs decision to reveal her identity. She was not even interested in his vast empire. She only believed that it would be easier for her to conquer this empire in the future. Emperor Emhyr would have never expected someone like Olivia to exist in this world. If someone gave her something, she would be displeased. She would only be satisfied if she has earned it with her own hands! To take the Empire for herself in the future, Olivia pretended to accept the olive branch that the Emperor was offering, thus happily becoming the sole heir of Emperor Emhyr! Emperor Emhyr was filled with joy. He ignored the voices of opposition in his country. Other than awarding the Kingdom of Cintra to Olivia, the Emperor even awarded a highly valued Countship from the Duchy of Toussaint to Olivia. It was as if he was rewarding Olivias struggle over the years. Of course, Emperor Emhyr did not award it in person. He dropped Duchess Anna a certain hint. Thus, Olivia mysteriously became a countess of the fairy-like Duchy of Toussaint. If the Witcher game ever released a DLC related to the Duchy of Toussaint, Olivia would most certainly be a key figure. Who knows, she might even be a close friend of Duchess Anna. After all, Olivia was a first-class social butterfly. As Olivia and Emperor Emhyr carried out their plans in secret, Geralt and Cirilla added more to their list of achievements as they successfully lifted the curse that had been placed on King Foltest [1] of Temeria, earning his genuine friendship However, the second Northern War broke out. The battle was violent and bloody. The only person who walked away none the lesser was Olivia, who continued developing more farming technologies. It was now time to mobilize Kaer Morhens army! Translation note: [1] Foltest (̩˹) was the king of Temeria, prince of Sodden, sovereign of Pontaria and Mahakam as well as the senior protector of Brugge and Ellander. Chapter 699 - Conquer The Entire World! Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation The Second Northern War lasted for two years. It could be said to be the battle of the century. Obviously, Olivias Kaer Morhen had everything to gain from the conflict. This was because she was in a good relationship with the Nilfgaardian Empire. Furthermore, Geralt and Cirilla had struck up a friendship with the Northern Kingdoms. This way, Kaer Morhen could remain wholly neutral and reap benefits from both sides without any fear of ramifications. The Kings of this world, and that included Nilfgaards Emperor Emhyr, were completely underestimating the power when magic and science fused and got used as weapons! As the ashes of war crackled away, historians of different nationalities naturally came up with differing accounts of it. The Nilfgaardians recorded the war like so C The Empire and the North crossed swords again in 1267 to 1268. Following an uprising of treacherous mages on Thanedd Island, Nilfgaard could not in its goodwill, sit idly by as the North allowed magical destruction to go rampant. The Imperial Army took Lyria at lightning speed where they were met with little resistance. After a short campaign, our forces marched into Rivia and Vengerberg [1], where they were received by jubilant crowds who wanted nothing more than peace and civilization. We then advanced into Aedirn. King Demavends [2] attempt to stop the Golden Suns triumphant march failed, and his forces were routed to the Pontar Valley [3] and Dol Blathanna [4]. Queen Meve [5] attempted to wage guerrilla warfare via the use of bandits and outlaws, of which the North had ample supply. In a display of typical Nordling treachery, King Henselt [6] signed a truce with the Empire behind his allies backs, resulting in Aedirn quickly being vassalize. His Imperial Majesty, in an act of supreme benevolence, created an elven state in Dol Blathanna, raising a bulwark of tolerance against the abhorrent racist Nordlings. King Foltest of Temeria attempted to initiate a truce with the Empire. Even so, this Nordlings word proved to have as much value as snow melting in the fields of spring. The truce lasted a mere sixteen days before it was violated. Foltests stupidity led to the Slaughter of Brugge, followed by a number of bloody battles in the Yaruga Valley [7]. In the face of senseless and uncontrolled violence, the Imperial Armys leadership took it upon itself to tamp the bloodshed and ordered a retreat to Sodden. Sadly, Foltests greed meant that hostilities resumed with the coming of spring. It found its peak at the Battle of Brenna, where our heroic forces faced an allied Temerian-Redanian force. To this day, the North considers said battle a turning point in the war. There is no point in debating its ethics. Far more important is the fact that this battle saw the clashing of two approaches: an honorable one, presented by the Imperial Armys leadership, and one of trickery and deception, conducted by the Nordlings. His Imperial Majesty saw this as the final stage. The Northern armies employed scorched-earth tactics, caring not at all for the pain they inflicted on civilian populations. Disgusted and unwilling to take part in this type of war, Nilfgaard withdrew its armies to the south. The Nordlings then mistakenly saw this as an admission of defeat. Via the Emperors mediation, an armistice was drawn up and eventually signed in Cintra, putting an end to the Second Northern War. The Northern Realms historians, however, recorded this war, stating that there was no clear winner, only two heavily wounded factions C Unlike the First War, no clear aggressor could be determined in this one. In early 1267, the kings of the North met at Hagge to plan the recapturing of Cintra. Foreseeing their intentions, Emperor var Emreis amassed a large expeditionary force to gather at the Temerian border. He then masterminded a series of events that left the North ripe for invasion C a mages revolt erupting on Thanedd Island, Redania descending into chaos after King Vizimirs assassination. All Emhyr needed now was a pretext. He got it when Aedirnian soldiers supposedly attacked the Nilfgaardian frontier fortress known as Glevitzingen. Armed with this excuse, Nilfgaardian forces marched North, and thus began the second war. In the wars first phase, the imperial offensive quickly swept over the North. The empires army started off by occupying southern Lyria. Rivia was next to fall after a brief siege. Then came the Battle of Aldersberg [8], followed by Menno Coehoorns [9] march into Vengerberg. King Henselt of Kaedwen had seized this opportunity to cripple his neighbor and promptly signed a treaty with Nilfgaard, while sharing a partitioned Aedirn between the two of them. Opportunistic elves joined the empires cause and for their trouble gained an independent realm in Dol Blathanna. King Foltest was the next rat to scurry from the sinking ship, signing a truce with Nilfgaard and grabbing for himself a portion of western Aedirn. Abandoned by his allies and left with the rump of his kingdom, Demavend, ruler of Aedirn, fled to seek shelter in Redania. The wars first stage ended and its second stage began when Nilfgaard broke its truce with Temeria after a mere fortnight and two days. Its forces quickly filed into Brugge and Sodden. Soon, both lands were awash in blood. In short order, Emhyr occupied all of southern Temeria and decimated Foltests troops at Maribor [10]. The shrewd emperor then retreated to Sodden for the winter, where he prepared for a renewed offensive come spring. No war in history had been host to such fierce battles as those waged during the great Temerian offensive. At least, the forces of the North were united, proved a worthy opponent and slowed the Nilfgaardian advance. This provided Emhyrs internal enemies with an opening to set in motion a plot designed to depose him. Weakened by the infighting (known as the Conspiracy of Nobles), the myth of its invincibility shattered, Nilfgaard then saw its mightiest army routed by northern forces near Brenna. The tide of war had clearly turned. Thus began the wars fourth and final phase. The North staged a counter-offensive, forcing the Imperial Army into a slow and bloody retreat. It was only a matter of time before armistice talks began, temporary truce lines were drawn, and the war draws to a close. Delegates from all parties to the conflict convened in Cintra to draft a peace treaty and establish a new world order. On the 2nd of April, 1268, the Peace of Cintra was signed, bringing an end to the Second War against Nilfgaard. While the Northern Realms forces suffered heavy casualties, various riots started sprouting up in the Nilfgaardian Empire. Olivia suddenly announced herself as Empress Regnant of a country that she just founded. This came as a shock to everyone, as she had always laid low for the most of the war. At most, someone would mention something about the daughter of Emperor Emhyr amid graver news of death and tragedy. She set off with an army that would easily duke it out with a modern army, prepared to conquer the entire continent! This was ridiculous. Even if the two forces were severely hurt and affected by the war, how could a small neutral force like Olivia hope to cause any ripples? Once again, the reality blew everyone away! Translation note: [1] Vengerberg () is the capital city of Aedirn and was once one of the richest and most populous metropolises (numbering six thousand inhabitants) in the Northern Kingdoms. [2] King Demavend (ά) was the king of Aedirn. [3] Pontar Valley () surrounds the river Pontar that cuts a swathe through the Continent, covering the territories of northern Aedirn, southern Kaedwen, southeastern Redania, and northeastern Temeria. [4] Dol Blanthanna (̹) also known as the Valley of Flowers in Elder Speech, was a kingdom and now an allod to Aedirn. [5] Queen Maeve (ޱŮ) was a queen of Lyria and Rivia, known for her wisdom and beauty. [6] King Henselt (ع) was the king of Kaedwen, formally styled as His Majesty Henselt, King of Kaedwen, heir to the Dynasty of the Unicorn, Lord of Ard Carraigh, Archduke of Ban Ard, and vanquisher of Nilfgaard. [7] Yaruga Valley (³Ӻӹ) is the largest river in the Northern Kingdoms, beginning in the Blue Mountains and flowing westward all the way to the Great Sea. [8] Battle of Aldersberg (˹ս) took place after the invasion by Nilfgaard of Dol Angra. Talks between Nilfgaard and the north broke down and Queen Meve of Lyria and King Demavend of Aedirn decided to close the front. [9] Menno Coehoorn (÷ŵܺ) was a Nilfgaardian who served in the Imperial Army as Field Marshal. [10] Maribor (ﲨ) is a principality and fiefdom of Temeria that lies south of its capital Vizima. Chapter 700 - I Came, I Saw, I Conquered Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation Everyone could not help but admit that Olivias timing was impeccable! She had struck while the prey was weak and weary Both the Northern Kingdoms and the Nilfgaardian Empire were barely standing as it was. Every single person in the entire continent now knew Olivias name. Her monopolized goods were sold almost everywhere in the entire continent. The Nordlings had long known Olivia as the Pearl of the Northern Kingdoms. It could even be said that Olivia was the only woman in the world with portraits of her own The citizens of the Nilfgaardian Empire only learned of Olivia as Emperor Emhyr started spreading news about her, saying that she was the Emperors biological daughter or whatnot. They concluded that she was indeed the Emperors daughter by looking at her appearance and hair color. This finally explained why the Emperor favored her so extensively. He had even hinted that Duchess Anna of Toussaint bestowed a Countess title upon Olivia. In conclusion, people were highly fond of the most beautiful human princess who was very likely to inherit the vast Nilfgaardian Empire. Thats right. Olivia was not aware of all this chatter concerning her name. She was called the most beautiful human princess, as it would be less controversial. After all, if she was said to be the most beautiful woman, then there was still the leader of the Scoiatael, Francesca, Queen of the Elves. Well, everyone knew that when beauty reaches a certain level, all that was left for comparison would be talents and abilities. Beauty was subject to every individuals interpretation. Interestingly, at some point, some people felt that Olivias guardian knight, the young and powerful witcher, Cirilla, was actually not far off from Olivia! Thats right. In the past two years, Cirillas appearance had taken a radical change. If Yennefer originally ridiculed her as an ugly duckling, then the current her would be a white swan! Cirilla had also found a new purpose in life other than being with her sister. That was, being a free-spirited and unrestrained witcher. Of course, while being a witcher, she continued gathering intelligence for her sister. She never let her down even once. Olivia had even developed magical equivalent to phones. She could assign quests to the witchers wandering in foreign lands whenever she received any new quests. When Cirilla witnessed the extent of Olivias abilities during the battle against Vilgefortz, she was assured about Olivias safety since then. Of course, she still stuck to her sister most of the time, living in a happy world that only contained the two of them. The rest of her time was spent exploring the continent, hunting monsters, and collecting Gwent cards It was amazing. As Olivias reputation grew, Cirilla became lucky enough to acquire an Olivia Gwent card! This Gwent card was undoubtedly a hero card. A gold border lined it. It was a Neutral card that was available to all factions. Her combat points were 10. It may not be as high as Geralt and Cirillas 15 combat points, but she had several unique abilities. It could even directly cripple her opponents combat points! This way, if her opponents deck had a card with the highest combat points of 10, Olivias Gwent card could instantly kill off that opponents card. At the same time, her very own combat points would take in that 10 points! Those who were familiar with the Gwent cards would instantly note that this epic card was a broken game-changer. As long as this Gwent card was present, it was a compulsory for just about any possible deck. It had to be an extremely rare card no more than five of them would be found in the entire continent! When Cirilla picked this card up, she treated it like a national treasure. She could not wait to go back to Olivias side and use her Northern Kingdoms Gwent deck to destroy Olivias Nilfgaardian Empire Gwent deck. At the same time, she would use this Olivia Gwent card to bully her sister. Olivias appearance in the Gwent card was beautiful and domineering. She was quoted as saying C I came, I saw, I conquered! Gwent was the Easter Egg of the Source World. The records of the character and their descriptions were very similar to the personalities of the characters! Olivias fangs had been completely revealed with the debut of her secret army. She was just like the autumn wind sweeping away fallen leaves. First, she devoured all of the smaller countries in the Northern Kingdoms. Then, she ignored the warnings issued by the bigger countries. Nobody had the right to deny her from her goal! Wherever Olivias eyes landed on was her territory! Originally, people thought that Olivia proclaiming herself as an Empress Regnant was a big joke. However, as Olivia conquered more and more countries, the nobles who dared to resist, and even the nobles who did not resist were stripped of their feudal fiefdoms. Everyone then suddenly discovered that this was not some joke. This was the truth! The Kings who thought Olivia was just some merchant in the past could not accept this twist. After some Kings who refused to yield to Olivia were sent to the guillotine platforms, they begrudgingly accepted that this was now the harsh, ugly reality and not some nightmare In just three months time, the Northern Kingdoms fell to Olivia, the Empress Regnant. The previous aristocratic system was completely revolutionized. It was replaced by a monarchy with an extremely centralized power. Nobles would no longer be granted with fiefdoms, but they could still keep their titles. After Emperor Emhyr knew about the fact that his appointed heir, Olivia had conquered the Northern Kingdoms, he fell into a state of confusion. This was his dream. In the blink of an eye, half of the continent had already fallen to his daughter. What is going on? Little did the Emperor expect that as he was severely bruised and battered in quelling the nobles rebellion in his country, his daughter did not give him any face at all! Olivia, along with her protective Knight and fellow Empress, Cirilla personally led her army to conquer the continent. They had even crossed the border of his Empire! Thats right. Olivia, the Empress Regnant, had boldly strode on the Yuri path and married her sister, Cirilla. This love in a fallen city between the two unrivaled beauties had even received the blessings of the entire world. They were just too beautiful no man was worthy of them. Thus, this was the best possible outcome! They had even used some Yuri magic technique and gave birth to a baby girl called Artoria. Artoria would be their sole heiress Furthermore, the Nilfgaardian Empire was currently embroiled in civil strife. Even if the Empire did not have civil strife, how could an agricultural-based country resist an attack from a dark technology country? Therefore, the Nilfgaardian soldiers quickly surrendered at the hands of Olivia. It was the wiser and rational choice. Wasnt she supposed to be the successor of the Empire? Why not just pass the Empire to this Empress Regnant who was more like a fierce tigress, than human? Chapter 701 - Fall of An Empire Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation Olivia had finally experienced what we call receiving troops with food and drink. Her enemies no longer had the fight left in them. It was mainly because they were terrified beyond belief. Olivias forces wielded magical crystal cannons that could destroy everything within a 10km radius. This Empress Regnant had already unified the Northern Kingdoms why even bother resisting? Footsoldiers lost their morale, almost losing their marbles. Stubborn nobles even attempted to fund their private army to hold the Empress Regnant back. It was no surprise to learn that they were absolutely decimated! They were not resisting a revolution or any of that sort. They had far simpler, selfish reasons retaining their privileges. They did not want to be nobles with just honorary titles. However, Olivia wanted to take back everything for the country by doing land reforms. She would slay anyone who opposed her As a dictator, she could do anything she wanted. As long as she had cash and steel in her hand, her enemies were nothing but paper tigers! Public opinions were damned. The loudest voices did not always come from the citizens. Now, as long as she pleases the real citizens happy, what was there to worry about? Olivia enforced her will upon the world, making changes at a speed that others could not keep up with. It was not a society of equal rights it was an elitist society. However, everyone had equal rights to education. Hard work and talent still determined onces final position. Those who slept would naturally be at the bottom of society. Nature would slowly discard them. Although the Empire established by Olivia appeared to be cruel and cold, it was far better compared to the feudal Kingdoms. Anyone could rise to any position if they tried hard enough. It was a land of freedom and opportunity. In the previous system, only noble descendants could be the Kingdoms ruler. They had the title, the right, and they were born of noble blood So in a sense, Olivia had liberated those who would have been slaves and servants to the nobles for the rest of their lives, giving everyone a relatively equal starting point. On the other hand, absolute equality was not yet obtainable with her current resources. Those who had strong family backgrounds would always have the edge. The liberated citizens at the bottom of society were highly supportive of this radical Empress Regnant. She was the saint that they did not know possible! Ironically, Olivias overwhelming steamroll had allowed Emperor Emhyr to use the fear of her name and solve various problems in his Empire. Rebels had no choice, but admit that Emperor Emhyr was not that bad compared to Olivia, who had killed so many people in the revolution. Furthermore, Olivia did not give a damn about the nobles. Olivia was simply going against the entire world. It was a fools notion, but she had an overwhelmingly advanced technology, an unstoppable military presence, and listened to the voices of the masses! Emperor Emhyr had put so much effort into researching about his chosen heir but never got any of his questions answered, only growing increasingly envious as new questions arose! Olivia had realized the ideal nations of his dreams! He detested nobles just as much as she did. It was perfectly reasonable for an Emperor to pursue absolute dictatorship over his Empire. However, nobles would always attempt to constrain and oppose him. Such insubordination truly hindered his will. Even some of his goodwill would lead to various complaints as a result of being taken the wrong way Troubles are all caused by traitors, the Emperors are innocent was an apt statement. Any Emperor with a healthy, functioning mind would only wish for peace and stability for his country. If anything, he wanted to be heard by the citizens at the bottom of society. On the other hand, nobles be damned with their power and wealth. It was alright for Emperor Emhyr to be envious of Olivia, but he would never allow the Nilfgaardian Empire to fall. He began to further inject fundings into his military, hoping to give his daughters advancement some pause. The Heavens were cruel. During Olivias birth, this scenario had never once crossed his mind! Faced with the possibility of losing their personal interests and benefits, the reactionary forces of the nobles quickly banded together. As Olivia clearly opposed the fiefdom system, the nobles from the Northern Kingdoms had all the cause in the world to despise her. They could not wait to sink their teeth into her flesh and grind her bones to dust! The nobles had even spent a great deal of money to hire some mysterious individuals. One such faction was the Ladies of the Wood [1] or something like that. According to legends, they were three powerful witches. However, against the extremely powerful and talented Olivia, they did not stand a chance. Furthermore, there was Cirilla, who had established herself as a highly successful witcher. When Olivias unstoppable army arrived at the Nilfgaardian Empires capital city, the City of Golden Towers, Emperor Emhyr stood on the palaces walls. He faced Olivia, the Empress Regnant who had personally led her soldiers to war A great painter had captured this historical moment on canvas. The resulting painting went on to be a great masterpiece. In the painting, Olivias expression was indifferent and cold. It was as if she was playing a strategy-based game. During the early stages, no one had interrupted her. Then, she had slowly made her way up the technology tree. After conquering her neighbors with this highly advanced country, she had used the combat power of the industrialized country to crush all the agricultural-based countries. You could even refer it to the time when the western powers overpowered the Qing Dynasty. There was only one problem Olivia was too lazy to sign some treaty that attempted to put her on the lower ground. She did not intend to spare of the countries from annexation. It was just like playing a civilization game until the end. Emperor Emhyr was perplexed. One could say that he was both relieved and embarrassed. He never expected to have his Empire passed over to his daughters hands in such a manner. According to his plans, he should be the one to unify the entire continent. Having blown the entire world away, he would claim the title of First Emperor. Then only would he pass the Empire to Olivia. He never expected to be the one conquered, by his own daughter at that too! Emperor Emhyr did not put up much resistance. The bustling City of Golden Towers was liberated without much incident. Some nobles who overestimated themselves attempted the impossible, only to end up having their heads lopped off! Of course, Emperor Emhyr was allowed to live. However, he seemed to have aged in a single night. He was better off dead. The Nilfgaardian Empire had fallen. Translation note: [1] Ladies of the Wood (з) are three witches who live in a cabin in the swamps of Velen. Chapter 702 - The Path Of An Empress Regnant, Complete! Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation After conquering Nilfgaard, Olivia turned her sights elsewhere. Then, she realized that the Skellige Isles had been allowed to thrive in peace. There was also the Scoiatael of the Queen of the Elves, Francesca The only reason why she had taken notice of these two insignificant forces was because she had built Gwent decks based on their factions. Francesca did not dare oppose the Empress Regnant. She had promptly offered her surrender. Olivia had then handled the Minority Gathering Area with much proficiency. She would grant it the freedom of self-rule. In the end, the Skellige Isle was the only country left in the entire continent that was considered an independent nation The leader of the Skellige Isles, King Bran, and Queen Calanthe, the Lioness of Cintra, who had taken shelter there were both at a loss! Originally, the Second Northern War between the Nilfgaardian Empire and the Northern Kingdoms had inflicted heavy losses on all parties involved. In the end, there were no winners, only losers. Many Kingdoms in the North became estranged. Gaps have started to show in the flaws. On the other hand, Emperor Emhyr was miserable. The only reason why he could suppress the rebellions in his country in the past was with his victories in the First Northern War, where many people were stunned by his brilliant show of power in the war However, when the Second Northern War started, things went badly for him. In the beginning, the Nilfgaardian Empire still held strong. Unfortunately, most of their generals fell in combat. They had even used the Gwent deck against their enemies. It had 10 combat points and a healing technique. It was one of the strongest Gwent cards, comparable even to Olivias Gwent deck. However, even the finest generals fell. The Empire might have lost more than they could possibly take. Olivia could conquer the entire continent with such ease, only due to the losses suffered by the dominant forces in the continent. Who knows, time would heal their wounds, and a third big war might kick off. However, Olivias dominant showing had brought peace to the entire continent. She had unified the continent and became the sole Empress Regnant in this vast continent! There was only one last step in her path of becoming an Empress Regnant. It was to make the independent nation of the Skellige Isles surrender to her. However, even the cold Olivia could not bring herself to invade the Skellige Isles. The island had been nothing but kind and friendly to her. She had even spent her childhood on the island. There was also a Prince Hjalmar who she could never forget. He was almost a brother to her. When the Kingdom of Cintra was being invaded, Prince Hjalmar had even brought his own forces to help the Kingdom of Cintra resist the invasion by the Nilfgaardian Empire. However, his help was too little too late Prince Hjalmar could only repeatedly plunder the coasts of the Nilfgaardian Empire to vent his anger towards the Empire. At the same time, he wanted to stand up for Olivia. However, his reckless behavior was frowned upon by the nobles in the isles. They felt that he was looking for trouble by inciting strife between the Skellige Isles and the Nilfgaardian Empire. Fortunately, the Empire was not interested in the barren islands. If not, with the Nilfgaardian Empires navy, even the Skellige Isles men might not amount to much. Those who hated the war were more supportive of Hjalmars sister. They felt that she was a more suitable person when it came to bringing prosperity to the island. They did not have confidence in a meat-headed, reckless man who did all he could to provoke the powerful Emperor. However, their fears were now assuaged. Nilfgaard has fallen. Of course, the Empires citizens did not feel that their country, as the strongest country on the continent, had truly been destroyed. The country carried a new name; its throne carried a new ruler No big deal. Empress Regnant Olivia had unified the entire continent, so the entire continent is the Nilfgaardian Empire! Everyone now knew of Olivias abilities. She was the perfect ruler. And now, she and Cirillas daughter C Artoria bore all her regal markings. This talented genius child was already dreaming of becoming the perfect king since birth. She was just like her father, Her Majesty Empress Olivia. Of course, Artoria looked up to her mother Cirilla as well. Therefore, as she was looking forward to being a perfect king, at the same time, she hoped to learn the art of swordplay from her mother. Ultimately, Olivia tuned out her emotions. She left Skellige Isles with an ultimatum. They could either surrender or be destroyed. The Empress Regnant sent the nobles in the Skellige Isles trembling in fear. Olivia had already consolidated all of the warships in the Northern Kingdoms and the Nilfgaardian Empire. At the same time, she was backed by weapons that did not even seem like belongs in this world. How would the brainless meatheads in the Skellige Isle be supposed to defend themselves from Olivia? Based on the trend, traitors should start making their appearances at this point. They would attempt to appeal to Olivias rationality. Well, she did have the right to succeed the Skellige Isles. Her earlier act of recognizing Crach as her father, or in other words, as the granddaughter of Queen Calanthe, gave her a stake in the claim over the Skellige Isles. Even though it was a weak claim, she still had Hjalmar as her brother. Still, what claim would the Empress Regnant need? If anything, that weak claim was a good reason to wage war! As Olivia unified the continent, she did not know how much of a problem she was causing to the continents jurisprudence The Skellige Isles surrendered without much resistance. The old King Bran lacked the spine to resist Olivia. Calanthe, who used to think little of Olivia did not know whether to cry or laugh. Originally, Calanthe had thought that Olivias only redeeming trait was her beautiful appearance. It would be the best for her as a bargaining chip through marriage. Yet now, the entire world was beneath her feet! On the day when the Empress Regnant visited the isles, Calanthe could only bow down in reverence to her granddaughter What a twist of fate! Just like this, Olivias quest as Empress Regnant was complete. Following that, she received a new quest. The world was about to face an invasion from otherworldly beings. Their target was Cirilla. Olivia decided to retreat from the Source World. Something like a monsters invasion was nothing much for a ruler of the world. Chapter 703 - Obtaining a Legendary Character Card! Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation After returning back to reality, Zhao Youyue felt something profound change within her soul. The power of all the characters combined in her as an Empress also took their leave. Aside from the abilities of those character cards, Olivia possessed the aura of a ruler, along with extraordinary leadership. Zhao Youyue had not determined any of these traits via settings, through her efforts within the source world Zhao Youyue took a look at the mysterious Two Dimensional Gate. A new character card had been produced Olivia, the supreme empress. She looked just like her Gwent card in the source world. She was clad in the most gorgeous royal robes, while languishing on the throne, one hand supporting her chin. The quote was there I came, I saw, I conquered. Even Zhao Youyue herself was shocked by such a discovery. She never expected to actually obtain a character card from the source world. What did this mean? A souvenir? After all, she did not need the character card to inherit Olivias leadership capabilities. She was Olivia, and Olivia was her. Still, she gave the card a try, and only then did she learn of how amazing it actually was! Upon switching it on, she did not feel any outburst of supernatural powers. It was as if a certain aura suddenly manifested itself and blanketed her. This aura was the legendary Rulers Domineering Aura. People would be obligated to bowing before her on sight! Instead of referring to it as the Empress card, it was better to refer it as the Long Aotian card. Clearly, such an aura was only effective on those who lacked the strength of character to resist. But how many of these strong characters would actually exist in this world? For the succeeding Student President, such a character card was ideal! How could Zhao Youyue ever lose in the elections for the Student President position? Lets not talk about this election. If she started off a company and became its president, this card would knock the masses down to their knees! As the female emperor who was able to unite the entire continent, Olivia was the protagonist among protagonists. It would completely bury Zhao Youyues passerby attribute and turn her into a genuine protagonist! What an amazingly powerful card! Zhao Youyue finally learned of its true value. A character card could also be crafted by living its life within the source world. When the source world, or at the very least, its occupants recognize her, a character card would be produced. From a passerby princess to the ruler of the entire continent. This character card was easily on par with an iconic character card! No, it could even be called a legendary character card. It was far rarer than a mere icon! After all, iconic character cards merely endowed Zhao Youyue with some form of ability. A legendary card like this laid down the whole protagonists buff package onto Zhao Youyue! The source worlds were often inspirations for iconic works. If Zhao Youyue played the role of a certain character and stirred things up within that particular source world, it was equivalent to her playing the role of a character within an iconic work. Undoubtedly, the more she stirred up in the source world, the more profound the impact, and the higher the chances of this character becoming iconic! She was already within an iconic work. She went on to be the icon of that iconic world. If her character was still not a legendary character, who was? Every single person within the source world of The Witcher knew of her name! It was no surprise to find her in the books of history as a legend, complete with her own legendary character card in Gwent. Olivias experiences within that source world were nothing short of legendary. Nobody who has looked back at her life could not deny it. She had started off as the Princess of a small kingdom. However, her father was the great Emperor Emhyr. Eventually, her small kingdom fell. The tragedy did not get to her. Instead, she rose above the ashes. First, she became the leader of Kaer Morhen while establishing the number one chamber of commerce on the continent. Then, she invested heavily in magic and technology research. Eventually, she formed a modernized army and then wiped out the entire continent! Even her maternal grandmother thoroughly underestimated her. She soon learned of how wrong she was. When she finally stood before her biological father as the superior ruler the vision of the Empress Reagent towering over the great Nilfgaardian Empire was immortalized on canvas. Now that Olivia was the female emperor, she was in the position to deal with the threat from another world. This Wild Hunt was playing with death! Perhaps the Wild Hunt only existed to trigger the appearance of the Monsters Gwent Deck. Either way, Olivia was now a demigod of the source world. She now had the entire glove within her palms! She fully deserved her legendary status! In reality, someone out there would be drawing inspiration from this world and create The Witcher trilogy. Olivia would also enter the scene as a character within the game Now, Zhao Youyue could relive Olivias legend of uniting the entire continent on her computer. It would be an amazing CGI that told the story of a western fantasy Road to a Female Emperor. It swelled up on the internet, clogging servers and streaming hosts. Some viewers had predicted this series to one day blow up. Undoubtedly, its quality was impeccable. Not a single flaw could be detected. More unbelievable was the VAs performance. They were no longer playing the part of any character they were the characters! Now that Zhao Youyue had obtained this ridiculously legendary card, she did not celebrate. On the contrary, there was a tinge of regret in her heart. Why had she been so passive in the previous supernatural genre source world? If she had tried her best to stir things up and conquer the source world, she might have already obtained an even rarer legendary character card from the start! She very much still needed the assistance of the system. With the system, one could still enjoy completing quests. Quests would eventually lead a person to the peak of their existence! Of all the characters that Zhao Youyue had ever possessed, Olivia was probably the most aggressive, power-hungry careerist ever. Chapter 704 - Lets Think About Raiding a Source world Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation As the Road to a Female Emperor picked up, Olivia rose in popularity. Whenever her name is mentioned, people would talk about how she was such a schemer, along with her pure and beautiful Lily-love with her sister. The moment Olivia became the empress, viewers around the world had cheered in unison. They were in agreement that this highly refined, authentic 3D animated blockbuster was a masterpiece. She was not some virtual character, but a legendary character who was truly alive within another world. Perhaps this was why Olivias legendary character card had shown up in the Two Dimensional Gate. She was a genuine iconic character. Soon after, she conquered the literary world, in all sense of the word. Zhao Youyue saw that Road to a Female Emperor was now a leading title. Even so, she still very generously left the copyright of this work open to all. She would seek profit from such work. For her, the more famous, the better. She did not even need to promote the work herself. Doujinshi works have already found themselves on the internet. The Lily-line between Olivia and Cirilla was most probably the favorite genre! When Olivia finally united the entire continent, Cirilla had transformed from an ugly duckling into a white swan. Her beauty could no longer be described in words! The young Cirilla and the current Cirilla seemed to have been illustrated by completely different artists! Other than works that featured the two lovely princesses, others were solo appearances of various witchers. It was truly fascinating. Road to a Female Emperor was a large-scale epic. Its story covered such a broad world, that Olivia would not always be featured on the screen. The story panned between the perspectives of various significant forces and multiple parties. Contrary to what was expected, these characters had been played out so convincingly that some policy decisions were even more in line to their respective identities. To those rigorous audiences, it was a Godly work among Godly works! Perhaps regular audiences would be enthralled by Olivias beauty how she cheated her way through the world; how she walked her path down the Lily-line. Some of the sharp-eyed viewers came up with highly intriguing interpretations of minute details. This was no CGI, this was actual footage from another world! With such elaborate worldbuilding, Doujinshi authors had all the room in the world to work their craft. A particular writer had even written out full-length Doujinshi novel with Geralt the White Wolf as its protagonist. It was well-received. Countless readers urged for faster updates, throwing all their cash at him as if it would help speed things up. Zhao Youyue had no interest in that money. She would rather have her work gain more fame. If someone could earn his livelihood through it, all the better. If they produced more Doujinshis of her work, would it not gain even more fame? Wasnt this a win-win matter? In fact, after Road to a Female Emperor became the concern of many writers, a particularly reliable game company took notice of it. The company had even intended to purchase its copyrights. After realizing that the game copyright was open to all, the company had been jubilant. It started producing The Witcher game series. This time, its protagonist would be Geralt. Undoubtedly, Olivia would appear in the game as a highly important character. When plans for this conscientious game company was announced, almost all RPG lovers became giddy with excitement. This game had all the makings of an absolute masterpiece! Zhao Youyue was delighted that Road to a Female Emperor. This work might even be passed down the generations. On the other hand, poorly written works were bound to find the exit on their own. Zhao Youyues latest adventure had been a major success. Zhao Youyue was sure that she had mastered the fabric of those source worlds. Source worlds were considered the equivalent of literary worlds, minus the effects on their real-life authors. As long as Zhao Youyue sent ripples across the world, she would still be able to obtain character card. On top of that, it would be a legendary card, something that surpassed even the iconic cards! She had missed this great opportunity during her exploits in the previous supernatural source world. She had taken a backseat, passive role, leaving everything to fate, simply recording the events down in a memoir All she had earned from that entry was some energy for the Two Dimensional Gate. Within the second western fantasy source world, she had hijacked the wheel from the figurative driver. As an empress who had crawled her way to the top, she had experienced all form of ordeals, while leaving her imprint on any surface available. She caused a ruckus wherever she went. Eventually, she became the protagonist that the source world deserved! Zhao Youyue had squeezed every single ounce of energy possible into the source world. She had even found her true first love. It was Cirilla, who had transformed from an ugly duckling into a white swan Of course, Zhao Youyue would deem this a complete success. She had learned much about the Two Dimensional Gate. You reap what you sow actually made perfect sense here. Of all the fun and joy the source world provides, Zhao Youyue found the most fun in combining all the abilities of her wives in one body. Also, writers did not interfere. If she took her time, placing brick by brick, she would eventually attain godhood in these worlds. If she were to enter a source world again in future, she would know better now. She should pounce on the opportunity and claim more legendary characters. Zhao Youyue returned to the campus. After much warfare and power struggles on a global scale, the real world now seemed bleak and mundane. As Lady Zhao was able to revert to passerby status anytime she wanted to, she did not have to worry about having her privacy intruded. At that moment, she was passionately running her paintbrush across the canvas. Her subject was Cirilla in her white swan state. Lady Zhao truly loved this sister of hers. Chapter 705 - Competitor? Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation The source world had served Zhao Youyue well. She had harvested several lifetimes of talents and skills. This newfound, master-level drawing ability was just a bonus. If a modern curator were to gaze upon her drawing, they would feel as if they had traveled back in time. The drawing style was similar to that of medieval artists. This was not exactly surprising. After all, her teachers in the source world belonged to that period. Style and fashion changed over time. Such change would be most apparent regarding manga. One could tell if a manga is aged at a single glance. Sometimes, even the most interesting of stories would fail to make up for old drawing that some readers may find off-putting. Now, Zhao Youyue could easily produce manga-level work. However, that was not exactly her intentions. If she could pain traditional oil pieces, why not? It was more pretentious than some fancy manga. Drawing was now another one of Lady Zhaos many past times. Of course, she had yet to demonstrate it no one would know of it for now. After a few days of drawing, Zhao Youyue placed her last stroke. Cirilla had been reproduced in Da Vincis drawing style. Zhao Youyue felt a wave of nostalgia wash over her. Cirilla was so beautiful in the portrait. She was in her wedding dress. A crown adorned her head. She seemed nothing like the female witcher who loved to fight and kill. Instead, she looked like a blissful bride Olivias dear bride. Now, Zhao Youyue had taken her leave from the source world. Even Olivias fate remained unclear She did not know how Cirilla, who deeply loved Olivia would react if Olivia simply up and died. Cirilla also could learn of Olivias secret. Then, she would use her Elder Blood and force open The Gate of the Worlds, chasing after Zhao Youyue through endless source worlds. Of course, Cirilla lacked the power to actually traverse dimensions and cross over into reality. Zhao Youyue was the only one who could do so. Reality was harsh, as its rules were. It would never stand for any form of magic. If not, Zhao Youyue would have found a way to reproduce the magical dark technology that she had created within the source world. Even if Zhao Youyue used the character card, she would only seem remotely mysterious. She could cause the suspension of disbelief with performances similar to her soul music. To the eyes of commoners, it was just a beautiful mix of emotion and skill. It was all scientific and logical. This was the reality. Unless you did the impossible, humans would somehow work an explanation out for any situation, no matter how bizarre. In fact, various unscientific, unexplainable, mysterious phenomena truly existed. Zhao Youyues Two Dimensional Gate was solid evidence Zhao Youyue did not appreciate such an orderly, rational world. Reality was unpleasant. She was vaguely aware that her character cards were only so powerful because readers had read of them, acknowledged them, and accepted them as the natural order of things. Readers of the real world were granters of wishes. The only problem was that it took a massive amount of readers to cause any change. It was just that no one else had the Two Dimensional Gate to harness such power At least, this was Zhao Youyues assumption. Therefore, in this world, be it the writers or their loyal readers, they had to be treated with the utmost respect. They were her true source of power! Of course, there were also terrible writers and readers. Their existence marred an otherwise perfect picture. Zhao Youyue hated these folks. While Zhao Youyue was still addicted to her newfound revelation of the Two Dimensional Gate, Jiangnan University buzzed with life. It was time to pick a new Student President. Two promising candidates were already standing out. One was Qiao Fei, the Head of Discipline who had lost to Zhu Yongnian, the incumbent student president in the previous elections. She was well-known to be just and stern. She did all she could to gain the favor of those great clubs. On the other hand, she intended to eliminate those small clubs that purely sought to cheat the university of its fundings Many felt that Qiao Fei was a no-nonsense leader who would get the ball rolling. She should lead the existing student clubs into a fresh new era. In addition to that, when it came to joint campus festivals, carnivals, she promised to fight for more benefits on their end. It would further increase Jiangnan Universitys reputation, keeping the universitys status as the boss among other southern universities. After Zhu Yongnian became the student president for a half-semester, he was subject to harsh criticism. Many felt that he was quite possibly the worst president ever. He did nothing but spend his days fooling around. How did he actually get chosen? Has everyone been voting with their legs? In contrast to that, the one to bring order out of chaos Qiao Fei seemed far more favorable than ever. Many students were prepared to vote seriously this time round. Qiao Fei aside, Chen Ye, the head of the Public Relations Department had taken himself in the running as well. He had a formidable assistant Cao Chuanguang, the President of the News Club and Deputy Head of the Public Relations Department. Although Cao Chuanguang was rather despicable as a person, he was an able promoter. He often boasted about how close he was to Chen Ye, going so far as to claim that Chen Ye would lead Jiangnan University ahead of the Capital University, Chung Hua University. He could very well call him the next messiah. The students treated the campus like a country. They were the voters, the Student Presidents their rulers. Such propaganda came like rain on a drought-ridden desert. Those words got to them, and they started genuinely believing that voting for Chen Ye would be a great choice. This man would bring the tide along with him. He intended to slaughter the Capital University, and exterminate Chung Hua University. What were you waiting for? Hurry vote for Chen Ye! Lady Zhao, have you forgotten about participating as a candidate? Yu Xuefei reminded her roommate. No, I havent. I just want to see the others struggle more, replied Lady Zhao, a smile on her face. Chapter 706 - Subconsciously Ignored Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation Sometimes, Lady Zhao did things in poor taste. She loved watching people pile up their hopes to the sky, only to send it all crashing down with a nudge. The higher they are, the greater the fall. Perhaps she took delight in the morbid satisfaction as a fraulein of the schadenfreude. Zhao Youyue was already well-prepared for the elections. Her team was assembled, her programme finalized. most importantly, she was everyones idol. The surprise gem from Beautiful Aprils film adaptation was a determining factor behind this. As the actress for Chu Luoxun, Lady Zhaos acting could not have been any better, even by the standards of the harshest critics. Many fans of the legendary female celebrity Zhang Guorong have agreed that Lady Zhao was her reincarnation. Zhao Youyue had breached the entertainment circle in a most dramatic fashion. From live streamer to movie star! Everyone knew that movie stars sat at the pinnacle of the entertainment industry! Zhao Youyue already had several loyal fans, to begin with. Now, she could boast about having actual movie stars among them. Of course, several of them would be students of Jiangnan University One could only imagine that when Lady Zhao announces her running for the student president, fickle elements like election slogans, programme, campaign teams would be completely unnecessary. She would wipe the floor with the so-called competition. In the past, Zhao Youyue might have always doubted her leadership. Now that she has lived as the legendary Empress Olivia, things have changed. If she could govern half the world where demons and sorceresses roamed, what trouble could a campus pose? Besides, the student president within this parallel world was a figure of great authority. In Jiangnan University which was comparable to the top famous universities such as the Capital University Chung Hua University, this power would be amplified a thousandfold. Even so, no matter how great the authority, the student president was free to do whatever he wanted. There were still teachers, administration staffs, and of course, the headmaster within the campus If there the power of a student president ever exceeded the headmaster, pigs would fly. But we are talking about Zhao Youyue here. She would give the impossible a try and her chances were solid. Who knows, she might even gain sole authority over the campus. After all, she only had to win the current election and the subsequence re-elections. She could perpetually retain that position for God knows how many semesters. Nobody said that the maximum term for a Student President was two years. Unfortunately, nobody had even come close to breaking that limit. The pressure came not just from above, but from below. Countless others wanted that position for themselves. Who would not cave into those demands? Zhao Youyue had made up her mind. She would submit her application as a candidate just before the deadline. She was looking forward very much to seeing Qiao Fei and Cao Chuanguangs expressions when it happens Zhao Youyue truly disliked the both of them. Qiao Fei was the biggest hypocrite she had ever know. On the surface, she was fair and just, but she probably had more backdoor dealings than Chinas most corrupt. After learning of Lady Zhaos background, her Discipline Inspection Department no longer checked on Zhao Youyues dormitory. Clearly, they were attempting to lick her boots. From the beginning, Qiao Feis odds had been huge. A mere word from Lady Zhao that favored Zhu Yongnian had brought her dreams crashing down. Of course, Zhao Youyue appreciated the just and fair. Take a look at her bestie Bai Yunshan. Of course, Lady Zhao had educated her well. Now, Bai Yunshan was constantly whispering in Lady Zhaos ear correcting the goddess who has gone astray. Even so, her actions have always been in line with the Ladys wishes. Zhao Youyue found Qiao Fei to be an absolute hypocrite. She was pretentious and childish. She might seem completely normal to her peers. To Zhao Youyue, these were paltry mischiefs. Qiao Fei aside, Zhao Youyue disliked Cao Chuanguang even more. He no longer harrassed Zhao Youyue, but Zhao Youyue found him utterly disgusting. Even so, she remained inactive. She was just waiting for the best moment, the best spot to plunge the blade in. Cao Chuanguang valued his position within the campus very much. He was pleased with his hard-earned position as the deputy head of the Propaganda Department. Now, he had set his sights on the Student Presidents seat. Now, all he needed was to propel Chen Ye up. When that favor gets returned, wouldnt a single penstroke place him at the top of the Public Relations Department? Once in that position, he would be able to claim his throne Now, Cao Chuanguang had the power to determine Chen Yes fate. This was his election as much as that mans. Therefore, he had invested a lot of time, energy, and money. Now, he had grown complacent, thinking that he was just one step away from success. Qiao Fei and Cao Chuanguang had both acknowledged each other as equal rivals. Currently, he was attempting to uncover Qiao Feis dark past, hoping to deliver her a fatal blow at the opportune moment! Both Cao Chuanguang and Qiao Fei seemed to have forgotten about Zhao Youyues existence. Perhaps that little Deputy Head of the Literature and Arts Department was just worlds apart from their positions. Besides, what could this insignificant mean to that great Lady? Regardless, whoever ends up as Student President would definitely need to keep Lady Zhao satiated. How else would you ensure a smooth-sailing tenure? Both thought that Lady Zhao was not one bit interested in the position. Still, there was much to do. Even without her in the way, they had a long fight ahead of them. Lady Zhao was too lazy to go through all this trouble, wasnt she? Even Zhu Yongnian, the current president did not expect Zhao Youyue to see. It was not until when Lady Zhao handed her application form to him in person when his jaw dropped. My Lady, are you really doing this? Chapter 707 - Unexpected Entry Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation Zhu Yongnian was struck speechless. His lips started moving habitually, his mind not truly believing his own words. My Lady, youre just a Year 1 student. If you participate in the election now, you wont get far. After all, Qiao Fei and Chen Ye are the current favorites. Weve run the numbers Oh? Im not here to win. I just thought that it would be fun to mingle about and talk to the crowd during the campaign. Its not like my words will sway them. Well, Im a Deputy Head, arent I? Cant I join in the fun? Zhao Youyue had put those words so lightly and casually, yet there was that domineering sense of superiority in her tone. As for that laughable poll it was not even worth her attention, wasnt it? How unreliable. People, students especially, would not put much thought into their votes. They were not determining the next world leader this was on a far smaller scale. As it was, people rarely chose their nations leaders wisely. Few would have the dignity to pat their chests and say that their votes mattered. Perhaps Zhu Yongnian had occupied the Student Presidents position without doing anything for far too long. Somehow, he gave them all an impression that he was terrified of taking responsibilities. He managed, According to the rules on the bright surface at least, a deputy head can most certainly participate in the election. But I dont care about those unspoken rules by the Student Council, and I dont think I need to care. Everything will be fine as long as I dont violate the rules on that surface. In short, count me in! Zhao Youyue folded her arms and sat herself down rather elegantly opposite Zhu Yongnian. As usual, her expensive clothing gave off a Lady-like aura the type of aura that would stifle the strongest wills. She had even brought along two bodyguards in suits and leathers. Obviously, she had brought them along for appearances. Otherwise, they would have remained hidden in the shadows. Zhu Yongnians Bureaucratic mind had just kicked in. Only then did he realize who was he addressing! Cold sweat gushed out. He felt the irrepressible impulse to immediately fall to his knees before Lady Zhao, crawling towards her to lick her feet. By the way, Lady Zhao had silk stockings on today. Wearing silk stockings during Spring was popular. Plus, they were comfy!. Therefore, if anyone was given the opportunity to lick Lady Zhaos beautiful legs, it would be their privilege. Lets lick them raw, and then lick them until her legs fracture! Lets not forget that Lady Zhao rarely ever wore stockings. Pants have always been convenient and modest Zhu Yongnian wiped his brow and managed a smile. I am suddenly aware of how much of an honor and privilege it is for our campus to have you as a Student President Elect. I dont know what came over me just now, to be audacious enough to treat Lady Zhao as an ordinary person. Im truly too terrible! As a Student President, Zhu Yongnian was already a force that regular students would cower before. This ultimate force then lifted a figurative hand up and gave himself a slap. He had now adopted himself as Lady Zhaos pet dog Obviously, even Zhu Yongnian tried to be a dog; he would only end up as a stray. Lady Zhao had no use for him. She already had an entire pack of pedigrees at her side. Zhu Yongnian certainly hoped for the position at Lady Zhaos side, that is. Again, he insinuated that he was willing to obey all the orders from Lady Zhao. If Lady Zhao needed a puppet student president, he was her guy! Such high hopes. Even as a puppet, he was absolutely useless. He had done nothing as a Student President. If anything, he had betrayed everyones trust in him. Even Lady Zhao would not be able to convince the crowd to give him a second chance. Zhao Youyue could only smile. Zhu Yongnian could only return a similar smile. In the end, he begrudgingly accepted her application form. Students suddenly noticed a new entry. Zhao Youyue! Zhao Youyues resume was truly something. It made all her other competitors look like insects. On paper, all that was written was her founding the Food Research Club. Soon after, she became the deputy head of the Department of Literature and Art. She had conducted a very successful New Years Eve Party during the first half of her first semester to great effect However, it was currently still the second half semester of her first year. Her club-based and Student Council-based records aside, Zhao Youyues personal glory stood out like a blazing sun. If any other candidate attempted to eclipse her, they would only be incinerated by the rays! Before Zhao Youyue stepped up, some passionate students were still gossiping about who would win C Qiao Fei, or Chen Ye. Even the roommates of Du Hang, the great teacher got themselves deeply involved for no apparent reason. Zhang Xiang, Han Lengs personal bootlicker had boldly proclaimed that the just and fair Qiao Fei had it hands down. Chen Ye was a fencesitter, a people-pleaser, a sweet-talker. Useless. I hereby state that everyone in this dorm votes for Qiao Fei. Do not forget that Chen Ye and that Cao Chuanguang have been working, hand in glove. And Cao Chuanguang had been a pain in the glorious ass of our facultys Zhao Youyue. Hes asking for war. Never, ever trust a senior. Lady Zhao and Elite Scholar Han should be a couple! Zhang Xiang had said. Xiao Yu was still on a long phone call with his girlfriend. He claimed himself to be fickle in love but proficient at hitting on girls. The truth of the matter was that he actually loved his girlfriend deeply. He wholly agreed with Zhang Xiang. At the same time, he supported Han Leng. Nobody knew why, but Han Leng was very popular among the male students. Fatty Ning Yao cradled his guitar. He had finally assembled himself a band. As a musical aficionado, this election would either make or break the future of this band. However, their rock music society was just a small club. He frowned and said, Qiao Fei intends to cut down the fundings for small clubs. If she truly wins the election, our rock music society will be in great danger But I certainly wont support Chen Ye, whos working for a hand in glove with Cao Chuanguang. Anyone else? Zhang Xiang shook his head and said, Well, there are, but their odds are almost nonexistent. We can only choose between this two. Ning Yaos look dimmed down. He truly did not want the already insufficient fundings of his club to take another hit Right then, Du Hang spoke up rather leisurely at that too, Zhao Youyue will be running. What? Thats impossible! Shes just a Year 1 student. Stop joking, will ya! Just as the three of them finished speaking, a voice was heard booming through the corridor outside their dormitory Zhao Youyue has participated in the election! Let us all vote for her! Long live school flower! Chapter 708 - Let The Games Begin! Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation Many were surprised to find Zhao Youyue being one of the candidates, especially the year-one students. They all believed that a high-ranking position such as president of the Student Council would never be taken up by a Year One student They could not help but wonder. How was Zhao Youyue even allowed to run? Was it due to her reputation, family background, and ridiculous levels of self-confidence? Upon investigation, they were surprised to learn that Lady Zhao had long been a member of the Students Council. She was even the Deputy Head of the Literature and Arts department. Her Food Research Society had grown influential and popular, which was a testament to her capabilities. She totally qualified as a candidate! Weve definitely heard cases of Deputies usurping the positions of their heads Of course, those odds were ridiculously low. If one was not capable, it would all be pointless, even if against all odds, they were to obtain the seat by chance. They would be no better than a cut of meat slapping itself against a sizzling grill and turning over. Eventually, they would step down in disgrace. All those weeks of fighting and struggling, only to crash and burn miserably. The Student Councils president was not meant for those who were not cunning or manipulative enough to draw attention with a boom. If one did not have the desire or respect for the position, they should remain where they were. With the wrong stones set in place, it would all be an act of risking ones political future. Under such circumstances, deputy ministers would know better than to risk it with a bad hand. Instead, they helped their respective heads. If their contributions were noted, would they not succeed the Heads position by default? Take Cao Chuanguang as an example. He was helping Chen Ye with all his heart. Apart from being very close with Chen Ye, he wanted Chen Ye to be elected as the president of the Student Council. The sooner, the better, so that he could succeed the position. One day in the future, he might follow in Chen Yes tracks. Cao Chuanguang gave it some thought. He even plotted against Qiao Fei, planning to destroy her selfless, fair, just image. He would like to see her retain her image and the trust of her followers after that. With her out of the way, what else could possibly thwart Chen Yes dreams? One must not mistake Cao Chuanguang as overconfident. In reality, only a handful qualified to be a president any president. Qian Fei and Chen Ye had both built up such solid images of themselves that everybody would assume them to be untouchable deities. Everyone knew that Qiao Fei had only lost the previous election because she had crossed the wrong person Lady Zhao. This time, she had not repeated the mistake. Lady Zhao would not step in and intervene again, or she would risk getting herself called Lady Zhao the Unreasonable Person. Lady Zhao might have come from an influential family but it gave her no right to be unreasonable. What was there to stop Qian Fei now? She had the capabilities, the experience, and Lady Zhao had long turned her sights elsewhere. The Chen Ye C Cao Chuanguang pairing might just be the only thing that could trip her over. On the other hand, Qian Fei currently possessed unprecedented levels of confidence. She could already taste her victory. Her face glowed with confidence as she strolled across the Student Councils floor. Finally content with his preparations, Cao Chuanguang leaned back in his chair. On the other hand, Qiao Fei had already thought herself untouchable. She started having full nights of sleep again, anticipating a most glorious showing in the upcoming elections. That was when news of Zhao Youyues participation swept through the entire university like a tsunami! If it was any other Deputy but Zhao Youyue, Chuanguang, and Qian Fei might have just chuckled. They could easily take care of this new surprise without needing to lift a finger. That person challenged the unspoken rules of society they needed to know their place. Zhao Youyue was no ordinary Deputy. Cao Chuanguang and Qiao Fei might have had stellar chances, but things were now different. Both individuals immediately held emergency meetings with their teams to talk about this new threat. Cao Chuanguangs committee members were the more loyal of the two. Most of them had personally been placed by Cao Chuanguang in their current seats and more than owed him. Each of them was a competent spin-doctor in their own right. They soon came up with a proposal a list of plans to attempt smearing the name of Lady Zhao such as accusing her as a two-faced liar, living a messed up and complicated private life, and her ridiculous spendings. All of them focused on common negative perceptions of wealthy kids. The Lady Zhao in public showed no indication of being from the same cut most did not know her in person. All they knew of her came from hearsay on the social media Cao Chuanguang was ruthless. He may have once been madly in love with Lady Zhao, but that infatuation was long gone. Only hatred stood in its place. Without hesitation, he took the wheel and headed for that direction. People started talking. Oh, Zhao Youyue is no different from the others. Empty promises, sweet nothings. Lady Zhao did not have her own campaign committee. She definitely needed capable individuals in various positions of the council. One person could only do so much. Qiao Feis group continued emphasizing on that angle. Lady Zhao was overselling herself. What can her current fame and popularity do in an actual position? She would never last a single term. As a president, she needed to at least be the part, even if slightly. She had no right to appoint people at random. Not only would it cripple the entire organization, but it might even sink the ship! There was a reason why the elections were so frequent. Each department could operate independently without the president. Most of the previous presidents could only temper each department, little by little. They have never been able to initialize a full revamp of the entire body. It would only inflict chaos on an uncontrollable scale. Now, people would look down on Lady Zhao and treat her as a laughing stock. She might not even have a proper manifesto for her candidacy Or so they thought. Lady Zhao soon announced her election manifesto: a promise to increase the budget of all societies. How does that happen? Brute wealth. Is she even living in the real world? Now everything was set. Let the election for president of the Student Council commence! Chapter 709 - Tempting Promises Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation Zhao Youyue was most definitely not short of money. Her companies had outstanding content creators from various fields. Although it was not yet yielding tens of millions on a daily basis, those seven figures were still involved. She had other sources of income such as broadcasting, video production and song composition. Even the profit from Weibos advertisements went directly into her pocket Recently Lady Zhao just started to get involved with Douyin. In her free time, she would make some cute 15 seconds short clips. She even composed the short snippets of music in those clips for the added effect. It was a platform that gave privileges to beautiful faces and cute voices, and Zhao Youyue fitted right in. It took her no time to amass tens of millions of fans. As her popularity shot up, so did her income. This era was superficial they judged everyone by looks before all else. Popularity was directly proportional to income. Individuals with a broad range of contacts like Lady Zhao stood to gain everything. Money was no problem for Lady Zhao. Of course, someone had to manage all that money. Her parents were more than willing to take up that role. This left her with nothing to worry about but how to spend so much money. She would have to earn more than she spent. In this age of capitalism, a huge capital would only pave the way for more riches. Of course, one must not spend extravagantly. The poor could only depend on the social system to throw a bone or two their way. This was why Zhao Youyue could easily sponsor any of the online novels she wanted. She could easily earn the title of golden league sponsor. As long as an extremely wealthy tycoon like Zhao Youyue was willing to support a novel, the author could rest easy and write in peace without having to proactively pitch their stories. Under the same circumstances, Zhao Youyue could use her own pocket money to rule over the Student Council. Hence, It did not matter if she could generate more money with the preallocated budget. Only Zhao Youyue would dare to promise a boost for the budget for all societies. Of course, there were certain conditions to fulfill, such as how much each society contributed to the school This promise was a killing blow to Qiao Fei. She could not and did not have the guts to make such a promise! Qiao Fei had managed to slash the budgets of smaller societies only to increase the portion for larger societies. Since the larger societies had more members, she would have gained more support. Smaller societies were expendable; hence their benefits could be sacrificed for the good of everyone. That was not all for Zhao Youyues election manifesto. Drafted by Han Leng himself, it had been tactfully worded to please everyone from all societies. It even took account of those indifferent students who would never get off their chairs to vote. There was no doubt about it. Most of these students were gaming addicts. Hence, Zhao Youyue decided to organize an annual gaming festival a virtual game competition within the university, complete with lucrative prizes for the winners! Lets not even talk about the prize money, she offered something far more important curriculum points. In other words, no more boring conventions, no more lame activities. You could farm for these points by playing games. This was heaven for a certain group of people! As for those focused on academics, Zhao Youyue had promised to use her influence to invite prominent speakers to the University of Jiang Nan. She could also throw in some celebrities for the universitys annual festival! Celebrity chasers and fanatics were thrilled. Everybody knew that concert tickets were hard to come by. It was even harder to get their autographs! However, Lady Zhao had promised to bring these people into the university, who could say no to that? Most importantly, only Lady Zhao could actually make this happen. As for Qiao Fei or Chen Ye, they could take all that experience and know-how, ball it up, and dunk it down the trashcan! Which such a detailed manifesto, Cao Chuanguang and Chen Yes assault were halted in its tracks. Chen Ye had bluffed about making the University of Jiang Nan great. He was merely a Student Council President what could he possibly do? Lady Zhao had a heck of a lieutenant. Throughout the entire manifesto, Han Leng had never strayed from its theme: everything was for the sake of the students in the University of Jiang Nan. The only president who could serve every student of the university was the wealthy and responsible Lady Zhao, along with her network of great forces. She was a stellar student with amazing results, and she had the charisma and personality. She may just be a Year One student, but of everyone in the Student Council, she was the most capable! As long as she was the president of Student Council, she would have a lot more leeway than what she could already bring to the university. Not only was she better than the other candidates, but she was also far better than all the other past presidents! Upon its release, Zhao Youyues election manifesto instantly spread to every corner of the university. Meanwhile, the voting system no longer used paper ballots; they were done electronically through mobile phones. Each student could only vote once. The voting system had stringent, tight rules to prevent duplicate entries. Of course, some wealthy candidates could still dump some money to buy votes over. Truth be told, not many students would sell their votes at a very small price. If they were ever caught, the entire election might even be scrapped. When Zhao Youyues election platform was made public, the University of Jiang Nan students made these comments, All hail Lady Zhao, long live Lady Zhao, why have I not yet voted, I will vote now! The promises made are too good to be true, but were talking about Lady Zhao here. Im voting for her! Whats with Qiao Feis and Chen Yes manifesto? They are nothing compared to Lady Zhaos. Even if Lady Zhao is lying, Im fine with it. Shes more than qualified to talk big! Ive never paid any attention to presidential elections, but it feels as though whoever wins would be the same. After all, the Student Council has nothing to do with me, but now, Lady Zhao has even taken us vagrants into the frame, I will vote for her! Its good to be rich, all this while I heard that past presidents have used the budget for their own interests. When Lady Zhao becomes the president, we dont have to worry about her being corrupted or misusing the budget allocations. What interest would she have in that measly sum? Im voting for the incorruptible! I am also a year one student, and it is cool that a year one student can be the president. Id like to see such a fantasy come true, Im all for Lady Zhao! Chapter 710 - The Aura of Supreme Empress Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation Zhao Youyue may be the youngest Student Council President in the history of Jiang Nan University. Some considered her victory in this election as overkill. It was just like an adult beating up a kid inside the kinder garden! Cao Chuanguangs smearing campaign had been wholly ineffective. Who would listen to that garbage, really? Zhao Youyues reputation was almost absolute. Her history was flawless. All smearing effort had been in vain. It was a true waste of time. Qiao Fei was the Head of the disciplinary department. She had been the leading favorite. It became a devastating, landslide defeat when Lady Zhao stepped in. She did earn some sympathy votes, however, but that alone would never reverse the situation. Lady Zhao had upset the order of everything. All initial speculations about her came up short. Nobody even dared to attempt betting for it. Everyone could see the results a mile away! One week passed. Zhao Youyue gained 96.7% of the majority decision and was elected as President of the Student Council of the University of Jiang Nan. She became the first Year One President ever, along with a broken record for the most support bias ever. This was what everyone was hoping for! Many others had been inspired to follow in her footsteps. Some conspiracy theorists began assuming that Zhao Youyue had considered acting like so since the day she founded the Food Research Society. However, a legend such as Zhao Youyue was no reference point to follow. Her abilities were far too exceptional. God knows why she had chosen to dabble with the petty Student Council In the eyes of other students, participation in the Student Council would always be beneficial. Some might enjoy having a little prestige, but in Zhao Youyues case, wasnt the Student Council honored to have her? It was once rumored that the previous president, Chu Yongnian had once behaved like a dog in front of Zhao Youyue. Nevertheless, he never once got her attention. Right now, Lady Zhao no longer needed to indirectly influence the Student Councils top management. She was the boss! Now that she was President, by natural conventions, she then needed to give a speech to the lecturers and students. Of course, there was no need to assemble everyone. She could broadcast a live telecast, and everyone could watch her on their mobile phones. Its simple, right? Jiang Nan University was huge. It should not act like a high school, crushing all teachers and student into one spot. Thats why watching live telecasts through mobile phones was most convenient. Most hilariously, Zhao Youyue took it upon herself to promote her personal channel, Ah Yu Live Broadcast. Thats where her speech would be broadcasted. Lady Zhao was now the president of the Student Council. In China, the Student Councils president could do whatever she desired. Now, she could make all her announcements through that channel. Zhao Youyue might just be the most renowned, most influential Student Council president in the history of Jiang Nan University. This was due to the fact that when the whole university listened to Lady Zhaos instructions, close to a million listeners had keyed in. Would the leaders of Jiang Nan University have anything to say about this? Absolutely not. Zhao Youyues personal gain notwithstanding, the Universitys would gain a great deal of recognition as well. After all, the contents inside Zhao Youyues live broadcast was open to the public. She was an Empress, both on-campus and in-stream. Just like the presidents before her, Zhao Youyue went to the building dedicated only for the Student Council. Unlike others who simply walked into the premises, Zhao Youyue sat on a four-wheeled throne. She wore the university uniform skirt, with a top hat on her head. Her diamond staff had mysteriously transformed to a scepter, that was laid across her lap. The throne was not self-propelled, but it was hauled by the previous president, Chu Yongnian. He was handing his duties over to Lady Zhao. Zhao Youyues walk towards her throne was recorded by Han Leng on his phone. Everyone in university witnessed it, just as well as a million of spectators in the live broadcast room. If anyone else was doing it, every member of the audience would be cringing in shame. For some reason, when Zhao Youyue did it, it seemed so natural Halfway through, Zhao Youyue activated Olivias legendary character card. As the cart passed by, students on both sides of the cart bowed and greeted Lady Zhao. Lets not forget that some senior members of the council were reluctant to allow Lady Zhao to proceed. It could not be helped. No matter how famous Lady Zhao was, or how powerful her background was, she was still a Year One student. Some members had worked very hard for the council after years of contributions. A President was their puppet his or her term depended on them! Nevertheless, Zhao Youyue had the aura of an Empress. Upon laying eyes on Lady Zhao, they were led into believing that they were in the presence of a majestic emperor. Something powerful was forcing them onto their knees! Fortunately, this was a modern society. Kneeling down was no longer appropriate. It now took the form of a 90 degrees bow Ah Yus fans, students and lecturers alike were struck speechless! With the scepter in hand, Lady Zhao became a self-confident, domineering, regal ruler. Every member of the Students Council bowed to her as her cart passed them by. Those who did not understand the situation might think that this newly elected president had already won every members support! Among those who bowed were the Heads of the disciplinary department, Qiao Fei and Deputy Head of the publicity department, Cao Chuanguang When they first gazed upon Lady Zhao, butterflies had scourged in their stomach. They could not believe that Zhao Youyue would be this cunning! Just when they had steeled themselves to disgrace Zhao Youyue, their bodies reacted, and they took a deep, sincere bow. The almighty empress! Everyone present could not help but bow deeply to the empress from another dimension. The bullet screen went bonkers. Chapter 711 - Sorry, The President Can Do As She Pleases Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation Fans of Lady Zhao are easily entertained. All they wanted was to watch her broadcasts with that pretty face and the sweet voice. With her remarkable talents, she could mesmerize her fans with her violin. Lady Zhaos wealthy fans increased tremendously. Some of them hoped to become a part of her network and get to know her connections. Lady Zhao did not need money, but her fans never once held back on the tipping and gifts. The only problem with Lady Zhaos broadcasts was her habitually random hiatuses. Unlike those professional broadcasters who treated the everyday show as their first broadcast, she did not even have a fixed time for live broadcasts. Nevertheless, her fans easily accepted her excuses. Who would blame a top student for being focused? The broadcasts were labeled as The journey of a Student Council President. Upon receiving notifications of the new update, her fans showed up on the stream almost instantly. Lady Zhao wore a standard student uniform, but there was a scepter in her hands. A beautiful tophat sat on her head like a crown. A despicable looking fatso was hauling her mobile throne along. Obviously, he was planning something Everyone bowed to her presence, as if an empress was making her royal rounds in her own land. It would most definitely be awkward if one stood up like a sore nail. Someone must have paid her rivals off to bow in subservience. Many have looked past her like a brick on the wall. The Deputy Minister of the Cultural department was a position one would not consider significant in any manner. Now, she had returned as an empress! Her fans were content with what they saw. Ah Yu was definitely worth bowing and worshipping with a sincere heart! The bullet screen was filled with comments that took note of the theatrics. Nobody had ever broadcasted a coronation of a Student Council President live before. Some stated that the Student Council president of Jiangnan University was not like any other. Any other organization that intended to collaborate with that university or advertise their company at the university would have to go through Lady Zhao first. Perhaps, the wealthy Lady Zhao would offer extra fundings for the benefits of both parties? After a careful analysis of the behavior of the members, some people concluded that Lady Zhao had perfect control over the Student Council. Why else would they bow to her so courteously and sincerely? There were haters too. They condemned her arrogance. Her despicable hunger for praise and worship had oozed all over the broadcast. A typical Leo would have such inborn leadership, not because they intended to serve, but because they craved for reverence No matter how arrogant or awkwardly dressed one was, a beautiful face would always be adorable and charming. Just looking upon one would be pleasing to the soul. Unfortunately, beautiful people could do whatever they wanted to. A ripple of excitement went through the chat when Jiangnan University students recognized Qiao Fei and Cao Chuanguang in the broadcast. Everyone had believed that they would reject Lady Zhao. After all that planning, all that conniving, even having victory in the cusp of their palms, this Lady had willfully strode in and smashed their dreams. Along with it, their entire teams! So much for their effort and plans for this great election. And now, you expect them to hail to Lady Zhao as well? Their self-control must be exceptionally disciplined if they could remain quiet throughout the entire process. Not a single student could imagine that these two individuals would bow down to Zhao Youyue so courteously! WOW! was all over the bullet screen. Qiao Fei is showing an ungodly amount of self-restraint. Does she think that shell get to stay on as the Minister of Discipline? Whats wrong with these two? Where is their pride?! They really know when to lie low and when to walk tall. I pity them having to live in the same era as Lady Zhao. Lady Zhaos time is just beginning. Lets not talk about these insignificant greats, everyone who has to sit in the same room as her would be crushed by the tremendous pressure Lady Zhao is like an empress! I wanted to serve her I have decided to join the Student Council, just so I can worship Lady Zhao every single day! Zhao Youyue finally reached the Presidents room. She took her seat behind her large office table, removing her top hat and crossing her arms. She stared right into the lenses of Han Lengs phone. After a deliberate pause, she started to speak of her plans. I have never ever been elected as a President of a Students Council, but my experiences as an empress should be more than enough to handle this position. You might not believe this, but in my empire There and then, Han Leng felt the urge to smack his face. Hard. There it was, that severe case of chuunibyou kicking in. Now, she seemed all so adorable when speaking of her life as the Empress of some magical empire. Was she actually one? Or was she just trying to demonstrate her talent in cosplay? There was this CGI film that just recently started trending on the internet. What was it called again Road to a Female Emperor? Was Lady Zhao cosplaying the empress Olivia? Nevertheless, her audience seemed to really like it. They were impressed, mostly because she seemed so sure and convinced of her own words. Ah Yu was truly charming! Lady Zhaos speech left everyone chuckling nervously, hoping that her plans for tomorrow held up true. As the broadcast ended, she summoned the Student Council and started her iron ruling as the president. No mercy was given! Cao Chuanguang, your services as vice president are no longer needed Zhao Youyues voice was soft, demure. Why? I am the president. What so a president could do that? Sorry, the president could do anything she pleases. Then what should I be? Nothing. You are no longer a member of the Student Council. Enjoy your life as an ordinary university student it would be a carefree one. You have gone too far, I refuse to comply! Cao Chuanguang went mad like a dog deprived of its precious bone! Chapter 712 - Sacrificing A Character Card For A Certain Destination Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation Having her coronation as President broadcasted was just a small thing for Zhao Youyue. So was removing people she detested from her sight. It had not required any effort on her part. After all, she could care less about what people thought of her. Cao Chuanguang was no longer in the picture. Now, she could start placing her chess pieces down. As for those who were competent at their current roles and knew their places, she would grant mercy. Her influence as an empress had definitely won over their loyalties. Zhao Youyue would never waste her time over such small matters. Even if something prompted her to take action, she would not depend on her character cards. Under such circumstances, she promoted the silent Bai Yunshan and inconspicuous roommate Yu Xuefei to manage the small matters and the well-being of other members. People were jealous of how lucky these two were. They were once nothing, and in the blink of an eye, they were now secretaries of the president. Now that Lady Zhao had nothing to worry about, she did what she loved the most exploring the Two-Dimensional Gate. Zhao Youyue had not only yielded a great harvest from the source world, she had also replenished the cooldown of the Two-Dimensional Gate. By sacrificing a character card, she could now select a novel with potential. She sacrificed the card that allowed her to speak to cats. In the source worlds, this card allowed her to transform into a black cat. Gone were the glorious days of the horror genre. The character card had long been sitting dormant it was close to expiring soon. Perhaps the trend of animal-themed novels was also dying. Perhaps they might rebound, but thats for another day. By her memory, the author often indulged himself in Mahjong games. He did not even need that side income. His tenants kept him well-fed. If he was one day forced to pursue his career in writing, he might produce something better. Zhao Youyue always believed that iconic novels could only be written by two types of authors. One would be like Han Leng highly gifted in writing talents and keen on pursuing the beauty of words. The other would be Su Li, disciplined and dedicated, always striving for self-improvement. Every post she made was fresh and trendy. She did not need the improvement, but she went for it anyway. As long as her passion remains, so would her popularity and along with it, her income. WIth how competitive novels were, the only way one could keep oneself irreplaceable was to have a fresh and unique character in our masterpieces. When you define the genre of your novel, you would be one of a kind. However, the reality was never ideal. No masterpiece would ever be one of its kind. Billions of people passing through the passage of time a repetition of ideas was bound to happen somewhere. To remain relevant, one had to follow the trend. Zhao Youyue found a novel worthy for the sacrifice of her character card. It was titled Endless Apocalypse, written by one whose fans called him, Master PhD[1]. PhD was an enigma. Even his gender was unknown, but they largely assumed him to be male, based on his style of writing. His story was always firm and logical, while the chemistry between his paired couples always wandered towards eternal friendship, rather than romance. Master PhD often exaggerated on brotherhood and the bonds between men. Reading his work was more like a gay romance than the story between friends. This was the age of Yaoi[2]. He was not deliberately promoting Boy Love, but fujoshis[3] often gave his work praise. Master PhD was just so good at portraying how men strengthen each other with trust and encouragement. His stories were so great, so manly. Readers assumed that only a man could write such a great novel. The author might even be a muscular gym junkie. Two elements determined his success. One was the exclusivity of the platform he used. Yes, he was an Ancient High God author, but he had taken a risk when he left Qidian, a.k.a. China Literature Limited before that platform monopolized that sector. He had joined an equally solid competitor, just because they offered him far better pay than Qidians. As time passed, that platform changed its course and no longer could afford to keep an Ancient High God author such as Master PhD. The other element was his genre of choice. It was neither mainstream, nor popular. In the end, both parties decided to mutually end their contract. Master PhD then returned to Qidian and published his novel, Endless Apocalypse. Having left Qidian for so many years, his image needed some rebuilding. As a veteran author, Master PhD had braved through many storms and lived through them. Perhaps it was his attitude that kept him going. He was highly passionate when it came to writing nothing would shake his faith. His efficiency was unwavering. Authors like Master PhD could usually be trusted when it came to producing remarkable stories. His novels all started with a few great opening chapters. Eventually, he would twist his stories into unacceptable endings that left readers greatly disappointed. Some even called him the the crazed devil that burns its tail It was not that he was not a terrific writer. It was his readers who were misled into expecting more from such promising opening chapters. They wanted better endings. They had set their expectations through the roof. How could they still blame the author? Master PhD was actively involved in the fight against the apps that promoted piracy like Baidu Tieba. [4] He mocked readers who supported piracy, earning their ire in return. It was an era where blatant piracy was rampant. Readers of pirated works firmly believed that they were supporting the authors hard work Now, things were different. As the management of online platforms improved its quality, readers have begun to realize the greater good in banning piracy. With the increase of wealthy readers online such as Lady Zhao, online novels were moving towards a better direction. Lady Zhao was impressed with PhDs Endless Apocalypse. It had the makings of an original, iconic apocalyptic novel! Translation Note: [1] Master PhD (p) is a nickname for the author PhD. [2] Yaoi fandom (߼,߼) refers to readers of yaoi (also called Boys Love or BL), a genre of male-male romance narratives aimed at those who participate in communal activities organized around yaoi, such as attending conventions, maintaining or posting to fansites, creating fanfiction or fanart, etc. In the mid-1990s, estimates of the size of the Japanese yaoi fandom were at 100,000-500,000 people, but in 2008, despite increased knowledge of the genre among the general public, readership remains limited. English-language fan translations of From Eroica with Love circulated through the slash fiction community in the 1980s, forging a link between slash fiction fandom and Yaoi fandom. [3] Fujoshi (Ů): Most yaoi fans are teenage girls or young women. In Japan, female fans are called fujoshi, denoting how a woman who enjoys fictional gay content is rotten, too ruined to be married. The male equivalent is called a fudanshi. The words origin can be found in the online image board 2channel. [4] Baidu Tieba (Chinese: ٶ; pinyin: bid tib; literally: Baidu Paste Bar) is the largest Chinese communication platform provided by the Chinese search engine company, Baidu. It is an online community bound tightly to internet search services, one of the central business of Baidu. The website functions by having users search or create a bar (Forum) by typing a keyword, and if the bar has not been created before, it is then built upon the search. Chapter 713 - Contacting The Author Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation How was Endless Apocalypse original? Lets determine what makes an Apocalyptic work original. Most works of this genre involved human beings turning into zombies. These zombies were divided into different levels. The human survivors, in turn, would awaken their latent supernatural abilities. They would blow up zombies brains and consume them to level up. The apocalyptical novel would end up as a hunting monsters to level up novel in the guise of an apocalyptical novel. Tasteless as it was, these novels were awfully simple to produce. Many readers seemed to have accepted the influx of such cliched Qi Training C Foundation Training C Spiritual State C Yuan Ying [1]. They took the same mindset to this genre. Undoubtedly, such homogenized, commercialized writing would never be anything close to being iconic. After all, it was essentially a leveling-based novel. The readers might as well read some isekai that provided a more exhilarating experience. Therefore, iconic forms of apocalypse often conveyed an in-depth depiction of human nature, or those with a deep and profound insight into apocalypse scenes or atmospheres. The humans in the work had no way of awakening their supernatural abilities. They could only barely survive by using the technologies present before the apocalypse A genuine apocalypse-based work could sometimes be a little too dark for the average reader to take in. In a dark, depressive environment, a little warmth was enough to grant lesser psyches the respite they so desperately needed. However, many writers take the warmth a little too far and end up commercializing their work. After all, readers preferred light-hearted and refreshing web novels. They might enjoy the inevitable collapse of social structure and order as zombies tore up the White House. Therefore, the gold-fingered [2] protagonist would be free to do whatever he wanted. Before the apocalypse, those bigwigs high above had been abusing their power to crush others. Celebrities who lived worlds above others had to do everything they could to survive, to the point of offering their own bodies up. Thats what people loved reading the most We could have a nihilistic protagonist, a pragmatist, a hedonist, but God forbid having him walk a righteous path. Who the heck ends up righteous in the midst of an apocalypse? Readers would lambast him to no end. Master PhDs [3] Endless Apocalypse was nothing like that. Of course, it was also not the type of apocalyptical novel that tries too hard to portray the depraved, darkness, cruel and depressing atmosphere. Ultimately, PhD still cares a lot about his works marketability. He believed that his works only had value if it affected a lot of people and was read by just as many. PhDs Endless Apocalypses originality lay in how it felt playing a multiplayer mode game. There was that inexplicable form of writing that drew people directly into the shoes of the characters. Then, it would send them to another world, where they would be required to either destroy the world or to save the world There were many forms of apocalypse scenarios. There were those with zombies, evolution went wrong, nuclear fallout wastelands, and others. The setting of the apocalypse also occurred in various types of worlds. This was Endless Apocalypse meant. Master PhD was excellent at demonstrating how humans worked in a team, complete with the internal strife, disagreements, differing morals, and principles. Almost every single character would come with a full backstory at the ready. Most of all, he never held back on the collision of passions between men. Reading his novels left readers hot and bothered. Zhao Youyue believed that Endless Apocalypse had the potential to become an icon. Of course, it was because of its innovating setting, sophisticated writing, and portrayal of characters. Also, Master PhDs faux-scientist brain would always fool readers with little to no background in science. In terms of energy levels, Endless Apocalypse was similar to that of reality. However, it did feature dark technology where the infinite space-time continuum could send players to either make or break the world. He cant always give nothing, right? Zhao Youyue was highly interested in the mind-blowing dark technology. However, she was unsure she could replicate its effects in the real world. Endless Apocalypse had not yet quite picked up. Master PhD was the hardworking author who would never resort to underhanded methods like ballot rigging. Furthermore, he had just changed platforms, it was evident that his readership count would plummet. Zhao Youyue felt the selfless, benevolent need for her to polish this gem. Of course, she had already transmigrated into this literary world and possessed a female character that she thought promising. This time, she intended to be an unrivaled sage, a super-faux scientist that had an unquenchable thirst for knowledge and research Zhao Youyue decided to contact this ancient high god author, PhD. In no time at all, she found Master PhDs readers group. It was there when she found that Master PhD was not even in the group, let alone its founder or admin. Zhao Youyue was a little taken aback. No wonder everyone called Master PhD an arrogant enigma who was not even attempting to reach out to his readers. His readers had founded the group themselves, but Master PhD was not inside it. Going by Master PhDs style, did he truly not give a damn about his readers opinions? As a reader, Zhao Youyue utterly disliked egocentric authors. They were too arrogant, too high up in the sky As a troublemaker, she loved messing with the stories of these egocentric authors. They would be single-minded in their goals and ideals. To hell with the opinions of their readers. Only their thoughts and desires held mastery their pens. They were their own masters, they would never serve the desire of others. These stories that held true to their roots would almost always give rise to an iconic character. If he followed every single readers opinion, how else would he create an impressionable character? Not being able to immediately locate Mr. PhD through his reader group was no big deal. She had her own methods. One such alternative was the authors group. Zhao Youyue had grown very popular in the web novel circle. She had every single contact information of the popular authors in the Rich Writers List. These popular authors would no doubt get her in touch with the ancient high god, PhD What came as a surprise was how PhD high god was actually a resident of Jiangnan Province. On top of that, she was a professor of sociology as well. Most shockingly, she was a female! Master PhD was a chick professor! If this news ever spreads out, PhDs fans would start a riot. How was this possible? PhD was so terrifyingly awesome at depicting the hot-blooded friendship between men. They touched the nether regions scratch that core region being the hearts of humans. And youre telling me that a female wrote all this! Zhao Youyue refused to accept it. However, PhD really was a girl. She had even used the words A guys promise when it came to ensuring the quality of her work Translation note: [1] Yuan Ying (ԪӤ) refers to the practice of cultivation of the primordial spirit. The primordial spirit is an activity that is self-motivated, unaffected by others. It signifies new beginnings, the start of new cycles, birth, and vitality. [2] Goldfinger (ָ) refers to cheats or hacks in a game. [3] Master PhD (p) is a nickname for the author PhD. Chapter 714 - Professor Chen Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation PhDs name was called Chen Chen. It sounded like a gender-neutral name. People who have never seen her might assume her as male from the name alone. There was no helping it. Professor Chens work would always be laden with heavy sci-fi elements. It often left readers baffled but impressed. Of course, such faux-science would never fool the real experts. However, there was more than enough clueless outsiders to go around the world. Some diehard fans would treat the fabricated faux-technology in Professor Chens work like the real thing Admittedly, Professor Chens writing style took itself way too seriously. Who knows, she might be firmly convinced that her very own dark technology was the real thing as she got absorbed in writing. Having lost herself in those thoughts, she would introduce the technology in a dissertation paper. Readers would no doubt be impressed at the level of detail, even if they knew better than to believe it. Master PhD, otherwise known as Professor Chen, was not very difficult to approach. Lady Zhao was basically the God of Tycoons in the web novel circle. Her reach knew no bounds. Even the most badass High God would have to give her face. This had nothing to do with how Zhao Youyue randomly gave out Silver Sect or Golden Sect Masters. It was all about her wide range of contacts. If an author intended to market his work, how could he do it without any connections? Perhaps the average web novelist would remain unaware about Zhao Youyues identity. They would probably assume that she was a regular God of Tycoon or a bot account. High God authors who wanted some exposure would contact this bot account. It was probably the face of a marketing company. Either way, it could increase their reward points or promote their works in the site. However, the actual High God level-ranked web novelists all knew that Tycoon Youyues full name was Zhao Youyue. Everyone would respectfully address her as the Missy. As for this Missys identity, its best you dont dig into it if youre the type to get jealous. Zhao Youyue was most probably the only person that the rich tycoon boy Ding Yuncong would joke about being her chauffeur. It may just be a flippant joke, but based on his words, one could see how highly he regarded the Lady. Additionally, there was also the similarly famous Zhao Hao. He was even more handsome than Ding Yuncong, albeit lacking slightly in height. He definitely did not lose out in terms of wealth. In other aspects, he actually surpassed Ding Yuncong. Zhao Hao and Zhao Youyue were related by blood. It was natural for him to pamper her. If anything, he was firmly convinced that everything he said about her was watered down. He had the ultimate say concerning investment projects about his sister. Perhaps due to the groundbreaking success of the Beautiful April film adaptation, his words now carried far more weight. Zhao Hao had already regarded his sister as a treasure. He did not have the talent to match up to his sister, but he could definitely provide her the stage to showcase hers. Either way, it was a good thing, whether it was his sister, him, or even the entire Zhao family. All in all, the High God authors who were in the loop about Lady Zhaos highly impressive background had also polished their bootlicking skills. Even those who did not practice that would at least show some her some respect. A personal invitation from the divine would never take no for an answer. As an ancient High God, Professor Chen still remained in contact with the numerous famous authors who had started with her in the beginning. It was how Zhao Youyue got in touch with this elusive professor. It was time to smoke her out That was when she found that Professor Chen was actually pursuing her Doctorate in Jiangnan University! Master PhD might even be Zhao Youyues senior! Nobody would ever believe where Tycoon Youyue and Master PhD first met in person. It was Jiangnan Universitys White House, or in other words, the Student Council Presidents room. Prior to the meeting, Zhao Youyue had attempted to paint a picture to the pen-name, Master PhD. How would a Master PhD look like? Would she be sporting a long, white lab coat with high-powered glasses on a cold, poker face? Would she look like a mad scientist? When she met Professor Chen, that image had shattered into a million pieces. Professor Chen was petite, barely standing over 150cm. She was sweet, cute and did not have any glasses on Chen Chen revealed a slightly embarrassed smile. Her loli voice that matched her body squeaked out, How are you, Ms. President. Zhao Youyue could not believe that this Professor Chen was already 28 years old. She was already close to graduation. Professor Chen started writing web novels when she was 15 years old. That was 13 years ago. At that time, web novels were just emerging. Compared to the current state of affairs, it had only been the tiniest speck at the center of a quark The web novelists who debuted around the same time as Professor Chen would never have expected this fellow pioneer to actually be a cute legal loli who even knew how to play a part. Therefore, Professor Chens a guys promise was utter hogwash. So was her typical wager of how if youre not able to fulfill the promise, then wear womens clothing. She was already in womens clothing, and not just any womens clothing, but the super cute, pink fluffy type. Zhao Youyue returned Chen Chens greetings and addressed her as Master PhD. Professor Chen blushed. Dont call me Master PhD. It sounds like youre calling me a child with a big butt [1]. Just call me Professor Chen. I prefer the title professor.'' Professor Chen was proud of her identity as a female professor. No matter how you look at it, a Sociology certification from the world famous Jiangnan University was highly respectable. However, some men in this world would still look down on female professors. Ladies belonged to the third species. It was most probably a defense-mechanism that over-compensated for the male sense of inferiority, when in the presence of an alpha female. Alright. How are you, Professor Chen? I really did not expect to find a High God like you to have hidden in Jiangnan University. Youre actually my senior! This feels so surreal! Zhao Youyue said rather sincerely. Professor Chen was clearly not that type of slow-witted person who knew nothing about socializing. She quickly stepped into the you flatter me I flatter you game. Its natural for me to slip past your divine gaze. But I do know you. You ran for the Student Council Elections, and I actually voted for you! I really like Hua Chenyu. Do you think you can get him to sing at Jiangnan University? Zhao Youyue was not the type who idolized celebrities. They werent really that special to her. She could even command any single one of them to take her out on a date. However, she kept herself in the loop. This was why when she heard about Professor Chens half-joking request, she accepted it without blinking, which left the Professor floored. Lady Zhao widened her smile Professor Chen, lets talk about your new book Endless Apocalypse That smile only made her more beautiful than ever, but at the same time, she looked like a beast that was just revealing its fangs. Translation note: [1] child with a big butt (ƨ) This is actually a pun on the authors name. The Pinyin of the authors name Pi Da (p) has another meaning, which is big butt. Chapter 715 - An Average Persons Intelligence Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation As the saying goes, a mans name, a trees shadows [1]. If it was an average reader trying to strike up a chat about her work, let alone criticize it, Professor Chens response towards them would always be the same two words C No thanks. Professor Chen was absolutely unaffected by her readers opinions. Of course, she had not started out that way. As she gained experience, she soon learned that only by not giving two hoots about her readers opinion would she be able to freely create whatever she wanted, thus retaining a peace of mind She would only wear herself out trying to please everyone. She might even deviate from the main plot, leading to the collapse of the work. For that very reason, she had completely ignored her readers opinion for a long time. She did not even concern herself with her fans group. This lowered the chances of some overly-enthusiastic reader coming forward to tell her how she should write her novels. They were not all bad, but many often failed to take into account the authors side of things. As a result, authors would be in a dilemma. Should they compromise the entire structure for a single amazing scene, or should they pass up on all those opportunities to wait for the magical moment? It really was a dilemma for the authors. Professor Chen decided to slam a wall between her readers and herself altogether. She had even gone so far as to abstain from reading her book reviews. She just wanted to be left alone to her devices. Several of her web novels were already fairly successful, so she was quite confident about her ability. They were not amazing, but they still got her a fair bit of income. Professor Chen considered herself a traditionalist. She did not belong in the same room with current authors who emphasized interaction and communication with their readers. Even so, she produced quality that was above that of theirs. This was also why Zhao Youyue felt that Professor Chens work had potential. If the author paid too much attention to their readers, their works would end up being too tacky. It would be soulless and forced. Despite Professor Chens firm stance on self-isolation, Lady Zhao was not some ordinary reader. If she could make Lady Zhao happy, she would be well-rewarded. Who knows, the copyright of her work might get noticed by some big shots through Lady Zhao. They might buy the rights to her work and adapt it as a movie. This was probably the ultimate pursuit for most web novelists. Why stop at movies? Lets get ahead of ourselves and talk about game adaptations. Professor Chen was a girl, but she was a hardcore console gamer. No matter how the Tales of Wuxia series tortured her, she still came back to it. It was her first love. To her, a good game was a good art piece. Who knows, someday, she might write some Tales of Wuxia fan-fics. She would introduce her protagonist to the world through her writings. Lady Zhao was most definitely no ordinary reader. Professor Chen was in no position to turn her away. Furthermore, Lady Zhao was already giving her the honor of meeting her in person. Also, she had dropped a half-joke regarding her favorite artist, Hua Chenyu, to sing in Jiangnan University, but Lady Zhao had actually taken her up on it. Professor Chen was more than obligated to do something in return, or she would be a true asshole. Zhao Youyue had already caught up to Endless Apocalypses current release. The male protagonist was Zheng Yi. From the Pinyin of the name, you could probably tell that this male character was overflowing with justice and optimism. It was a Virgin Mary [2]-styled character. To be honest, Endless Apocalypse had not picked up, precisely due to the Virgin Mary style of the main character. Cold and intelligent, self-centered main characters were more popular than ever now. Cute and cheapskate characters were also equally popular. On the other hand, popular main characters who showered their kindness over everything on the planet had fallen out of time. Virgin Mary-styled main characters were out of the question. The words Virgin Mary were enough to cause subconscious rejection. Virgin Mary was synonymous to being brain-dead. Good things would never happen to the main character, but he would instead always be the scapegoat. On top of that, you threw Virgin Mary into a hellhole of an Apocalypse-based novel. How are we expected to feel good reading this? No matter how skilled an author was, you could not deny that the current trend of web novels was still dominated by feel-good works. A majority of the readers would want to relax when reading novels, not get spiritually drained. Relaxing and feel-good works aside, anything else interesting and exciting enough would be enough to please the herd. An unlikable protagonist was one issue. An unoriginal setting was another. Sophisticated writing had succeeded at nothing but bringing out the deepest and darkest fears of a reader. It was not the pleasant thrill one got from reading horror. On the other hand, the personalities and skillsets of the protagonists numerous were well-portrayed. None of them were unforgettable. If a work like this received a manga-adaptation, it would markedly more interesting. After all, mangas had the visual edge when it came to depicting characters. Zhao Youyue gave Professor Chen her genuine thoughts on the latter chapters of the novel. She surreptitiously followed up with some of her views regarding the male protagonist. I am not saying that a Virgin Mary-styled male protagonist is bad. However, we cant deny that they are no longer in-trend. You dont have to scrap him, you could probably insert another character inside to complement the male protagonist. His Zhong Zhou Squad [3] would share the spotlight among themselves. That might just be the last brick that needs placing. At first, Professor Chen did not take Lady Zhaos advice to heart. She was sure that a reader, even Lady Zhao would never be able to sway her principles. However, Zhao Youyues sincerity and in-depth analysis of her work had touched her. Therefore, Professor Chen asked curiously, In what shape and form would this final brick take? Zhao Youyue responded as if she had long anticipated this question. She responded with the fluidity of a well-rehearsed presentation. Of course, lets have a wise man. This perfect squad is missing the voice of wisdom! We have not yet seen any team battles occurring in the novel. When one happens, and it will, we cant have everyone rushing in like monkeys. We need a strategist, a formulator. They must take even the strengths of the weakest link into account. Every squad must have a leader. And every leader must have a wise advisor! This time, Professor Chen started to laugh. She had already considered introducing a wise-styled character to the mix. She had even studied the classic manga Death Note and had planned to use two of its wise characters as references. However, she did not think of placing the wise character at the male protagonists side. Professor Chen felt that Lady Zhaos words were wise and true. Her name would be Chu Xuan. To her, everyone else is of average intelligence at best Zhao Youyue said pleasantly. Translation note: [1] a mans name, a trees shadows (˵,Ӱ) means once a person has a good reputation, it is akin to a tree having shadows. The person with a good reputation would be able to utilize his reputation to protect himself, while the tree with shadows would be able to give shade to someone. [2] Virgin Mary (ʥĸ) is a term which refers to characters that are friendly on the surface, but is actually a stubborn character that would pit her friends against each other. [3] Zhong Zhou Squad (޶) is from the book Infinite Terror by zhttty (a web novelist). It consists of 19 members who could reincarnate themselves when they die. Chapter 716 - Cuties Could Always Be Forgiven Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation This time, Zhao Youyue decided not to transmigrate into Endless Apocalypse and randomly select a character to possess. She decided to carefully lay the foundations for an easy victory by going for the creator first. Thats right. She had sacrificed a highly-popular character card for this. She would not settle for anything below a 90% chance of success. If not, why else would she sacrifice her character card? Zhao Youyue described her envisioning of Chu Xuan to Professor Chen in detail. Firstly, she had to be from the military, with a high rank to boot. Everyone would affectionately call her, Colonel Chu. At the same time, Chu Xuan would be a first-generation, genetically modified person. She belonged to the technical military services branch. On top of that, she would be a mad scientist with brilliant ideas, while also being outstanding in all areas of science Due to the genetic modifications, her body did not produce several forms of hormones that humans usually required. The modifications had been tailored to increase her intelligence. Her IQ was 220, and her face was expressionless on a day-to-day basis (She would only look visibly mad when she encounters an unknown element, or when she is lying to someone). She had no so sense of taste, smell, pain, or touch. She had no desire, other than a sense of curiosity. She had been born in excellence and power. In conclusion, her resourcefulness was unrivaled. She was so intelligent that others called her the devil. She was excellent at planning complex layouts, secret conspiracies, and in-depth analysis Colonel Chu could be regarded as the embodiment of intelligence at its absolute limit. She would the mad scientist of everyones nightmares, or the mental patient in a strait-jacket. Beyond that, she would be everyones intelligent beauty, and beauty was irrefutable and un-dislikeable. Zhao Youyues input had pierced through the Professors thoughts like an arrow straight through a piece of paper. Her creative mind was afire. Zhao Youyues input had been amazing. Still, she had her qualms about one particular trait. Why must Chu Xuan be a girl? If the character is a guy, wouldnt the spark between him and Zheng Yi be more interesting? Why not just call him Chu Xuan [2]? That name changes everything! If Zheng Yi and Chu Xuan got together, sparks would fly! Professor Chens eyes lit up with the frenzied, crazy look of a mad inventor. She seemed to be very keen on portraying the friendship and bond between men. It was just like the anime Naruto. Naruto Uzumaki and Sasuke Uchiha had the bromance of the ages going on between them We should note that Professor Chen was not deliberately trying to go for the Yaoi route. However, she was aware that the crazed fujoshis ran rampant on the planet. If she did not insert that implicit flavoring between her male-on-male interactions, she would lose a huge portion of her readership. It was just like Rosemarys classical gaming novel, The Strongest King. It did not intentionally contain any Yaoi pairings. She was merely depicting the friendships as one normally would, but it somehow resulted in crazed fujoshis coming up with numerous shipping. What followed was a flood of inappropriate Doujins. Ultimately, it became a classic among the gaming genre. Now, Professor Chens Endless Apocalypse was headed for this direction. She sincerely hoped for its success, even going so far as to produce all kinds of videos to promote her work. She might not yield any profit from it, but the sense of achievement was enough for her. When Zhao Youyue heard about Professor Chens plans to change Chu Xuan to Chu Xuan, [1] she had to speak up. If the character was changed to a man, how was she supposed to possess it? She could only possess a female character in the literary world! She attempted to dissuade the Professor. The male Chu Xuan is good, but people might not feel much for him. Who knows, they might even hate his self-centered and unscrupulous behavior from the very beginning. However, if he was a chick, and better, a beautiful chick, all would be forgiven, even if she committed homicide or arson. The Yandere and Killer Ghost attributes are also a type of Moe Of course, she is not inherently evil. She just wants her squad to survive as long as possible. For this reason, she would even sacrifice herself. Zhao Youyue saw that Professor Chen seemed to be lost in her thoughts, so she pressed on. Professor Chen, you should know that Otaku readers out there are increasing, day-by-day. As long as you create a female goddess character in your novel, and leave her forever single or even better, have no one understand about her feelings, all Otaku readers would love it. You see it, right? She does not belong to any single person in the novel. She belongs to every reader of the story! Professor Chen had to admit it. Lady Zhaos words had moved her. It was true. Chick Chu Xuan would be cuter. If she committed the most depraved acts of evil, she would be forgiven, unconditionally. Well, who asked her to be a beautiful chick with short hair and glasses. On top of that, she was a female Colonel. There is a special kind of charm to a loli in military attire Zhao Youyue seemed to fear to have Chu Xuan as a male. It was just like proto-saber. Artoria could have ended up as a plain old male King Arthur. Gone was her cuteness and charm. There were so many Otaku fans in this circle, so they felt cheated and robbed of their money and soul. Zhao Youyue gave her the final push. Professor Chen, youre so good at depicting the pure friendship between guys. Why not just try writing the pure friendship between the male protagonist, Zheng Yi, and Chu Xuan? If it turns out good, readers of the novel might even try shipping the two of them together. After all, Zheng Yi is ridiculously strong, while Chu Xuan is ridiculously intelligent. They wont flirt like boy and girl. If anything, they would respect each others strengths and entrust their backs to one another She finally got through to Professor Chen. Her brain was already working on how to present the interactions between these two characters. For starters, lets have them hate each other. Textbook character development! Why would they dislike each other? Of course, they had different methods of doing things. Chu Xuan was not someone who would bat her eyes as she manipulated someone to her ends. To accomplish a mission, she was willing to even be used as the chesspiece. She would only accept valuable teammates in her squad, while all others would be discarded On the other hand, Zheng Yi was more of a Virgin Mary. He would do whatever it took to gain the trust of a new acquaintance. It was naive, but he hoped that everyone would survive the apocalypse. He would always attempt to save the world, no matter the cost! Naturally, Zheng Yi and Chu Xuan would clash, in the beginning, at least! Translation note: [1] Chu Xuan () is the name that was proposed by Professor Chen. The Xuan in is different from the Xuan in as both have the same Pinyin, but different meanings. Chapter 717 - Reality and Fantasy Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation It was not bad to have conflicts. Instead, it could be seen as part of the run-in process. Anyway, if the Virgin Mary, sensitive Zheng Yi became partners with the cool, rational, and self-centered Chu Xuan, they would instead reshape each others thoughts, thus complementing their strengths. In such a situation, readers would be at ease. Initially, they were worried that the Virgin Mary-styled protagonist would face loss after loss, and be the scapegoat time again. With Chu Xuan, Zheng Yi would never fall victim again. The only person who would victimize him would be Chu Xuan! It would be interesting to watch. A loveless, sparkling relationship. Without either one of them, the squad would be incomplete. In a novel such as this that contained the ideal main cast, readers would not just be paying attention to the main character. So what if their opponents are some random cameos? All they needed was some distinct personalities and living brains. To showcase Chu Xuans intelligence, then obviously she must be paired with someone of the same intelligence as hers in the battlefield. After Zhao Youyue ensured Chu Xuans future inclusion to Endless Apocalypse, she felt that half the battle had already been won. It was time to pass through the Two-dimensional Gate and possess Chu Xuan. As Zhao Youyue had full faith in the abilities of the ancient High God, possessing Chu Xuan would be as good as claiming her iconic card. She had paid for this premium service with a character card, and not have to crack her head trying to salvage a plot that may well be falling apart. This time, Zhao Youyue was content with leaving Professor Chen to her devices. Who knows, Professor Chen could even obtain the nickname, Chen One-man show. As Professor Chen went all out with her pen, the only thing that Zhao Youyue could do to help Professor Chen was to increase the sales of Endless Apocalypse by giving it rewards. This would help it gain recognition. This could be considered as Zhao Youyues form of payment. When Chu Xuan gains iconic status, then who knows, Zhao Youyue could become a real life super fanatic researcher or mad scientist. She would start producing some terrifyingly dark technology. Wouldnt that be interesting? Similarly, Chu Xuans ability would end up pretty useful in the Source World. Upon activation, her analysis, investigative, and planning abilities would be maxed out. If she used her Eyes of God, nothing could elude Chu Xuans schemes. Chu Xuans power level may not be particularly high, but her research and invention abilities were truly incredible. She was not called Doraemon for nothing. You could misname a person, but you could never mis-nickname them. Zhao Youyue may have laid out sufficient preparations, but she was not able to transmigrate there and then not yet. After all, Chu Xuan had not yet even appeared in Endless Apocalypse. According to Professor Chens plans, Chu Xuan would only appear when the world experiences the second apocalypse. Not long after that, she would join the protagonist, Zheng Yis squad. This time, they would not save the world, but instead, they would destroy it. Their enemies would not be humans. It was a world where humans have been all but eradicated by aliens. It was most cruel Of course, the quests given out by the King of Gods would not lead them to a path of absolute destruction. Destroying a world was no easy task. For starters, destroying a small village would suffice. Eventually, we could up the scale and take out entire planets. Zhao Youyue was confident about this easy victory. She was about to possess a godlike character with maxed out planning, analysis, research, and strategizing. The world was beautiful. All is well. If Chu Xuans iconic card was obtained, her intelligence levels would surpass new boundaries. Part of her cognitive processes would be driven by something best described as an autopilot brain assisting software. She had never been more eager for a character card. Of course, she was also prepared for the possibility of its abilities being watered down in real life. After all, dark technology might just be too much for the real world to take in at the moment Anything that stands out would be hammered down like a stubborn nail. However, if she had the researching abilities of Chu Xuan, she could start from scratch in real life. This could support Lady Zhaos plans of starting a high-tech electronics company. Therefore, she might not end up reproducing the effects seen in the novel. Zhao Youyue would have to personally lay out the finishing touches to settle for a compromise in the real world. The character cards ability could not produce miracles out of thin air, or go beyond the rules of reality. That being said, reality did permit the existence of some magic and supernatural phenomenon. Look at the Wen Qingyu character card. It had the ability to eat books. However, in the real world, she was not eating books, not literally, at least. To others, she would just appear to be fully absorbed in her books. The real world was precise, like clockwork. That rigidity only drove its inhabitants to be particularly imaginative. They would always fantasize about other worlds that contained sorcery, magic, or unusual abilities, etc. If one already had to deal with such elements in the real world, why dream about them? Regardless, Zhao Youyue was very satisfied with how things were. She would never have to worry about the real world ending up like the Source World. World-ending levels of chaos, illusion, disenchantment, and sorrow would never happen in the real world If the real world collapsed, those fantastic creators would not be free to work their minds. Reality was boring and full of limitations. At the same time, it drove its inhabitants into believing the impossible. But, of course, they were possible! The only problem was that they happened to break the rules of reality From another perspective, if the ability could conform to the rules of reality, it would have no problem manifesting in any Source World. The Source World, in a sense, was reality with an altered level of energy. It was powered by the brains of various creators. As those otherworldly ideas took form, the world would wrap itself around them, trying to be one with them. Zhao Youyues character cards might just end up as watered down versions of their fictional counterparts. However, the Source World would permit the full release of their powers! The Source World was a world of iconic works that was free of creators intervention! Chapter 718 - Lady Zhao the Authoritarian Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation Zhao Youyue was always highly passionate and friendly to writers she valued. In this case, the person before her would most definitely produce another icon, not to mention that the person just so happened to be her senior. Thus, she cordially invited Professor Chen to dine with her. Chen Chen was equally willing to get closer to Lady Zhao. She may be the rare breed of writer who turned an eye away from worldly success, but she was not altogether clueless about how the world worked. Sadly, everyone could not help but slightly mock those who spoke about the members of the Zhao family. They all believed that this bunch of demigods were reincarnations of the great heroes of old. However, when actual members of the Zhao family extended the olive branch towards you, many would gladly accept, provided that they were of sound mind. Just breathing the same air as a member of the Zhao family would already be a blessing. Now, Zhao Youyue had attained such a position. Even without the legendary character card Olivia, she had gone through every single experience of Empress Olivia. In addition to that, Zhao Youyue was now the Student President. Through her actions, those old people who thought that they would not be able to operate if the Student Council left them now understood what the Female Emperors Wrist was. In the early stages of the election, Zhao Youyue already had a good grasp on the delegation of responsibilities within the Student Council. She was going to run this ala centralized, autocracy, authoritarian. Lady Zhao was an Empress. There was no room for democracy! Reality was sometimes ironic. Lady Zhao may have won the votes in democratic fashion, but she had chosen to rule as a dictator. She began to break all the conventional unspoken rules. In no time at all, she had reshaped the entire Student Council to fit her ends! One could only say that Lady Zhao was a terrifying figure. She possessed the experience of an empress who had once conquered an entire continent. She easily sent others kneeling before her. it was impossible to defy her wishes. So, how about those who did not obey? Great Student President Zhaos sought to marginalize these people. Even so, that was already granting them a modicum of respect. Look at Qiao Fei only exercised her justice whenever it was useful. How could she be relied upon as the Head of the Discipline Inspection Department? Only one who understood the great Student President Zhaos will qualified for the role. She would impose the Ladys will, fairly and justly, never registering it on an emotional level. On the other hand, students like Cao Chuanguang who was given the massive boot ended up far worse. Cry as he might, his voices would not reach those cold, indiscriminating hearts. Plus, great Student President Zhao had ample information about Cao Chuanguang. She had stayed her hand for the moment. If those dark materials were to be exposed, he might not even last another day. Anyway, an evil tyrant like Zhao Youyue did not even need to end you with the help of dark materials. With authority, power, money, one could do anything he wanted Fortunately, Lady Zhao would not actively seek to end others. But she would never let those who cross her walk away. An exception would be a beautiful girl. Beauty would always be forgiven. Look at Nie Zisu who had co-starred in the film with Lady Zhao. She had started off being constantly disrespectful towards Lady Zhao. Even so, Zhao Youyue had remained unmoved. The two of them even struck a friendship in the process. Perhaps Zhao Youyue was born to favor the female sex, while making herself an enemy of men. Moreover, a handsome face barely fazed her. It wasnt easy to consider her a prospective partner. At first glance, Lady Zhao might appear highly attractive. As they got along with her, they would gradually treat her as a best brother. Zhao Youyue currently had many best brothers within the live broadcast circle, voice actors circle, music circle, and various other entertainment circles. When she played Chu Luoxun in Beautiful April, she also became best brothers with Liu Xingxing who was playing as the main protagonist. Liu Xingxing was now a prosperous, popular actor with solid acting skills. In some variety shows, he would be asked on his take of the best actress of the young generation. Instantly, the first actress to appear in his mind would be Lady Zhao. She was a living, breathing Chu Luoxun! But Liu Xingxing was not one to flatly voice his opinion out. That would seem callous and inept of him. Headlines talking about his low EQ would be on tomorrows papers. If he had given a direct answer, the other actresses who had worked with him in the past wont take it lying down. Liu Xingxing was known for his clean-cut image and high EQ. Among other actors, comments about him were particularly good. There was little to uncover or gossip about him. Even his relationship with his girlfriend of the same industry was clean and pure. Therefore, he had to remain tactful in his interviews. Anyway, he did not have to answer for himself. Lady Zhaos acting skill had already blown the world away. On the other hand, she had made the opinions of various film critics look like pathetic jokes. Moreover, even the fans of the ancient legend Zhang Guorong rediscovered their climax points. Did that not explain anything? From this film alone, Zhao Youyue had gained tons of movie fans. Unfortunately, they did not know what Lady Zhaos next film would be, as even Zhao Youyue herself remained uncertain about it. Now that she already had Zhang Guorong the character card with maxed out acting skills, she could play any role. But now, great Student President Zhao was busying preparing for centralization. She was dismissing high-level members to the left and right while promoting cronies, regardless of the unspoken rules, establishing her stance of those who obey me, prosper, those who oppose me, perish. Many older members have raised their hands in surrender Before an evil force like Zhao Youyue, their wills have shattered. With Zhao Youyues absolute capabilities looming before them, any person who intended to exercise his wits for personal gains while agreeing to Zhao Youyues plans only to oppose her from the shadows would all be pummeled into dust. The Student Council would never be short of fresh applicants. Now, in order to become high-level personnel within the Student Council, ones capability, experience, popularity all took the back seat. All that mattered was their unquestionable, unequivocal obedience! Some people really could not bear being marginalized. They intended to appeal to the school board. Lady Zhao was wrecking the state of things. The Student Council was bound to descend into chaos. However, the school provided no answer whatsoever. They only wanted results. If Zhao Youyues lawless methods worked, so be it. Every student president could theoretically do what Lady Zhao was doing. They only lacked Lady Zhaos self-confidence, courage, strategy. Most importantly, they lacked her background. Chapter 719 - Reward Where Its Due Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation After Zhao Youyues centralization settled down, she began to make out the leading contributors and applied cronyism on them. This was how a fatuous and self-indulgent ruler ran things. After all, a wise ruler should be applying meritocracy, not cronyism. However, great Student President Zhao seemed to think differently. Those thoughts might not come across as possible for others. She was not content with her level of authority as a Student President. Even so, the Student President title was still very stylish and worthy of respect. Most importantly, it placed her in the position to get rid of some nasty guy along the way. So, why not? Becoming Student President had been a cakewalk for her. Fulfilling her outlandish promises would be even simpler. With her identity and background, she would have her way with just about anything. In a sense, gaining respect was enough for Zhao Youyue to complete all her tasks as Student President. As long as one remained on her good side, one stood to gain a lot. Many had so desperately, shameless attempted to be Lady Zhaos stooge only to fail, such as the former Student President, Zhu Yongnian. The key targets of Zhao Youyues cronyism were Bai Yunshan, Han Leng. These two were her immediate lieutenants. The latter had not even asked for such power. He did however, know gratitude and for Lady Zhaos sake, he had written the entire election program for her. Han Leng was now her trusted best brother Thus, Han Leng immediately became the registrar of the Student Council. If great Student President Zhao had any decrees to announce in future, they would have been written by Han Lengs hand. Zhao Youyue had even mentioned in passing that even if Han Leng suddenly intended to spread a forged decree, all would be forgiven. As long as he did not stir things up too much, he could even serve as acting Student President. One could tell Zhao Youyues trust towards Han Leng. Obviously, Han Leng was not one manipulate power for personal gain. Being able to accompany Lady Zhao up the ladder was enough for him. In the beginning, Han Leng even had to be paid to help Lady Zhao write reports. Now, he was wholehearted tossing aside the Dragon Raja he was working on to help Lady Zhao compose more documents. He had earned his place as a true friend. If Han Leng was in charge of the writing, the other dutiful lieutenant who made up for much of the Student Councils actual movement would be Miss Military Bai Yunshan the perfectionist. She was always able to organize those messy, clueless miscellaneous affairs, filtering out matters that did not require attention from those that required great Student President Zhaos personal decision making. If Zhao Youyue was the empress, Bai Yunshan would be an extremely excellent cabinet minister. As for Han Leng, he would be the general director in charge of palace affairs. As he got caught up in his duties, he discarded novel after novel. It would not be too much to say that he now worked full-time as a palace director. Regarding student affairs, Bai Yunshan was just as capable as Zhao Youyue. She had also helped a lot during the election. Therefore, when great Student President Zhao started handing out her rewards, Bai Yunshan was quickly promoted from a small cadre to the No.1 Vice President within the Student Council, which was the Executive Vice President. She had reached the sky in a single bound! As long as Great Student President Zhao remained lurking in the shadows, the most powerful person within the entire Student Council would most certainly be the white knight, Bai Yunshan. When she became the No.1 vice president, she still concurrently retained her position as the Head of the Discipline Inspection Department. Now, the campus would no longer have to worry about the standards of discipline and morals. Compared to Qiao Fei, Bai Yunshan was the true epitome of justice. She even had the background to live up to the part. She was Miss Military. She was the Miss Military who had Lady Zhaos backing. There was no reason to tread carefully at any point or place in time, unlike Qiao Fei. Of the two lieutenants, Bai Yunshan would be far more responsible. She already had years of practice in high school. On top of that, she genuinely enjoyed keeping track of every dog-ear in her books. It was such a joy managing everyone like clockwork, having them strive for excellence. Now, she was managing the entire campus on Lady Zhaos behalf. This gave her all the motivation she needed. Anyway, Zhao Youyue was Bai Yunshans only friend of note. She seemed to have completely accepted Lady Zhaos bizarre combination who was actually super talented yet had no self-discipline whatsoever. Even so, Lady Zhao did not trigger any of her perfectionist alarms. Appearance value was just as much justice as law and order. Bai Yunshan also seemed to have forgotten that she had been inspired to become the student president of Jiangnan University by relying on her own capabilities in the first place. Then, from her elevated position, she had planned to set her good friend Lady Zhao on the right path However, this white knight was now acting as the accomplice of Lady Zhao the dark force. Admittedly, if not for yet another one of Lady Zhaos miracles, she could actually become the No.1 vice president within the Student Council as a Year 1 student. She was second to only the Empress herself! Bai Yunshan was still reeling from the aftereffects of a dream. What was she doing here? Was this the Vice Presidents seat? How did she get her? According to her own plans, her best case scenario had projected her ending up as a Department Head during her 3rd year, where she could then attempt running as Student President. Before she saw through how Qiao Fei actually ran things, she had considered taking Qiao Feis apparent straight approach as a fine choice. When Zhao Youyue roared across the horizon like a dragon and swallowed up the competition, Bai Yunshan was left dumbfounded Bai Yunshan could not deny that her straight, decent approach would never catch up to Zhao Youyues unconventional, idiosyncratic ways. Now that she was the head of the Discipline Inspection Department, her ex-superior could only show her nothing but respect. Those who were not convinced, had all been marginalized by the authoritarian Lady Zhao. It was already a mercy for them to remain in with a position in the White House. Both Han Leng or Bai Yunshan were highly capable, apart from their lack of qualifications. Give them time, and they would wipe the floor with the members within the Student Council. Other than Han Leng and Bai Yunshan, the founding members of Zhao Youyues Food Research Club, had all been promoted respectively, according to their respective capabilities. For example, Du Hang had dawdled as a secretary. He had only intended to observe the regular operation of the Student Council. As a result, he was struck speechless after Zhao Youyue became the student president. The Student Council that followed had been anything but regular! Chapter 720 - The Extraordinary case of the Empress Source World Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation The Student Council that Du Hang expected to see was a regular Student Council, not one that constantly trembled under the dark shadow of Lady Zhao. He did not actually find such a Student Council to be bad. In fact, he was not even interested in Student Councils. The only problem was that he had joined it to draw some inspiration. Currently, things were far too bizarre. If it ever took the form of a novel, no reader would believe it! As writers wrote stories that were close to reality, they achieved a stronger sense of substitution. If it was too outlandish, writers would be criticized for being too green, too lazy to do their research. Now that Du Hang was in the Student Council, he had also earned Lady Zhaos protection by default. No matter how much of a creep or a lurker he was, no one would seek him for trouble. There was also the protective dorm mate He Weiwei. She had never even expected to herself in the Student Council one day. After all, look at her, with that blonde dye and outrageous fashion. Was this how a Student Council looked like? As Lady Zhao went on a rampage and claimed the top, He Weiwei had also went in tow, as if tethered to her by some supernatural means. She now had the choice of exercising her authority, or simply muddle along for some experience and qualification. He Weiwei seemed to have been triggered. She now desired more authority. Driven by that uncharacteristic motivation, she had hopped over to the Public Relations Department to get the ball rolling. She was not so foolish as to attempt claiming the top seat, even if it was within her rights. She decided to familiarize herself from the bottom rung before anythi8ng else. While He Weiwei was pushing herself to complete tasks that were completely beyond her capabilities, then Zhao Youyues other roommate Yu Xuefei was already been well-prepared for her role. She had started off vain, conceited and arrogant. Upon entering university, her Green Tea Bitch[1] characteristic went into overdrive. Anyway, she currently had a rich boyfriend who was good at hitting on girls. She had now wrapped him around her finger. At the same time, she had found herself another three to four spare tires. It appeared that there was more to her vanity and arrogance. On the other hand, there was Zhao Youyue, languishing and lazing about with the ability of a supercentenarian. Even so, she was deceptively astute and quick at reading a person. She did not arrange a high position for Yu Xuefei like how she arranged for Bai Yunshan. Yu Xuefei was capable, but she fell far behind when it came to Zhao Youyues standards. She was also nefariously more complicated than the White Knight. If such a person was ever placed high up, she would be a ticking time bomb On the other hand, Bai Yunshan was very worthy of Lady Zhaos trust. The trust could only grow with time. She would even volunteer to be Lady Zhaos bad cop. If Bai Yunshan ever took her justice too far, Lady Zhao could show up as a benevolent good cop ruler and set things right. By then, everyone would cry out for Lady Zhaos acute intelligence and excellent judgment. Everything had fallen within Zhao Youyues calculations. Her experience as a long-reigning Empress had truly come in handy. This was the art of leadership. It was just as beautiful as it was despicable and hypocritical. This was the embodiment of how the empress was the one with keen intelligence and excellent judgment, while the ones who confused the country were all the treacherous ministers beneath. In actual fact, be it the empress or the ministers, they had to be responsible for everything. But those thick-faced, black-hearted empresses would always have a scapegoat minister at hand. Lady Zhao was eternally great, glorious and true. If not, how was she besties with the perfectionist Lady Bai? After becoming the student president, Zhao Youyue suddenly found the entire campus dull and boring. Even in this world, a Student President could only do so much. At least, there was sufficient power to pull pranks on who were unpleasing in her eyes at will. Lets see who else dared pull up the powerful connection card. Now, nobody dared provoke Lady Zhao. She was the absolute ruler. Lady Zhao no longer had anything to look forward to in the campus. Once again, her attention turned towards the Two Dimensional Gate. The source world, with its endless wonders and surprises, would never let her down. She was free to do as she pleased, without worrying about how an original author might reject her ideas. Also, she was free to utilize all of her wives and wreak havoc as she pleased. The previous supernatural genre source world had appeared in reality, taking the form of a horror film. Now, it was a cult favorite. It had even featured Chu Renmei, the childhood mental shadow of many people in the film. Another example would be the iconic game world, The Witcher. It had taken the form of a 3D, CGI animation. It was slow-moving, yet highly reputable. The increase of its fans was still not showing any signs of slowing. As many historians joined in on the debate, many had praised the authenticity and how the movie held true to its hypothetically historical roots Zhao Youyue was certain that some new movie or series was bound to appear from her upcoming adventure. To Zhao Youyue, the source world was the perfect stage for her to utilize all the abilities of all her character cards to the fullest. The source world of this game The Witcher was still accessible to Zhao Youyue. It was now in The Witcher 3: Wild Hunts arc. According to the original games setting, this was the part when Geralt was searching for his adoptive daughter Cirilla. In the process, the Nilfgaardian Empire would conquer Temeria. Its capital Vizima would become a vassal state, where the Great emperor Emhyr would reside. Geralt the White Wolfs beloved Yennefer brought Geralt from the White Orchard to the castle of Vizima. The great emperor had employed Geralts services, hoping that he would be able to find Cirilla. As he had no other children other than Cirilla, he hoped that Cirilla could return to inherit the throne. King Foltest would not be around to stand against Emhyr. He could only be found within Gwent cards. The leading figure was a powerful bald-head, Radovid V, the king of Redania. His nickname was the Heart of Stone. By now, Foltest had already fallen prey to an assassination, whereas Radovid V the Heart of Stone had wedded Foltests daughter. And if Geralt had not removed her curse, she might still be a striga The correct premise of these plots and backgrounds did not include Empress Olivia. Now that Olivia existed, the great Emperor Emhyr and Radovid V had been taken out of the picture. On the other hand, the Wild Hunt was not currently pursuing Cirilla. She was currently the queen and chief knight of the only kingdom on the continent. In her free time, she acted as a witcher, only out of interest Wild Hunts from the Aen Elle world had come, bringing the hoarfrost along with them. Doomsday was looming close by. They sought the Elder Blood in Cirilla. At the same time, some uninvited newcomers had arrived. They looked out of place in this Western fantasy world. Hmm, the quality of the newcomers seem to be rather promising this time with seniors like us included, theres a total of 20 people? The Witcher 3 is just a world with a little magic, yet its deemed difficult enough for twenty? Wait, therere even team battles, the Lord God is truly not giving us any way out this time! said Captain Yang Yunfei in a dignified manner. Translation Note: [1] Green Tea Bitch C An internet slang used to describe a young woman that likes to dress and act in a certain fashion to portray herself as pure and innocent (i.e.: like green tea). However, in reality, she is a gold-digging slut that wont think twice before she sells her own body or steps on someones throat to get to a higher place (aka a bitch). Chapter 721 - The One and Only "Two Dimensional Gate" Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation Within the source world of the iconic Witcher, anomalies such as the Lord Gods team would show up. Clearly, this was the doing of writers. These authors might not hail from Zhao Youyues reality, but some other source world where endless survival type dimension-traveling, Doujinshi works were viral. Perhaps that world was derived from an iconic cultural entertainment franchise? In this source world, Olivia did not exist. Everything followed the original Witcher 3 game. A famous author of the endless survival type dimensional-traveling novel, similar to an extremely popular writer like Master Juan Tu, had written about how his protagonist had entered The Witchers game world This led to several other writers following in his footsteps. They all used The Witcher as the background setting, producing Doujinshi works based on the endless survival type dimension-traveling genre. Thus, the time-traveling monster, Lord God who fed on the cause and effect within the source world took note of this world. He did not find the cause and effect that he sought for, but something that was still reeling from Lady Zhaos rampage. Zhao Youyues Two Dimensional Gate was actually far more awesome, compared to the time-travel monster, Lord God! These time-travel monsters could only travel across different source world, siphoning their energies. They had no means of traversing into Zhao Youyues reality. Reality would always be a level above the source worlds. Its incomparably strict rules had restricted even existences such as the Two Dimensional Gate. Within source worlds, the Two Dimensional Gate enabled Zhao Youyue to gather all the character cards abilities that she had accumulated into one body, and use them all concurrently. Looking at these two side-by-side, one could see how wide the gap was between source worlds and reality. Lord God may sound incredibly powerful, but its power and jurisdiction were only limited to the source worlds. In actual reality, Lord God was just the writings of many writers taking flesh. It was the plaything of several minds, bending to their unified wills. It could not be helped. Reality was far too real. The source worlds of several iconic works were all derived from the fantasy of humans from reality. Even if they were sometimes realistic enough to be a perfect replica of reality, they were still source worlds. Many people in the real world have subconsciously acknowledged the existence of other worlds. Little did they know that such worlds were actually born from their fantasies. If they ever laid eyes upon such a world, they might even mistake it as reality. However, if the ingenuity of the source world intended to show up in reality, they could only appear through other means like books and anime. But when the people in the real world slipped into dreams, their consciousness would wander into the source world. Upon waking up, they would have little to no recollection of the dream. Maybe they would think that they would have had a little far too much to drink, read, watch, snot. If that dream turns into a nightmare, it was just because they have inadvertently crept into a supernatural genre source world. As a dreamer, ones rate of rationality would be dull and numbed down. He might actively seek for death, again and again. Anyway, it was just a dream. Zhao Youyue had found her lucid self in the source worlds through the Two Dimensional Gate and the Godly card Altair. Obviously, ordinary people did not share that luxury. They were not of sound mind, neither were they laden with multiple maxed out abilities like Zhao Youyue. Therefore, many clueless, half-awake dreamers ended up playing the role as death-seeking characters within the source world This was somewhat similar to some interesting entertainment articles. If characters were too smart for their own good, you would end up with a boring, predictable, rational movie. Everyone would be as smart as the protagonist who (supposedly) survives the end of the movie. Sadly, the subconscious of a dreamer had little room for growth. They were cowardly and weak in more ways than one. For example, if the protagonist within an entertainment article obtained the golden finger, it only meant that he had regained control over his dumb, brash subconscious. The others would remain slaves to the foolish, baseline instincts of the subconscious. If one acted wisely, they would easily get themselves out of several deadly situations. And so, thats how the protagonist had conquered many audiences through such manner. Wow. What an incredible protagonist. He was so versatile, so capable. Zhao Youyue was a prime example of such an existence. With the Two Dimensional Gate, she would remain in perfect control of her actions. Not only did she make use of it, but she had also abused the crap out of it, ultimately turning the rules and nature of the source world upside down. In the process, she had yielded an incredibly bountiful harvest. On the other hand, Captain Yang Yunfei who had just entered the game source world of The Witcher remained absolutely clueless that a certain empress had already united the entire continent. As usual, he left a female, busty team member to introduce the pitiful newcomers to the new world. They had all been unwittingly spirited away by the Lord God to work for him Of course, some of them would be in disbelief and denial. They would react most irrationally and charge to their deaths. They would never last long in source worlds. It was just like how some people lost complete control of themselves in their dreams only being able to take the backseat and go along the perilous ride. As a result, they would only end up as collateral. Yang Yunfei had seen his fair share of such suicidal cases. He was no Madonna. By all means, stew in your own juices if you are so persistent. Either way, Lord God was not forcing them into it. They could leave on their own terms if they wanted. Then, Yang Yunfei threw an expectant look towards a particularly unsightly fatso. This person was called Shang Zetao. Before he had been thrown into this mess by the Lord God, he was a gaming otaku. He had an impressive gaming resume below his belt. On top of that, he had an unusually high IQ to boot. Of this team, he was most probably the wisest. Fatty, what does it look like to you? Yang Yunfei quipped. Shang Zetao licked his lips in excitement. He seemed to be particularly fond of this Witchers world. He fluidly recited, Gwent 3: Mad Gambling, no, its The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt. Even if none of you have ever played this iconic Western fantasy game, you must have heard about it. As it is, Ive cleared the entire game a few times over. Ive unlocked all the endings, such as the Yennefer line, the Triss line, the lonely wolf ending If anything, I find it a shame that we cant raid Cirilla! It defeats the purpose of having to work so hard in search for her, right? As an adopted daughter, shes nothing. She offers nothing helpful to Geralt, whatsoever. Ill say this now. Cirilla is drop dead gorgeous. On top of that, shes into Lily-love. What an ideal combination! Yang Yunfei cut fatso Shang Zetao off with a few coughs. He sighed, Fatty, get straight to the point. Lord Gods main quest this time is to survive for sixty days, without any particular criteria. I guess we could take a look at the sidequests for some clues. We would most definitely have to fight our way through forces en masse. You know the various factions of the game. Who do you think we should contact? Chapter 722 - Friendly Contact Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation Shang Zetao was undoubtedly a hardcore fan of The Witcher 3. This particular entry had come across as a pleasant surprise. The Lord God was most kind indeed. When he heard the captain asking him questions about the lore, faction, and premise of the world, he got started on a particularly extensive speech. The Witcher franchise was actually the game adaptation of a novel series. Even so, this game adaptation actually outshone its source material. The third entry of the trilogy took the cake. It was a groundbreaking, trendsetting icon among Western fantasy RPGs. Those who have played it have nothing to offer but praise. After all, a single DLC of the game, Blood and Wine had already won Game of the year. Someone once mentioned that The Witcher 3 is overrated. Now, Im going to quote another guys perfect comeback for that Ive seen the slow, gentle snowfall of Kaer Morhen. Ive experienced the howling wind of Skellige Isles. Ive walked through the fires of Novigrad. I was born anew in the Kingdom of Toussaint. I slogged from morning till dusk on Velen Continent, No Mans Land. I was reunited with my old friend at a particularly noisy tavern in Oxenfurt. I once held Trisss hand on the lighthouse of Redania. Ive embraced Yennefer on the broken walls of a ruin atop the snow mountain of an isolated island. I loved, I hated, I went to the bottom line, I found the unbreakable will buried deep in my heart. Ive seen the various ugly faces of the human world, the fear of human relationship, yet stubbornly held firmly to my blind faith in humanity. Im just a tiny, insignificant witcher. I just want to protect the most important people in my heart. The I in this situation is referring to Geralt, the protagonist. I found that answer particularly touching. Back as I played the game, my love towards it was a gradually deepening process. Almost every character within the game had a life of its own. Every single sidequest got you deep into rhetorics about existentialism As Shang Zetao droned on about the game, his companions managed to piece together his fragmented key points. So, the few major human factions within the game were the Nilfgaardian Empire, the Northern realm, the Skellige Isles, and the Wild Hunt who came from another world. They were here to capture Cirilla. In short, be it the forces or the characters, they had to be somewhat capable, if they could show up in Gwent decks. Our first step now is to determine where we stand in the plot, and how far it has gone. Whether Geralt has found his adopted daughter, whether Ereden, the king of Wild Hunt has already invaded the world. As for which ally to take, the Nilfgaardian Empire should be a safe choice. The great Emperor Emhyr may be infamously known for dancing on a recently deceased rivals grave, but hes amazingly talented and a true visionary. He makes all the wise decisions in the name of the greater good, not one to let emotions cloud his judgment. Hes a far better choice compared to the Powerful Bald-head of Redania who has been massacring the citizens of other nations, burning sorceresses, wielding his Heart of Stone about. We certainly need to make friends with Geralt, the protagonist. He is the titular protagonist across several of their games. He may not be a knight, but he has the heart of one. Of course, we could expect to see the iconic protagonist aura coming from him. I am a little miffed about how he dies from falls that should be peanuts for a witcher All in all, weve come to this world, well-equipped with knowledge and foresight of its various possible futures, so lets make the best of it. Make friends with everyone you see whenever possible. Its not a particularly high-powered world, but were not all-powerful ourselves, weve only harvested the power from about two to three worlds. Captain may be the strongest among us all, but he wont be able to take on their armies alone. On the other hand, we wont have to expect any outrageously strong boss appearing from their side. Still, lets be friends with the bosses of this world, and it would be smooth sailing from there. Shang Zetao was not wise, but neither did he pretend to be one. Yang Yunfei appreciated such honesty. You wont get that overinflated sense of pretentiousness outside a novel. They had turned up on the plains of Velen. According to Shang Zetao, the seignior of Velen was some bloody baron. A mainline within The Witcher 3 was actually related to him. According to the different choices by the protagonist, the baron might end up dead. Or he might live, and then appear in Kaer Morhen as the protagonist struggled against the Wild Hunt. The Bloody baron had even offered Cirilla his aid, as he admired her heroic spirit. She had even fought alongside him. They had grown rather fond of each other. Unfortunately, due to Olivias appearance, Cirilla no longer had a need to come to such a poor and backward place like Velen. Therefore, it was now impossible for her to make friends with the bloody baron. After Olivia became the empress, the first place she reformed and developed with full force were still rich and prosperous, to begin with. As for places off the path like Velen, she only encouraged those with the stomach for it to go on an adventure. Her adventurers union strongly encouraged humans to slay demons, and further expand the lands of man. Yang Yunfei, Shang Zetao and the bunch of people pretended to be indigenes. They had even altered their appearance into that of typical Westerners. After that, they traveled to places such as taverns to inquire for more information. War had not yet spread to Velen. It had not even spread to the novice village within the game White Orchard. The fame empress Olivia was to be blamed for it. She had made short work of everything that even had the potential of standing in her way. Most of the small kingdoms and seigniors of the Northern realm had surrendered at the mere rumor of her coming. There was nothing to lose in surrendering to the supreme ruler Olivia who had been touched by the gods. Either way, they still remained the rulers of their own lands. It did not take them long to realize that it had been a grave mistake. Olivia was not even keen on the practice of enfeoffment. She fought for complete centrelization. This meant that her touch had spread even to the grassroots. In the future, the titles of nobilities would end up as nothing more than honorifics Such a thorough level of centralization gave Empress Olivia a ridiculous level of authority. She could command millions of men at will. The Wild Hunt was nothing before such a unified force. Obviously, she did not even need the numbers, to begin with. The elite, professional army, equipped with otherworldly technology that she had started off with was more than enough. So. She had money, power, and the hearts of people. Nothing could ever threaten her position. Thats right. Her great union and centralization of authority was not a mere reformation, but a thorough revolution. She did not intend to settle as a nominal empress, but an actual autocratic empress. This might also be why Zhao Youyue was pressing down upon her Student Council with a similarly extreme level of centralization. She did not care about how the others perceived and spoke of her. She could do anything she wanted. Was that not enough? Why dont we play one round of Gwent first? Although I wouldnt expect to find an actual Gwent player in this tavern, Shang Zetao said excitedly. Chapter 723 - Secondary Quest Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation Shang Zetao obviously believed that a mini-card game like Gwent would only appear in an actual game. They were now in a real world. What form would Gwent take here? Soon, he found himself taking a slap in the face. The tavern was packed with Gwent players. They were even using the Northern Realms deck to play against the Nilfgaardian Empire deck. Anyone who has played the game before knew that both these decks were really newbie-friendly, as there were lots of spy cards in both decks. As long as you had a spy card, you could use it in various ways and earn a relatively easy victory. Of course, there was actually a precondition to it. You needed a strong enough deck to complement the spy. Not every Gwent player was like Geralt, who could get one card whenever he beat someone. If Geralt won by a landslide, he might even get a rarer card. In a sense, Gwent was a broken card game. Players with rare cards could easily defeat another player with bad cards. Godly luck was not nearly enough to balance things out. Even so, the big universe had deemed this card game perfectly balanced and had somehow imprinted it into the minds of its denizens that it was amazing, addictive, and worth every second spent. They also carried great value if you ever had a rare Gwent card in your hand, you would most definitely get rich. Thats right, nobody could determine any particular founder of this worlds Gwent. It just naturally occurred. An entire continent may only contain one, maybe two rare cards. Of course, these cards would be priceless! For example, the famed Empress Olivia was featured in a card of her own. She was of a neutral faction. Of course, being neutral was best, as it meant that she could join every side. On top of that, she had ten battle points. Her special ability was to one-shot the opponents highest battle point unit. When such a godly card, it would turn most tables, if not all! Olivia looked rather regal. In it, she lavished on her throne with exuberant confidence. One of her delicate hands supported her chin, while she held a scepter in her other hand. The quote on her Gwent card was - - I came, I saw, I conquered. By logic, Olivia should be a leader card. Then, Kaer Morhen would earn a deck of its own. However, it was clear that the old players of Gwent would never accept this. Previously, when the Skellige Isles was made into a new deck, it had caused an uproar. Therefore, it was best for the characters in Kaer Morhen to be made into neutral cards. Neutral cards were highly favored, anyway. In addition to Olivia, both the cards of Geralt and Cirilla which had 15 battle points were the mightiest hero cards. So, be it Olivia, Geralt, or Cirilla, their Gwent cards were among the rarest in the world. Any single one of them being put on sale would tear the marketplace up! Several adventurers hoped that they would be lucky enough to obtain such a Gwent card throughout their adventures. If they actually obtained such a card, they would definitely become rich overnight. However, that probability was far too slim Regular Gwent cards were still fairly prevalent. Otherwise, the whole continent would not seem to be playing Gwent all the time. However, those regular Gwent cards were trash, and were often a source of endless frustration. In addition to Gwent, two other sports were highly popular in this world. One of them was boxing, and the other was of course, horse racing. Olivias foster father, Geralt, was a master of all three. He was a professional Gwent player, the king of boxing, and a master of horse racing. What, did you say that Geralt was also a witcher? Bah, hunting bores him the most. If you said Gwent to him, his ears would perk up and his feline pupils would swallow the moon up. He also had fun when boxing or horse racing. Whenever he went to a new location, he would first look at the bulletin board. The first thing to do was beat all of the Gwent players in that area. Then, he would find himself a boxing ring and beat the villages strongest player As for horse racing, of course, after Geralt got himself the best saddle around, his Radish started outrunning royaltys best horses. After Empress Olivias accession to the throne, she had hosted a tournament, in which Geralt had emerged as champion. What a specimen. Of course, after Shang Zetao enquired the guests in the tavern about Gwent, he was surprised. He originally thought that Gwent had been invented by someone, somewhere. Thats what the game seemed to discreetly suggest. However, he did not expect that the settings of Gwent to be even more mysterious than it was in the game. Gwent cards actually appeared out of thin air? Also, the number of rare cards and common cards were balanced automatically? It was no wonder that the entire continent enjoyed it so much. It was just like in the world of Pokemon. Pokemons were everywhere, and people started turning them into a sport. However, there were very few rare pokemons. As long as someone had a rare pokemon and trained it well, they would be an extremely powerful force! Just as Shang Zetao regathered his thoughts, the Lord God followed up with a secondary quest - - Collect Em All[1]! Captain Yang Yunfei was just about to open his mouth and bark at Shang Zetao. Youre digressing yet again. Why care about Gwent? Its just a card game. Moreover, it was the retarded sort of game where two people competed to see who was stronger. It was just like poker, but far less fun and immeasurably stupider. Even a toddler would get the strategy hands down. First, you had to use your bad cards to trick your opponents into using their rare cards. Give up that round, and then slowly catch up with your remaining cards. Even if Yang Yunfei was bored to death, he would never play a game like Gwent. However, when the Collect Em All quest appeared, he immediately said, Gwent cards should still be collected. You all have to play the game as well. I feel like you can only obtain some rare cards by beating those big guys at their own game. Gwent isnt bad after all This was probably the only thought that Yang Yunfei had as he sat himself down and got into the game. Even so, a voice at the back of his head attempted to bring him around to the absurdity of the situation. Here he was, in a Western Fantasy world of swords and magic. Why was he sitting here, playing some silly card game? Could anyone care to explain? Translation note : [1] Collect Em All is a secondary quest in The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt. Since there is no way (in-game) to check exactly which Gwent cards you do and dont have, this is regarded as one of the hardest, non-combative quests in the game. Chapter 724 - The Empresss Political and Military Achievements Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation It did not take long for Yang Yunfei and Shang Zetao to get to know more news that left them puzzled. Initially, they had believed this continent to consist of several kingdoms. Now, theyre hearing news of how the entire continent had been unified by a certain Empress Olivia. As for who Olivia was, epics and legends about her had spread throughout the continent. Many Bards loved telling tales and ballads that were dedicated to her. Captain Yang Yunfei and gang had intended to fight the endless squad by borrowing the power of Emperor Emhyr. Looks like that bridge had been burned down, just like their minds currently were The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, or at least this version of it, is now a complete mess. Other than the secondary quest Collect Em All, we cant do anything else. All the major flags have been triggered by this child of destiny Olivia! Shang Zetao roared. Calling Olivia a child of destiny was not exactly a stretch. First of all, she had a rather extraordinary background. She was the daughter of Emperor Emhyr and the younger sister of Cirilla who was basically the second protagonist of The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt. After all, Cirilla was also playable at some points in the game. As for how fun it was to play her, only those who have experienced it themselves would know. So, this empress Olivia was actually the sister of Cirilla. Just by that alone, she was qualified to be the protagonist! Why have I never heard of Cirillas sister? Her sisters a genius, and shes the so-called Pearl of the Northern Kingdoms. If Cirillas already so beautiful and her sister tops even that, how the heck does she look like, really? Shang Zetao mused. If his expectations had ever found a ceiling, now was the time it tore through it. It could not be helped. Not one out of those who have played The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt would say that Miss Cirilla was not beautiful. She may have been an ugly duckling as a child, but after she definitely grew into a white swan. The group headed towards the Free City of Novigrad and collected various Gwent cards along the way. It did not take them long to collect all the regular cards. When it came to the rarer cards, they could only rely on playing against those famous Gwent players. However, they needed a rare card of their own to even use it as a wager steep enough to have the opponent put his rare card on the line. Yang Yunfeis squad was not all that unscrupulous. They would not rob the innocent of their rare cards. On one hand, they still had morals. On the other hand, they realized that all of those who had special cards were all influential figures. It was in everyones best interests to obtain the cards fairly and squarely. Wasnt this how the video game worked? When players lost themselves in The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, they would not do the main quests. They would not get on the secondary quests, or even the witcher quests. Instead, they would roam around the world to play Gwent. Clearly, going to Skellige Isles at level 16 was the safest, but some players would unlock this map from as low as level 4, all for the purpose of playing Gwent In the process, Yang Yunfei and the others began to understand more and more about Olivia. Of course, with each new revelation came more surprises. Empress Olivia life, or rather, the Legend of Olivia was more than enough material for an entire novel series. This empress is really amazing. She was meant to be eclipsed by her Elder Blooded sister. She was destined to remain as an insignificant a side-character. Who would have imagined her becoming the most powerful figure in the entire continent? She even married her own sister. This, this, this is simply beautiful! Shang Zetao cried. He was now an absolute fanboy. He was already highly fond of the characters from The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, to begin with. Now, just as Olivia had blown away the in-game world, she had most certainly blown his world in similar fashion. Hardcore otakus like Shang Zetao should never be treated like wise men. Often at times, their IQs might even be tremendously high. However, that IQ would quickly plummet when a waifu gets stationed before their eyes! Of course, other members of the squad were equally curious about Olivia. Her beauty seemed to precede even her achievements in unifying the continent. There were countless paintings of her going around in the market, many of which depicted fair maidens People could often tell how good a painter was, depending on how well they expressed Olivias beauty. This seemed to have become a global standard on art. Of course, Olivias political and military achievements were nothing to sneeze at. She had most certainly inherited the characteristics of a certain empire that focused madly on building basic infrastructures. They especially loved building bridges and roads, as well as create public transportation. Moreover, they channeled the populations workforce to form even mightier workforces through urbanization, uniting humanity like never before, which had created a powerful, recognizable form of cultural identity! At the same time, Olivia was also a leading proponent of the slogan, magic advances a country. She treated magic like how our reality treated science. Through research, she sought to understand the mystery of magic and use it to improve the lives of the people. In fact, through the dark technology of magic, she had achieved what science could not even hope to achieve! Sometimes, magic could be used, even if you did not fully understand its effects. As long as you had enough blood energy, magic was equivalent to eating, drinking, and breathing, like an instinctual behavior. This was all Olivias politics. She had liberated the productive forces, developed the productive forces, and allowed the people at the lowest level of society to have the best possible food and clothing. She also attached great importance to education and hoped that it was a platform that provided everyone with equal opportunities. The children of the poor could at least improve their social status through hard work. They would be able to live a decent life and contribute to her empire. Olivias military was even more exaggerated. Her magical modern army had already made quick work of the other kingdoms, and the whole continent now bowed towards her in unison. On the other hand, such a big empire would always have some stubborn, foolish old noble trying to restore their kingdom. Of course, Olivia had exercised her powers to suppress these people merciless. It was a bloody path, but it was necessary for her to achieve her imperial revolution. This founding empress was unbelievable. She was simply invincible. As she was focused on development, neither did the interests of the masses or their social class mattered. She could ensure a more reasonable distribution of talent, rather than a distribution that was biased towards the dignitaries. Now, the time to test her kingdoms military was coming once again. The White Frost[1] that heralded the end of the world was coming, and the Wild Hunt[2] from the world of Aen Elle was out for blood! The Yang Yunfei squad received a notice from Main God, saying that the other squad would be a natural ally of the Wild Hunt, and the Wild Hunt was the power of the other squad. Now, its the race to getting Olivias power. Translation note : [1] White Frost, or White Chill, is one of the omens prophesied by Ithlinne as heralding the beginning of the end of the world. Many attributed climate changes to the prophecy. [2] The Wild Hunt, or Wraiths of M?rhogg, as they are called in Skellige, was widely believed to be a group of specters galloping in the sky. They were described by common folk as a cavalcade of wraiths on undead horses galloping across the sky and serving as an omen of war. In fact, they are a group of Aen Elle elves from Tir n Lia who also call themselves the Dearg Ruadhri in their native Elder Speech, meaning Red Riders. They are led by the general, and later king, Eredin Bracc Glas, commonly known as the King of the Wild Hunt. Chapter 725 - Meeting the Empress Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation Yang Yunfei and the others held an audience with the legendary empress Olivia, in the Free City of Novigrad. This place, which was originally the most prosperous commercial city in the game had changed dramatically. Although the original Novigrad was already prosperous, to begin with, it was nothing more than a city built by conventional technology. Its architecture wasnt anything particularly impressive. However, after Empress Olivia took over, she saw the potential that Novigrad had. She turned the plain port city into something far more beautiful. The city already had a route to the Skellige Isles, why not capitalize on that? So, by Olivias imperial edicts, Novigrad underwent a grand transformation, and its various designs were all built like how a modern city would look like. Even so, she still retained the original style in some areas to permit Novigrad to retain some of its identity. As for the crime bosses in Novigrad and the Church of the Eternal Fire, they accepted the iron fist of dictatorship, one way or the other. Olivia believed that both crime bosses and churches were all like malicious tumors that hindered the people from building a magical modern city. She did not need such tumors growing amid her grassroots. She wanted her orders to go directly to the grassroots, and that she would be able to control every corner of the entire empire, so that the power of the people could be used to its fullest. As long as such a powerful force was unified, no one could threaten Empress Olivias rule, because her policies were always the most popular, and they represented the fundamental interests of an overwhelming majority of the people. When he saw that Novigrad was far bigger, cleaner and incomparably cooler, Shang Zetao, a Witcher 3: Wild Hunt addict stopped functioning, there and then. Words could never describe his shock. Now, he really needed to know more about this Empress Olivia! Captain Yang Yunfei and the others have spent a lot of effort trying to meet Empress Olivia. They all believed that a legendary empress would not simply meet anyone casually. They could not even reveal the existence of the main god, or else, they would be obliterated So, they chose a more creative route. They all claimed to be Gwent Masters, and began to play Gwent in Novigrad, as they wanted to participate in the High Stakes[1] that also appeared in the game. After winning High Stakes, you could either choose to receive 5,000 crowns, or 2,500 crowns and have sex with one beautiful Gwent player. As a result, many smart players have saved their game file before completing this quest, and then choose the reward where they could have sex with a beautiful Gwent player. After watching how Geralt totally drills the woman, they would reload the previously saved game file and choose the 5000 crowns. 2,500 crowns were not worth sex. Was that beautiful womans that thing actually studded with diamonds? You must know that the price of prostitutes in the city of Novigrad was only tens of crowns. If you played two rounds of Gwent with the boss of the brothel and won two rounds, the money won was already enough to hire a prostitute Several players may have played The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt with pure intentions. That would be to head to Novigrad, as soon as possible. Then, they would spend tens of crowns to see how wild the protagonist witcher Geralt was in bed. One could say that Geralt was one of the most successful chick magnet around, out of all the characters in several RPGs. He would never be short of a partner in bed, no matter where or when. Every time a new DLC was released, the first thing players wanted to know was the superb lady Geralt was about to drill. Unincidentially, the squad had transformed into Gwent players. They inevitably bumped into the protagonist Geralt, who was going around the world, playing Gwent. As they continued destroying each others decks, they became quick friends with Geralt. They claimed to have come from a mysterious kingdom in the East, and that they possessed a mysterious power called qi. Was that perhaps a different kind of magic? In fact, Captain Yang Yunfei had cultivated himself through the path of martial arts. Geralt knew all too well that his daughter Olivia attached great importance to all mysterious powers that involved magic. She was even working on a more successful method of producing witchers. She hoped to form a special witcher team that specialized in darker tasks, such as decapitation. Olivia believed that the mysterious changes in the bodies of witchers could be further studied through the combination of modern science and magic. She hoped to mass-produce the witchers in the future. Of course, safety came first. Also, it had to be on a voluntary basis. After all, becoming a witcher still had its risks. At the same time, it also meant giving up your fertility At least, the public eye viewed witchers in a far brighter light, compared to the days of old. Previously, ordinary people truly despised witchers because of heterogeneous reasons, and they had powers that ordinary people did not have. Even though they helped wipe out the monster menace, they had trouble shaking off the discrimination. Therefore, people usually spat on passing witchers. Now, however, Geralt was the face of the Witchers, and the foster father of Empress Olivia. Of course, the Bards were a huge reason on why they were now the subject of fables. Originally, Dandelion was already a handful to deal with. Now, he was the father of an empress. Wherever he went now, people would only look at him with respect, not prejudice. At the same time, Olivia also carried out publicity campaigns to sway the public opinion, saying that witchers were just as human as everyone else, plus a few mutations. In fact, as long as anyone dared to be one, it could be done. If youre a witcher, youre a true warrior! Therefore, every decent witcher was worthy of respect. They fought in the front line against monsters; they ensured the safety of the masses. They were heroes! Anyhow, Olivia had already shone a new light upon several witchers and sorcerers. She hoped to recruit the former as special soldiers, and the latter as magical, technology workers Her efforts in changing the public opinion that the ordinary people had of witchers had indeed helped her earn the loyalty of many. Well, Olivia was the only empress around. No matter how smart or powerful you are, all of your efforts would still go into the development of the kingdom. Since Yang Yunfei and the others have gotten to know Geralt, of course, they hoped to meet Olivia through him. They not only played with Geralt, but also accompanied him on a round of hunting. On top of that, they earned some bonus quest rewards. When Shang Zetao saw Empress Olivia, he could only think that everything had been totally worth it! Translation note : [1] High Stakes is a secondary quest in Novigrad. It requires entering a Gwent tournament in Passiflora. A strong deck is needed, as well as an entry fee of 1000. Chapter 726 - New Source World Journey Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation A Cirilla fan like Shang Zetao was absolutely blown away by Olivias beauty. However, one thing absolutely stumped him. How did such an important character like Olivia not appear in the entire The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt game? The Blood and Wine DLC, already featured a pair of really beautiful sisters: Duchess Anna and her sister, Syanna. Of course, the latter was the main female protagonist of this DLC, and in the end, of course, Geralt had sex with her as well No wonder Geralt had the protagonist aura to boost him. After defeating that miserable vampire Dettlaff, he also had sex with the woman that vampire was so into. A female character that was near-perfect like Olivia should totally be incorporated in The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt. When he first laid eyes on Olivia, he almost immediately fell head over heels in love, and now, he had another waifu. This was how hardcore otakus lived. Regardless of it being a female character in an anime, or in a game, all they needed was beauty and cuteness to be an otakus waifu. These otakus would fight for their waifus with their lives and would become moe-kings, just for them. Moreover, they would promote their waifus, hoping to gain more fans. To Shang Zetao, Olivia was the long-haired version of Cirilla. If anything, her facial features were even more delicate and softer. Also, she was the empress of this generation, but nothing about her was menacing like one would expect. Instead, she was like a spring breeze Looking at her bloody path to ascension, she was clearly a tyrant who killed people without mercy. Her dictatorship had reached its peak. This was the epitome of follow me and live, or rebel and die. Even so, she did not seem pleased with her accomplishments. She looked like a gentle and down-to-earth wise person. In actuality, when Olivia saw Yang Yunfei and others, she had checked their identities through the in-game system that was given to her by the Two Dimensional Gate. Naturally, an existence like Lord God was no stranger to Olivia. The only thing that she did not expect was these squad members arriving in this source world Shang Zetao and the others were also pretty smart. They never once disclosed the existence of the Lord God. They only claimed to be internationalists who were here to help out. They intended to help the Empress fight against the Wild Hunt. Olivia welcomed them with open arms. She hoped to be friends with them. At the same time, she was able to get more information about the Lord God from them. Among the many source worlds, some source worlds of iconic works had taken new form as Lord Gods. These were worlds that the Transcending Monsters meddled with. They placed various 3D creatures into the worlds, and used these creatures to trigger flags for them that would send ripples across the world, so that they could get energy. Of course, this energy was also the one that Zhao Youyues Two Dimensional Gate required. In a sense, Olivia could form her own specialized squad like the other Lord Gods and have many people work for her All of a sudden, a new idea occurred on Zhao Youyue. Perhaps, she could become a Lord God herself, to have more people work for her and be exploited by her. So, she naturally chose to stay in the source world more often to explore more about the mystery of a creature like a Lord God. Perhaps, they had been created by the authors of the infinite novel genre. Captain Yang Yunfeis squad gained a lot of this trip. To acquire strength, some of them decided to go straight for the Trial of the Grasses and become a witcher before they returned. As long as they accepted the Lord Gods systemic treatment when they returned, everything would be fine. Anyhow, the Lord Gods treatment was absolutely the best. Captain Yang Yunfei even discussed with Shang Zetao on how they could bring the legendary Empress Olivia back to the Lord Gods domain and become a member of their squad Shang Zetao certainly felt that it was a good idea. She was such a beautiful young lady. She had amazing leadership skills, a great character, and a great personality. If such a young lady joined their squad, that would be awesome! They did not know that their actions could be said to be amounting to letting the wolf loose into the room. Little did they know that their Lord God was just a piece of cake in the face of Olivias Two Dimensional Gate. In fact, Cirillas Gate of the Worlds was based on the same principle as the Lord God. Obviously, Cirilla had the potential of being a Lord God herself. Therefore, in the source world, the Lord God was nothing substantial. As long as you could traverse planes, you could most absolutely be one. Since something like causality existed, of course, the members of the endless squad could be given various magical abilities. In actuality, it was not exactly possible to receive truly potent abilities, as the Lord God was not all omnipotent. With Empress Olivias powers, the other squad that came together with the Wild Hunt was reduced to a joke. The empresss army ended up counter-invading Aen Elle through Cirillas Gate of the Worlds. However, this world had long been on the verge of collapse. This was why the elves intended to recapture Cirilla. They wanted to use Cirilla to conquer other worlds This source world had a time limit. As long as it was an iconic piece of work, it had an ending. Once its story progressed to the end, the world would naturally end. Then, no one knew how long it would take for a new cycle to start. Naturally, various forms of energy could be generated. Zhao Youyue would then be able to obtain legendary character cards from the source world. A Conjurer[1] card of this energy level would allow such energies to be siphoned into the Two Dimensional Gate. Thanks to the efforts of Empress Olivia and her followers, the source world of the Witcher game finally came to a real end. The empress had not only unified the whole continent. She had also conquered countless worlds together with her queen Cirilla, through Cirillas Gate of the Worlds. The Empress would never stop anytime soon, but the Witcher series had attained its happy ending. This time, Zhao Youyue has truly left this source world. She was still a little melancholic. No matter how good her relationship with Cirilla was, Cirilla could never follow her into reality Still, she very much hoped that the characters she played as, and the people she loved in the world of works could follow her into reality. All of these characters were her wives. Now, she could only appreciate her many wives, one after another, in the spiritual world. These worlds still had no Cirillas yet. She could only hope that the gaming company in the real world would improve on her sisters design. However, a game was still a game. It was nothing like the real Cirilla. Zhao Youyue decided to start over on a new source world journey. Maybe, she would be able to meet Cirilla again. Who knows? Translation note : [1] Reference to Hunter x Hunter. In Hunter x Hunter, if a student creates an object in the water in the glass during their Water Divination, they are a Conjurer (߬Fϵ, Gugenkakei). In most cases, Conjuration is intended as the ability to create a physical, independent, material object out of ones aura. Chapter 727 - "Road to a Female Emperor" Concludes Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation Of course, after Zhao Youyue completed the source world created by the iconic Witcher series, its CG counterpart soon followed. Of course, the otherworldly travelers at the end of the series left the audience in the real world puzzled. On the one hand, some viewers found it rather refreshing. On the other hand, some viewers felt this intrusion had destroyed the image of an authentic sword and magic Western Fantasy world However, considering how Cirilla had the Elder Blood and The Gate of the Worlds, it seemed like the appearance of a Lord God which could casually put people into various worlds was not entirely surprising. One had to know that in an alternate reality, the original The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt game that had not yet been intruded by Olivia, the protagonist Geralt had also traversed through time and space to look for his adopted daughter Cirilla. He entered various magnificent worlds of fantasy, one after another. Finally, he entered the world of Aen Elle, which was where the Wild Hunt was at. Then, he discovered the truth. Apparently, this world had been enshrouded in White Frost, and the elves had cultivated the Elder Blood. The elves hoped to find salvation from traveling to other worlds through The Gate of the Worlds. However, the elf that they had nurtured ended up bonding with a human, instead of an elf. These were Cirillas ancestors. Cirilla inherited the Elder Blood in all of its potency, which explained why the members of the Wild Hunt wanted to capture Cirilla in various ways. They intended to reclaim the Elder Blood. Only by this way, would they be able to traverse through different worlds on a large scale. Without such blood, the Wild Hunt could only crawl through different worlds at an agonizingly slow pace. Although the members of the Wild Hunt were all highly capable in their own right, against the modern magical army which unified the whole continent, things ended tragically for them. The squad which was an ally of the Wild Hunt soon faced the same, tragic fate. Initially, this squad which had to battle Yang Yunfeis squad had remained confident and bold. Everything was surely going to go in their favor. They did not expect Yang Yunfeis squad to achieve an actual sleeping victory! Who allowed this squad to arrive on the continent first, and then successfully become friends with Geralt through their own actions? Of course, Olivia also deeply respected her foster father Geralt. This truly upset her biological father Emhyr. He had been robbed of his daughter. Most depressing was how Olivia was not alone in her affection and respect for Geralt. Even Cirilla regarded Geralt as her father Emhyr, who used to be powerful and dancing on top of graves was left very embarrassed. Even so, he still commanded the same level of respect. In either case, he was the biological father of the only empress in the entire continent, Olivia. His daughter had lived his dream of unifying the continent, with an amazing Empire to boot. Emhyr could only sigh, as he was incomparable to her. He leaned back in his chair, resigned to how he was bound to be outshone by her. Perhaps Olivia was still immature and rough around the edges. However, she had money, a modern army, and dark technology. Who could go against her wills? In the real world, the large-scaled epic anime, Road to a Female Emperor ended. Its fans were distraught. They could not wait to tell the whole world about this Western Fantasy work which was a masterclass. It had thoroughly well-written, and even the characters had been well-designed! A work like this, with a solidly constructed Westernized Fantasy world would probably never appear again in the future. It was as if such a world truly existed. This was no fiction. No human created this! As for its most popular character, that would of course be the legendary empress - - Olivia! At first, many viewers had thought that this Olivia was unremarkable. She had started off as a side-character. Nobody had given her much notice. Many thought that the Elder-Blooded Cirilla was the actual child of fate. Cirilla had started off ugly, but she was clearly a late bloomer. As the heroine later on, she blossomed most dramatically. On the other hand, Olivia was always beautiful since young. She was nothing more than a flower vase. Who would have thought that she had been hiding her true nature since the beginning! Many from the audience had thought the same as Olivias grandmother, Calanthe. They all thought that she was just a vase. Indeed, she was beautiful, but in this troubled era where many kingdoms were trying to survive, a beautiful girl like her would often encounter misfortune. If she could marry a capable aristocrat, she would be fine; otherwise, things would not look good for her. Throughout the ages, vase-like beauties were nothing more than playthings. Everyones attention would be placed on their appearances, not their abilities. Such was the sorrow of a beautiful woman. As long as beautiful women achieved something, she would most definitely be highly respected. This was the great thing about having good looks. Little did the audience expect to be slammed with such a huge plot twist. In the beginning, they had discussed if Emperor Emhyr of the Nilfgaardian Empire would be able to unify the entire continent. After all, this Emperor was harsh and ungenerous. But those were the strengths he required for great talent. Although he could not escape the limitations of history, there was nothing wrong with saying that he was a capable emperor. In addition to Emperor Emhyr, King Foltest, an orthopedic who had sex with his own sister also left a good impression on the audience. This King was terrific at military affairs, and he even dared to go onto the battlefield to give commands in person. His soldiers loved him a fair bit. The audience thought that if it was him, perhaps, he would be able to unify the entire Northern Realms, and then take the Nilfgaardian Empire head-on However, after the two sides experienced no less than three major wars, they found themselves in a complete deadlock. This had paved the way for Olivia to claim her world. It was a great opportunity for the state capitalist Olivias Kaer Morhen to arise. If Olivia did not have a 100% chance of winning, she would never go through with it. But when she was sure of herself, she would sweep her power across the world like a tsunami! Viewers felt that such a development was highly fascinating. It was just like The Romance of the Three Kingdoms. Suddenly, a force had acquired the dark technology of aliens and then unified the three kingdoms at once. What happened to all forms of intrigues, conspiracies, and trickeries? However, everyone was happy about Empress Olivia being able to unify the entire continent, finally completing the Road to a Female Emperor and then conquering various worlds through the The Gate of the Worlds. After all, watching Olivia grow up, step by step and acquire power, everyone had developed feelings for this legendary empress. Moreover, she did things like a true transmigrator. Naturally, everyone would approve and empathize with her As Road to a Female Emperor gained popularity, it became a holy book. Gold would always shine. It would always be passed down through the ages. As an empress, Olivia was just like Wu Zetian[1] from the pages of the Chinese history book. She had transformed into an iconic figure. Whenever the empress was mentioned, Olivia would inevitably be mentioned as well. She was a legend. Hence, in the Two Dimensional Gate, she was both a legendary character card that was both extremely rare and precious! Translation note : [1] Wu Zetian, alternatively named Wu Zhao, Wu Hou, during the later Tang dynasty as Tian Hou, in English as Empress Consort Wu or by the deprecated term Empress Wu, was a Chinese sovereign who ruled unofficially as empress consort and empress dowager and officially as empress regnant (ʵ) during the brief Zhou dynasty (, 684C705), which interrupted the Tang dynasty. Wu was the sole officially recognized empress regnant of China in more than two millennia. Chapter 728 - The Heart Broken Lady Zhao Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation Zhao Youyue had fallen into a slump as of late. That was when her best friend Su Li, had asked her to visit the manga exhibition in Shanghai. It was now May. Lady Zhaos temper worsened as Jiang nan became hot and humid. The reason for Zhao Youyues bad mood was simple: she was heartbroken, or at least, she was close to getting there. Of course, it had nothing to do with the events of the real world. Nothing would touch her heart there. It was the source world. Cirilla had the Elder Blood which allowed her to traverse dimensions, yet she could not come into reality. This was irrefutable proof that reality was far superior, compared to the source worlds. Other supporting factors were such as how Zhao Youyues character card only had limited power in reality, despite how powerful they were in their respective worlds. If she could be as powerful as she was in the source world, she would be an actual superhuman. After losing her wife, Lady Zhao had tried to distract herself with other activities. Su Li appeared just at the right time as a passionate mangaka. In their chit-chat, she mentioned to Lady Zhao about Shanghais grand exhibition in May. Why not join her for a short getaway? Of course, Zhao Youyue did not turn down Su Lis invitation. Of so many manga exhibitions she went, all of them featured cosplayers of the best quality, especially when it came to an event such as this This time, Su Li had invited her. With her influence in the exhibition, Lady Zhao could easily get whatever she wanted. How could the owner of the stall dare to reject Lady Zhao, who had been personally vouched for by Su Li? Su Li was a trend chaser. When Road to a Female Emperor was a hot topic, she had wanted to draw a portrait of one of its characters. This time, she had not yet chosen any specific characters to be her subject. Every time she drew something, a chatty group would talk about her mysterious power of the east. If she chose Olivia this time, they would inevitably say something like Su; the Great Deity is winding up for her next curse! Su Li was well aware of the situation, and she would not risk her reputation of Su, the Great Deity that she had grown to love so much. Currently, Olivia was at the top of the world. What if she drew her, and Olivia only continued soaring? That would ruin her reputation as Su, the Great Deity. Su Li was up to date on the entire Road to a Female Emperor. From an authors point of view, Empress Olivia was destined to win in everything. Why would she challenge such a character? Hence, it would be better for her not to draw Olivia. Of course, if Lady Zhao requested for it, she could always make an exception. As Lady Zhaos best friend, who else should draw for her but Su Li? However, Lady Zhao had started learning how to draw on her own. She was not planning to pursue the manga or fantastical illustration stream, but rather, she was interested in oil paintings, particularly, classical western. Leonardo Da Vinci was who she hoped to someday be. Most would only know of Monalisa and The Last Supper when Da Vinci is mentioned, but few would know him as the rare genius he actually was! His thoughts were always out of the box. He was a remarkable painter, astronomist, inventor and civil engineer. He excelled in sculpturing, music, invention and architecture, arithmetics, biology, physics, astronomy, geography and so on. Talented and hardworking, his handwritten notebook comprised of 6000 pages. All of his hard work and research were in that notebook. Einstein believed that if Da Vinci ever published his research while he was alive, global technology would have been pushed forward by 30 to 50 years. Su Li knew that Da Vinci was more than just a painter, and Lady Zhao was the only person worthy to be called his successor! Zhao Youyue was now famous across the country, most probably because of her talent and mastery in music. Ordinary people knew her music as modern aged and forever refreshing. Experts who knew more saw her as a true master of classical music! If Zhao Youyue ever randomly organized a live concert in any musical hall, the tickets would be sold out within a day! Her classical music fans could never enjoy the music if other experts played her tracks. Nobody played like Zhao Youyue, where they would be brought into another beautiful world where there was only happiness. Such music seeped right into their hearts! Zhao Youyues classical music fans thought this girl was so gifted that she did not need to work for a living but focus only on classical music. She might even be the next Mozart or Beethoven Those who had pursued a similar path with zealous passion would always be saddened when Zhao Youyue was mentioned. Even a lifetime of hard work would never get them to where she so effortlessly was. The gap between them and Zhao Youyue was so wide; only a miracle could narrow down the gap, but never actually surpass her. Music aside, the public was well aware of Zhao Youyues lethal gaming skills. If she put her heart into it, no game would be too difficult for her. Recently, she had produced live broadcasts of a game called Frostpunk. In the world of ice, people used steam technology to fight against the weather. It was a farming survival game that put humanity to the challenge. There were times where sacrifices must be made for the larger portion of humanity to survive. In the end, Zhao Youyue made it through without sacrificing anyone. She was so skilled in management that nobody had to die. The coal supply never once waned, and food was well-supplied. Children did not need to work, and nobody died in the extreme weather. The whole city was like a warm cottage in the apocalypse. Weaker players would need to make their choices between survival and guilt. You had to sometimes sacrifice half of the population to keep another half alive. You had to fight against the other tribes in London and deny the refugees entry. Everything inhumane and immoral beneath the sun must be done in order to be the last one standing. After winning the game, players would appreciate life as it was and appreciate the warmth in life that we could give and take. Then, players would appreciate the hard decisions our leaders had to make. When the audience watched Zhao Youyue play this game, she completely defeated the purpose of that life lesson! One could almost start to hear the song Were Different beginning to play in the background. [2] So weve covered her music and her gaming abilities. But Zhao Youyue still had more talent to show, such as voice acting and A-class acting. She seemed to have maxed out life itself! Su Li intended to delve into the depths of Lady Zhaos talents. What would she surprise the world with next? Would it be literature, or some crazy new invention Translation Note: [1] Frostpunk ʱis a city-building survival game developed and published by 11-bit studios for Microsoft Windows.[1] Within three days of release, it had sold over 250,000 copies. [2] Were Different (Dzһ) composed by Da Zhuang Chapter 729 - A Clear Goal Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation Thought Su Li had not yet decided on which character she wanted to draw in Road to a Female Emperor, she had published a Djinshi of a certain nature for Olivia and Cirilla. [1] Perhaps this was what Su Li did best and what she desired to draw the most In the past, Su Li had once published a breathtaking Djinshi for Pure Romance. It was the best days of her career. Her storyline and drawings were so artistically arousing that no man and woman could reproduce the scene. Only two beautiful and innocent girls could pull it off. Zhao Youyues first wife, Xu Jing had been one of Su Lis earliest icons. She was destined to be called the cleaver or blackened. [2] Several jerks who played around with a huge number of girlfriends became terrified after reading her story. At the same time, she stirred up a new trend the beauty of blackened. Despite her extreme emotions and tendency of killing people, otakus fell completely in love with her coldness. Perhaps those otakus actually wished that they could be blackened. Without truly falling in love with someone, how could a person be blackened and take such extreme measures? Of course, it was best if we restricted such behavior to animes alone. We cant have reality running rampant with boys chopping girls up just because they rejected them. It would be hell on earth!! Well, there was one thing that separated fiction from reality. We could fall in love with the depravity and insanity of fictional characters, but we have to be clear of the consequences in reality. Zhao Youyue was one such victim. She lived in reality, yet her heart still dwelled in the source world. The happy moments she had with Cirilla had taken a toll on her heart, since they had to be separated. She missed the sister who had treated her so well, the sister who was willing to even die for her, any time and anywhere. Cirilla really doted on her only sister. She would turn against anyone who forced her to dress like a lady. Yes, she was a girl, but she thought she was no less than any man who could give a perfect life for a girl. That girl was her only sister, Olivia. Therefore, only Olivia could make her dress like a lady. She loved her so much; she did not mind humoring her many antics In reality, nobody would treat Zhao Youyue this way. Nobody could be a sister who was any more selfless and caring. No matter how close a best friend was, most girls would only hug and kiss each other. Some even despised skinship, let alone love. Lady Zhao was the empress who unified the source world. She could have someone beheaded with a single glance; no one dared challenge her wrath. In the real world, she was a famous, wealthy teenage girl with a flawless image. If she ever did something to tarnish the image, she would be doomed for the rest of her life. Since she was a nobody, her actions were constrained by a higher form of power. The highest authority she had was just that of a Student Unions President. It was just enough to earn the laughter of true dictators. The highest power, in reality, was none other than those wealthy capitalists. With money, comes power. They could start up a private security firm and train their own army, or buy a nameless island and be its king. Once the island has earned enough attention to influence the five great powers in the United Nations, he could legitimize his rule. The idea was ridiculous, but Zhao Youyue still looking for a sci-fi world to bring its dark technology into reality. With such technology in hand, she could easily become one of the capitalists. At least she could be like Iron Man, right? Now, Zhao Youyue had a clear path in mind. If she worked harder now, her desired future might be possible. She realized that her family had started to look for a suitable husband on her behalf. Yes, they understood her well, yet the old-fashioned great-grandfather of Zhao Family was still alive and kicking. He only treated his grandchild, Zhao Han, seriously. Zhao Youyue was just a pawn for him to strengthen Zhao Familys influence in the form of marriage. Zhao Youyue had been living a luxurious life as Lady Zhao. Even so, she was not content, for that money was not hers. One day, she might even be forced to marry a guy she did not love. Her actions in various worlds had made it clear. She was a lily-walker. And now, she had Cirilla who she would never let go. She did not know what was it like to fall in love; she could not determine if her love for Cirilla was familial or romantic. All she knew was the comfort and bliss she experienced with her. There was no need to worry about betrayal, and they had a bright future ahead of them. Men could not be trusted. She even doubted ever having a man who loved her with all his heart. She truly doubted the existence of such a man. She might need to spend money on love. It was not a romantic relationship, but a trade of obedience for money. It was no different from having a pet dog. There was a saying that went, once you spend too much time with a dog, you would realize that a dog is way better than a human. Zhao Youyue might look young, but she had lived entire lives and carried the experience that would stagger even the oldest people in the Guinness Book of Records. As a result, her aura was dense, immense, and stifling. One could easily be mesmerized just by looking at that mysterious, ageless youth, wondering what she had experienced to carry herself in such a way. All these past hardships had told Zhao Youyue one thing. She could not depend on a man. Also, she intended to remain single as long as she remained insignificant. One day, she would be the Olivia in reality! Her heart was as broken as a mother who had just suffered a miscarriage. It was time to force the heartache aside and carve her own path to a new future! She had to do something better in life. The new lease of motivation almost made her feel like a protagonist in a novel. Urban legends had it that protagonists who have just lost the love of their lives would suddenly find a level of strength that he never knew he had, and break through his old limitations! Translation Note: [1] Djinshi (ͬI, often transliterated doujinshi) is the Japanese term for self-published works, usually magazines, manga or novels. Djinshi are often the work of amateurs, though some professional artists participate as a way to publish material outside the regular industry. Djinshi are part of a wider category of djin including art collections, anime, and games. Groups of djinshi artists refer to themselves as a skuru (`, circle). A number of such groups actually consist of a single artist: they are sometimes called kojin skuru (˥`, personal circles). [2] In TYPE-MOONs Fate series, blackening (\, Kokka) is a process by which a being is tainted by an outside force, causing their personality to be reversed toward the orientation of evil. There are several different processes that can blacken a being. Chapter 730 - This Is The Night Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation Zhao Youyue read through Su Lis Djinshi of Olivia and Cirilla. She appeared to be calm, but deep down, it greatly embarrassed her. Still, that did not stop her from sharing her insights on how girls actually did it with Su Li Su Li was a veteran artist, but she never had any real experience of it. She did watch a few adult movies and used other peoples Djinshis as references, but it did not come close to the experienced Zhao Youyues insight. Who would have thought that Olivia was actually Zhao Youyue? Well, Zhao Youyue was also a virgin in reality. No man had ever laid their hands on her body. However, her various lives in the novel and source worlds had taught her much. Still, her body in the real world was still pure. The question now was, should Lady Zhao be considered a virgin? There can be no clear answer to it. Zhao Youyue was a highly experienced, old virgin It sounded ridiculous, yet it was the truth. It was just like those people having wet dreams at night, only to wake up as virgins nevertheless. To Zhao Youyue, her dreams had been far more lucid. With Zhao Youyues help, Su Li produced far better Djinshi. At one point, she was almost tempted to test the scenes she drew in real life with Lady Zhao. But this was strictly an exchange of ideas between an author and a reader, not Lilies blossoming. Therefore, on the day before the manga grand exhibition, both of them stayed in the same hotel, and in the same room. Instead of two double, single beds, they requested for a king-sized bed. Su Li booked the hotel herself. If Lady Zhao had been in charge of it, she would not have chosen an economical room with a giant bed. A presidential suite would be at the bottom of her choices. It was not like she was showing off her money it was just how she lived. Thousands of RMB would be pocket change to her. If anything, it would be a disgrace to her image as Lady Zhao if she settled for anything less. All this time, Su Li had the privilege to stay in Lady Zhaos presidential suite. How could she stick her face into Lady Zhaos blanket, when there were always plenty of rooms and beds to sleep in? The most memorable night for Su Li with Lady Zhao was her sleepover in Lady Zhaos room. Finally, she could spend the night with Lady Zhao, in the same bed. They chatted the whole night, shoulder to shoulder as if they only had each other. Su Li has always been grateful for having Zhao Youyue as her best friend and savior. Without Lady Zhao, she would not have made it this far. On the next day, Su Li woke up, furiously berating herself. One whole night, and she did nothing but talk with Lady Zhao? Why did she not turn over and hug Lady Zhao? Lady Zhao always had this soothing fragrance exuding from her body. She was a goddess for a lot of guys, yet she had never displayed any interest in them. Several men would have acted as Su Li did, being stupid and dense during moments of golden opportunity. They were in the same room with the lady of their dreams, yet they chose to do nothing. As Zhao Youyues best friend, she was entitled to her skin. However, Zhao Youyue was a goddess in Su Lis heart. She was too pure, too divine Again, that was precisely what men all across the globe thought. The more they cared about that lady, the more they wanted to treat them right. Even when they spoke, they got hung over their choice of words until they ended up speaking gibberish. In front of their goddesses, they were nothing but specks of dust. When they finally mustered enough courage to confess, they would be brutally rejected. They were not aware that the goddess of their dreams would already be someone elses toy. Goddesses to toys. Those who played them would not be humbled, as they never had any intention of being serious with her. Usually, the ladies would fall for their charm and confidence. Just one night together, how hard could that be? When ladies agreed to stay in the same room, they would be prepared for something to happen on that night. Some of them might gaze upon the blood on the bedsheets with regret, but what good did that do? They could only hope those guys who took away their first experience would treat them right, but deep down, they knew that it was impossible. These guys were hunters; they did not stop after a single prey. Su Li had it all figured out. She did not know if she was homo or hetero. In high school, she once had a crush on a guy, but she gave up, for she was ashamed by her own background. After that, beauty struck her like a brick. She became the elder sister type goddess, and found herself swarmed by suitors. Unfortunately, none of them set off the spark in her heart. Sometimes she felt insecure and lost, wondering if those guys were serious about her. Were they after her money? After all, she was a reputable manga artist Su, The Great Deity. Perhaps this was a common problem for all successful ladies. They would have trouble looking for a man who was actually superior to them. Why would they want a lesser man for themselves? As she walked in Lady Zhaos shadow, she found herself deeply attracted to Lady Zhaos charm. She did not want to do anything nasty and wonderful to Lady Zhao, but for starters, she could get closer to her Besides, she trusted no man in this world. Only Lady Zhao gave her that sense of security and comfort. Perhaps that was the Leo in her talking. Her arrogance, self-confidence and cheerful character had wiped away the thick clouds that had haunted Su Lis world for more than twenty-five years. She was her mental pillar. Tonight, Su Li must make full use of this rare opportunity. She must find the courage to do something with her goddess! Chapter 731 - Two Goddesses Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation Su Li had been born pretty. Her charisma came along with her beautiful face. With a gorgeous figure to boot, she was the goddess in everyones heart. Her work was closely related to anime, games, and comics, yet one could never tell from the way she dressed. Perhaps some of Lady Zhaos fashion sense had rubbed off her. Every friend that Zhao Youyue cared about would be transfigured into Prince Charmings or Goddesses. Han Leng and Bai Yunshan were one of the lucky ones. They were not born handsome or pretty, but Lady Zhao could not sit idly by and not have them the way she liked. Everything around her had to be beautiful. Su Li was the only friend that did not require much improvements on Zhao Youyues part. As long as she stayed the way she was, her pure and innocent looks would remind every man of their first crush in high school. As time went by, age was still gentle on her features. Perhaps she had yet to face the pressure of life. She did not have to slog and kill for survival. Her income from her drawings was more than enough to support her living. After her graduation, she produced Pure Romance. With Zhao Youyues support, she became a god-level author, well-known among the circle of Animation, Comic, and Games. However, Su Li was not particularly creative. Everybody knew that she took a leaf, or many leaves rather from multiple sources and reshaped them to suit her needs. Even so, they could not accuse her of anything, for over her shoulder, Zhao Youyue would have her eyes locked upon them. Such authors were the favorite targets for advertising companies or big corporations. As long as their work wasnt bad, most of it could be turned into profit, sucking more cash out of their fans. Not every novel or manga needed to be an icon. They only needed promotions and advertisements. With a good reputation, anyone could be manufactured into a God-level author. No matter what novel or manga a God level author produced, there would always be a group of fans praising the authors work. Whether it was overrated or not, the rates were there, regardless. Su Li was such an example. She only had her one Pure Romance, and it was enough. As for The Strongest King, well, it was originally written by Rosemary. Su Li was merely the illustrator. Su Lis fans were well aware of her skills and weakness. Most of the time, they praised her for her beauty and drawing technique. Since she was recently spending more time with Lady Zhao, her fashion sense had changed from a university student into a matured model. That brought her charm to another level! Whenever Zhao Youyue and Su Li went shopping together in a mall, people often thought that two wealthy goddesses had appeared in their shops, and they were about to spend, big-time. You never see such pure charm among their peers. Money could buy beauty. With plastic surgery, health care, and treatment, one could increase ones charm exponentially. All this could only be acquired with a large amount of money. Su Li always thought that Lady Zhao was the one treated like a goddess by others. Little that she know that she was a goddess herself as well. Most guys could not resist looking at her Zhao Youyue never had any nasty intentions towards Su Li. She was probably the most addicted player towards Paper People [1]. Her interaction with Paper People was real and actually took place in another dimension, while others could only express their love and thoughts to these Paper People in their dreams. That worked for Zhao Youyue. Such perfect love could only exist in Anime, Games or Novels. No such girl existed in reality. She would never get the extra mile to convert any girl into lesbianism. Few girls caught Zhao Youyues eye. Plus, normal relationships involved men and women. Zhao Youyue was not just special. She was special among other special girls. She could not simply force other girls to be hers. That was just too reckless. Nobody could ever understand how much stress lesbians faced in their lives. They could never differentiate between love and sisterhood. Apparently, Zhao Youyue saw Su Li as her best friend. Other than being a great mentor, Su Li treated her warmly and gently. More sincerely than most, perhaps. It all started with Su Li wanting to get near Lady Zhao for her wealth, and the related connections that would give her a lot of privileges As time passed, she changed her perception towards Lady Zhao. Perhaps it was due to her hollow heart, or her desperate need for a friend to support her mentally. Su Li had always been passive towards her family. She felt so insignificant, and so raised a wall around her to prevent herself from being hurt by the outside world. Nobody understood her, only her manga did. That was why she chose to draw as a career. She knew that it was the only thing she could rely on. Relationship? It had nothing to do with effort. Most people pursued their loved ones. Most of the time, it only resulted in a larger gap between them and their loved ones. If they were meant to be together, they only needed to introduce themselves to one another and live happily ever after. Su Li enjoyed the times she spent with Lady Zhao. They were so close to each other. She never needed to act any differently around her. At that moment, both of them were lying on the same bed after a bath. Su Li was lost in her thoughts, thinking of all the moments she had with Lady Zhao. Suddenly, her head was filled with the time when she first met Zhao Youyue. She had been so confused, so puzzled. Was this not the protagonist of her manga, Xu Jing? Lady Zhaos fragrant scent drifted over to her. Mustering a tremendous amount of courage, she turned over and went on top of Lady Zhao. With a hand on either side and her long hair flowing over her neck, Su Li gazed down at the surprised Lady Zhao. She felt a burning desire surging through her body. Sister Li, what are you doing? Zhao Youyue acted innocently. That innocence only fueled the fire within Su Li. Su Li was suddenly attracted to Zhao Youyue juicy, pink lips. She was about to erupt, something was going to explode at this rate! Translation Note: [1]Paper People ֽƬˡ, was one of the nicknames given to the character of the game Love & Producer, known as ˡ (Lin Y Zh Zu Rn) in its native name, is a Chinese dating sim and visual novel app, developed by Paper Games and published by NIKKI. It mixes various traditional elements of this game genre such as cards gachas, a messages and calls system, and story segments. You assume the role of the heroine, trying to develop your own business while getting tangled in a mess of secrets along the way. Chapter 732 - Su Lis First Kiss Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation As experienced as she was, Zhao Youyue felt so innocent and vulnerable at that point. Of course, she knew what Su Li was up to. Even so, deep down there, she could not stop herself from closing her eyes in acceptance. It only served to push Su Li even further! One moment, a girl had gazed into your eyes. The next, she was closing her eyes. You now had her permission, her encouragement even. Get on with the program! Lady Zhaos innocence also brought forth an intense wave of guilt. Deep down, she vowed to herself. She would take full responsibility for everything that happened from then on. Sure enough, Su Li was gorgeous. No one would refuse the feelings of affection from such a goddess. Unbeknownst to even herself, their lips finally met. Su Li had no idea how others had their first kiss, but Su Li knew that hers had produced an intense magnetic field, so powerful that it drove her crazy. As all should know, girls are pretty sentimental, and they always prioritized emotions and affection over lust. As her lips sunk into Lady Zhaos, a fresh wave of fantasies rushed into her head, along with an understanding of how inferior she truly was. There was a time when Su Li hated being born a girl. In her opinion, it was always easier for guys to earn a living in the world out there. As for girls, they would always be held back by a ceiling. If you happened to be pretty, people would just assume that you were an easy target, or a flower vase. Now, she could not be any more grateful for having two X chromosomes. On top of that, she was just pretty enough to not face rejection from a true Goddess. If she wasnt, she would not be sharing an actual bed with Lady Zhao. To top it all, Lady Zhao was still as pure and innocent as she could be. It was common knowledge that most University Students would still remain innocent and sweet in their first year. Their fall from grace began in their second year. When Lady Zhao gets swooped up by some sleazy male, Su Li would not have had the courage to be taking the initiative like she did now. She was too nice to be the third person that ruins a relationship. Currently, Su Li was trying to convert Lady Zhao. It was the least she could do to prevent Lady Zhao from being contaminated and corrupted by the male touch. Zhao Youyue was eagerly anticipating Su Lis next step. Lip-to-lip action was nothing to her. Wheres the tongue action? Su Li was too inexperienced to know any better. For her, this was already more than she could ever ask for! Having yet to experience her first love, it was unsurprising that so little would please her so much. The slightest movement would elicit the highest jumps in ones heart. To her surprise, Zhao Youyue was disappointed. As romantic and erotic as Su Lis characters were, their creator was a green novice. At least she was innocent, and innocence was pure and cute. She could settle for that. It was precisely because Su Li was pure, or else it wouldnt have taken all of her courage for that small peck on the lips. Little did she know that Lady Zhao was one of her biggest fans ever. Su Li was charming, elegant, and talented, all at the same time. She did such a great job with Xu Jing, for which Lady Zhao would eternally be grateful about. Zhao Youyue did not spare Su Li the luxury of indulging in her fantasy. Apparently, Lady Zhou was far too experienced for that. She took control of the situation. She grabbed Su Lis waist in her arms and reversed their positions, returning the peck on the lips to show how it was done. She did not neglect to support the back of her head with a hand, providing her with a sense of comfort and ease. Su Li was so immersed in the sensation of Lady Zhao that she couldnt help but break the silence with an utterance of pleasure. Pouncing on the opportunity, Zhao Youyue assaulted her open mouth with her tongue. Zhao Youyue seemed to have done this several times over. The tongues became entwined with one another, as if they were destined to complete one another. There was this odd metaphor going about that claimed kissing was like tasting jelly. The truth wasnt that simple. There were soft kisses, rough, rigorous kisses, and so on. One would need to experience it themselves to learn the difference. Shu Li felt as if she had been introduced to a whole new world. She had drawn countless kissing scenes on her notepads, but none even came close to what she had just experienced. She knew how to portray lust, but this, this was pure affection. Never would have Shu Li thought that kisses could be this seductive! Her response was a little lacking, even if her passion was not. After all, that was her first attempt. It was true that her love for Lady Zhao was unquestionable. To sum up the situation, Lady Zhao was too much of a handful for her. Indisputably, this was Zhao Youyues first kiss ever, and the only one that was real. Nevertheless, Zhao Youyue was easily one of the best kissers the world could offer. This thought did not even cross Lady Zhaos mind as she went on with the deed. Still, here they were, so why talk about how they got here? Chapter 733 - The Soul Is Greater Than The Body Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation Zhao Youyue felt that her experiences in the literary world and the Source World had changed her, even more than she could ever imagine. This suggested that we are far more than our bodies that our true selves are our souls. Her various escapades had given her several lifetimes of experiences. Look at Xu Jing and the girl she loved. Look at Chu Luoxun and Lin Meiyue, look at that lovely couple, Olivia and Cirilla All these experiences had undoubtedly affected Zhao Youyues expectations of a partner. Furthermore, there was no man outstanding enough that Lady Zhaos heart could be moved. It was such a pity. A male character like that could only be found in the literary world. Girls were often so picky, because they have seen too many female-oriented works. It did not matter if it was a novel, manga, or a television series. The male characters inside would cause girls to drool over them. They must have hoped that they could find a guy comparable to the guys in the literary world. Of course, in the end, they could only make do. After all, tradition was unyielding and relentless. Those who could stay single forever must either have solid financial standing or exceptionally talented When it came to standards, Zhao Youyues shot past the top of the list. She was completely entitled for that. The fatal blow struck at how real-life people fell in love with the perfect creations of fiction. How could real life ever compare? It was unacceptable for a girl to pursue physical pleasure alone. It was low, and cheap. Zhao Youyue despised girls who wanted nothing but sex. They did not understand finding their perfect match would be the best thing in the world. Their bodies would naturally close in with time. As picky as Zhao Youyue was, Su Li was well within her bullseye mark. Su Li was responsive and receptive, Zhao Youyue liked her wholeheartedly. Of course, she had to be equally responsive. If not, how would she show that she understood Su Lis feelings? At the same time, she had to admit that Su Lis gender was a plus point for her. Zhao Youyue was a girl, but her spirit was gender-neutral. She had the spiritual strength of a man, and their lust for power. She also preferred being the dominant one in a partnership. The only thing was how she was deceptively skilled at retreating in order to advance. It was impossible for a man to control a girl like Zhao Youyue. If she one day became a man, such a thing might be possible. If not, she would always be so standoffish against men. She would never lose any ground against them. On the contrary, many men before Zhao Youyue would appear humble and gentlemanly. Meetings would start off with self-confidence. Maybe they had powerful families, maybe they were talented, or maybe they were truly handsome. They were used to living lives with girls chasing after their tails. However, all of that meant nothing to a girl like Zhao Youyue. Sometimes, Zhao Youyue would generously hand out her Wechat account. Others, she wanted to see how men would flirt. In the end, she would only uncover a conceited, self-inflated ego. If they thought that their flirting game was up, oh how outmatched and outclassed they were before her! Some men seemed to have believed in the saying Where there is a will, there is a way. Therefore, they would persist in texting the girls every day. Good morning and goodnight texts, texts asking about their wellbeing, texts hoping that Lady Zhao would drink more warm water. Was warm water some magical, cure-it-all miracle medicine? Some men would even write long paragraphs of confession texts. In fact, some of them would be well-written, and rich with culture. Zhao Youyue loved screenshotting the texts and sending them to Han Leng, the love master, and have him evaluate them Of course, Han Leng could not help but laugh at these texts. However, after he was done laughing, he would feel a little sympathy for these people who were in similar situations. If he were the one to confess to Lady Zhao, he might have even done the same. After all, even if those men added Lady Zhaos Wechat account, they could only look at the interesting Wechat Moments of the daily life of a God of Tycoons. You want to date Lady Zhao? Do you have the qualifications to do so? Is she close to you? Dont you know that the line of suitors wanting to date Lady Zhao could bridge the gap between the cafeteria and the school gate? Lady Zhao was not even sure how many fair-weather friends [1] she had. In other words, she would never be outside on her own. Beautiful chicks were always surrounding her Even if Lady Zhao made more fair-weather friends, they would just be as beautiful. Anyway, beauty aside, Lady Zhao would still be the one in command. They were just there to add on to her beauty with their contrastive differences. If even they couldnt get Lady Zhao, how were those guys who were self-proclaimed to be chick magnets going to get her heart? However, if one looked back at all the sweet texts on Wechat, it was all just awkward talk. Some chick magnets who were unsatisfied with the outcome seemed to have developed PTSD. The more they tried to pick her up, the deeper they fell. It made it seem as if they really loved Lady Zhao. That was a tragedy. They had taken a fancy over someone who would not even glance in her direction. To get Lady Zhaos attention, you probably had to create something iconic. Everyone knew that Lady Zhao had a soft spot for creators. Lady Zhaos master-level French kiss had left Su Li lightheaded. Her entire face was hot, her entire body was boiling up. It was weird, but she did not hate it. Her body was experiencing something mindblowing. She felt that she must have loved the feeling of being kissed by someone she loved. The coup de grace came down with how Lady Zhao caressed her head. This was, far too much! Zhao Youyue only left Su Lis lips when she ran out of breath. Then she gave a self-satisfied smirk and looked at the goddess mangaka Su Li, who was so vulnerably trembling. In her angel voice, Lady Zhao said, Sister Li, are you happy? The Lady Zhao, at that moment, was so familiar, yet unfamiliar to Su Li. This Lady was highly experienced in bed. She never expected Lady Zhao to be this good, even if she had never been in a relationship before. This was the work of the devil! This was the mother of all traps. There was no escape! Su Li managed a nod. Zhao Youyue leaned over and planted a smooth kiss on Su Lis smooth neck. On her neck was the scent of top-quality lotion Again, Su Li discovered something new. It was the pleasure of being kissed on the neck by someone she loved. It was even better than being kissed on the lips! Where did Lady Zhao even pull this out from!? Translation note: [1] Fair-weather friend () is a person whose friendship cannot be relied on in times of difficulty. Chapter 734 - Bittersweet, Bittersweet Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation If Zhao Youyue heard the question in Su Lis heart, she might have given her a most intriguing answer. You might not believe it, but she only had so much experience because she had learned it in her dreams. But she was special. When ordinary people dreamt, they would probably forget it soon after. However, when Zhao Youyue dreamt, she would be in the characters shoes and head. On that night, Lady Zhao and Su Li, the goddess-level mangaka, had made their first intimate contact. Of course, no blood was spilled on that day. After all, neither of them had the tools. They were still very pure, good girls Would any men really mind watching two unrivaled beauties scissor the brains out of each other? Of course, they would not mind. It was just skinship, wasnt it? A darker man might even have the idea of getting the both of the girls for himself. In many harem novels, the male protagonist would pair up some of his concubines. It had turned into some kind of trend. It also prevented his concubines from cheating on him. In reality, most men would probably be delighted to see Yuri things happening. Especially when two girls were going at it. Since the girls were so demanding, and no one even came close to their standards, it would be wrong of them to make do with lesser men. Why not just be gay? That way, no man would ever lay hands on her. It was a reasonable compromise, wasnt it? Of course, a majority of real-life lesbians would not be that pleasant to look at. Even the top [1] would always work on making herself look like the masculine one. That left a bad taste in some mouths. Lets have two beauties roll about on the bed. We do not want to see a top pretending to be a guy trying to overcompensate with a normal girl. In the constant presence of the River Crab [2], the intimate actions between Lady Zhao and the goddess mangaka, Su Li, could no longer be described in detail. All you should know was that the experienced Zhao Youyue had pleasured Su Li so much that she no longer knew herself. Su Li had found a new addiction. Su Li even felt that she would be able to produce new mangas with more charm and grace than ever, especially when it was a yuri manga. This was because she used to understand these things through other books. Now, she had learned it from the real deal Thats right. To a creator, having sex was not just purely about having sex. It was also a sacred process of collecting inspiration. This was professional, this was business! Su Li had justified it. If anything, she was rather disappointed in her own performance. She had been atrocious in bed. This was a disgrace to all mangakas. Lady Zhao had patiently guided Su Li as the more experienced teacher. She introduced her to her sweet spots, her favorite parts, her secret buttons. Of course, this gave Su Li the permission to run her tongue over Lady Zhao anywhere she wanted, to make her comfortable, to put lightly, that is. In heavier terms, we could use far more graphic words Girls always need room to develop. Without that one side of them, you would never see a complete picture. On the surface, they looked like pure, conservative goddesses. On the other side, you would never be able to imagine how flirty they were. Perhaps this was one of the reasons why some guys liked more experienced, playful girls. It saves them the time when it came to unlocking more positions. The process of teaching and unlocking more positions was arduous and long. Those who have bedded virgins would understand the pain. This brings up a far more self-contradictory point. Perhaps, most men desired a particularly playful virgin in bed. They hoped that the girl would belong to them forever. Such a dream was not sickening, no matter how often you thought about it. If you cant find something in the real world, look for it in a novel. A living example would be Lady Zhao, who was a walking book of contradictions. She had so much experience, yet she was in a pure, young body, and it was perfectly understandable. Zhao Youyues existence was an anomaly. She was a three-dimensional human that walked into two-dimensional worlds. She left the two-dimensional worlds in ruin and walked away all the wiser, wielding newfound knowledge and skills in her three-dimensional world. From technique to that aspect of things, she had learned it all. The Two-Dimensional Gate allowed her to do anything she wanted to! The next day, the two girls woke up, having cuddled each other to sleep. They gazed into each others eyes, exchanging smiles. This heart-to-heart smile consisted of all forms of romance, warmth, and harmony. Su Li felt that Lady Zhao had just trampled over her flowerbeds, marched through her front door and absolutely conquered her world. That was just how she wanted it. She wanted every single day to be like that. As the two of them walked, Su Li affectionately grabbed hold of Zhao Youyues finger. She snuggled against Lady Zhao. She was clearly the big sister-type beauty, but in front of Lady Zhao, she was cute and helpless. If anyone saw them walking in such an intimate manner, they would not find anything wrong. They were just best friends being close to each other. Wasnt that natural? If they were both males, it might raise a few eyebrows. That was blatant homosexuality in public, wasnt it? Hm, not if one of them was in womens clothing. And if he actually looked better than real girls. That would be a loving couple Su Li was lost in paradise. Spring had come early. This was all those years of yearning and warmth being released on a single night, by a single person. She did not care if she was not the only person in Zhao Youyues heart. She just knew that she wanted to treat Zhao Youyue better, serve Zhao Youyue, and do things for Zhao Youyue. When you love someone, you would be more than happy to do everything in the world to bring the moon to them! When you love someone so much, the worst that could happen is not getting a response from your crush. Who knows, they might be doing this for fun and games. There was nothing in their hearts Such love would be so tiring and disappointing. Fortunately, Su Li had met the right person. From the very beginning, Lady Zhao had treated her so well, pampered her, and it was not a stretch to say that she had altered Su Lis fate. Lady Zhao was the most important person in Su Lis entire life. Lady Zhao would never let her down. This was what Su Li, who had just experienced her first love hoped. Translation note: [1] Top () A top is usually a person who engages in the penetrative role during sexual activity; for men who have sex with men (MSMs), this often involves penetration using the penis during anal or oral sex. Top is also used as a verb meaning to penetrate another. Top may also describe a broader personal identity involving dominance in a romantic or sexual relationship; however, this stipulation is not a requisite element of being a top. [2] River Crab (з) The term River crab (Chinese: з; pinyin: hxi) has been adopted as internet slang in Mainland China in reference to Internet censorship. The word river crab sounds similar to the word harmonious in Mandarin Chinese. In addition, the word harmonious can itself also be the placeholder verb for to censor, most often referring to posts on a forum that have been deleted because of its unacceptable content, or the censorship of stories reporting sensitive issues in the press. Something that has been censored in this manner is often referred to as having been harmonized (г). Chapter 735 - Watching The Fun Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation Zhao Youyue finally eased the depression in her heart after separating from Cirilla. Perhaps not all rumors held true. That is to say, they were actually wrong to claim that is was not that difficult to walk out of a relationship. You just had to find a substitute, and it would be fine Of course, Su Li and Cirilla were not the same person. However, they were both the loyal type, so they seemed so similar in a way. When Zhao Youyue was Olivia, Cirilla was someone who would lay down her life for her own sister. Her entire life seemed to revolve around her sister. Behind the success of Olivia, the Empress Regnant, there was also an exceptionally great woman. This woman was, of course, Olivias Queen and sister, Cirilla! Cirilla was cold-hearted towards the entire world; she was only gentle towards her sister. Gentle in a way that went beyond how sisters treated each other. This was not just love. Most ordinary people just did it on a whim. It was pleasure, it was fun. It lasted far too briefly. Therefore, some people used the word love with a contemptuous, mocking sneer. The love between Olivia and Cirilla was genuine. It literally lasted till the end of their Source World. In its next reincarnation, Cirilla might even be the only thing in the world. The passing Olivia, or in other words, Zhao Youyue, would not be in that world. After all, she did not belong to any particular literary or Source World. She belonged to the real world. Perhaps this was how a Real world-Source World love was destined to end. Even if you poured your soul into it, you would only end up empty-handed in the end. As the Source World neared its end, everything would vanish. Everything has an end, iconic words included. This naturally meant that Source World were bound to end too, someday. How many iconic works ever went on for all eternity? Zhao Youyue could only hope that Cirillas Elder Blood would allow her to detach herself from the reincarnated Witcher game series Source World. She even hoped that the humans in the real world could somehow empower her with their will, and that Cirilla could actually harness such power. Anyways, the characters she played took that same readers willpower through the Two Dimensional Gate. At least, this was how many of her character cards came to fruition. The more readers accepted her characters as they were, the more powerful they got. Maybe Zhao Youyue was underestimating Missy Cirilla. She might not be able to reverse-shift into the real world to murder Su Li, her mistress. Thus, Zhao Youyue did not put much thought into fooling around with Su Li. If there was a day when Cirilla counter-transmigrates into the real world, Zhao Youyues wives could follow suit. Their respective creators would be in for a huge shock. Zhao Youyue could not see anything beyond that. She had no idea how each individual creator would treat their creations. It was quite interesting to see Zhao Youyue and Su Li attending this large-scaled Anime convention together. Zhao Youyue was pleased to see many cosplayers cosplaying her various wives. What does this say? Of course, it meant that these characters have left a very profound impact on the real world. It meant that they were very popular and welcomed. The new girl to hit the mainstream would be Olivia, the Empress Regnant from The Pathway of an Empress Regnant. Following closely behind her on the polls would be her Empress, Cirilla, who had nearly as much charm A relatively famous brother-sister pair had cosplayed Olivia and Cirilla. The sister had cosplayed Olivia, while the brother had cosplayed Cirilla. This Cirilla had short hair, and a masculine, heroic aura. The brother had donned makeup and had begrudgingly gotten himself into the role. The pair was now surrounded by throngs of people trying to capture their photos. Among them was quite an amount of foreign tourists. Zhao Youyue was probably the only one who made the first contact with Cirilla. She did not believe that the pair was doing well. The Olivia was too cute. There was none of that dominance from the Empress Regnant. Su Li was still clinging onto Zhao Youyue. Initially, she had prepared to sell her manga at a stall in person. Of course, she wore a mask. Anyway, even if the secret that Teacher Wang Li was Su Li became public, she would never admit it. Her skin was that thick. However, now that she had done something with Lady Zhao, would she rather ditch Lady Zhao to tend to her stall? No. She was most definitely not that kind of silly, straightforward person. She felt obligated to accompany Lady Zhao and comfort her. She did not want to be that kind of slut that would forget about the people she had sex with. The cute but stupid Su Li did not seem to realize that Zhao Youyue was the one who had initiated the session with her. She thought that just because she was the top, she should have the male role in their relationship. Therefore, she wanted to protect and accompany Lady Zhao. Anyway, she had arranged for her workers to help her to sell her manga. With her appeal in the two dimensional ACG world, was it possible for her manga sales to fail? This time, she even took advantage of The Pathway of an Empress Regnant. She had drawn a Yuri manga featuring Cirilla and Olivia. She even had the personal guidance of Lady Zhao to draw reference from. She had just laid with Olivia, and she had no idea about it! Therefore, when Zhao Youyue and Su Li passed by Teacher Wang Lis stall, the number of people queuing in front of the stall was rather impressive. Su Li felt delighted. In her eyes, she did not look at humans who called themselves Otakus queueing up. They were just a fat stack of banknotes Su Li felt that the sales from her manga would be enough to buy a luxurious present for Lady Zhao. She knew that Lady Zhao was not short of money, and was definitely not short of luxurious things. However, she had to gift Lady Zhao an expensive present. If not, how would Su Li display her sincerest love towards Lady Zhao? Su Li, the cheapskate who loved money so much, would actually throw away her money recklessly for Lady Zhao. She had really fallen in love with Lady Zhao! If Zhao Youyue was a scumbag male, then Su Li, the idiot who was carried away by love would be the robbed of her affection. The guy would definitely toss her aside once he tired of her! On the other hand, Zhao Youyue was more concerned about the reviews of the Yuri manga. She was undoubtedly one of the main characters in the manga, and here she was, hiding in plain sight, watching from the sidelines. She simply wanted to know if she had their blessings. Chapter 736 - Cheated! Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation Zhao Youyue wanted the feedback of the people who bought the Yuri manga on the spot. Obviously, that did not happen. People did not discuss this in broad daylight. They bought this to use it at home Of course, some people read the book in public. However, they would never make a sound. If others found something abnormal going on with their bodies, that would be pretty embarrassing. It was a well-known fact that Teacher Wang Lis mangas were extremely effective. Well, the characters that she drew were always beautiful. If the beautiful missy ever threw a seductive pose, obviously, people would not be able to control themselves. Su Lis characters had a kind of alluring effect on her readers. So if she really wanted to know about her readers feedbacks, she could go to some of the more secretive forums. There, you could find highly detailed, graphic feedback So, which was the best and most fascinating manga at the moment? Of course, it was Su Lis manga. No, it should be Teacher Wang Lis Path of a Yuri. It would be best if you went and read it yourself. We could even say that readers who do not usually read such manga would instantly understand. This could even be recognized as the official subplot [1] of The Pathway of an Empress Regnant! The reviews online were like so C If The Pathway of an Empress Regnant was more focused on depicting the political and military achievements of Olivia, then The Pathway of a Yuri focused on the Empress Regnants relationship. It was a standalone subplot. Its attraction was not in the erotic content, but its exceptionally delicate and truthful depiction of a relationship Ive always felt that Su Li, Su, the Great Deity had her special style. Are her mangas connected to that mysterious Source World Cultural globalization company? If not, how could she draw out a Yuri manga that seemed to fall in place so nicely with the official plotline? Ah ah ah, Olivia and Cirilla are the best! Its great that they could live happily ever after. Its also great that they could not find any guys. Love between the opposite sex is not true love. It was purely an impulse for reproduction. Love between the same sex is true love! I really did not expect the tomboyish Cirilla to be at the bottom. No wonder Olivia is the Empress Regnant, not Cirilla Many people have read The Pathway of an Empress Regnant. It was good, for they channeled a great deal of willpower to Zhao Youyue. Many endless-based works have started to use this open copyright fantasy world as reference. Perhaps, this was why the squad had shown up in the previous world. Most creators in the real world underestimated their influence. Those outstanding High God authors even more so. Perhaps a wave of their hands could create a world, just like how God created the world! Little did they know that each and every literary world was actually there. Some of them were vividly real, while others were like illusions. However, only Zhao Youyue could shift through the Two Dimensional Gate. Time continued moving placidly. And then something happened. Something that greatly displeased Zhao Youyue. Yet again, she had been cheated The promised character of Chu Xuan by Master PhD had suddenly taken form as a guy. He was a silent, expressionless and inhospitable guy, Chu Xuan! Undoubtedly, this went beyond Zhao Youyues expectations. She did not know how to describe it. While she read Endless Apocalypse, she felt strangely bitter when Chu Xuan suddenly appeared. She was prepared for a sleeping victory, but she did not expect Master PhD to do such a thing! After all, Zhao Youyue had already sacrificed her character card, and had confirmed that she wanted to shift into this literary world, with the intention of shaping a classic character. She would have to make a successful exit now. This had undoubtedly been a great lesson for Zhao Youyue. When selecting a new literary world, she should not act rashly, just because she saw a work with potential. How many creators in this world were like Su Li and Han Leng, who listened to everything she said? There were those High God authors who were already masters, and were not short of money, A God of Tycoons reader would never be able to change their minds. Of course, the opinions of these Tycoon readers had substantial value. They would even take these readers out for a treat to thank them for their support. However, to ask these authors to completely follow the readers opinion? Alright, here is a pen, why dont you write them yourself? Master PhD, or in other words, Professor Chen, felt that she had given Zhao Youyue enough justice. She had almost adopted all of the character settings that Lady Zhao had proposed. The only trait altered was her gender. Still, she did not want to make the main protagonist and Chu Xuan a couple. It would have been most awkward to write that way. How was it possible for a guy and a girl to just be friends? Furthermore, Master PhD was comfortable and skilled at writing about the friendship between guys. Of course, as a straightforward girl, she loved writing about that kind of friendship. Thus, she decisively changed Chu Xuan into the male version of Chu Xuan. He was still the most intelligent person in the novel. At the same time, he was in the main protagonist, Zheng Yis squad. On top of that, he had a solid friendship with Zheng Yi. She could expect more fujoshi readers to support this lovely male couple Lady Zhao, who was a supreme master of her emotions, could not help but demand Master PhD for an explanation. She had clearly violated her promise towards Lady Zhao! Master PhD replied Lady Zhaos questions calmly. She felt that the male version of Chu Xuan was a far better character to write. Zheng Yi and Chu Xuan made for far more delightful bromances. As for the female Chu Xuan, things would be more complicated Zhao Youyue wanted to blow up, there and then. As long as you write it according to my settings, you would know what to write once I transmigrate into the literary world. It would be a breeze for you. Of course, she did not say that. She now knew why Master PhD had so many haters. Sure enough, her promise was worth nothing! On the other hand, Master PhD felt that she had done enough for Lady Zhao. It was her first time accepting her readers opinions! All she changed was the gender. Whats the big deal? If Zhao Youyue could possess a male character, that would not be a problem. The problem now was that she could not possess a male character! Zhao Youyue could not deny that it had been most unwise on her part. She never expected a creator to ever ignore her requests. Why cant she learn from Su Li? Well, since Master PhD wants to play with Lady Zhao, then she should not blame her. Lady Zhao could play the same game Translation note: [1] Subplot () is a secondary strand of the plot that is a supporting side story for any story or the main plot. Subplots may connect to main plots, in either time and place or in thematic significance Chapter 737 - As Always, Start With A Side Character Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation The last thing Zhao Youyue wanted was to start off as a side character again. It was fun to cause trouble, but wouldnt it be easier if she just became the main character, or an important side character that granted her an almost instant victory? No matter how unreliable Master PhDs promises were, her writing style and creativity were in fact, first class. As long as Zhao Youyue could shift into the literary world, possess a random female character and give Master PhD an aura and a buff, she could obtain a character card with ease. At the very least, it would be a highly popular character card. If she was any luckier, it might even be an iconic character card Currently, Master PhD had let her down. It was time to go bonkers in Endless Apocalypse. If she could not become the partner of the main character, and Chu Xuan had grown a little extra something between the legs, it was time to play the evil villain. Of course, this villain could start off as a side character. He might even be an indigenous person in a world where the apocalypse occurred Zhao Youyue felt as if she had dug a hole and buried herself in it. Initially, there was no such thing as Chu Xuan, a character that was so intelligent to the point of being a demon. Per her advice, the Chu Xuan who was meant to be an icon had appeared in Endless Apocalypse, instead of Endless Horror. Zhao Youyue wanted the side character that she was about to possess to become a main character and shine. She was going to defeat Chu Xuan! Now, how do you defeat a genius, especially one that had been determined by its author to be the smartest person in the entire book? Zhao Youyue had some ideas about that It was clearly unwise to compete against Chu Xuan in the areas of intelligence and schemes. Even if she gave herself maxed out intelligence, it would never get the approval of its creator, Master PhD. Chu Xuan was already the smartest character. How do you make anything smarter than that? Of course, the story had its share of intelligent individuals. However, they were all destined to serve as foils to Chu Xuan. Simple descriptions would not suffice. She had to show, not tell just how intelligent they were. These intelligent individuals would be defeated by Chu Xuan, one at a time. That way, readers would come to the conclusion on their own. Chu Xuan was the most intelligent person in the entire book. His high IQ was irrefutable! Once again, Zhao Youyue walked up to the Two Dimensional Gate that she was familiar with. She smiled in satisfaction as she saw the numerous wives that she knew all so well. These people would never leave her. However, they could only appear in real life through Zhao Youyues body. They needed her to serve as the medium. Otherwise, Zhao Youyue would not be this lonely in real life. If she ever met a beautiful chick that liked her, she would never reject them. At that moment, she should probably be grateful for her gender. If she was a guy, she would be a scumbag. However, here she was, a girl. What was wrong with a girl embracing another girl? Zhao Youyue did not promise anything. She would treat all her wives the same. They were also her best friends. After pausing for a moment, Zhao Youyue entered the Two Dimensional Gate again. She arrived at the interface that she was familiar with, where she was supposed to choose a character to possess. Originally, she was expecting to see Chu Xuan, a girl with maxed out intelligence. That girl did not appear. In her place was a male genius. Of course, she had no way of possessing him. The story had developed far enough for some female characters to have taken their bento. Other than some of the more important female supporting characters, there were a few new female characters Zhao Youyue hated this story now. Why would this outstanding female author love writing about the interactions between guys? Why couldnt she just go vanilla like most people? She was just like those male authors who wrote about nothing but Yuri. They were all perverts. They could have written something that involved both genders, yet here they were, throwing same sex romance as they pleased. What kind of mentality is this? With Master PhDs writing skills, portraying a female character was a piece of cake. What made her think that she would have more success with male characters? Zhao Youyue could not wrap her head around this. She even suspected that Master PhD was discriminating against girls. Was it that hard to believe that smart girls existed in the world? If Master PhD was a guy, she would undoubtedly be criticised as being a male chauvinist! The situation could still be salvaged. At least Master PhD had written a few named female side characters. She was not like Rosemary, who could not even place a name on any female characters. That had been a most infuriating experience for Zhao Youyue Thanks to Zhao Youyues guidance, Rosemary soon learned about the joy of writing female characters. Interactions between a guy and a girl soon became second nature to him. This had mistakenly led readers into believing that Rosemary had been a master of female characters from the get-go! In his novels, many female characters were like flower vases [1]. A nicer way of putting it would be how they were the soulmates of the main character. Another way of putting it would be how they were the protagonists untouchable, inflatable dolls. In other words, they had been fleshed out by the author to be to throw haughty tantrums for the main character to deal with, or as key plot devices. Often, the villains were not directly provoking the main character, but instead, they were provoking the main characters woman. Of course, that called for action. He would have to retaliate and kill the villain off for his impertinence. Anyway, these female characters carried out the same routines in every episode. Their existence clearly depended on the main character. In Rosemarys book, the female readers were remarkably far more human-like. His book had even attracted the attention of many female readers. Rosemary was a creator who gave females the due respect. Little did they know that Rosemary had fallen back on a devious trick to foster his strengths He was writing the female characters as male characters, only with different pronouns! Thats all there was to it! This idea came from Lady Zhao, who was happily causing trouble in the background. Rosemarys title as a Friend of Women took ground, thanks to Lady Zhao. This time, Zhao Youyue had enough female characters to choose from. Of course, she chose the one with the most beauty to possess. This was a rarer, matured female. It was the first time Zhao Youyue had ever possessed such a character. All this time, she had been possessing teenagers or lolis, legal and illegal. Translation note: [1] Flower vase (ƿ) is a description for beautiful women who are not smart, or in other words, a dumb blonde. Chapter 738 - Global Evolutionary Apocalypse Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation The beautiful, mature ladys name was Zhang Yanwei. She was not a member of the Endless Squad. She was just an indigene of some apocalyptical world. She had started off as a beauty scientist. By the end of the apocalypse, she might end up as a plaything This was the apocalypse. Due to the collapse of social order, those elites who were originally of higher social status would undergo a tremendous change of fate. So what if she was a scientist before the world went to hell? They would only target her well-developed body. Zhao Youyue had chosen this character as her target. The underlying factor was how she was indeed the one with the best looks, among those passerby female characters, even if she was already over her 30s. At the same time, Zhao Youyue considered the characters identity as a scientist to be highly suitable. She would go easy on the cheats as well. The question that had no immediate answer now was how easily applicable would this worlds dark technology be, with regards to real-world physics At least, she was able to give Zhang Yanwei the sudden inspiration attribute. She may not be exceptionally intelligent, but she had no fear when it came to heading for new approaches. Whereas, the upcoming apocalyptical world was the kind of global evolutionary apocalypse. Whats this global evolutionary, exactly? There was a movie named Rampage. The animals in the movie had evolved, due to a kind of virus. But that movie had been relatively childish. There were only three beasts in total. In this apocalyptical dungeon, all the animals and plants had started evolving, due to a mysterious power. Perhaps it was due to the descent of a meteorite. The first person who observed the meteorite had been Zhang Yanwei, the beauty scientist. Master PhD might have even given this beauty scientist a few more scenes. But she might have forgotten about it as she proceeded on the plot. She soon got lost in the interactions and passion between men. As for this female within Endless Apocalypse? She was just playing a small role as a passerby character. At the time of global evolution, humans happened to have no ability to evolve. Then, they realized that the weapons they were so proud of, were completely ineffective against some of those evolved plants. Or rather, humanity was able to suppress the plants in the beginning. But plants were evolving way too rapidly. It was just like insects reacting to insecticide. Use it on them often enough, and they would develop some form of resistance to it. Those highly evolved plants could now resist human firepower to a degree. Even in the middle of the ocean, a new strain had emerged Ama. They could manipulate water, like the mythical children of the ocean. When there was an Ama, there would be Wingmen. They had been born with the ability to fly. Their vision was particularly good. After such a unique species with inherently unique abilities got their hands on human technology, their attitudes towards humans would be abnormally arrogant. They would find them absolutely disdainful. They considered humans to be the species destined to be eliminated within the global evolution this time round. All in all, all the new intelligent species in this world had sensed the coming of a new generation. Weaklings like humans did not belong at the top of the biological chain! They should be eliminated! Perhaps somewhere, due to some ancestral recesses of memories in their genes, they still feared being dominated by humans. Now, they could hop on humans head and be their master! When Zhao Youyue possessed on Zhang Yanwei, the apocalypse had yet to occur. So was the Endless Squad yet to be formed. She also did not know when the apocalypse would come. But this did not hinder her from making preparations in advance for the apocalypse. As long as Master PhD did not specifically write about this character, her doings within the world would remain undetected, even by its author. She no longer cared about Master PhD not living up to her end of the bargain. Instead, she began her new life with great interest. Perhaps this life was cruel and challenging. Compared to reality which was too quiet and peaceful, life within this literary world would be very interesting. Aside from the MAX research ability, sudden inspiration, madness unique attributes of a scientist she had given Zhang Yanwei, she had set a new attribute, Reincarnated. This would serve as a perfect explanation behind her preparation in advance for the apocalypse. Of course, she was not an actual reincarnated person. Zhang Yanwei was probably the first human to have evolved with the coming of the apocalypse. She could see the future. Or, she could see the events of another world line. If Zhang Yanwei had not gained Zhao Youyues eye, as a passerby who had not appeared in the scene for very long, without any additional aura, without any unique abilities powerful enough, she might have been destined for a tragic end. Perhaps she would be placed into various postures, and then get played by the mob until she was broken. That was probably the plotline of an apocalyptical H article. Perhaps it was what certain psycho-readers loved the most. One of the charms of apocalyptic works was the process of a loser turning the situation around and becoming the master, while crushing those bigwigs, and elites beneath his feet, wasnt it? After Zhao Youyues intervention, Zhang Yanwei had transformed from a very common researcher into an internationally well-known scientist and scholar, the Madame Curie of the current age. Her research was at the forefront of Physics, of the very metaphysical kind. Despite Zhang Yanweis perfect appearance and body, she was determined to dedicate her entire life onto her scientific career and had long resolved to be single for the rest of her life. This matter had won her countless fans and suitors from all over the globe. She was already 36, but she still seemed to draw many more pursuers who considered themselves worthy. Frankly speaking, such an excellent beauty scientist probably would only appear within a literary world. She was an almost cliche Mary Sue. Almost. Real beauties would never be able to hook up with a large and luxurious concept like science Zhao Youyue hoped that when Zhang Yanwei appeared within Master PhDs reality work, she would be written in a suspense unveiled kind of way. Only in this way would there be the greatest surprise and shock when her true secret and purpose were unveiled in the end! In the beginning, perhaps she was indeed a passerby character. Even if she was a scientist, she would only be mediocre at most. But no one would expect her to be an actual mad scientist! As Zhao Youyue possessed Zhang Yanwei, she immediately started preparing for the apocalypse. The first question would be: How was she going to allow the human population to learn of the coming of the apocalypse? Chapter 739 - The Genius Scientist Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation Like before, the attributes of Zhang Yanwei had been set rather high up. Of all, her research ability was maxed out. Zhao Youyue suddenly felt sharper, brighter, more intelligent. She viewed things differently now! There was that analytical, cold, calculative voice in her head, telling her to get to work! Add on her already substantial imagination to that, weve got a magical character in our hands A three-dimensional human might not be able to even comprehend what the fifth-dimension was, not even in the slightest. But Zhang Yanwei had a perfect imagery of it in her mind. And with the fifth dimension, pesky little things like space, time, all would accessible in physical form. It was most probably why she was able to see the future and alternate worlds. In another world line, Zhang Yanwei would just be a passerby character. The true protagonists were members of the Endless Squad, who were here in this apocalypse world, taking the form of saviors. Of course, they were not true saviors. They were merely using this world as a stage to perform, and badly so they did. They were just at the Lord Gods behest. Perhaps it was time to claim the mysterious, evolutionary virus. It might even be used as a new method of destroying the world. How convenient! Lets not forget that they did cause actual apocalypses in other worlds. This squad, the Lord Gods Squad. The Endless Squad. It was their mission to do so. Every time a world was destroyed, the Lord God would be able to collect an enormous amount of karmic force, especially from worlds that should not be ending, in the first place. For worlds that were doomed to end, Lord God would usually have the Endless Squad put some effort into play-pretending as saviors. If they actually altered the fate of the world, it meant a change in karma, which would also result in a great harvest. If the situation could not be altered, then Lord God could only hope to obtain more technology and resources, procuring even more assets. Either way, the Endless Squad had nothing to lose. Save the world, destroy it, it made no difference. All in all, Lord God within this novel by Master PhD was not the type which raised legendary poisonous insects, nor would it simply obliterate the members of the Endless Squad that it had taken so much effort into training. Of course, we could expect team battles as well, but it was team battles between different Lord Gods. Lord God was merely a member of a breed of transdimensional creatures called Transcending Monsters. Members of the Endless Squad were its chess pieces, assistants. It rewarded its competent members adequately, for they would further serve it better. It behaved purely on instinct. It simply wanted to grow, bigger, better, and it used karmic force for that. It kept track of those worlds that seemed to already have their fates determined. If a world was supposed to be facing apocalypse, the monster worked even harder, hoping that the members of Endless Squad would go save the world. In a peaceful humorous world, it hoped the members of Endless Squad to go stir up trouble and tear it up. If there was a Lord God who ran counter to fate, there would certainly be the existence of a Lord God who attempted to maintain fate. Part of the responsibilities of the Endless Squad also involved the stopping of other Lord Gods. There was no question about it. TheseTranscending Monsters were fierce rivals, and sometimes enemies. They were not all called Lord Gods either. For example, the Lord God that shared the same world with this novels protagonist, Zheng Yi was called Apocalypse Paradise. There were also other Lord Gods such as Samsara World, Nightmare Space, Evolution, The Origin. All of them had many chess pieces, or cards, however you intended to look at it. Characters such as Chu Xuan was probably the ultimate trump card that many Lord Gods have been fighting for. Zhao Youyue had communicated with Master PhD before. She certainly knew about high-dimensional creatures like Transcending Monsters. Such a setting might be ideal for Lord God. Evidently, Master PhD had gained such inspiration from the infinite style iconic source world After all, Zhao Youyue had once come into contact with members of Endless Squad within the source world of The Witcher game series. She had even used her identity as the female emperor to communicate with the Lord God called Apocalypse. It had invited Zhao Youyue rather passionately to join them, considering the fact that Olivia was the particularly rare kind of trump card. If it worked her to its ends, it had much to gain. However, Apocalypse would never expect Zhao Youyue to be stubborn like the Olivia she currently wore. She would never work for Lord God in her lifetime, ever. The Two Dimensional Gate she had was the genuine article. Why would she need to join the other Lord Gods? In the future, she could further study the mystery of the Two Dimensional Gate. She could become a Lord God herself and have those adolescents who hoped to change fate through infinite space and time to work for her This was probably the typical thinking of a Zhao family member. It was how a capitalist worked. In the coming future, when Zhao Youyue invades more source worlds through the Two Dimensional Gate and the Godly Altair card, she would most definitely encounter more Lord Gods. Until then, she would discover if there were any particularly excellent talents. Then, when she considered the time ripe, she would definitely dig such excellent talents out. Zhao Youyue, or Zhang Yanwei now stood in her laboratory. She donned a white coat like always. But she was nothing like those scientists who could hardly see through their thick lenses. Her vision was perfect, and there was no need for any glasses whatsoever. This was why her beauty was perfect. Of course, women in glasses had their own charm. However, a natural beauty who did not have to rely on glasses or makeup would stir more hearts. Zhang Yanwei completed her preparations. She had resorted to using something she detested human relations. Since Zhang Yanwei was set to be a beauty scientist who had offered her entire life for science while still having countless pursuers, some of those pursuers had to be men of power. Ironically, Master PhD had not even placed names on these big shots. This was highly similar to real-life. Our history books would neglect to name several great figures, unless they sat at the very top of the food chain Zhang Yanwei used such human relations to make sufficient preparations. Then, she even embezzled the research funding. Apocalypse was coming, lets not be so calculative. At the same time, she even stirred her long-dormant Weibo account which had caused quite the ruckus, and began discussing apocalyptical scenarios in a low-key, joking tone, as if she was leaking certain information in advance. It would not be possible to warn and save every single person out there. She would also not expose her secret as a reincarnated. That would be a death-seeking behavior. Even if she was a genius scientist, who would believe her nonsense? She also could not expose the reality of this world you are in the Matrix, everything around you is not real there was no need for that on nameless side characters Chapter 740 - Disaster came At the same time when Zhao Youyue was playing the role as Zhang Yanwei, she had not forgotten to pay attention to the plot development of Master PhDs novel in reality. Now, Master PhD obviously had not yet truly begun the plot for the new apocalypse dungeon. Those who were familiar to Master PhDs writing style would know that she would always write a trail notice before the opening of the new dungeon. Whereas Zhang Yanwei was exactly the passerby character that appeared within the trailer. She was exactly the person who discovered the meteorite that fell onto the earth, bringing along the horrifying evolutionary virus But since it was an infinite style kind of work, after the end of a dungeon, a summary was always needed, listing all kinds of rewards, harvests, imagining the future. These were all the enjoyable points of an infinite style kind of work. As a business writer, Master PhD certainly would not give up such enjoyable points from writing. Therefore, before Master PhD wrote about Zheng Yanwei, Zhao Youyue could use this identity to make arrangement in advance within the literary world. Until the time when Master PhD entered intoxicated state when writing about Zhang Yanwei again, she would definitely feel that this female scientist character was truly mysterious, to be having such a great suspense on herself. Until the moment when the suspense was unveiled, she would definitely give countless readers deep impression! Now, there were certainly some readers discussing the new characters within the trailer as well. But there were very few who discussed about the passerby indigene Zhang Yanwei. Many readers still paid their attention onto the members of Endless Squad. They wanted to see how they would save or destroy the world. Zhao Youyue felt that it was also quite nice that no one paid attention to Zhang Yanwei. Only such a plain and unsurprising character would be able to make a great coup during the crucial moment. Even the members of Endless Squad who were filled with sense of superiority would also be cheated by her. After all, she was a reborn. Actually, Zhang Yanwei was not merely a reborn. She was a hack within the same high-dimensional world as Master PhD the God Creator. No matter how great the cheat Master PhD applied to Chu Xuan, Zhang Yanwei would not be cheated by Chu Xuan. Zhao Youyue was completely able to find out Chu Xuans overall arrangements through Master PhD in reality If Chu Xuans cheat was a maphack, then Zhang Yanwei would be the person who created the cheat. She was always able to figure out Chu Xuans arrangement in advance. Even the No.1 wise man like Chu Xuan was also unable to oppose the real cheat. Whereas the explanation Zhao Youyue gave could also make a fool of the past, which was that Zhang Yanwei was a reborn, therefore she was completely able to see through everything. Master PhD spent about five days time and finally finished writing the excessive plot within the Lord God space. Then, she wrote that the Endless Squad came to the new apocalypse world. Chu Xuan the No.1 wise man entered the scene as a newcomer. Since there was such a super awesome person like Chu Xuan among the newcomers, there would certainly be the silly newcomers who were unclear about the situation, thinking that they were purely kidnapped. Then, there would have a bunch of people having a coordinate acting with the purpose to cheat their money. Such newcomers were simply as if they lived within dreams. If put within source world, they would obviously be cannon fodder of those people in the reality world after they had dreamt and came into the source world. Even if they died, perhaps that bunch of people within the reality world would not have any memory once they woke up. As expected from Chu Xuan, he used the style of a folk scientist which made peoples admiration arose despite their comprehension of what he said, to directly fool Zheng Yi the leader of the Endless Squad. Zheng Yi almost intended to directly worship Chu Xuan as the army adviser. He certainly did not know how horrifying a wise man like Chu Xuan who could use everything as a chess piece when he became cold-blooded. Especially now that Chu Xuan had not yet been influenced by Zheng Yi the good bestie. He totally did not know about things like true partner, true friendship. Perhaps only after he had died once, he was then able to understand these things. Once the Endless Squad came, there would be three days left before the coming of apocalypse. They would certainly plan to search for a safe stronghold first. The mainline quest by Lord God was certainly to guarantee their own survival, and then to hunt and kill creatures that had evolved, making them into specimens to be retrieved by Lord God As for the ultimate quest to save the apocalypse, Lord God was actually just simply saying. It obviously did not consider that the human of this world could be saved. Those creatures that had evolved were truly too powerful. Not only they had powers, but they also had higher intelligence. Under such a circumstance, human would certainly be destined to be substituted! Soon, the members of Endless Squad realized that not knowing the reason, but the human of this world seemed to have figured out in advance that the apocalypse was coming. Therefore, they had actually begun to make preparation in advance. The atmosphere was drastically stirred up Then, Zhang Yanwei the beauty scientist who originally appeared only within the trailer had officially entered the scene. So it was actually her who brought up the rhythm. Not knowing how she did, but she had directly established contact with the military. Perhaps it was related to her sudden explosion of inspiration, to have designed quite a dark technological weapon? Without any unexpectation, in reality, when Master PhD depicted Zhang Yanwei, she already felt her thoughts flowing easily. Truthfully speaking, Master PhD originally only knew how to write about folk scientist like Chu Xuan. It might be enough to cheat readers who did not know the ropes. But for those who truly conducted scientific researches, they obviously would feel that Master PhD was truly very good at bullshitting But Master PhD could not be fully blamed for this. She was just a professor who involved in social science. It was already considered very good for her to able to produce such a folk scientist who made peoples admiration arose despite their comprehension of what he said. The requirement must not be too high. However, when she wrote about Zhang Yanwei the true beauty scientist, she was actually able to produce such professional sense. It was as if some hard sci-fi content had suddenly appeared within a soft sci-fi work! Zhang Yanweis painting style was completely different from Chu Xuans cheater-style. Zhang Yanwei was indeed beautiful. But when she got involved in scientific research, she was the very earnest type. She had also published countless influential journals. She was worthy of being called the Madame Curie of the current age. For such an influential star scientist to be starting a discussion about apocalypse all of a sudden, this would also certainly stir up a tiny hot issue of social concern. Under such a circumstance, some people who had been worrying about unrealistic stuffs, had actually begun to seriously prepare for the apocalypse instead. Especially for some who did not lack of money, they had even prepared a heavy truck, intending to forge it into a moving fortress during the apocalypse But unfortunately, although everyone was discussing passionately about the apocalypse, there were still too few people who truly put it into action. Whereas the reason Zhang Yanwei was able to stir up this issue not so abruptly, was because this year was 2012. As everyone knew that this year was the year of apocalypse fever. Other than things like the Mayan Prophecy, the Hollywood blockbuster 2012 had also played a great role in promoting. Whereas it was under such a circumstance, the night after three days, people saw a round of gorgeous meteor shower. Whereas this was the most beautiful scenery before the disaster stroke Chapter 741 - From a passerby to a supporting role Master PhDs depiction of Zhang Yanwei, the beauty scientists debut was quite the spectacular one. It accurately depicted the daily life of a female scientist in a misogynistic field of work. It was the imminence of disaster that shot Zhang Yanweis reputation sky-high! At the beginning of the apocalypse, when the social order had not yet collapsed, people would still be of sound mind. They could even continue criticizing about national affairs on the internet. When they finally learn that the internet could no longer be used Disaster struck like a dagger in the night. People lost their lives before they even had the chance to bootlick the beautiful Zhang Yanwei. Regular folk who were owners of not very clean houses would find disgusting cockroaches that were once the size of nails to have turned into the size of palms. They even released acidic liquid that burned through everything. They gathered in crowds and groups, just like the scarabs in the film Mummy. Humans were now food to them! Even Master PhD had to walk away from her work desk, right after writing such disgusting imagery. Evolved cockroaches were just the beginning. Readers had much more cause to tremble in fear as their eyes took in her words. Palm-sized cockroaches were not as terrifying as dog-sized mice. Mice that never dared brave the sunlight, but now chased after humans like prey. Was this karma? Is the predator being the prey? What if those creatures already caused harm in their base state, like flies and mosquitos? Now they were absolutely horrifying. Villagers would never live in peace again, if they were even living. Perhaps one only needed to open the door, and they would be sucked dry by giant mosquitoes! If this drastic change had not been so drastic, humans might have been able to adapt accordingly. Unity, pooling of resources and power. But this was just mindblowing. Leaders at the top level were dropping dead. The most bizarre incidents were occurring to them, like a sparrow suddenly turning manic, for instance. Its beak was suddenly powerful enough to tear through the human ribcage and rip its contents out. These were nothing natural about this apocalypse. And were not talking about the meteor shower. Its what on the meteors some sort of alien, extra-terrestrial virus that might even be a biological weapon from an alien empire Humanity did not even have the time to wonder what the heck even happened they were too busy struggling to survive. Zhang Yanwei remained at ease, as she knew that she was merely living in the novel. She even had the reason to believe that the intoxicated Master PhD would never write her to death so easily Therefore, unless Zhang Yanwei went to seek for death herself, she would not be permitted to die so easily. Actually, Zhang Yanwei originally intended to be a great retaliatory villain, to rise above the call of duty and even oppose the Endless Squad. Later, she realized that such a character would not possibly even be recognized by readers, let alone be an iconic character. She even felt that the villain turning over a new leaf trend was foolproof She decided to be a villain on the surface. When the truth is revealed at the end of the story, readers would finally learn that she was actually humanitys true savior. However, within the literary world, she might have to be misunderstood for her lifetime. She had to become the shameful pole within history, the greatest human traitor! There was no other character more unforgettable than such a villainous character, nor would there be any plot more depressive. We could up the ante by having her actually save the world, yet having no one figure out the inside story, even long after the act. They would only crouch in the corner, bitterly blaming her for their current predicament! Whats more, self-righteous people would pop up, adding trouble to the villain who was saving the world. If these disruptive, self-righteous people had not shown up, the villain might have been able to do even better! It was obvious that Master PhD had a full picture of Zhang Yanwei in her head. From the beginning, apart from shaping her into the earnest, aspirant scientist, Master PhD had also applied some casual foreshadowings to depict her mad, mysterious side. She seemed to be coaxing the readers, telling them that this beautiful scientist was not as simple as she looked. She knew something that the others did not! Whereas she actually knew about the inside story, knowing that the apocalypse was coming, yet she had deliberately withheld that information. Instead, she only cared about herself and kept to her own preparations for the apocalypse. What a selfish person she was. Master PhD was able to depict a lively, true beauty scientist with just a few sentences. While many readers sighed at those beautiful words, they were also furiously criticizing this scientists selfishness, one after another This Zhang Yanwei definitely has issues. If the Endless Squad wants to harvest more from this global evolutionary apocalypse world, they would have to do something about her! I truly cant understand it. If she actually knew that the disaster is coming, why didnt she disclose the information generously? Countless people could have been saved. I suspect that Zhang Yanwei definitely has something to do with the source virus that caused the apocalypse Thats right. As a top scientist, if she said that apocalypse is coming, more people would take it seriously. It isnt necessarily so. If Hawking said that all creatures of the entire planet would turn into super mutants after a meteor shower, would anyone truly believe in such nonsense? This is truly unscientific! Zhang Yanwei is one mysterious creature. Something tells me that the Endless Squad would attempt to recruit her into their ranks. Did I mention that Megane Chu Xuan is ridiculously handsome! Even now hes still as analytical as ever, looking at the world go to shit with his cold, calculated logic, as if the apocalypse is just another simple puzzle to him. Zhang Yanwei and Chu Xuan are going to clash and generate sparks. Master PhD is going to deliver. Tycoon Youyues had been right to recommend such a Godly book. She has amazing taste. There is no end to the surprise when paying attention to Tycoon Youyues book list From those responses alone, Zhang Yanwei, who had started off as a passerby character within the teaser and even according to Master PhDs plan had become a key character. Even readers expected her to pull many more tricks out her sleeves, while also invoking major plot twists. Chapter 742 - Su, the Great Deity Enters the Fray Zhao Youyue was pleased with the readers attention and interest towards Zhang Yanwei, her possessee. This also meant that her actions within the literary world would fall beneath Master PhDs attention. If not, Master PhD might have immediately amended her traits prior to first release Now that the first step had gone smoothly, Zhao Youyue intended to continue piling on the hype about Endless Apocalypse. As long as the work gained more popularity, and Zhang Yanwei received more attention, Master PhD would get increasingly intoxicated. This was Zhao Youyue hijacking her work. Soon, she would be unable to write according to her will. Her written character would gain a soul and move however it pleased. Zhao Youyues final blow came in the form of her ever-so-reliable trump card, Su Li, the Goddess mangaka. Endless Apocalypse was almost ideal for manga material, with its distinct, unique characters. It would not be a stretch to say that every side character was unique in its own way. Su Lis The Strongest King had concluded merely one month after Rosemarys novel. The diligent Su Li had been able to keep up with Rosemarys pace. She had been free for the past two months. During the latter stages of The Strongest King, readers began to complain about it being draggy and boring. They all thought that Rosemary was just trying to milk it for that extra bit of cash. Some were downright furious. Yu Shengfan had bailed on the book because of those draggy, long fights in the latter stages. That must be it. Even his most loyal readers believed that Yu Shengfan had been the greatest part of the book, and that its essence had died along with her Mangaka Su Li would never repeat his mistake. In fact, it was far tougher to attempt milking a Manga, compared to written work. She compensated for Rosemarys draggy plotline accordingly, improvising whenever necessary to give readers the best experience. All in all, the manga adaptation of The Strongest King ended up the more favored of the two. Upon its completion, many Godly writers had noticed her efforts and had sent her invitation after invitation, hoping to collaborate and have her adapt their works. Oftentimes, these Godly writers often produced decent work. They most certainly would not embarrass themselves by asking Su Li to attempt salvaging failures. However, Su Li would never jump into such dealings without consent from a certain someone. She completely relied on Lady Zhaos sharp judgment. Since they have now seemed to be more than just besties, she was like a girl lost in love, clinging onto Lady Zhao for all that its worth. How she wished that she could be by the Ladys side for the entire 24 hours Zhao Youyue was as good-natured as always. She absolutely did not mind the company of a beauty like Su Li. She also did not mind her hypocrisy and her multi-faceted aspects. Which girl in this world wasnt a hypocrite? GIrls were only hypocrites because they loved someone. A girl-girl pairing had certain advantages. Both partners would know all there was to know about girls. If Zhao Youyue truly fell in love with a person, she would also have her vulnerable moments, moments where she would finally turn to her partner for help. Perhaps this was what a haughty, tsundere mistress was like. In this world, there was probably no lover who could pamper Zhao Youyue like Cirilla. Zhao Youyues liked Su Li, but it was nothing like how Cirilla loved Olivia. Within Lady Zhaos heart, she also liked a few others, such as Bai Yunshan who she considered to be particularly honest and cute, and Elite Scholar Han. Unfortunately, Elite Scholar Han had been born with the wrong gender. As it was customary for Lady Zhao to treat males as the lesser species, he would have to be moved to the back seat. But as long as Leng Zi appeared before Lady Zhao, she would treat Leng Zi far better. Su Li was in a stage of intense romantic love. She had grown entirely obedient to Lady Zhao. She asked for Lady Zhaos permission. May I adapt this into a manga? After Zhao Youyue was sure of Zhang Yanweis success, she gave her the green light. She would also participate in her own way, presenting the many scenes of the apocalypse through her oil-painting medium its thick, layered strokes being the perfect tool to convey darkness, anguish, hopelessness. Zhao Youyue was aware of how much she actually favored these talented writers. Master PhD had cheated her of a sleeping victory, but she had instead worked her way around to continue ensuring the success of her work. How admirable of her. Master PhD was indeed a stubborn writer who could not care less about her readers. These writers were far more thick-headed, compared to writers who licked the floor beneath their readers shoes. Such a trait might exactly be the indispensable element an iconic work needed. After all, the writer should be its own master. The writer should be the sole master of its story. If the writer attempted to please every Tom Dick and Harry, nothing good would come out of it. No two readers thought the same. The writer would only tear its work apart This was probably a common annoyance that talented newbie writers encounter upon the explosion of their one book. Some might whimper and fall silent, never producing anything great again. Others might tear through the cocoon and fly like a butterfly, rising above the mess. Master PhD had grown strangely addicted to writing. Zhao Youyue invited Master PhD out once again. This time, she brought along Su Li, the Great Deity who everyone recognized to be a close associate. When Su Li saw Master PhD, she was slightly surprised. After Zhao Youyue suggested that she should start adapting Endless Apocalypse as her next manga, she had immediately got to reading it. Clearly, this was an apocalyptical Sci-Fi. However, this wasnt just like any other apocalyptical Sci-Fi. The various settings, folk science theories were all consistent, highly realistic, which had successfully created a marvelous, gorgeous, splendid, professional atmosphere Su Li may have been influenced by readers who did not know what Master PhD looked like. They did not even know of the Masters gender. She had also thought Master PhD as the typical, slovenly science geek. These geeks would have indentations on the bridge of their noses, where a pair of black-framed glasses had sat on it for most of their lives. Su Li never expected Master PhD to not only be a girl, but to actually be a dainty little one. Fortunately, Master PhD was nowhere as charming as she was. This calmed her nerves down, if only slightly. Chapter 743 - A Beautiful Garbage Bin Girls who are in love, like Su Li, would get awfully sensitive and jealous towards potential competitors, especially when it had something to do with Lady Zhao, who clearly preferred girls to boys. Plus, this Master PhD was beautiful and talented. After Su Li took a good look and felt that she was not as beautiful as she was, and her legs are short, she was positive that Lady Zhao would never be attracted to girls lesser than her. Apparently, Zhao Youyue would not fall in love with any girl at first sight, but she did choose to forgive Master PhD for not keeping her promise. Still, it did not mean that her heart would be absolutely devoid of malice. Zhao Youyue apparently believed that Chu Xuan, a template character, had the potential to be iconic. Zhang Yanwei did not have a template to follow, so she could only depend on her own effort. If readers did not take notice of all her hard work, why continue? Master PhD had forced Zhao Youyues hand. She had now been forced onto the gambling table. Zhao Youyue preferred obedient authors like Su Li. It was not like she did not give the authors any chance whatsoever, all she wanted was for both parties to be in a win-win situation. Anyway, Zhao Youyue was confident that the male Chu Xuan might just surpass the original Chu Xuan. Master PhD had tried her best to write about the interaction between men and women which had only resulted in a lot of neck pain. So it was up to Zhao Youyue and her passerby approach. Therefore, this was a one-time deal with Master PhD. On the other hand, Su Li was now a crucial part of Lady Zhaos life. Su Li had changed her fate by falling in love with Lady Zhao, like a Cinderella, or a Prince to be more precise. Their love story should be interesting. Su Li sat across Master PhD, her nerves calm. Now she was the top author in comics, who was chatting and laughing along with the most respected authors in online literature. All of them hoped to work with her, For example, the king of online novels, Tang Jia San Shao was famous for his Saint Land.[1] Several young readers thought that it was a classic. Tang Jia San Shao, of course, wanted to work with a top-class mangaka like Su Li. This was a big catch for Su Li. Fans would go crazy over it. Knowing Su Lis past, she would accept such an invitation without hesitation. It was almost like being hired as a football teams assistant. On the surface, Su Li might be one of the coaches, but she was actually accompanied by assistants to the left and right. Besides, it was a common thing to hire assistants for the lighter parts. Many mangakas had their personal studios, and of course, those studios housed several assistants. A good anime would not be done by a single illustrator. It was a collective effort by a studio. Ever since Su Li got the title Su, The Great Deity, each stroke of her brush carried substantial work. As per Lady Zhaos instructions, she had transformed her work, making it even more compelling and worth discussing. Yes, Saint Land was popular at the moment, but it was like fast food, loved only by the young ones. It could generate a lot of money, but there was a visible ceiling to it. Mature readers would refuse to read anything that resembled Saint Land. Their first reaction would be you must be new here or are you a puppy or something? If Su Li was going to draw for Saint Land, she would do it from the shadows. She published numerous female character that were always featured in the top selection of the most attractive female characters charts. Fans would fight to make sure that their waifus end up at the top. Su Li hoped that her cartoons and paintings would generate such fandom. Lets have people say that Su Lis productions are classics. Of course, Su Lis fans were currently saying things like The Death Scythe trails closely by in Su Lis wake. Every character she draws would not end well. Most remarkable was how an author was sent to heaven by the mysterious force of Su, The Great Deity. Master PhDs was clearly excited to meet Su Li, a top God cartoonist. Lady Zhao must have her own reasons bringing Su Li to see her. Master PhD knew of Su Li, Su, The Great Deity s mysterious power. On the other hand, Master PhD was famous for being absolutely ruthless to her characters. She did not care about polls and popularity. If she did not like them, theyll be deleted, regardless of what readers thought! Her actions always drew a considerable amount of fuss, yet she did not even care if she lost all her fans. Still, she would take an occasional glance at the comment section. The death threats did give her the shivers. While she remained headfast in her writing, she sometimes got worried about the readers wrath. That did not matter to her, but it also meant that she would not be getting an Author of the year award anytime soon. Master PhDs was a simple author. She was not really good at all the convoluted plotline build up. Some readers noted that her plot was too way too clunky, hence nicknames such as The Promises of Men. It was an obvious peduncle. Now that she was Su Li, her hopes suddenly shot up. This was a very beautiful trashcan for her to dump all her trash. At that moment, she truly wanted to thank Lady Zhao. If Su Li knew that she was a garbage bin in the eyes of an ancient god author, she might have jumped off a tall building. Obviously, drawing for the Endless Apocalypse would be out of the question! Unless Lady Zhao asked her in bed Translation Note: [1] Tang Jia San Shao (Ǽ) was a homonym for Ƽ. He wrote the novelSOUL LAND(_). Saint Land(ʥ½) derived from SOUL LAND(_) a manga drawn by Feng Chun Mu·괺. Chapter 744 - Mutual Agreement Zhao Youyue was no janitor. She just wanted Su Li to take up Master PhDs Endless Apocalypse comic. Of course, this was assuming that Su Li was willing and confident, and that Master PhD was willing to give her the part. The offer has to be rock-solid. Zhao Youyue, of course, was biased toward her wife, Su Li. She would most definitely throw Su Li into bad waters. Thats how you temper a rough rock. She only wanted Su Li to be famous. Su Li had full faith in Lady Zhaos opinion. She was convinced that Lady Zhao and her were both in the heat of love. Of course, Lady Zhaos word was the final decision. Admittedly, Endless Apocalypse had the versatility to adapt to the most radical of plot twists. It had great potential. As long as it sold like hot-cakes, it could be harvested for money and glory. Su Lis faith in Zhao Youyues taste only grew stronger. Lady Zhao was perfect in every way. If she had such a lover, why would she need any other man? Master PhD would honor Lady Zhaos request. She had to. She was more than pleased to pass her work to the top comic-god Su Li, not only because two great minds made great work, but also because she knew of Su Lis magical powers, and her amazing angles. The The Strongest King had won a lot of good reviews. In particular, its combat scenes garnered a mountain-load of praise. She could almost taste her freedom. With Su Li as the divine scapegoat, she could write as she wanted. She could erase any character that did not make her cut and put the blame on Su Li. What a perfect plan! Hence, following Zhao Youyues direction, the Master PhDs pen and Su Lis brush, the three of them reached an agreement. Master PhD would retain full ownership. She was no newbie in this industry, she never gave off full copyrights so easily. Neither was she one of the authors desperate for money, so she read through the papers at leisure. As for authors who needed the income to support their living, they would carefully nurse their readers like a bubble in their hands. They would kneel and worship supreme donors like Zhao Youyue. Not only would they write according to these super donors preferred flavors, they could even throw cameos into their stories just to praise these super donors. There was no place too low for their ego, as long as their pockets were lined. Master PhD was the type who went all in. She felt that Chu Xuan would be better as a male character. So as it were, Chu Xuan was still a male character, despite her promise to Lady Zhao. As she wrote according to her emotions, the more she liked a subject, the better she wrote it. She never doubted her sanity whenever she caused accidents in her plots. She wanted to write, and she wanted to write freely. Nobody could stop her! Master PhD signed the agreement happily. She was very grateful to Lady Zhao, who had helped conjugate this. Hence, she welcomed more suggestions from the Lady. If she could help Chu Xuan end up as an icon, that would be splendid! Zhao Youyue put a demure smile on her face, laughing like a maniac in her heart. She took the guise of a curious child and asked, Dr. Chen, it seems that several readers were interested in the beauty scientist Zhang Yanwei, as I am. So, youve clearly established her as a villain, but what is her purpose, was this character relevant during your draft, and what would happen to the members of the infinite team? When Master PhD heard the question, she smiled mysteriously, saying that nobody is going to believe her answer to that. She absolutely did not see this coming. She did not even entertain the slightest thought of making Zhang Yanwei a key figure of her plot. But when she started writing the name Zhang Yanwei, her hands no longer seemed to be under her control. Somehow, something had drawn her into her own novel, and something mysterious was pushing her in a direction she could not see, down a path of which its end she could not determine. From thereon, she went wild with Zhang Yanwei. She did not realize that Zhang Yanwei had developed a soul of her own, and that her life experiences were so real, as if she had been living in this world for a full 36-years. Even Master PhD was surprised at how this Zhang Yanwei had amassed her powers as the worlds top scientist. Of course, Master PhD was puzzled. She began to wonder how that inception had even come to be, but soon accepted it as the will of God. The inspiration came, she could not stop it, so she went with the flow. As she allowed the character to act by herself, she polished the rough edges with her pen. As long as the creators felt the rush, the writing would never be too bulky and harsh. When they finally lean back and survey their work, they would feel a sense of accomplishment like never before. I really look forward to writing it just the way I want, because Lady Zhao, you know, I write things, I dont like to write outlines at all, because I firmly believe that the outline would just constrain me in the end. I write according to how I feel. As I write, words that I never imagined would show up, and my own characters, my own plot twists would end up giving me the greatest surprises. Admittedly, when I wrote about Zhang Yanwei, that blew all other things out of proportion. I never thought that I would produce such a female character, Master PhD said haltingly, as if she was having trouble organizing her thoughts. Master PhD was the type who allowed her feelings to rule her. Even if Zhao Youyue did not do anything to the novel, she would end up writing twists that she never saw coming. Now that she had the rush in her head to write something different, she accepted her story as it was. She was looking forward to the next wave of creative inspiration, and she had to take advantage of it. It would be a waste not to utilize it. Zhao Youyue listened to all that Master PhD had to say. Her smile became more sincere than before. This author was a slave to her intuition. All was good! Chapter 745 - A Great Investment News of Su Lis new series spread out. Many of Su, The Great Deity fans were excited by the fact that it was Endless Apocalypse. With Su Lis current status in the manga industry, a press conference would be held whenever she publishes a new product. In the press conference, many characters would show up in life-sized posters and be distributed to lucky fans in the audience. As per Lady Zhaos instructions, the character emphasized by Su Li were not the protagonists and members of the main cast, but the beautiful scientist Zhang Yanwei. In the novel, her beauty was never described in detail. All that was mentioned was her pretty face and outstanding temperament. Despite being in her mid-thirties, throngs of suitors still chased after her. Her charm was no lesser than those half her age. Under Su Lis brush, the beautiful Zhang Yanwei came to life. Her figure was perfectly proportioned, portraying the charm of mature women. Su Lis talent when it came to beautifying a female character was undisputed. Even her clothes carried so much life in them as they caught the magical wind that surrounded all anime characters, armed with a charisma that no words could describe. The white coat and the black stockings perfectly matched the character, everything seemed harmonious and perfect. When Zhang Yanweis life-sized poster was brought onstage, screaming otakus unanimously decided on their newest waifu. They did not even bother reading the original novel of Endless Apocalypse, they did not have to. Lets begin our praise and worship. Su, The Great Deity has created my new wife. That white coat! Those black stockings! Its almost too perfect to be true. I just want Zhang Yanweis original silk stockings! I am looking forward to Su Lis new work. Simple reason being that Zhang Yanwei is absofreakinlutely beautiful. I never thought that Su Li would ever produce such a mature beauty! By her appearance alone, I could tell that shes probably a doctor or scientist. And those underqualified jokers are already calling her their wife. This community is doomed! Oh, just a simple question here. When is the artbook coming out? Hoho. Youre all jumping on the bandwagon to a certain hell, arent you? Did it not occur to you that your wife would die soon? What happened to your last wife? She died, betrayed from all sides, stabbed in the back, in the heart! She died as a pincushion! Please, this is just like that lame reply in the forum that mentioned some gibberish about auspicious imperial immunity will be granted to secure her safety. Why would someone take a special case as a norm that must happen to every character? I bet this Zhang Yanwei would never be removed from the story. Oh, oh, youre calling for a bet now? Alright, name it. Whats your wager? Though I havent read Endless Apocalypse, that name alone is suggesting some batshit levels of infinite doomsday. I wont be surprised if she appears as a cameo in the first episode and gets crushed by a meteorite within 10 seconds. I am a veteran online reader. Perhaps none of you manga freaks know that the original author of this work, Master PhD. Shes a lunatic who kills off her characters like no tomorrow. Make any one of her characters too popular, that poor thing would be dead in the next few chapters. Welcome to a dose of PhD. A typhoon was raging among the fans. Obviously, Su Li was a star in the manga world. It was no wonder that so many original authors would want to work with Su Li. Perhaps they did not think their original work to be good enough, so it was time to rely on Su Lis blind, crazed, loyal fans. Su Li was now turning Endless Apocalypse into a manga. The biggest beneficiary, of course, was Master PhD. In the beginning, that novel never rose above the triple digit in the rankings. Lady Zhao had invested a great deal of effort for it to reach that rank, even throwing a few white silver ranked gifts into the mix. If Master PhD had not cheated Lady Zhao of an easy victory, Zhao Youyue might have actually donated a few gold-ranked gifts for it. Zhao Youyue believed that once she has Chu Xuans character card, she could easily convert a few Dark Technologies from the manga and make a change in reality. Then she will monopoly the market and harvest a great fortune out of it. Zhao Youyue did not think that a few silver ranked gifts was a large amount. She could not comprehend why readers were making a fuss out of it. Some readers even claim her to be an advertising account, trying to boost the popularity of certain author in the major rankings. They believed that her strategy was to lead the common people into donating gifts to the author. At the end of the month, her gifts would be refunded in full, while donations from the common folk would be split into a seventy-thirty ration. This was highly common in the industry. All of Zhao Youyues donations were authentic. However, she never once revealed that her family was one of this online platforms shareholders. Every year, her family would receive a dividend from the company profits. The more the company earned, the bigger their cut. Therefore, the top officials of this Qidian novel platform always honored the presence of Lady Zhao. They even customized her accounts profile beyond the options of regular VIPs. Such were the privileges of a wealthy tycoon. If their account looked just like any other, how could they feel above and beyond? With great effort from Lady Zhao, the novel made it into the double digits. With great effort from Su Li, even more curious readers fell into the trap. The subscribe button was mangled beyond repair. Unlike cheap booze that climaxed in every chapter, simple-minded readers would not enjoy such an excellent novel in just one or two chapters. When the taste of this premium wine finally sunk in, readers would want more! You would barely remember any of the characters in cheap booze. They would only be paying attention to the protagonist, watching how he beat anyone who opposed him, and how he enjoyed the company of ladies. However, even the side characters of this masterpiece had more depth than the protagonists of those cheap novels. Its plot line was a contortionist, twisting the twists until your brain twists itself around those twists. Each time, the readers would be blown into orbit Now, Master PhD had started on the third iteration of the apocalypse. Global evolution had removed humans from the top of the food chain and flung them down to the bottom of the food pyramid. Her writing was at its highest at the moment. This third apocalyptic world powered a tsunami on the internet. On Qidian, officials granted Lady Zhao a special advertising plan, with the best promotional offer ever. Endless Apocalypse, were headed for the moon! Zhang Yanwei, the incredibly beautiful scientist is about to start her brilliant life! Chapter 746 - Death-seeking Hatred Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation To be honest, Zhao Youyue no longer cared so much about novel worlds, especially after discovering that source worlds could produce legendary Character Cards like Olivia. The source world was where iconic works came from. As long as she embraced her role as The Chosen One in the world, and took control of the worlds events, she could easily get herself a character card She would always regret her decision to remain inconspicuous and passive in the Supernatural Spiritual world. As a result, she only managed to break-even, rather than earn an extra Character Card Now she fully understood that no matter what world she was in, she would have to stand out and blow the world up. Nobody would ever notice a passerby. Characters like Olivia would end up as legends. The source world allowed Zhao Youyue to make use of all her Character Cards capabilities, which was an absolute pleasure. In the world of novels, she could only start with preset attributes of that world. It was a pain in the neck for the free-spirited Zhao Youyue. All this had led Zhao Youyue to begin focusing on other source worlds. She would simply make do with whatever novel thrown her way. A sleeping victory in Endless Apocalypse would have been fun, but shes found her way out still, didnt she? But she could not take all the credit to herself. No, it was the original author, Master PhD. This global evolutionary apocalypse novel took Master PhD two months to write. It consisted of three hundred thousand words, where two-third of it were written about Zhang Yanweis extraordinary talent and her insane thirst for knowledge. Even the end of the world could not stop her from her research. She was never interested in the fact that humans were no longer at the top of the food chain. Her despicable deeds soon drew action from the protagonist Zheng Yis team. She challenged Chu Xuan time and again, admiring Chu Xuans talent in research. It did not take long before she invited Chu Xuan over to her side. The two research lunatics even ended up working together for a period of time. They debated furiously before they both wished that they had known each other sooner. In the first two hundred thousand words, the author had successfully created a woman who was full of mystery, yet possessed incredible talents in every aspect. However, her despicable deeds have drawn intense hatred and disgust for the readers. Every time she did something completely insane or gave Zheng Yis Endless team a run for their money, it caused a riot in the Endless Apocalypse Book Review area. Some readers would go, please kill Zhang Yanwei, giving Master PhD an ultimatum. If you dont kill this abominable Zhang Yanwei, youre the one ending up in hell, Master PhD! The otakus that called Zhang Yanwei wife because of her beauty seemed to disappear, and if there were any out in the open, they would be decimated Your wife was a human who did not stand up for humanity. Just by staying alive is a disgrace to the entire human race! That pretty face would not save your terrible wife. Id rather have a pretty yandere than your wife who does not treat herself as a human! I did not think that morals would matter in fiction. Compared to a scientist like Zhang Yanwei, I feel like a saint. If there was such a scientist, in reality, I would shoot him myself. Ive never wanted the mysterious power of Su, The Great Deity to come true, any more than now. This is a character who is rotten to the core, why cant she just die?. Yes, in the first two hundred thousand words, readers who liked to tease Su Li about the mysterious power of death Illustration even raised money for Su Li to paint illustrations for Zhang Yanwei, the most abominable character ever. They hoped that her mystical power would kick in. It was obvious that they could no longer tolerate the existence of this woman. If Master PhD could create a character so intense that people wished her dead, she had succeeded. This supervillain was a success. If Su Li had not heard from Lady Zhao and Master PhD about this character, she would not have played her instrument of death. Wouldnt it be humiliating, if her magic was a dud? In the beginning, Su Li was reluctant to be blamed for any character Master PhD suddenly killed. Now, she was worried that there would be no chance for her to perform her magic. Of course, Su Li chose to illustrate Zhang Yanwei. She purposely drew her in a pure and innocent manner, as if she was not an anti-human person, but a savior who would save humanity. Lets stir things up even more. Readers who saw Su Lis illustrations doubted if Su Li had read the contents of the novel. Zhang Yanweis actions were depraved and unspeakable. How could she even make demons look like angels? Readers did not stay angry for long. Master PhD used two hundred thousand words to flesh out the evil image of Zhang Yanwei. Now, she decided to use the last hundred thousand words to cleanse the name of Zhang Yanwei, the character so many readers wanted to die. Authors loved using cleanse the good name of a villain as a final plot twist. Most of the time, this would start off as a random thought, therefore the cleansing would be absolutely insufficient. As a result, readers would only be disgusted by the authors decision. The author had played them like a fiddle, and this fiddle did not enjoy it in the slightest. Sometimes readers would rather have those characters stay as villains forever. For example, Dio Brando in JoJos Bizarre Adventure by Hirohiko Araki was a lexicon of unforgettable, iconic lines. [1] Within my mind is but one simple thought. Just one! To be victorious and rule! That was all. That was all I need to feel satisfaction! How I do it, does not matter! Master PhD had been preparing to cleanse the name of Zhang Yanwei for quite some time. Everything was going according to plan! Translation Note: [1] JoJos Bizarre Adventure is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Hirohiko Araki. It was originally serialized in Weekly Shnen Jump from 1987 to 2004 before being transferred to the monthly seinen magazine Ultra Jump in 2005. The current story arc, JoJolion, started in 2011. Chapter 747 - True Saviour Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation The following one hundred thousand words that worked on cleansing the name of Zhang Yanwei had proven that Master PhD was indeed a master of her craft. In the first two hundred thousand words had been layered with a great deal of foreshadowing for her to cleanse the good name of Zhang Yanwei. The entire time, she acted like the almighty God who had been closely watching Zhang Yanwei. However, she was absolutely tactful and selective, deliberately elaborating on the key details only at the very end to unravel the suspense. She had created a smokescreen to mislead the readers into believing that Zhang Yanwei was evil. They hated so much that they wanted her dead, or its author. This was the greatness that every passionate author could achieve, controlling and twisting the storyline, while leaving a clue in every city for future use. When the readers finally backtrack, they would realize that the clue had always been there. Hence, they could not complain about being cheated or lied to. They even praised Master PhDs ingenuity and supreme planning. Nobody could ever forget such an iconic character who has sacrificed so much for humanity! In the last one hundred thousand words, the first fifty thousand words had been a bleach for morals. It served to psychologically prepare them for the fact that the heinous traitor Zhang Yanwei was not as bad as everybody thought. She was accumulating strength in the dark, and she was actually making use of the new intellectual races, such as the sea people and the winged clans. It might seem as if she had been working for them, the truth was that she had used them as protection as she pursued the truth at the same time. In fact, she was proud of her human identity, and firmly believed that humanity was the absolute master race! Zhang Yanwei was actually working on the re-emergence of human beings, while also developing viruses that could be used against other intelligent races. Obviously, this had not been in her original research, but she had placed her personal interest aside and complete the counterattack. To gain the trust of these intelligent races, she committed acts of insanity, leading the readers to believe in her evil crazy scientist image. Such an image had stretched deep and taken root in several readers minds. Please die, and die soon, please! In the last fifty thousand words, Master PhDs plot thickened, before the novel finally ended in a deafening silent cliffhanger. Such writing would undoubtedly give readers second thoughts. When the suspense was finally lifted, the fish scales would drop off their eyes! The biggest reveal, of course, was the true identity of the reborn of Zhang Yanwei. Arguably the largest revelation was why Zhang Yanwei seemed to always have a plan for any situation. It may seem less justified at the time, but after that, readers would learn just how prescient she was! Again, it explained why she was almost completely right in the direction of her research. The only flaw was how un-innovative she was. She was merely repeating experiments to verify something she knew for a long time. When her identity as a reincarnated was finally revealed, memories of her past prior to her reincarnation was presented to the readers. Readers looked into the experience of her last life or Zhang Yanwei in another dimension. Almost every reader was impressed by it! Master PhD did not write about her experience in any was that was sentimental, but in cold, and precise words, including Zhang Yanweis inner monologue. Before her reincarnation, Zhang Yanwei was also a very talented scientist. Apparently, she did everything for humanity, no matter how difficult. She would never sway from the principles of her first life! Zhang Yanwei was proud of herself as a human being. She felt that humanity was the greatest species in the world. Not knowing that a higher alien civilization was controlling the current alien species on earth, and that their technology was inherited from that of human beings. Otherwise, it would have taken them ages to develop technology comparable to human beings. So Zhang Yanwei always thought that the intelligent races were just thieves. They were poor creatures who became pawns of some higher civilizations. There was nothing natural about that meteor shower. It was a planned, manufactured biological weapon. It only allowed the evolution of all living things other than human beings. It was premeditated. How could she not see this through? If Zhang Yanwei was just any regular brilliant scientist, she would have been killed off in no time at all. In a human society that has been torn up from top to bottom, even top scientists like her had little influence, and all her research would end up in smoke. In the later stages of the story, she had almost given everything up for the greater good. Only her pride and dignity kept her going. No matter how ugly the situation was, she never gave up on humanity. Even if human society was corrupted and turned into a barbaric community, even if the earth became completely uninhabitable, she still believed that human beings would one day rise above the ashes! But she never got to see the day. Human society devolved into a broken-up community where the size of fists spoke the loudest. Under such circumstances, she became useless, and she was quickly abandoned after being infected by some illness. In the end, she met a horrifying giant scarab. A mutated cockroach that devoured her whole! Even under such circumstances, she never hated the humanity. She firmly believed that most people still had the basic qualities of sincerity, kindness, and beauty. For the sake of survival, moral would have to take a temporary back seat. After her reincarnation, she began to correct the world with her own actions, and no one could stop her, not even the Endless Squad that had not appeared before her rebirth. She chose to save humanity in her own way, even if she would never be considered its savior, but the mad scientist who saw no value in human life. She did not care about her name. Even if people would only remember her crazy evil side, forever unaware of her sacrifice and hard work. All she wanted was human beings to dominate the world again! Zheng Yi believed that his Endless squad of justice had to stop her. In the end, they succeeded in vanquishing evil. Justice will prevail! The ending left readers staring at blank walls for long periods of time. Master PhD was just too good at this! Chapter 748 - Death Climax Ultimately, Zhang Yanwei, the ultimate villain died as a free woman. She did not have any feelings of fear or nostalgia. She had even entrusted all of her research materials to Chu Xuan, who she deeply respected a lot. Chu Xuan may be the only one who actually saw through her from the very beginning. He even attempted to make the rest of the world see it his way. He even attempted to invite Zhang Yanwei to the Endless Squad. To no ones surprise, it was vehemently rejected by the silly captain, Zheng Yi. To quote Zheng Yis words, the Endless Squad would never accept scumbags. They would never, ever accept people who would turn on their own kind. Zhang Yanwei was a monster who would throw aside her feelings and treat human life as worthless. How could they accept such a person? Zheng Yi had even thought that it was like birds of the same feather flocking together when he saw Chu Xuan treating the evil woman with respect. He admitted that Chu Xuans intelligence and schemes were impressive. However, Chu Xuan would even abandon his weaker team members for his mission or his survival. This was a big no-no in Zheng Yis worldview. There were many a times where the two of them would be at the brink of splitting up. Undoubtedly, Zheng Yi, who was a Virgin Mary, was more popular. Anyway, if people followed him, they did not have to worry about being abandoned by him, unless they were seeking death However, if they followed Chu Xuan, who knows, he might even discard and leave them to die. Zhang Yanwei was interested to know more about the Lord God. However, she had never once thought about working for it. She only wanted to learn its secrets and replicate its power. It was such a shame that she never had the chance to join the squad and explore the mystery surrounding Chu Xuan. The ending of the book left a hollow feeling in the hearts of readers. The Endless Squad, as the hero, had defeated Zhang Yanwei, the Demon King. They had even unveiled key research materials for saving mankind The Demon Kings reign could be said to have brought unprecedented unity to the human race. The rulers of mankind in the apocalypse were obviously happy that there was an evil Demon King to be hated by the survivors of mankind. That way, everyone would be united. In conclusion, Zhang Yanwei had been firmly nailed to the column of shame. Now, readers were furious, especially after reading pages from Zhang Yanweis memory in her previous life. If her memories were fragmented, then their hearts were in the form of dust! Readers had to speak up, even if they did not know how to put their feelings in words C Before this, I wanted her to die so much. Now, my heart mourns for her! I never knew anything about enduring humiliation and saving the nation through twisted means. I always believed those to words that traitors use to justify themselves. Ive just be handed the greatest life lesson one could ever give. What a way to go! But its a little past the suspension of belief. Im human, and I know what it feels like, so theres no way she could remain so steadfast and loyal to mankind after all that shit gets thrown her way. Now, I feel like the villain. I never would have imagined such a great woman walking among us. Master PhD could hang up her pen and retire happily (not that I want her to). She could lean back and boast about this one book for the rest of her life. I hate the heroes now. Im all for the beautiful female scientist Zhang Yanwei. I was in tears when she died. It was a tragic death, but she took it like a champ and died standing. The final scene was so epic! It depicted her proud, rigid back as she embraced the moment! I have sharp eyes, and I never spotted all the prior foreshadowing until it was too late. I even thought that I was clever to have spotted some plotholes early on, only to get a major serving of humble-pie in return. The mystery surrounding Zhang Yanwei was finally revealed as well. Some people may find this overused and cliche, but I dont think so. This was nothing like those cheap tricks that authors employ. Youre just mad that Master PhD took your feelings, rolled it up into a ball, and juggled with it like a clown on a unicycle, balanced on a larger ball. Master PhD planned this from the start. She has selectively omitted just enough information from those acts of apparent evil to convince you that it was all but that. Reveal just that tiny bit more, and youll see that she could not have been any more heroic. She fought for mankind, damnit. She singlehandedly saved mankind, only to get crucified! This is one hell of a read. I dont think that it even belongs to Qidian. I originally thought that web novels were braindead. A little bit of past time, a little bit of buzz to keep your brain occupied as you took a dump. I never would have dreamed of seeing the day I got down on all fours and wept in grief over a fictional character. All hail Master PhD! I strongly hope that Master PhD would grant Zhang Yanwei the chance to return, somehow. Such a character should join the Endless Squad. With such a scientist at their side, the Endless Squad would never be short of equipment. Chu Xuan looks like an elementary kid beside Missy Zhang Yanwei. Shes the scientist mankind never knew it had, or deserved. Many readers hated Zhang Yanwei so deeply that they wanted her to die immediately. Now that it finally happened; she had died, just around the time she first reincarnated. The readers were left with a horrible feeling in their guts. What did this mean? Would she reincarnate yet again, or was she closing the loop[1]? She might have even gone off to a better timeline. If Zhang Yanwei had first died without any incident, she would not reincarnate only to be hated to this extent. Mankind would still sink into vice, degradation, and depravity. When she reincarnated and threw herself out like a tyrant, those clueless people were at least happy to see her finally die. They would feel as if the sky was brighter! The humans in this timeline did not sink into vice, degradation, and depravity. Instead, they faced hardship with resolve and grit. At the end of it all, they even got the key to destroying other intelligent creatures. Everyone but the readers would believe that it was the deed of the Endless Squad. In reality, Zhang Yanwei had left it there for them to peruse! Zhang Yanwei had bought mankind its future, and she paid for it with her life! This was a messianic scientist Different from the aggrieved, wronged death that she had suffered in her previous life, she had died content this time around! Compared to the future she managed to steer the world into, her little mention as a villain in the pages of history was nothing! Rather than die quietly with no sense of presence, why not be a villain and be cast aside after dying? At least someone would remember her name. It was now the material of holy books. In a sense, this was her glory The death of Zhang Yanwei, the final twist in Endless Apocalypse, drove readers insane. Many who felt that Su, the Great Deity had finally lost her mysterious powers, once again jumped for joy! Sure enough, what that is meant to happen, will happen. Death is like the wind, always by my side. It was not a joke! Translation note: [1] Worldline () of an object is the path that object traces in 4-dimensional spacetime. It is an essential concept in modern physics and mainly theoretical physics. Chapter 749 - A New Icon! Originally, many people thought that Su Lis mysterious powers had fizzled out. There was a saying which went, evil people live longer than good people. As they harbored those thoughts, Zhang Yanwei was still at the stage where everyone thought her to be the ultimate evil. She was most probably the final boss. Final bosses dont just drop dead, do they? It was also a well-known fact that Master PhD did not give a damn about outsiders opinions. On the contrary, she went out of her way to go against their wishes. If her readers demanded that PhD kill off Zhang Yanwei, how could Master PhD simply comply? If she wrote according to her readers wishes, how was she any different from those hollow, soulless writers? Of course, Master PhD did not look down on hollow literature authors. She simply had her own principles. She hoped that her writings would withstand the test of time. Whenever her readers started jumping around, she would punish them in the cruelest, heartbreaking manner. Can you guys stop whining and criticizing? If you want the perfect story, heres a pen, now go write it yourself! As everyone knew how Master PhD worked, many were convinced that Su Lis mysterious powers would fail to gain ground. Master PhD would never play along with Su Li and come up with that kind of gimmick However, with Zhang Yanweis shocking death, that particular group of fans would go wild. They would obviously yell about how Su, the Great Deitys mysterious powers might arrive late, but it would never be absent! Su, the Great Deitys death instrument once again became popular online. Some people who were watching the fun actually started listing out some two-dimensional characters that they hated, hoping that Su Li would work on them Then again, Su Lis plot would never be canon, unless the author approved of it. It was just used to repeatedly ridicule her. Not many people actually believed in her mysterious powers. Many people were just following the herd. Those who believed in Su Lis mysterious powers were more terrifying. Who knows, they considered Su Li as a real God in their hearts. Su Li could even be the cult leader of these people if she wanted to. Fortunately, she did have any thoughts of breaking the law. Su Li the current focus of attention. The real person in the spotlight was undoubtedly Zhang Yanwei, the beautiful scientist who people once hated as much as they respected now! As a villain, she was already extremely popular. Hatred was a form of popularity, wasnt it? Who cares, even if she was scolded by everyone, there must be a basis to it. If you did not do some shockingly evil, vile, and wicked, what right do you have to be scolded by the readers who wanted you dead? Endless Apocalypse became exceedingly popular. Throughout its serialization, it was widely praised by the public, and its subscriptions went through the roof. This work had returned the ancient High God, Master PhD to the web novel circle where she first started writing. All that was left was for her to maintain her God of Tycoons style! Zhao Youyue could have chosen to retreat at that point. Since she was already guaranteed a highly popular character card of the beautiful scientist, Zhang Yanwei, it would have made up for the highly popular card she had sacrificed. However, how could someone like Zhao Youyue, a greedy perfectionist, be content with a highly popular card? Of course, she would have to cooperate with Master PhD. She would use Zhang Yanwei to slam an indentation on all readers who have read this book. She would let them understand that there was a person who could do anything for the survival of her race. She would still do it even if she was nailed to the column of shame for the rest of time and be labeled a monster. Take a look at Qin Gui. The only difference was that Qin Gui was an actual traitor. He really deserved going down in history as a villain. He contributed nothing to his country, but instead sold it out time and again. However, Zhang Yanweis achievements would remain undiscovered. Even the members of the Endless Squad believed that this scientist was crazy. This was why Chu Xuan, who was also crazy but sensible, felt a bond with her Only readers would be aware of Zhang Yanweis achievements. They felt honored to be entrusted to this secret that the novel would never know. That was the contrast between the Zhang Yanwei which did not reincarnate and the Zhang Yanwei which did reincarnate. Their worlds were nothing like each other. The world where Zhang Yanwei did not reincarnate was almost impossible for the humans. They could hardly see any future left for them. However, the Zhang Yanwei which did reincarnate had instead saved mankind. Together with the Endless Squad, they became the variables of the world where an apocalypse was destined to occur! However, both sides were clearly working for the good of mankind. However, one considered themselves to be justice. Then, they mislabeled Zhang Yanwei as the evil. When the truth was revealed, everything seemed to be so ironic Nevertheless, because of this, countless readers soon supported Zhang Yanwei, the noble but tragic human scientist. In such a situation, how could they forget this character! Therefore, when Zhang Yanwei successfully met her end under Zhao Youyues direction, she too successfully retreated from the literary world. Endless Apocalypse had been rather satisfactory. There were some hiccups, but the result had been an iconic character card, nevertheless. If she was Chu Xuan, she would definitely try to expose this hero. As for whether Master PhD would give Zhang Yanwei another reincarnation, that was no longer Zhao Youyues concern. However, knowing Master PhD, chances of her ruining the character were next to none. A week after the ending of the copy, the Two Dimensional Gate released Zhang Yanweis card. The image of a beautiful scientist in a white coat and black stockings would forever remain in the Two Dimensional Gate! Think about it. Her character brought a new definition to the word majestic. It even drove several readers into backtracking and reading from the start again. How could they forget about Zhang Yanwei, who had been scheming from the very beginning? Thats what you call an icon! Considering the endless nature of this work, Zhang Yanwei might one day reincarnate in the Lord Gods world. That would make for another fascinating story Chapter 750 - A Character Card with Super Strong Abilities Every time Zhao Youyue obtained a new iconic character card, she felt as if she had just gotten a new wife. That sense of accomplishment could not be described with words. No wonder Lady Zhao was now into girls. Who had asked her to be addicted to hobbies like collecting wives! Most importantly, her wives had varying levels of cuteness. There was the loli type, the one type, and the sophisticated type. She was too happy to think of the real world, as she now could play with them, every single day! This time, Zhao Youyue obtained Zhang Yanwei, the human supremacist mad scientist with brilliant ideas. Her research abilities were at the maximum. She could even view alternate futures. All this had led Zhao Youyue into thinking that this character card was extremely powerful. The past three months she spent causing trouble in Endless Apocalypse had not gone to waste! Of course, reality would not permit the blatant use of her abilities. The real world was extremely restrictive and powerful. Basically, any supernatural abilities would never be able to fully manifest in reality. Perhaps, the only alien, or in other words, the only superhuman was Zhao Youyue, Lady Zhao. Zhao Youyue was actually hoping to have this level of uniqueness. If not, all sorts of spiritual entity or ghosts would come to life, and her character cards would also be able to fully demonstrate its abilities. That would not be fun. This real world that was above all of the Source Worlds would no longer be real. Was it just another world of novels? If this was the case, then it would be terrible. If the real world was also a novel, then it would not be that bad if Lady Zhao was the main character. Anyway, she had the main character aura, so she would be favored by the creator who created her. If she was not the main character, but a normal character in a harem-fiction novel, she might be inducted into the male protagonists harem! Therefore, Zhao Youyue did not hope that the real world, which she saw as her backyard garden, was a novel. She hoped that the real world would forever remain in its own form, without any interference of some unscientific phenomenon that would collapse reality. Everything should run according to logic. Zhao Youyue, bearing the same feelings as a newly married couple on their wedding night, activated the Zhang Yanwei character card that she so longed for. In the blink of an eye, her worldview changed entirely! Zhang Yanwei was a super genius like Einstein. Zhao Youyue was no longer looking at things as they were. Instead, she could calculate everything, she could see everything in the form of vectors and numbers Science, quantum physics, bioengineering, biomechanics, you name it. Concepts that Zhao Youyue could not even begin to grasp were all in her head now. It was not like she knew the answer to the universe. Instead, she could now see a clear direction to take. A path that did not lead to a dead end. She could now produce the cutting-edge, revolutionary technology that she wanted! Of course, something had to be pointed out. Climbing up the tree of technology in the real world was definitely more difficult, compared to the Source World. The real world had far too many variables and unturned stones. There were all kinds of rules, regulations, and restrictions that inhibited the process of discovering new technology Therefore, Zhao Youyue wanted to be like Zhang Yanwei who could easily make a name for herself in the literary world. That might be asking for a little too much, as things were now. She needed more time, and at the same time, she needed to find a good cover for her to research dark technology. Then, she needed to safeguard it from the rest of the world. This was a no-brainer. Zhao Youyues base personality did not match that of a typical scientist. No matter how you viewed it, she was a right-brained artist. That was a fact. However, there would actually be a day where Zhao Youyue, who had always been doing arts, would research about the legendary Grand Unification Theory [1]. She was striving to transport mankind out of the solar system out of the milky way. How does she do that without raising eyebrows? It was not like she could read a poem and fool everyone [2] Therefore, Zhao Youyue decided to amass a fortune in silence. A real fortune, unlike what she possessed at the moment. Its never wrong to save up. When her company gains worldwide fame, she would venture into the field of science and technology. Just you wait, shell come up with more shocking news! Zhao Youyue firmly believed that science and technology was the right path to take. Thus, she would take some time off every day to become Zhang Yanwei and pursue research that had been sidelined thanks to the apocalypse in her world. It was what she would have stuck to doing, prior to that rude interruption. The world was just so wonderful. There were people who hated studying, but there were also people who loved researching. There was nothing arduous about it. The process of exploring the mystery and truth of the world was their raison detre. When Zhao Youyue obtained the Zhang Yanwei character card, she had earned the key to a new horizon. Who knows, she could build a suit and be Ironman. That was completely possible. Of course, the Zhang Yanwei in the real world would not be able to replicate the speed of research in the literary world. After all, she had to consider about Zhang Yanweis aura problems in the literary world. If she did not have the creators divine power blessing, then Zhang Yanweis various abilities, especially in luck, would definitely decrease. It was also well known that in any scientific experiment or research, luck and coincidences were crucial factors. Sometimes if you were lucky, then the experiment would be successful, and new things could be discovered. However, if you were unlucky, then Regardless of her researching abilities, Zhao Youyue was quite curious about Zhang Yanweis other ability C being able to see other world lines. Very interesting. In the novel, Zhang Yanwei could clearly remember her entire past life, without skipping any details. Would she experience similar clarity in this world? No. It was a severe disappointment. The Zhao Youyue in the other world line was nothing like her. Not even the slightest! The Zhao Youyue in the other world line led such an uninteresting life. She was an insignificant, side character missy with no sense of presence at all Suddenly, Zhao Youyue realized that the Zhao Youyue in the other world line was the Zhao Youyue that never obtained the Two Dimensional Gate. It was the Zhao Youyue who never experienced that eureka! That explained it all Translation note: [1] Grand Unification Theory (һͳ) is a model in particle physics in which, at high energy, the three gauge interactions of the Standard Model which define the electromagnetic, weak, and strong interactions, or forces, are merged into one single force. [2] ED: I think this was a nod to Michael Caines repeated recital of Dylan Thomas Do not go gentle into that good night in Interstellar. He had been fooling everyone. Well, watch the film and youll know. Chapter 751 - Reality Has Nerfed Her Abilities Chapter 751: Reality Has Nerfed Her Abilities In the beginning, Zhao Youyue had thought that the ability to look at her other lives in other world lines to be practically useless. That side character missy was completely mediocre. She had no sense of presence, and there was no meaning to her life. It was so plain and simple. There was also the horrific possibility of her getting married and giving birth someday! Thats right. The other side character missy with no Two Dimensional Gate to help her was very likely to fall victim to the boring plans of her family. Get married, have children. Of course, it had not yet been set in stone. The so-called world line was not just a single line. It had an endless amount of alternate lines. Currently, through the Zhang Yanwei character card, she could only observe one clear line. The current Zhao Youyue, who had the Two Dimensional Gate had boundless possibilities. No future could bind her. As the saying goes, character determines your fate, the current Zhao Youyue was different compared to the side character missy who was content with staying at home, getting married, and finally having children in some other world line. That side character missy finally got into a relationship with Xiao Yiren, who once dated her. It was the popular author with the pen name of Drunk For Her. The side character missy had not given any pressure to Xiao Yiren, allowing him to boldly step out of line. As a result, the side character missy followed suit and thought that they got along quite well. Thus, they got together The Side character missy was more of a Buddha who had no regards about her looks. As long as the guy looked okay, all was fine. It would be better if he had a sunny personality. Therefore, Drunk For Her, as an honest man, successfully conquered the Buddhist-like side character missy. The days that they lived together did not have much love, but at least, they did not reject each other. They just had a comfortable life. Wasnt that enough? When Zhao Youyue saw her disappointing self in this world line, she went green in the face. That side character achieved nothing, not even her beauty. She ended up with a sub-par web-novelist?! It was so f*cking embarrassing. Sure enough, such ladies were hopeless. Women should be given some male insight on things. This way, even if the side character Zhao Youyue did not have the Two Dimensional Gate, she would not have accepted such a man so easily. This was pathetic! The current Zhao Youyue would only mingle around with High God. Master PhD, who found the success in life was extremely grateful towards Lady Zhao. Her Endless Apocalypse would never have been this popular without the support of Lady Zhao. Even though Master PhD was one heck of a stubborn writer, she still knew how to be a proper human being. She took the initiative to invite Lady Zhao and Su Li out to have a good meal. At least the Lady would not remain so disappointed at that one scam. Zhao Youyue had almost figured Master PhD out. She wanted to write, and she wanted to write it the way she wanted it. Even if such a decision was made on a whim and could actually ruin the book, so what? She wanted to write according to her own feelings! Apart from this, there was nothing much about Master PhD that was unpleasant. It was such a shame that she was not beautiful enough. She was a legal loli, and that was a plus. However, she looked far too mediocre. This superficial world was simply too cruel Zhao Youyue regarded Master PhD as a regular senior and a very good friend. However, she would not consider entering her works anymore. By chance, if the female character that she chose and put painstaking thought into was changed to a man, she might just snap. After Zhao Youyue sifted through the memories of her alternate self, she was more determined than ever to walk down her path. She also understood why Zhang Yanwei could be so keen and observant during her research. The reason was very simple. She saw the future in the other world line. Naturally, she knew where the development of science and technology led, and its alternate results. That was why she could skip the trial and error phase! Those who worked in the same field as Zhang Yanwei would only think that it was her genius and observant instincts talking to her. Such gifts sent others green with envy. What people took a lifetime to achieve would be achieved with a snap of her fingers When her inspiration kicked in, it was nobody elses business. That inspiration was the future. It was not just her future, but the alternate futures of alternate worlds. Zhao Youyue finally figured how this card worked. Along with that revelation, she found new sources of frustration. Once again, reality had watered down her abnormal abilities. In such a situation, it was necessary for her to continue finding a new Source World. Then, she could use the character card to its fullest. She no longer enjoyed making trouble in novels as much as before. It was no longer as fun, it now felt like a chore, leaving her dehydrated and out of breath. If she were to walk into a world now, she would find a random corner to collapse into Therefore, Zhao Youyue could not wait to start a new journey to the Source World. Surprise me, gacha tickets. No matter what kind of Source World this one was, Zhao Youyue still hoped to use her new wife. If she was to shift into a magical world like Witcher, her new wife Zhang Yanwei would still be able to use her research abilities to come out with terrifying forms of magic. Where the mind of a great scientist thrived, the mind of a great mage would emerge! Zhao Youyue activated both the incomplete God Card Altair and the Two Dimensional Gate. It allowed her to shift into source worlds, where no pesky creators could follow and trip her over. This was a high-quality adventure Of course, the Source Worlds were very random. It was impossible for her to pick one at her discretion. But they all held great potential. Thats why literary worlds were now so mundane to her. However, Zhao Youyue never could have seen this coming Chapter 752 - The Entertainment Source World Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation This Source World turned out to be a Source World of entertainment novels and manga! Some people might be wondering. Can entertainment ever be iconic? Its niche, commercialized, and stale, isnt it? In reality, entertainment works were never-ending. In it, some iconic works were immortalized with neverending praises over the generations. Of course, there was also highly popular works. For one, take a look at the smash hit, Im Really a Superstar [1]. Its author became a Platinum High God from that one series. There was also the super-popular manga Bakuman. It definitely fell within the category. This manga followed the story about a group of mangaka drawing manga, competing with each other. A similar comparison could be made with the monthly ticketing war in the Qidian novel website. The latter was not that authoritative, because of various reasons that we already know. However, the various rankings in Bakuman were adrenaline inducing. It certainly depicted the emotions of fighting for a dream Zhao Youyue was a little speechless. What was she supposed to do here? Compete with the creators in the Source World for rankings? As she rearranged her thoughts, she realized that this world might just be the ideal cash cow! After all, she had just started a publishing company in the real world, and so, was always lacking in outstanding creators. Outstanding creators were a form of high-quality resource. Everyone basically fought over them. Her small company had only been able to pull in outstanding creators like Su Li and Han Leng, all thanks to her personal relationships. Of course, it was precisely for this reason that she would have to give them the best conditions out there. If not, they would grow to resent her, no matter how close they were. Zhao Youyue would never be stingy like that. She would not go so low as to exploit Su Li and Han Leng just to earn more money. She hoped that they could create classic works and flesh out new iconic female protagonists for her to pick up and win in a breeze Zhao Youyue had always believed that a character card was more important, compared to a bucket load of money. The resources in Zhao Youyues company were limited. With big generals like Su Li and Han Leng, there was nothing much left to go around. The rest would be used on maintaining Altairs popularity, so that it would always be recognized. Then, it could remain as the most popular Doujinshi character out there. Altair would also appear in all forms of Doujinshi novels and Endless-type novels. It might be a passerby big boss, or a talented onlooker minding his own business. Anyways, many Doujinshi writers loved pulling her out to join in on the fun, so that Altairs fans could be happy. Wouldnt it be nice to cheese some points and tips? Zhao Youyue had been at a loss for a period of time. The records that she obtained from making trouble in the Source World and from Su Li and Han Leng did not help in the expansion of her company. These included the horror film that she had obtained from the previous Supernatural Source World and the CG animation obtained from the Witcher series gaming Source World If her company did not have enough capital, she might not be able to monopolize the biggest benefits from the dark technology she had researched. This was an era where capital was the King. Many talented entrepreneurs were only working for more capital. Zhao Youyue had never thought about establishing a cultural Empire, but now that she was in this entertainment-type Source World, it was practically free lunch from the sky! There was a relatively balls to the sand [2] hindrance in the entertainment-type source world. Even though its development of science and technology was very advanced, it was, however, lacking in cultural development. In such a situation, plagiarists from other parallel worlds, or in other words, the main protagonists with the Superstar System, could reap the benefits To Zhao Youyue, this would be particularly useful. She could fully display the abilities of the character card of Zhang Yanwei in this Source World that would never limit the abilities of the card. She wanted to see if she could come up with some groundbreaking technology. Such an opportunity might just present itself. A group of main protagonist plagiarists might do their bit to help develop the cultural industry in this entertainment Source World. Zhao Youyue, the mad scientist who was obsessed with climbing the technology tree had already started her journey to the sea and stars. Of course, if there was an opportunity, Zhao Youyue was very interested in researching those main protagonist plagiarists This time, when Zhao Youyue descended into the Source World, she would have full control over her abilities and identity. It was an otaku cutie high school student named Yuan Shawu. She also had a brother she truly doted on. His name was Yuan Zhenzhong. He was already in university, and he was a light novel author. However, it was quite obvious that Yuan Zhenzhong had no particularly outstanding talents in terms of his creativity, or in other words, the golden finger. This only made him a second-rate light novel author. The money he earned from his novels was used to support himself and his sister. That was already quite impressive for a second-year university student Lets not even mention about this light novelists previous failures. He did find some success with My Sister Is Just So Cute. God, what a siscon But let it be known that novels do not directly reflect the personalities of their authors. For example, many light novel authors had no sisters, but they still wrote a lot of siscon novels which are forever popular. The problem here was that this Yuan Zhengzhong did have a sister, and this sister is actually just so cute. That was right. Why would Zhao Youyue ever possess anything less than beautiful? Lady Zhao, as an appearance con [3], not only had high requirements for other peoples appearance, her requirements for her own appearances would be sky-high. Therefore, her possessed had to be amazingly beautiful. Most of them were beautiful teenagers, until her last addition. Descending into a Source World was not like a literary world where she could choose a female character as she liked. In that case, Zhao Youyue was determined to choose the better-looking character. Be it the Two Dimensional Gate or the Altair God character card, Lady Zhao was an appearance con before she was an artist, composer or scientist. Apart from their identity and background, all three of Zhao Youyues characters in the Source world were beautiful chicks! Even though Yuan Shawu was an otaku high schooler who did not know how to dress up, she had the necessary basics down. If, at her core, was a Lady Zhao, one could only imagine the ruckus she could stir up in this entertainment Source World! Translation note: [1] Im Really a Superstar (Ǵ) is a novel written by Chang Yu. [2] Ballache () is a term which describes a feeling of helplessness, confusion, and agitation which leads to a person feeling uncomfortable. [3] Appearance con (տ) ա here means looks, and , which originates in Japanese, is the transliteration of the English word complex. ء is often added after a noun to form a phrase, which means being attracted to and obsessed with. Therefore, this term refers to those people who are obsessed with good looks. Chapter 753 - The younger sister character in Harem Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation Yuan Shawu was an incorrigible otaku. At least, it was not incurable to the point where you would not see her in class. She was at the level where she would lock herself in her room immediately after school, refusing to communicate with the outside world. Even to her very doting brother Yuan Zhengzong, she was cold as ice. Perhaps, somewhere within Yuan Shawus heart, her brother was just a cook, housekeeper, and ATM. After all, she had no any ability to earn money on her own. She was a loser among losers Yet, a fascinating fact within Yuan Zhengzongs light novel, My Sister Is Just So Cute, the sister character was a perfect sister with absolute beauty, excellent academics, and unmatched in sports. However, she was a downright bitch. You cant even give her the Tsundere excuse; she was just as cruel and abrasive as her true self. She would often bring suffering to her brother, who was almost a masochist. Compared to the sister within the novel, Yuan Zhengzongs real-life sister was absolutely ordinary, minus the pain but also the moe factor. You could force yourself to think out of the box and insist that her otakuness was one such attribute. After all, female otakus seemed to be the trend these days Alright, so shes a female otaku, but she was not a complete good for nothing. At least she was active, outgoing and lively at school. Even so, she was barely visible there. Since she had rejected the entire world, she should not blame the entire world for rejecting her in kind. Even so, Yuan Zhengzong still loved his sister very much. He firmly believed that their parents accident had led her to this self-imposed isolation. As the elder brother, he had been unhappy for the longest stage of his life. Also, his sister was not exactly the best at handling stress. From Yuan Zhengzongs perspective, his sister being addicted to the 2D world as an incorrigible otaku, was better than her heart being completely dead. At least she was in limbo, not abyss, and one day, he intended to pull her out of it. He had given his sister all the tenderness that his heart could offer. Perhaps his purpose of writing this light novel, My Sister is Just So Cute was to pin his wonderful expectations onto his good-for-nothing sister in reality. Compared to his sisters current socially-comatose state, hed rather have his sister ravage him in all manner, bark orders at him, treat him like a dog, stomp on his face. As long as she occasionally got embarrassed, all would be forgiven! We could crown Yuan Zhengzong as the National good elder brother. But to be writing novels about younger sisters when he already had one of his own his siscon disease had to be rather severe. This was somewhat abnormal Now that Zhao Youyue had learned more about her current self, she read Yuan Zhengzongs backstory, and concluded that he was an abnormal elder brother. She was, however, very interested to have a dog as an elder brother. This was her area of expertise. Yuan Zhengzong was talented as a writer, but he was nothing special. The highest he could ever possibly was as the No.1 in siscon novels. Other than these, he still fit in a protagonists setting quite well on other aspects. After all, he had a sister and a house; his parents had both passed away. In this world, Yuan Zhengzong was the light novelist, but he also might even be the protagonist of a light novel. His tenderness and great love aside, this was simply the standard configuration of a protagonist within the Japanese harem genre. If he was a harem king, wasnt Yuan Shawu a member of the said harem? Zhao Youyue even started praying in reality that it would not end up that way. Zhao Youyue would never be any mans girl, let alone be a member of the harem. Now that she was in this cultural entertainment source world, she might very well end up as a harem member, and one under her elder brother at that. Looking at the many novels about younger sisters, younger sister characters would rarely earn the top spot in the harem. In fact, they rarely even became the waifus of the readers. There was nothing to gain from it! Even Yuan Zhengzongs My Sister is Just So Cute featured a cute chuunibyou girl. She was far more popular than the younger sister, the readers clearly loved her more. They even found her particularly capable, especially when it went down to discerning the cardinal principles. Moreover, she was actually gentle to the protagonist, unlike the fierce tsundere sister who treated her elder brother like a dog. Yuan Shawu was very likely to be a reserve member for the harem. She was just waiting for the day when her loving, gentle elder brother finally touches her closed heart. At least, that was the plan until the walking hurricane Lady Zhao literally walked into her. This world was in trouble now Zhao Youyue immediately got to work and activated Zhang Yanweis ability. Whenever she stepped into a source world, she felt like a superwoman. She possessed all those mighty powers at the same time; all her character cards had been fused into one body! Zhang Yanwei had the ability of a reincarnated. She was able to observe the past, present, and the future of another world line. Therefore, if Zhao Youyue had not come, Yuan Shawus future would have been like so After she grew addicted to 2D, she started getting very interested in drawing. There, she would learn that she had quite the talent for it. For some reason though, she seemed to be particularly talented with seductive, sexy characters. That was when she started using her own body as a model for her own illustrations. One day, she might even produce a photo album of it! Eventually, she would cook up a business venture with her loving brother, not knowing that it was actually him. She would start drawing for illustrated adaptations of her brother. At first, her brother had believed that she was some old geezer only old men would draw sexy ladies all day long. Who could have known that this illustrator was actually his incorrigible otaku sister! His incorrigible otaku sister never managed to enter university. After graduating from high school, she finally settled down as a full-time otaku. The light novelist elder brother was already finding his good-for-nothing, incorrigible otaku sister incurable. He was already prepared to take care of her for life. He never expected that one day, this hopeless otaku sister would end up as a highly popular illustrator. Many light novelist masters who were better than him would come up to her for more collaborations He became superlatively relieved when his sister became more cooperative and started drawing illustrations for him. After all, he had been taking care of her so gently all these years. He had thoroughly melted his sisters heart. But when the sister finally decided to accept her elder brother, she found many females already beside him. Each of them were of high quality, each possessing their own variance of Moe Zhao Youyue watched as that world line played itself out in her mind. She truly felt as if she was watching a lovely youth love comedy about younger sisters. If ever adapted into an anime, it might even get popular. Unfortunately, Yuan Shawu was no longer Yuan Shawu; she was Zhao Youyue! Chapter 754 - The True Rebirth Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation After Zhao Youyue was done with the world line, she concluded that Yuan Shawu was adorable, if only slightly. Perhaps her choice in life to pursue the illustrators brush had earned her a lot more points from Zhao Youyue. It reminded her of her bestie, Su Li. However, that Yuan Shawu had been taken out of the picture. The moment Zhao Youyue showed up, that entire world line had been thrown out the window. As there werent any pesky authors around, Zhao Youyue was free to act any way she wanted. She did not even consider carrying on with the incorrigible otaku younger sister act. Lets not even mention how she could barely tolerate such a low sense of existence. No matter the world, she had to be the protagonist! Zhao Youyue first tidied Yuan Shawus room up. Eventually, she had moved out to the living room, and the entire house. It was not even remotely recognizable from its old self! One might doubt. Zhao Youyue was a Lady. Was she even capable of house chores? Lets not forget. Zhao Youyue had access to every character card she had ever earned. Never forget Xu Jing. Moreover, Zhao Youyue had almost infinite stamina at the moment, as her personal combat power was quite possibly the best in this world. Never forget swordmaster Jane Doe Su. Now, Zhao Youyue could fight against a bunch of people by herself, as long as the opposing side did not actually have modern firearms. Anyway, in a cultural entertainment kind of source world where personal combat power was average, the world would generally be rather peaceful. Everyone was putting effort into enriching the culture of all ethnicities. Fighting and killing were truly too disharmonious. And Zhao Youyue was not some belligerent punch-drunk either. She would not lash out on a whim. It was Saturday. The second-rate, regular high school where Yuan Shawu studied was still in the midst of its holidays. Yuan Shawu was alone at home. Her brother was still at university. In his campus, Yuan Zhengzong was a ghost. Almost no one knew that he was a light novelist. But for some reason, on that day, a beautiful senior named Qiu Yuting suddenly came to him and uncovered him as a light novelist. She then introduced herself as a fan Yuan Zhengzong was struck dumb. How did this beautiful senior even end up as a fan? Eventually, he was forcefully dragged to dinner. This had caused him to forget about his younger sister at home. Yuan Zhengzong could not help it. He had basically zero rejection skills. He was very gentle, too gentle for his own good at times, and he sincerely enjoyed helping others. He was not exactly a heartthrob hunk, but he had the looks that one could find pleasant as time is spent. It is extremely hard to find his looks repulsive in any way. Perhaps it was a combination of all these traits that drew these unique, self-confident girls to his side. Girls these days were not particularly picky when it came to faces. As long as a guy was not too ugly, that would be fine. But of course, despite those claims, the higher, the better. If the guy had a good temper, patience, talents, etc, he would undoubtedly be the rage at the market. Yuan Zhengzong had not yet become the rage, only because he was too low-key. His fashion sense was unique, so to speak. They were old-fashioned and outdated. Also, he did not showcase his identity as a light novelist. Such an identity would have been enough to have girls worship him. If only they knew. As things were, nobody was going to spare him a second glance. Not like any of this mattered to him. His mind was only filled with thoughts for his younger sister. Without his younger sister, he would completely lose his spiritual pillar, including the very definition of his life. His younger sister drove him to better himself, even if its at the cost of her own progress. She had become a good-for-nothing, incorrigible otaku due to all his doting So here came the problem. No one cared to ask about him, so why would this beautiful senior named Qiu Yuting take the initiative to come to him? Qiu Yuting was quite popular on campus. She was mostly known for her singing. She was able to enjoy the limelight at every evening party. At one point, she had even received the first place among the top 10 best singers in college. In short, this Qiu Yuting was a big shot. Unfortunately, there were no school flower sort of elections in this university. If not, there would definitely be a space for Qiu Yuting on the school flower ranking list. Therefore, no matter the perspective, Qiu Yuting should not intersect Yuan Zhengzong whatsoever. She was arrogant, even. Why would she take the initiative to meet Yuan Zhengzong? The most unlikely reason would most often be the most truthful. Qiu Yuting was a reincarnated, in every sense of the word, unlike Zhao Youyue, who had only viewed one world line. Before Qiu Yuting awoke, she had confidently barged into the entertainment industry. However, she could not hold a candle to those experts you see on talent show competitions Therefore, her journey to becoming a star was full of ups and downs. Even before her awakening, she had not been some sort of superstar. Perhaps this had something to do with her character. She would never boot-lick a single soul, not to mention being a drinking partner, or accepting unspoken rules. After she entered the entertainment industry, she felt as if she had been born anew. She did not belong to herself anymore, nor did many treat her as human anymore. She felt as if she was a toy, stripped bare and naked for the world to view. Under such circumstances, as she was at her lowest, she bumped into Yuan Zhengzong, who already held a spot in the writers circle. He had even been fortunate enough to be a scenarist. He had been the scenarist for the MV plot of one of Qiu Yutings title songs. That was how the two of them met, and how she had learned that they attended the same university They had been drawn together by fate, simple as that. Qiu Yuting could not help but pour her grievances onto Yuan Zhengzong. Well, his gentleness could take just about everything. Qiu Yuting felt that she had truly fallen in love for the first time. She did not know what exactly drew her to him. She only knew that with him, she would be able to walk out of this crater! Sometimes, she even regretted it. Why had she not met such a perfect guy like Yuan Zhengzong any sooner? As Qiu Yutings understanding about Yuan Zhengzong grew, she realized that he was truly the rage at the market. Unfortunately, he happened to have set his mind onto his good-for-nothing, incorrigible otaku younger sister, as she was his one and only family member. No one could displace her from her heart, where she did not actually belong anyway. Qiu Yuting was still contemplating on a method of winning Yuan Zhengzongs heart. She had never expected to be a reincarnated. Most crucially, she remembered certain iconic songs from another world line Qiu Yuting felt, she knew that she was going to be famous! She would yield a truly bountiful harvest in both her love and career! After all, Yuan Zhengzong was still in a state where no one cared to ask about him No one would fight her, except Yuan Zhengzongs good-for-nothing younger sister. Chapter 755 - Own house? Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation Qiu Yuting did not give Yuan Zhengzongs younger sister much thought whatsoever. Even if she tried, she would not find anything pleasing about Yuan Shawu. In terms of appearances, there was no doubt about it. Yuan Shawu was a born beauty. But she did not know the first thing about dressing up, or cosmetics. How could she compare herself to Qiu Yuting, who had gone through campus hell? University girls might have not have seen much of the world, but they absolutely knew how to dress up. For Qiu Yuting, the common practice would be to master that path It was impossible for them to study. Study? Study my a**! As long as they did not fail anything and dawdled for a graduation certificate, a diploma or bachelor degree certificate, wasnt this relaxing? Comparing Yuan Shawu and Qiu Yuting would not be too much of a stretch. But when it came to other aspects, they were miles apart! Qiu Yuting was versatile. Even if she was unable to become popular in the entertainment industry, she was certainly way better than ordinary folk! Did Yuan Shawu have any talents to speak of? Qiu Yuting only felt like laughing. If being addicted to the 2D world was also considered a talent, suit yourself. There was also that matter of daily self-care. Within Qiu Yutings reincarnated memories, Yuan Shawu was a good-for-nothing who always needed her elder brothers care, while causing all sorts of trouble to others. Shes a waste of oxygen! However, Qiu Yuting knew very well about how much Yuan Zhengzong cared for his younger sister. Therefore, as a member of society and a person with a matured soul in her young body, she would absolutely not display any of her dislike towards Yuan Shawu. Instead, she intended to prove to Yuan Zhengzong through actual actions that she could take care of his younger sister, together with him. What a bonus! As long as she received Yuan Shawus recognition, would she not be an item with Yuan Zhengzong? Dont ask her why she believed that this would work. She was a reincarnated. Before her awakening, she had taken great care into examining each and every possible threat. Now that destiny had thrown her a bone, she could place all her possible love rivals in a list. At the same time, she would not pursue a true love like a fool. Career-wise, she could easily walk the road of others, leaving them no way to go! The other world lines had many iconic songs to offer. The songs were not yet produced, as of yet. Therefore, these songs certainly belonged to her! She was not worried about being called out. No one would ever find any evidence to pin her. Not unless someone knew that she was a reincarnated and had been plagiarizing without scruple, just because no one else could see the future! A reincarnated would be free to carry out her will, staying ahead of the curve in every field. It was wholly impossible to search for evidence to prove that she was a plagiarist. She could brag on shamelessly, claiming herself to be a genius! Qiu Yuting was undoubtedly the plagiarist reincarnated. Her plagiarized works mostly came from the future. A plagiarist would not last long, as one could finish plagiarizing all the works one day. Therefore, for many Isekai novels, their protagonists first pot of gold would be plagiarism, and then they would begin cutting into business However, Qiu Yuting obviously did not have such a mindset. Since this was a cultural entertainment kind of source world, she chose to walk the cultural entertainment path. It was also considered her previous dream to become a superstar singer. Now, she still had dreams. She had to claim those future iconic songs as her own! These days, many protagonists had devolved into plagiarists. But there were indeed not many who were as self-righteous, or as shameless as Qiu Yuting. To write cultural entertainment works these days, one needed to be able to adapt. They would brag about how far superior the protagonists twist of things would be, compared to the original piece. Or, they would localize Hollywood blockbusters. It was enough for them to brag in peace Qiu Yuting probably thought that she was the only reincarnated walking about. That was why she was so brash, so audacious. So, what if there was another reincarnated? Zhao Youyue had claimed Yuan Shawu as her own. This could also be considered a form of rebirth. To be precise, she was also capable of viewing other world lines. Of course, this meant that she could easily see Qiu Yutings movements from a mile away! Qiu Yuting invited Yuan Zhengzong for lunch. She naturally hoped that Yuan Zhengzong would invite her for the next meal. Not to dine outside, but to dine at Yuan Zhengzongs house Yuan Zhengzong was too kind for his own good. He trusted others far too easily. This beautiful senior, female reader understood him so well. There was no awkwardness, it was as if they had known each other since their past life. Of course, he unhesitantly agreed to it. Anyway, he was going to cook dinner for his younger sister it would not take much work preparing another set for Qiu Yuting. Yuan Zhengzong had been wanting to learn how she figured out his unknown identity as a light novelist. Who knows, she might just be making a fool out of him But Yuan Zhengzong was happy to find her answering questions about his novel fluently. Did this not prove that she was indeed a loyal reader? Yuan Zhengzong brought Qiu Yuting to the door of his house. That was when his senses came back online. This was his first day knowing this beautiful senior, and he was already bringing her back home. Wasnt this a little too soon? Yuan Zhengzong functioned this way. Onlookers would want to beat him up! While scratching his head, he said sheepishly, I should have been back home to tidy the house up. Its going to be in a mess. How forgetful of me Qiu Yuting quickly waved him off, Youve done way enough. Even if your house is in a mess, its not because of you, but that younger sister of yours. Yuan Zhengzong had not mentioned his younger sister much to Qiu Yuting. Even if he did, he would never tell her how much of an otaku and good-for-nothing his younger sister was. He would only brag about how lovely, cute, and obedient his younger sister was. Well, it was actually him who was subservient to her. Therefore, Yuan Zhengzong could not help but curiously ask about how she knew of his younger sisters sluggish behavior Qiu Yuting quickly attempted to scoop the beans back into the sack. It worked. Yuan Zhengzong was way too gullible, even a child could deceive him! As Yuan Zhengzong remained lost in thought, he finally took his house keys out and opened the door He immediately closed the door. Was he at the wrong house? He rubbed his eyes slightly, and opened the door again He stood in the doorway, dumbfounded. Why was the floor sparkling? It was too clean, squeaky clean! Qiu Yuting was even more shocked about it Chapter 756 - Superior and Mighty Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation Qiu Yuting was blown away. When she heard Yuan Zhengzong saying that he had not yet cleaned up the house, that it was quite a mess, she had been delighted. This was time for her to show her virtuosity. This was her opportunity to earn a wave of favorability. But here, the house was spotless! Now came the question. Who the heck ringed the professional cleaner over? A name flashed past Qiu Yutings mind. It was a girls name, Liu Shan. She would end up as Yuan Zhengzongs executive editor in the near future. Not only was she beautiful, she was proficient in everything when it came to house chores. She even made great dishes The light novel industry was the same as the manga industry. The executive editor was often in charge of the authors daily life. There were times when the author would barely have time to put a spoon in his own mouth. The greater the author, the more he would be able to be valued by the executive editor. By then, Yuan Zhengzong was already considered a relatively famous writer within the light novel industry. That was why Liu Shan, his executive editor was so considerate around him. Obviously, she was also deeply attracted to Yuan Zhengzongs gentleness, in the process of getting along with him. This might be Yuan Zhengzongs recessive protagonist aura. His light novel teaching material kind of gentleness as a male protagonist could make girls offer their everything to him without him asking. This also happened to be a relatively common setting within the 2D cultural entertainment kind of work. In the 3D world, such gentleness would have you end up as a spare tire. Girls who loved you unconditionally were almost non-existent. Even so, Yuan Zhengzong would find himself surrounded by many such existences. When have we last seen a 2D protagonist taking the initiative to pursue a girl? Qiu Yuting considered Liu Shan to be quite a significant threat. After all, Liu Shan had provided Yuan Zhengzong quite the help. Yuan Zhengzongs future book, If Only There Were No Younger Sisters seemed to have started as one of Liu Shans suggestions. This unique twist of storylines could be said to be something fresh and new. It might even serve as a miraculous cure. Readers with the siscon disease might be able to completely part from their siscon disease. It had effectively decreased the possibility of walking on the Road of Orthopedic, promoting the positive energy within society. Qiu Yuting was rather glad about this. Yuan Zhengzongs good-for-nothing sister was such an annoying hurdle. If only there were no younger sisters! While the sister was a minor annoyance, Liushan was a major threat. She could not help but start wondering. According to the flow of time, Liu Shan should not be becoming Yuan Zhengzongs executive editor just yet. So, why was the house so clean? While Yuan Zhengzong and Qiu Yuting stood like a pair of statues, Zhao Youyue, or rather, the possessed Yuan Shawu made her appearance. Something was very different about her! Obviously, she barely existed. Due to her status as an incorrigible otaku, it was a massive hit to her already poor social standing. Fortunately, she was a natural beauty. If not, she would have truly been damned. If a girl was both ugly and an otaku, what purpose could she possibly serve? Beauty was a bonus. She would be Moe as an otaku. If she was an ugly otaku, she would definitely be considered a female loser, destined to remain single forever A girl was not cute because she was Moe, she would only be Moe if she was cute! The current Yuan Shawu was something else entirely! This was Lady Zhao! Yuan Shawu ignored the beautiful girl her brother had brought back home. Her entire person was emitting an incomparably cool aura. Not only was she a Lady, she was once even a domineering, powerful empress. She could not just play the part of arrogance and cold, she WAS the embodiment of arrogance and cold! This place was just a temporary residence. When she got the resources, she would move out. She was not some girl who had to depend on a guy. She was no longer the good-for-nothing sister who relied on her brother! Yuan Zhengzong was very happy to see that her sister had stepped out of the room. He was even happier to find that his sister was not even trying to avoid him. Instead, she seemed to be particularly arrogant, cold and calm, even emitting an inexplicable sense of pride His sisters change had gotten him rather excited. Within the book My Sister Is Just So Cute that he was currently writing, the sister within the book was precisely such a proud, arrogant sister, the legendary, iconic tsundere character. Minus the embarrassment and hysterics. Yuan Zhengzong actually hoped that his real-life sister could be as energetic, proud and arrogant as the sister within the novel, while still completely relying on the protagonist. To be more precise, she would be barking orders at him, rather than rely on him. And her hapless brother would be more than willing to oblige. He found pleasure in it. Yuan Zhengzong was born to be this servile towards his sister. The only problem was that the previous Yuan Shawu would never make use of it. How could she possibly bring herself to do it? She was even thrown off by his niceness. If she truly got used to such nice treatment, the day she loses it would only be more painful. Now, Yuan Shawu would not have to fear such pain. Lady Zhao would not be as kind, nor as attached as Yuan Shawu. In her heart, she enjoyed others prostrating themselves before her. The more obedient, the more servility, and it would certainly be the best! To those who completely obeyed her, Lady Zhao would never be stingy with the rewards. Yuan Zhengzong stood before Yuan Shawu. He was like a dog wagging its tail before its master. In an extremely gentle voice, he asked, Xiao Sha, why did you step out of the room? Yuan Shawu replied in an arrogant, cold and majestical tone, Are you saying that I should remain in my room? Does this house belong to you alone? His sisters attitude was rather unsavory. Yet, Yuan Zhengzong swallowed the bitterness as if it were malt sugar. There were no limits to how low he could go when it came to his sister! Xiao Sha, you should have said so since the beginning! I dont even own this house, it only belongs to you. This house is all yours! Yuan Zhengzong cried out. Qiu Yuting was unable to continue watching the scene. This rather large house was in the capital, Shanghai. On top of that, it was in a particularly nice sector. The housing price here was, tsk tsk and, Yuan Zhengzong actually said that he wanted to give the house to his sister? At that instance, Qiu Yuting started wondering if it was a mistake for her to be falling in love with Yuan Zhengzong. Well, looking at his future achievements, she could let this slide, for now. If anything, she only found Yuan Shawu to be even more unpleasing than she had perceived! Yuan Shawu high and mighty attitude was downright inexcusable! Chapter 757 - The Playing Ground of Plagiarists Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation Yuan Shawu was rather satisfied with how her brother was so accommodative. At least this brother still had his uses. As for the girl her brother had brought back home, she might as well be a part of the wall. Yuan Shawu could not care less about Yuan Zhengzongs romantic interests. It was none of her business, anyway. She was here to test out her character card and see what sort of scientific achievement her mad scientist character card, Zhang Yanwei would be able to achieve in this cultural entertainment iconic world If plagiarists who considered themselves to be protagonists came looking for trouble with her, she would not mind lashing out at them. As one who had seen through a world line, she totally knew their routine, down to the minute details. For example, Qiu Yuting was one such reincarnated. She was bound to plagiarize future iconic songs, reaping the undeserved fame and fortune Yuan Shawu was in the position to topple her off that self-entitled position as she also knew of those future works. Moreover, she even knew who this works belonged to. As long as she applied minimal contact and have those original authors produce those future works in advance, Qiu Yuting would be left dumbfounded. Then, she would fall into despair This was not the timeline she knew? Yuan Shawu saw a world line that was filled with all forms of plagiarism by reincarnators and travelers from other parallels Thats right. Qiu Yuting was not alone in this world. Otherworldly travelers also existed. This parallel world was not Earth, but a planet called Aqua Blue. This traveler was a male. His name was Luo Chen. That name alone reeked of protagonist juice. Currently, he was still a high school student. On top of that, he was even studying in the same school, and the same class as Yuan Shawu. Zhao Youyues arrival and target had not been completely random. The Two Dimensional Gate and Altair the Godly card had sent Zhao Youyue close by the key characters in the entire source world. It was just like her run as Olivia. Now, she was the sister of the minor protagonist Yuan Zhengzong, of the light novel cultural entertainment source world. Obviously, Zhao Youyue was taking a very different approach compared to how she treated her elder sister Cirilla. One could see how much Zhao Youyue actually preferred young and beautiful girls. Luo Chen came from a parallel world. His brain was like a computer. He remembered the memories of his past life. He was a plagiarist who had cataloged all sorts of works and saved them into his brain. Other than Luo Chen, there was another plagiarist running about. He worked by completing the quests released by the system, one after another, before the system rewarded him adequately Actually, such a world would draw far more than these few plagiarists. You would not be able to count them in one hand. Of course, the clueless inhabitants would not even imagine such a thing being possible. Even so, plagiarists might end up plagiarizing the same work. That would be highly embarrassing. Thats right. This was a Free for all fight between plagiarists to see which one of them was more capable at plagiarizing. Yuan Shawu, how could you talk to your brother like this? Thats would not stand, Qiu Yuting could not help but began educating Yuan Shawu. Perhaps she was already considering herself as the sister-in-law. Yuan Shawu smiled knowingly. She chuckled, I never told you my name. Qiu Yuting was slightly stunned. She had been careless again. Yuan Shawus name had actually slipped through her mouth. It was her reincarnated memory. Even so, according to the current situation, she should not be recognizing Yuan Shawu, nor should she know anything about Yuan Zhengzong having such a sister After Yuan Zhengzong heard his sisters question, he looked at Qiu Yuting warily. No girl could be compared to his sister. He only considered this girl to merely be a female fan. Now, he sensed something fishy! In retrospect, his meeting with this girl had gone far too smoothly. According to his usual style, he would often end up particularly awkward whenever left alone with a girl. He was indeed gentle, but he was equally obtuse. Girls were often left infuriated, if not disappointed However, Qiu Yuting seemed to have a tacit understanding with him. Yuan Zhengzong was indeed a novelist. As Qiu Yuting still remained reeling from Yuan Shanwus targetted question, he quickly hopped between them. Then, he spoke up, Youre actually an agent, arent you? Youve investigated my family from the beginning. You even knew my sisters name. Shoot, what exactly is your purpose? Did your organization have anything to do with my parents death? When Qiu Yuting heard what Yuan Zhengzong said, she was at a loss of words. She never expected Yuan Zhengzong to have such an imaginative mind. Should she be feeling lucky that he had ruled out the possibility of her being a reincarnated? Yuan Shawu was just as surprised. She originally had an arrogant, cold face, but now, she wanted to laugh. Also, Qiu Yutings dumbfounded face made good comedy material. She was actually more than willing to enjoy the performance by the reincarnated Qiu Yuting. Anyway, Qiu Yutings actions would always be seen through by Yuan Shawu. Yuan Zhengzong got lose in his imagination. His deep eyes seemed to have seen the future. He spoke with fervor and certainty, My houses so clean today. This has to be your organizations doing. To achieve an unspeakable purpose, your organization actually intruded my house! Qiu Yuting tried to defend herself immediately, Thats not the thing. What do you mean agent? What organization? Im truly just your reader fan! Yuan Shawu finally had to speak up, I cleaned up the house myself. That achievement belongs to me alone! Yuan Zhengzong spun around, his eyes glowing. In a highly appreciative tone, he said, My Xiao Sha truly is considerate. Tsundere Xiao Sha is just too cute. I have worried for nothing. My life is now complete, without any regrets! Yuan Shawu and Qiu Yuding were both equally disgusted. Just what did Yuan Zhengzong go through to end up like this? At least his form of the illness was less than malicious. He was not sexually attracted to her, he simply wanted to give his sister the whole world Chapter 758 - Talented Musician Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation Yuan Zhengzong was delighted to see his sister outside the room. Although he was an author of light novels, he did not want to see his sister ending up as an otaku.. From his work, My Sister Is Just So Cute, his ideal sister was the perfect all-powerful, proud, confident, and somehow narcissistic sister. Perhaps he thought that his introverted otaku sister, Yuan Shawu was too easy a target. He would rather have his sister bully others than have her be bullied by others. Even if she was despicable and difficult to deal with, it would only please him. Yuan Zhengzong, the elder brother, had thought it all out for his younger sister. Society did not take kindly to otakus. The internet and food services were so well-developed now, that otakus could stay in their rooms for all eternity. People would despise those otakus if only they knew how hopeless the otakus were. Other than otakus, people also despised older people who stayed single. Why would they not find a partner if they were healthy? No matter how happy you were to remain single, you cant stop the secular bias of the world. Maybe it was the hidden power of the human race that drives us to reproduce. If everyone believed that being single would be happier, wouldnt the human race be extinct? Therefore, once humans can be reproduced artificially, those older people would no longer feel the pressure of the world. If you do not want any offsprings, you no longer have to worry about human extinction while going about with your single life. You could even participate in some assessment to adopt a child issued by the government. Yuan Shawu was satisfied with her brother, other than the fact that he had been born a boy, not a girl. She had thought that Yuan Zhengzong was the abusive or perverted brother. After all, he was bringing girls straight to his home. But now, it appeared that Yuan Zhengzongs was a naive, gullible gentleman. There was nothing that he could not do when it involved serving a girl. Yuan Zhengzong backed off on Qiu Yuting. His mind was simple. Perhaps he always believed that there was no need to be careful with pretty faces; he even wished that every pretty girl would live happily and harmoniously. As a gentleman that would do anything for a girl, Yuan Shawu, or rather, Lady Zhao, would treat him appropriately. As mean as she was, she was not an evil person. Yuan Zhengzong was too kind to be treated badly. Yuan Zhengzong was like a manga classroom protagonist. Most readers who knew his story-style disliked him, yet they could not hate a good gentleman. As long as he did not become Itou Makoto and remained an asexual gentleman, nobody could hate him. There were people like him in reality, hence readers did not have to imagine much about him. Yuan Shawu further pleased her loving good brother. She actually helped her brother to prepare their dinner With Xu Jings ability to do housework and cook, Yuan Shawu did not make cooking any harder for her brother. Instead, his brother was content with her performance. Finally, his sister has changed, she even found her great talent in cooking! Yuan Zhengzong was indeed a simple-minded man. He did not even find this profound change one bit weird. He had accepted the new sister in front of him, just like that. Only Qiu Yuting, the plagiarist was impressed! From what she recalled, Yuan Shawu had always been a useless sister. (she did not know that Yuan Shawu later became his brothers illustrator, a well-kept secret.) Anyway, Qiu Yuting felt absolutely superior in front of Yuan Shawu. She had thought she was better than this useless sister in every way. However, she soon found Yuan Shawu to be a highly proficient cook, while she knew next to nothing about it. She could almost feel her face burning with jealousy! At least she had to be far better than Yuan Shawu in music, right! Her innate musical abilities may not be spectacular, but she had an entire library of iconic music from the future to draw reference from. It would be impossible for Yuan Shawu to be better than her, the reborn! Qiu Yuting acted immediately. She switched on her mobile phone and copied a popular song in the future, the Promise of Autumn.[1] It was a song performed by a young goddess in the future. According to the timeline, that would be three years later. Qiu Yutings mind was filled with future songs that were not easy to master. She could care less about classical music. In her opinion, classical music was too complex to comprehend. It was destined to be eventually expelled from society It would be ridiculous to expect a high school student to comprehend musical literacy, especially like Qiu Yuting, who had inadvertently entered the entertainment world. She was not a composer in her previous life; she could not even write the notes of a song properly on musical sheets. Maybe she could hire a professional musician to listen to her song and draft a musical sheet of it for her. As a matter of fact, several reincarnated Plagiarists did the same thing. It was impossible for her to take the song down, note for not, so she could only sing songs for the professionals to record. Hence, she would never earn respect from musical professionals. These professionals could not believe that an illiterate could ever compose anything addictive and impressive. To save themselves from shame, most reincarnated would imply that they had heard from some unknown source. As for the thick-faced like Qiu Yuting, this was her musical gift! One who could not even tell the difference between treble and bass was boasting about her musical talent. Was her face made of concrete? Still, Qiu Yuting words were strong. Nobody would even fathom that she was a reincarnated. Even if they knew that she had copied it from the future, what right did they have to condemn her musical talent? Translation Note: [1] The Promise of Autumn(Լ) was derived from Yue Ding(Promise) (Լ) by Where Chou. It was sold more than five hundred thousand copy and being named the four young goddesses along with three other artists. Chapter 759 - Let Us Begin Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation Yuan Zhengzong was surprised to find Yuan Shawu not only helping out, but actually preparing a few home-cooked, delicious-looking dishes by herself. Yuan Zhengzong and Qiu Yuting helped themselves to her cooking. Yuan Zhengzong often cooked for his sister, and was surprised to find her as the far better cook! Qiu Yuting was shocked. These days, it was rare to find a girl who could cook. Their numbers have fallen far behind men who could cook Making Qiu Yuting cook would be impossible. She thought highly of herself, even going far as to treat herself as the pop queen of the future. She was certain that in her future, money would endlessly flow into her possession. Why bother herself with something that a hired cook could provide? Nevertheless, Qiu Yuting had to admit Yuan Shawa could cook pretty well. Men would always give her additional marks for it. Fortunately, Yuan Shawu was just Yuan Zhengzongs sister. Otherwise, wouldnt she be a deadly competitor? At that moment, Qiu Yuting was most cautious about Liu Shan, the editor responsible for Yuan Zhengzong work. She was excellent in housekeeping and caretaking. Bit by bit she had slipped into Yuan Zhengzongs life, becoming the gentle and elegant editor that he held dear in his heart. After that happy meal, Yuan Zhengzong had been courteous enough to send Qiu Yuting home. He was so ignorant, not realizing how she knew about him having a sister, even knowing her name. His instincts had convinced him that the beautiful Qiu Yuting could never mean any ill Well, Qiu Yuting was not really a bad person. People would salute her for her righteous character. Perhaps she had been suppressed in the entertainment industry before her rebirth. Now that she had been granted a second chance, she swore to become someone who mattered in that industry! Hence, upon her return, she edited and plagiarized several songs from memory. After filling in the lyrics, she had asked her trusted friend who had studied in music to transcribe the notes. At the same time, she had registered her account at the largest, original music website in the source world, prepared to upload her original songs there as soon as possible. In the cultural and entertainment source world, copyright protection was almost flawless. Piracy did not exist. All websites for music, novels, comic books, and other original websites had been fully developed. It was a perfect world for any talented composer or author! As a result, such a world was a cultural desert, a world with no obvious trends that stood out. They were forced to copy other worlds advanced cultures to fill in that one thing which was impossible for their world to create. It was almost appropriate to assume that piracy played a big role in shaping the culture of a civilization! Of course, the entire paragraph up there was an overgeneralized, blanket statement. This source world was a pain in the ass. Anyone could plagiarize anything. Therefore, they had to make sure that there was zero piracy, giving their top priority on copyright protection. The cultural desert was merely an unintended side effect. As Qiu Yuting was busy making her songs famous, other plagiarists such as Yuan Shawus classmate Luo Chen, did not sit idly by. Like Yuan Shawu, Luo Chen was a fringe figure in the class. He was born in an environment that was harsher than Yuan Shawu. At least Yuan Shawu had a brother who she can depend on. Luo Chen grew up in an orphanage, having lost both parents, and was extremely poor. He was not very popular at school either. He had even been beaten unconscious a few times. Eventually, Luo Chen became possessed by a young literary and artistic youth from Planet Aqua Blue, also known as Luo Chen. The first of his radical changes would be an eidetic memory that contained all the information about his other world. All he had to do was focus on his thoughts, and he could search through Planet Aqua Blues wide range of iconic pieces of literature. The youth from Planet Aqua Blue, Luo Chen, was not as weak as the orphan who lost his parents in this source world. He had impressive characteristics such as his solidarity, his high levels self-respect, and his determination to become a great literary magnate. However, he was only good enough to be a web novelist not even being eligible for a contract. Luo Chen was the kind of young scholar who could only write a few beautiful paragraphs, and that was it. Fortunately, he had read many books, their beautiful sentences deeply engraved in his mind. They were now his most powerful writing tools in this source world. Luo Chen was currently short of money. The school was even threatening to expel him, if he could not pay the fees. Of course, such a thing was a little too ridiculous in the real world. However, we needed such plotline to force a character to write novels and earn a living. This was the cliche source world of culture and recreation. How else could one force plagiarists to copy and take the easy path? The cash-starved Luo Chen decided to make his first barrel-load of money by copying various online novels. The network of the source world was rather well developed. The Internet still provided a 100 percent genuine reader rate. They only read from the China Literature Chinese Novel Platform. [1] It may have monopolized the entire industry, but it possessed enough goodwill to treat its writers humanely. Other than electronic copyright, everything was decided by the authors themselves. Luo Chen had used his pirated smartphone to access the China Literature Chinese Novel Platform. Interestingly, this entertainment world was not 100 percent authentic, except for the cultural industry. Luo Chen was impressed with the favorable treatment from China Literature Chinese Novel Platform. It gave writers much breathing room. Unfortunately, the popular novels would all be considered pieces of trash in his Planet Aqua Blue. They were outdated by at least 20 years! The online novels on Planet Aqua Blue were vibrant and lively. Various authors had fully exploited every genre. Any online novels from Planet Aqua Blue would definitely surpass the rubbish level of the current world. Hence, the first online novel he chose to copy was I Am The Great Magician. [2] This simple online novel was well-known throughout Aqua Blue. It even had a meme of its own that involved how eating one sweet potato would grant anyone the next level of magical power! As a highly capable plagiarist, not even one hundred thousand words a day was a challenge to him. All he had to do was to copy every word from the original text. He ignored the importance of developing a personalized writing style. Little did he know that remarkable authors always developed unique writing styles of their own. Luo Chen decided on a pseudonym Planet Aqua Blue, in memory of his world. Translation Note: [1] China Literature Chinese Novel Platform . China Literature Limited(ļ) was the original name of the current company, Tencent Literature. [2] I Am The Great Magician (Ǵħʦ) is a short novel written by Ben Jita ( ) Chapter 760 - The Great Makeover Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation Luo Chen was merely one of the plagiarists in the source world. Other protagonists had started to act as well. They shared a similar quest system like him and were granted all sorts of abilities or talents by completing the tasks assigned to them. One could say that they contributed to each brick used to build this cultural desert. Lady Zhao Yuan Shawu kicked her high school life off. Fortunately, she did not have to start from year one, but as a high school senior. To be precise, she was a high school senior who was just getting started on her new semester. The female otaku, Yuan Shawu, went to school on the next day looking totally different, thanks to Lady Zhao. Although she was still in her sports uniform, something about her was different. She had even gone to an excellent barber shop overnight. Of course, the barber shop was no longer called a barbershop. It was known as a professional image design center. Just like how the internets cafe were not called internet cafes, but a coffee center with internet. Lady Zhao was just too good in fashion and character design. Some makeup and image beautification apps, would turn any girl into a goddess. Such was one of Lady Zhaos talents. For a girl like Yuan Shawu who already had solid foundations, Zhao Youyue instantly knew what hairstyle suited her the most by a single glance. Though students were allowed only to tie up their long hair, there was more than one way of tying up a tail. Even bangs could end up in bob cuts or crew cuts. Yuan Shawu, had no knowledge regarding this manner. She was not aware that when a girls face improved, all the malice that came from the entire world immediately turned into goodwill. A pretty face came before everything else in all worlds. Hence, every female character that Lady Zhao chose to control would be turned in to pretty woman, no matter how plain they started off as. In fact, the girls face did not need to be the prettiest in the world. As long as it was charming and comfortable to look at, every man on earth would gladly show them chivalry. Yuan Shawu and Lady Zhao did not possess the same type of face. The real Zhao Youyue grew stronger in character as her aura of passers-by gradually faded. Her aura became much more intense than usual, announcing to the world that this was the great and magnificent Lady Zhao. Her connections to the upper levels of society made her an empress, and people definitely treated her like one. Ordinary men would never dare look straight at her. They would avert their gazes to their toes. Yuan Shawus face was pure and innocent. Most men would want to protect her at first sight. With the appropriate ponytail and light makeup, she would be one of the most heart-provoking female high school students! When Yuan Zhengzong saw his transformed sister the next day, he blurted out the words: Hey beautiful, who are you? Maybe it was because Yuan Zhengzong had grown up with his sister since birth, never once thinking that she was beautiful. At least she was not ugly, and at least, he did not hate it. But he never believed that he would have a beautiful sister who would be the talk of her entire school. Maybe that was why he had written an ideal image of his sister in that light story called, My Sister Is Just So Cute. Compared to his plain, ordinary sister, it would be far better to create the perfect sister in his world, wouldnt it? Yuri Shawu looked at her surprised brother. She smirked, whispering in her heart, I barely put any effort into it, yet Yuan Shawus appearance is now at a completely different level. That siscon of a brother has totally fallen for it, how easy. Is breakfast ready? Yuri Shawu said, putting on a nasty look. This was no brother of hers, this was her dog. Her self-content expression perfectly matched Yuan Zhengzongs sister character in My Sister. [1] He never knew what was good about this sister character, but she had been highly popular among the readers. Perhaps because of her identity as someones sister? Yuan Zhengzong seems pleased to be treated that way. He liked how his sister had changed. She was now proud and arrogant, having inherited the bad temper of Lady Zhao. This was the perfect sister of his dream! Yuan Zhengzong was a masochist. However, his sister was merely a female otaku who could not be the adorable sister he wanted so much. Still, his sister was the most important person in his life. It is served, little Sha, please enjoy your meal. Yuan Zhengzong spoke softly. No one else could ever live up to Yuan Zhengzongs love for his sister. Yuan Shawu saw the breakfast on the table and gave Yuan Zhengzong a smile of approbation. This was fun. It would be impossible to find a real-life brother who would gladly fulfill all of his sisters wishes, wouldnt it? Yuan Zhengzong was mesmerized by the innocent yet beautiful smile on his sisters face. At that moment he realized how his sister was truly beautiful in every aspect. She wore her hair differently, and she had makeup on. Most of all, was her confidence. She was practically glittering like a pearl! Yuan Shawu took the bus to the school after she was finished with the breakfast. The bus would go past four stops before reaching school. It was a completely new experience for Lady Zhao, since she had never once taken a bus in her life. She always had her own personal car to send her anywhere since youth. The pretty woman that Lady Zhao had crafted, Yuan Shawu went onto the bus with her innocent, yet elegant look. In no time at all, she had attracted a great deal of attention. Male passengers would always find themselves fortunate to gaze at a pretty face in their bus ride. But why have they never noticed such a beautiful high school student before? Some men hated the school rules about school uniforms. Why could they not make the school uniform any more fashionable, like shorter skirts for a start? It was completely absurd Somehow, two stops later, another guy in a school uniform coincidently boarded the bus. It was Yuan Shawus classmate, Luo Chen. Yuan Shawu knew everything about this world. Of course, she was aware that Luo Chen could access his memory and novels from another parallel world, and how he stirred up the world of online literature She thought that she should quickly establish a connection with this Great Author. Translation Note: [1] My sister ãis a short form for My Sister Is Just So Cute Chapter 761 - A Congenial Company Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation Luo Chen from the parallel world may have had his memories merged with the Luo Chen of this world, but both memories still failed to recall anything particular about his classmate, Yuan Shawu. The current Yuan Shawu was a far cry from what little he remembered of the original. However, this did not prevent him from indulging in the pretty picture. How fortunate he was to have her as a schoolmate. She was this beautiful in the sports uniform, so what would she look like in a prettier dress? Would she not be a goddess? Luo Chen was terrible with women. It was not like the opportunity rarely presented itself to him. It was not like he could not bathe his eyes in their beauty. It was his lack of guts to strike up a chat with them. To Luo Chens slight surprise, this little beauty actually took the initiative to greet him! Luo Chen, I did not know we took the same bus! Yuan Shawus smile was like the friendly girl next door. She knew his name! Luo Chen hurriedly sifted through his memory. Was the Luo Chen in this world actually connected to this little beauty? If he did, that might be a problem. In his previous life, he thought himself as one of the brightest people in the world, yet he was single all the time. As he aged, he was forced to go on blind dates. Therefore, he soon developed a fear of family reunions. In this world, Luo Chen was merely a second-classed high school student with a plain appearance, poor grades and he was most definitely not tall. Luo Chen was not sure if his cheats and talents alone could make up for the shortcomings of such a person. Fortunately, he had the golden finger of a library of Planet Aqua Blue novels in his brain, enough to make him a great writer in the world. Without it, his future would have most certainly been bleak. Luo Chen was certain that one should start a relationship as a high school student. Girls would all be in their best condition. Upon stepping into society, single lady would decline exponentially. When it came to courting girls, only witty young boys would be winners for life. They would look for girls who came from higher society and cling onto them for life girls who were of similar standing as Lady Zhao. If they succeeded, they would have nothing to worry about in their future. Even if they failed to make it last forever, they have had their wonderful moments with these high-quality girls. They had nothing to lose. Upon stepping into society, they just had to look for girls beneath them Luo Chen could not find anything in his memories that were related to this beautiful young junior. He smiled awkwardly, scratching his head, Hello, who are you? Both Luo Chens were single and shy. He was awful at dealing with girls, pretty ones especially. It took every fibre in his body to look as aloof as possible. Yuan Shawu was highly experienced in dealing with such men. The nice smile on her face did not grow any fader and she said, Im Yuan Shawu. Were in the same class. Dont you recognize me? When Luo Chen heard the name, Yuan Shawu, his memory banks went to work. All that came back was a gloomy girl who was hardly worth mentioning. She did not have any friends. She did not even go to the bathroom in pairs. As nobody noticed her existence, nobody bothered to cause any trouble to her. If you did not know that a person existed, how could you put that person in your crosshairs, easy as a target they might be? Compared to her, Luo Chen was in a far more miserable situation. The school could care less about enforcing discipline. Bullying incidents were neither controlled nor contained. Students resorted to various despicable methods, fighting for the throne. Coincidentally, mobster novels were one of the most popular genres on the Internet, such as Young And Dangerous. [1] In this cultural desert, there were no hidden forms of power to stem the flow of this poison. Hence, it had greatly influenced the high school environment, which was already terrible with discipline, to begin with. Luo Chen was one of the victims of this culture. He was that errand boy who often had to buy his bullies lunch. You are Yuan Shawu? Oh, Im sorry. My brain just short-circuited for a moment, Luo Chen jerked upright. He was still having trouble processing his vision. The girl in front of him was brimming with energy. Nobody could possibly ignore her presence. How could she be the Yuan Shawu from his memories? And when was she this beautiful? If she was this pretty, some influential guy would have already set his sights on her. It was common for those gangsters in campus to force themselves upon pretty girls. They could resort to blackmail, or anything of the sort. And so, Yuan Shawu started to chat with Luo Chen. She seemed to have maxed out socializing stats. Even an introvert like Luo Chen quickly got comfortable talking to her. Luo Chen never once had an acquaintance of the opposite sex, let alone a respectable friend of the opposite sex. He now felt that he had one, and they were resonating like never before. Did this make him the protagonist of this world? His first day transmigrating to this world, and a beauty from his class had already approached him. Was this the beginning of a wonderful harem? As he thought of this, his heart started dancing a jig of joy, even if his face remained as calm as the surface of a lake. He would have to make a good impression of himself here. It was not that he had fallen in love with Yuan Shawu at first sight. Like other men, he was an animal focused on the survival of the fittest. When a man is placed before a beautiful girl, they could not help but start fantasizing about it. Would sparks fly between the two of them in the future? The good kind? He was an old scholar who had long been cursed by loneliness. Now that he was a high school student, he had vowed to himself that he would strike up a relationship as soon as possible. It would be a massive waste, if he did not do so! Luo Chen started to review his current circumstances. He was an orphan, and there were no parents around to force him into a relationship. With a long sigh, he realized that people would never appreciate something until it is lost forever. Yuan Shawu and Luo Chen walked together, laughing all the way to the entrance of Ranked Number Thirteen high school. Luo Chens smile faded almost immediately when he saw three boys in the same uniform. The first one held a cigarette in his mouth. These were the three yobs who regularly picked on him Luo Chen could not care less if he was alone to get pummeled. Now, he was concerned about the safety of his newfound friend, the little beauty Yuan Shawu. Translation Note: [1] Young And Dangerous(Ż) film series is a collection of Hong Kong films about a group of young triad members, detailing their adventures, dangers, and growth in a Hong Kong triad society. The series is based on a popular comic book series known as Teddy Boy. Chapter 762 - Activating the Spear and the Shield! Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation On this moment, Luo Chen hated himself for not having a cheat that gave him combat abilities. Otherwise, these three punks would not be so arrogant. Most importantly was Yuan Shawus safety, the little beauty who looked so helpless and fragile. Luo Chen shot Yuan Shawu a look, hoping that she would leave and act as if she did not know him. Better not drag her into this However, the last thing Luo Chen expected was for Yuan Shawu to stride up to them and start talking! The leader was Zhang Jun, and he preferred to be called Brother Jun. Brother Jun was not the most powerful school bully in this low-grade high school, but he could pack a punch. He was not interested in The Highest Seat. Instead, hed rather bully orphans like Luo Chen who were not protected by any parents nor teachers. He could do as he pleased! Yes, even the low-grade high school had students with good grades. With some effort, one might be able to make it into the first class. Only the top 30 ranked students were entitled to the benefits of the second class. It was a typical grading system. Students with good grades and were willing to learn would enjoy adequate protection from their teachers. Luo Chen was neither good academically, neither did he have a powerful family behind him. He was destined to be an easy target. Brother Jun, with a cigarette in his mouth, led his two younger punks and stood in Luo Chens way. As usual, he was expecting some pocket money from Luo Chen. He knew that poor students like Luo Chen had subsidies. As long as Luo Chen did not die of hunger, the rest of his money should be paid as protection money! But before Brother Jun could say a word, Yuan Shawu spoke up. Who the hell are you? Why are you in the way? Yuan Shawus tone was unkind, but her eyes were a little excited. All the schools she went to in real life were well-disciplined and orderly. With her strong family background and status as the golden child of the teachers, it was impossible for her to encounter yobs. Even if an ignorant one came across her, her hulking bodyguards would make quick work of him. She never had to get her hands dirty. Even with the Anonymous Lady Su card, Lady Zhao had not had many chances to use her sword As for her habit of holding a gem scepter in her hand, it was nothing but a display of power. She was now an ordinary high school student in a low-grade school. In the dark age of yobs, she could finally let loose and live her dream! Perhaps Zhao Youyue habitually held the scepter so often, that she would never leave her house without something in her hand. Today, she held a long umbrella. By holding a sword in her hand, she felt invincible! Brother Juns only intention was to claim his routine fees from Luo Chen. Luo Chen was at the bottom part of a food pyramid. He could not possibly be related to any pretty girls, only the ugly ones Brother Jun still had not found himself a girlfriend. Only a blind girl would fall in love with a punk. Since there were highly influential punks around, such as the one seated in the highest chair, why would any girl still come for some small fry like him? Yes, in this low-grade high school, there was a true tyrant in the school, with various legends surrounding him. Most importantly was his handsome face and charm. He was also good in academics. With such a specimen at the top of the food chain, most of the other punks quickly lost their interest in pursuing anything. Brother Jun looked like a monster as he shifted his sights to Yuan Shawu. What he saw terrified him! When did their school earn another beautiful female student! High school students like Brother Jun paid little attention to their studies. Naturally, they preferred talking about those beautiful girls in school. For example, the four prettiest school flowers that only appeared in novels. It was all made up by people who were bored like them. But there was no doubt that these big four school flowers existed. Even so, they were merely beautiful on the outside, as their pathetic worshipers surrounded them in school. As a matter of fact, low-grade schools were always full of pretty girls. These pretty girls were probably so proud of their statuses, that they have lost focus on their studies and lost the opportunity to enroll in a good school. Every year, it was a typical scene for students to get expelled from the school because of pregnancy. Even though it was explicitly forbidden to start a relationship, nobody could stop the underground burrowing. Burrow too hard, and safeguards would fail. Of course, when it came to low-graded high schools that lack disciplinary practices, the abortion rate would be significantly higher. Not every student could be involved in such a thing. Only the pretty ones could treat the relationship as a game. There was a nickname given to those girls with their own hidden agenda in a relationship. They were called Green Tea Bitches. The top ranking Green Tea Bitches was often single, as once they were involved in a relationship, they would lose a lot of followers and along with it, the sensation of being worshipped as a goddess. Therefore, they would mostly flirt and fool around with those gifts they received unconditionally. Some even refused to have sexual intercourse before marriage. If they did so, their market value would have dropped exponentially. No matter how open-minded society had grown, most men preferred having virgins before their marriages. It was not a necessity, but if their wife was a virgin, that was a great bonus! A brilliant Green Tea Bitch could have countless followers. She would remain a virgin because she was never in a serious relationship. If one was truly in love with her, why could he not wait until they were married to have sexual intercourse; they would prove ones responsibility towards the girls well-being. When he saw Yuan Shawu, brother Jun immediately wiped the monster off his face. A gorgeous lady could turn any male into a meek lamb, including hooligan like Brother Jun. He picked up a far gentler tone and said, Hi pretty, he is the one that we are trying to stop, you may leave now. Luo Chen was literally squeezing the cold sweat out of his pores when Yuan Shawu had barked at those notorious yobs. What happened next baffled him even more. Zhang Jun actually went easy on her. Indeed, life could turn out smooth sailing, if you happened to be good looking. However, Yuan Shawu did not buy Zhang Juns gentleness for a moment. She straightened her back an got even closer to him. Who do you think you are to stop him, he is a friend of mine. Buzz off! Luo Chen turned into a statue. Why is she trying to make things worse?! Chapter 763 - The Way of the Sword Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation Luo Chen obviously thought that Yuan Shawu had lost her mind. Was she suffering from cognitive dissonance or something? Did she live in a world of her own? However, while looking at Yuan Shawu like he was staring at an asylum patient, he felt a sincere gratitude from the bottom of his heart. After two centuries of living, this was the first time a girl had stood up for him. Ironically, he was a prideful man, and he also could not stomach being protected by a fair maiden. As conflicting emotions from both sides of the spectrum clashed in his heart, the two guys behind Brother Jun shouted, Luo Chen, are you a man? How could you hide behind a girl? After considering every possibility, Brother Jun figured that Yuan Shawu could not possibly have any big shot covering her back. He adopted a far harsher tone and said, Get lost, woman. Dont get in my way. You dont want me to ruin your pretty face, do you! Zhang Jun was tall, and burly, if not a little thick around the waist. Those words from such a man would be enough to intimidate most. It sent Luo Chens heart beating rapidly. He wanted to protect Yuan Shawu and earn some points from her. However, Brother Juns imposing manner gave him pause Obviously, they were making a fair bit of noise. A small crowd had gathered around them. Students were quite used to this kind of campus bullying incidents. Well, at least this was not a group fight. What that had attracted their attention was actually Yuan Shawu, the little miss justice who had just emerged out of nowhere A tall, thin, and handsome boy was walking lazily towards the school gate, his over-extended sling bag almost falling off his shoulder. He was greeted by a rather interesting sight. This handsome boy was the most badass school bully in this third-rate high school. He was the top dog with all the characteristics of a hooligan, but he was not affiliated with any gang in school. However, a word from him was enough for the hooligans beneath him to quail. Might equal right. And he was mighty. Secondly, rumor had it that he came from a wealthy family. Even adult mobsters would not dare mess with him. Perhaps, if he was a novel character, we could categorize him as an Underworld Young Lord This handsome guy was Ye Fan. Just the name alone was enough for you to know that this guy was not a regular Joe. Who knows, to characters with the main character aura, Ye Fan was the villain character who was eventually destined to be beaten by the main character. Ye Fan was currently admiring this beautiful girl who had bravely stepped out. Who cared if she was a little daft in the head. Well, he decided to wait for the critical moment. He wanted to demonstrate his authority in this school. Other onlookers were very worried about Yuan Wusha. At the same time, they were secretly looking down on Luo Chen, who seemed terrified of the bullies. However, they did not expect that very coward to be the first person to make a move! And they definitely did not see a Flying Kick ability actually being activated by this coward. One of Brother Juns follower actually went flying Brother Jun could not help but be furious. He finally made his move. This little bug needed to know his place! Who gave Luo Chen such courage? Of course, Brother Jun did not know that the weak soul in Luo Chens body had been replaced by another person from a parallel world. The other person was marginally more confident than the original character. At the same time, the golden finger in his mind had led him to believe that he was the main character of this world. Of course, the protagonist would have to lash out! While stuck in the after-pose of that move, he looked and Yuan Wusha and said, Run quickly. I got this! However, he did not even get three seconds of being cool. Zhang Jun fist buried itself in Luo Chens stomach. Luo Chen clutched his stomach and fell to his knees Ye Fan decided to step in. Things were getting ugly, and this beautiful girl might get caught up in it. However, something unexpected occurred next. Yuan Wusha, who looked like the most harmless person on the planet, dashed up! The long-handle umbrella in her hand seemed to have turned into a sword in its scabbard. At the speed of light, she had slipped behind the two hooligans. All they saw was her putting the umbrella back in its imaginary scabbard by its side Then, the onlooker students witnessed a miraculous scene. Brother Jun and the other hooligans pants dropped to their knees. Of course, that included their underwear. Miracle aside, it was not a pleasant sight. Some of the students could not help but laugh, That big man looks so tall and strong, but who would have expected that little caterpillar to be hiding beneath his briefs What just happened? Button failure on all three of them at the same time? Underwear too? Is that the long-lost Jianghu hidden skill Is that girl a chuunibyou? Shes doing that silly quick-draw pose with a freaking umbrella! That was no delusion. Plus doing it with an umbrella would be doubly impressive. She had just cut through fabric with that fragile plastic. That was some terrifying sword skill! Really? Sword skills? What era is this? Are we in a freaking wuxia world now? Brother Jun and his two cronies were extremely embarrassed. They ran like dogs with tails tucked between their legs. They might have to stay that way for the rest of their school lives. Luo Chen witnessed everything that had just happened. Even though he still remained on his knees, clutching his stomach, he saw that Yuan Shawus eyes had completely changed. He had believed her to be a weak, fragile little girl. Now, he could not help but feel that she was some low-key martial arts expert! He had no words to describe the style. All he knew was that she was blazingly quick, and she knew how to use an extended implement. Nothing could possibly defeat her in a 1 vs 1 match. No one would even have the chance to touch the corners of her shirt! Luo Chen started to doubt if he was still the main character of this world. It would be very embarrassing if the apocalypse occurred while he was focusing on copying books, or if his aura suddenly awakened and all sorts of abilities manifested Another person had clearly seen everything. Of course, it was that tall, thin, and white-skinned handsome guy, Ye Fan. The legendary Underworld Young Lord, the biggest boss behind the scenes in the entire high school, Ye Fan. Ye Fan had never once been this curious about a girl. Do not misunderstand it. He had not fallen in love at first sight. It was that euphoria one got from watching someone else perform splendidly in ones specialty. He could not tell which was better, his Ye Familys Wing Chun was more powerful, or the girls swordsmanship. He wanted to know more about her. Chapter 764 - A Laughing Stock? Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation In just a short while, Yuan Shawus name shot up among the ranks. Well, she did not even need to reveal her sword skills in the first place; she could still attract everyones attention with her brand new appearance. In a third-rate high school like this, having good grades may not be as good as a beautiful appearance. You could only have a sense of presence if you looked beautiful. Even the top students in this poor school could not be compared to those from Key High Schools. The best students might not even be able to get into a Key University [1], let alone a famous one. However, there was no doubt that Yuan Wushas original classmates would not have expected her to undergo such a huge change. Overnight, that previously gloomy otaku had become a confident girl with a bright personality, and she even knew how to fight! She could easily compete for a position as a gang leader in this third-rate high school! After Yuan Shawu beat up the three hooligans with her sword, she saw her companion, Luo Chen, was still helplessly clutching his stomach. She walked over and pulled him up. Time to head for class. After Luo Chen was saved by Yuan Wusha in a damsel saving the hero in distress manner, his gratitude for her shot through the roof. Also, her strength had blown him away. It was such a pity that the weather was still icy-cold, and that the both of them were wrapped in thick clothing. If not, this would definitely be his first time being treated so warmly by a girl in both his lifetimes. If he did not keep telling himself that the feeling of She likes me was a misconception, then he would have probably fallen for her. This was the peril of women taking action. In this case, a girl getting a guy out of trouble was enough for most men to misunderstand. At least Luo Chenn was only curious about his savior. His eyes were not seeing things. Yuan Shawus sword skills were nothing normal. He had not caught sight of the sword making its first appearance, but he saw the moment it struck like a lightning bolt. After that, the situation then became clear. Luo Chen suddenly felt that his plagiarism golden finger suddenly looked like peanuts, compared to those actual sword skills. Who knows, she might one day rule the planet, and he would still remain at the bottom. Of course, this was all in his head. Now, Luo Chen just wanted to be friends with Yuan Shawu. Who knows, she might one day reveal her secrets. Many novels would write about how a girl would start to fall for a guy once she became curious about him. However, this situation was reversed. When a guy became curious about a girl, what would he do? It took a while for Luo Chen to recover from that powerful punch. He made up his mind to start training up his body from that day onwards. He was still a man with pride. It was too embarrassing for him to be protected by a girl! In such a poor school, youd need to know how to fight if you did not want to get bullied! Ye Fan tailed Yuan Wusha and Luo Chen until they entered Class 6. He then returned to his Class 1. The Class 1 that he was in could be considered rather orderly. This was because there was a school bully like him keeping watch. In other words, no one was allowed to bully anyone in Class 1. Therefore, at least the students who wanted to study in Class 1 could do so without any interruptions. Therefore, Ye Fan was rather well-liked. The students in the class even called Ye Fan their guardian angel. They even felt the Underworld Young Lord was a noble deity. Ye Fan was not the type who would bully the weak. However, he was good at stopping evil and violence, using fire against fire. As Yuan Wusha helped Luo Chen into their classroom, many eyes were fixated on them. The students in the class were obviously more familiar with Luo Chen. Luo Chen had an inexplicable sense of presence in his class. This was because he was the lowest member in the food chain, and was always getting himself beaten up. Rumors about his orphanhood had also made itself known. Some felt pity for him, but rarely did anyone step in to offer actual help. Some students, however, looked down on him. Recently, children with single parents were often viewed as aliens, let alone Luo Chen, an orphan without either Luo Chens deskmate was Yang Fei, a rather kind fatty. He felt sympathy for Luo Chen, so he would always share some of his snacks with him. However, even he looked down on Luo Chen. Luo Chen was living like a good-for-nothing in this world. He was already being stomped beneath the mud, yet he was taking it all without protest. Was he not asking for all this? However, Yang Fei did not even put himself in Luo Chens shoes. If Yang Fei had been forced to face those terrifying gangsters, he might have wet his pants Soon, the students noticed Yuan Wusha, who was standing beside Luo Chen. All of them had the same thought in their minds C Hey, beautiful chick, who are you? Then, they wondered about the relationship between this beautiful chick and Luo Chen You should know that no girls would voluntarily approach a guy like Luo Chen, who had no looks, no height, no money, no spine. Before this, Luo Chen had a crush on the prettiest girl in his class, Xie Wanting. He had even handed Xie Wanting a love letter on the day before this. In the end, he became a laughing stock. Perhaps, everyone had a little sadist in them. If it was another guy professing his love for Xie Wanting, who knows, she might save him some embarrassment when rejecting him. However, since it was Luo Chen, then he had no pride to keep from the very beginning Xie Wanting had pasted the love letter that Luo Chen had written for her on the blackboard. She had then added a rather sharp footnote C a toad wishes to eat swan meat! As a result, almost everyone in the class saw the lame, badly written love letter by the talentless Luo Chen. However, the contents held some weight. There was sincerity in it, no doubt about it. Almost everyone was waiting to see Luo Chen, the laughing stock. Of course, some of them had said, Xie Wanting was too much this time. I feel so bad for Luo Chen. But in the end, they were still eager to see the laughing stock Luo Chen did enter the class, but he had his arm over the shoulders of a chick. A very beautiful chick. Were their eyes playing tricks on them? This chick was at least as beautiful as the prettiest girl in their class, Xie Wanting! Xie Wanting may be pretty, but she had a glaring flaw. Her smile. Whenever she smiled, her entire gums would be revealed If this beautiful girls smile surpassed that, the title of prettiest girl in class would easily change hands! Translation note: [1] Key University (һ) referred to universities recognized as prestigious and which received a high level of support from the central government of the Peoples Republic of China. Chapter 765 - Disgrace Luo Chen felt utterly helpless. When he saw his condemned love letter pasted in all its glory on the blackboard, he then recalled the folly of this bodys former occupant Possessing this parallel worlds Luo Chen was like a hell-level difficulty starting point. At least he would not repeat this bodys previous mistakes. He knew his place, and he knew all about unrealistic expectations. This girl would have been a waste of his time. He did not think that Yuan Shawu would possibly have any feelings for him. Instead, he firmly believed that Yuan Shawu was a really kind girl. She would have stood up for anyone else in the classroom This was a whole new level of misunderstanding, a good one perhaps. His predecessor was obviously unpopular. He lacked courage, he lacked charm, and just about anyone would pick on him. Even after all that, he actually had the courage to write a love letter in the pursuit of love? Has she ever heard of Fish Leongs [1] Courage? Luo Chen was highly ashamed of his past self. Fortunately, he was nothing like the previous Luo Chen. If not, he would have been spared from this low blow. Who knows, Luo Chen might even live after this. It should be known that every person had an enough is enough point. Also, there was a persons spiritual pillar and ultimately, a persons dignity. If these traits were lost, a person might lose all hope Of course, Luo Chen would be furious about how his predecessor had behaved. What kind of girl did he like? This girl had no sense of propriety at all. Was it proper for her to publicly execute her admirer? Yuan Shawu also saw Luo Chens love letter. As a person who had already received countless love letters in the real world, she could instantly deduce the quality of this love letter. In the language of the love letter-expert Han Leng, this was not a love letter. It was a break-up letter. When this letter is sent out, the girl would feel nothing in her heart. On the contrary, she might even laugh at it. The best case scenario was to have it instantly disposed of. Worst case scenario? Youre looking at it. Its recipient would not be laughing alone, she would get an entire room full of people to join her, if you were lucky. However, Yuan Shawu did not laugh at him. She took down the letter, and wiped off the words a toad wishes to eat swan meat. As a result, the prettiest girl in the class, Xie Wanting almost blew up with rage. In reality, she felt that she had been struck in the face when she saw Luo Chen and Yuan Shawu walking closely together into the classroom. This was because she heard other students saying C Luo Chen, what a lad. How did you get so close to this beautiful girl? Who is this beautiful girl? Is she a transfer student? She looks prettier than Xie Wanting! This girl looks quite familiar, but I just cannot put a name to that face. Speaking of which, did the cunning Luo Chen plan this out to humiliate Xie Wanting? Luo Chen has such a beautiful chick by his side. Why would he write a love letter to Xie Wanting? Ah! Luo Chen not that complicated. You could read him like a book. At least those who could not bear to bully Luo Chen are not all bad. But those who would step on Luo Chen just for the fun of it, tsk tsk. What an off-putting character Isnt it true that bitch, Xie Wanting, was backed by that person? What prettiest girl of the class title? Why do I feel that she had made it up herself? Those gums are horrifying! Of course, it was impossible for Xie Wanting to get angry at those gossiping students. However, she could direct all her fury upon Luo Chen. Yes, she had powerful backings, more than that little punk Zhang Jun. She was beautiful enough to gain the favor of some big shots, so she could have things her way! What was a big bully? Of course, it was those with entourages of their own. At the same time, they had to be wealthy, and it would help if they knew some adult mobsters on the streets. Of course, the little punks were still afraid of their teachers, unlike the bigger fishes. However, they would not confront the teachers directly. Nothing could stop them from being expelled. Good job, now you get an early ticket to society. You might even make a name for yourself out there. Well, the big bullies were aware of the luxury of freedom that this little school could provide. However, in society, they would not be able to stir up trouble as they did before. Therefore, their behavior in school would never go overboard, up to the most that money could buy. As long as they were a hair-breadth short of getting expelled, that was fine. Xie Wanting felt that she had done her best to embarrass Luo Chen, but instead, she had been the one humiliated. This was clearly the fault of the girl next to Luo Chen! Xie Wanting went up to Yuan Shawu and snarled, Which class are you from? Why did you touch the things in our class? Get lost! Yuan Shawu could not be bothered to waste her breath on this thing. She turned around and walked towards her seat. Then, in front of everyones eyes, she calmly took her place. Now, everyone had different expressions on their faces, and some were even producing gasps. Are you kidding me?! Thats Yuan Shawus seat! This beautiful girl was actually Yuan Shawu? Something seemed to have dawned upon the students. Everyone finally recognized Yuan Shawus face, but how was it possible? This beautiful chick was that gloomy otaku, Yuan Shawu! Yuan Shawu was clearly a side character. How did changing her hairstyle change everything? She could even surpass Xie Wanting! Yuan Shawu flashed a smile at Xie Wanting, the arrogant, holier than thou kind. It was quite obvious that she was provoking her. But damn, that smile was beautiful. On the other hand, the prettiest girl in the class had a smile that could expose what you ate last night! At that moment, Xie Wanting reached her boiling point. She wanted to smash that beautiful face up! However, at that moment, Luo Chen started speaking. The love letter had not even mentioned Xie Wantings name, his pitiful past self had only used You throughout the entire letter. He suddenly had a bright idea. This love letter of mine was not actually meant for you. I like someone else actually. So sorry, this toad does not wish to eat your swan meat. After that, he calmly tore the love letter. He was grateful towards Yuan Shawu. If she had not entered the classroom with him, he might have to undergo a long, long day. At least, this was better. Now, Xie Wanting was the butt of the joke! Chapter 766 - Crushed The prettiest girl in the class, Xie Wanting finally made a fool of herself today. She stared at Luo Chen and Yuan Shawu fiercely, certain that she had just found her two newest nemeses. The new Yuan Shawu had debuted with a bang. Perhaps, in the hearts of many boys, she was already the prettiest girl in their class. Yuan Shawu scanned through the students in the class. With the ability to see through the development of the other world line, naturally, she would be able to see the future of these students. Of course, that was just a possibility out of many other possibilities. Her change might even trigger others and change their destinies. Guys often tried harder to improve themselves if they wanted to impress a girl. Yuan Shawu, who used to be in that world line, was a side character from head to toe. There was no way that she would trigger any sort of change in others. However the troublemaking Lady Zhao was nowhere. She was charismatic, charming, and suave. She could easily capture the hearts of every boy in class, encouraging them to work harder. Luo Chen, a main character from another parallel world finally felt the change in his heart. She was so nice, so kind, it would be no surprise if he would develop some feelings for her. Many students thought that only Yuan Shawus external image had changed. However, she had more tricks up her sleeves. Her academic performance had once again shocked everyone. Whenever the teacher asked questions in class, Yuan Shawu would always answer it casually, as if she could do it in her sleep. The teachers found a newfound level of respect for this once-insignificant girl. This added on to her already stacking charm. An ordinary, intelligent girl was one thing. A beautiful, intelligent girl? Wake up, please. However, the real reason why Yuan Shawu could live peacefully was because Ye Fan had publicly stated that she was now under his protection. Whoever who dared touch Yuan Shawu would feel his wrath! Xie Wanting had been completely at a loss of words, as she had intended to get back at her. However, the big bullies she knew did not dare do anything to Yuan Shawu. Which person who was right in the head would even think of offending Ye Fan? Ye Fans announcement had led to rumors spreading around in the entire school. They were saying things like how the Underworld Young Lord had finally found a girl worth his time. She had both talent and beauty, Yuan Shawu! This was obviously a cliche plotline. It made Ye Fan seem like he was the main character of a yob genre manga. As for Luo Chen, he was just a talented guy who had a growing reputation in school. Luo Chen had set off on his plagiarizing journey. It gave him enough to feed himself and pay off his school fees. He even plagiarised certain literary works, just for the sake of showing off. He then participated in a famous writing competition and even got the First Prize! The Blue Water Star that he came from also held writing competitions of their own. The writing competitions topic just so happened to be in the library of his brain. Therefore, everything went smooth sailing. Luo Chen also started finding his spine. Yuan Shawu was also around to help him dress up, so obviously, he would look great. Anyway, he earned enough, so a few more additions to his wardrobe wouldnt hurt. One could only say that Luo Chen, who had been single in both his lives, now learned of the joys of having a close female friend. At least, he could attract a few females now. Even so, what a predicament Luo Chen was in! He was at a loss as to what to do with Yuan Shawu, who he had feelings for. As he heard Ye Fans declaration of ownership over Yuan Shawu, he felt inexplicable anger in his heart. This was because Luo Chen felt that he should be the closest guy to Yuan Shawu. Their relationship was above that of friends, but short of becoming lovers. He had bought a lot of presents for Yuan Shawu. She accepted some of them, but not all of them. This made it difficult for Luo Chen to discern how she felt about him Yuan Shawu felt that she had become the main character of the legendary girl channel [1] works. The characteristic triangle love relationship had already taken shape. However, there was a difference between Yuan Shawu and the typical girl channel works main character. Yuan Shawu wanted to experiment with the abilities of her mad scientist character card in this world, not be stuck in a love triangle. Therefore, she did not act like one such protagonist. She actually took her long-handled umbrella to Ye Fans classroom, and in front of all the students, challenged Ye Fan to a duel. She wanted to have a duel with the legendary unbeatable fighter, Ye Fan! Her behavior obviously shocked the students. This included Luo Chen, the plagiarist main character who had been paying attention to his only female friend in both his lifetimes. Even though Luo Chen knew that he had the main character aura, he knew that he could not stand up to Ye Fan, the Underworld Young Lord. That guy was also a main character in his own right. Furthermore, Ye Fan ruled over the entire school. Luo Chen was dejected. He really did not know how to fight. Currently, he was just relying on his plagiarism to make a name for himself in the school. Yuan Shawu challenging this highly capable Ye Fan to a duel was unfathomable. She was just a girl. Was she trying to seek death? In reality, Luo Chen thought that Ye Fan was just interested in Yuan Shawu, as in that kind of interest in a guy towards a girl. However, Ye Fan was merely curious about this interesting lady. He wanted this. He wanted her to come to him. Previously, Yuan Shawu had merely ignored the man. She thought that this guy was just some fool. Now, she had to protect her own reputation! Many students had thought that it was just a lovers fight between Ye Fan and Yuan Shawu. However, they were dumbfounded when they discovered that both of them were really fighting. They were even fighting vigorously and seriously. For a time, they were wondering if they were no longer living in reality Luo Chen then discovered that Ye Fan was actually having trouble standing up against Yuan Shawus superhuman sword skills. His clothes were cut to ribbons by her sword, but his body remained unscathed. This female friend of his was a true Jianghu master! Ye Fan lost, and undisputably too, at that. He actually conceded defeat. If he had not surrendered, he might even end up completely naked Chapter 767 - No Future Yuan Shawu became the biggest bully in the third-rate high school. No one dared to mess with her. Now, she could study in peace. Finally, her wish was fulfilled as she was admitted into the best university for Physician aspirants. She then took the first step to become a mad scientist. At first, Yuan Shawu wanted to become friends with the many plagiarists in this world. Later, she devoted herself into scientific researching. She no longer even recognized the existence of these plagiarists. Lets just leave them to their devices. Instead, Yuan Shawus brother, Yuan Zhengzhong got along with them. These plagiarists were just too talented. They were the master of all trades, jack of none. They could give him all sorts of inspiration and advice, which indirectly helped him create many outstanding works As Yuan Shawu remained focused on her scientific research in the plagiarist world, she did not forget to transport the outstanding works of the plagiarists from the various parallel worlds, or the rewards system to the real world. She intended to give them real flesh and form. Perhaps the unsuspecting plagiarists in this source world like Luo Chen, were unaware that Zhao Youyue was plagiarizing their plagiarism and sending them out to her real world. This was an interesting development. Zhao Youyue was too lazy to even change their pen names. Note that they did not blatantly copy and paste the entire works. They had added their own touches to it Because of this, these plagiarists who were standing on the shoulders of giants would always feel that they were in the right. They were not plagiarizing, but instead, they were increasing the quality of the original work. They had more class and style than plagiarists who would plagiarize works in its entirety, claiming it was to spread culture. However, to Zhao Youyue, they were no different at all. No matter how awesome they seemed to be in the source world, or how they have become great writers, celebrities, or directors, their works were still in the balls of her palms. Yuan Shawu, who had been possessed by Zhao Youyue, did not walk down the path of plagiarism in this plagiarists source world. Instead, she took another path. The scientific route. As a result, she was a dazzling supporting character, instead of becoming just another main character. This plagiarist source world did not have much potential. Its energy level was not special either. As a result, as Zhao Youyue ventured deeper into its truth, she concluded that it did not have much to offer, other than the work of those plagiarists. Even her scientific research had encountered a bottleneck. Those who have read the The Three-Body Problem [1] would know that mankinds scientific progress had a wall, and it was called Sophon [2]. Eventually, she discovered the deepest secret of this source world! This source world was not just a cultural desert. It was a world with no future. Mankind had stagnated. It would never produce that kind of talented genius scientist in the research of basic science. This was a world where people amused themselves to death! To hell with science. Everyone was more concerned about the various entertainment programmes, celebrity gossips, etc. Everyones dreams were not to push forward mankinds development, but instead, to reach for the stars. The different type. They wanted to become wealthy tycoons who could do whatever they wanted Even those plagiarists were obsessed with fate and destiny, and how misled they were. They did not believe that science had anything to do with them. It was just everyone else thinking that the other person in the room would be the one pushing forth the development in science for them. If such thinking was placed in the real world, that would be perfectly acceptable. Some genius scientist would always step up to the occasion. However, in this plagiarist source world, everyone would think the same, and none would end up being the hero. Whenever technology became advanced, they simply basked in the fruits of technological advancement. Such selfish hedonists. They simply did not understand that they were in a deeply flawed source world. Those researchers might just be a mediocre NPCs. If the natives of this source world truly awoke and reshaped the world, they might be able to steer the ship in a new direction. Obviously, this was impossible. After Zhao Youyue discovered the limitations of this world, she decided to abandon it. She placed Yuan Shawu on autoplay. She settled for transferring the cultural products from this source world to her own. This world would go on like that till the end of time, endlessly producing endless fantasies. No one would bother to propel it to a new horizon. They would only want to enjoy themselves every day so they would try their best to find a relaxing, yet high-paying job. It was just like those people perfectly young, healthy people getting interested in cryogenics so that they could go to sleep for as many millennia as it was necessary till science made biological immortality possible. What if every single person on earth decided to get frozen in lonely, cold pods at the same time? Who would be left to continue researching? And if you left AIs and other devices to do the dirty work, did those lazy humans even deserve to be immortal? Thats stagnation at its worst. As technology became more advanced, more fields would be developed and discovered, and more job opportunities to open, and more would need to rise above the call of duty and existence. What if none answered the call? They would be a waste of resources and oxygen they would be the start of mankinds downfall. Not a single soul in this world was concerned about the development of science and technology, since they all thought that there would always be that special someone doing it for them. They occupied themselves with dramas and celebrities and two-dimensional worlds. More plagiarists started turning up, plagiarising all sorts of plagiarized works, turning the world into a cesspool of pop culture. A civilization that amused themselves to the death had indeed been created! Zhao Youyue was the only one who had discovered the truth of this world. Thus, she decided to give up on this hopeless, doomed source world. However, she would disclose the results of her research to the entire source world. She also conducted some secret research on the plagiarist characters themselves Obviously, this world was no longer worth her attention. She made her early exit. Translation note: [1] The Three-Body Problem () is a science fiction novel by the Chinese writer Liu Cixin. [2] Sophon () is a fictional proton-sized supercomputer from The Three-Body Problem that is sent by an alien civilization to halt scientific progress on Earth. Chapter 768 - The Elegant and Glamorous Web Novel Site Once again, Zhao Youyue turned her attention to reality, to the cultural company she created under her own banner. She too had created a web novel site, which she then began to invest in, promoting and advertising whatever plagiarized work she could there. The real world was highly advanced, there was little room left in the market for new competitors. Undoubtedly, Qidian was the most famous website for web novels, and Zhao Youyue was a super tycoon on that website. Under normal circumstances, those insiders would think that Zhao Youyues effort in creating a web novel site and making it mobile-friendly was a waste of money. As the web novel market continued to grow, it was normal to see lesser imitations appear once in a while, before vanishing into wisps. For struggling authors, these small web novel sites might just be their lifeboats. Competition in Qidian was ridiculous. Unless an author produces something stellar, he would get buried in the dirt along with the others. For Qidian to upload a particular web novel, that author had to write at least 200,000 words. If an authors work failed right after it was published on Qidian, that authors two months worth of effort would have gone to waste Under such circumstances, some authors would choose to sign contracts with the smaller web novel sites. On the other hand, those insignificant web novel sites also needed some content for their bare libraries. Of course, the big shots in Qidian couldnt be bothered about these little islands. Just like any newly created website, Zhao Youyues Source World web novel site started off by blatantly promoting itself on the forums of its major competitors, leading with the tagline, Gossip from all corners of the country. There were many web novel authors in this particular forum, the highly talented ones included. Some well-known authors might act coy and claim disassociation with the major platforms, but they still paid close attention to this forum. Of course, a minority of authors would put on their sockpuppet identities to debate or fend for themselves whenever there was a negative review of themselves. Truly talented authors would spend their time writing new content, not waste time on this meaningless web forum. Gossip from all corners of the country took the forum by storm. Experienced readers soon vouched for the quality found there. Even though this web forum had a lot of foul-mouth users, the forums search function came in particularly handy. Whenever a particular web novel had a huge number of people debating over it, it would definitely be worth the read. Zhao Youyues Source World advertisement in this forum was nothing like the other web novel sites. Instead of attracting failing authors to contribute to her website, she just wanted more readers to know her website. She had no intention of begging for authors to join her website; it was entirely up to them. Zhao Youyues current Source World was flooded with plagiarists literary work, so as those authors harvested the profits of their ill-gotten stories, Zhao Youyue milked the bejeezus out of them. This was most probably the only use of that source world. As time went by, a number of authors finally realized that this web novel site was peculiar. As they waited for the Source World to take in their drafts, they had learned that surprisingly, this web novel site had no intention of buying off any literary work, it was only on a shared copyright basis! Soon, Source World became the biggest joke in this forum. Many of the experienced readers started mocking it This is my first time witnessing such an arrogant web novel site. It doesnt even have a solid reader base, and its already thinking of sharing the rights? Only idiots would post their work on this website. What a stingy little website, its impossible to compete in the fierce competition of web novel sites. It would go bankrupt within three months! Whats with this Source World web novel site, I see no known authors, or editors even. Theres no way it would draw the attention of any readers what a joke. This is probably the cheapest way to create a web novel website, just like those company with big names with no real content, is this actually a cover for illegal transactions Authors started making fun of this newly created website. When a web novel site made its debut, its founders would spend a lot of money to invite a talented author with a ton of fans, or an experienced editor; some would even settle for a less popular but talented author. But not the Source World web novel site, it appeared to set itself way up there, waiting authors to come on their own free will. As the biggest joke in the forum, everyone would check up on it. Zhou Zhipeng was an experienced reader, and an amateur writer. He was a senior in this web novel forum, and his pen name was Garuda. For some unknown reason, he was interested in this Source World web novel site. He did not expect much, he just wanted to see if anyone would actually walk up to start writing for it. Perhaps this web novel site was merely collecting pirated web novels to fill up their library. Without any authors, how could it be producing web novels? When he entered the website, he was drawn by the well-designed UI. It might be just a small website, but it certainly had its standards, unlike those massive pirate websites. He soon found that this website already had hundreds of on-going literary works! Zhou Zhipeng was most definitely curious. Hoping to get to the bottom of the mystery, he clicked on an interesting sounding title of the alternate history genre, which was a personal favorite of his and started reading, hoping that it would not wash out his eyes. Chapter 769 - Addiction Of course, Zhou Zhipeng did not expect anything from it. He still firmly believed that this website was only scooping up those unwanted, unprotected writing to fill up their library. These hollow literary works were probably unpleasant to read; these web novels were only good for filling the blanks. An experienced reader, and amateur writer, Zhou Zhipeng had very high standards. Such hollow literature would kill his brain inside out. Historical literature tested the standards of an author, which was why Zhou Zhipeng found the genre most intriguing. An amateur or inexperienced writer could never write an interesting historical story. They could always refer to the Romance of the Three Kingdoms, write about various famous generals, tactician, and beauties, and their gullible readers would be led into believing that they were extraordinary writers Meanwhile, talented historical literature writers could produce a work full of content, using a writing style that last saw daylight centuries ago. Even their poetry would bring tears to the eyes of the learned reader. That was the reason why fans of historical literature were so scarce but extremely loyal. A historical literature in Qidian had once got into the top monthly ranking with just thirteen chapters in one month. Evidently, it was quite a read. In conclusion, a decent historical literature would attract many fans, and they would support it from the bottom of their hearts. The novel that Zhou Zhipeng was reading was called Grand Vizier. The title already implied the story revolving around an official in the feudal times. Some readers might find it interesting. Whenever a modern person went back through time, he would most likely conquer the land and crown himself, not end up as a subordinate to someone else. But Zhou Zhipeng did not have the palate to appreciate it. It was boring if historical literature was all about becoming an emperor, inventing new technology, or even starting a revolution. He just believed that historical literature should be full of quality content, and also enjoyed reading novels about those who went back to ancient times to enjoy the scenery and the slice of life. This Grand Vizier was one of the famous literary works in the Source World. A plagiarist had written it. The golden finger of this plagiarist was unique, he could invite those historical characters to possess him so that he could experience the historical moment. He could then recreate those historical moments to his readers in his novel, and it was so accurate, that even professors who specialized in history would not be able to match up. It was understandable. He had the ability to experience those historical moments in person, while those professors could only analyze and speculate. Of course, this plagiarist also came from another parallel world. Grand Vizier was written based on the historical events of his world, Dynasty Chu. The rules and regulation of Dynasty Chu were similar to Dynasty Ming; the imperial examinations were very strict, and the path of the protagonist was clear, he must first pass through the imperial test to become a scholar, be a successful candidate in the examination, followed by the highest imperial examination. This story progression was interesting and linear; it was only the matter of time before it became famous! Sadly, not many writers could deliver ups and downs like the great legends out there! If the plagiarist did not have such a golden finger, he definitely could not have produced such work! At first, Zhou Zhipeng thought this novel followed the same old conventional route. The protagonist was an unknown scholar, but the author took his time to describe the protagonist background in detail, pulling his readers into his world of Dynasty Chu Surprisingly, he found himself glued to the story. He felt that he and the protagonist actually shared something in common. He could remain stable and calm, even as his relatives attempted to incriminate him. He would always face each hurdle with calm and logic. Under his gentle face was a hideous personality. He could always plan his revenge without letting anyone know about it. Time and again did his relatives have to pay for it! An unknown scholar like the protagonist needed to change his fate by acing the imperial examination. Before he could do that, he would face many trials. Whenever he solved a puzzle, readers would be cheering over his shoulder. The author would also throw some ancient beauties along the way to make things more interesting! Zhou Zhipeng certainly did not expect to spend eight hours to catch up to the latest update. To be more precise, he had not expected anything whatsoever! This author knew how to grab his readers by the balls. His latest chapter ended in a cliffhanger, just before the release of the imperial examination. The Protagonist had passed his first and second exams with flying colors; surely he would do well in this examination as well. Even though Zhou Zhipeng knew that the protagonist would pass his exams, he wanted to know how he did it! He wanted to know how his adversaries would react to it, after all the snaking and cheating and favors they pulled! In Dynasty Chu, everyone knew that the highest imperial examination could change a persons status. Before the examination, the protagonist had been bullied and suppressed by his opponents; all the problems would be solved when the protagonist aces his examination. It was just like hollow literature about how a protagonist leveled up by killing monsters. Before gaining a special ability, the protagonist would go through lots of trouble, with the antagonist constantly stomping on their faces. When the protagonist gained enough levels, it would be time for him to teach those who bullied him a lesson, talking about how You messed with the wrong person! Before Zhou Zhipeng spent his next eight hours reading this novel, he actually tried searching for a pirated version of this novel as he usually did, but came up short. Feeling helpless, he topped up a little in order to continue reading this novel After Zhou Zhipeng finished this novel in one go, the only complaint in his mind was Why isnt this f*cking son of a b*tch updating his latest chapter already!? He also did not understand why this author who called himself Historical Observer had not posted his novel on Qidian. It would have been a chart topper! Little did he know that almost all of the novels in Source World had already found a reader who was thinking just like him Chapter 770 - My Five-Star Rated Book Even though Zhou Zhipeng cannot produce a decent book, he was one of the best reviewers around. He had opened up a thread in this popular forum called, Original work reviews, happily offering to rate the works of authors who were willing to get their books evaluated. He would even nitpick the flaws of an author who had earned himself the legendary title Venomous Snake. His attacks were so sharp and precise that authors either lost patience with him, or even began doubting in their own abilities. Whenever someone attempted to debate with him, they would be quickly shot down with a very justified line. Stories are meant to be read by others, Im simply stating my personal opinions, is there something wrong with that? If you cant accept the ugly truth, why dont you just post your story on the web novel site? Loyal fans will surely support you, no matter what you write. Zhou Zhipeng only loved to oppose for the sake of opposing. He was disliked by many on the internet for not even speaking for the truth! He just wanted to go against the mainstream to show that he was independent and special! An experienced and nitpicking reader like Zhou Zhipeng would always read the pirated version whenever possible. He had grown thoroughly attracted to Grand Vizier, as written by Historical Observer. He believed that he was the first fan of this book, and so he went out of his way to began promoting the book. So, he went to the forum thread, titled Recommended trial books where there were a lot of active users, readers, and failed authors like him as well. They may fail at writing, but that did not stop them from nitpicking the flaws of popular novels. Was this actually why they failed as authors? Failed authors would only look at the flaws of a novel and pick away, but simply ignored the reasons that made the novel popular in the first place. They always covered it with a blanket statement, saying that readers only followed the mainstream blindly. Their books failed because the crowd simply could not understand the beauty or art in their literary work. Readers who knew how to look for a book in this thread would surely find what they needed, even if the thread was an absolute mess. The more debate a novel had, the more likely it was worth reading. Sometimes, too many people might be onto something, and that could hurt the overall ratings. Perfect scores were the suspicious ones. It had either been artificially marked up, or it was that good. People might get attacked by the fans if they left a negative or nothing special comment on the page. If a popular literary work had many negative reviews, there was a high possibility that it was a hollow literature, but that was not necessarily a bad thing. It might be more appropriate or appeal better to the lighter readers. If people could give it a try without questioning its logic, it might turn out to be an enjoyable read, but please turn off certain portions of your brain while doing so. It was only good as a time burner. In order to become a recommended novel in this forum thread, usually, it had to carry a degree of logic, and it would be best if it was a light, leisurely read. If one could experience or gain something in this novel, it could become ones legendary five-stars book. Of course, a five-star book was highly subjective. It might be five-stars for a certain individual, but not for others. If one really liked a certain novel, dont try to promote it, or else people like Zhou Zhipeng would decimate it in public. Zhou Zhipeng never expected himself to be in the position of a promoter. Nevertheless, this book was perfect! Zhou Zhipeng had developed quite a name for himself on the forum. Whenever people mocked him for being a fail writer, he would state that he only wrote as a past-time, not for fame as he had his full-time job of dismantling households as a demolition expert. Of course, he hoped to be popular. He had even created a sub ID to criticize his own work in hopes of gaining more attention. Of course, a failed literary work could only go that far, but that did not stop him from criticizing other works. Active users in this forum were already used to seeing him pick a popular novel apart, but they seldom saw him praising anything. This time, even the title he had put up seemed to be stretching it! Forum users who knew him did not take his word for it. Perhaps its author had bribed him handsomely, or was someone closely related to it. Doubts aside, some still clicked to see the bullshit this guy came up with. They soon found a very well-structured and thought out review of the story. Zhou Zhipeng had many things to talk about, like how it had been written in an ancient style, how it was very realistic and despite its complexity, how it was completely devoid of plotholes! He finally concluded that this author was probably just starting out, and Source World was lucky enough to be the stage of his debut Chapter 771 - Doubt With the advent of the internet age, e-reading had made huge progress, throwing traditional book printing firms out of business. Under such circumstances, only famous romance authors could still sell actual books, just like the renowned idol writer, Han Leng who was under the banner of Zhao Youyue. Han Lengs new literary creation, Dragon Raja was finally released. This literary work had certainly put his writing ability to the test, and so, his writing had improved since his last creation. Even though this book made plodding progress, but people already realized its true potential. Han Leng had made up his mind to follow Lady Zhao; he was willing to become Lady Zhaos dog Such was her charm; it could even conquer the cool and arrogant Han Leng. He was not even sure of his affections for Lady Zhao, was it solid friendship, or a flower he could never attain? It was becoming more apparent that Lady Zhao preferred girls. As long as Zhao Youyue did not start fancying any guys out there, Han Leng was fine with it. She could have an entire harem of girls, and that would be alright. Han Leng knew that no man would ever embrace Zhao Youyue. She would forever be his goddess. As traditional book printing firms went out of business, traditional writers found themselves drifting in the open vacuum of space. Part-time writers might not feel the sting. Those who were confident in their writing abilities, would read more web novels and try their hand at this web novelist thing. A solid genre to fall back on would usually be of the historical nature. There was a High God platinum historical writer who had started his career as a traditional writer before jumping ship to web novels. He became successful after his first book. The remuneration he received had been far more than what he received as a traditional writer over the past years. Zhou Zhipeng suspected that this Grand Vizier was most probably written by a similar author. This author must have read many web novels to be able to write so beautifully and flawlessly. Long story short, Zhou Zhipeng was showering the writing techniques of the Grand Vizier with endless praise, followed by the attention to detail and historical accuracy. Of course, fictional history needed no documented research, so it had much room to rove about. Most interestingly, this fictional Dynasty Chu seemed so realistic, as if it existed in history! Zhou Zhipeng felt goosebumps running up his body. No author had ever impressed him to such an extent. What sort of imaginative mind did this genius possess? Writing a fictional historical novel was no easy task, they had to at least obey logic and consistency, just like that early hit, The Best Servant. This novel emphasized on the picking up of hot chicks during ancient times. It was about a modern man who leaped back through time. The protagonist had then invented a lot of new ideas; even a simple barbeque earned him more beauties. Zhou Zhipeng detested such work! He would nitpick every single flaw in this novel, making it seem worthy of a trashcan. But not with Grand Vizier. It had turned into the ideal fictional historical novel for Zhou Zhipeng. Its realism had most definitely dug its tendrils deep into his head. Even the authors name was brilliant. Had this Historical Observer actually traveled to Dynasty Chu? What Zhou Zhipeng did not know was that this Historical Observer was just a plagiarist from another world. His golden finger was to have a parallel historical character possess him so that he could experience those historical events himself. Of course, he would be able to retell the events like he had been there himself. When a historical novel had an outstanding writing style, rigorous text, and authentic history atmosphere, it was already more successful than most hollow literature. It was a rare gem. The biggest merits of the Grand Vizier were its well-executed cliffhangers. Readers felt as if they were the protagonists themselves, going through every smart calculation made by the protagonist, sitting through every one of his well thought-out plans. This got the experienced reader Zhou Zhipeng hooked. He despised those protagonists who relied on their protagonist halos; it was annoying to him. Whenever the protagonist of Grand Vizier started to get serious, he could outsmart his adversaries easily; there was no room for them to even recover. This was why Zhou Zhipeng never got bored of reading it. Besides that, the other characters in the book were perfectly intelligent, capable humans, not just foils to the protagonists! Be it adversary or ally, interactions in them would be thrilling. The author was brilliant! In conclusion, Zhou Zhipeng had written a decent review of this book. He felt that he had been honest, transparent, and unbiased. But the replies only let him down What sort of recommendation is this? I tried clicking it, but theres nothing! Weird, is this a made up book? I couldnt find it on any website. Im surprised; even this nitpicker has a five-stars book? Im sure that he was bribed, the book name is already venomous! A fictional Dynasty Ming had a vizier? Anyone with some historical knowledge would know that only cabinet ministers existed in that era! Chapter 772 - Website Gone Viral! Of course, Zhou Zhipeng would not allow his reputation to turn bad, even though he did not have a good reputation, to begin with. So, the only thing he could do was to provide a link. Indirectly, he was also promoting the newly created Source World web novel site. Many did not actually read his recommended book, but waited for the others to provide some feedback. If the responses were good, it would never be too late to start reading. If most of the feedbacks were negative, thanks for saving my time. When people saw that this literary work had been posted on an unknown website, they lost all interest. Only hollow literature could become popular in these minor websites. Qidian was still the best. Readers who did not have any books to read or anything better to do decided to give this book a try, not expecting much from it Many soon became hooked to it! From tasting the waters to becoming mildly interested, to becoming hardcore fans of this author. They even topped up to tip him! None could understand their excitement from finding such a masterpiece as experienced readers. The suffering they have endured from not finding a suitable book to read for such a long time was like a shower after a long period of drought. Those excited readers came back to thank Zhou Zhipeng right after discovering a great book, and they replied Thank you for recommending this book, Im totally hooked! If the author could maintain such quality, wed have an icon in our hands! Such a shame that it had not been posted on Qidian it would be a chart-topper in no time at all! How much is he actually earning? This small site couldnt possibly provide much, I actually fear discontinuation. This author might be new to the scene. Why didnt he try Qidian? The review seemed suspicious to be at first, especially with that author. Now only do I know that it was just that good. I pity this poor author for having picked the wrong platform More soon joined in on the reading, and in no time at all, the book had developed a solid fanbase! As expected, 80% of the readers gave a very positive review for this book. Of course, some people liked to go against the crowd for the sake of it When Zhou Zhipeng saw all these replies thanking him, he felt a strange, happy sense of fulfillment. He was unhappy to see those who opposed for the sake of opposing, so he vehemently fought back to keep this recommended book on the trending list. Of course, many supporters of this book stood on his side. It truly felt great to be part of a solid fanbase of a solid book. It was literally flawless. He had no worries of being blindsided. More and more readers began to read the Grand Vizier. It quickly became the most discussed book. Experienced readers were heading for it in droves! Most importantly, more were becoming aware of the Source World. After catching up to the latest chapter of Grand Vizier, they started to read the other books on a whim, only to be pleasantly surprised! At first, they had thought Grand Vizier was the only great book in this little upstart website. They certainly did not expect others works of similar quality to find their way here! How wrong had they been to underestimate Source World! Besides that Grand Vizier, there were hundreds of web novels that could instantly become famous if they had been posted on Qidian! Some mysterious organization had to be behind this. How else could a minor website draw the attention of all these elite authors? As time went by, the plagiarists creations in Zhao Youyues Source World gained a strong following. The other web novel sites were left wondering. Where were all these talented unknowns coming from? Due to its rapidly growing fame on the internet, it no longer remained small or insignificant. Because its anti-piracy policies were solid, no pirated versions of it could be found elsewhere. Readers were willing to pay to read these highly worthwhile titles. As Source World gained more readers, other web novel sites started to shiver, except for Qidian. They tried hiring these talented authors, hoping to poach them from the Source World, but all their efforts were in vain. It was a mystery. They had no way of reaching these authors whatsoever! No contact information, no existing readership, no past works. They seemed to have just popped up out of nowhere! It would take a miracle for them to find the real authors. These authors were plagiarists, and they had come from other worlds, while posting their plagiarized copies in yet another world Chapter 773 - The Eternal Heroine (Grand Finale) This mysterious Source World webnovel site, had ended up as a massive source of income for Zhao Youyue. She had all the web novel income to herself, for those plagiarists did not exist in this world! She had full ownership of the website, including that of every single novel on this platform. She was also the only person who could update these titles, as only she could travel between different worlds and dimensions. The novel website went viral; it even eliminated its pirated novels. The website now had around 20,000 to 30,000 loyal readers. If each and every one of them spent 10 RMB to read, Zhao Youyue would have a monthly income in the millions. After spending the maintenance fees of the website, there was no doubt that her income would still be ridiculous! Zhao Youyue decided to improve her servers and copyright protection and turn her website into a bulwark. When she had enough resources, she activates her mad scientist character card to invent new and ridiculous technology. Through her impressive technology, she finally becomes a big boss that secretly controls the world! As always, she hoped between her roles as side character and main heroine, going through many two-dimensional worlds, experiencing wonderful experiences, turning her real world into her paradise Eventually, she used her maxed out research on her Two Dimensional Gate. There, she took the knowledge and created many things, such as a legendary Lord God, directing him to take control of even more talented people and search for better worlds to conquer. Zhao Youyues life had become that of a gods. No matter how she wished to become a side character, she could never become one again; she had become the center of the world in every sense of the word. We could keep writing about her amazing and legendary protagonist life, but there would be no end to it, for this world still harbored many secrets to explore, while an unlimited amount of worlds were still waiting to be discovered by her During this process, Lady Zhao might have lost many things including her original personality; she was no longer the same cute and moe Lady Zhao. Zhao Youyue had become the Heroine, but some might have preferred her original self. She chose to let people acknowledge her sense of presence, but at the same time, she had lost her pure and original self. Many years had passed. Lady Zhao was reading a book titled Shift!! The side character Heroine. It had brought a smile to her face. With the help of the Two Dimensional Gate, she obtained the character card Zhao Youyue. If she ever activated this character card, she could become her original self again. We should mention that, Zhao Youyue had already made an exit on chapter 674, Nothing in Common. Consequently, the author, Drunk for Her had lost his inspiration, so the story soon lost its touch. It could not be helped, he could only blame Zhao Youyue for her premature exit. But Zhao Youyue did not think that she deserved the blame. This work had served as the ideal redemption for the authors previously failed work. It had left his readers in disappointment. This lousy author was a good-for-nothing! Thats right, when an author reaches his original goal, he could no longer continue writing. If he forces himself to continue writing, it would end up ridiculous. How could a reader like his creation when he could not even read it himself? Thats why, it would be most appropriate for the author to wisely end his work at the right time, and save his readers from disappointment. As a responsible author, Drunk for Her realized that without the help of Zhao Youyue, his writing had grown tasteless. It was time to end this redemption. It ended rather uniquely. Readers might either find this interesting, or they would lambast him for such a lousy end. Nevertheless, it was the end. It could not be helped, he could only blame the irresponsible, whimsical Zhao Youyue! Fortunately, she had not torn his world apart, nor had she exited by death The eternal controversy about sexual orientation had also been cleverly deflected. Lady Zhao was her own master, she would never bow down to any man. To her, all humans were the same, male or female. Maybe they were all dogs to her. The Empress Zhao was invincible! If the author, Drunk for Her wanted to give his own redemption a rating, he would probably give it a Pass. After all, he was not the one who really wrote the book; it was Zhao Youyue all along. He was just a puppet, writing the book on her behalf. Drunk for Her is thankful of Lady Zhao as well, with her help and the support of his fans, he had managed to acquired the title of High God. He could still earn a living from writing web novels, albeit being one of the most casual High Gods out there Right now, Drunk for Her sat before his computer, and he wrote Zhao Youyue was staring at the countless beauties on her Two Dimensional Gate, and the completed divine card Altair. She revealed a reassuring smile, a smile that only belongs to her, the Eternal Heroine. (Fin) Drunk for Her also smiled. He felt that he had written the best ending possible. Unbeknownst to him, a girl was standing right beside him, pressing his head directly against the keyboard. A girl spoke in a displeased, haughty tone into his ear, You good-for-nothing author, how could you still smile with this kind of ridiculous ending? Without me, youre nothing! Next book, the next book will be better. I hope that Ill still be in the care of the literary goddess